Sopapilla

This was a recipe I got from Chris at a recipe night and then brought it as one of my favorites on Liz's last hosted event. I served it warm but I like it even more the next day once it has cooled down and solidified more. 

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese softened  (I used only 2)

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (8 oz) cans crescent roll dough'1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds

honey (optional)

1.  Preheat 350 degrees
2.  Beat cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups sugar & the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.  Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough & use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles.  Press one piece into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough.
3.  Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake along with the almonds.  Drizzle w/honey (optional).
4.  Bake until the crescent dough has puffed & turned golden brown, about 45 minutes.  Cool completely in pan before cutting into square.

Vanilla Granola

This recipe was requested by Tiffany. It's our family's favorite. We go through it faster than cold cereal.

VANILLA GRANOLA
8 c. quick oats
2 c. sliced almonds
1 c. wheat germ
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c. canola oil
1 c. honey
3 Tbsp. vanilla
craisins or raisins, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 300-degrees. Combine first 7 ingredients (dry ingredients) in a large bowl. In a saucepan combine oil, honey, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute then pour over oat mixture and mix well. Divide and spread mixture over 2 large cookie sheets (ungreased) and bake at 300-degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and stir the granola with a spatula so it won't stick when it dries. Leave on pans until the granola hardens. Break up granola, add the craisins, and store in large Ziploc bags or containers. Serve plain, with yogurt, or with milk.

Spinach Salad

I brought this recipe a long time ago.  I don't remember what the topic was but am thinking it was March and the topic was "Green".  It was one of the first ones Liz hosted because I was still in TLF.  My sister wrote up a post about it on our family recipe blog HERE. It has candied almonds, fruit, spinach, and delish dressing.

3 bunches spinach or 1 10-12 oz. bag of spinach rinsed, dried & torn

½ head of lettuce, cut or torn

1 c. grated cheese (Mozzarella or Swiss)

Add any or all of the following:

2 11-oz. cans mandarin oranges

1 c. nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, or pecans)

strawberries, sliced

1 c. cottage cheese

2 c. diced chicken breast (sauteed in olive oil & garlic), optional

1 pkg. Won ton skins, cut in strips and fried (delicious, but more work)

Dressing

In blender combine:

1 c. Canola oil

¼ c. white vinegar

¼ c. sugar

1 ½ T. red onion

1 ½ t. salt

¼ t. dry mustard powder

1 ½ t. poppy seeds

Make the salad & top with dressing the right before serving.  (Use as much dressing as desired for the salad.  Refrigerate any dressing that is not used.)  Optional:  for individual servings,  place salad on a salad plate and top with pink dressing and poppy seeds.

Serves 10-14

Candied almonds

1 egg white
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 t. cinnamon

Heat oven to 250 degrees.  Place parchment paper on a jelly roll pan.

Beat egg white and vanilla until frothy, not stiff.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir in almonds.  (My recipe doesn’t say how many almonds to use. I halved the recipe and used about 1 ½ cups of almond slices and it seemed like a pretty good amount.)  Pour on parchment paper which is on the jelly roll pan.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Shoyu Chicken

DeAnn is my mom, and I don't know where she got this from, but I've had it since I was young as something we would eat when we were stationed in Hawaii. My kids always love it and it is a quick dinner. I believe this is the one I brought for dinners in 30 minutes or less.

DeAnn’s Shoyu Chicken

½ to ¾ C. brown sugar

¾ C. soy sauce (preferably Aloha Shoyu)

1 ½ C. water

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. ground ginger

Put all ingredients in the pot. Add some chicken that's cut into pieces. It can be thawed or frozen, and boil until cooked. Serve with rice.