Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow cake mix

• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

• 1 cup canned pumpkin (the REAL pumpkin)

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1 container cream cheese frosting

• Cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 (or 350 if using dark/nonstick cookie sheets).

2. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

3. Beat cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin & butter about 1 minute, or until well blended.

4. Drop by generous tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.

6. Cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. After cooled, frost with cream cheese frosting.

8. For a pretty touch, sprinkle each frosted cookie with cinnamon.

9. Enjoy!

From Ashley's Kitchen in Smithfield, VA

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup - KRISTAL

Best. Soup. Ever. And it's perfect for the fall and winter. It's a bit time consuming, but it makes a ton (3 qts.) so you can freeze some for later.

2T unsalted butter
2T extra virgin olive oil
4C chopped yellow onions
2T curry powder
5lb butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2lb sweet apples, such as McIntosh or Gala (4 apples)
2t kosher salt
1/2t black pepper
2C water
2C apple cider or juice

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chucks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2C of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft (Chad had to cook it closer to an hour, but our pot wasn't quite big enough either). Process the soup through a food processor or with an immersion blender.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider/juice to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Christmas Toffee by KATRICE

Ingredients:
1 pack Saltine crackers
1 and 7/8 stick of butter
1 cup brown sugar
chocolate chips
nuts, optional

Slowly bring butter and brown sugar to a boil, constantly stirring. Be careful not to burn. Pour over Saltine crackers that have been laid out on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Take out and sprinkle chocolate chips (however many you want). As they melt, lightly spread chocolate across and push nuts in. Let stand until cool or put in refridgerator to speed process.

Snowman Hats by KATRICE

Ingredients:
Regular size marshmellows
sandwich cookies (such as Oreos, vanilla or chocolate, whichever you prefer)
melted chocolate (it works best with chocolate used for dipping strawberries)

On wax paper lay your sandwich cookies out. Place a marshmellow on top. Pour melted chocolate on top-just enough to cover. Let the chocolate harden or put in refridgerator to quicken process.