Rocky Road

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy...depending on preference)
• 4 cups frozen mini-marshmallows

Take a cup of chocolate chips, melt them in a double-boiler, then mix in 1 cup of peanut butter 'til it's nicely mixed together.
Then take off heat and add 4 cups of frozen (so they don't melt) mini-marshmallows, mix up quickly and pour into buttered square glass or cake pan.
Then cool in fridge to harden
Cut about 1/2" slices - looks pretty on a plate of goodies!

recipe: Aunt Laura c/o cousin Amy

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Crescent Poppers

Ingredients

• 1 package Cream Cheese (8 Ounce Package)
• 4 ounces, weight Canned, Diced Jalapenos
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 8 ounces, weight Tube Refrigerated Crescent Rolls

Note: The ingredients above make 32 little Crescent Poppers. It’s easy for a grown man to shovel about 8 of these in his mouth without thinking about it. So depending on who you’re having over, you might want to get another tube of rolls and one more cube of cream cheese. Don’t worry about the jalapenos, you will have enough for a second batch with this one can. Unless you want over the top spicy poppers.

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Cut your cube of cream cheese and throw about 3/4 of it into a bowl. Now take about half of your jalapenos from the can and throw in with your cream cheese.

To your bowl with your cream cheese and jalapenos, add your Tablespoon of sugar. Take your fork and mash it all up really well. Be sure to incorporate all that sugar in really well. (This is where I like to do a little taste test. I prefer a bit more spicy poppers, so I added just a bit more jalapenos.)

Set your bowl of cream cheese jalapenos aside for now.

Open up your tube of crescent rolls and place on your cutting board. Separate them into two rectangles. Now pinch together the perforations to create two nice rectangles. Sometimes I like to use my little mini rolling pin afterwards, to make it a nice and smooth rectangle.

With the back of your spoon, spread half of the cream cheese mixture onto one of the rectangles. Save the other half of the mixture for the other rectangle. (You will have TWO rectangles per tube of crescent rolls.)

Once you’ve spread your half portion of cream cheese on one of your rectangles, start with the LONG end of the roll, and get to rolling.

Once it’s all rolled up, you will need to cut your log into 16 pinwheels.

Note: you could refrigerate these little guys if you wanted to make them ahead of time.

Place your 16 poppers, laying face up, on a greased cookie sheet.

Pop these into the oven for about 13 minutes until they are golden brown.

Yields: 32 poppers

Recipe: www.tastykitchen.com

Party Punch

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon strawberry sherbet
• 2 (64 fluid ounce) bottles fruit punch
• 1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage, chilled

Place sherbet in punch bowl. Pour in fruit punch and lemon-lime soda.

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 cups finely grated carrot
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 3 (8-inch) square cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add egg yolks, beating until combined.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.

In a medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Gently stir in carrot and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Spread frosting evenly between layers and on top and sides of cake. Gently press white chocolate curls around sides of cake, if desire. Garnish with carrot ribbons and rosemary, if desired.

Frosting ingredients:

• 1 (4 oz) white chocolate baking bar, chopped
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar

In a small saucepan, combine chopped white chocolate and cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, and cool for 1 hour.

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Add white chocolate mixture, beating until combined. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

Note: Cake layers can be made up to 1 month ahead; wrap cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. To serve, spread frosting on frozen cake layers (frozen layers are easier to frost), and thaw. Store thawed cake, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Recipe: Cooking with Paula Deen, Nov/Dec. 2011 issue