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butternut bisque:
peel and dice medium (3 lb) butternut squash into 1" chunks.
put in a glass dish with a little water.
microwave for 5 minutes at a time until tender, stirring after each 5 min interval.
mash with potato masher.
combine 1 TBSP butter, 1 medium onion (diced), and season with salt and pepper.
saute on medium heat until onion is cooked.
add squash, one can of chicken broth, one can (~2cups) water, and 1 tsp thyme; stir and boil.
simmer on medium 10-15 minutes. remove from heat.
puree with braun-type hand mixer.
turn on low heat and add 1/2 cup cream.
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winter salad:
combine desired amount of romaine, iceberg, and spinach
add 2 mandarin oranges, peeled and diced
seeds of one pomegranate. (click
here for instructions on removing seeds)
sugared pecans (i just combine pecans and sugar in frying pan and stir until sugar melts then pour on wax paper until cool)
finely shredded mozarella (kraft is best)
trolley poppy seed dressing (you can buy this by the pint for like $6)
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refrigerator rolls
dissolve 5 1/2 tsp yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water
scald 1 cup milk in saucepan. remove from heat and add 3/4 cup shortening; stir occasionally until shortening is melted.
beat 2 eggs, 2 tsp salt, and 3/4 cup sugar.
add 1 cup cold water and mix.
add milk/shortening mixture, and yeast/water mixture.
beat in 7 cups flour. (works best in kitchen aid mixer)
cover with a saucepan lid and refrigerate overnight.
roll out with rolling pin until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
cut out circles using a drinking glass.
dip in butter and fold over.
let rise until double (2-3 hours)
bake 12-15 minutes at 425
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rice pilaf
chop 1 cup onion and 2 cups celery
saute in 1/2 cube (1/4 cup) butter until onion and celery are cooked
combine 2 cups long grain rice in 1 tsp oil over medium high heat in frying pan,
stirring constantly until rice is brown.
combine everything in pyrex baking dish with 6 cups chicken broth
cover and bake at 300 for 1 and 1/2 hours.
add toasted slivered almonds before serving.
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meat fondue:
cut up meat chunks (steak, shrimp, chicken) and cook in vegetable broth.
chicken takes forever to cook.
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chocolate fondue:
heat 1/2 cup heavy cream in saucepan until steamy.
remove from heat and add 8-9 regular size hershey's bars, broken into pieces.
stir until melted and add 1 tsp vanilla.
serve with strawberries, raspberries, bananas, pretzels, or anything else you want to eat covered in chocolate.
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wow. that was a lot of typing. i hope i got everything.
Hey guys - here are some pictures from our Christmas party last night! It was fun seeing everybody and of course, we missed those who couldn't come! 
See? Aren't you guys glad I brought my camera {again}? I'm telling you... when we're 90, we'll look back at these and love them! 
Yea! It is time for our Christmas party. So the date is... 
Christmas is coming!! 
Here are the pictures that we took last night when we went out to dinner. We went to PF Changs and ordered $85 worth of food to share! Oh my, was it good or what? I can sure tell you that Julie and I enjoyed ourselves. We only had 2 or 3 helpings of everything! (ha ha!)
After dinner, Mindi, Tara, Sara, Bonnie and I were not ready to call it a night, so we headed over to Starbucks and enjoyed some hot chocolate. Of course, when we pulled up in front of Mindi's house, we STILL weren't ready to call it a night and sat in the car for an hour and a half chatting. It was lots of fun! We missed everybody that couldn't come. Sara - go ahead and give us a re-cap of things that I missed...you are so good at that! 
