Katrina's Rhodes Sticky Buns

PREP: 10 minutes (the night before)
COOK: 30 minutes
SERVES: 8-10 main dish servings

Original INGREDIENTS:
1 bag frozen Rhodes rolls (use only 20)
1 small box vanilla (NOT INSTANT) pudding
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Original DIRECTIONS:
Place rolls in a bundt pan. Melt butter and drizzle over rolls. Combine dry ingredients and sprinkle over all. Cover loosely with plastic wrap with room for rolls to rise. Let rise at room temperature over night. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then turn out onto a plate. Serve warm.

Denise's Modified INGREDIENTS:
1 bag frozen Rhodes rolls (use only 20)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Denise's Modified DIRECTIONS:
Follow original directions except space rolls evenly in an 8x12" baking dish instead of a bundt pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops of rolls are golden brown.

Athene's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

DIRECTIONS:
Spread peanut butter between pairs of Ritz crackers (or use store-bought peanut butter crackers). Dip them in melted chocolate or white chocolate and allow to cool on wax/baking paper.

Mmmmmm...yum!

These can easily be decorated with white chocolate that's been colored for holidays or special occasions.

Denise's Greek Pasta Creation

This was a last-minute attempt to use some veggies I got at the farmer's market, after our stomachs' had already begun to growl. Thankfully, it was a huge success--both in flavor and easiness.

Prep: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
3 zucchini
2 cups cut (in half) cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 container crumbled feta cheese
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 cups frozen cooked shrimp
8-12 oz. wheat pasta (penne rigate or spiral)
1/2 tsp. oregano
salt & pepper to taste
*this would probably also go well with some black olives, although I didn't have any on hand

DIRECTIONS:
1. Start water to boil for pasta. While waiting for water to boil, chop vegetables and thaw shrimp under cold water. Cook pasta al dente according to directions.
2. In a large skillet, sautee zucchini, red onion, and garlic in 1 Tbsp. olive oil for 2 minutes. Add shrimp, tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and the rest of the olive oil. Stir on medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. Drain pasta and toss into vegetables with feta cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Serve and enjoy!

Gail's Nilla Wafer Snacks

INGREDIENTS:
Nilla wafers
banana
peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:
Top nilla wafers with peanut butter. Slice banana and place slices on top of wafers with peanut butter. Enjoy!

Denise's Chocolate Chip Cookies

CREAM TOGETHER:
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 cup white sugar (I use about 1/8 less than one cup)
1 cup brown sugar (I use about 1/8 more than one cup to make them more chewy)
 
ADD & MIX:
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

ADD & MIX:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oat flour (if you cannot find oat flour, put oats into a blender and grind until fine powder)
1 tsp. baking soda (heaping spoonful)
1 tsp. baking powder (heaping spoonful)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup nuts, finely chopped (optional)
2 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until slightly golden.

Thanks, Eryn, for passing along this recipe!

Rock Star Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1. baby spinach OR spring mix lettuce
2. strawberries, cut up
3. craisins OR dried cherries
4. walnuts (crumbled by hand into smaller pieces or bought already crumbled, don't send them through your chopper b/c they'll be too small)
5. crumbled feta cheese
6. Brianna's "BlushWine vinaigrette" (pic of a strawberry on the bottle) OR "real French vinaigrette" (pic of an artichoke on the bottle) salad dressing -- you can see pics here: http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/products.html

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle dressing on top right before serving. Toss a few times to make sure there's enough dressing and that it's mixed in well.

Any combination of the above ingredients, and you're going to have guests raving!

Chuy's (Copy Cat) Creamy Jalapeno Dip

Prep: 5-10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup chopped jalapenos (can buy in a jar, then drain the amount you need)
1/3 cup green chilies (1 sm. can)
1/4 cup cilantro leaf
1 (1 oz.) packet dry ranch dressing mix

DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients in a blender or food processor, until smooth. If time permits, chill in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours to allow flavors to meld.
Serve with tortilla chips.