Friday, January 30, 2009

Chocolate Fillers

This if for you Kim!

3/4 c butter or margarine
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c flour
1 c quick cooking oats
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 c chocolate chips

Cream butter with brown sugar and salt. Blend in flour and oats until particles are fine. Press abt 2/3 of mixture into bottom of 13x9inch pan (recipe says to grease the pan but I didn't and was fine- I think there's enough butter in the mixture to grease it up). Heat condensed milk in saucepan. Stir in chips until melted. Spread over mixture in pan. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs; press down lightly. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Cranberry Chutney

Cranberry Chutney

1 1/2 package Cranberries (clean, sort, and strain)
2 c sugar
2 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and chopped)
1 c frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 c raisins
1 t cinnamon
1 t allspice
1 t ginger
1 1/2 t orange zest. Combine all but orange zest in saucepan. Cook until cranberries pop (around 15 minutes). Stir in zest. Cook for one more minute. Can be served warm or cold.

Family

Hey, everyone! Just thought I'd let you know I made this into a family recipe blog and removed all the other authors- I don't think they ever really checked it or added recipes anyway~ :(

Please remember to post your holiday recipes!!! Julie, I need your cranberry chutney recipe- I seem to loose it every single year. Love you all!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Candied Sweet Potatoes


4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

Steam potatoes until about half way cooked. Transfer to an 8x8 dish.

1/2 stick butter cut up into little pieces
1 cup brown sugar

Sprinkle over sweet potatoes

Cook at 350 for about 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are done.

Sprinkle little marshmallows on top and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until they melt.

Serve on Thanksgiving.

Pineapple Casserole


  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups grated sharp cheddar
  • 2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained, and 6 tablespoons pineapple juice reserved
  • 1 cup cracker crumbs (recommended: Ritz)
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a medium-size casserole dish with butter.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the cheese. Add the drained pineapple chunks, and stir until ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and reserved pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve this with a Christmas Ham, salad and a roll. Makes a great Christmas Day Meal!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Caramel Apple Dip

The perfect fall treat! I make this every year and could eat it by the spoonful. The special ingredient is the small amount of cinnamon!

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Heat the above ingredients over medium heat. Stir. Be patient and don't turn up your heat- you don't want it to burn on the bottom!

When above mixture is smooth and brown sugar has dissolved completely, remove from heat. Stir in the following in the slightly cooled caramel mixture:

1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Pour into serving bowl. Serve with apple wedges.

Holiday Recipes!

The best season for cooking and baking is here!!! I know there haven't been many posts the past few months but perhaps we could all add at least one holiday recipe. This way we will have some fresh ideas to try for our Thanksgiving dinners or Christmas breakfasts!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Easy Skillet Penne and Sausage Supper

So if I can be honest, I haven't made either of these skillet recipes yet, but just by looking at the ingredients, I think they're gonna be good ones. I'm learning also that I love skillet dinners because you only have to dirty one dish! Can't beat that!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion - chopped fine
3 cloves garlic - minced or pressed through garlic
-press
1 pound turkey sausage - Italian
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes - (oil-packed), rinsed, and chopped fine
1/2 pound penne
2 cups chicken broth - low-sodium
1 cup milk
1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
6 ounces baby spinach

1. Heat the oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

2. Sprinkle the penne evenly over the sausage. Pour the broth and milk over the pasta. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes (it took mine around 15 minutes).

3. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and sun dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: Italian pork sausage can be used here, however, you may need to spoon off some of the fat before adding the pasta. When you are adding the spinach, it may seem like a lot at first, but it wilts down substantially. Be sure to at least have a 12-inch wide skillet here-- this recipe fills it nearly to the rim.

Skillet Ziti With Chicken & Broccoli

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1" pieces
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, minced (we omitted this due to personal tastes)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces ziti (2 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (I substituted this with half & half)
1 bunch broccoli (1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and sliced 1/4" thick
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Pat the chicken dry, then season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until it is lightly browned, but not fully cooked, about four minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl. Add 1 more tablespoon of the butter, onion, red pepper flakes, oregano, & 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Cook until the onion is softened, about five minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the ziti evenly into the skillet. Pour the broth and cream over the ziti. Cover and bring to a boil, about five minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the broccoli and roasted red peppers. Cover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta begins to soften and the broccoli turns bright green (approximately eight minutes). Stir in the chicken and any accumulated juice. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about three minutes longer. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the Parmesan, and lemon juice (if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Marci's Nachos

1 can cheese soup
1 can fiesta cheese soup
1 cup sour cream
4 oz cream cheese
1 can chili, not con carne
1/2 cup salsa
milk for each soup can as directed on back of can

Mix all together and heat in crock pot, or pan if you are in a hurry. Serve over tortilla chips. Very yummy!