Directions
        Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
        Saute bacon and onion in saucepan until golden brown. Add flour, pepper, and salt; stir well. Slowly add milk. Cook on low for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.
        Place in greased pan alternating layers of sliced potato, sauce mix, and cheese, ending with cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Directions
        Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
        Cream together brown sugar and butter. Add honey, molasses, vanilla, and egg; mix well. Blend in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients.
        Press into greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 22 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE!
        Cut into bars while still slightly warm and allow to cool completely in pan.

                With the holidays coming and the weather getting cooler, chili is just what the doctor ordered! This is a wonderful, easy meal for those cold days when all you want to do is eat and curl up with a good book!

        Heat oil in stock pot and add chicken. Saute until white but not fully cooked and add onions. Continue to cook until chicken is done and onions are transparent. Add the remaining ingredients except cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook another 5 minutes. Serve with more cilantro, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

This is a delicious and quick meal for those busy nights when you don't want to work too hard on supper!

Directions
        In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
        Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat and stir in pasta, lemon zest and parsley.
        Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan, if desired.
        *The spice from the red pepper flakes spreads throughout the whole dish quite well. If you do not like spice, I would recommend lessening the amount. Omitting it completely might alter the flavor too much.

Directions
Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees (if you don't have a deep fryer, make sure to keep an eye on the oil temp by using a candy or meat thermometer). In a large bowl combine flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. In a small bowl whisk together egg and milk. Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then roll in the flour mixture. Repeat so that each piece of chicken is double coated (optional).

Fry chicken in the hot oil in batches until the outside is nicely browned and the juices run clear (about 5 minutes per batch). Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the chicken is gone.

Mix fried chicken bits with your favorite wing sauce and enjoy!

Back in February, Dan and I visited some of our family in Alabama. During our trip we went to a Jerusalem Cafe where Dan had some lentil soup. When we came home he asked if we could find a recipe to try making it. I found one and we made it a few days later. Unfortunately it turned out horrible and we didn't attempt it again for quite a while. Recently I found this recipe and gathered up the courage to try it. It turned out great and is now in our cookbook with the rest of the recipes we make all the time!
*THIS RECIPE REQUIRES DAY BEFORE PREPARATION!*

        I love baking and trying new recipes. I got to do both when a coworker put in her two week notice at work. I have made it a habit to bake a treat for my coworkers on their last day of work as a way of saying, "Thanks for being really fun to work with! I will miss you!" I am lucky to work with people I like! One friend had put in her two weeks, so about a week away from her last day I asked her what she wanted me to make. "Pineapple upside down cake!" she said, clearly excited about the idea.
        I have never made, let alone tasted, pineapple upside down cake before so I was quite eager to tackle this request. I jumped on Pinterest and found this wonderful recipe for mini cakes using muffin tins. They turned out wonderfully and the recipe soon made its way into my cookbook!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, add eggs, white sugar, and pineapple juice. Beat for 2 minutes.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and turn mixer back on for 2 minutes.  
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the brown sugar. Stir on low heat for one minute.
4. Spoon a layer of the warm brown sugar mixture into the bottom of each muffin tin, then place a pineapple ring on top. Add a cherry in the middle of each pineapple. Pour cake mixture over to fill muffin tin 3/4 of the way full. If you are using regular muffin tins, you will need to cut down the rings to fit or just use pineapple tidbits.
5. Bake jumbo cakes (muffin pans with 6 LARGE spots) for 25 minutes. Bake regular cakes (cupcake pans with 9-12 spots) for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cake to help loosen in case it sticks a little. Place a wire cooling rack on top, and quickly flip over on top of sheet tray to catch extra drippings.  
7. Place wire rack of cakes on sheet tray to cool.  

        Who doesn't love brownies? These mint brownies taste like a thin mint melting in your mouth! If you are not a fan of mint flavor, this recipe works great as normal brownies, just take out the mint!

Directions
        Liberally grease 13X9 pan. (I use a slightly smaller pan so the brownies come out more moist!) Preheat oven to 350. In a double boiler, or over low heat, melt butter and 4 oz chocolate and cool slightly.
        In a large bowl whisk eggs and add sugars, salt, coco powder, melted chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Fold in flour until just combined then add Andes Mints.
        Spread batter in pan and bake 35-40 minutes, or until top is shiny and beginning to crack. Let cool in pan on wire rack before cutting.