Caramel Popcorn

In a saucepan combine:

1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
30 large marshmallows

Melt above ingredients together.

Pop 2 bags light butter microwave popcorn. Sift through and take out unpopped kernels. Pour carmel on top and mix together.

Chex Mix

This is one of Brad's favorite treats. Whenever I am making a treat for game night, this is always his request.

3/4 Box Corn Chex
3/4 Box Golden Grahams, Kix, or more Corn Chex
1 bag Reeses Pieces
Slivered Almonds
1/2 bag coconut
Mix above ingredients in a big bowl.

In a saucepan combine:

1 cube butter
1 cup light karo syrup
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Bring to a boil and cook until soft candy ball stage. Pour over cereal mix and stir.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Minis

Mix finely ground graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar with fork. Press in bottom of muffin liner. Drop a peanut butter cup in the center.

Cheesecake:

2 packages softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
Cream above ingredients together.

Add 2 eggs, one at a time. Mix inbetween then add tsp of vanilla. Spoon batter over peanut butter cups.

Bake 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Top with whip cream and grated chocolate bar on top.

Very Best Blonde Brownies

I found this recipe in a great cookbook called Favorites. They’re always a favorite any time I make them.

¾ cups butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¾ cups flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 package white chocolate chips

Mix melted butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla – mix well. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix just to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9X13 pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Breadsticks

Recipe courtesy of Ali Broadbent

6 cups flour
1 Tbsp yeast
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1/3 cup oil
2 1/2 cups hot water

In a large bowl mix 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Then add water and oil and mix again. Add 3 more cups flour a little at a time. Mix for 7-10 minutes. Let dough rise until double in size. Punch dough down and roll the dough out on the counter into a rectangle. Use pizza cutter or knife to cut in to breadsticks. Put breadsticks on pan and brush with butter and parmesan cheese. Let rise again for 15-20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Balls

Recipe courtesy of Amy Young
This recipe is super easy and really good!!

3/4 package of graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup peanut butter - warmed in the microwave.
Vanilla ice cream

Combine first 4 ingredients. Shape your ice cream in to balls about the size of a tennis ball - or whatever size you want. Roll the ice cream ball in the above mixture. Put it back in the freezer to refreeze. When ready to serve top with hot fudge sauce.

Hot Fudge Topping

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 large can evaporated milk
1 stick butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

Boil 3-5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Serve over your choice of icecream.

Pesto Linguine

This recipe is courtesy Dacia Holt

2/3 cup pine nuts
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh basil or 3 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup extra light olive oil
2/3 cup extra light oil/extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 lb. Linguine pasta

Blend 2/3 cup pine nuts, garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil*

* If you are using fresh basil, blend with the pine nuts, garlic and olive oil. If you are using the dried basil, do not blend. After the first three ingredients are completely blended together fold in the dried basil by hand.

Stir in the parmesan cheese, salt and 2/3 cup olive oil, keep in fridge overnight.

Take the pesto mix out of the fridge and let sit at room temperature for approx. 3-4 hours before serving.

2 hours before serving, cook linguine and drain, but do not dry. Stir in pesto, and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

White Chili

This is another recipe sent to me by Brad's mom. I had never tried White Chili before. This recipe, of course is really good, or I wouldn't be posting it. It's extra good if you make it with my mom's corn bread...which I will be posting the recipe for!

1 T vegetable oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
2 15 oz cans Great Northern beans
1 lb grilled chicken, cubed
1 14oz can chicken broth
1 14 oz can niblet-style corn
1 4 oz can green chiles
1 t cumin
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 c sour cream
1/2 c heavy cream
parsley sprigs, optional
1. In large pan, heat oil and saute onion and garlic. Add beans, chicken, broth, corn, chiles, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered.

2. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Garnish with parsley. Serves 6-8.

Quiche Lorraine

This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Kjersten. I made it for a shower and everybody loved it!

3 eggs
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dry mustard
dash of paprika
1/2 c. milk
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. grated jack cheese
1/4 c. grated swiss cheese
1/2. c grated chedder cheese
You can add any thing else you like - bacon, ham, green onion, green chilies, frozen drained spinach, mushrooms, etc.
unbaked deepdish pie shell

Sprinkle cheeses and any extras you like into the pie shell. Beat remaining ingredients together with a fork and pour into pie shell. Bake until browned at 350 for about 45 minutes. Check with a knife and make sure it comes out clean.

"Cafe Rio" Style Pork

This recipe comes from my friend Heidi Maxfield. Being so far from Cafe Rio - we love making this recipe so we feel like we get a little taste of it from time to time until we can go home and get our real fix!

1 lb pork roast or loin
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cilantro, chopped
1 can Coke
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine tomato sauce, brown sugar, cilantro, coke and garlic. Pour over top of pork in crockpot. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. When pork is cooked, remove from crock pot and shred. Put back in sauce. Serve in burritos, enchiladas or in a salad. Once again Brad's favorite is pork nachos.
Also serve with Mexican Lime Rice -

Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

This is another one of our favorite Kraft recipes

1/4 cup Catalina Dressing
3 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 lb boneless skinless chicken brests, cut into lengthwise slices
2 Tbsp Dry Roasted Peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Mix Catalina dressing, peanut butter and soy sauce in large bowl until well blended. Add chicken; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate 10 minutes to marinate.

(The recipe calls to cook chicken in oven with broiler - But I use our grill.) Preheat broiler. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken evenly onto soaked wooden or metal skewers. Place on rack in broiler pan or grill.

If you choose to broil, broil 4 to 6 inches from heat, 4 min on each side or until cooked through. Serve over white rice, sprinkled with peanuts and onions.

Santa Fe Soup

1-2 lbs Hamburger
1 onion
1 can pinto beans
1 can red beans
1 can black beans
2 cans rotel
2 cans corn
2 pkg taco seasoning
2 pkg Ranch dressing mix
2-3 tomatoes dice or 1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups water

Brown hamburger with onion - drain and put in crockpot. Add rest of ingredients - Do not drain beans. Simmer in crockpot for 4-6 hours. Serve with chips, cheese, and sour cream on top. Also good with pieces of avacodo or guacamole. This makes a huge pot of soup so when I make it I usually just half everything.

Spicy Chicken Enchiladas Verde

Brad's mom, Dianne, sent me this recipe and they are sooo good!! They are pretty spicy though, and I can't handle too much heat so I usually substitute half of the salsa verde for green enchilada sauce. It cools it down a bit.

4 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 32oz jar (4 cups) salsa verde or 2 cups salsa verde and 2 cups green enchilada sauce
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Salt and ground black pepper
16 6-inch corn tortillas
1/2 med white onion, halved and sliced thin
Optional: sour cream and guacamole, to serve

Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix chicken with 3/4 cup salsa verde, 1 1/2 c. cheese, 1/4 c cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Spread 1 c of the salsa over the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.

Microwave tortillas on high power in a microwave-safe plastic bag until warm, about 45 seconds. Then, working one at a time, spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling into a tortilla. Roll into a cylinder and place, seam-side down, in baking dish. Drizzle enchiladas evenly with 1 1/2 c salsa, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Lightly spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray, cover dish and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with onion and remaining cilantro, let stand a few minutes, and serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

2 cups cooked, cubes chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup peas or green beans
1 cup canned carrots
1 cup shreded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 can refrigerated biscuits
2 tbsp. melted margarine or butter
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs, or crushed croutons

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken, soup, peas, carrots, cheese, and mayo. head until hot and bubbly. Pour hot mixture into an ungreased 2 quart baking dish. Separate biscuits and arrange over chicken mixture. Brush biscuits w/ melted butter, sprinkle w/ bread crumbs. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. I usually will put a piece of foil on top of the casserole for the last 15 minutes so the tops don't get brown, but the bottom of the biscuits can cook. Although Brad likes the biscuits doughy.

Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

This recipe comes from the Kraft magazine that I love

8 oz angel hair pasta, uncooked
2 cups broccoli florets
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp each - ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time.

Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high. Add chicken, cook 6 to 8 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, giner, garlic, and crushed red pepper (I didn't have the red pepper - so I left it out) Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with the peanuts.

You can substitue whatever vegetables you have on hand - such as snow peas, sliced bell peppers, sliced carrots or chopped red onions.

Salsa Chicken

3 to 4 chicken breasts
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 jar of your favorite salsa
Optional:
can of black beans
can of corn (I usually add this the last hour)

Put chicken in crockpot (I buy the large bag of boneless skinless chicken at Sam's and just put the chicken in the crockpot frozen). Pour enchilada sauce and salsa over chicken. Cook on low 5 to 6 hours. When done, take the chicken out and pull it apart - shredding it. Put shredded chicken back in sauce. Serve on tortillas. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes.

You can also cook rice and just put the shredded chicken over it with the garnish on top.

For leftovers we put the shredded chicken on top of tortillas and make nachos.

Potato Vegetable Au Gratin

from Cooking Light

This is a great spin on regular mashed potatoes. I also like that if you are counting calories you can keep it light, or you can add more cheese if you don’t care!

5 cups cubed red potatoes (1 ½ pounds)
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar, divided
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and partially mash. Steam broccoli, carrots, and onions for 10 minutes. Combine potatoes and steamed vegetables, milk, ½ cup cheese, salt and pepper. Top with ¼ cup cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. (I probably use twice as much cheese – because you can never have too much cheese!)

Lion House Dinner Rolls

I’ve tried many roll recipes to try and get the perfect rolls, and this recipe is at the top.

2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non instant)
2 Tbsp dry yeast
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter, shortening, or margarine
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

In a large bowl with electric mixer, combine water and powdered milk, stir until milk dissolves. Add yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Mix on low speed of mixer until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 more cups flour, mix on low speed until ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes at medium speed. (Dough will be getting stiff and remaining flour may need to be mixed in by hand.) Add about ½ cup flour and mix again, by hand or with mixer. Dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour.)

Scrape dough off sides of bowl and pour about one tablespoon of vegetable oil all around sides of bowl. Turn dough over in bowl so it is covered with oil. Cover with plastic and allow to rise in warm place until double in size. I always turn the oven on for a few minutes then turn it off and then put the dough in there. Sprinkle cutting board or counter with flour and place dough on floured board. Roll out and cut rolls into desired shape and size. Place on greased baking pans. Let rise in warm place until rolls are double in size (about 1 – 1 ½ hours).

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot. Makes 1 to 1 ½ dozen rolls.

Chicken Club Stuffed Potatoes

from Southern Living

I found this recipe while searching for recipes on the internet. It’s now one of our favorites. They are also really good reheated for leftovers.

4 (8 oz) baking potatoes (2lb)
1 ½ tsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
8 bacon slices
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp minced onion (opt)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I just use regular mustard since I don’t have Dijon)

Rub potatoes evenly with oil; sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425 degrees directly on top of oven rack for 55 minutes or until potatoes are tender and skin is crisp.
Cook bacon in a skillet over medium high heat 7 to 10 minutes or until crisp; drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop pulp into a large bowl, leaving shells intact. Stir together pulp, bacon, chicken, ¾ cup each Cheddar and Swiss cheese, and next 3 ingredients.
Spoon mixture into shells; sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This is a fast easy recipe – especially if your meatballs are pre-made. I’m a huge fan of sweet and sour chicken, but I think the meatballs are fun and give sweet and sour a nice change.

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks
1/3 cup water
3 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 batch of 30 meatballs
1 large green or red pepper, cut into pieces
Hot cooked rice

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Set aside. Add water to juice if needed to measure 1 cup. Pour into large skillet. Add 1/3 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Add pineapple, meatballs, and green pepper. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve over rice.
**You can use recipe for meatballs below, or to make it really easy you can buy meatballs in the frozen food section.

Meatballs

4 eggs
2 cups dried bread crumbs
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp pepper
4 lbs lean ground beef

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, but meat. When everything is mixed together then add beef and mix again. Roll in to 1-inch balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees, 10-15 minutes, turning once. Once meat balls cool, put on clean cookie sheet and put in freezer until they are frozen. Once they are frozen you can put them in a Ziploc freezer bag, and just pull them out of the freezer when you want them. They are also really good in spaghetti sauce.

The Original Chicken Casserole

This is one of Brad’s favorite recipes – although yesterday he told me it wasn’t anymore because I use too much celery…I guess I’m going to have to start cutting back on that. This recipe has a lot of steps and dirties a lot of pans – but it is well worth it!! You can cut up the bread a day early so it has a chance to dry out. You can also cook and shred the chicken prior to making the casserole.

4 chicken breasts, cook and shredded
1 loaf heavy white bread
sage
salt
pepper
poultry seasoning
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1 onion. chopped
1/2 - 1 cup celery, chopped
9 Tbsp butter, divided

Cut up one loaf of heavy white bread in to 1 inch cubes – leave about 3 pieces out so you can use them for bread crumbs. You can cut up bread the day before so it dries out a bit – or you don’t have to. Season the bread with sage, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. (Sorry I don’t have exact measurements).

In a saucepan melt 4 Tbsp butter then add ¼ cup flour – stir together. Add 3 cups chicken broth. Stir with wire whisk. Add ½ can mushroom soup. Boil for 5 minutes.

In another saucepan sauté 4 Tbsp butter, 1 cup onion, and 1 cup celery until onion is transparent. Add this mixture to the cubed bread and stir.

Layer in a 9X13 casserole dish - ½ bread cubes, chicken, and gravy – then repeat.

Put 3-5 pieces of bread in blender. Melt 1 Tbsp butter. Mix with bread crumbs and sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Cream Cheese Dip

My sister-in-law picked up this recipe when she was living in Alabama. It is now one of my favorite appetizers because it is so easy and tastes so good – you can never eat just one bite!

8 oz cream cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup Ritz crackers, crushed

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.