Sugar and Spice...Cooking in this wonderful life!

Roasted Beef Tenderloin w/ pepper & caper salsa

2012-01-20T12:48:00.000-06:00

This is AMAZING!!

Recipe is by is by Giada De Laurentiis

Roasted beef tenderloin with pepper and caper salsa

Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes

Beef
Olive oil cooking spray
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp dried herbes de Provence
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied

Pepper and caper salsa
1 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher Salet & freshly ground black pepper
6 oz each jarred roasted red and yellow bell peppers, drained and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

1. Beef: Arrange rack in center of ove; heat oven to 450*F. Spray a small heavy backing sheet with cooking spray. Mix oil herbes de Provence, garlic, salt and pepper into a small bowl to combinel rub feed all over with oil mixture and place on prepared baking sheet.
2. Roast beef, uncovered, 25 minutes or until internal temperature registers 130*F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven; loosely tent with foil. Let rest 10 minutes (the internal temperature will rise to 135*F for medium rare).
3. Salsa: In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, balsamaic vinegar, capers , and parsley until combined; season with salt and pepper to taste. Add peppers; toss until coated.
4. Slice beef into 1/2-inch-thick slicedl arrange on a platter. Serve with salsa and roasted tomatoes.

Makes 2 servings.

A few notes:
-My mom usually does a 4lb tenderloin and cooks for 40-45 minutes
-Adjust measurements based on the size of meat.
-Remember that meat will cook after you pull it out.

Enjoy!

Fried Cabbage

2012-01-03T12:38:00.001-06:00

I LOVE LOVE LOVE fried Cabbage!

My mom and I use a recipe that her mom came up with.

2 tlbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
1 med. Onion, chopped course
1 stick of butter
1/2 LB raw bacon, chopped
1 head cabbage, med-lg, course chopped
Salt/Pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add onion & bacon. Cook until onion is tender & bacon starts browning & getting crisp. Add butter, cabbage and s/p. Stir to coat. Cover. Cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Cover. Check for tenderness of cabbage. Repeat until done and then remove from heat. Taste best warm!

Enjoy! :)

Crock Pot Liners

2011-11-15T14:59:00.000-06:00

So, I decided I wanted to start using the crock pot more. After posting about it, many people suggested the liners. I got the Reynolds Slow Cooker liners. Well, I'm not sure what I did wrong, but this is what I got....

It basically ballooned and made everything come up to the top. It's a good thing we noticed right as we were about to leave the house. It was about to come out the sides.

After tweeting about it, most people said this had never happened, so maybe it was a fluke. I had two cans of broth, a roast, carrots and potatoes in. We ended up just removing the liner and continuing to cook. It turned out great.

I will give the liners another shot and hope for better luck next time!

:)

Tortellini Salad

2011-10-05T10:38:00.001-05:00

This is a quick pasta that can either be served warm or cold! It's very tasty :)

It calls for fresh ingredients, but if you are wanting to be extra quick, you can use the alternative.

Ingredients:
9oz. pkg fresh cheese tortellini
3 ears fresh corn
1 clove garlic
1 pt. grape tomatoes, 2 cups, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:
- In a large pot, cook tortellini in boiling water, 3 minutes. Add corn; cook 2-3 minutes. Drain well. Cut kernels from cobs.

- Cut garlic clove into two pieces. Rub inside of large serving bowl with garlic; discard garlic. Add tortellini, corn, tomatoes, scalllions, basil, Parmesean, oil and pepper. Toss gently to coat.

Serve warm or cold!

Enjoy! :)

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-08-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

Delicious no-bake cookie/bars!

My mom gave me the recipe.

These are bar cookies
You will need a greased 9x13 inch pan

12 graham crakers
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 pound butter, melted
1 12-ounce package sweetened chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Crush the graham crackers and put into large mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter, confectioners' sugar and melted butter. Mix well and press into a greased 9x13 inch pan.

Combine chocolate chips, cream and butter in the top of a double boiler and heat until the chocolate is melted. Pour over the graham cracker-peanut better mixture and top with a layer of walnuts. When chocolate has hardened, cut into squares.

Yield: about 32

Put in smaller dish if you would like thicker bars!

(I'm not sure why it lists butter twice. I'll find out.)

Enjoy!

Mom's Bread Pudding

2011-08-03T09:35:00.001-05:00

My mom recently made this and brought over. It is wonderful! I'm a HUGE bread pudding fan, but it has to taste a certain way, I suppose.

You should try this one!

My mom combined two recipes she had to come up with this.

Sorry I didn't snap a better picture. Trust me, though

Ingredients
1 lg loaf French bread - day old, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 eggs, well beaten
1 qt heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cup of sugar
1 Tlbsp vanilla bean paste (may use 2 Tblsp of extract if you don't have paste available)
1 Tlbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 Tblsp butter/margarine (1/2 stick) (melt in 9x13 pyrex dish, use to grease sides and bottom of dish)
1 cup dried cherries (rasisins or something else if you prefer)

Directions:
-Set oven on 350.
-Place cut up bread bread in large bowl.
-In another large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except butter (it's used just to grease pan)
-Pour mixture on top of bread and stir real well.
-Allow to sit (cover with foil) for 15-30 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed. Sitr once to help absorb.
-Then, pour bowl (of everything ) into pyrex dish..or glass cooking dish.
-Spread throughout with spoon if needed.
-Cook for about 50 minutes....or until brown and firm.
-My mom turned her oven up to 400 for about 10 extra minutes to get more browning.

Vanilla bean paste can be found at a specialty food store. Occasionally, you can probably find at TJ Maxx.

Enjoy!

Monkey Bread Muffins

2011-07-31T16:09:00.000-05:00

I first saw a similar recipe in a Rachael Ray in a magazine. I showed my mom and a few days later she showed up with these yummies!

They are basically monkey bread muffins. My mom has always done her monkey bread with biscuits, sugar, brown sugar & cinnamon. She has typically used a bundt pan, I believe. I thought the muffins sounded good, and they are!

1 Lg can of Grands Homestyle Biscuits
1 Stick of better
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

For Glaze:
Mix one cup powdered sugar with 2 T milk until lumps dissolve.

-Heat Oven to 425 degrees.
-Lightly spray 12 serving muffin pan.
-Melt the sick of better and mix & bowl with both sugars and the cinnamon.
-Dip each biscuit into the button and roll in sugar mixture.
-Fit 5 pieces of biscuit into each muffin slot.
-Bake 15 minutes.
-Let cool 5 minutes and then loosen with knife.
-Transfer onto a foil lined baking sheet and turn right side up.
-Poor glaze over muffins and let cool.

*Heat in microwave to re-warm.

Enjoy!

Roasted & Stuffed Tomatoes

2011-07-26T13:16:00.000-05:00

My mom recently brought these over and I thought they were delicious! I wanted to share with you all :)

Roasted and Stuffed Tomatoes

Prep time:5 minutes
Cook time:20 minutes

2 medium size firm ripe plum(roma)tomatoes
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 small clove garlic,minced(may use jarred)
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs(plain or seasoned)
3 Tbsp finely crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley(flat leaf preferred)

Using teaspoon, remove seeds from tomatoes which have been cut top to bottom;place cut side down on paper towels to drain, about 5 minutes.

Mix 1 Tbsp of the oil,garlic,salt and pepper in bowl. Add tomatoes and gently toss in mixture until coated. Marinate 10 min.

Combine breadcrumbs and gorgonzola. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Fill tomatoes with breadcrumb mixture, drizzle with remaining oil.

Place tomatoes in preheated 450 degree oven and roast 20 minutes or until crumb mixture is golden brown and tomatoes are slightly softened. Sprinkled with parsley

Note: Can use medium regular tomatoes,
Substitute cheeses to your liking
Salt and pepper to taste.
I usually cook more tomatoes, then double or triple ingredients.

Optional: for cold serving may stuff with any stuffing of choice: Chicken salad

Enjoy!

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

2011-07-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

In the below picture, we forgot the pine nuts, which does make it extra yummy!

Recipe from my mom.

Serves 6-8

1 head garlic cloves, separate cloves but do not peel
1 large head cauliflower, washed,trimmed and cut into large florets
4 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Heat oven to 450 degree. Lightly toast pine nuts(5-10minutes, stirring once)on small cookie sheet. Remove from oven. Bring small a small pot of water to a boil(1-2in water).Add garlic cloves and allow to boil for 15-30 sec. Drain, peel and cut any large cloves in half lengthwise.

On a rimmed baking sheet, lined with foil, place cauliflower, drizzle with 3 tblsp olive oil, 2 tsp salt and black pepper. Spread into a single layer and roast, stirring twice, until the cauliflower is tender and the garlic is lightly browned 20-25 minutes.

Transfer the cauliflower mixture into a large glass bowl, including all the juices. Add remaining 1 1/2 tsp olive oil, the parsley, pine nuts and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, toss well and serve hot or cold.

Notes: I parboiled 8 red skinned new potatoes, quartered and mixed with initial baking of cauliflower.
Season to taste, especially if adding more or bigger variety of vegetables.

Enjoy!

Patriotic Stawberries

2011-07-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

I saw these on several websites and decided to give them a go!

Luckily, you can just look at them and tell what they are made of. Strawberries, white chocolate & sprinkles. Simple!

Here is what I used...

I also used a cookie sheet and parchment paper.

I washed my strawberries really good and set them out on a paper towel to dry for a bit.

I melted the vanilla bark as the directions said. I like this bark because it's in a tray that is all ready to go in the microwave. I believe mine is form Target. You don't have to worry about using your own bowl and washing. I wish say with the strawberries, it might not have been a bad idea to pour it in a deeper bowl, to dip them, but I didn't want to fool with it.

I put the sprinkles in a small bowl.

Basically, you dip the strawberry in the vanilla melt and then let all the excess drip off. Immediately following, dip into the blue sprinkles. Place on cookie sheet with parchment paper. It's easy and you can do it sitting down :)

I put mine in the fridge for about 2 hours.

I made 25 strawberries and used about 3/4 of the sprinkles and about half of the vanilla melt.

You basically follow these same steps when making pretzels as well. I love those.

Here is my first attempt at the patriotic, red, white & blue strawberries!

Enjoy!

3 Cheese Orzo Salad

2011-05-18T11:21:00.000-05:00

I believe my mom just came up with this. Luckily, she wrote it down for me because it was delicious! Hopefully one of us will be making it again soon!

Orzo = 1 cup raw cooked per packaged directions

1/2 c red onion, diced
1/2 c cucumber, diced
3/4 c parsley tips
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 t black pepper
1 to 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1 c cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled with tomato & basil ( I think this means one of the pre-packaged containers of feta with seasonsings)
3/4 c parmesean, finely shredded
mozzarella balls, seasoned in oil - desired amount

Cook orzo with directions provided on container. Mix in ingredients while orzo is warm. Refrigerate.

**Adjust all seasonings to your taste.

Enjoy!

xoxo ~ Megan

Red Velvet Cake Sandwiches

2011-05-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I kind of made the treat I posted about here, but not really.

I honestly didn't feel like making from scratch, but I was craving red velvet. I took the super easily, maybe not as tasty, way out.

They still taste as good as they look...

I did cheat...

When I'm using boxed stuff, I usually prefer Pilsbury, but these happened to be what I found quickly when zipping through the store, so I went with it.

I totally forgot to snap a pic of this, but I put about two teaspoons of cake mix into the muffin holder of a muffin pan. I baked them for about 15 minutes. I figured that would give me what I was going for. It did...

However, a box of cake mix makes about 5 muffin pans of these. This is about 4 1/2

To put the icing on the inside, I used my good ole Wilton Dessert Decorator Pro, which I love....

I put about this much icing in mine...

To look like so...

They were quick and yummy! I'll probably make the scratch kind one day. I also didn't add pecans because one bag was EIGHT DOLLARS. Sometimes I like nuts on baked goods and sometimes I don't. Doesn't really matter either way I suppose. The top picture is about half of the final outcome. Brent took the other half to work.

Enjoy!

Mom's Rice Salad

2011-05-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is a rice salad that my mom put together. I loved it so I had her write down what all she did so I could have....and share with you all :)

Ingredients & Directions :)
4 cups cooked white rice
2 tsp tarragon, dried
2 tsp basil, dried
2 tsp Herb de Provence, dried
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, diced
1/2 cup red onion. diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2 or 1/4
Formaggio mozzarella balls (marinated in oil) -she got hers at Sam's
Splash of apple cider vinegar

Mix all together with rice while it is warm.

It seems like a lot, but it's worth it. I thought it was DELICIOUS. Mom said that she thinks its best to cut up veggies the day before making the salad so it's less complicated. For seasonings, you can definitely start with less and add to taste. You can use any rice or small pasta for the same type of salad.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Toffee With Saltines

2011-04-17T14:15:00.001-05:00

**For those of you who have asked, I used parchment paper and it worked fine! After it was in the freezer for a few hours I tried to pull it up and break it and I didn't have any problems. One recipe says foil is fine, too!

This toffee is simply amazing. I saw it on a blog and had to have it. I feel like my mom or someone may have made it before. Regardless, I hadn't had anything like it in a while and it sounded so good.

Peanut Butter Toffee With Saltines
1/4 lb (one sleeve) saltines (the salted ones)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
Chopped M&M’s (or topping of your choice)

-Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

- Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper (the pan needs to have a lip to it or these things will leak all over your oven.)

- Place saltines in pan, salted side up. Leave just a bit of space between crackers so the toffee with encase the entire cracker when done.

- Smash M&M's.

- Mine looked like this....

- Bring sugar and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Boil for 3 minutes (time the boiling after the whole thing starts boiling, not just the edges). And, resist the urge to stir it.

- Pour boiling mixture over crackers. Place in oven for 5 minutes.

- Put dollops of peanut butter on top and return to the oven for 1 minute.
- Spread melted peanut butter over mixture with spatula.

- Top with chocolate chips. Then, put back into the oven for 1 minute.

- Use spatula to spread the chocolate chips (which have melted).

- Top with M&M pieces (or whatever you come up with).

- Place in freezer for at least one hour.

- Once these are set, crack them into individual pieces.

I used too much peanut butter. I didn't measure it out, I just took spoon fulls out of the jar to make my dollops. Because of this, mine were too peanut butter-ey on the bottom. Therefore, gets on your hands and stuff. I think I could have made a little extra butter/sugar mix to help this at the bottom of the pan.

Here is where I found the recipe :)

Enjoy!

Blackberry Smoothie

2011-03-23T17:45:00.001-05:00

I don't feel like blackberries are something I see all too often at the grocery store. I'm not sure why that is. Perhaps just the season.

I recently posted about buying some and really liking them. I thought, while the store has some, I should try out a few recipes with them.

via

First, I plan to try this Blackberry Smoothie!

Prep time: 10 min

Ingredients

* 1 small banana
* 1/2 cup blackberries
* 1 cup fresh raspberries
* 1 (6 ounce) container vanilla yogurt
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 4 ice cubes

Directions

1. Place banana, blackberries, raspberries, yogurt, honey, and ice cubes into a blender. Blend until smooth.

Sounds simple and delish...and healthy!

recipe via

I'll let you know what I think!

xoxo ~ Megan

Chicken Salad

2011-02-21T10:47:00.000-06:00

This is the chicken salad my mom makes. I LOVE it. I shared a picture of it here, over the summer, along with some other summer salads she made.

No clue where she got the recipe. There is a good chance she made it up. She is good like that :)

Ingredients:
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream ( I like 1/2 of it to be miracle whip)
1 cup yogurt, plain
1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine
1-2 cups red or green seedless grapes, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 t salt
1 t pepper
1 1/2 t garlic salt
2 T Taragon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:
Boil chicken until fully cooked the shred/chop into thin, small pieces.
Mix all ingredients together and chill!

Enjoy!

xoxo ~ Megan

Asian Beef Stir-Fry

2011-02-16T10:22:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Brent and I made Asian Beef Stir-Fry from our Eating for life cookbook. We both really enjoyed it!

The recipe:

Serves:4
Prep time: 30 min

Ingredients:
4 portions of spaghetti (about 8 oz uncooked)
4 portions lean steak (about 1 lb)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
4 celery stalks, sliced
1 head napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup lite soy sauce

Directions:
1. Prepare spaghetti according to the package directions, drain & set aside.
2. While the spaghetti is cooking, slice the steak lengthwise into 2-inch strips. Cut crosswise into 1/2-in-thick slices.
3. Lightly coat a large skillet or wok with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, stir-fry red pepper flakes and garlic for 1 minute.
4. Add the steak strips to the skillet, stir-fry just until no longer pink, approximately 2 minutes. Remove the steak from the skillet and set aside.
5. Lightly recoat the skillet with cooking spray. Stir-fry onion and celery until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add cabbage and cook until crisp-tender, approx 2 more minutes.
6. Return steak to skillet. Add cooked spaghetti and lite soy sauce; mix gently and heat thoroughly.
7. Divide into 4 portions, serve & enjoy! :)

*We changed a few things which you can see below.

And in case you want to save the recipe as an image to your cell phone like I like to do...

We used Laura's lean beef sirloin, but when we make it again, we will probably go with fillet. Sirloin can be a little chewy when made in the skillet.

We added broccoli, carrots and snap peas to ours.

I'm trying not to eat all too many processed things lately. I feel a bit better in doing so if it's organic. For the soy sauce and noodles, we use...

Here are a few step-by-step pictures of the directions.....

Enjoy!

xoxo ~ Megan

Captain Rodney's Cheese Bake

2011-02-09T09:41:00.000-06:00

I have a favorite new appetizer! I credit this to completely to Whitney because she is the one who introduced me to this at Amy's baby shower. I may be upset once I eat the whole dish alone.

I may be behind in finding out about this, but I'm so glad I have.

The dish is called "Captain Rodney's Cheese Bake" and it is AMAZING. I've always loved a sweet and salty mix and this is just that.

My mom has always been big into jellies and glazes. I remember being young and trying cream cheese blocks with something sweet, sour or spicy on top.

This is Captain Rodney's glaze...

The recipe actually calls for the "Boucan" glaze though, upon further investigation, I've read it is the same as the "Mango Pepper" glaze. Whitney had to either purchase hers online or from a speciality store, but my mom was able to find it at a local Walmart. She said she thought there were a few different flavors as well.

You can buy Captain Rodney's Glaze on Amazon here.

You can read more about it on their website here.

I took a pic of the ingredients for you all...

Here you can see the glaze on....

We recently ate it with Wheat Thins and really liked them together! I must admit it was a hit at the Super Bowl party. I was excited when my mom told me she was making it!

Ingredients

* ½ cups Mayonnaise
* 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
* 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
* 2 stalks Green Onions, Chopped
* 6 pieces Flipside Pretzel Crackers, Crumbled
* 8 strips Bacon, cooked and crumbled
* ½ cups Captain Rodney's Boucan Glaze

Preparation Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and the green onions, until thoroughly blended.

Spread the mixture into an oven-proof serving dish that’s large enough to hold all, plus a little extra room to spare. Sprinkle the crumbled crackers on top, then bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. When done baking, sprinkle the cooked bacon on top, then drizzle the Boucan Glaze over the whole thing.

Enjoy!

*I'm also going to post this on my recipe blog because I like being about to reference recipes there :)

**Don't forget about the CHD Fundraiser here.

***Don't forget about my giveaway in hopes to fund raise for CHD here.

Enjoy!

xoxo ~ Megan

Mini Pillsbury Brownies

2011-02-02T19:44:00.001-06:00

I've had the little mini brownies from Whole Foods and I love them. When in Target several weeks ago, I came across a box of Pillbury mini brownie mix. I knew they probably weren't all too great for me, but I really thought they looked yummy.

Today, I gave in and made them :) It was a snow day, so why not?

They came with two little trays. That was convenient.

*Moisture hint - always add a little vegetable oil :) even if it doesn't call for it.

Here is the mix in the containers that came in the box...

all done..and yummy! I thought they were really good.

Enjoy!

Batter Blaster

2011-02-01T13:48:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I posted on my blog that I purchased Batter Blaster at Target. I was pretty tickled at how simple it seemed and the fact that it was organic was quite appealing.

I got mixed comments in the post from people who had tried it.

Overall, I like it pretty well. I definitely like it for it's quickness, no-bowl-no-clean-up factor. That alone will probably keep me using it. You just shake, hold upside down over the skillet and spray. Then, put the cap on and put right back in the fridge. I really thought the taste was fine. Sure, it's not the best batter I've ever had, but it definitely wasn't bad to me! Plus, with a little butter and syrup it was all tasty.

Our large flat grill is apparently still packed away, so I used a skillet and just make the pancakes the size of the skillet :)

Nope, Batter Blaster did ask me to post about this. I just decided I wanted to.

Enjoy!

~ Megan

Crystal Hot Sauce

2011-01-10T20:28:00.000-06:00

When we were in New Orleans, I tried Crystal hot sauce for the first time. I'm typically not a huge fan of hot sauce. I'm just a wimp when it comes to spicy things.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted Crystal and immediately liked it! It's not too hot or too mild. It's just about right! They pretty much had it sitting at tables in restaurants in NOLA as I believe it is Louisiana's #1 hot sauce.

I've not had a chance to look for here here yet, but I plan to. If that doesn't work, I'll be ordering some!

Enjoy!

"Glass" Candy

2010-12-22T10:11:00.000-06:00

This candy appears to look like broken glass. It's just hard candy basically. It is unique and yummy!

Ingredients
3 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup white Karo syrup
1 cup water
1 teaspoon of cinnamon, spearmint or winter green oil (flavor of your choice)
a few drops of food coloring of your choice.

Directions
In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, mix sugar, syrup and water.
Place candy thermometer on side.
On medium/high heat, bring to boil to 300 degrees.
DO NOT STIR.
Once it reaches 300 degrees, remove from heat.
Stir in desired oil & food coloring.
Do not put your face over pan when adding oil because the fumes are strong.
Lightly sprinkle two cookie sheets with powdered sugar.
Pour mix onto cookie sheets.
Tilt pans to even mixture (pans will be hot.)
Needs to cool into not sticky to the touch and when the pans feel cool.
Twist pans to break.

*Mom does cinnamon with red, spearmint with blue and winter green with green.

Hello Dolly/ Magic Cookie Bars

2010-12-14T10:08:00.001-06:00

I love the variety of ingredients these have.

*Prep time:10 minutes
Makes 2 to 3 dozen bars

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter or margarine, melted
1 (14 ounce) can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 (325 glass dish). In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan.
2. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store covered at room temperature.

Recipe Varations:
Substitute 1 cup (6 ounces) butterscotch flavored chips, peanut butter flavored chips or white chocolate chips for 1 cup semi-sweet chips and proceed as directed above.

What I did:
*I didn't really let mine cool down long enough before cutting. Therefore, I have a feeling they probably didn't stay together all too well.
*Also, for some reason the chopped pecan bag was about $3 more than the halves, so I got the halves and broke them up some. I'll probably chop them up a little smaller myself next time.

I got this recipe word for word off of the back of the Eagle Brand can. However, my mom pretty much told me the same thing from her memory :)

Enjoy!

I'm Back! Banana Split Cake :)

2010-12-09T16:38:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone :)

Sorry! I took a little food blog break and forgot to give you a warning :) I'm back now with lots of yummy recipes coming your way. I love the holidays so hopefully I'll be sharing lots of finds and recipes this month!

You may remember I posted a picture of this banana split cake here. It was so yummy! My mom made it and I told her she must share the recipe with us all.

Banana Split Cake

3 sticks butter, softened
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
2 eggs
4-6 bananas
1-15 1/4 oz can crushed pineapples, drained
1-9 oz cool whip
1-4 oz Maraschino cherries, drained
1 pack of chopped nuts

Melt 1 stick of butter in saucepan. Then, combine the butter and crackers into a 9x13 pan.

Beat the remaining butter (2 sticks) with the eggs & powered sugar (about 15 minutes.) Pour over graham crackers crumbs.

Slice bananas and place on top.

Spread the pineapples over the bananas.

Spread cool whip over pineapples.

Top with cherries & nuts.

Refrigerate.

*Best is made a day ahead.
*Also, probably really good with chocolate syrup drizzled on top!
*The beating of the eggs for 15 minutes is why no baking is required.

Enjoy! More soon :)

xoxo ~ Megan

White Chocolate Latte

2010-11-07T16:47:00.000-06:00

I LOVE white chocolate. I cheated a bit this weekend and probably had more carbs and sugar than I should. However, on my next planned day to cheat, I will make this....

Prep: 5 min., Cook: 5 min.

Yield: Makes 4 cups
Ingredients

* 2 cups milk
* 1 cup half-and-half
* 2/3 cup white chocolate morsels
* 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
* Whipped cream (optional)
* Garnish: cinnamon sticks

Preparation

Stir first 4 ingredients together in a small saucepan over low heat until white chocolate morsels are melted. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts; pour evenly into 4 mugs. Top with whipped cream, if desired. Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.

Karyn Dardar, Montegut, Louisiana, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2004

Recipe here.

Enjoy!!

xo ~ Megan