Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunch

This recipe can be found on the Chex website. I had it at this fall's Scrapbook Expo and it is SO STINKIN' GOOD!!!! Doesn't help my blood sugar, though, so it's definitely not something I'll be making very often. Super yummy, though!


INGREDIENTS
8 cups Chocolate Chex cereal
3/4 packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter or margarine
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips


DIRECTIONS

Measure cereals into large microwaveable bowl; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.

Microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway thorough, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved.

Pour melted brown sugar mix over cereal, stirring till evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet and cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.

In small bowl, microwave vanilla chips about 1 minute, till melted. Stir until smooth and drizzle over cereal mix. Refrigerate until set and store in tightly covered container.


YUUUUUUMMMMY!!!!!!



Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Fabulous baked beans

My mother-in-law gave me her 'sort of' recipe for baked beans and they're pretty awesome. As I do with most things, I messed with it a little. Here's my 'sort of' recipe that's pretty close to hers, with just a few changes.

INGREDIENTS

2 large cans Bush's Baked Beans, Original flavor
1/2 large onion (see note)
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled


DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients. Pour into 9x13 glass dish.

Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes, till thickened.


**NOTE: My MIL purees the onion in her beans because my FIL doesn't do chunks of onions. While I like them that way, I'm too lazy to pull out the food processor. :) So I've done a few different things. Last time, I chopped the onion as fine as possible, then sauteed it in a little olive oil before adding to the beans. Softened them up and gave them a yummy flavor. I've also used a few tablespoons of dried minced onion that I soaked for about 20 minutes in a little water. (I love dried onion - so easy...). Or you can just chop up the onion and go with it - whatever suits your taste!!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Sarah's California Club pasta salad

Tonight was our Relief Society activity - my first one as Enrichment leader. It was a great night, everyone seemed to really enjoy it. We had dinner - salads and desserts. I chose to take a pasta salad and went to one of my new favorite food bloggers for ideas. I'd made one of her yummy pasta salads before, for a Christmas activity at church. It got rave reviews, so I knew she was a trusted source. :) I wanted to change it up a bit for this activity and this recipe caught my eye. I loooove avocados, so I knew it was a good start. I'm not crazy about sprouts and was almost out of Italian seasoning. So, here's my version of this salad - as close as I can get, anyway. (I'm terrible about following recipes for things like this)


INGREDIENTS

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (or a bit more) Ranch dressing
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 - 1 lb chicken breast, cooked and cubed (I used Italian seasoning on mine when I grilled it)
1/2 lb grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 lb pasta, cooked, rinsed in cold water and drained
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used closer to 1 lb...can't have too much bacon)
1-2 avocados, peeled and diced


DIRECTIONS

Combine mayo, sour cream, ranch, salt and pepper.

Put chicken, tomatoes, and pasta in large bowl. Toss with mayo mixture to coat. Refrigerate until serving, at least two hours to let flavors mingle. :)

Just before serving, stir in bacon and avocado.

Enjoy!! Yuuummmmy.......

Seasoning mixes

For the last few years, I've been trying to make my own spice mixes; especially the ones I use all the time like taco and Italian seasoning. I also like being able to adjust the salt in the blends and keep it low. I usually have most of the ingredients in my pantry and so many spices cross over into other blends. Here are two basics...try them out!


Taco seasoning
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt (or less, if you are watching your sodium)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic (a little less if you don't love garlic)

Mix and store in an airtight container.


Italian seasoning
Combine equal parts:

Thyme
Oregano
Savory
Marjoram
Basil
Sage
Rosemary

Monday, February 22, 2010

Breakfast wrap

I'm a big fan of breakfast wraps - scrambled eggs, cheese, turkey bacon all in a tortilla. Yummy. Since I'm not a huge fan of eggs by themselves, this makes them easier to eat. Today I decided to jazz it up a bit; we're trying to eat healthier, so I wanted to add some healthy 'bulk' to my wrap. Here's what I came up with...


INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sweet potato, shredded
1/2 cup spinach leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
3 eggs
1-2 Tbsp shredded cheese
4 slices turkey bacon, cooked
2 whole wheat tortillas
Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder


DIRECTIONS

Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with Pam spray. Over medium heat, saute sweet potato until soft. Add spinach and continue to saute until spinach wilts. Lightly season with onion powder and garlic powder. (If you're so inclined, you could saute some chopped onions with the sweet potato instead of the powder.)

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a little salt and pepper. Pour into skillet. Scramble over medium heat. Just before eggs are done, sprinkle with cheese.

Put two strips of bacon in center of tortilla and top with half of the eggs. Roll up and enjoy!! (Serves two)


NOTE: Depending on the brands of tortilla and bacon, this breakfast will be between 400-500 calories per wrap. And very filling!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Crazy cake

I love this yummy chocolate cake! It's super moist and dense - and also (mostly) allergen-free! Most of you know that Abby had soy and dairy allergies as a baby. Thankfully, she's outgrown them - but for her first birthday, I made this cake. To avoid soy, I used a palm-oil based shortening to make icing...but that's another story. :) Here's the recipe for crazy cake....


INGREDIENTS

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups water


DIRECTIONS

Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix to remove lumps.

Add liquid ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, till toothpick comes out clean.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Roasted asparagus

If you're looking for a new veggie, I have a recipe for you. I don't like soggy, boiled vegetables. I prefer steamed, grilled or sauteed veggies that have flavor and a little texture. When I planned our special Valentine's family dinner, I decided to serve asparagus on the side. Super easy, yummy recipe!


INGREDIENTS

Fresh asparagus
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Salt
Pepper


DIRECTIONS

Rinse and trim asparagus. (See note) Toss with olive oil and seasonings, to taste. Spread on baking sheet.

Bake at 400° for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!


NOTE: The bottoms of asparagus are tough and yucky. You only want the tops. An easy way to decide where to trim? Take on stalk and, holding both ends, snap it in two. Use that stalk as a guide to cut the remaining stalks. Group them together and chop off the ends. Easy!