Adrienne Arden (Digital Services) made carrot pecan muffins for last month's birthday break. They were nutritious and delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe with Muse readers, Adrienne!

Read more Adrienne’s Carrot Cake ›

Submitted by Adrienne Arden and Tammie Busch.

Adrienne says, "At the last Birthday Break, Tammie brought some loaves of 'Beer Bread'.  It was a major hit!  So flavorful!"

I agree! I went back for a second slice and recommended it to others. The recipe looks very simple, which is also a plus! The recipe can be found here:

Easy Beer Bread

Tammie adds a baking tip: "It says to cook the bread for 55 to 60 minutes, but I only cook it for 40 minutes. Cook time probably depends on your oven because I know my oven runs hot."

Thank you, Tammie and Adrienne!

Ruthe Morse (Catalog Management) prepared the punch for yesterday’s retirement reception for Sue Barnes, and it was a big hit! She has generously shared the recipe with Muse readers. Thank you, Ruthe!

Cherry-Vanilla Limeade

How Ruthe made it:

Mix 6 liters of cream soda,
9 oz. each of lime juice, cherry juice and water, and
2 cups of sugar in a punch bowl.

If you would like it to taste more cherry-limey:

Mix 6 liters cream soda,
5 1/4 cups each lime juice, cherry juice and water, and
2 cups sugar in a punch bowl.

 

At last week’s Birthday Break in Technical Services, there were many tasty dishes. One of the stand-outs was a delicious dip made by Tammie Busch, Digital Services. It was served with nacho chips and several people went back for seconds. She found the recipe online:  Outrageous Warm Chicken Nacho Dip

Tammie’s notes:

— I used mild RO*TEL.

— I did not use the minced jalapenos.

— To make the chicken, I placed two large, frozen chicken breasts in a slow cooker with 2 cups of chicken broth and some garlic powder and cooked it on low for about 9 ½ hours. The chicken fell apart.

— I mixed the taco seasoning with the sour cream and placed it on top of the other ingredients.

Thank you for sharing this recipe with Muse readers, Tammie!

 

For Technical Services' August birthday break, Suzanne Lippard prepared a delicious casserole. Many of us asked for the recipe, and she has been kind enough to share it with Muse readers. Thank you, Suzanne!

Read more Recipe: Suzanne’s Tator Tot Casserole ›

On Wednesday, August 6, the ACTS division held its annual mocktails party to celebrate the closing of the fiscal year. The mocktails included margaritas, mimosas, sparkling grape juice, and root beer. Snacks included chips and dips, port wine cheese, meatballs, and watermelon.

Adrienne Arden treated her coworkers to delicious, freshly blended piña coladas, and she has been kind enough to share the recipe with Muse readers.

Read more Recipe: Adrienne’s Piña Coladas ›

"Food" seemed to be the theme at Ellis Library last week! On Thursday, the annual Diversity Event brought with it a smorgasbord of food from around the world. And on Tuesday, we celebrated our monthly Birthday Break in Technical Services. This month we recognized birthdays, welcomed a new addition to the department (Tammie Busch, Digital Services), and said farewell to Elaine Nelson and Kat Balek (both Digital services) and Jackie Blonigen (Collection Services). There was a great selection of food that day, from dips to desserts. One popular selection was Bette Stuart's breakfast casserole. Many people asked for this quick and tasty recipe, which Bette has been kind enough to share.

Read more Recipe: Bette’s Breakfast Casserole ›

Ruth Feldkamp wowed many attendees at the recent retirement party for Terry Austin, which was hosted by MULSA.  Ruth supplied the virgin sangria punch.  She has generously supplied the recipe below.

Virgin Sangria
serves 60 people

4 bottles grape juice
2 bottles apple juice
6 cups orange juice
6 Tbsp. lemon juice
10 lemons, thinly sliced, with peel
5 limes, thinly sliced, with peel
10 medium oranges, thinly sliced, with peel
6 small apples, cored, sliced into 8ths, with peel
6 small black plums, thinly sliced, with peel
4 bottles sparkling mineral water, club soda, or lemon-lime soda, to taste
(at least 2 2.5 gallon containers are also necessary. a 4 gallon serving thermos would eliminate the need for punch bowls, but would not fit into any refrigerator I have ever met.)

The night before you intend to have your event, slice all the fruit and divide it evenly between two large containers. Over the fruit, pour 2 bottles of grape juice into either container, add 1 bottle of apple juice each, and 3 cups of orange juice to either side. The 6 tablespoons of lemon juice can be pushed up if you want a more sour note, or decreased if you want a sweeter taste. Cap the containers, refrigerate, and allow the flavors to mingle overnight.

Once at your event, add a ratio of the sparkling water or soda that suits the tastes of your guests (anywhere from 3:1 juice : soda to 1:1) and serve.

(Original recipe from ‘A Sweet Pea Chef’)

Thanks, Ruth!

This dip impressed many in Tech Services yesterday at a birthday event.  Susan McCormack was happy to share it so you can try it out at home.

Susan’s Buffalo Chicken Dip

5 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (Note: if the chicken breasts are larger, I use fewer than 5)
1 cup wing sauce
1 cup blue cheese dressing
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. package of shredded Taco/Mexican cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the cream cheese on a low flame. Mix in the blue cheese dressing.
3. Continue to stir, adding the wing sauce.
4. Add the cooked chicken, and stir until the meat is thoroughly soaked in the dressing.
5. Pour mixture into a 13”x9″ baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly
6. Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese. Serve with celery (or whatever you choose) once the cheese has melted.

You can adjust the amount of wing sauce if this is too spicy for your taste.

Thanks, Susan!

Regina Guccione made this delicious treat for the Halloween party last week, and provided this recipe in case you’d like to try it for yourself!

Regina’s Crisp Rice Treats

3 T. butter
6 c. mini marshmallows
6 c. crisp rice

Preferred molding pan lined with parchment paper or non-stick spray- a 9×13″ pan is classic, but you could use cupcake pans, Bundt pans, etc.

Optional Variations:
(only use one variant, as more than one can muck up the consistency of the final product)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
OR 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter
OR 1/2 cup of crushed pecans, butterscotch chips, mint chips, etc.

Directions:

In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl (glass is excellent), add your butter. Microwave the butter for 30-45 seconds, or until the butter has liquefied. (Optional – Add your variant to the butter and mix with a non-stick spatula (silicone is great) until the mixture is smooth.) Fold in the mini marshmallows 1-2 cups at a time. Fold until all marshmallows seem like they have a good coverage of the butter mixture. Microwave butter-marshmallow mixture in microwave for 1 minute. The marshmallow mixture should look puffy. Fold in crisp rice 1-2 cups at a time. If the mixture becomes too stiff to mix in more crisp rice, put back in microwave for another 45-60 seconds. Once thoroughly mixed, spatula the mixture into your pan, pat down with spatula to create a nice flat surface on the top, and let cool for 1-2 hours. Flip onto a tray or cutting board, remove parchment paper, and cut.

Another easy variation is to add a topping to the bottom of your pan. That way when you flip the cooled product over, you’ll have a topping already applied. Chocolate chips work well, since they melt slightly when the hot mixture is poured onto them. Instant chocolate topping!

Thanks, Regina!