Coconut Buns

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut
1 Tbl. honey
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 can Crescent rolls

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. softened butter
1 Tbl. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix cream cheese, sugar, honey and lemon juice until smooth. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Unroll crescents onto cookie sheet. Don't separate. Press perforations together to make 1 large sheet. Carefully spread cream cheese mix over crescent sheet. Sprinkle with coconut. Roll up like a jelly roll. With a serrated knife cut into 12 equal slices. Place on cookie sheet and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

In a small bowl mix sugar, butter and lemon juice. Spread over warm rolls.

Changes - Use finely chopped nuts or raisins instead of coconut. After adding glaze, sprinkle with coconut or chopped nuts. Or add a little cinnamon with the nuts and make cinnamon buns

Baked S'Mores

Baked S'Mores

1 cup quick cooked oats
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl combine oats, flour and sugar. Add melted butter. Mix until crumbly. Press into a 11 x 7 x 2" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle evenly with chips. Top with marshmallows. Bake 5-7 minutes or until marshmallows begin to brown. Cool and cut into bars.

Changes - Use crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers instead of oats. Sprinkle with nuts before last baking. Spread with peanut butter before adding chips and marshmallows. Sprinkle with coconut before last baking. This is fun to make with the kids and I'm sure they can come up with other ingredients to add or change out.

Rice Balls

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 oz. Mozzarella cheese cut into 3/8" cubes
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for deep frying

In a bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Stir in rice, butter, cheese salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. With your hands, roll into 1 1/2" balls. Press a mozzarella cube into each and reshape the ball.

In a small bowl, lightly beat 1 egg. Dip each ball into egg, roll in bread crumbs and deep fry until balls are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

These are tasty just as they are but you can serve them with drizzle of spaghetti sauce. They are great to make up for parties but really need to be kept warm during serving. The Mozzarella cheese is great inside but I've made them with cheddar and pepper jack for a change in flavor. You can add a little minced garlic or minced onion for more flavor. Or you might want to add some Italian seasonings for an added flavor boost.

Rice Balls

3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 oz. Mozzarella cheese cut into 3/8" cubes
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for deep frying

In a bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs. Stir in rice, butter, cheese salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. With your hands, roll into 1 1/2" balls. Press a mozzarella cube into each and reshape the ball.

In a small bowl, lightly beat 1 egg. Dip each ball into egg, roll in bread crumbs and deep fry until balls are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.

These are tasty just as they are but you can serve them with drizzle of spaghetti sauce. They are great to make up for parties but really need to be kept warm during serving. The Mozzarella cheese is great inside but I've made them with cheddar and pepper jack for a change in flavor. You can add a little minced garlic or minced onion for more flavor. Or you might want to add some Italian seasonings for an added flavor.

Maple Cookies

Maple Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (not maple flavored pancake syrup)
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 cup coconut, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, syrup and maple flavoring until mixed well. Add flour to mixture. Stir in coconut. Drip by tablespoons 2" apart onto a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Changes - These so perfect that they don't really need changes but of course there is my favorite change. Add chopped nuts - pecans, walnuts, etc.

Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan

1 1/2 lb. frozen Brussels sprouts
3 Tbl. butter
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 Tbl. shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan boil Brussels sprouts in salted water for 8 - 10 minutes. Drain. Place in a 1 1/2 qt. baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Melt 2 Tbl. butter and drizzle over sprouts. Mix bread crumbs, cheese and 1 Tbl. butter. Sprinkle over sprouts. Cover and bake for 10 minutes, Uncover and bake another 10 minutes. Serves 6

Changes - Use broccoli spears instead of sprouts, add mushrooms before adding bread crumb mix or use a another flavor of cheese. This is also good when you add a can of condensed cream of mushroom, chicken or celery soup (undiluted) before adding the bread crumbs.

Breakfast Casserole for a Crowd

2 lb. sausage
1 pkg (6 oz.) herb seasoned croutons
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup minced onions
1/2 cup red and/or green peppers, finely chopped
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups half & half cream
1 1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. dry hot mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a large skillet until browned. Drain, crumble and set aside. In a large bowl combine croutons, cheeses, onions, peppers, mustard, salt and pepper. Beat eggs well then add milk and half & half. Beat again. Add egg mix and sausage to crouton/cheese mix. Stir well to combine. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Cooking - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover from baking dish. Bake 45-50 minutes (make sure eggs are set in center of dish). Remove from oven and let set for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serves 12

Changes - Use bacon or ham instead of sausage. Serve with topping of sour cream and maybe a little salsa.

Rice Casserole

1/4 cup butter
1 med. onion chopped
4 cups cooked rice
2 cups sour cream
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2 qt. casserole dish with non-stick spray. In a frying pan sauté onion in butter for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add rice, sour cream, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Mix well. Place 1/2 of the rice mix in the casserole dish. Top with 1/2 of the cheese. Add remaining rice mix, top with remaining cheese. Bake 25 minutes.

Changes - this dish is great as it is but one of the best changes is to use a blend of long grain rice and wild rice. That is really delicious! You can add a few mushrooms or add some chopped bell pepper when cooking the onions. And if you want some heat, add some crushed red pepper.

Rice Casserole

1/4 cup butter
1 med. onion chopped
4 cups cooked rice
2 cups sour cream
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2 qt. casserole dish with non-stick spray. In a frying pan sauté onion in butter for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add rice, sour cream, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Mix well. Place 1/2 of the rice mix in the casserole dish. Top with 1/2 of the cheese. Add remaining rice mix, top with remaining cheese. Bake 25 minutes.

Changes - this dish is great as it is but one of the best changes is to use a blend of long grain rice and wild rice. That is really delicious! You can add a few mushrooms or add some chopped bell pepper when cooking the onions. And if you want some heat, add some crushed red pepper.

Stuffed Zucchini

Stuffed Zucchini

6 small zucchini
1 med onion, chopped
5 Tbl. butter
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbl. parsley, chopped
2 Tbl. bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
salt & pepper to taste

Wash zucchini. Place them in a large saucepan. Cover with salted water. Bring water to a boil, lower temperature and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Remove from water. Allow to cool enough to handle. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl place bread crumbs and milk. Sit aside. Split zucchini lengthwise. Scoop out most of the pulp and chop. Place the zucchini shells in a shallow baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. In a skillet heat 3 Tbl. butter, add onions and sauté until golden. Stir in zucchini pulp, mushrooms, parsley, salt and pepper. Drain bread crumbs and pat dry with a paper towel. Add to skillet. Cook over med. heat stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in the eggs. Fill zucchini shells with mixture and top each with remaining butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. Serves 6

Changes - Use yellow squash. Add a little sage to the pulp mixture. Top with a little cheese. Or get really creative and stuff it with meat.