Company Cheesecake

1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tb sugar
3 Tb butter melted
19 0z cream cheese softened (2-8oz and 1-3oz)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
topping

Heat oven to 350 deg. Stir together graham cracker crumbs and 2 Tb sugar. Mix in butter thoroughly. Press mixture evenly in bottom of 9 inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 deg. Beat cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until fluffy. Add lemon peal and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour over crumb mixture.

Bake 1 hour or until center is firm. Cool to room temperature. Chill at least 3 hours. Loosen edge of cheesecake with knife before removing side of pan.

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely coo

Slow Cooked Barbecued Country Style Ribs

3 - 4 lbs boneless pork ribs
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large onion sliced
1/2 cup apple juice
1 bottle (15-18 oz) barbecue sauce

Lightly grease crock pot. Wash boneless ribs, trimming off any excess fat. Pat dry.
Put onion in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle ribs with salt, pepper, brown sugar and garlic to coat. Add to crock pot. Add apple juice.
Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. Drain.
Pour barbecue sauce over meat. Cook for one more hour on low. Serve

This also makes great barbecued pork sandwiches. Just break apart the pork with forks so that it has the consistency of pulled pork. Then add the barbecue sauce and cook for the additional hour, as stated above. Serve on buns or hard rolls.

Strawberry Pie

4 cups strawberries
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3 T corn starch
1/2 t salt
whipped cream
prepared pie crust - regular or graham cracker

Crush 1 cup strawberries. Add 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Simmer 3 minutes. Strain juice. Add water as needed to make a full cup.
Combine sugar, corn starch and salt. Slowly add juice, stirring until smooth. Bring to boil. Keep stirring until clear and thick. Cool slightly.
Put whole berries into crust. Pour mixture over berries. Chill.
Serve with whipped cream.

Creamy Lemon Pie

6 whole graham crackers (reduced fat if desired)
2 T butter
11 oz sweetened condensed milk (or fat-free if desired)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 deg.
Grind graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Place crumbs in a small bowl.
Melt butter on stovetop or in microwave and pour over graham cracker crumbs, mixing with a fork until completely moistened. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of a 9-inch pie pan; place crust in refrigerator while preparing lemon filling.
In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk and eggs, mix until smooth. Add lemon juice and zest; stir until incorporated and pour into pie crust.
Bake pie for 15 minutes. Cool completely, and for best flavor, serve chilled.

4 weight watchers points per serving if reduced fat ingredients are used.

Tortellini Sausage Soup

1 lb italian sausage 4 cloves pressed garlic 1 onion diced 1/2 cup water 2 cans chicken broth 1/2 cup apple cider 1 16oz can diced tomatoes 1 8oz can tomato sauce 1 cup sliced carrots 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried oregano 2 medium zucchini, grated 1 8-10oz package cheese tortellini 2 Tbs dried parsley In a soup pot, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If the sausage is pretty fatty, drain off the fat about half way through cooking. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic. Add to sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Add water, chicken broth, apple cider, tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, basil and oregano. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until tender. Servie with bread and freshly grated parmesan.

Harvest Pumpkin Brownies

1 16 oz can pumpkin
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice (or use a mixture of cloves, nutmeg and ginger)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting:
6 T butter softened
1 3 oz pkg cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp milk
1/8 tsp salt
2-3 cups confectioner's sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well-mixed. Combine dry ingredients; still into pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 15 inch x 1 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until brownies test done with a wooden pick. Cool.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, milk, and salt until smooth. Add confectioner's sugar; mix well. Frost brownies. Store in the refrigerator. Yield 5-6 dozen.

Dutch Apple Pie

1 uncooked pie crust
2 quarts apples (or you can slice up some fresh apples)
2 Tbsp. tapioca
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Crumb mixture as shown in the Apple Betty recipe

Line pie plate with crust. Mix together apples, tapioca, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let stand together for 15 minutes. Fill crust with the apple mixture. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake in 400 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. You may need to cover lightly with aluminum foil during the last part to prevent over browning.

Stuffing

1 loaf french bread
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can chicken broth
1 tsp sage
salt
pepper
poultry seasoning (or rub mix)

Slice french into cubes. Let it dry out overnight. Melt butter in saucepan, add vegetables and saute onions begin to look transparent. Put dried crumbs in a large bowl, toss in the cooked vegetable mixture. In a separate bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth. Add seasonings to taste. You do not need a lot of salt because the soup already has salt in it. I just sprinkle in a few pinches of McCormick French Herb roasting rub. Toss the soup mixture with the bread/vegetable mixture. Do not stir too much. Spread it in a cake sized pan. Cover and cook at 400 deg for 30 minutes. Take of cover and cook for 5 more minutes if you want to add a slight crisp to it.

Chicken and Pasta

12 to 14 chicken tenders
2 8oz pkgs Cream cheese
1 packet Dry Italian dressing mix
2 cans Cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

Penne pasta or Fettucine

Soften cream cheese by setting out for a couple hours or soften in microwave for a few seconds. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together cream cheese, soup, Italian mix and milk with a mixer. Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 pan. Spread the mix over the top making sure there aren't many open spots. Bake for one hour. Cook pasta. Serve chicken and sauce over the pasta.

No Bake Cookies

1-3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 Tb unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let cool until set.