Peppermint Bark Popcorn

Peppermint Bark Popcorn, via OurBestBites


(you'll need twice the amout of almond bark shown, I just made a half-batch for pictures)

Peppermint Bark Popcorn

16-20 C popped popcorn (fresh, or about 2 bags microwave popcorn)
1 lb Almond Bark
1 6oz box candy canes, crushed. (About 1-1 1/2 C total and Bob's are the best! Don't use Spanglers!)
2 tsp. peppermint extract
3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

*one bag microwave popcorn has about 10 cups in it, so if you're air-popping, do about 20 cups.

Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.

Unwrapping the candy canes to crush them is the most labor intensive step of this easy treat, so you can do that ahead of time if you want too. I put my candy canes in a large zip-lock bag and have a whack with a heavy marble rolling pin.


Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.

Unwrapping the candy canes to crush them is the most labor intensive step of this easy treat, so you can do that ahead of time if you want too. I put my candy canes in a large zip-lock bag and have a whack with a heavy marble rolling pin.


One they're crushed, dump them into the bowl with the popcorn.


To melt the almond bark, follow the instructions on the package. I just break it up and put it in a glass measuring cup and microwave on 1 min intervals until it's nice and smooth.

When your almond bark is melted, add the peppermint extract. It will seize a little bit (get kind of lumpy) but it's totally fine. Pour over popcorn and candycanes.

Stir it up really well until the candy is evenly distributed. Pour the popcorn out onto a piece of waxed paper, parchment, or foil. Spread it out into an even layer and leave it alone!



While the popcorn is setting, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. I really like dark chocolate to counter-balance the sweetness of the almond bark, but I know there's a lot of dark haters, so do what you want!

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the popcorn. You can use a fork, or put it in a zip-lock bag with the corner cut off.


Leave it until the almond bark and the chocolate is hardened. If you need to hurry it up, do this whole process on lined cookie sheets you can pop in the fridge.

When chocolate is hardened, use your hands to break up popcorn into chunks. Toss in a bowl, a jar, a cute package, or in your mouth :)

Chocolate Nut Bark

Makes: 2 gifts (22 ounces in all)
Total time: 45 minutes


What You Need

* 12 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
* 2½ cups mixed nuts

What to Do

1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally.
2. Spread the chocolate evenly on a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch baking pan and sprinkle with the nuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Break the bark into pieces. Keep at room temperature for up to 1 week.

How to Package Your Gift

1. Line two tins with wax paper or food-safe colored tissue. Try the Metallic Tins available at jampaper.com (six by 2½ inches, $3.50 each).

Easy Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Cream Pie



INGREDIENTS

* 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1/2 cup key lime juice
* 1 teaspoon grated lime zest

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, condensed milk, lime juice, and lime rind. Beat on medium speed with electric mixer for about 1 minute or until mixture is thoroughly blended. Pour into baked pastry shell.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until center is set. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then chill at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream if desired. Immediately refrigerate any leftovers. Do not store for longer than 3 days.

CRUST

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 ounces butter (I don't use margarine)
3 T sugar

Mix the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Melt butter and combine until all dry ingredients have been coated. Press into bottom of greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until crust starts to brown. COOL THOROUGHLY before filling, that is critical.

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING

1 cup cold cream and 1 T powdered sugar, beaten together until whipped (about 2 minutes).

Thanks Linsey!

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Description:
A soft yellow dinner roll. The pumpkin doesn't add a classic pumpkin flavor, just enough moisture to make these rolls taste great and not dry out. Very yummy. Stolen from Amy, Thanksgiving 2009.
Yield: 4 Dozen Rolls

Ingredients:
1 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Warm Milk
1/4 c. butter, softened or melted
2 c. Mashed cooked pumpkin
2 t. Salt
1/2 c. Wheat Germ
10-12 c. all-purpose flour
7 t. dry yeast

Instructions:
1. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, water, milk, butter, pumpkin, and salt. Mix well.

2. Add wheat germ, 7-8 cups of the flour, and yeast. Mix, and then continue adding flour and kneading until dough is elastic and not sticky.When you mix it in a mixer, it should peel away from the edge of the bowl.

3. Place dough in greased bowl; grease top of dough, cover with a towel, and set in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).

4. Punch dough down and divide into thirds. Divide each third into 16 pieces and shape into balls.

5. Place on greased baking sheets, and grease tops. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden. Remove to wire racks and cover with a towel. Serve with butter.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 large cans chicken breast, drained
1 cup Franks wings sauce (I used hot)
1 ‘bar’ of cream cheese
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup ranch dressing

Put everything into a crock pot – cook on low until warmed through and cheeses are melted. Can also be cooked in the oven – just put it all in a casserole dish - saving part of the cheddar cheese out. Cook on 350 for 20 mins – stir and top with remaining cheese. Put back in oven approximately 5 mins (until cheese melts slightly on top).

Maple Pecan Chicken

Maybe I like the idea of this recipe because I lived in Canada for so long, but man it sure looks good.

Maple Pecan Chicen

Dress up chicken breasts with maple syrup and crispy panko bread crumbs in this delicious 5-ingredient, ready in 30-minutes recipe.

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min
Makes: 4 servings

4	boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
1/4	cup pure maple or maple-flavored syrup
2	tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2	cup plain panko crispy bread crumbs
1/2	cup finely chopped pecans

	Print these coupons...
	About Concordance™

Total Time: 35 min

1.	Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/2-inch thick.
2.	In shallow dish, mix together maple syrup and mayonnaise. In another shallow dish, mix together panko and pecans. Dip chicken into syrup mixture, then into panko. Place on baking sheet. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray.
3.	Bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (165°F) and coating is golden brown.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving: Calories 430 (Calories from Fat 190); Total Fat 21g (Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat0g); Cholesterol 90mg; Sodium 150mg; Total Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars13g); Protein 34g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4%; Iron10% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Stephanie's Honey Whole Wheat Bread

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Ingredients:

• 6 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup gluten flour
• 1 ¼ Tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 ½ cups hot water
• 2/3 cup honey (may use 1/3 also, but the more the better)
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 ¼ Tbsp lemon juice (enhances dough)
• 1 Tbsp salt

Tips: follow the directions exactly. Gluten flour needs to be refrigerated to keep freshness.

Directions:

• Grease 2 bread pans using non-stick cooking spray.
• Combine 3 cups of wheat flour, gluten, yeast and warm water. Mix for 1 minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Add salt, oil, honey and lemon juice. Mix for 1 minute. Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time.
• Mix for 10 minutes. While dough is mixing, turn oven to warm (200 degrees).
• Turn oven off when dough is done mixing.
• Place dough on greased counter. Divide to make loaves and place in greased pans.
• Place pans in warm oven and let rise (double in size, about 30 – 40 minutes).
• Bake on 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes or until tops have browned.

*optional: brush butter on top of baked loaves as soon as you take out of the oven. Not only does it add flavor but it keeps the tops soft and not hard and crunchy. Spray butter works well too (that is what I use – no fat, but all the flavor).

Thanks Steph!

Macaroni & Cheese: Homemade!

Macaroni and Cheese
Favorites Cookbook

1 lb elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter (4 Tbsp)
4 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water according to package directions and drain. In a saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir. Pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly until thick. Add salt, pepper and dry mustard, then add cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and add cooked macaroni and mix together. Serve as is, or if you prefer a casserole style dish, put in a 9 x 13" baking pan and sprinkle 1/2 cup of grated cheese on top, sprinkle with paprika if you wish, and baked in a 350 degree F. oven for 30 minutes.

Via: Hayley's shared items of Safely Gathered In

Easy Banana Bread

How in the world did I miss putting THIS recipe up here? It's been "my" banana bread ever since I stole the recipe from Marcia (my roommate) in like 1998... It's super easy, and tastes AMAZING!

Easy Banana Bread

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs; mix well.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; Add to creamed mixture alternately with bananas, beating well after each addition. Pour into a greased 8in x 4in x 2in loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Makes 1 loaf.

Chef Rocco's No-Cream/No-Cry Penne a la Vodka without the Vodka! hah

Once again, thanks to the Tennessean, we have another lovely looking recipe I need to try someday. You can definitely make it without the vodka, which just adds empty calories anyway. It's a win-win situation, really.



"This recipe from Rocco DiSpirito's upcoming book gives a healthy makeover to a traditionally cream-laden dish, cutting the fat from 60 grams per serving to just 6. Despite the name, he also ditched the vodka, saying it added calories but little flavor.

Start to finish: 25 minutes

Servings: 6

12 ounces whole-wheat penne

2 1/2 cups low-fat, sugar-free marinara

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

7.1-ounce container 2 percent fat Greek-style yogurt

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and ground black pepper

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, about 9 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large, nonstick sauté pan over medium, combine the marinara and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, for about 5 minutes, or until it is reduced and slightly thickened.

3. Remove the marinara from the heat. In a small bowl, stir about 1/2 cup of the marinara into the Greek yogurt until it is smooth to temper it, then whisk the yogurt mixture back into the marinara in the sauté pan.

4. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, tossing to coat. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Sprinkle with Parmesan."

Pina Colada Cake

Also taken from the Tennessean's Life and Food section September 16, 2009.



Looks good to me!

Pecan Pie

This is apparently Award Winning Pecan Pie, as printed in the Tennessean's Life and Food section on September 16, 2009.



The only change I'd add is a tsp of Imitation Rum Flavor... Not sure why, but it makes it taste gooood!

The Best Meatballs

I stole this straight from kraftfoods.com because it looks amazing and I want to eat some, like yesterday. Wow. It looks yummy, and I love me some Stove Top, so really, why haven't I found this recipe before?


The Best Meatballs
Prep Time: 20 min Total Time: 38 min Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/4 cups water
2 eggs

Make it:
HEAT oven to 400ºF.

LINE 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans with foil; spray with cooking spray. Mix ingredients until blended; shape into 32 (1-1/2-inch) balls, using 1/4 cup for each.

PLACE 16 meatballs in each prepared pan. Bake 16 to 18 min. or until done (160ºF).

COMBINE half the meatballs with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce or Creamy Brown Gravy. (See Tips.) Cool remaining meatballs; freeze for later use. (See Tips.)

Tips:

Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce
Mix 1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce, 2 oz. cubed PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil in large skillet; cook on medium-low heat 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 16 hot meatballs; stir to evenly coat. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese before serving. Makes 4 servings, 4 meatballs and 1/3 cup sauce each.

Creamy Brown Gravy
Mix 1 jar (12 oz.) beef gravy, 1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream and 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley in large skillet; cook on medium-low heat 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 16 hot meatballs; stir to evenly coat. Makes 4 servings, 4 meatballs and 1/3 cup sauce each.

How to Freeze Meatballs
Loosely pack cooled meatballs in freezer-weight resealable plastic bags. Lay bags flat in freezer so meatballs freeze individually. Store up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator several hours or overnight before using as desired.

Versatile Oatmeal Cookies

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla for 5 minutes. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture 1 cup at a time.
2. Mix in raisins and craisins.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). These freeze very well. Enjoy!!

I made these without the raisin/craisins, but instead I added coconut and white chocolate chips. Oh my, they were amazing! So I renamed them to "Versatile Oatmeal Cookies"

You could also use the Neiman Marcus tip, where you blend the oatmeal in the blender, I love that trick! Anyway, these are a stellar basic cookie recipe that comes out chewy, but slightly crispy on the bottom. I LOVE it!

From AllRecipies.com

Pecan Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

* 4 eggs
* 1 cup dark brown sugar*
* 3/4 cup light corn syrup*
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups pecans, chopped
* 9-inch unbaked pie shell
* 1/3 cup (about 25) nice looking pecan halves

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat eggs well in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla to eggs, mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle chopped pecans in pie shell. Pour egg mixture oven pecans. Arrange pecan halves around edge of filling next to crust for decoration. Bake on middle rack of oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes, until set.

Serve at room temperature.

* I've made this with light brown sugar and dark corn syrup. The flavor was pretty much the same.

via about.com I owe a friend BIG TIME, so I think I'll make him a pecan pie!

Fresh Blueberry Topping!

Fresh Blueberry Topping.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and drained
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon corn starch



Directions:
Wash blueberries -drain all excess water.
In a small saucepan, combine blueberries, water and sugar.
Bring to a simmer for five minutes then add lemon juice.
Sprinkle in corn starch and cook until slightly thickened.
Allow to cool before serving (unless using as a hot topping).

Big Mahalo again to Stephanie for the recipe! I can't wait to try it!

To Die for Blueberry Muffins (from scratch!)

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1 egg
* 1/3 cup milk
* 1 cup fresh blueberries
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup butter, cubed
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.


Nutritional Information
To Die For Blueberry Muffins
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 383

* Total Fat: 16.1g
* Cholesterol: 43mg
* Sodium: 322mg
* Total Carbs: 56.9g
* Dietary Fiber: 1.4g
* Protein: 4.3g

Thanks Stephanie!

Mint Chocolate Cookies

2/3 cup butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp vanilla
1 Cup flour
1/2 Cup cocoa
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/4 Tsp salt
1-2/3 Cups/10-oz bag of mint chocolate chips (I used a bag of mini York Peppermint Patties...mmm)

Heat oven to 350°F

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture. Beat well. Stir in mint chocolate chips.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

Stolen from Jamie.

Cream Puffs (from scratch!)

CREAM PUFFS

BASIC CREAM PUFFS:

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1 c. water
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. all-purpose flour
4 eggs

GLAZE & VANILLA CREAM:

2 boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
3 c. milk
1 c. whipping cream, divided
4 (1 oz.) sqs. semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring butter, water and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once. Stir until mixture comes together and looks like mashed potatoes. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wire whisk after each addition. (Mixture will curdle but will smooth as it is blended.) Beat until smooth and pasty. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto 2 greased baking sheets, making 12 mounds. Bake 45 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove from oven. Working quickly, with a small sharp knife, make a 1/2 inch slit in the side of each puff. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer to let the steam escape. Let cool. While puffs are baking, prepare filling and glaze.

FILLING: Combine pudding mix, milk and 3/4 cup of whipping cream until smooth and well blended. Chill until ready to fill puffs.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Combine chocolate and the remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream in a small heavy saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. When puffs are cool, split them and fill with vanilla pudding mixture. Drizzle slightly warm chocolate sauce over each puff to glaze. Chill until ready to serve.

Again, thanks to Jamie for the recipe! Yummy!

Hawaiian Meatballs

HAWAIIAN MEATBALLS

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
2/3 c. cracker crumbs
1/3 c. minced onion
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 c. milk
1 tbsp. shortening
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 can pineapple tidbits (13 1/2 oz.)
1/3 c. vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 c. green pepper, chopped

Drain pineapple, reserving liquid. Mix meat, crumbs, onion, egg, salt, ginger and milk. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoons into balls. Melt shortening in large skillet; brown and cook meatballs. Remove meatballs and keep warm. Pour fat from skillet. Mix cornstarch and sugar, stir in pineapple syrup, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into skillet; use medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and boiling. Cook 1 minute. Add meatballs, tidbits and green pepper. Heat thoroughly. Serve over hot cooked rice and hawaiian fruit on the side.

Yoinked from my Sis. Thanks Jamie!