On Sunday, Nov. 19, the Center for Independence Foundation is hosting its annual Benefit Dinner and Open House.  The benefit dinner runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 550 Arizona Ave. N.W., in the Industrial Park in Huron.

This year the open house is a drive thru benefit, with a free-will donation accepted for the dinner.

Please enter the parking lot on the north side and drive around the building to the large garage doors on the south side where there will be workers to welcome you. The benefit dinner serves not only as an opportunity to enjoy a delicious roast beef dinner, but also as an opportunity to meet some of the people supported and staff from the agency. Everyone is welcome to attend this event.  

Proceeds from the dinner go to the Center for Independence Foundation, where they are used to fund grants that create opportunities for people to become active members of their community.  In recent years, the Foundation has funded grants designed to create and foster relationships by bringing community members together with those served by CFI.  

Every Year, CFI teams up with local area schools for an in school activity called Lead for Life. This event helps students become familiar with different types of disabilities and disability related issues. Other grant funds have been used to help fund items in the community such as a sensory garden called the “Backyard Project” located at the State Fair Grounds.

CFI would love to have you attend its drive-thru benefit dinner on Sunday, Nov. 19, and learn more about the people it supports on its website at www.cfindependence.com.

Please consider donating to the Foundation by mailing donations to CFI Foundation 258 Third St. S.W. Huron, S.D. 57350 or in making an online donation on the website.

They look forward to seeing everyone again this year!

Layered Cookie Bars
    ¾ cup butter or margarine
    1 ¾ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
    6 Tablespoons cocoa
    ¼ cup sugar
    14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
    1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
    ¾ cup Heath Bits’O Brickle Toffee Bits
    1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in 13-by-9-inch inch baking pan in oven. Combine crumbs, cocoa and sugar; sprinkle over melted butter.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly on top of crumbs. Top with chocolate chips and toffee bits, then nuts; press down firmly.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.  Store covered at room temperature. Makes about 36 bars.

Holiday Pie
    8 ounces cream cheese, softened
    14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
    3/4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
    1 ½ cup whipped topping
    1 graham cracker pie crust

With mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Gradually add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add ¾ cup water and pudding mix and beat until smooth.

Fold in whipped topping and pour into graham cracker pie crust.

Top with crumbled holiday candies or sprinkles or fruit pieces and refrigerate.

*Note: May cut back a tad on water and add 3 or 4 Tablespoons flavored syrup to mixture before pouring into crust.

Cool Whip Cookies
    1 box cake mix-any flavor
    1 small container whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Mix together the cake mix, whipped topping and the eggs. Shape the dough into balls using 2 teaspoons.

Drop each ball into the powdered sugar, roll to coat fully and then place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Casserole
    Two 8-count tubes refrigerated cinnamon roll dough, with icing
    3 large eggs
    3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
    1/4 cup granulated sugar
    1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon salt, or to tase

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9-by-9-inch pan with foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

Cut the cinnamon roll dough into three even strips, then cut those strips into three pieces, making nine pieces total per cinnamon roll. Scatter in prepared pan, separating the pieces from one another because they stick together if you slice them in stacks; set pan and the icing from the packaging aside.

To a medium bowl, add the eggs, pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and whisk until smooth. Evenly pour the mixture over the cinnamon rolls.

Evenly drizzle the icing. If the icing is cold, heating it in the microwave for 10 seconds will make drizzling easier.

Place pan on a baking sheet (in case of overflow) and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is set in the center and lightly golden brown. Place pan on a wire rack to cool momentarily while you make the frosting.

Frosting:
    1 cup confectioners’ sugar                    
    2 Tablespoons cream or milk

Whisk to combine until smooth. Evenly drizzle the frosting over the rolls and optionally serve with ice cream or whipped topping. Serve immediately.

Pineapple Casserole
    2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple chunks
    6 Tablespoons pineapple juice
    1/3 cups sugar
    5 Tablespoons flour
    1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
    1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium size bowl, combine sugar, flour, and reserved pineapple juice.

Add pineapple chunks and toss well to combine. Spoon pineapple mixture into 8-by-8-inch casserole dish, and top with shredded cheese

Combine crushed Ritz crackers and melted butter. Spread Ritz cracker crumbs evenly on top of pineapple mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

Grandma’s Pumpkin Snack
    2 cups flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    4 eggs, lightly beaten
    2 cups sugar
    1 cup vegetable oil
    15-ounce can pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 9-by-13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. In the bowl of a mixer, combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mix and beat at low speed until combined and the batter is smooth. Spread batter into pan and bake for 30 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting. Spread frosting over cooled bars.

Dust lightly with cinnamon, if desired.

Frosting:
    3 ounces cream cheese, softened
    2 cups powdered sugar
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 Tablespoon milk

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the sugar and milk and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again.

Dirt Cake
    32 ounces chocolate sandwich cookies with creme filling
    1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
    ½ cup butter, softened
    ½ cup confectioners sugar
    3 ½ cups milk
    1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
    2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

Finely crush chocolate cookies; set aside. Beat cream cheese, butter, and confectioner’s sugar until smooth.

Whisk milk, whipped topping, and pudding together; fold in cream cheese mixture. Alternately layer crushed cookies and pudding mixture in a medium flower pot, starting and ending with cookies. Chill dirt cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve; garnish as desired.