Conference Caramel Dip

This recipe is quick and easy, and SO tasty.  It's sweet with a rounded richness from the butter, but it's the vanilla that really completes the flavor.  Any apple would work, however my favorite is he Honeycrisp.  It's an excellent match for dipping because as it's name implies it is sweet and crisp with just the right amount of tart to balance the sweet.  Salt and caramel are a natural combo, so the pretzel is a great dipper as well.  Or you could do as my kids and just eat a spoonful of caramel!

Here we go:

from blessthismess.com

The Best Caramel Dip

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (light or dark)
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:  In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and sweetened condensed milk, stirring to combine. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a light bubbly boil.  Remove from heat right away and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature with apple slices and pretzels or drizzle over ice cream.

Notes:  Don't let the caramel come to a full, rolling boil. Just let it get nice and bubbly and then take it off the heat. It will get too hard and thick to scoop if you cook it too long.

(Becky) Don't do what I did: Be sure not to leave any leftovers in the pan, unless you're going for a stiffer caramel. The corning ware I used holds 16oz. I can fill two. ENJOY!!

Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers

2 Cups flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/3 Cup olive oil
2/3 Cup warm water

Mix thoroughly and roll out as thin as you can manage (may need to lightly oil the counter). Lay on two 1/2 size sheet pans (sprayed lightly with oil as well) and, bake 400 F. for about 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness. They will stiffen a little more once they are cool. (For less color lower you oven temperature to about 375 F.)

Variations: brush it with egg wash (1 egg white and 2 T water) and sprinkle with kosher salt, sesame seeds, rosemary, pepper, or whatever else you like

Tootsie Rolls

Allie Bean

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

1tsp vanilla

3/4 cup instant dry milk

3 cups powdered sugar

In a bowl combine cocoa and butter, mix until it becomes a dark brown paste

stir in corn syrup and vanilla, mix

After mixing in the corn syrup and vanilla, then add dry milk and powdered sugar

Knead the mixture until the powder is mixed in

Roll into bite sized pieces

ENJOY

Almond-Crusted Halibut Crystal Symphony

Hi guys,
Sorry this is so long coming!
Just click on the title to get the recipe on All Recipes.
Enjoy!

Lettuce Mandarin Salad

This one is for you Jamile:)

1 1/2 heads of lettuce greens, washed and cut
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 chicken breast, broiled and shredded
1 C mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 C pecans, chopped
1 pkg Ramen noodles, broken
1-2 T butter

4 T sugar
2 t salt
1/2 C oil
4 T white vinegar
1/2 t pepper

Mix up the dressing: sugar, salt, oil, vinegar, and pepper
Brown the noodles and pecans in butter in a skillet, be careful it burns quick!
Toss all the ingredients together adding the dressing and noddle/pecan mixture just before service.

Overnight Waffles

2 1/4 C flour
2 T sugar
2 1/4 t dry yeast
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon
1 3/4 C milk
2 eggs
1/3 C cooking oil

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, add the wet and mix until thoroughly combined.
2. Cover loosely and refrigerate overnight.
3. Makes about 16 (4 in waffles). ( I triple the batch for company.)

Variation: Cornmeal waffles. Follow the recipe except reduce the flour to 1 1/2 C and add 3/4 C of cornmeal.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

4 C half & half
2 vanilla beans
1 1/2 C sugar
2 Cups whipping cream

1) Cut the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the back of your knife. Put the seeds and the bean with the remaining ingredients and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Put everything in a pot and heat until one bubble comes to the surface (170 F).
2) Chill.
3) Freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker.
4) If you are anxious you may eat the ice cream straight away but, it isn't considered finished until it has ripened in the freezer for about four hours.

Tips: I half this recipe so it will fit in my smaller ice cream maker.

I substitute equal parts skim milk and heavy whipping cream to make half and half.

Don't throw away your vanilla beans. Rinse them off and when they have air dried put them in a container with sugar. After a while you will have vanilla sugar to put on cereal, etc. YUMMY!

You can substitute 1 1/2 T vanilla extract for the vanilla beans.

If you feel like you're eating chap stick, yummy chap stick, you may need to back off on the cream next time and replace it with milk. However, this recipe's ratio of milk and cream is my favorite because I haven't had to scrape anything off the roof of my mouth. The cream I used has 40% milkfat.

This is the mother of all TIPS; you know the one Alton Brown says, the ice cream making industry doesn't want you to know. Let your ice cream mixture sit in the fridge overnight before you freeze it. It seems simple but, there is a complicated explanation of the chemical change that occurs in the milk, set in motion when you scald your mixture. It takes time to complete this change. I don't really mind the wait since I have to freeze the bowl to my ice cream maker 24 hours before I can use it.

I will add a picture later when I get one. Enjoy!

PS I can't find the recipe for DeAnna's no bake cheesecake; the one Mom Shaw makes. Will you help me find it D?

Pork Navajo tacos

I don't really know what to call this, but it was good. I didn't have a plan for dinner tonight and because I have everything frozen I got creative.

Start with a fry bread. Top it with black beans, then sweat pork. Add a little cheese, salsa and cottage cheese.

I loved the combination of flavors. The cottage cheese sort of tamed and blended the sweetness of the pork with the contrasting spiciness of the salsa. The black beans were a nice mild base that gave it a hearty bulk and the fry bread was a nice way to keep it all together. Overall an A, especially because it was a creation of what I had in the cupboards.

Fruit Salsa

A few weeks ago we tried this wonderful treat and I loved it. Thought I would share.

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a large bowl mix all the fruit together. Refrigerate while you make chips. OR buy Cinnamon Pita Chips

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

To make the chips:

Spray flour tortillas with pam, and coat with cinnamon sugar.

Take two of your coated tortillas and place them together. Make sure the cinnamon sugar sides are facing each other (so it looks like a sandwich).

Cut tortillas into 8 triangles (16 chips).

Place this in the oven on broil until the chips are golden brown.

We quadrupled the batch and it was gone in about an hour and a half! It is great for groups, and you don't feel super unhealthy after.

Notes:

You don't need to add the preserves if you don't want to. The fruit creates enough juice that it's not necessary.

We split the amount of raspberries with blackberries to save money and it was delicious.

We noticed it was harder to eat the salsa if the chips were too flat. So, you could maybe cook the tortillas in muffin tins so the chip is curved. If you find a good trick let me know!

I am having issues getting the picture to come up but I posted it on my photo a day blog you should check it out. The picture doesn't do it justice as all!! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE IMAGE

Rotisserie Chicken

People this recipe was perfect. You know the chicken you buy hot in those little take out packages. This was just like it. mmm. I don't know if it is because I am from the desert and everything seems dry to me, but I actually added about 2-3 cups of water to the bottom of my dish to help keep things moist. I let it refrigerate while I was at church, popped it in the oven when I got home and at 5:00 dinner was ready and delightful. I thought I should add that I used a stoneware dish to bake it in.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 onion, quartered 1 (4 pound) whole chicken

Directions:

1.	In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. Place chickens in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.
2.	Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
3.	Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving

Feta Pear Salad

This was a wonderful salad. I made 2 parts to my Sunday dinner today and both were fabulous, this was the 2nd. The combination of the nuts, cheese and vinegar dressing was wonderful. I changed the cheese from Roquefort to feta because I searched and searched for the Roquefort with no luck. It was a good choice. I actually omitted the avocado. Complete accident. I don't think I regret it though I don't think I would have liked it and I love avocado. Just a tip to any of the novice cooks out there. I discovered that a pan full of sugar melts no water or anything needed. Don't burn the pecans and sugar and when you leave it on the wax paper for a minute it gets easier to pull off.

Bon a petite.

Ingredients:

1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces 3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions 1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup pecans

1/3 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. Continue

	stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.
2.	For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.
3.	In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, and serve.

Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup

I found a recipe blog that I'm really enjoying (www.joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com) and found this winner on it!  It was really delicious!  Richard really liked it until the after math.  He was raving about it while eating it and then when he was done said it left him feeling a little to acidic.  I didn't feel it, so I'd like someone else to try it and tell me what they think.  You can find the recipe here -> http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2010/11/cheesy-spinach-lasagna-soup.html

Comment when you try it and tell me what you think!!  :)

P.S. We don't like sausage around here, so we just substituted it for ground beef instead, leaving it in bigger chunks.

Shaw's Cheesecake

Andrew asked very specifically for his Mom's cheesecake for his birthday. It so happens that it is:
A. Delicious
B. Very easy
C. Pretty Fast

Recipe:
2 8-oz of cream cheese
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Blend until smooth, pour on a graham cracker crust...she told me 9x13 pan, but I think you could get a thicker cheesecake with smaller. Refrigerate an hour and top with your favorite fruit sauce. (note: it isn't quite as thick as regular cheesecake, so don't expect it to be.)

Yogurt (again, because it's so good)

Yogurt simply put is:
Milk almost half a gallon fits in the container pictured. (anything from cream to skim)
1) Pasteurized; the easiest method is to start with unopened, pasteurized milk.**(If you don't have unopened milk don't fret, see the note at the bottom for pasteurizing.) Leave a little headroom in your container. You'll see why.
2) Heat; 100-115 degrees. I use the microwave because I don't have to wash a pot later. (the cooler temperatures produce a milder yogurt where the warmer temperatures are more like sour cream) If you have found your milk is too hot to add the starter just add a little cold milk to it, aren't you glad you left some headroom?
3) Add starter; yogurt with active cultures in it. One small containers worth. (Don't microwave or overheat (115+) your milk at this point because it will kill your little cultures.)
4) Incubated; 6-8 hours in a covered container. The picture on the left is the Shoebox Method (I know it's not a shoebox, it's close enough), it offers the most control of temperatures (read the captions in the picture to see why.) The lower temperatures take longer but I think it's worth the wait. (Be sure to use a heat pad without auto shut-off.)
5) Strained; I use a colander lined with overlapped coffee filters. I put my colander in a large bowl to catch the drips, with a very small bowl under the colander to lift it out of the drips. You may have to periodically dump the drippings (sounds like gravy but, I don't know what it's called, whey?) out to keep it from flooding the colander. I use a plate as a lid- I don't think colanders come with lids...wouldn't keep the air out anyway what with the holes in the bottom. Put your yogurt in the fridge to strain. The more patient you are in this process the thicker your yogurt will be. Just give it a stir every so often to scrape the thicker yogurt off the bottom. I have found a downward scrape keeps the coffee filters from shifting out of place. If the thought of shifting filters is too much for you. Just make sure you have enough space in the larger bowl to catch all the drippings without flooding your yogurt; leave it untouched overnight.

**To pasteurize milk bring it to 170 degrees. If a skin forms lift it out. Let the milk cool to your target temperature of 100-115 degrees. Skip step two and pick up with step three.

With all the writing here you would think that yogurt isn't as simple as I said it would be but, really it is simple and pretty forgiving too. I haven't ruined a batch yet.

~J
PS Has anyone tried to make frozen yogurt with this? Hmm...
PPS Any ideas of what to do with the drippings/whey? C says it's full of protein...

Chocolaty Chocolateness!

I would like to call this DEANNA's GREAT MOUND OF CHOCOLATE :p


My favorite Chocolate cake ever is the Great Wall of Chocolate at PF Changs. We don't have PF Changs in Logan sadly and so I improvised. My version comes from a box of Triple Chocolate fudge cake mix baked according to the directions. Frosted with my own raspberry chocolate frosting. I mostly just started adding ingredients until it was right, but if I were to do it again, this is probably what I would add.

1/2 cup raspberry jam (seedless)
1/4 cup Cocoa powder (maybe more)
4-6 cups powdered sugar
2 cubes butter
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Milk, until the right consistency.

Mine turned out a little too thin, so my cake wasn't as stable as I would have liked, but that is okay because....it didn't last long. After frosting my cake I sprinkled the outside with roughly chopped bittersweet chocolate chips.

To top it off I added a raspberry sauce made from bear lake raspberries. I blended about 4 cups of them in the blender adding a little water (about a cup) and about 1 1/2 -2 cups of corn syrup to tone down the tartness.

I saved a few raspberries to put on top and around the sides for "show".

IT WAS DELICIOUS!