Baked Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

• 1 c. oleo
• 2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c. light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 6 qts. popped popcorn

Directions:
1. Melt butter
2. Stir in sugar, syrup, and salt - bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
3. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in baking soda and vanilla.
6. Put in 2 shallow pans.
7. Bake at 250 for 1 hr. stirring every 15 minutes.
8. Remove from oven - cool - break apart - store in tightly covered container.

Orange Cranberry Relish

(Recipe from Jane Dugan. This recipe actually convinced me that I 

really do like cranberries!)

1 bag of cranberries (frozen)

1 lg orange

1 c pecans

Process in food processor and mix together. Start with 2 c sugar, cover and place in fridge. Stir occasionally, taste and add sugar to desired sweetness. Needs to be made AT LEAST one day prior to serving, best two.

Creamy Jalapeño Ranch Dip

Ingredients

• ½ cup mayo
• 16 oz. sour cream
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup tomatilla salsa
• 1 small handful cilantro
• 5 T Ranch dressing mix (or 1.5 packets)
• ⅓ cups pickled jalapeños
• 1 squeezed lime juice

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl
2. In a large blender or food processor, pulse til smooth
3. Refrigerate 30 minutes serve with tortilla chips.
4. This dip can continue to be refrigerated, covered, for about a week. If you want it more runny for a dressing, add more lime juice

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

Mix moist ingredients then mix with dry.  Add chocolate chips to your liking.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Ingredients 
24 white dinner rolls
24 pieces honey ham 
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise 
1/3 cup miracle whip 
Poppy seed sauce: 
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds 
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard 
1/2 cup butter, melted 
1 Tablespoon minced onion 
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

Instructions:  
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm. 
Note: Sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

3 – 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced (about 1.5 lbs. or 4 1/2 cups)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp, cooled and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 9″ baking pan or casserole dish.
Spread half of the diced potatoes in bottom of pan. Place the diced chicken breasts evenly on top. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half the bacon crumbles, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and half the green onions.
Spread the remaining diced potatoes on top, followed by the remaining bacon, another 1/2 cup cheese, remaining green onions and another 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour heavy cream over top of casserole and then dot with the butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes. In the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese and bake until melted. Serve.

Garlic Chicken Farfelle

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 Tbsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice

*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you’re apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.

**We like to cook our bacon in the oven (400 degrees, convection). Way less messy. And it’s crispy every time. Time varies, so you just have to watch it. I think it’s usually around 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then crumple.

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Tortellini

1 package dry cheese filled tortellini- cooked according to package directions
1lb Mild Italian Sausage or Chicken 1- 14oz can diced Italian tomatoes 2 gloves garlic minced 1 c fresh spinach 5 oz shredded parmesan cheese 2 cups heavy cream

Cook sausage until browned. Add tomatoes, garlic and fresh spinach bring to a boil then simmer until spinach softens.

Stir in heavy cream and ½ of the parmesan cheese turn heat to medium stir until cheese melts.

Pour cooked and drain tortellini in a 9x13 spread sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake @ 350 for 15-20 min.

Paula Deen's House Seasoning

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

From the Pioneer Woman (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/sour-cream-noodle-bake/)

Ingredients

1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck

1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Salt

 Freshly Ground Black Pepper

8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (less To Taste)

1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

Serve with crusty French bread.

Egg Rolls

2 lbs. sausage
1 lb. ground beef

Cook and drain sausage and hamburger.

2 Tbs. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 small can water chestnuts
5 green onions, chopped
1 med. cabbage, shredded
7 carrots, shredded

Combine above ingredients and roll using egg roll wrappers (4 pkgs needed for a full batch.)

Fry in hot oil.

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry

DRESSING:
1 (1-inch) piece peeled fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
3/4 cup creamy poppy seed salad dressing
2 garlic cloves, pressed
SALAD:
1 medium cucumber, scored, seeded and sliced
1 (6 ounce) package fresh baby spinach leaves
1 (12 ounce) package broccoli slaw mix
1 small red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
CHICKEN MIXTURE:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
FOR DRESSING:
Finely chop gingerroot using Food Chopper. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine gingerroot, salad dressing and garlic pressed with Garlic Press; whisk until well blended and set aside.
FOR SALAD:
Score cucumber lengthwise using Lemon Zester/Scorer; remove seeds using The Corer™. Thinly slice cucumber; cut slices in half. Place spinach, slaw mix, cucumber and bell pepper in Simple Additions® Large Bowl; refrigerate until ready to serve.
FOR CHICKEN MIXTURE:
Flatten chicken to 1/2-inch thickness using flat side of Meat Tenderizer; cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Heat Stir-Fry Skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly spray skillet with oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Add chicken to skillet in a single layer. Cook without stirring 2 minutes or until chicken begins to brown. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink; remove from heat. Add basil, peanuts and 1/4 cup of the dressing; toss to coat.
TO SERVE:
Toss salad with remaining dressing; top with chicken mixture and serve immediately.
Yield: 8 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 210, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 1.5 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 16 g, Sodium 280 mg, Fiber 3 g
VARIATION:
THAI CHICKEN STIR-FRY WITH RICE: 

Omit salad ingredients. Prepare dressing as directed in Step 1. Double the chicken mixture; prepare as directed in Step 3, stir-frying chicken in two batches. Toss chicken with all of the dressing. Serve chicken mixture over hot cooked rice prepared with Rice Cooker Plus. 

Chewy Chip Bars

Chewy Chip Bars
This recipe is from Taste of Home.

4 ½ cups old-fashioned oats

1 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. butter

½ c. honey

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips

In a mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Stir in chips. Press into a greased 13x9x2 baking dish.  Bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 10 minutes; cut into bars. Cool completely in the pan.

Yield: 3 dozen

Pretzel Bites

Pretzel Bites

Texas size Rhodes Frozen roll dough

*as many as you like – each roll makes four bites

coarse salt, parmesan, garlic, cinnamon & sugar

Vanilla glaze (optional)

Take a thawed roll.  Cut it in four equal sections.  Place dough bites on greased sheets. I placed five across and five down on large baking sheets.  Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and let dough rise until double in size. (about 35-45 minutes) Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil.  When dough has risen, plop about 10 pieces into the boiling water, tossing gently for about 45 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon, and place bites on paper towels to drain slightly.  Move bites to greased baking sheets, and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done and golden brown. 

Brush bites with melted butter, sprinkle with Kosher or Sea Salt, garlic and toss in Parmesan cheese.  You can also make Cinnamon and Sugar bites. Make a mixture of Cinnamon and sugar:  About 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and mix together well. After you butter the pretzel bites, toss in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

You can serve the Parmesan Pretzel bites with a cheddar dip, and the Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzel bites with Vanilla glaze.  So yummy . . . so simple!

VANILLA GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Combine sugar, milk, butter and vanilla and mix well. 

CHEDDAR DIP

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2  to 2 cups of grated Cheddar Cheese.

Melt the butter in a med. size saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and stir until blended, and

butter has turned lightly golden brown.  Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar Cheese until smooth and all of the cheese has melted.  Season with salt and pepper.  Shake a few red pepper flakes into sauce for added zing!

Italian Style Rice

1 T. chopped onion
1 T. butter
1/3 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
Dash ground turmeric
1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender.  Add rice; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in broth and turmeric; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Stir in cheese.

Yield: 2 servings

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake

Ingredients: 
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 T butter, melted
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 T flour
1 T cinnamon
2/3 cups nuts (optional)

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 T milk
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
With an electric mixer or stand-up mixer, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in 4 T melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9x13" baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoon and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center. Place powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Serve warm (we like it straight out of the oven) or at room temperature.

From sixsistersstuff.com