November Thrifty Finds - Week 4 Desserts and Church Suppers

Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Desserts, published in 2005. Updated version of a previous title with light & healthy treats and gift goodies added to the mix. The chapters include From Packages - dishes that are enhanced using cake mix as a base, Chocolatier - all the recipes contain chocolate, American Classics, Light & Healthy, Bake Sale, Cookies, and Special Occasions  - with many elaborately decorated cakes, including a Tiffany box cake!. Other sections touch on Holiday sweets, Celebrity Sweets and Gift Goodies. There are special hints listed at the beginning of each chapter and of course lots of pretty photos of the finished product.

The last chapter showcases ideas for party planning - from decorations to table settings. I did find a few possibilities - the first is a cookie, Crispy Orange Coconut Balls, made with Coca Rice Krispies - while the second is for a Cinnamon Pecan Strudel, a simple dish prepared with refrigerated cinnamon rolls.  There was also a super creepy Halloween recipe for Dough-nut Eyeballs!

Taste of Home - Best Church Supper Recipes, published in 2009.  Church ladies always break out their best dishes for gatherings, and this book is filled with over 500 yummy recipes gathered from readers across the United States.

Topics include Classics, appetizers & snacks, casseroles, slow cooker favorites, breakfast & brunches, salads & sides, hearty main dishes, soups & sandwiches, desserts, seasonal fare, feeding crowds (up to 50 people) and quick & easy dishes.

I bookmarked MANY recipes for future taste testing! One dish I plan on making soon is a Broccoli & Apple salad - a twist on the ubiquitous Broccoli salad found in many community cookbooks. I did find a recipe for Fried Cinnamon Strips, the same treat I used to make in high school when I was an employee at a fast food chain (Taco Time) which was sold under the moniker Cinnamon Crustos.  It's just flour tortillas cut into strips, deep fried and dusted with a cinnamon/sugar mixture.