Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

Makes about six 8-ounce jars:

1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pkg. regular powdered fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups crushed red raspberries
4 tbsp. lemon juice
6 3/4 cups granulated sugar

Combine cocoa and pectin. Stir and set aside. In a large saucepan, place crushed raspberries and lemon juice. Whisk in pectin mixture until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.

Add sugar all at once and bring to a full boil. Boil hard for one minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam. Fill prepared jars. Process for 20 minutes if you are canning it.

This is really yummy eaten warm over ice cream.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion (or sprinkle onion salt)
1-2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can kernel corn
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg. taco seasoning

Brown ground beef with onion. Add rest of ingredients and heat through. Best if it simmers for a little while. Top with grated cheese, corn chips, and sour cream.

Honey Butter

1.5 sticks of butter
1/2-3/4 cup honey

Mix honey into softened butter. Store in refrigerator. Serve with rolls or cornbread.

Tomato & Avocado Finger Sandwiches

We had a book club luncheon at my house recently, and Shelley made the yummiest sandwiches. My favorite were these...

Sandwich bread
Pesto
Avocado
Tomato
Mayo

Spread pesto on one side of bread, and toast on a griddle (pesto side down) until lightly toasted. Cut off crusts. To make sandwiches, lightly apply mayo to the inside of the bread and add thinly sliced tomatoes and avocado.

I have been craving these ever since!

Fruit Yogurt Parfait

• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 cups plain yogurt (or vanilla and skip extract)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, cherries, grapes, melon, etc.)
• 3/4 cup granola

Mix honey, yogurt, and vanilla. In cups or glasses, layer assorted fruit with yogurt and granola.

Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad

1/2 head romaine lettuce
1/2 head iceburg lettuce
cilantro (to taste)
Fresh basil (2-3 leaves, but I've also made it without and it's good)
1 cup white corn
1 cup black beans
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Tortilla strips
Chopped tomatoes (optional)
Cooked chopped chicken
Sweet & spicy BBQ sauce
Ranch dressing

Prepare the chicken by covering it with BBQ sauce after it is cooked and chopped, and let it chill in the refrigerator. Chop the lettuces into strips and combine with chopped cilantro and basil. Stir in corn, beans, and cheese. Just before serving, stir in about 1 cup of tortilla strips and toss with a small amount of ranch dressing. Top the salad with the BBQ chicken and drizzle the salad with a little extra BBQ sauce.

Lemonade Cake

• Pillsbury classic white cake mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed


Set your oven to 350F. Prepare to keep cake from sticking by lightly coating bottom of pan with cooking spray or use shortening and a flour dusting.
Blend cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and lemonade in a large bowl until moistened. Beat with a mixer on low speed for 2 minutes.

Bake until cake is done, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool 10-15 minutes then run a knife around the edge of pan before removing.

Recipe from Laura.