Caramel Corn

Back in December when I went to visit one of my best friends in Indiana, I was introduced to this easy peasy recipe for caramel corn.  The recipe comes from Karo.  I made this snack for our Super Bowl party.  I was very worried about how it would come out because it didn't seem like the popcorn was coating easily.  But, the time in the oven and stirring every 10 minutes really worked.  The popcorn was addicting and good all week long! 

• 4 quarts popped popcorn
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter OR margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract

1. Spray a large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Add popcorn and place in preheated 250°F oven while preparing caramel.
2. Mix brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Boil 5 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla.
4. Pour syrup mixture over warm popcorn, stirring to coat evenly.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and spread on foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
6. Cool; break apart. Store in tightly covered container.

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Whenever I want an easy dinner, I go straight to my casserole recipes.  I found this one in a Taste of Home magazine I had from last year.  It was simple and very tasty.  I even went back for seconds.  Enjoy!

 Taste of Home recipe.  

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 package (6 ounces) chicken stuffing mix
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed broccoli cheese soup, undiluted
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in stuffing mix. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, layer chicken and broccoli in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish. Top with soup. Fluff stuffing with a fork; spoon over soup. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through. 
• Yield: 6 servings.

Super Fast Everything Bars

This recipe comes to you from a cute blog, Between Three Sisiters.  I made them yesterday for our Super Bowl party.  Next time I'd use a little less oatmeal, but overall they were delicious!  I'm glad there were some leftover, I enjoyed one or two after kickboxing tonight! 

Ingredients: 

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup brown sugar, well packed

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups peanut butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups oatmeal  (I use half quick cooking and regular oats)

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees. (make sure rack is in the middle)

2. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

3. In a large bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed cream the butter with both sugars

4. and vanilla until no sugar granules remain.

5. Add in the peanut butter and egg and beat until combined.

6. In a sifter (or a separate bowl) combine the flour with baking soda. Sift into to big bowl mixture and then stir.

7. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

8. Spread into prepared baking dish.

9. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until set (golden brown top).

10. Cool then cut into squares. Easy and simple!

Beer Dip

                                              

Taste of Home is where I found this quick and easy appetizer.  It's one of my super bowl recipes, so I don't have the reviews from hub's friends.  But, he gave me a thumbs up and I thought it was pretty good too.  It would even be good with veggies.  I only prepared half of the recipe, we aren't having too many people over today! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

• 28 Servings
• Prep/Total Time: 5 min.

Ingredients

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• Pretzels

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, beer and dressing until smooth. Stir in cheddar cheese. Serve with pretzels. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

Basil Pork Chops

You can't go wrong with a recipe from Taste of Home magazine.  I've had this one in my recipe folder for 6 months now.  I'm glad I pulled it out this week for dinner.  It went perfectly with sweet potato fries.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 4 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick and 4 ounces each)

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, basil, salt and chili powder. Gradually stir in 1 tablespoon oil until crumbly. Rub over both sides of pork chops.
• In a large skillet, cook pork in remaining oil over medium heat for 7-8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Wipes Cover

This is another baby item that I made for my friend Danielle.  I found the tutorial over at homemade by jill.   I love the way it came out and will definitely be making these for all of my preggo friends!

Tag Blanket

I had seen a bunch of tag blankets posted on the weekly link up parties I follow.  A good friend of mine just had a baby boy and I knew it would be the perfect thing to make for him.  It didn't seem too hard and the supplies were pretty cheap. There are a bunch of fabulous tutorials I came across when looking into how to make the blanket.  The one I found most helpful was from Sumo's Sweet Stuff.  I would definitely recommend visiting her blog.  I find so many creative ideas on there. The only thing I changed from her tutorial was using a 12 1/2 inch piece of fabric instead of 15 inches. I thought mine was the prefect size when it was done.  The embroidery probably took me longer than making the actual blanket!  

Chicken & Guacamole Tostadas

Cooking Light Magazine is one of my favorite places to find recipes. When I get one in the mail, it makes my day.   This recipe was definitely two thumbs up from me and hubs.  Hubs decided to forgo the tomatoes and added sour cream and cheese.  I ate it exactly how the recipe suggested.  We both were happy with the results.  

 Ingredients

• 1  ripe peeled avocado
• 1  cup  plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato, divided
• 3  tablespoons  minced fresh onion, divided
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1  small garlic clove, minced
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 2  cups  shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/4  teaspoon  smoked paprika
• 8  (6-inch) corn tostada shells

Preparation

1. Place avocado in a small bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato, 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and garlic.

2. Combine remaining 1 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons onion, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and jalapeño; toss well.

3. Combine chicken, remaining 1 tablespoon juice, and paprika; toss well to combine. Spread about 1 tablespoon guacamole over each tostada shell; top each with 1/4 cup chicken mixture and about 2 tablespoons salsa.

Hubby's Creation

Check out my giveaway at Happily Herring!

Flower Clip Tutorial

Cinnamon Popcorn

This recipe is coming from All Recipes.com.

Ingredients

• 4 quarts popped popcorn
• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions

Place popcorn in a large bowl. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, sugar and cinnamon. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer or until the butter is melted. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. Transfer to two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container.

Black Bean Chili Dip

*Adapted from Cabot recipe found here

INGREDIENTS

15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained, partially mashed

1/2 c drained canned whole kernel corn

1/3 c salsa

2 tbs. water

2 tsp chili powder

cooking spray

1/2 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese, grated (about 1.25c)

2 Tbsp drained canned green chiles

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine beans and next 4 ingredients. Pour into a small casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Sprinkle with cheese and green chiles.

4. Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling is bubbly. Uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

 

       NOTES:

      8 servings
69 calories
2g fat
7g protein