White chocolate dipped pretzels from Carol Shepperd

Ingredients


Package white chocolate wafers
Package holiday pretzels


Melt white chocolate in microwave.  Dip pretzels in chocolate.  Place on wax paper sheet to harden.  Store in air tight container.  Best if eaten in a few days.

Winter Squash Soup by Courtney Baird

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 1 (15 - ounce) can pumpkin puree (make sure it’s just the canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.)
• 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks
• 3 cups homemade chicken stock or canned broth
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half - and – half  (I used heavy cream since I had some in the fridge)
• Creme fraiche, grated Gruyere, or croutons (see Note), for serving (optional) – I just use parmesan cheese  

Directions

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy - bottomed stockpot, add the onions, and cook over medium - low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium - low heat for about 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very tender. Process the mixture through the medium blade of a food mill. (I don’t have a food mill.  I just used a potato masher.  You could throw it in a food processor or blender too.  I prefer mine to not be totally smooth).  Return to the pot, add the half - and - half, and heat slowly. If the soup needs more flavor, add another teaspoon of salt. Serve hot with garnishes, if desired.

Cook's Note: To serve with croutons, remove the crusts from 2 slices of white bread, cut them in 1/2-inch cubes, and saute them in 1 tablespoon of butter until browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Guacamole from Carol Sheppard (Jana Walker)

4 -  medium avocados  (diced)

2 -  medium tomatoes  (peeled and diced)

1 -  medium onion         (diced)

1 -  4 oz. can of diced green chiles 

¼  cup lemon juice  (to taste)

1 tsp. salt  (to taste)

Mix above ingredients together and enjoy!

HINTS:

After dicing the avocadoes, put lemon juice on to keep them from going brown

I do not blend this I just chop ingredients finely and stir together

Peeling the tomatoes is a must

You may or may not drain the can of chiles,  I used to but don’t anymore

I used to used concentrated lemon juice in the bottle, but now I use fresh  squeezed lemon juice, and also add lime sometimes

We enjoy it with the Hint of Lime chips

Fettuccine w/ pesto cream sauce by Courtney Baird

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package fettuccine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 cup prepared basil pesto
mushrooms, chopped
grape tomatoes, cut in half

Directions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent. Stir in garlic and butter, and saute until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Dissolve flour in milk, then stir in. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in pesto. Add mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes, or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated.