May

Ashley's Phyllo Fig Squares

Anna Kate's Kale & Brussels Sprout Salad

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pounds total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
1 cup finely grated Pecorino

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture; toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.

Caron's Spinach, Mushroom, Feta Crustless Quiche

8 oz. fresh mushrooms
1/2 tsp minced garlic
as needed nonstick spray
1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 oz. feta cheese
1/4 cup grated parm
1/2 cup shredded mozz
to taste salt and pepper

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If your frozen spinach is not already thawed, thaw it in the microwave. Empty the box into a colander and let it drain while you begin to prepare the rest.

STEP 2: Quickly rinse the mushrooms and slice them thinly. Place the sliced mushrooms in a skillet coated with non-stick spray, add the minced garlic, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-high and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet (5-7 minutes).

STEP 3: Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Squeeze the rest of the water out of the spinach and spread it out on the bottom of the pie dish. Next add the cooked mushrooms and crumbled feta.

STEP 4: In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until fairly smooth. Add the milk, parmesan, and another small sprinkle of pepper. Whisk to combine. (This step can be completed while the mushrooms are cooking) Pour this mixture into the pie dish over the spinach, mushrooms, and feta.

STEP 5: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet for easy transfer into the oven. Place the quiche into the preheated oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. Every oven is different but this should take between 45 minutes and an hour. Slice and serve!

Whitney's Pork

Virginia's Ice Cream Pretzel Cake

1-1/4 cups crushed pretzels

6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

3/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

2 packages (7 1/2 ounces each) chocolate covered miniature pretzels

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1.  Place crushed pretzels in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly.  Press onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan.  Cover and freeze for at least 30 minutes.  Spread fudge topping over crust; cover and freeze.

2.  Set aside 16 chocolate covered pretzels for garnish.  Place remaining pretzels in a food processor; cover and process until crumbly.  Transfer to a large bowl; stir in ice cream.  Spread over fudge topping.  Drizzle with caramel topping.  Garnish with reserved pretzels.  Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Lauren's Millionaire's Pie

1. One Graham Cracker Pie Shell.

2. One 8 Ounce Package Softened Cream Cheese.

3. 1/2 Cup Sugar.

4. One 8 Ounce Can Crushed Pineapple Un Drained.

5. One Cup Fresh Frozen Coconut.( Keep back 1 Tablespoon )

6. One Cup Pecans Finely Chopped.

7. One 8 Ounce Container Cool Whip.

Cream together your cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes. Now add in the pineapple, coconut , and pecans and mix together very well. Now fold in half of the whipped topping and mix well together. Pour into the graham cracker pie shell.

Take the other half of the cool whip and place it on top of the pie. Toast the tablespoon of reserved coconut to golden brown under your broiler and sprinkle it on top of your pie for garnish. Cover the pie and place back in the freezer. When ready to serve let the pie thaw just enough to be able to be able to cut your pie.

Serve your pie on saucers or pie plates that you have had in the freezer for at least 4 hours and it will work better if they have been in the freezer over night. You can if you wish garnish the top of your pie with a maraschino cherry