Caramel Corn

Put 5 quarts of popcorn in a large bowl.

In a heavy sauce pan, combine:
1 cup butter
1 pound brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt

Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium-heat.

Once mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring and let boil 4 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 tsp baking soda  **This will make it foam up to double or triple the volume.  Make sure your pot is big enough!**

Then stir in 1 tsp vanilla.

Pour caramel over the popcorn and gently fold until popcorn is evenly covered.  Spread mixture out in a large, greased, oven safe pan (or two 9x13 pans).

Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.  Stir every 15 minutes.

Let cool.

Try not to eat it all in one sitting!

Strawberry Soup

In a blender, puree till well mixed:

2 pints fresh or frozen strawberries
2 cups vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract


***For Peach soup, use 2 baseball sized fresh peaches or 2-3 cups frozen peaches instead of strawberries  and omit the almond extract.

Jam Bars

Mix together:
3 cups quick cooking oats
3 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cut in:
3 sticks of butter

Press 6 cups oat mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.

Spread 2 cups of homemade freezer jam or pie filling over crust.

Mix 2 cups chopped Walnuts with remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over jam.

Bake at 350 degrees for30-45 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Almond Cookies

Cream together:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 tablespoon almond extract

In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture & stir until combined.

Drop by the tablespoonful onto a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees until the edges begin to turn golden.


In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar & milk till it reaches a consistency similar to maple syrup.  add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.  Beat well.  Brush over cookies while they are still warm.  Garnish with a sliced almond.

Let icing set up before packaging.

Chocolate Peppermint Buttons

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa

Add:
8oz Apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a separate bowl, mix together:
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture & stir until combined.

A teaspoonful at a time, shape into balls.  Arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.

Allow to cool then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Snicker Doodles

Cream together:
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar

Add:
2 eggs

In a separate bowl, mix together:

2 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture & stir until combined.
Cinnamon & Sugar
Colored sugar
Sprinkles

Arrange on baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until edges start to turn golden.

Pinwheel's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:
1/4 cup of butter
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup brown sugar

Add:
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 egg whites

In a separate bowl, mix together:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture & stir till combined.

Fold in 6oz milk chocolate chips.

Drop by the teaspoon full onto a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden.

Snickers Apple Salad

Chop 12oz - 24oz  Snickers bars into bite sized pieces.  (I love Snickers so I use closer to 24 oz) Put in freezer to harden.

Chop 6 Granny Smith Apples into bite sized pieces & coat with a little lemon juice (to prevent browning)

In a large bowl, mix together:
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup of milk

Fold in:
1 tub of Cool Whip (8oz)

Then fold in:
Chopped up Snickers (They do not need to be completely frozen, just cold so they do not fall apart while you mix them in)

Then fold in:
Chopped up Apples.

Drizzle Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel over the top.

*Look for Mrs.Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel with the ice cream toppings at your grocery store. If you can't find Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel find a place to order it online.  It is that good. You could try using another brand but you would be missing out.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Ingredients:
4-5 pounds of Strawberries
12 oz white chocolate
2 packages of cream cheese (8oz each)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup Graham Cracker crumbs

Let cream cheese come to room temperature.

Rinse the strawberries.  Cut off the top of each strawberry & hollow it out slightly with a paring knife.

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler.  Let cool to almost room temperature but do not let it set up or harden.  Heat the cream cheese so it is just slightly warmer than the white chocolate [You don't really want them warm but if the cream cheese is even the slightest bit cooler that the white chocolate the white chocolate will harden and not mix in.] 

Beat with an electric mixer until creamy. 

Add vanilla and powdered sugar & beat till smooth. 

Put mixture in a zip lock bag & snip a tiny bit of the bottom corner off. (Make shift piping bag!)

Use the zip lock bag to squeeze the filling into each strawberry.  After the strawberry is full, dip the exposed cheesecake mixture in graham cracker crumbs.

Try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

*You will need approximatley1 bag of Hershey Kisses per batch.

Mix together:
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk

Add 1 egg

In a separate bowl mix together:
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 baking soda

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture & mix well. 
Shape into balls & roll in white sugar. 
Arrange on cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes.
Remove from oven & cool on cookie sheet 1 minute.
Gently press a Hershey Kiss into each cookie.
Let sit 1 minute then giggle each kiss just a little.  (This helps smush the melted chocolate into the cookie a little so when the Kisses harden up they don't fall off the cookies as easily.)
Remove from cookie sheet & cool on the counter until Kisses are firm.
Store in air tight container.

Makes about 5 dozen.

Easy Fudge

In a 4 quart sauce pan mix together:
3 1/2 cups sugar
12 oz Evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter
Dash of salt

Stirring constantly, bring to a full boil over medium heat.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Quickly add:
3 cups milk chocolate chips

Once the chocolate is melted add:
44-48 large marshmallows

Stir until melted 7 smooth.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Stir until combined.

Spread into buttered 9x13 pan.

Refrigerate to cool.

Store in air tight container in the fridge.

English Toffee

In a heavy 2 quart sauce pan mix together:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup water

Stir constantly until mixture reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Pour on to parchment (Make sure it is on a heat resistant surface -I use a cookie sheet on top of a wire cooling rack).  Spread out to 1/4 inch thickness -work quickly because the mixture hardens fast!

Let mixture cool 3-4 minutes. 

Sprinkle with 6 oz milk chocolate chips.  Let the chocolate melt & then spread evenly over toffee.

Optional:  Sprinkle with crushed pecans

Let cool completely (It usually takes about an hour in the refrigerator).

Break into bite size pieces.

Store in air tight container at room temperature.

Eggnog Cookies

In a large bowl beat until light & fluffy:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter -softened
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon rum extract
1 egg

In a separate bowl mix:
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Add the dry ingredients to the wet & mix well.

Scoop dough into balls and place on baking sheet.  Make a slight indent on each cookie with the back of a spoon.

 Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. 

Cool Completely.

In a small bowl combine:
3 cup powdered sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon rum extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 tablespoon milk

Blend until smooth.  Spread on top of cookies & sprinkle with nutmeg.
Store in tightly covered container.

Soft Ginger Cookies

Cream Together:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg

Add:
1/4 cup molasses

In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon clove
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet & mix just till combined.

Roll into balls & then in sugar.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.

DO NOT OVER BAKE!

Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Bars

Mix well:
1 box devils food cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
2 eggs -well beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract (or 1 tablespoon Amaretto)

Pour into greased 9x13 cake pan (or scoop into paper lined muffin pan)
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes for cake, 18 minutes for full size cupcakes, 13 minutes for mini cupcakes -Or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
Mix together:
5 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar

Cook frosting over medium heat.  Stir constantly until it boils.  Boil for 1 minute.  Remove from  heat. 

Stir in:
 6 oz milk chocolate chips until melted. 

Add:
1 teaspoon of almond extract (or 1 tablespoon Amaretto)

Frost while both cake & frosting are still warm (But not hot).

Jambalaya

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
8-12 oz Andouille Sausage, cooked & sliced
1 pound cooked, shelled, deveined shrimp without tails (I prefer smaller shrimp)
1 diced onion
1/2 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes undrained
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups uncooked rice (I like Jasmine rice)
4 cups chicken broth

Spray a large frying pan with nonstick spray.  Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat until it is cooked through.  Reduce heat to medium.

Stir in onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic.  Stir in salt & pepper.  When veggies start to soften add the Andouille Sausage.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, rice, shrimp & the can of tomatoes (do not drain the tomatoes -dump in the liquid too!)

Stir in the chicken broth.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to low & cover the pan.  Let simmer 20-30 minutes or until rice is tender.

**Add hot sauce with the Worcestershire sauce if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings.

English Toffee

In a heavy 2 quart sauce pan over medium-high heat, mix:

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup water

Stir constantly and cook till mixture reaches 300 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Immediately pour toffee onto parchment on a heat resistant surface. (I line a cookie sheet with parchment and set it on a wire cooling rack.)

Spread toffee to about 1/4 thickness. Work FAST! The toffee cools quickly and becomes unspreadable pretty quick.

Let toffee cool 1-2 minutes then sprinkle with:

1/2cup -1 cup of chocolate chips.

The heat of the toffee will melt the chocolate chips in a a few minutes. Once chocolate it melted, spread it evenly across the top of the toffee.

Sprinkle with chopped pecans if desired.

Let cool completely (until chocolate is hardened) -stick it in the fridge to speed things up if you want.

Break into bite size pieces.

Try not to eat he entire batch immediately. ;-)

Cream Cheese Squares

2 packages crescent rolls
2 -8oz packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
cinnamon (enough to sprinkle -maybe a teaspoon or so?)

Unroll 1 package of crescent rolls into a greased 9x13 pan. Press together the seams and press dough slightly up the sides.

Mix together cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread on top of rolls.

Unroll other package of crescent tolls on top. Lightly press seams together.

Pour melted butter on top of rolls. Use a pastry brush to make sure the entire top has a coat of butter on it.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar. Then sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

To Make Crust:

In a small bowl mix together:
2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
7 tablespoons melted butter

Press mixture onto bottom and half way up sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

To Make Filling:

Mix together until creamy:
4 -8oz packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Add 4 eggs & mix until blended.

Stir in 6oz melted white baking chocolate

Pour into Graham cracker crust.

Warm 1/2 cup seedless red raspberry preserves in microwave -you just need them to melt a little. You do not want them to get hot -just warm enough to be a thick liquid. Dot the top of the cheesecake with spoonfuls of preserves. Cut through top of cheesecake to marbleize.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off but do not open it. Let cheesecake sit in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool COMPLETELY on counter. Then refrigerate.

**No mater what I do this cheesecake ALWAYS cracks where the raspberries are swirled in. The faster it cools the deeper the cracks. That is why I turn off the oven & let it cool in there & then on the counter before it ends up in the fridge.

Lemon Bars

Mix together:
2 cup Flour
1 cup Butter
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar

Press into greased 9x13 pan and bake 20 minutes at 350

Beat together:
4 Eggs
2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Lemon Juice

Pour over hot crust and bake 20-25 minutes more. (It puffs while baking)

Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool.