By: Vickie Davis

Fall is definitely in the air, and I love it.
This time of year is my favorite season, followed by winter as my second favorite. I love the cool, crisp mornings and I love the smell of leaves turning and falling, and you can always smell firewood burning somewhere.
I love the fall decorations followed by Christmas. I was playing Christmas music today as I was typing this article. I guess I am excited for the holidays this year.
Last year I spent most of the holidays either in the hospital or in a rehab facility, not even opening presents until 2-3 weeks into the new year!
Now for the recipes I have for you this month.
The Pineapple Coconut fluff is a creamy, tropical, high protein dessert that is delicious.
The cookie salad is very good and has only six ingredients in the whole recipe – cookies, fruits, Cool Whip and instant pudding. What a recipe!
The Ugly Duckling Cake is a very moist cake made with fruit cocktail. Very good!
The Ritz Cracker Party Sandwiches are made with Ritz crackers, cream cheese, green onions and bell peppers. So tasty!
The last recipe is for Candy Corn Peanut Bars that are so good and make you think of Halloween. So easy to make!
See ya next month for thanksgiving recipes.
Candy Corn Peanut Bars
2 ½ cups salted peanuts, divided
1 ½ cups candy corn
1 – 10 oz. bag peanut butter chips.
1 – 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
½ stick butter
1- 10 oz. bag mini marshmallows
Lightly butter a 13×9 pan. Sprinkle 2 cups of peanuts and 1 cup of candy corn evenly in the bottom.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine peanut chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter. Stir until smooth.
Add mini marshmallows and then remove from heat. Do not melt marshmallows all the way.
Leave them partially whole and just starting to melt.
Pour the mixture over the peanuts and candy corn layer. Sprinkle remaining peanuts and candy corn on top, pressing lightly.
Allow bars to cool completely before cutting them into squares.
Ritz Cracker Party Sandwiches
1 box of Ritz crackers
1 – 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup cheddar cheese, finely shredded
¼ cup green onions, finely chopped
½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
½ cup of mayonnaise
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ cup of diced ham or turkey
¼ cup of diced pickles or relish
In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix this mixture well and then add green onions, red bell pepper, diced ham or turkey and pickles or relish.
Continue mixing all ingredients well.
Refrigerate until ready to use.
Then take 1 Ritz cracker and spread some mixture on the bottom cracker and then top with another cracker.
Great for a party or football game1 enjoy!
Ugly Duckling Cake
Mix 1 yellow cake with 2-layer size
1 – 16 oz. can of fruit cocktail
2 ½ cops of coconut
2 eggs
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
Combine cake mix, fruit cocktail with syrup, 1 cup of the coconut and the eggs in a large bowl. Blend and mix on medium speed for 22 minutes.
Pour into a 13×9 greased pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Then bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
Bring butter, white sugar and milk to a boil in a small saucepan and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining coconut. Spoon over hot cake in pan. Serve warm or cool.
Cookie Salad
2 – 3.4 oz. packages instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cup of buttermilk
12 oz. frozen whipped topping such a Cool whip, thawed
1 – 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
2 – 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
½ – 11.5 oz. package fudge stripe cookies
Gather all ingredients. Mix pudding mix and buttermilk together in a large bowl. Fold in whipped topping.
Mix in pineapple chunks and Mandarin oranges. Cover and chill under ready to eat.
Right before serving, mix crushed cookies into salad and make sure to leave some to put on top of salad before service.
Pineapple Coconut Fluff
1 – 25-28 oz. container cottage cheese
1 package of sugar-free pineapple Jell-O
1 container sugar-free Cool whip
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
Blend cottage cheese until smooth and then mix in the Jell-O powder. Gently fold in the cool whip and coconut. Chill until set up.
This is very creamy, tropical and high protein and feels like a dessert but diet friendly!