PIG PICKIN' CAKE

Here is a nice, moist, light, Summery cake. The cake batter has chopped mandarin oranges in it, and the whipped topping has crushed pineapple in it. So it has a fruity, but subtle, tropical flavor. It's always a hit at potlucks. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law way back in the late 80's. She was one of the first people I ever met that absolutely loved to cook and it showed in her cooking! She was (and still is) a fantastic cook and I use so many of her recipes in my cooking. I think you'll like this one as much as I do!

PIG PICKIN' CAKE

1 Duncan Hines Super Moist Yellow cake mix (w/ pudding in the mix)
- or Duncan Hines Butter recipe cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1 small can mandarin oranges w/ juice

In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs & oil. Stir until combined. Add oranges & juice and continue to mix until oranges are evenly incorporated into the batter. Pour into 3 greased & floured 9" round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

FILLING & TOPPING:

1 (6 oz) Vanilla instant pudding
1 (20 oz) Crushed pineapple
1 (12 oz) Cool Whip, thawed

Combine pudding mix and pineapple w/ juice. Stir until pudding is completely dissolved. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix until thoroughly combined. Use to frost middles, sides and top of cake. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

AMISH BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

There are SO many recipes for breakfast casserole floating around on the internet and in cook books. You'll find them as breakfast casserole, quiche, strata, etc... Some of them are made with meat, eggs, cheese & bread cubes.... some with veggies.... this one was made with bacon, eggs, cheese & hash browns, which made it seem like a pretty hearty one dish breakfast. So I opted for this one for our soul winner's prayer breakfast this morning. Then I set out the toaster and a loaf of whole wheat bread, so they could make a piece of hot, buttered toast with it, if they wanted to. It must have been a winner, because the pan was empty at the end! That's always a good sign!

My co-hostess, Brenda Bell, made a Mexican Breakfast Casserole & that one had corn tortillas in it. She served it with Salsa. If she'll give me the recipe for it, I'll add that one too. She also made a delicious, " "cinnamony" bread pudding as a treat! Didn't get a pic of it, but got a few nibbles and it was YUMMY! Special THANK YOU to Miss Brenda for her good help this morning! (Should have snapped her pic! I'll do it next week.)

AMISH BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

1 lb slice bacon, diced (I use scissors - makes it quick)
1 medium onion, chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups frozen, shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded swiss cheese

In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp. Drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

HOT CHEESECAKE W/ FRESH RASPBERRIES

This is an awesome cheesecake. The crust is a bit involved. But if you don't mind working with a yeast dough, you won't have any problems. This tastes like the freshest raspberry, cream cheese danish you've ever had! It really is worth the wait on this one! Trust me, if you love cheesecake and raspberries, this will become one of your new favorites!

HOT CHEESECAKE W/ FRESH RASPBERRIES

Dough:

1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled a bit
1 pkg dry yeast
1 Tblsp sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks

Dissolve yeast and sugar in milk. Set aside. Cut butter into flour (like pie crust). Add egg yolks to milk. Stir and pour into flour. Mix well. Divide dough in half. Roll out first half into 11 x 15 pan. (May need to add a bit more flour as you mix and roll, to keep it from being too sticky. Roll out second half into a rectangle on cotton towel and set aside.

Filling:

4 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients together and spread over dough in pan. Cover with 2nd half of dough. Sprinkle top crust with sugar. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm with raspberry sauce, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Or you could just serve it plain - it's just as good that way!
May be re-heated.

To make Raspberry syrup: Stir together in small saucepan: 1 cup fresh raspberries, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar. Heat over med-high heat until boiling. Turn down and simmer until berries are cooked down. Keep warm to serve over cheesecake.

TRI-COLOR PASTA SALAD

I love this Pasta Salad and make it often during the Summer months. It is light enough to be a salad, but hearty enough to fill you up. It goes together quickly and keeps well in the fridge. With the busy life that a Preacher's wife leads, those are certainly 2 bonus features of a good recipe!
If you like pasta salad even just a little bit, you'll love this one!

TRI-COLOR PASTA SALAD

2 (1 lb) boxes tri-color rotini pasta
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 container grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 (8 oz) bag pepperoni, cut in 1/4's
1 (8 oz) chunk colby jack cheese, cut into small cubes
1 (16 oz) bottle Italian dressing

Boil noodles al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place cooked noodles in a large mixing bowl.

If you are serving the same day: that you mix this up - then add next 5 ingredients and stir gently to combine. Pour entire bottle of Italian dressing over salad and stir gently again to incorporate dressing into salad. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

If you are serving the next day: After noodles have cooled, pour 1/2 of the bottle of Italian dressing over noodles and cover tightly and refrigerate. Place other prepared ingredients individually in ziploc baggies and refrigerate. The next day, mix everything together and pour in remaining 1/2 bottle of Italian dressing. Stir gently to combine. Serve chilled.

Feeds: An Army!