Thursday, December 13, 2007

Sticky M&M Popcorn

Craig and I had this on our first date! We did a big group date type thing and my roommate's mom made this for all of us. It's so yummy but I never got the recipe for it! I finally received a copy that Craig's mom had 6 years after our first date! So better late than never I guess:)
The recipe says the following:

4 poppers of popped corn (salted OR unsalted)

BUT I have no idea what that means!! It's not 4 bags of popcorn, that is WAY too much, so if you know, please explain this!
So what I do is use our air popper and use one scoop of popcorn which ends up making one large bowl full of popcorn. If that makes sense. So this is how I'm going to write the recipe:)
1 large bowl of fresh popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows (more or less depending on how you like it)
Mix together:
1 cup butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup Karo syrup
**Stir together over medium low heat until it begins to boil; stirring constantly. Then time it for 1 1/2 minutes and remove promptly*** (Do not boil any longer or it will harden as it cools and you'll have one large, hard, ball of popcorn!)
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla
Pour over popcorn and marshmallows until marshmallows are melted and sticky.
Then Add:
1 1/2 cups M&M (seasonal ones are fun for each holiday)
Mix lightly until it's mixed together. ENJOY!!
Note: This is extremely YUMMY! Sticking to the measurements and times of boiling is what makes this recipe taste the best. Too much or too little of ingredients or boiling time and it won't turn out!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Hot Wassail

I made this for the Relief Society Christmas party I had at my house tonight and it turned out to be delicious!!! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large orange
Whole cloves
12 cups (3 quarts) apple cider
4 cups (1 quart) apricot nectar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cinnamon sticks

DIRECTIONS:

# Insert cloves into the orange about 1/2" apart. Bake the orange in a 350° oven. After about 30 minutes, remove the orange and puncture it in several places with a fork or an ice pick.

# Place the orange and the remaining ingredients in a large pot and cover it. Bring it to a boil and simmer over low heat for another 30 minutes.

# Transfer to a heat-proof punch bowl or crockpot. Float the orange and cinnamon sticks.

# Serve in heat-proof punch cups. Makes 32 servings.

Wassail

My favorite spiced drink for the season. It's always a big hit. The measurements aren't exact so feel free to change things up. I will also add a ton of more spices and just put the entire thing in a small crock pot and let it simmer all day making the house smell great.

Apple Juice (I just use a regular size bottle, or make up a can of juice.)
1 lemon sliced
1 orange sliced, plus more for garnish if you're going fancy
5 cloves
2-3 cinnamon sticks

I zest a bit of the lemon and orange before I slice them and put the zest in the juice. Heat on the stove or in a crock pot. Strain out the solids before serving and then garnish with orange slices.

Earthquake Cake

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 cup chopped nuts
* 1 cup coconut
* 1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
* 1 stick (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine
* 8 oz cream cheese, softened
* 3 1/2 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Grease 9x13 cake pan. Cover bottom of pan with nuts and coconut.

Mix cake as directed on package. Pour cake batter over nuts and coconut.

In a saucepan, mix margarine and cream cheese over medium heat until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Spoon over the cake batter.

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cool completely.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Taco Seasoning

So, once again, I started making dinner and realized that I was missing one essential ingredient for the recipe I was making: taco seasoning! So, in case anyone else ever encounters the same predicament, here's a recipe that works in place of one of those little packets you would buy at the store:

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 Tablespoon chili powder
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

Taco Soup

I didn't know what to make for dinner tonight, and I found a recipe online that I actually had all the ingredients for without having to run to the store!! Here it is:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 can pinto beans
  • 1 can whole kernel corn ,drained
  • 1 can stewed tomatoes - Mexican style
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix -(opt.)
  • 1 pkg. original hidden valley ranch dressing(dry)
  • 2 1/2 cups water or more, to make soup broth

PREPARATION:

Brown ground beef and onions in a large pan, drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an hour or so.

*Note: I've added a recipe for taco seasoning under Misc. in case you find yourself without one of those little packets you buy at the store. Enjoy!!!