Caramel Papcorn Balls

Caramel Popcorn Balls

A good recipe from Aunt Lynn
Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 can (15 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
5 quarts popcorn

Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup.  Stir well, boil over medium heat until sugar is melted.  Stir in condensed milk  and bring to a simmer.  Cook until it reaches a soft ball stage (235*-238* F at about 4500 ft.).  Take off heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour over popcorn and proceed to engulf in huge mouthfuls.

Jan's Caramels

Jan's Caramels

My friend gave me some of these as a Christmas gift and I love caramel so I had to get the recipe. My daughter made some to give to her high school friends and they were a big hit there too - just a good, soft caramel chew.

1 Cup Butter plus a little more to butter pan
2 Cups Sugar
1-1/2 Cups light Corn Syrup
1 Can Sweetened condensed milk

Prepare a 10-1/2" X 6-1/2" or 8" X 8" pan by lining with tin foil and then grease generously with butter.  Melt the 1 Cup butter in a heavy pan then add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a boil and cook until thermometer reaches 234-235 * F (at 4500' feet elevation). Pour into prepared pan. Don't scrape cooking pan.  Cool and  cut into bite size pieces and wrap in wax paper.

Corn Souffle

Bryan found this recipe from Linda Evans of Dynasty fame.  It is really good.  He makes it for Thanksgiving.

Southwest Corn Souffle

3 cups corn kernels (you can use fresh or thawed frozen)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 C sour cream
9 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (can use pepper jack instead of jalapenos)
1/2 C cornmeal
1/3 C jalapenos, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350*. Generously butter a 2 quart baking dish (if using a 9X13 baking dish, increase proportions by 1.5).

In a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup of the corn with the melted butter and the eggs.

In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients (including the other 2 cups of corn) except Parmesan.
Add the pureed corn mixture. Stir until well-incorporated.

Pour into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake for 45 to 90 (depends on batch and pan size) minutes until set and browning.  If the top isn't browned at the end of the baking time, place it under a broiler for a couple of minutes - careful not to let it burn.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 20 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

Chicken Bundles

Whenever I make these people ask me for the recipe.  They are a rather old-fashioned dish but still good. I serve them with rice and pour the sauce on both. It makes a nice looking plate with some colorful vegetables.

Chicken Bundles

6 oz. Cream Cheese (3 oz. with chive or green onion, 3 oz plain)
4 cooked chicken breasts, cut up in bite size pieces
1 Tbsp. butter
1 can mushrooms, drained
pkg. of 8 crescent refrigerator rolls
herb stuffing mix (like Pepperidge Farm) ( if I have the Italian Bread Crumbs on hand I just use those)

Mix the first 4 ingredients.  Put 1/4 cup of mixture into each crescent roll. Roll up and seal and dip into stuffing mix.  Cook in oven at 350* for 25 minutes. Serve with sauce on top.

Sauce

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 Cup sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix in a sauce pan and stir on medium until heated through.

Chocolate Trifle

An easy dessert that tastes rather decadent. It is from a neighbor - Diana Evans - who is a fantastic cook.
The Skor Bars are the expensive part so make it when they go on sale or buy and freeze the bars.

Chocolate Trifle

Brownie Bites - pkg from the store or make brownies and cut up into small cubes

1/2 of a #10 Can Chocolate Pudding ( Can Get for Sam's club)  or it equals 5-6 cups of pudding

1 pint whipping cream , whipped and sweetened

8 Skor Candy Bars, crumbled


Layer twice in a glass bowl, if you have it, so people can see the layers

Apple Bread

Sometimes I get overloaded with apples in the fall and I am looking for ways to use them.  I like this bread from Just Fruit Recipes but I have to admit that I have doubled the crumb mixture on top because I am a little bit of a sugar addict (okay maybe a big sugar addict).  You can cut the crumb mixture back in half if you like the pure bread.

Apple Bread

1 C Butter
1 C sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 C apples, coarsely chopped, cored and peeled

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Cream butter and sugar together.  Dissolve baking soda in lemon juice. Mix in eggs and vanilla with the lemon juice mixture. Beat butter mixture and lemon juice mixture together.  Add flour and salt.  Mix until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX. Gently fold in apples. Spoon 1/2 batter into large (9x5) loaf pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the crumb mixture. Spoon in remaining batter and sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Press crumbs gently into surface of batter. Bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly in pan. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.

Crumb Mixture

2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C flour
1/4 cup butter, cold

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter until you get a coarse crumb texture.

Sloppy Joes

A recipe from Marian that has always been a family favorite.  Who doesn't like a sloppy joe - and they are so easy to make, too.

Sloppy Joes

 2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
3/4 bottle ketchup (how much is this when it comes in all sizes? I usually put in 12-16 oz. I think but just go for the consistency you like)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. Vinegar
Salt & Pepper

Brown beef, onions and celery. Drain off grease.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 1-2 hours.
Serve on hamburger buns.

I think it serves about 8 big buns or 12 smaller ones but that is a guess.

Thai Coconut Curry & Peanut Orange Veggie Stir-fry

Here is a couple of easy Asian style recipes.  Michelle Gray shared the Thai one with me. She got it from a missionary who served in Thailand. She found a block of curry paste.  I could only find a huge tub of yellow and I only add a couple of teaspoons else it is too hot for us.

Thai Coconut Curry

1 1/2 -2 lbs. meat of choice (I use chicken)
Brown meat then add:
2 cups milk 
1 can coconut milk
Bring almost to a boil and add:
1 pkg yellow curry paste (shaved off in slices)
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. fish sauce or soy sauce
1 heaping Tbsp. sugar
Simmer until thick and add desired veggies. (Can just use a frozen Asian veggie pack to make it real easy)
Remove from heat and add fruit if desired -pineapple or mandarin oranges

Serve over rice or other grain.

Peanut Orange Veggie Stir-Fry

by Stacy Middleton
Serves 4

Peanut Sauce

4 Tbsp. reduced-fat chunky peanut butter
3 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp ginger juice
zest of 1/2 orange
sprinkling of chopped peanuts

 Veggie Selection

12 oz. bag pre-cut Broccoli Wokly
12 oz. bag Broccoli Slaw
or veggies of choice
Add the sauce ingredients to a saute pan and turn it to low heat until the peanut butter melts.  Dump the veggies into the sauce, stir and cover and cook for approximately 5 minutes. The sauce becomes more liquid, the longer it cooks. 
offer the dish with a number of different grain choices: couscous, bulgur, quinoa or basmati rice.

Baked Spaghetti

A favorite comfort meal that can feed a lot. I will often double the recipe and put it in 3 of the foil baking pans that are a little smaller than 9x13 so that I can have 2 meals to give away and one for us.  I will also sometimes do this and freeze the other 2. This is a recipe that I think tastes better the second day anyway.

Baked Spaghetti

1 pint sour cream
1 pint cottage cheese
1 pkg. (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. (16 oz.) spaghetti, cooked
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1-2 bottles favorite spaghetti sauce (I add meat) or make the recipe below

Mix to blend sour cream, cottage cheese, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Spread in the bottom of a deep baking dish or a 10x14 baking pan. Spread cooked spaghetti on top of cheese mixture.  Pour spaghetti sauce on top. Sprinkle with Mozzarella.  Cover loosely with foil.  Bake at 325* for about 40-50 minutes.

Spaghetti Sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 sm white onion, minced
1 minced shallot
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red pepper and 1 small green pepper, finely chopped (optional)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
1 can (14 oz.) beef stock
1 can (16 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 can (12 oz.) tomato paste
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 cup red wine (I use extra beef stock)
Basil, tarragon, oregano to taste

1 small can chopped olives
2 tbsp. sugar

Heat olive oil and saute onion, shallot, garlic, mushrooms and peppers. Add ground beef, salt and pepper and brown.  Add beef stock and bring to boil then reduce heat.  Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through.

Muffin-Tin Crab Cakes

These were easy, healthy and good crab cakes to make. Although New Englanders would probably say they weren't very authentic, I liked them. I froze part of them and they were still good when heated back up.
The recipe is from Everyday Health.

Muffin-Tin Crab Cakes

 

Prep Time: 20 mins  

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 pounds crabmeat
• 2 cup(s) bread crumbs, soft whole-wheat, fresh
• 1/2 medium pepper(s), red, bell, minced
• 3 medium scallion(s) (green onions), sliced
• 1/4 cup(s) mayonnaise, reduced-fat
• 2 large egg(s)
• 1 large egg white(s)
• 10 dash(es) hot sauce, such as Tabasco
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, black ground
• 1 large lemon, cut into 6 wedges for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Generously coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray.

2. Mix crab, breadcrumbs, bell pepper, scallions, mayonnaise, eggs, egg white, hot sauce, celery salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined.

3. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups.

4. Bake until crispy and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Servings
Quick Meal Contains Shellfish Contains Wheat/Gluten Contains Egg

Nutritional Info (Per serving):

Calories: 183, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 574mg, Dietary Fiber: 6g, Total Fat: 5g, Carbs: 18g, Cholesterol: 124mg, Protein: 21g

Carb Choices: 1

Sandwich Fillings

     Our family took a little trip to Moab and I wanted to fix something a little different for the lunch sandwiches (PB&J is great - just not every day).  I checked out everydayhealth.com and came up with these 2 ideas which everyone seemed to enjoy.

Champion Chicken Pockets

Total Time: 15 mins

Ingredients
1/4 cup(s) yogurt, low-fat plain
1/4 cup(s) dressing, reduced-fat ranch
1 1/2 cup(s) chicken, breast (cooked), chopped
1/2 cup(s) broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup(s) carrot(s), shredded
1/4 cup(s) nuts, or walnuts (optional)
2 large pita, 100% whole-wheat, halved crosswise

Preparation

1. In a small bowl stir together yogurt and ranch salad dressing.

2. In a medium bowl combine chicken, broccoli, carrot, and, if desired, nuts. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken; toss to coat. Spoon chicken mixture into pita halves.

 

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Info (Per serving):

Calories: 231, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 392mg, Dietary Fiber: 3g, Total Fat: 8g, Carbs: 21g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Protein: 20g

Exchanges: Vegetable: 0.5, Starch: 1, Lean Meat: 2, Fat: 0.5

Carb Choices: 1.5

  

Artichoke-Feta Tortilla Wraps

This is supposed to be served hot as an appetizer which I think would be great (like the warm artichoke dip) but I haven't tried it that way yet.  We thought it was good cold. We just didn't use the tortillas and mixed the dressing right in. My husband is not a big pesto fan so I only did half the pesto which was plenty.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 can(s) artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup(s) cream cheese, reduced-fat
• 3 scallion(s) (green onions)
• 1/3 cup(s) cheese, Parmesan  
• 1/4 cup(s) cheese, feta, crumbled
• 3 tablespoon pesto, reduced-fat
• 8 tortilla(s), spinach, or tomato or flour tortilla
• 7 ounce(s) pepper(s), red sweet, roasted, drained and cut into strips
• 8 ounce(s) yogurt, fat-free plain
• 1 tablespoon chives
  

  Preparation

  Artichoke-Feta Tortilla Wraps:
  1. Coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. For filling, in a large bowl stir together the artichoke hearts, cream cheese, green onions, Parmesan cheese, feta cheese, and pesto.
  
  2. Place about 1/4 cup filling onto each tortilla. Top with red pepper strips; roll up. Arrange tortilla rolls in the prepared baking dish. If desired, lightly coat tortilla rolls with additional cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, in a 350° oven about 15 minutes or until heated through.
  
  3. Cut each tortilla roll into thirds and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with Yogurt-Chive Sauce.
  Yogurt-Chive Sauce:
  In a small bowl stir together one 8-ounce carton plain fat-free yogurt and 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives.
  

  Servings
  Contains Wheat/Gluten Contains Dairy Vegetarian Diabetes-Friendly

  Nutritional Info (Per serving):

  Calories: 75, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 177mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Total Fat: 4g, Carbs: 8g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Protein: 3g

  Exchanges: Vegetable: 0.5, Starch: 0.5, Fat: 0.5

  Carb Choices: 0.5