Recipe Challenge 2015

GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

The Crescent-News

C-N RECIPE CHALLENGE CATEGORY WINNERS

RECIPECHALLENGE 2015

CORA SCHARFCloverdale

Smoked Sausage &Bacon Stuffed Jalapenos

JOANNE HAVERWauseon

Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup

75 RECIPESINSIDE!

FiestaShrimpCocktail

VICKIE SPROWBryan

Blueberry Coffee Cake

PAT HIREDefiance

Artichoke Dip Stuffed Chicken Breast

APPETIZERS & SNACKS

SOUPS, STEWS & CHILI

SALADS, SIDES & BREADS

ENTREES

The Crescent-News

CherylBuchhopwins grand prize!

Defiance, OhioWednesday, November 4, 2015

APPLE FEST CHALLENGEC-N RECIPE CHALLENGE CATEGORY WINNERS

Smoked Sausage &Smoked Sausage &Bacon Stuffed Jalapenos

APPLE FEST CHALLENGEAPPLE FEST CHALLENGEWINNER: ANGELA BALLARD ★ Defiance

Angela Ballard also won

the desserts category with

Sticky Crockpot Pumpkin

Caramel Cake.

GRAND PRIZE RUNNER-UP

OMG Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones C-N RECIPE CHALLENGE CATEGORY WINNERS

RUNNER-UPRUNNER-UPABIGAIL STEHULAKDefianceBrussels Sprout Salad

11

2 2015 RECIPE CHALLENGE The Crescent-News, Defiance, Ohio - Wednesday, November 4, 2015

2

12 MONTHS NO INTEREST**to qualified buyers

1710 S. JefferSon Avenue, DefiAnce, ohio 43512• Phone (419) 782-6801 (out of town) 1-800-678-4838 • www.kensfurnitureinc.comSTORE HOURS: MON. 9 AM-8 PM; TUES., WED., THURS. & FRI. 9 AM-5:30 PM, SAT. 9 AM-4 PM; CLOSED SUNDAY, FAMILY DAY

- FREE DELIVERY wIthIn 50 mILEs - FREE In homE sEtup - FREE REmoVaL

VOTED #1 FURNITURE STORE IN 6 COUNTY AREA PAST 9 YEARS!

Recipe forFamily Comfort

Ken’S furniture & MAttreSS centerfine furniture At DiScount PriceS

Insight$1,299

Queen Flat Set

As Low As

$1,874Queen with Motion

Essentials Adjustable Base

As Low As

$2,374Queen with Motion

Essentials Adjustable Base

Savant$1,799

Queen Flat Set

Get Memory Foam or Hybrid Technology - Serta makes it easy to choose!

Vantage$1,299

Queen Flat Set

As Low As

$1,874Queen with

Motion Essentials Adjustable Base

Merit$1,499

Queen Flat Set

As Low As

$2,074Queen with

Motion Essentials Adjustable Base

Visit our website @ www.kensfurnitureinc.com to sign up!FREE SHOPPING PASS $50 SHOPPINGPASS

Ken’S furniture & MAttreSS center

Get your Ken’s Furniture and Mattress Center FREE SHOPPING PASS good for $50 off your next purchase. FREE

• NO INTEREST • NO DOWN PAYMENT

La-Z-BoyRECLINERSStarting at

2 FOR$499YOUR CHOICE

PINNACLE MASON

CONNOR

SAVE $160

SAVE $200

SAVE $200

SAVE $200$399 ea.

SWIVEL ROCkERS

$269SAVE $130

In stock for immediate delivery.

LIFT CHAIRS STARTING AT

$699ALL ON SALE!

RECLINING SOFA from

$799 In stock for immediate delivery.

CHECk OUT OUR NEW

kIDS ROOMMANY ROOM GROUPS

TO CHOOSE FROM!

HUGE DINING SALE!

ON SALE!LARGE SELECTION!

MANY NEW STYLES!

ALL ON SALE!

The Crescent-News, Defiance, Ohio - Wednesday, November 4, 2015 2015 RECIPE CHALLENGE 3

Cheryl Buchhop wins challenge with spicy Fiesta Shrimp Cocktail

A meal in a restaurant in Houston, Texas, sparked the idea of creating a bet-ter shrimp cocktail for rural Defiance resident Cheryl Buchhop. Her experimenta-tion with the popular appe-tizer brought her the grand prize in the 2015 Recipe Challenge, sponsored by The Crescent-News.

Buchhop’s Fiesta Shrimp Cocktail was chosen as the top winner among 20 recipes submitted by 17 finalists at the 2015 Recipe Challenge contest. The con-test was held Oct. 13 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Defiance. Three women — Angela Ballard, Pat Hire and Sue Shea — were finalists in two cat-egories.

Buchhop, who is a retired English and Spanish teach-er, said, “I ordered shrimp cocktail at a restaurant in Houston and it was the best shrimp cocktail I ever had. I noticed that they did not have the usual horseradish sauce with it, so that was why I tried it. The secret is the diced vegetables.”

The recipe has a lively variety of vegetables in it including plum tomatoes, avocado, celery, cucumber, onion, a yellow pepper and a jalapeno pepper. Adding spice and remarkable fla-vor to her recipe are garlic, cilantro and lime juice.

She started with a recipe she found in a Kraft Food and Family magazine. Buchhop said when she was experi-menting with the recipe, her husband suggested she use cucumber to add a little crunch.

She also has a special slic-er/dicer that she uses to cut the vegetables.

“I use a red onion for the flavor,” she noted “and salad shrimp in the reci-pe. This recipe is great for snacking. My husband likes

to eat it with tortilla chips or bruschetta. It also makes a great salad for summer when you add some pasta to it.”

Buchhop advised buy-ing a soft avocado for the recipe.

“When you are making the recipe, add the avocado and the chopped cilantro at the last minute,” she said. “I like it because it is such a colorful recipe.” She said the recipe ingredients should be marinated for several hours before serv-ing.

“I like tweaking recipes,” she said. “I enjoy coming to the Recipe Challenge because I get to see a lot of new people as well as old friends.”

The judges of the con-test were Linda Hanawalt, Defiance, who was last year’s grand prize winner; Bridget Conner Oberlin, Defiance, who is a profes-sional pastry chef; and Lee Ann Mendoza, Oakwood, who was a Recipe Challenge grand prize winner many times and has served as a judge every year since 2008.

The judges commented that Buchhop’s appetizer was “festive, very flavorful and made a pretty presen-tation.”

Buchhop won $150 as the grand prize winner and a specialty cookbook. More than $700 in cash and prizes were awarded during the event. Seventy-five recipes were entered in six catego-ries: Appetizers & Snacks; Salads, Sides and Breads; Soups, Stews and Chili; Entrees; Desserts; and this year’s special category, which was the Apple Fest Challenge.

Grand prize runner up was Abigail Stehulak, Defiance, for her Brussels Sprout Salad. She said that she likes to fix food that is easy to prepare since she has an eight-month-old child. She likes cooking

healthy food that requires just a few ingredients. She won $75 and a cookbook.

Angela Ballard, Defiance, was the winner of the Apple Fest Challenge. She was given $50 and a cook-book. She also won $50 for her first-place winning entry in the desserts cat-egory with her OMG Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones. Contestants could win one of the five categories and they could also win in the special Apple Fest Challenge.

Second prize in the Apple Fest went to Sue Shea, Whitehouse, who received $25 and a cookbook. Her recipe was Apple Cider Mini Bundts. The third prize in the Apple Fest was $20 and a cookbook, which was won by Barbara Schindler, Napoleon, for her Apple Pizza Pie.

Winners in the other five main food categories

received $50 for first place and $25 for second place and an assortment of cook-books.

The following is Buchhop’s winning recipe:

Fiesta Shrimp Cocktail

Serves: 6+Ingredients:6 plum tomatoes, seeded1 avocado1 stalk celery1 cucumber, peeled and

seeded1 medium red onion1 yellow pepper1 diced jalapeño pepper,

optional1 pound frozen salad

shrimpJuice of 1 lime½ cup tomato juice

½ cup Italian dressing1 can Rotel tomatoes2 tablespoons minced

garlic1⁄3 cup chopped cilantroDirections:Thaw and drain shrimp,

rinsing if necessary.Dice all fresh vegetables,

except cilantro. Drain for 1-2 minutes to remove excess liquid.

Whisk together lime juice, Italian dressing and tomato juice until blended. Combine all ingredients, mixing lightly. Chill. Add cilantro shortly before serv-ing.

Optional: add cooked rotini for a shrimp-pasta salad.

CHERYL BUCHHOP

By DARLENE PRINCE @cnDarlenePrince [email protected]

Jenny Derringer/C-N Photo

Cheryl Buchhop’s Fiesta Shrimp Cocktail was a hit with the judges at the 2015 Recipe Challenge and won the grand prize. Her recipe makes liberal use of fresh vegetables and herbs. The event was sponsored by The Crescent-News.

3

Advertiser index

Antwerp United Methodist Church ...........................13Brookview Farms ................7"C" Stephens ....................20Carpet Wholesalers LTD .. 11Chief Supermarkets ............5Fort Defiance Meats ...........4Ken's Furniture ...................2Permanent Cosmetics ......13Rod Brown Photography ....9

The emcee for the Recipe Challenge was Jamie Blank. He was assisted by hostess Georgia Kohart, who is an accomplished cook, cookbook author and published a food column in The Crescent-News before her retirement in October.

This year for the Recipe Challenge, there were contestants from Napoleon, Whitehouse, Defiance, Wauseon, Cecil, Ney, Sherwood, Cloverdale, Bryan, Hicksville, Continental, Liberty Center and Malinta. There were nine new finalists in the competition this year who entered recipes in the challenge's various categories.

Recipe Challenge is success


Abigail Stehulak’s salad using Brussels sprouts takes grand prize runner-up

The grand prize runner up winner in the 2015 Recipe Challenge was Abigail Stehulak, of Defiance.

Her fresh take on combin-ing Brussels sprouts with an apple, pecans, Craisins and other ingredients impressed the judges. Several com-ments from the other final-ists who tasted her dish at the judging noted that the Brussels sprouts could not be tasted in her dish.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

Serves: 6 Ingredients: 2 pounds Brussels

sprouts, thinly sliced

½ cup pecans, chopped 1 Granny Smith apple,

peeled and cored and diced½ cup Craisins 2/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/3 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon coarse stone

ground mustard 3 tablespoons honey Salt and pepper to taste Directions:Whisk together red wine

vinegar, oil, mustard, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small mix-ing bowl. Cover and place in fridge for at least 30 min-utes, overnight is even bet-ter.

Toss together Brussels sprouts, pecans, apple, and

Craisins and a dash of salt in a serving bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat Brussels sprout mixture.

ABIGAIL STEHULAKJenny Derringer/C-N Photo

This fresh and tasty Brussels Sprouts Salad won grand-prize runner-up for Abigail Stehulak, a first-time winner at the annual Recipe Challenge.

Appetizers and snacksThe first-place winner in

Appetizers and Snacks was Cora Scharf, of Cloverdale, for her S m o k e d S a u s a g e and Bacon S t u f f e d Jalapenos.

This tasty dish would make an e x c e l l e n t tailgate rec-ipe.

Winning second place in this category was Jill Hatcher, of Cecil, for

Homemade Pizza Pockets, a snack that children would enjoy and takes about 10 minutes to bake.

Smoked Sausage and Bacon Stuffed

Jalapenos Serves: 5 Ingredients: 1 pound Italian sausage 8 ounce package cream

cheese, softened 1¼ cups shredded ched-

dar cheese 1 green onion, chopped 1 pound medium-large

jalapenos

½ pound bacon, crum-bled

Directions:Presoak hickory chips at

least 1 hour. Line smoker racks with foil. Start the smoker.

Halve the jalapenos and deseed. Set aside. Place bacon in a skillet, cook and drain off grease. Place sau-sage in a skillet, cook and drain off grease. In a bowl, mix the sausage, bacon, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and green onion. Spoon filling into jalapeno halves.

Arrange stuffed jalapenos on the smoker racks. Put in smoker for about an hour at 250°F.

May be baked in oven, without the smoke flavor, at 425°F degrees for 25 min-utes, or until bubbly.

•••Homemade Pizza

Pockets Serves: 8 Ingredients: 1 tube Pillsbury Crescent

Rolls Pizza sauce (any kind) Pepperoni Cheese – provolone and

cheddar Onion powder Italian seasoning Olive oil Directions:Unroll the crescent rolls.

Smear pizza sauce on rolls, top with pepperoni and

Scharf

Smoked Sausage and Bacon Stuffed Jalapenos

• APPETIZERS, Page 5

4

Visa MasterCard Discover EBT-Food Stamps Cards

Mon,Tues,Thurs, Fri – 8am-6pm, Sat – 8am-2pm; Closed Sun & Wed

Your FamilY Dinners should start with Fresh meats from FORT DEFIANCE MEATS 1214 S. Clinton St., DefianCe, oHio

Come in and taste the Difference experience makes! in the heller family since 1969!

Now taking orders for your HOLIDAY FEAST!FRESH TURKEYS* ORDER EARLY!Cooper’s Boneless TURKEY ROAST

Old Fashioned BONE-IN HAMSOur Own SMOKED TURKEYSBEEF PRIME RIB & TENDERLOINSDUCKS* DUCK BREAST*Fresh OYSTERS* ORDER EARLY!Large Selection of SEAFOOD!

DEER PROCESSINGAreas most complete

Processor of Wild GameHave your deer made into

our Delicious SUMMER SAUSAGE,

SNACK STICKS & JERKY

MEAT PACKS made while you wait!HOMEMADE SOUPS Everyday!


provolone c h e e s e . Pull sides t o g e t h e r and crease t h e m c l o s e d . D r i z z l e olive oil on top of rolls and sprinkle with Italian sea-soning, cheddar cheese, and onion powder. Place on pizza pan and bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

••• Honey Nut Spread

Serves: 8Ingredients:2 tablespoons orange

juice1 tablespoon honey8 ounces cream cheese,

softened½ cup chopped raisins¼ cup chopped honey

roasted peanutsDirections:Blend orange juice, honey

and cream cheese. Stir in raisins and nuts. Chill at least one hour. Serve with crackers.

Sherry Shenkman, Malinta•••

Game Day DipServes: 8+ Ingredients: 4 8-oz. cream cheese,

softened 1 package dry ranch

dressing mix ½ teaspoon onion pow-

der

½ teaspoon garlic pow-der

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

1 small jar chopped pimentos, drained

1 small can chopped green chilies, undrained

Directions:Mix all ingredients

together in large bowl with wooden spoon, or use a stand mixer. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with sturdy crackers - Wheat Thins brand is best!!

Barb Jermeay, Ney •••

Crab Rangoon DipServes: 6Ingredients:2 8-oz. bricks cream

cheese ½ cup sour cream ½ cup mayonnaise2 6-oz. cans crab meat,

drained or 2 cups fresh crab meat

½ cup parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons powdered

sugar 1 tablespoon lemon

juice 1 tablespoon

Worcestershire 4 green onions, chopped 2 packages large wonton

wraps (optional - plain pita chips may be substi-tuted here)

Directions:Mix all ingredients,

except green onions and wonton wraps, in a large mixing bowl. Place mix-ture in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. Serve with plain pita chips, or cut wonton wraps into quarters, spray both sides with cooking spray, place on cookie sheet and

throw into the oven with the dip for the last 7-8 min-utes of cooking, or until crispy and golden brown. After it’s removed from the oven, top dip with chopped green onions. Serve warm or cold.

Jerri Boyers, Defiance•••

Sandwich Sushi Rolls

Serves: 4Ingredients:4 slices whole wheat

bread½ cup whipped cream

cheese (may use varia-tions of the flavored cream cheese)

¼ cup carrots (cut into sticks)

¼ cup bell pepper (cut into sticks)

¼ cup cucumber (cut into sticks)

½ avocado (cut into sticks)

Directions: Cut crust edges off bread

slices and roll bread flat using a rolling pin. Divide the cream cheese evenly between the bread slices and spread. Lay some of the vegetable sticks at the bottom of each slice. Starting at the bottom, roll the slices of bread and place the seam side down. Gently slice each into 4 pieces.

Notes: Any combination of fresh veggies may be substituted. Finely shred-ded chicken may also be used in combination with the veggies.

Joanne Haver, Wauseon

•••Microwave Caramel

Popcorn Serves: 5Ingredients: 2 bags butter flavor

microwave popcorn 1 cup brown sugar ¼ cup light Karo syrup 1 stick margarine 1 teaspoon baking soda Directions:Prepare microwave pop-

corn per package direc-tions. Place into a large microwave safe bowl. (I use Tupperware’s Thatsa Bowl.) Set aside.

Place margarine, brown sugar and Karo syrup in a glass bowl. (Pampered Chef small batter bowl is perfect.)

Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir well. Repeat and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon baking soda and mix well. It will foam. Pour over popped popcorn and mix well.

Place into microwave for one minute on high. Stir very well. Repeat. Stir well, trying not to sneak too many sample bites. Continue to stir until the caramel corn has cooled completely or it will form one great big Thatsa Bowl shaped popcorn ball. May pour onto a large cook-ie sheet to allow to cool quickly.

For a toffee flavored pop-corn, substitute butter for margarine.

APPETIZERSFrom Page 4

Hatcher

Homemade Pizza Pockets

• APPETIZERS, Page 6

5

The gift

EVERYONE can use!

GIVE THE GIFTOF GREAT FOOD.

FIND US ONLINE!READ OUR BLOG

Our blogger, Sara, shares her favorite recipes & tips with

you every week!

www.chiefsupermarkets.com/blog

www.ChiefSupermarkets.com

/ChiefSupermarket

/Chief_Market


Enjoy!Kim Askins, Defiance

•••Trail Mix

Ingredients:1 cup water¼ cup granulated sugar1½ cups whole almonds2 tablespoons granulat-

ed sugar 1 tablespoon unsweet-

ened cocoa¼ cup Reese’s Pieces½ cup Reese’s Mini

Peanut Butter Cups½ cup Toll House

Premier White Morsels¼ cup cocktail peanutsDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cocoa Almonds:Combine 1 cup water and

¼ cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Add 1½ cups almonds and soak for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons sugar and cocoa. Remove almonds from sugar water with a slotted spoon and add to cocoa mixture. Mix until almonds are well coated. Place almonds on parchment paper and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, mix togeth-er remaining ingredients. Add cooled almonds.

Repeat recipe as often as you like!

Mary Lou Vance, Sherwood

•••Glazed Pineapple &

Sausage Bites Serves: 8+ Ingredients:

1 14-oz. kielbasa sausage 16 ounces pineapple

chunks, juice reserved 3 tablespoons teriyaki

marinade 1 tablespoons chili gar-

lic sauce 1 teaspoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon pineapple

juice ¼ cup brown sugar,

packed Directions:Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut the kielbasa into half-inch sections. Skewer the pineapple and sausage together with round tooth-picks. Place the appetizers in a shallow baking dish and then set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients to make the glaze. Drizzle the sauce over the kielbasa bites using a turkey baster. Bake 15-20 minutes. Serve warm. Any extra sauce can be poured into a small bowl for dipping.

Pat Hire, Defiance •••

Blue Cheese Tartlets

Serves: 6 (3 tartlets each)Ingredients:1 8-oz. sheet frozen puff

pastry3 ounces fresh spinach,

trimmed1 egg2/3 cup sour cream¾ cup freshly grated

parmesan cheese¼ teaspoon freshly grat-

ed nutmegSalt and pepper to taste3 ounces blue cheese or

Roquefort, crumbled5 bacon slices, cooked

and crumbled, reserve grease

¼ cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds

Directions:Defrost puff pastry as

package directs. In a frying pan, sauté

onion in reserved bacon grease until tender. Drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 425°F.Bring large saucepan

filled with water to a boil. Place spinach in boiling water and cook for 30 sec-onds. Immediately drain in colander and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.

Drain and squeeze spin-ach with hands to extract water.

Break egg into a medium bowl; add sour cream, par-mesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Beat well with a fork until blended. Coarsely chop spinach and add to bowl along with bacon and onion. Stir well.

On a lightly floured sur-face, roll dough as thinly as possible. Sprinkle blue cheese evenly over dough. With a 1¼-inch cookie cut-

ter, cut 18 dough rounds. If necessary, take dough scraps and re-roll to cut more rounds. Line mini muffin pans with dough rounds. Fill each lined muffin cup with egg/spin-ach/bacon mixture. Scatter a few pine nuts on top of each.

Place tartlets in oven and bake about 15 minutes, until filling sets and crust is golden.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Sue Shea, Whitehouse

APPETIZERSFrom Page 5

Soup, stews and chilis

Joanne Haver, of Wauseon took first place in the Soups, Stews and Chili category with her hearty Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup.

This delicious soup was created just for crisp fall weather.

Grabbing second place in this category was Deb

Dunbar of Defiance for her delectable White Bean Spinach Soup.

Her soup even makes vegetables tasty.

Michael Weaver of Napoleon was the third finalist in this category with his Ohio Apple Chili — a recipe that chili lovers will want to definitely try.


Serves: 12Ingredients: 1 stick + ½ stick butter2 medium sweet onions1 medium head green

cabbage (about 3 pounds)5 green onions4 medium carrots10 small red potatoes

2 quarts chicken or veg-etable broth

3 tablespoons flour1 cup heavy cream2 cups milk1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon pepper1 bay leaf¼ teaspoon dried thyme1 can white cannelloni

beans, drained and rinsed

(optional)¾ cup grated parmesan

cheese14 ounces kielbasa, sliced

in ¼ inch rounds (may sub-stitute ham)

Directions: Chop onions and cabbage.

Melt 1 stick of butter in a large soup pot over medi-

• SOUPS, Page 7

Judging underway


The three judges at the 2015 Recipe Challenge were hard at work that evening tasting the many dishes and deciding on the best recipes. The judges were Lee Ann Mendoza (left), of Oakwood; Barbara Hanawalt (center),

the 2014 Recipe Challenge grand prize winner; and Bridget Conner Oberlin, a professional pastry chef. The grand prize winner was Cheryl Buchhop for her Fiesta Shrimp Cocktail.

6


um heat. Add onions and cook until soft, add c a b b a g e and sauté 10 more m i n u t e s , s t i r r i n g occas ion-ally. While onions and c a b b a g e are cook-ing, chop green onions, carrots and potatoes into bite size pieces. Add veg-etables to pot; sauté until tender, about 10 more min-utes. Add broth and 4 cups boiling water to soup pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 30 min-utes.

Melt 1⁄2 stick butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and mix well. Add cream and milk, stir until thickened and bubbly. Add seasonings to cream mixture, stir well.

Add cream mixture to soup pot, stir. Add beans, parmesan cheese and kiel-basa. Heat to almost a boil, reduce heat, simmer gently for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, and serve.

Joanne Haver, Wauseon•••

White Bean Spinach Soup

Serves: 6Ingredients:2 tablespoons extra-vir-

gin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion1 cup chopped carrots1 cup chopped celery2 cloves garlic, minced1 teaspoon dried rose-

mary1 teaspoon dried thyme2 bay leaves3 cans Great Northern

beans, drained10-14 oz. fresh spinach,

chopped2 teaspoons lemon juice1 teaspoon pure maple

syrup¼ teaspoon red pepper

flakes6 cups water – may use

chicken broth for all or part of the water

Salt and pepperGrated or shredded par-

mesan cheese, optional. Directions:Heat oil in Dutch oven;

add onion, carrots, celery

and gar-lic. Sauté 4 minutes, then add dried sea-s o n i n g s . Add 5 to 6 cups water, stir and simmer 30 m i n u t e s . Add beans, spinach, lemon juice, maple syrup and red pepper flakes. Add more water if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer soup 10–15 min-utes. Discard bay leaves. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Deb Dunbar, Defiance•••

Ohio Apple ChiliServes: 8+Ingredients:2 tablespoons olive oil2 garlic cloves, minced1 cup finely chopped

onion½ cup finely chopped

green bell pepper½ finely chopped red

bell pepper½ cup finely chopped

carrots1 cup frozen corn ker-

nels1 teaspoon ground

cumin½ teaspoon ground cori-

ander2 tablespoons chili pow-

der2 teaspoons salt1 28-oz. can diced toma-

toes1 15-oz.can tomato puree

1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained

1 15-oz. can black beans, drained

1 15-oz. can red beans, drained

2½ cups water½ cup dry bulgur wheat3 Jonathon or McIntosh

apples, chopped1 cup unsweetened

applesauce¼ cup fresh cilantro for

garnishSour cream for garnish

Directions: Add oil to a large pot.

Sauté the vegetables and spic-es in the oil over medium to m e d i u m -low heat for 10 min-utes, or until ten-

SOUPSFrom Page A6


White Bean Spinach Soup

Dunbar

Ohio Apple Chili

Weaver

• SOUPS, Page 8

Haver

7

“Let us Barbecue For You”

Country Store Meat Processing

• Custom processingof beef, pork and lamb• Locally raised beef,pork and lamb avail-able for sale• A Country Retail

Store that handles a full line of homemadeand fresh deli meats, jams, honey saucesand such• An “in-house” smokehouse that provides a full line of smoked meats, including old-

fashioned smoked andhoney-glazed hams,

bacon, beef jerky,casing wienersand more!

We also have portable barbecuepits that are available for

picnics, corporate or specialevents and can handle from

100 to 10,000 people.

HOURS:Mon. - Fri. 7am-5pmSaturday 8am-Noon

V-354 Rd. 24 • Archbold, OH 43502Approximately 8 miles South of Turnpike Exit 25


der. Add a few tablespoons of water if vegetables stick to pot. Add apples, apple-sauce and remaining ingre-dients up to cilantro and sour cream.

Cook, covered, in crock pot on low heat for 5-6 hours. Serve with sour cream and cilantro sprin-kled on top.

Michael Weaver, Napoleon•••

Crock Pot Stew Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 7 medium potatoes,

peeled and cubed 1 pound carrots, cleaned

and sliced to ¼ -inch 1 cup frozen corn 1 cup frozen peas 1 family-size can

Campbell’s Tomato Soup concentrate

About 1 pound cut up or shredded leftover beef

About 1 cup leftover broth or gravy

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large crock pot. Cook on high for about 5 hours, or low for 8-10 hours. Serve over biscuits or toast. You can also add other vegeta-bles if you like — there’s plenty of “broth/gravy” with the stew, and you can always add a little water if you need more.


Tortellini SoupServes: 8–12Ingredients:8 cups chicken broth1 14-oz. diced tomatoes1 cup diced or shredded

cooked chicken½ cup diced celery½ cup diced onion2 tablespoons minced

garlic½ cup diced green pep-

per½ cup frozen peas16-20 ounces frozen

cheese tortellini½ teaspoon saltShredded parmesan

cheeseDirections:Bring first 8 ingredients

to a rolling boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add peas and tortellini. Bring back to a boil and cook at a gentle boil for about 7 minutes, until tortellini is done.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with shred-ded parmesan cheese.

Cheryl Buchhop, Defiance•••

Mom’s Chili Modified

Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 1 pound browned

ground beef ½ cup chopped onion

(any kind) ½ cup chopped celery,

optional32-oz. tomato juice 1 large can pork and

beans 1 small can kidney beans 1 small can chili beans ¼ cup sugar 3 tablespoons chili pow-

der 1½ teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 2 cloves ground garlic Directions:Brown beef with onion,

celery, salt and pepper. Drain grease. Add rest of ingredients. Stir and bring to a slight boil. Serve in bowl topped with a dol-lop of sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese, include oyster crackers as a side. Yum! Even tastier the second day!

Jill Hatcher, Cecil•••

Orzo Lemon Chicken Stew

Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 1 pound skinless, bone-

less chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup flour 4-5 carrots, sliced 3 ribs celery, chopped 1 medium onion, diced 1 leek, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 5 cups chicken stock 1 cup water 3 tablespoons lemon

juice 1 cup orzo pasta 2 tablespoons fresh tar-

ragon, chopped

Kosher salt and pepper Directions:In stockpot, heat 4 table-

spoons of oil over medi-um-high heat. Add flour to a small shallow bowl and season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off the extra. Place chicken in pot and brown. Remove from pot and set aside

Add remaining table-spoon of oil, carrots, cel-ery and onion to stockpot. Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasion-ally, for approximately 20 minutes.

Add the orzo and chick-en to pot, cover and sim-mer 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.

Stir in lemon juice, sea-son with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with tarragon.

Pat Hire, Defiance

SOUPSFrom Page 7

Salads, sides and breads

Winning first place in the Salads, Sides and Breads was Vickie Sprow, of Bryan, for her Blueberry Coffee Cake.

This lucious coffee cake would improve any cup of coffee or tea.

Coming in second was Barb Jermeay, of Ney, whose Three-Cheese Baked Mac was a great improve-ment over the American classic macaroni and cheese.


Serves: 9Ingredients:2 cups flour½ cup sugar2½ teaspoons baking

powder½ teaspoon salt¼ cup butter, softened¾ cup milk1 egg2 cups fresh or thawed

and drained frozen blue-

berriesC r u m b

Topping:½ cup

sugar1⁄3 cup

flour¼ cup

b u t t e r , softened

Glaze:½ cup powdered sugar¼ teaspoon vanilla1½-2 teaspoons hot waterDirections:Preheat oven to 375°F.

Grease a 9x9-inch square pan.

Blend flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, milk and egg; beat 30 seconds. Carefully stir in blueberries. Spread batter in pan and sprinkle with crumb top-ping.

Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

While still warm, drizzle

with glaze. Vickie Sprow, Bryan

•••Three Cheese

Baked MacServes: 8+Ingredients:

1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente per direc-tions on box

5 tablespoons flour1 tablespoon dried onion

flakes5 tablespoons unsalted

butter½ teaspoon salt2 teaspoons mustard

powderPinch of

c a y e n n e pepper

8 ounces (2 cups) s h r e d -ded Swiss cheese

4 ounces (1 cup) s h r e d d e d Gouda cheese

8 ounces (2 cups) shred-ded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups 2% milkDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook penne as directed.Meanwhile, melt butter

in saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over

Sprow


• SIDES, Page 9

Jermeay

8


and cook, whisking about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, onion flakes, mustard pow-der, salt and cayenne. Bring to a simmer until mix starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted. Add pasta and put in prepared dish. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Barb Jermeay, Ney•••

Shrimp, Orange, Apple, and Olive

Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Serves: 8-10Ingredients:3 tablespoons sherry

wine vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, pressed2 teaspoons sugar1 teaspoon grated orange

rind1⁄3 cup olive oil1 pound cooked medi-

um-sized shrimp2 navel oranges2 apples1 cup sliced stuffed

green olives5 cups torn bib lettuce5 cups leaf lettuce3 green onions, sliced1½ cups cherry tomatoes,

halved Directions:Combine first four ingre-

dients in a large bowl; gradually add olive oil, beating with a wire whisk. Set aside. Rinse shrimp, set aside. Peel oranges and cut into ½-inch round slices,

then cut slices into quar-ters. Peel and core apples, slice and dice. Add orang-es, apples, shrimp and olives to dressing mixture.

To serve, toss lettuce, green onions and cherry tomatoes with shrimp mix-ture.

Barbara Schindler, Napoleon

•••Gluten Free Flat Rounds

Serves: 12 roundsIngredients:1 cup Gluten Free

Bisquick½ cup cornmeal¼ cup vegetable oil1 teaspoon parsley flakes1 cup cheddar cheese½ cup cold waterDirections:Preheat oven to 425°F.

Coat an AirBake cookie sheet with Pam.

Mix together with fork: baking mix, corn meal, parsley flakes, cheese and oil. Add water. Stir with fork and form into a moist ball. Place dough on large piece of wax paper and pat with hands to approx-imately 1-inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter and place on prepared sheet. Flatten to 4-inch rounds; spray with Pam.

Bake 8-10 minutes, until golden, not brown. Serve with thinly sliced lunch-meat to make 6 sandwich-es.

May be reheated in microwave for 30 seconds.

SIDESFrom Page 8

Three Cheese Baked Mac

Tasty samples


Recipe Challenge emcee Jamie Blank tries some of the tasty treats during this year's judging. With all the

delicious recipes submitted for this year's contest, it was difficult to pick a favorite.

• SIDES, PAGE A10

9


Note: this recipe also may be used to wrap around 8 wieners and baked for 15 minutes.

Ann Clevenger, Defiance•••

Penne Pasta Medley

Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 1 box penne pasta,

cooked and drained 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1 cup chopped cucum-

bers ½ cup chopped olives

(any kind) ½ cup shredded parme-

san cheese ¼ pound chopped sala-

mi ¼ pound chopped pep-

peroni 1 cup baby spinach

leaves 1 bottle Italian salad

dressing 1 box croutons (I like

pumpernickel) Directions:In large bowl combine all

ingredients. Toss together. Drizzle desired amount of salad dressing. Top with croutons.

Jill Hatcher, Cecil •••

Mexican Rice & Beans

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:1 15-oz. can black beans,

drained and rinsed1 10-oz. package frozen

whole kernel corn1 cup raw long-grain

brown rice1 16-oz. jar thick and

chunky mild or medium salsa

1 bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 small onion, chopped1½ cups V8 or tomato

juice½ teaspoon cumin½ teaspoon dried oreg-

ano½ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon black pep-

per1 cup shredded cheddar

or Mexican blend cheeseDirections:Coat interior of slow

cooker with cooking spray.Combine all ingredients,

except cheese, in slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high for 2-3 hours, until rice is tender, stirring only occasionally.

Scatter cheese over rice and beans. Let stand, uncovered, until cheese melts.

Notes: 1 pound browned ground beef, sausage or turkey may be added to make it a complete meal. Serve along with crusty bread or warm tortillas.


Tortellini Tomato Salad

Serves: 6 Ingredients: Salad: 1 10-oz. bag frozen tor-

tellini 4 cups baby spinach 1 cup shredded mozza-

rella cheese 2 tomatoes, chopped Dressing: ¼ cup white wine vin-

egar 1 teaspoon Italian dried

seasoning ¼ teaspoon garlic pow-

der ¼ teaspoon minced gar-

lic 1⁄8 teaspoon red pepper

flakes 3 tablespoons grated

parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons real may-

onnaise 1 teaspoon white wine ½ cup extra virgin olive

oil Pinch of salt Black pepper, to taste Directions:Dressing: Add ingredients, except

oil, to food processor. Once blended, slowly add the olive oil.

Salad: Cook tortellini accord-

ing to package directions. Refrigerate until cold.

When tortellini is chilled, mix tortellini, baby spin-ach, mozzarella cheese,

dressing and chopped tomatoes in a large bowl.


Apple Romaine Cashew Craisin Salad

with Poppy Seed Dressing

Serves: 6 Ingredients: 1 head of romaine let-

tuce ½ pound raw cashews 5 ounces Craisins 6 ounces Swiss cheese 2 Granny Smith apples 2 teaspoons lemon juice Poppy Seed Dressing: ½ cup sugar ½ cup lemon juice 2⁄3 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon poppy

seeds 1 teaspoon Dijon mus-

tard Directions:Spread cashews in a bak-

ing pan and toast in oven at 250°F for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Rinse and dry the romaine lettuce. Cut or tear the lettuce.

Cut the Swiss cheese in small square or rectangu-lar pieces.

Cut the apples into strips or cubes. Place in a bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice over the apple pieces. Mix well with a spoon.

Place lettuce, cashews, Craisins, cheese, and apple pieces in a serving bowl.

Gently mix.Poppy Seed Dressing:In a bowl, combine all

poppy seed salad dressing ingredients and mix. Add dressing to salad when serving.

Renee Weaver, Napoleon •••

Rainbow SaladServes: 12Ingredients:Dressing: 1 cup low-fat plain

yogurt½ cup mayonnaise1 packet ranch dressing

mixFresh chives, choppedSalad:1 head lettuce, chopped1 package frozen corn1 package frozen peas2 tomatoes, choppedCooked chicken breast,

cut into piecesCheddar cheeseDirections:Dressing:Combine yogurt, mayon-

naise, ranch dressing mix and fresh chives. Set aside.

Salad:In a glass container layer

in the following order: let-tuce, corn, tomatoes, chick-en pieces, peas, lettuce and cheddar cheese. Chill, add-ing dressing before serv-ing.

Enjoy! It’s pretty, too!Sheila Baker, Hicksville

SIDESFrom Page 9

Entrees

• SIDES, Page 11

Winners in the Entrees category were Pat Hire, of Defiance, with the scrump-tious Artichoke Dip Stuffed Chicken Breasts, which took first place.

The second-place winner was the spicy and yummy recipe, Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese created by Sue Shea of Whitehouse.

Artichoke Dip Stuffed Chicken Breast

Serves: 4 Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless

chicken breast Prepared spinach arti-

choke dip 1 can prepared artichoke

h e a r t s , p a c k e d in water, drained

1 pint c h e r r y tomatoes , halved

3 table-s p o o n s olive oil

2 tablespoons all-pur-pose flour

2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced fine

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella

cheese 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried basil Handful of fresh basil,

cut into small ribbonsDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.Use a sharp knife and cre-

ate a pocket into each chick-en breast. Stuff each with a large spoon of artichoke spinach dip. Secure the chicken breast closed with two or three toothpicks. Place in 13x9-inch greased casserole dish. Season each

Hire

Artichoke Dip Stuffed Chicken Breast• ENTREES, Page 11

10


•••Southwest Pasta Salad

Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked spiral

pasta 1 cup chopped seeded

Roma tomatoes 4 green onions with tops,

thinly sliced ½ cup chopped red bell

pepper ¼ cup chopped fresh

cilantro 1 15-oz. can pinto beans,

rinsed and drained 1 14-15-oz. can corn

with red & green peppers (drained)

½ cup frozen edamame beans

½ cup sliced black olives ¾ cup shredded cheddar

cheese ½ cup thick and chunky

salsa ¼ cup olive oil and vin-

egar dressing 1 tablespoon fresh lime

juice 1 teaspoon sugar (can use

sugar substitute) Directions:Cook pasta as directed on

package, adding edam-ame to the pot the last 4 minutes of cook time. Drain pasta and edama-me and rinse with cold water.

In large bowl, combine pasta, edamame and all ingredients through cheese. In small bowl whisk together salsa, dressing, lime juice and sugar.

Pour over salad and toss lightly.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.


SIDESFrom Page A10

breast with half of the salt, pepper and garlic powder.

In a medium-size bowl, combine the artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Sprinkle flour over the arti-choke hearts and tomatoes. Toss in the minced garlic. Add rest of the salt, pep-per, garlic powder, dried basil and olive oil.

Top chicken breasts with the tomato and artichoke heart mixture. Bake until chicken reaches an inter-nal temperature of 155°F. Remove from oven and top with the cheeses. Return dish to oven and bake until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Top with fresh basil ribbons.


Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Serves: 7Ingredients:7 tablespoons butter,

plus more for dish1 pound elbow macaroni1 small onion, finely

chopped2 ribs celery, finely

chopped3 cups shredded rotis-

serie chicken2 cloves garlic, minced¾ cup hot sauce, such as

Frank’s2 tablespoons flour2 teaspoons dry mustard2½ cups half & half (may

use fat-free)

8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese

1 cup panko (Japanese style) breadcrumbs

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

1 pound sharp ched-dar cheese, cut into small cubes

Directions:Preheat oven to 375°F.

Butter a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add maca-roni and cook about 7 min-utes. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add onion and celery; cook until soft. Stir in chicken and garlic; cook 2 min-utes, then add ½ cup of hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons but-ter in saucepan over medi-um heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in flour and mustard until smooth.

Whisk in half & half, then add remaining ¼ cup hot sauce. Stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in cheddar and Monterey jack cheese, followed by sour cream, until smooth.

Spread half of cooked macaroni in baking dish, then top with chicken mix-ture and remaining mac-aroni. Pour cheese sauce e v e n l y over top.

P u t remaining 2 table-s p o o n s butter in m e d i u m m i c r o -wave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in panko crumbs and blue cheese. Sprinkle over macaroni and bake 45–55 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. Let rest for 10 min-utes before serving.


•••Smoked Turkey

Reuben Casserole Serves: 4 Ingredients: 10 ounces sliced smoked

white turkey breast (Corned beef may be used for those who prefer the classic Reuben.)

16 ounces sauerkraut 2 cups shredded Swiss

cheese ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup Thousand Island

salad dressing 3 slices rye bread 2 tablespoons unsalted

butter Directions:Spray 8- or 9-inch square

baking dish with cooking

ENTREESFrom Page 10

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Shea

• ENTREES, Page 12

Smoked Turkey Ruben Casserole

11

www.carpetwholesalersltd.com

Laminate$5/Box

Vinyls as low as $6.99/sq.yd.

Spruce St.DEFIANCE 419-782-6016NAPOLEON 419-592-8778

BRYAN 419-636-3633VAN WERT 419-232-4681

Carpet Wholesalers

13 Year anniversary sale!

Exclusively at Carpet Wholesalers “CARPET MADE SIMPLE”

Best of the Best Carpet, Premium PadTear Out, Installation, Cleanup, FREE Measurement

ALL AT OnE LOW PRICE!

Join us for this HUGE SALE and see why our 22,500+ satisfied customers are now telling their neighbors,

“Prices so low even we don’t believe it!”

3 ROOMS

OF CARPETInstalled wIth

premIum pad!

$49999

Several styles & colors

to choose from!

up to 40 yds. of 55¢ carpet.

Call for details.

Like us on Facebook

DAILY STORE MANAGER SPECIALS!

Unheard of savingsnow through

november 30th

Spruce St.

Full-Size3’ x 4’

Bound Rug

ONLY $10whIle supplIes last


spray and set aside. Tear the three slices of rye bread into small pieces. Rinse the sauerkraut in colander and let it drain to remove excess liquid. Cut the tur-key slices down and across to make small squares. Melt butter and pour over the bread, stirring to coat all the pieces.

Take 2⁄3 of the bread and layer evenly on the bottom of the bak-ing dish. Layer the turkey over the bread. Mix mayonnaise and dressing together and spread over meat. Layer sauerkraut next, followed by Swiss cheese. Sprinkle remaining bread pieces evenly over the top.

Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.

Janet Verhoff, Continental •••

Chicken Asparagus Lasagna

Serves: 6-10Ingredients:1 package frozen cheese

ravioli1 pound fresh asparagus4 cups Alfredo sauce1 cup cooked chicken,

diced or shredded1 can sliced black olives,

drained1 cup chopped fresh

mushrooms1 tablespoon minced

garlic½ cup chopped onion1 can sliced water chest-

nuts½ cup shredded parme-

san cheese1 8-oz. package Italian

blend cheese½ teaspoon black pep-

perDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Light grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Sauté asparagus, mushrooms and onions for 5 minutes. Add olives, garlic, water chestnuts

and black pepper. Remove from heat. Add chicken and 3 cups of Alfredo sauce.

Pour 1 cup of Alfredo sauce in bottom of pre-pared pan. Add half the ravioli. Follow with layer consisting of half the chick-en mixture. Place half the cheeses on top. Repeat, ending with cheese.

Cover. Bake for 45-60 minutes.

Note: asparagus may be replaced with spinach.

Cheryl Buchhop, Defiance•••

Easy Eggs Benedict – Healthy Breakfast

Entrées Serves: 2Ingredients:2 whole grain, high fiber

English muffins4 eggs1 tablespoon butter or

margarine (for muffins)8 slices precooked

Godshall’s Turkey Bacon, halved

Fresh parsley, choppedSalt and pepper to tasteHollandaise Sauce:¼ cup mayonnaise1-2 teaspoons lemon

juice2 teaspoons Dijon or

spicy brown mustard, or to taste

Directions:Toast English muffins

and butter lightly. Mix mayonnaise, lemon

juice and mustard in a bowl and set aside.

Microwave bacon accord-ing to package directions and set aside.

Pan fry 4 eggs, lightly salting and peppering. Add 2 teaspoons water to skillet, turn off heat, cover and cook until medium-hard. Place buttered muf-fins on plates, top with bacon slices and cooked eggs, followed by a dollop of the Hollandaise sauce. Garnish with parsley.

Note: I serve this with fresh tomato slices on the side, drizzled with a little extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and a little fresh parsley or basil.

Deb Dunbar, Defiance•••

Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 1 large bag frozen tater

tots 1 family size can cream

of mushroom soup 1 pound ground sausage 1 egg 3 cups shredded cheddar

cheese Instructions:Follow the instructions

on the bag of tater tots for cooking them in the oven.

While the tots cook, brown and crumble ground sausage in a skillet and drain.

In a large bowl, mash up the tater tots and stir in cream of mushroom soup, sausage, egg, and 2 cups cheddar cheese.

Firmly press the mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish, sprinkle remaining cheese over top.

Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is turn-ing lightly golden brown.

Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Jessica Hagerman, Defiance •••

Tuna and Rice Casserole

Serves: 8Ingredients:2 cans tuna (any kind)

drained2 cups cooked rice2 tablespoons fresh lime

juice (optional)¼ cup parsley1 can condensed cheese

soup (I use Campbell’s)½ cup milk2 tablespoons melted

butter1 cup Cheez-It Crackers,

crushed (any flavor)Directions:Drain tuna. Mix soup

with milk and stir. Mix crackers with butter. In a greased casserole dish (any size, round or rect-angle) layer rice, sprinkle with lime juice, then soup mixture, tuna, parsley, and cracker mixture. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes until bubbly. Easy, delicious, filling, and healthy.

Jill Hatcher, Cecil •••

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Serves 10-12Ingredients:16 ounces sliced fresh

mushrooms or 2 4.5 oz. cans sliced mushrooms, drained (reserve juice)

2 sticks butter1 small onion, chopped½ cup flour3 cups chicken broth

3 cups half & half 4 boneless skinless

chicken breast halves, cooked and diced

2 6-oz. boxes long-grain and wild rice mix, cooked

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

½ cup sliced pimento1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon pepperDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease a 13x9-inch pan.If using fresh mush-

rooms, sauté in a large skil-let with 1 tablespoon butter until tender. Drain and reserve the juice.

In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the remaining but-ter until tender. Stir in the flour, cooking for 2-3 min-utes. Combine the mush-room juice with enough broth to make about 3 cups of liquid. Slowly stir the juice-broth mixture into the onion mixture. Stir in the half & half. Cook until mixture is thickened. Add the sautéed or canned mushrooms, chicken, rice, toasted almonds, pimento, salt and pepper. Pour into the prepared casserole

ENTREESFrom Page 11

• ENTREES, Page 13

Mystery prize winner


Pat Hire (left) is shown receiving the mystery prize award at the 2015 Recipe Challenge held Oct. 13 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Defiance. Giving her the prize was hostess and former C-N columnist

Georgia Kohart. Jamie Blank served as the event’s emcee. Finalists in the Recipe Challenge could enter the drawing for the mystery prize. Hire also won first prize in the Entrees category for her recipe.

Verhoff

12


dish. Bake, uncovered for 30-45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Note: substitute whole milk for the half & half for a lighter version


Mom’s Meatballs Baked in Mushroom

Soup Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 pound ground chuck 1-2 cups quick oats 1 egg Onion, freshly minced,

or dry, optional and to taste

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

3 cans Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup

12 ounces milk, option-al

Directions:Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, com-

bine ground chuck, quick oats, egg, onion and sea-sonings, being careful not to over-mix. Form into 1- to 2-inch meatballs. Place onto a baking sheet. Place baking sheet into oven, turning the meatballs every few minutes to get them evenly browned. This step can be done in advance and in bulk amounts. Then the meat-balls may be refrigerated or frozen for quick meal prep later. Meanwhile, place the three cans of mushroom soup into an oven safe dish or crock pot. Add milk if desired - I prefer the texture and flavor of the recipe with-out the milk.

When the meatballs have been browned on all sides, but not necessarily cooked through, remove them and place onto paper towels to absorb excess grease. Some cooks choose not to drain the grease. Add meatballs to the soup and stir, just enough to cover the meat-balls.

Bake for 1 hour, or place into crock pot and cook on high for 2-4 hours.

Fantastic side dishes

include mashed pota-toes — using the now baked mushroom soup as gravy, green beans,

and of course, fresh baked bread or rolls. Enjoy!

Kim Askins, Defiance •••

More Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Serves: 10Ingredients:5 pounds russet pota-

toes10 slices bacon8 ounces cream cheese,

room temperature½ cup unsalted butter1 cup sour cream¼ cup chives, minced2½ cups grated cheddar

cheese2 teaspoons kosher salt½ teaspoon pepperDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel potatoes and cut

into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil; reduce to simmer and cook until they are tender and easily pierced with a paring knife. Drain, return to pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon, cooking until crisp. Drain grease, cool and crumble.

Using a fork, mash pota-toes in pan until fluffy. Add cream cheese, but-ter and sour cream, stir-ring until smooth. Add chives, 2 cups cheese, ½ the bacon, salt and pep-per. Mix well. Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, until top is slightly brown. Remove and top with remaining bacon.

Shelia Baker, Hicksville

ENTREESFrom Page 12

Apple Fest challenge

The Apple Fest Challenge was the special category in The Crescent-News 2015 Recipe Challenge.

This was a neat category to work with since door prizes and even table deco-rations had a definite apple influence.

Contestants could win in this special c a t e g o r y and also in another c a t e g o r y , as Angela B a l l a r d and Sue Shea did. Ballard, of D e f i a n c e , won first place in the Apple Fest Challenge with OMG Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones and first place in the Desserts category for Sticky Crockpot Pumpkin Caramel Cake.

Sue Shea, of Whitehouse, won second place in the Apple Fest Challenge with Apple Cider Mini Bundts with Maple Glaze and sec-ond place in the Entrees for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.

Taking third place in the Apple Fest Challenge was Barbara Schindler, of Napoleon, for Apple Pizza Pie.

OMG Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones

Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 2 ¾ cups all-purpose

flour 1⁄3 cup sugar ¾ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking

powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup (8 tablespoons)

cold butter ¾ cup chopped fresh

apple, cut into ½-inch piec-es

¾ cup Hershey’s cinna-mon chips

2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup unsweetened

applesauce Topping:3 tablespoons coarse

sugar½ teaspoon cinnamonDirections:Whisk together first dry

ingredients together; cut butter into pats and work into flour mix until crum-bly. Stir in apple and cin-namon chips. Mix eggs,

vanilla and applesauce together and add to the other mixture, stirring until moistened.

Put dough on floured sur-face, divide in two pieces. Pat each into about a five-inch circle about ¾-inch thick.

Mix together coarse sugar and 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush each circle with milk and sprinkle sugar mix over them. Slice each circle into six wedges.

Before baking, place in freezer about 30 minutes. Take out and bake for 18-22 minutes at 425°F. Best served warm with coffee,

OMG Fresh Apple Cinnamon SconesBallard

• APPLES, Page 14

13

Antwerp United Methodist Church’s



Antwerp United Methodist Church202 E. River St., Antwerp, OH

• Quilt Show • A Variety of Vendors• Face Painting • A Kid’s Corner (a great opportunity

for children to shop for Christmas GiftsHomemAde Lunch and desert - Sold all day

Saturday, November 14th

9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Baking Needs

Rebecca Stuart419-399-3223

RemembeR

for your Cinnamon,Vanilla,

& extractsbaking needs


of course.The scones may be made

ahead and stored in the freezer. You don’t have to thaw to bake them.

Angela Ballard, Defiance •••

Apple Cider Mini Bundts with Maple

Glaze Serves: 12 Ingredients: 3 tablespoons granulat-

ed sugar 2 cups flour 1½ teaspoons baking

powder 1½ teaspoons baking

soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cin-

namon 1 large egg, lightly beat-

en 2⁄3 cup packed brown

sugar ½ cup apple butter 1⁄3 cup plus ¼-1⁄3 cup

pure maple syrup, divided 1⁄3 cup apple cider 1⁄3 cup nonfat plain

yogurt 3 tablespoon canola oil 1 medium apple, peeled

and diced 1¼ cups confectioners’

sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions:Preheat oven to 400°F.

Coat 6 mini Bundt pan molds with nonstick veg-etable spray. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, shaking out excess.

In mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and cin-namon; set aside. In anoth-er bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, apple butter, 1⁄3 cup maple syrup, cider, yogurt and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in apple.

Divide half of batter among molds, spooning about 2 generous table-spoons in each.

Bake 10-12 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly touched. Loosen edges and turn cakes out onto wire rack to cool. Clean mini Bundt pan, then recoat with cooking spray and sugar. Repeat with

remaining batter.

In bowl, c o m b i n e c o n f e c -t i o n e r ’ s sugar and v a n i l l a . Gradually whisk in remaining ¼-1⁄3 cup maple syrup to obtain a coating consis-tency. Dip fluted side of Bundt cakes into glaze to coat. Set on wire rack over wax paper until glaze sets.

Makes 12 mini Bundt cakes.

Sue Shea, Whitehouse •••

Apple Pizza PieServes: 12Ingredients:1 12-inch pie crust16 oz. Krusteaz Crisp

Topping¼ cup parmesan cheese 1 21-oz. can apple pie

filling1 cup dried cranberries½ cup raisins1 cup Kraft Caramel Bits1 cup chopped walnuts, ½ cup sliced almonds1¼ cups Jet Puffed

Miniature Marshmallows½ cup shredded coconut1 cup shredded Italian

cheese ½ cup shredded mozza-

rella cheeseDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter a 12-inch pizza pan. Roll out pie crust, thick-ly. Place in pizza pan and sprinkle with ¾ cup of crisp topping and parme-san cheese. Bake 15 min-utes. Remove from oven.

M i x remaining i n g r e d i -ents, spoon over crust, top with remaining crisp top-ping and Italian and mozzarella cheeses. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Barbara Schindler, Napoleon

•••Apple Pie Deluxe

Serves: 8+ Ingredients: Pastry for a 10-inch sin-

gle crust pie6-7 medium baking

apples, peeled and sliced 2⁄3 cups white sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons butter Crumb topping: ½ cup butter ½ cup brown sugar 1 cup flour Directions:Preheat oven to 400°F.Line a 10-inch, deep

dish pie plate with pie crust. Arrange apples in it. Mix cinnamon and sugar together and pour over apples. Dot with but-ter. With fork, mix crumb topping ingredients until crumbly.

Cover top with crumb topping and press down. Bake about 40-50 minutes, until apples are tender and top is nicely browned.


Apple Strudel Serves: 8+ Ingredients:

1 cup white bread, finely chopped, or bread crumbs

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

5 cups chopped McIntosh or Jonathan apples

1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup chopped toasted

walnuts 8 sheets frozen phyllo

dough, thawed Cooking spray Instructions:Preheat oven to 375°F.

Toast walnuts for 10 min-utes. Chop bread or use bread crumbs that measure 1 cup. Melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bread-crumbs. Cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stir-ring frequently. Mix bread crumbs, apples, sugar, cin-namon, and walnuts in a medium bowl.

Lightly coat each of 4 phyllo sheets with cook-ing spray, placing one on top of the other. Cover with plastic wrap, press-ing gently to seal the edges of phyllo together to cover apple mixture. Starting at long edge with a 2-inch border, roll up. Place stru-del, seam side down, on a cookie sheet, coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with the remaining phyllo dough and apple mixture.

Melt 2 tablespoons but-ter, and brush over stru-del. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.

Cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Adrianna Weaver, Napoleon

•••Tood’s Apple Cookies

Serves: about 30Ingredients:½ cup cooking oil1½ cups brown sugar1 egg1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon soda1 teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon nutmeg¼ cup milk2¾ cups flour2 peeled and finely

chopped apples1 cup chopped nuts1 cup raisinsFrosting:1 cup powdered sugar½ teaspoon vanilla1 tablespoon melted

butter1½ tablespoons warm

milkDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.Blend oil and brown

sugar until smooth. Add next seven ingredients and blend until smooth. Add flour and blend thorough-ly. Add apples, chopped nuts, and raisins and mix thoroughly with large spoon. Drop by spoon-fuls on a cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake!

In a separate bowl blend frosting ingredients. Remove cookies to cool, and when still warm but not hot, drizzle with frost-ing.

Bernadette Krueger, Liberty Center

•••

APPLESFrom Page 13

Apple Cider Mini Bundts with Maple Glaze

Shea

Apple Pizza Pie

Schindler

• APPLES, Page 15

14


Granny’s Apple Cookies

Serves: 3½ dozen cook-ies

Ingredients:Cookies:2 cups sifted all-purpose

flour1 teaspoon soda½ cup soft shortening1 1⁄3 cups brown sugar,

packed½ teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon ground

cloves½ teaspoon nutmeg1 unbeaten egg1 cup chopped nuts1 cup finely chopped,

unpeeled apple1 cup raisins¼ cup milkVanilla Icing:2½ cups powdered sugar2 tablespoons butter1 teaspoon vanillaEnough milk for spread-

ing consistencyDirections:Preheat oven to 400°F.

Grease cookie sheets.Sift flour with soda. Set

aside. Mix shortening, brown sugar, salt, cinna-mon, cloves, nutmeg and egg until well blended. Stir in half of flour mixture, then nuts, apple and rai-sins. Add milk and blend. Add remaining flour mix-ture.

Dropped by rounded teaspoonful, 2 inches apart onto prepared sheets. Bake 11–14 minutes, until done. Cool.

Combine icing ingredi-ents and frost cooled cook-ies.

These keep well in an airtight container.

Christina M. Schaefer, Payne

••• Magic Apple Pie

Serves: 7-8Ingredients:1 egg¾ cup sugar½ cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking pow-

derPinch salt½ teaspoon cinnamon1 medium tart apple,

peeled and dicedDirections:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch pie pan well.

In a mixing bowl, beat egg. Add sugar, flour, bak-ing powder and salt. Add cinnamon, Stir in apples. Spread in prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick inserted in cen-ter comes out clean.

Mary Ann Weasel, Malinta

•••Harvest Delight Apple

Cake Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 2 cups Jonathan apples,

peeled and chopped 3 eggs 1¾ cups sugar 1 cup oil 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup walnuts or pecans,

chopped Glaze: 1½ cups powdered sugar 1 tablespoon light corn

syrup 2 tablespoons milk ½ teaspoon vanilla Directions:Preheat oven to 325°F.

Lightly grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Sift together flour, salt, soda and cinnamon and set aside. In large bowl blend eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla with a mixer. Stir in by hand the sifted dry ingre-dients until smooth. Fold in apples and nuts.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Cool. Spread with glaze and sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon.

Janet Verhoff, Continental •••

Apple Cake Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 4 cups sliced apples 2 eggs 1 cup white sugar + 1

cup brown sugar1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup oil 1 cup nuts 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon Icing:

1 stick margarine ¾ cup sugar blend ½ cup Crisco 2⁄3 cup evaporated milk

(chilled) 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Cake: Beat eggs, then add apples and mix. Next add sugar, vanilla, nuts and oil. Next add flour, soda and cinnamon. Mix well. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Icing: Whip margarine until smooth, add sugar and Crisco. Mix. Next add evaporated milk and vanilla. Whip for about 10 minutes. Frost cooled cake. Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!Linda Ricker, Defiance

••• Apple Pie Lasagna Serves: 8+ Ingredients: For pie filling: 5-6 medium apples,

peeled and sliced Juice from 1 lemon 2 tablespoons all-pur-

pose flour ½ cup packed light

brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon apple pie

spice 2 tablespoons maple

syrup For cream cheese filling: 8 oz. cream cheese, soft-

ened 1 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons brown

sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup heavy cream ½ teaspoon pure vanilla

extract 2 tablespoons caramel 8 ounces Cool Whip For lasagna: 2-3 packages graham

crackers 8 ounces cool whip 1 cup Heath milk choco-

late toffee bites Instructions:Prepare pie filling first:Peel and slice apples into

small pieces about the size of a dime. Place in a medi-um size saucepan. Squeeze juice from a whole lemon over the apples.

Add dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, cinna-mon and apple pie spice.

Mix all ingredients well, and then add maple syrup. Cook the apples on medi-um-high heat for about 15-18 minutes, until they begin to brown and bub-ble. Remove from heat and cool completely – refriger-ate if necessary.

Prepare cream cheese batter:

While pie filling is cook-ing, prepare cream cheese batter. Allow cream cheese to come to room tempera-ture, or soften in the micro-wave for 15 seconds. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer with a wire whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Turn off mixer and add dry ingredients: pow-dered sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Beat into cream cheese.

Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until whipping cream is fully mixed into cream cheese. Add cara-mel sauce last and mix into batter.

Add Cool Whip and beat on medium speed until mixture is well combined. Divide into thirds.

To assemble the lasagna:Cover the bottom of pan

with graham crackers in a double layer. You can break the crackers into pieces in order to get into the nooks and cran-nies. Cover graham crack-ers with a layer of cream cheese batter and spread evenly. Spoon apple pie filling over cream cheese. Add a small handful of tof-fee chips on top and cover with a thin layer of cool whip. Repeat this twice so that you end up with three layers. Cover the top layer of Cool Whip with additional toffee bites and drizzle with caramel.

I suggest to allow at least two hours in the fridge for the graham crackers to soften. Store in an air tight container and keep refrig-erated. Best served cold.

Sherri Black, Defiance •••

Apple Dumpling Slices

Serves: 8+ Ingredients:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

1½ cups water ½ cups cider (boiled) 2 cups self-rising flour ½ cup milk, room tem-

perature2 cups, peeled, diced

apple 1 teaspoon vanilla Directions:Preheat oven 350°F. Melt

4 tablespoons butter in 9x13-inch pan. Set aside. Boil water and sugar in small saucepan. Boil cider in another small saucepan and add to water-sugar mixture. Set aside.

In small mixing bowl, work remaining butter into flour until crumbly; add milk to dough and stir until mixture comes together. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead gently. Roll dough into 10x15-inch rectangle.

Mix apples and cinna-mon and spread on surface of dough. Starting with long side, roll dough into a log and cut into 15 equal slices. Arrange in pan, pour cider-sugar mixture on top.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

Remove from oven, cool slightly, then serve with syrup on top.

Patricia Wise, Defiance •••

Not Your Grandma’s Apple Strudel!

Serves: 10 – 12Ingredients:2 pounds Granny Smith

apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

½ cup white sugar3 tablespoons flour¼ cup apple brandy1 teaspoon finely grated

orange peel¼ teaspoon vanilla

extract2⁄3 cup currants or raisins1⁄3 cup melted butter1 package Pepperidge

Farm Puff PastryDirections:Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly grease and flour a large cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, mix brandy, currants, orange peel and vanilla. Set aside to soak.

APPLESFrom Page 14

• APPLES, Page 16

15


Place apples, sugar and flour in large saucepan. Cook on low 25 minutes. Combine brandy mixture with cooked apples.

Arrange puff pastry sheets lengthwise on pre-pared cookie sheet. Spoon half of apple mixture down center of pastry. Fold one side over apples and brush with melted butter. Spoon rest of apple mixture on top. Fold remaining side of pastry over apples and seal edges. Brush with melted butter. Using knife, cut vents on top.

Bake for 25 minutes. Add a scoop of ice cream

on the side, if desired!Nancy Baldwin, Defiance•••

Apple DessertS e r v e s

6-8

Ingredients:8-10 apples, peeled and

sliced1½ cups brown sugar1½ cups flour1½ cups oatmeal½ cup white sugar1½ teaspoons baking

powder2 sticks butter or marga-

rine, meltedSour creamDirections:Set oven at 350 or 375°F.

Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Layer apples in prepared pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

In a large bowl mix brown sugar, flour, oat-meal, white sugar and baking powder. Distribute over top of apples. Melt butter and pour over top. Top with tablespoon-sized dollops of sour cream.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Ruth Ann Wagner,

Defiance•••

Bourbon Brown Butter Apple Pie

Serves: 8+

Ingredients: Crust: Homemade or ready

made Filling: ¼ cup butter 2 tablespoons bourbon ½ cup sugar 1 egg 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon vanilla 5 cups sliced and peeled

Granny Smith apples Streusel: ½ cup flour Instructions:Preheat oven to 400°F. In small saucepan, cook

¼ cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and lightly browned. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat with whisk ½ cup granu-lated sugar and the egg until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 2 tablespoons of bour-bon. Beat in cooled butter. Gently stir in apples. Pour into crust.

In medium bowl, stir together all streusel ingre-dients, except the butter. With a fork, or pastry blender, cut in ¼ cup cold butter until mixture con-sists of coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle streusel over the top of the apples.

Place pie on cookie sheet in the oven. Bake 20 min-utes, and then reduce oven temperature to 350° F. Cover edge of crust with strips of tin foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake an additional 40-50 min-utes, or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.

Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or both!


Caramel Apple Cake Apple Dessert Challenge Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 3 cups peeled, diced

Granny Smith apples 3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 3 eggs ½ cup milk 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon mace 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup applesauce or veg-

etable oil 1 cup chopped nuts,

optional ½ cup raisins, optionalCaramel Frosting: 1 cup brown sugar6 tablespoons butter 1⁄3 cup milk 1 ¾ cups powdered

sugar½ teaspoon vanillaDirections:Preheat oven to 325 °F.

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

In large bowl beat sugar, applesauce (or oil), eggs and vanilla. Add flour, soda, cinnamon, salt and mace and beat until smooth. Fold in apples, nuts and raisins.

Pour mixture into pre-pared pan. Bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Cool 10 min-utes and flip it onto a plate. Cool completely then driz-zle cake with caramel frost-ing.

Frosting:In saucepan combine

brown sugar, butter and

milk; bring to a boil. Stir for 2 minutes medium heat. Cool completely and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Drizzle over cooled apple cake.

Jill Hatcher, Cecil•••

Caramel Apple DelightServes: 24Ingredients:Lite apple pie filling,

made with SplendaEagle Brand Caramel

Flavor Sweetened Condensed Milk

20 oz. crushed pineapple in own juice

8 oz. Lite Cool Whip1 cup chopped walnutsDirections:Mix all ingredients

together and freeze. Serve somewhat frozen.

Note: This recipe was put together one morning over coffee!

Kay Brink, Bryan•••

Grandpa Askins’ Apple Torte

Serves: 8+ Ingredients: Crust: ½ cup margarine, melted 1⁄3 cup sugar 1 cup flour ¼ teaspoon salt Cream Cheese Filling: 8 ounces cream cheese,

softened 1 egg ½ teaspoon vanilla ¼ cup sugar Apple Topping: 4 cups sweet apples,

peeled and thinly sliced Additional sugar option-

al, depending on tartness of apples

¾ teaspoon cinnamon Walnuts, optional

Directions:Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix together crust ingre-

dients, creating a nice pie crust. Place into a 9-inch pie pan, crimping the edges. Set aside.

Mix cream cheese filling ingredients, whipping into a creamy sauce. Pour onto the unbaked crust.

In a large Ziploc bag, toss the sliced apples, cin-namon and sugar to fully coat the apples.

Place apples on top of the cream cheese filling, press-ing down slightly. If using, sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of apples.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F, and bake for an additional 25 minutes.

Enjoy!Kim Askins, Defiance

•••Ruth’s Perfect Apple

PieServes: 6-8Ingredients:No-Roll Pie Crust:1½ cups, plus 2 table-

spoons flour½ cup canola oil3 tablespoons milkBaking applesGround cinnamon 4 tablespoons flour½ cup water1 cup granulated sugar¼ cup butterDirections:Preheat oven to 425°F.Pie Crust:In a mixing bowl, com-

bine pie crust ingredients. Mix well and pat into pie pan. No rolling required. Peel, core and slice enough

APPLESFrom Page 15

• APPLES, Page 17

Not Your Grandma's Apple Strudel! Bourbon Brown Butter Apple Pie

Baldwin

16


apples to fill crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Pie:In a medium mixing

bowl, combine 4 table-spoons flour, water, gran-ulated sugar, ¼ cup butter. Pour over apples. Bake pie for 45 minutes.

We use canola oil because of health rea-sons – no solid shortening needed.

Ruth Beck, Archbold•••

Caramel Apple Trifle Serves: 8+ Ingredients: Whipped topping Angel food cake 2 cans apple pie filling Chopped Milky Way

caramel apple candies Vanilla pudding Caramel ice cream top-

ping Directions:In a trifle bowl, layer in

the following order and repeat:

Angel food cake chunksCaramel sauceApple pie fillingVanilla puddingWhipped toppingMilky Way candiesChill. Store in refrigera-

tor.Trisha Schlachter,

Defiance

APPLESFrom Page 16

Desserts

A lucious pumpkin cara-mel cake captured the top spot in the dessert category for Angela Ballard, of Defiance.

She called her cre-ation Sticky C r o c k p o t P u m p k i n C a r a m e l Cake. Close on her heels in second place was Mary Lou Vance, of Sherwood, with her Banana Pudding Squares that were light and creamy and quite tasty.

Sticky Crockpot Pumpkin Caramel

Cake Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking pow-

der 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie

spice and cinnamon 1-1⁄3 cups sugar 1 cup butter, softened 4 eggs 1 15-oz. can solid pack

pumpkin 1½ 16-oz. jars caramel

topping Directions:Coat 6 quart slow cook-

er with nonstick cook-ing spray. Turn to high. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice; set aside. Cream sugar and butter, add in eggs and pumpkin. Mix; add in dry ingredients and pour into

crockpot. Drizzle ½ - ¾ of a jar caramel topping over top and gently swirl it in with a knife. Cook on high for 2 hours or until tooth-pick comes out clean.

Two serving options:First: Let stand uncov-

ered for 10 minutes; invert on wire rack/serving plate and drizzle caramel sauce over top. Serve warm with whipped topping.

Second: leave cake in the crockpot, drizzle with caramel and spoon out as needed. Top with whipped topping

This is a simple “Oh my gosh, people are coming over” dessert. It’s quick, easy, tasty, and you have everything in your pantry.

Angela Ballard, Defiance •••

Banana Pudding Squares

Ingredients:35 vanilla wafers, finely

crushed¼ cup melted oleo1 8-oz. package cream

cheese½ cup confectioner’s

sugar1 8-oz. tub Cool Whip,

thawed3 or more bananas3 cups cold milk2 4-oz. packages instant

vanilla pudding½ square semi-sweet

baking chocolate, gratedDirections:Combine wafers and oleo

and pat into a 13x9-inch pan. Place pan in refrigera-tor.

Mix cream cheese and sugar. Stir in 1½ cups Cool

Whip. Spread on crust and set aside. Cut bananas in half crosswise, and then lengthwise, making long strips. Lay on cream cheese m i x t u r e . With a wire w h i s k , beat milk and pud-ding mix in a bowl. Spoon over b a n a n a l a y e r in pan. S p r e a d with remaining Cool Whip and garnish with grated chocolate. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Cut into squares.

Mary Lou Vance, Sherwood•••

Margarita CakeServes: 12-15Ingredients:Cake:

1 package lemon cake mix

1 small package lemon instant pudding

1⁄3 cup sugar2⁄3 cup

water½ cup

canola oil1⁄3 cup

Key lime juice

¼ cup tequila

2 table-spoons tri-ple sec

4 eggsGlaze:1¼ cups powdered sugar1 tablespoon tequila1 tablespoon triple sec1 tablespoon Key lime

juiceDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sticky Crockpot Pumpkin Caramel Cake

Ballard

Banana Pudding Squares

Vance

• DESSERTS, Page 18

Lewis

Margarita Cake

An apple is perfect food

Eating one apple a day, in its whole form with the skin, provides the right combination of nutrients to lower blood fats and may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to the University of Illinois, apples provide both insol-uble and soluble fiber.

The combination of fat-soluble fiber and phyto-nutrients found in apples may keep cholesterol from building up in your blood vessel wall lining, helping reduce the poten-tial incidence of heart dis-ease.

17


Spray a 15x10-inch baking pan with baking spray.

Combine cake ingredi-ents with electric mixer until smooth and thick. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 28-30 min-utes. Let cool.

Glaze:Mix together ingredients

for glaze. Poke holes in top of cake with a wooden skewer or large fork. Spoon glaze over top of cake.

Jeanie Lewis, Defiance•••

Apple Nut Cake Serves: 12 Ingredients:3 eggs1¾ cups sugar1 cup oil 2 cups flour1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 cups thinly sliced

apples1 cup nutsDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together flour, salt,

baking soda and cinna-mon. Set aside. Beat togeth-er eggs, sugar and oil. Mix in dry ingredients. Fold in apple slices and nuts. Pour batter into a 3½ quart pan or two smaller pans.

Bake for 50-55 minutes. Barbara Hancock, Defiance

•••Old Fashioned Brown

Sugar Tapioca Serves: 8+ Ingredients: 4 cups water 2⁄3 cup Minute Tapioca 1 cup brown sugar ½ cup crushed pineap-

ple ½ cup chopped walnuts Directions:Bring water, brown

sugar and Minute Tapioca to a boil. Cook 5 minutes on low. Remove from heat and add the pineapple and walnuts. Chill before serv-ing.


Microwave Dump Cake

Ingredients: 1 box Pillsbury Yellow

Cake Mix, divided into

thirds 1 16-oz. can cherry,

peach or apple pie filling, divided in half

Ground cinnamon 1 cup water Directions:In a large rectangular

microwave safe dish, place one third of the cake mix, sprinkling over the entire bottom. Evenly distribute half of the can of pie fill-ing. Sprinkle one third of the cake mix over the pie filling. Evenly distribute the second half of the can of pie filling. Sprinkle the remaining cake mix over the entire dish. Pour the water evenly over the entire dish.

Sprinkle cinnamon over the dish, to taste.

Place into microwave and cook for 14 minutes on medium power.

Pairs perfectly served warm alongside vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!

Kim Askins, Defiance •••

Dutch Apple Pie Serves: 8+ Ingredients: Pie Crust:Makes 3 batches - 6

crusts total 2 cups + 2 heaping table-

spoons flour1 scant cup Crisco 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg 2 tablespoons vinegar Water Pie:6 cups apples ¾ cups sugar ¼ cup flour ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon Topping: ¾ to 1 cup flour ½ cup butter ½ cup brown sugar -

packed Instructions:Preheat oven to 425°F.Pie Crust: Combine flour, Crisco,

sugar and salt and mix until crumbly. (This flour mixture makes two pie crusts.) Next in a glass measuring cup mix egg. Then add vinegar and enough water to make 1 cup of liquid. Next add only 1⁄3 cup of the liquid to

above ingredients. Reserve other 2⁄3 cup for next two batches.

Mix apples, sugar, nut-meg, salt, flour and cinna-mon. Place in one pie crust (see below). Then mix the topping ingredients: flour, butter and brown sugar and place on top of apple mixture in the pie. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F for 45 minutes, or until pie bubbles.

Linda Ricker, Defiance •••

Swiss Cherry CakeServes: 10-12Ingredients: 1 box angel food cake

mix21-oz. can cherry pie fill-

ing1 tub Cool WhipDirections:Prepare cake mix accord-

ing to directions. Bake and cool. Spread Cool Whip all over cake. Place pie filling on top. Refrigerate.

Hints: Cool Whip may be tinted light pink. Chill pie filling for at least sev-eral hours before prepar-ing cake.

Marilyn Kunesh, Ney•••

Fluffy Banana CakeServes: 12-15Ingredients: 2 cups flour½ teaspoon baking pow-

der¾ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt½ cup Crisco shortening1½ cups sugar2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla¼ cup buttermilk3 medium bananas,

lightly mashedFrosting:1 cup milk6 teaspoons flour½ cup butter½ cup Crisco shortening1 cup sugarDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly grease and flour a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Sift together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, bak-ing soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, mix ½ cup Crisco, 1½ cups sugar, eggs, vanilla and butter-milk. Add flour mixture to wet mixture; add bananas.

Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 30 min-utes. Cool.

Frosting:Cook 1 cup milk with 6

teaspoons flour in sauce-pan until thickened. Cool. Beat until fluffy, ½ cup but-ter, ½ cup Crisco and 1 cup sugar. Add thickened milk and mix. Spread on cooled cake.

Nancy Baldwin, Defiance•••

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese

Frosting Serves: 8+ Ingredients: Cake: ¾ cup unsalted butter

2¼ cups sugar 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 cups flour 1½ teaspoons baking

soda ¼ teaspoon salt 1½ cups buttermilk 2 teaspoons fresh lemon

juice 1½ very ripe bananas,

mashed Frosting: ½ cup unsalted butter,

softened 8 oz. cream cheese, soft-

ened 3½ cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla

DESSERTSFrom Page 17

• DESSERTS, Page 19


Georgia Kohart was the hostess at the 2015 Recipe Challenge, held Oct. 13. In addition to her hostess and decorating duties, Kohart is an accom-plished cook and had her own food column in The Crescent-News before retiring this fall. The Recipe Challenge is sponsored by The Crescent-News.

Hostess with the most-ess

18


Directions:Preheat oven to 275°F.

Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cook-ing spray and set aside. Mix mashed bananas with lemon juice and set aside. Whisk together flour, bak-ing soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together 3⁄4 cup of butter and 21⁄4 cups of sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs to this one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, start-ing and ending with the flour. Add the bananas and mix just until evenly distributed. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until a tooth-pick inserted into the cen-ter of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from oven and place immediately into freezer for 45 minutes.

While the cake is cool-ing, make the frosting. In a large bowl, cream together ½ cup butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until

combined. On low speed of your mixer, slowly add the powdered sugar. Increase the speed to medi-um and beat until frosting is smooth. Spread frosting over completely cooled cake.


Raspberry-Cream Cheese Muffins

Serves: 2 dozen muffinsIngredients:2⁄3 cup cream cheese,

softened1⁄3 cup butter, softened11⁄3 cups sugar1½ teaspoons vanilla2 large egg whites1 large egg2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking pow-

der¼ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon salt1⁄3 cup buttermilk2 cups fresh or frozen

raspberries¼ cup finely chopped

walnutsDirections:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place 24 paper liners in muffin cups.

Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat at high speed until well blended. Add sugar

and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites and egg; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mix-ture, alternating with the buttermilk, to the cream cheese mixture, ending with flour. Gently fold in raspberries and walnuts.

Spoon batter evenly into lined muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Patricia Wise, Defiance•••

Chocolate Mousse Cream Pie

Serves: 8Ingredients:Crust:21 Oreo cookies½ stick butterFilling: 3½ cups half & half8 tablespoons butter2⁄3 cup sugar¼ cup cornstarch4 egg yolks8 ounces semisweet

chocolate2 ounces bittersweet

chocolate1½ teaspoons vanillaTopping:2 cups heavy cream2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla 1 Hershey’s chocolate

barDirections:Crust:Preheat oven to 350°F.Process cookies until

crumbly; add ½ stick but-ter. Press in pie pan and bake for 5 minutes. Cool.

Filling:Pour half & half into a

saucepan and heat until bubbly. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch; add butter and eggs yolks; mix. Whisk hot half & half to ingredients in bowl. Add chocolate and mix. Pour contents of bowl back into the sauce-pan. Add vanilla and heat until thickened. Remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate 4 hours, until thickened.

Remove plastic wrap and pour into prepared crust.

Beat 2 cups heavy cream and 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until it forms stiff peaks. Smooth onto pie. Make curls from chocolate bar for garnish.

Sherri Black, Defiance•••

Gooey Peanut Butter Marshmallow BarsServes: 8+

Ingredients: ¾ cup fat free sweetened

condensed milk, divided ¼ cup butter, melted

and cooled ¼ cup fat free milk 1 package devil’s food

cake mix 1 large egg white, lightly

beaten 1 7-oz. jar marshmallow

cream (about 1¾ cup) ½ cup peanut butter

chips Directions:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine by hand ¼ cup condensed milk, butter, fat free milk, cake mix and egg white in a large bowl. Batter will be very stiff. Coat bottom only of 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press two-thirds of batter into pre-pared pan using floured hands, patting evenly (layer will be thin).

Bake for 10 minutes. Combine ½ cup condensed milk and marshmallow cream in a medium bowl; stir in peanut butter chips.

Spread mixture even-ly over brownie layer. Carefully drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.


DESSERTSFrom Page 18 Top winners


Cheryl Buchhop (left), the grand prize winner of the 2015 Recipe Challenge, and Abigail Stehulak, the grand prize runner-up winner, sit together at the event, held Oct. 13 at Trinity United Methodist Church.

Judges meet


The judges for The Crescent-News 2015 Recipe Challenge had difficult decisions to make as they selected winners from great entries. Shown here are the judges, Lee Ann Mendoza

(left), a multiple Recipe Challenge winner over the years; Linda Hanawalt (center), the winner of the 2014 Recipe Challenge; and Bridget Conner Oberlin, a professional pastry chef.

19


20

®/™ ©2014 Maytag. All rights reserved. MYA16780

DINNER FOR TWELVEIS A JOB FOR ONE.Your meal’s in good hands with the Gemini® double oven range. Two separate ovens means you can get two dishes goin’ at two temps at one time. And we’re proud to say they’re designed, engineered and assembled in the U.S.A.

RETAIL INFORMATION HERE 311 E. Second St., Defiance • 419-782-7741HOURS: Mon., 9am - 8pm; Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., 9am - 6pm; Sat. 9am - 3pm

Over 60 years Selling in Defiance Area

“C” Stephens Inc.

Recipe Challenge 2015

Documents