pumpkin seeds

from recipezaar.com ingredients
2 c pumpkin seeds
1 qt. water
2 tbsp salt
olive oil
seasoned salt

1. clean pumpkin seeds take off all or at least most of the pumpkin goo. 
2. boil in salted water ( 1 qt water with 2 tbsp salt) for 10 minutes.
3. preheat oven to 300 degrees. drain the seeds then combine seeds with a drizzle of olive oil.
4. spread out in a single layer onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle liberally with seasoned salt.
5. toast for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes or so....

I also saw a vatiation calling for using butter and worchestershire sauce, also garlic salt, cayenne pepper, even cinnamon....also can use vegetable oil

wild rice quiche

from "meals for a month" cookbook

1 9 inch pie crust
1 cup cooked wild rice
2 tablespoons minced pimientos (didnt use these)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (I used black)
1 cup shredded havarti cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
serves 6

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake unfilled pie shell for 8-10 minutes until light golden brown. Set aside on wire rack to cool.
2. Combine wild rice and pimientos in medium bowl.  In heavy saucepan, cook onion and garlic in olive oi until tender, stirring requently. Add to wild rice mixture and set aside. In another bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, mustard, and pepper and beat well to blend.  Add to wild rice mixture and stir gently to combine.
3. Combine havarti and monterey jack cheeses in a small bowl.  Sprinkle 1 cup mixed cheeses in bottom of cooled pie shell. Pour wild rice mixture over cheese and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over al. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is set and golden brown. 
4. Let stand 10 minutes then cut into wedges.

to cook and freeze
serves 12

3 9 inch pie crusts

3 cups cooked wild rice

6 tablespoons minced pimientos (didnt use these)

3 onion

6 cloves garlic

3 tablespoon olive oil

9 eggs

3 cups sour cream

3 tablespoon dijon mustard

3/8 teaspoon white pepper (I used black)

3 cups shredded havarti cheese

3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake unfilled pie shell for 8-10 minutes until light golden brown. Set aside on wire rack to cool.
2. Combine wild rice and pimientos in medium bowl. In heavy saucepan, cook onion and garlic in olive oi until tender, stirring requently. Add to wild rice mixture and set aside. In another bowl, combine eggs, sour cream, mustard, and pepper and beat well to blend. Add to wild rice mixture and stir gently to combine.
3. Combine havarti and monterey jack cheeses in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 cup mixed cheeses in bottom of cooled pie shell. Pour wild rice mixture over cheese and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over al. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is set and golden brown. Cool in refrigerator, then freeze; wrap, label, and freeze. Or slice  quiche into serving pieces before freezing and freeze individualy.
4. To thaw and reheat; thaw quiche overnight in refrigerator. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
to reheat individualy:microwave each slice on medium for 2-4 minutes, then 1 minute on high or until hot.

hot chocolate cookies

from recipezaar.com
I wanted to make cookies for some guests, but didnt have any chocolate chips, oatmeal or any of the traditional cookie ingredients...but then it hit me....I have HOT COCOA! It has sugar, powdered milk, cocoa....sounds like ingredients in some sort of dessert...so I got online and found this recipe. I did NOT make this with the marshmallows or the glaze and still thought these tasted pretty good. we pressed a few of the cookies with dried cranberries...and I also used raspberry flavored hot cocoa mix instead of the regular chocolate. I thought they were pretty good!

For the cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup instant hot chocolate powdered cocoa mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
24 large marshmallows, cut in half crosswise


For the glaze
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 23 mins
1 Preheat oven to 350
2 In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa mix, baking soda and salt.
3 In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined after each. Mix in milk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
4 Using a teaspoon cookie scoop, drop the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until the cookie are set, about 8 minutes. Remove and carefully place a marshmallow, cut side down, in the center of each cookie. Place back in the oven and continue baking until the marshmallow begins to look puffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and let cookies sit on the baking sheet for 1 minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
5 To make the glaze: Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, add butter, milk and cocoa. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil - let cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Pour mixture into the bowl of confectioners' sugar and beat until creamy.
6 Immediately spoon a little of the glaze over each of the cooled cookies.

cheesy enchilada casserole

from crockpot365.blogspot.com

cheesy enchilada casserole

this was pretty good....and SUPER easy...I added a pound of ground beef which was just barely enough....maybe adding some corn or pinto or black beans would have made it a bit more hearty too...I also ended up using canned enchilada sauce and "quesadilla cheese"....it all turned out good, only about 4 servings though...maybe if I had more filling or had been more creative with my layers I could have made it more hearty. I think next time I might try using chicken...I like that this is SO versatile!