Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chip Cookies

- Erin Callahan

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
2 2/3 cups oats
1 10-oz chocolate chips

Beat butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat till combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla till combined. Beat in flour. Stir in rolled oats with a wooden spoon. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough 3 inches apart into an ungreased cookie sheet. Slightly flatten dough with your hand, if desired. Bake in a 375 degree oven about 8 to 10 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks and cool. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature up to 3 days.

Makes 60 to 72

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

-Amy Badger

¾ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup (4oz) block-style fat free cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
¾ cup fat free buttermilk (or milk soured with a little lemon juice)
2 cups shredded zucchini
2/3 cups mini chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour. Place sugars, cream cheese, and vegetable oil in a large bowl and beat until well blended, several minutes. Add eggs and egg whites , 1 at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add slowly to cream cheese mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the zucchini, chocolate chips and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Marshmallow Fruit Salad

-Shauna Cooke

3 cups pastel colored mini-marshmallows
1-30oz can fruit cocktail, drained
2-11oz cans mandarin oranges, drained
1-8oz carton Cool-Whip, thawed
½ to 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Combine all ingredients, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 6-8

IVIE'S BAKED BEANS

-Carly Paulsen

This was a recipe I got from Joel and Anne Ivie...
All ingredients are very approximate. Adjust to your individual taste.
1/2 - 1 lb. bacon
1 28oz. can of baked beans
1/2 - 3/4 c. ketchup
1/4 - 1/2 c. brown sugar
2-3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tsp. liquid smoke
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Cut raw bacon into pieces (I use scissors for this). Brown bacon in large skillet. Remove cooked bacon and drain excess grease but don't wash out pan. Leave the little brown bits and pieces in the bottom of the pan. Add can of beans, and all other ingredients (including bacon). Let simmer together for about 20 minutes. Serve with biscuits or cornbread and you've got a filling cowboy dinner.

BBQ Ribs

-Carly Paulsen

Rack of baby back ribs
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Cut ribs in pieces (about two ribs per piece).
Place in large pot of boiling water (make
sure all ribs are completely submerged).
Bring water to a slow simmer.
Cover and simmer about two hours.
Heat grill to med - high heat.
Remove from water and pat dry.
Baste ribs with BBQ sauce.
Grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side. (This step can also be done in a broiler).

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 of 8-ounce block cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 box (4 cups) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
about 2 Tbsp Milk (or to taste and spreadable consistency)

Mix together and whip to make frosting.

American Flag Cake

-Erin Callahan

1 box of your favorite Butter-flavored cake mix - make according to directions on box. Cool completely.

Frost cake with cream cheese frosting or cool whip.

Slice strawberries (I used a heavy-duty egg slicer to slice my strawberries).

Arrange blueberries in the left top corner to form stars of the flag.

Arrange strawberries in four rows on top of the cake to form stripes of the flag. Optional: use more strawberries for border around the bottom edge of the cake for decoration.