Caramel Popcorn Recipe

I have recently had several people request this recipe so I thought it would be a good one to have posted on my blog.  It's a DELICIOUS crunchy recipe that my Mama Rhien makes.  I'm warning you though - it's highly addictive, so watchout!

Caramel Popcorn

·         5 quarts of popped popcorn

·         1 cup butter

·         2 cups brown sugar

·         1/2 cup Light Karo Syrup

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1/2 tsp baking soda

·         1/2 tsp vanilla

Pop popcorn and take out any of the duds (so you don't break a tooth). Mix butter, sugar, syrup and salt and cook until boiling. Boil for 5 minutes. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat evenly. Place in an oven-proof pan and bake at 250 degrees for one hour - stirring every 15 minutes. After one hour pour popcorn out onto wax paper, tin foil or cookie sheets until cool. Break apart and enjoy!

(My notes: I used more than 5 quarts of popcorn. It didn't' seem like 5 quarts was enough. I also doubled the recipe each time I made it and cooked the popcorn in my large roasting pan - it worked great.)

Thursday Treats - Coconut Lemon Pixies

Last month a member of our ward made these delicious cookies that she passed around during her Relief Society lesson.  They were AMAZING.  They were light, sweet, but not overbearing.  They had just the right amount of lemon flavor but also were....perfect!  So the other night I was having some friends over and decided I'd try the recipe they'd shared with us for those cookies.  But when I went to make them I realized that I couldn't find the recipe.  Darn!  But I remembered that the internet is a wonderful thing and I think I found almost the exact same recipe. 

So head to this website and check out this AWESOME recipe for Coconut Lemon Pixies.  I promise you will not be disappointed!

Cauliflower Pizza and Breadsticks

A friend of mine just posted a link to this recipe on Facebook. It sounds like it could be delicious. I'm thinking of making the breadstick recipe later this week or even trying the pizza. I thought it would be good topped with some grilled veggies - peppers, onions.....garlic....

Anyway - thought I'd pass it along since they looked like semi-healthy recipes. I think you could even try adding egg beaters instead of egg, and using the part skim mozerella cheese. And if you did make it into pizza you'd want to be careful how much more cheese you added to it - to keep the fat content down enough. I'll let you know if I end up trying it. My friend who made it said that it was pretty good and she couldn't even taste the cauliflower. She said she hates cauliflower and loved the pizza.

http://denver.yourhub.com/Longmont/Blogs/Archive/Blog~435499.aspx

Caramel & White Chocolate Pretzels Recipe

Ok, I'd love to take credit for this recipe, or even be able to tell you how marvelous it is - but truthfully I haven't tried it yet. My friend Fayette (one of "The Ettes") posted it on their blog and it sounds DELICIOUS! And not only does it sound amazing - but the recipe she typed up is so cute, I couldn't help posting it here. So head over to their blog and let her know if you try them - I'm sure they are going to be tasty.

Halloween Sugar Cookies

One of the traditions that I bring to our family - from the Rhien's (or from my mom anyway) is pumpkin faced sugar cookies at Halloween time.

My mom always made the cutest sugar cookies and when I left for college I remember being homesick for my mom's cookies. Lucky me - my mom sent me a big box of them. They were so delicious, and I'm sure she barely remembers making them - but I remember the feeling they gave me. They reminded me that I was loved, and that no matter how far away I was from my mom - she'd always take care of me. I also remember loving sharing them with my roommates and special friends. I was sharing my mom's love with them too - and that felt awesome too!

So when we saw cookie cutters at Walmart yesterday Gabe wanted to make cookies. We got the candy corns and he was ready for it this morning. I did inherit one thing from my mom, and that is a perfectionist attitude about the cookies. She rarely let us help with the cookies - and she'd do them when we weren't around so they would be so perfect looking. I felt a bit of that when we were making them today. But we had fun, and I tried really hard to just let the boys help out. Plus - mine aren't nearly as perfect as my moms are yet anyway. I have a few more years to go.

So since I can't send you all a box of fresh, smiley pumpkin faces - I can at least share the recipe with you.

Better Homes & Gardens - Sugar Cookie Cutouts

1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour

Beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla Beat i nas much of the clour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. If necessary, cover and chill dough for 3 hours or until it is easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll half at a time to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7-8 minutes or until the edges are firm and botttoms are very lightly browned. Cool on a rack. Frost with Butter Frosting.

Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
milk
food coloring (optional)

In a mixing bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.

Slowly beat in remaining powdered sugar. Beat in additinoal milk i fneeded to reach spreading consistency, if desired, tint with food coloring.

(**I always double the cookie recipe - it doesn't make a ton of cookies.)

Ginger Snap Cookies

I would love to say I make some of the world's tastiest Ginger Snap Cookies. (Ok - I've said that before.) But I can't take any of the credit. My mom has the best recipe in the world and definetly taught me this one! But, I haven't made them in ages and Cory requested them last Sunday. After I finished them up I was liike - wait a minute - why don't we make these all the time!?!?! I had forgotten how tasty they are (especially fresh from the oven!) I'm not sure if I've shared the recipe - but figured you might like it.

So here you go -

(Soft) Ginger Snap Cookies
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 cup flour
1 egg
2 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and molasses. Add sifted, dry ingredients. Roll in a ball about the size of a walnut and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Bake @ 375 degree for about 7-8 minutes.

The secret or key to these cookies is to not cook them for too long. You'll pull them out before they look done - but you'll want a few cracks along the top of the cookies.

YUM!

Fred's Sweet & Sour Chicken

Many, many years ago Cory and I worked at a fun little place - Porter's - in Rexburg, Idaho. We have fond and not-so-fond memories of those years working and even living there (above the store). But I must say that aside from the valuable life lessons, business lessons, and accounting lessons I learned the single most important thing I learned was - the world's best Sweet & Sour recipe :). Fred was an employee of Porter's (and I'm sure he still is!) and he brought this amazing chicken to one of our Friday pot-luck lunches.

It's been a hit at our house and I figured I should probably spread the wealth. I know you'll all be jealous of my copy - because it's a photocopy off of a paper plate, but I am just going to type it out for you - so here you go:

FRED's Sweet & Sour Chicken

Approximately 3-4 chicken breasts
Flour
Johnny's Seasoning Salt (also my addition)
Several tbsp of butter/margerine - I'm sure you could use olive oil too....but the butter adds a great taste

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp ketchup
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup vinegar
garlic salt or fresh minced garlic (this is my own addition - and is optional)

1. Cut raw chicken into pieces.


2. In a bowl or bag toss chicken with flour and Johnny's Seasoning Salt to coat the chicken.


3. Cook chicken in butter. Brown the chicken.


4. Mix all of the other ingredients in a baking dish (I use an 8x8 Pyrex).


5. Add chicken and stir gently to coat.


6. Cook the chicken and sauce in oven @ 350 for 40 minutes.


7. Serve over rice.

(**Edited to add - tonight when we were eating Gabe said, "Mom - do you have the stuff to make this again tomorrow night? I really like it." That and the fact that he ate all of his just about made my whole day!)

Key Lime Pie - YUM!

Cory and I LOVE Key Lime Pie - it's one of our favorites. So when I saw this recipe and realized how easy it could be to make it I jumped at it. I was pretty sure that there was no way it could be as easy as this recipe - but guess what? It was!!!!! So easy, so delicious. This version reminds me a lot of the pie that they sell at Costa Vida or Cafe Rio.

Key Lime Pie

For the Filling:

5 Egg Yolks

2 cans (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup fresh lime juice

Zest of 1/2 lime

For the Grahm Cracker Crust:

10 graham crackers - crushed

1/4 cups sugar

5 TBSP melted butter

Whipped Cream - optional

1. For the filling: mix yolks, milk, juice and zest.


2. For the crust: Mix crackers, sugar and butter. Form the crust in a 12" pie pan. bake 8 minutes at 375. Remove and let cool.


3. Pour in the filling and bake another 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove and let cool. Once cool, place in the freezer until ready to use.


4. Before serving, remove from the freezer and let thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream if desired.

(**When I made this I used a store bought crust, and now that I'm reading over the recipe I think the crust I used was 9 inches and the pie was TOTALLY full....that would be my only complaint. I'm guessing if you followed the directions exactly and made the crust it would be perfect.)

When I was trying to find where I got this recipe (I found it somewhere online) I also found this recipe - from Joe's Stone Crab. It looked pretty similar and tasty too. I'll have to give it a try next time

And lastly - I am also going to try this recipe soon. It was on Good Things Utah and looked SO good! Thinking I might make it for my birthday in a couple weeks (because let's face it - who actually thinks Cory is going to make me a cake....?)

Tuna Roll Recipe

I was talking with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law a couple of weeks ago and telling them about this tasty recipe that we love for Tuna Roll. Thought I might as well share it on the blog since I was going to be sending it to them anyway. Really easy and tasty - and the boys eat it too!

Tuna Roll

(by Beverly Bristow)

Pastry:

1 ½ cup flour

1 1/5 (?) tsp baking powder

½ cup oil

½ cup grated cheese

½ tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

½ cup milk

Mix together until mixture cleans the sides of the bowl and rounds up into a ball. It is very soft (and oily). Roll out on wax paper to be about 10X12 inches.

Filling:

1 can tuna

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp grated onion

½ cup finely chopped celery

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

2 Tbsp minced parsley

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

Mix together and gently spread onto the pastry. Roll up like a jelly roll. Put on a baking sheet. Slash with knife into 6 pieces (cutting about ½ way through). Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Serve with any white or cheese sauce. (I don't always serve with cheese sauce).

(another) YUMMY recipe - White Chicken Chili

I went and played Bunco last night with some friends. In addition to a fun time with the ladies we had DELICOUS soup for dinner. I grabbed the recipe before leaving and we're having it tomorrow night for dinner - yum! Oh - I couldn't remember if this was the name....but it sounds good enough.

White Chicken Chili
(recipe from Crystal White)

· 3 cans drained White Northern Beans
· 3 cans chicken broth
· 1 tbsp onion powder
· 4 tsp cumin
· 2 tsp oregano
· 4 ounces diced green chili's – drained
· 1 tsp cayenne pepper
· 1-2 tsp garlic
· 2-4 chicken breasts

1 tbsp chopped cilantro
· 1 cup sour cream
· 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese
· 1 tsp lime juice

Cook 1st 9 ingredients in a Crockpot for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken & shred with forks. Return to Crockpot and add final 4 ingredients. Mix until cheese is melted and serve.

YUMMY Recipe!

I tried this recipe this past weekend and they were DELICOUS! I haven't copied the recipe yet - but I'm hoping the picture of it from the cookbook (Rhodes Roll cookbook) will show up enough. Give them a try - they were a hit at our house!