POMEGRANATE SALAD
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One of our Aunts submitted this to a family cookbook we put together. Pomegranates can be a lot of work, but this salad makes it worth it once a year! Really festive for holiday get-togethers!

1 large pkg. raspberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
1 small box frozen, sliced strawberries
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
2-3 mashed bananas
2 c. diced apples
1 c. chopped walnuts
seeds from 2 large or 4 small pomegranates
3 ozs. cream cheese, softened
1 pt. sour cream
1 (8 oz.) ctn. Cool Whip

Combine Jello and boiling water and stir well. Add frozen strawberries, stirring to cool Jello fast. Add pineapple with juice, bananas, apples, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds. Pour 1/2 the mixture into a 9 X 13 pan and set in fridge to set. Keep the other half at room temperature. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese with sour cream until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. When first Jello layer is set, spread creamy mixture over top. Set in the fridge for about 10 minutes for it to set up. Pour remaining Jello over top of cream layer. Refrigerate until completely set.

RAISIN FILLED COOKIE BARS
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Our Grandma was famous for her raisin filled cookies. They are a hot commodity at our family reunion auction if someone takes the time to make them from scratch. These taste just as good and take about half the time. Found at Flour Me With Love. Yum!

Raisin filled cookies are one of my favorite cookies! I have a wonderful recipe, but sometimes I don't have the time to make them. So I decided to make them into bars. You still get the gooey raisin filled center and delicious dough, but made in a much simpler way!

Ingredients are as follows:

Dough:
1/2 C. shortening
1/2 C. butter
2 C. brown sugar
2 eggs
3 3/4 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Filling:
2 c. raisins
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts (optional)
1 T. cornstarch
3/4 C. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place raisins, nuts optional) cornstarch, brown sugar, cinnamon, and water into a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until thickened. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly. Cream shortening, butter, and brown sugar together. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Add flour, salt, baking soda and vanilla. Mix until completely combined. Cover the bottom of a cookie sheet with saran wrap. Press half of the dough onto the cookie sheet, covering it completely. Using the saran wrap, remove dough, set aside and press the remaining dough onto the ungreased cookie sheet. Cover dough with raisin filling. Flip first layer of dough on top of raisins; covering evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

AUTUMN CHOPPED SALAD
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This is a really tasty salad for a Fall lunch! Found this one at Espresso and Cream. I added chopped cooked chicken to ours to make it a little more like a meal.

6 to 8 c. chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped*
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1-2 c. chopped, cooked chicken (optional)
1 c. Poppy seed Salad Dressing and Balsamic Vinaigrette (mixed in about a 70/30 ratio)*

On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressings. Serve immediately.

*I bought some pears but they were taking FOR-EV-ER to ripen. I used chopped green apples instead.
*Instead of buying 2 salad dressings, I used poppy seed dressing plus balsamic vinegar to taste.

NO-BAKE ENERGY BITES
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I have seen this recipe all over Pinterest and I finally had to try it. My family really liked it. You can use these as a quick snack, on the go breakfast, or even call it a treat. Original recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots.

1 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 c.coconut flakes
1 /3 c. ground flaxseed (love Winco's bulk section for this!)
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
1/3 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix oatmeal, peanut butter, coconut, flaxseed, chocolate chips, honey, and vanilla in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Allow to chill in the frige for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and and place on waxed or parchment paper. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. These can also be frozen.