Valentine's Day Lovebugs

Follow recipe directions for Oreo Truffles. Refrigerate truffles for 1 hour in between each step to ensure candy coating is firm.

Make a 1 inch oval shape for the body, and a smaller round ball for the head.

Form the body by gluing the head on with melted chocolate (almond bark).

Dip the body in melted red candy coating.

Dip the head in melted chocolate candy coating. 

Decorate lovebugs by drawing a wing line down the middle of the body and spots with melted chocolate candy coating. Draw faces and/or antennas with melted white chocolate.

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

- 4-6 slices fully cooked bacon, crumbled
- 16 oz. tub of sour cream
- 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1/3 c chopped chives or scallions
- 1 tbsp seasoned salt

- Mix all ingredients in bowl and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with waffle or steak fries.

**not my picture**

Fried Jalapeno Slices

- 4 medium jalapeno peppers
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 eggs
-1 cup Corona (any beer)
-1/2 qt vegetable oil for frying

 Slice jalapenos into 1/4-1/2 in pieces. Mix flour, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, eggs, and beer in small mixing bowl. Batter will be thick. Using a fork, dip jalapeno slices into

 batter and drop in preheated oil 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.

 Eat plain or serve with ranch dressing.

Skillet Spaghetti

- 1 box spaghetti
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage, browned and drained
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 sm red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup black olives, sliced
- 1 cup green olives, sliced
- 2 halves roasted sweet red pepper, chopped
- 40-50 slices hot pepperoni, halved
-1 jar spaghetti sauce, any flavor

Boil pasta in heavily salted water, 5-7 min. (It is the only time you have to actually flavor the pasta.) Brown sausage in heavy cast iron skillet and drain (leave about a tbsp of grease in skillet). Add veggies to skillet and cook about 7 min.

Add in spaghetti sauce and cook another 5 min or until sauce starts to bubble.

Add cooked pasta to the sauce, and add one cup of pasta water. Toss together, and let simmer 5 min. 

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg.  OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 4-1/4 cups), divided

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Milk Chocolate, melted 1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S White Chocolate, melted 

**if using only milk chocolate, use 2 pkgs.

-Mix cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended.

-Shape into 1-inch balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

-Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Makes roughly 4 dozen truffles.

Monkey Bread

3/4 c white sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c butter, melted

4 cans refrigerated biscuits

3/4 c chopped hazelnuts (or any nut) *optional

Mix white sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Cut each biscuit into 4 separate pieces and shake in cinnamon sugar mixture and drop in greased or sprayed Bundt cake pan.

Stir melted butter and brown sugar together in small bowl and pour over biscuits.

Bake 350 for about 35-40 min or until golden. 

Turn bread out onto a serving platter.
*Optional: For a quick and easy topping, warm up 4 tbsp of cream cheese frosting or maple syrup and drizzle over top.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

• Filling
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Crust

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 stick butter, melted

1 tbsp white sugar

Stir together and pour into spring form pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Beat together the cream cheese and the sugar, add the pumpkin and the spices. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add salt. Beat until creamy. Pour the batter into crust.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 50 minutes or until the knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool then top with whipped topping, if desired.

   

Beat cream cheese and sugar. Stir in spices and pumpkin.

 Add each egg separately and mix well.

 Stir together crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press into spring form pan.

  

Pour batter over crust. *Optional: Add hazelnuts to top.

  Bake at 350 for 45-50 min, or until toothpick inserted comes clean.

Top with fresh whipped cream and grated nutmeg.