Flora's Caramel Corn

3 qt popped corn

1 c nuts (optional)

1 c butter

1 1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar and corn syrup together. Bring to a boil in the microwave. Boil for 2 minutes for soft popcorn and up to 8 minutes for crunchy popcorn. Add vanilla and stir. Pour over popcorn and nuts, stirring well.

Menu - Sara J

Hey Ladies,

I'm in a cooking/meal idea funk. So, here's my menu for next week. As you can tell, most of my go-to recipes originated with this blog! I hope you'll post your weekly menus so we can all get new ideas!

Mon - Lemon Chicken Tenders, rice, sauteed green beans.

Tues - leftovers

Wed - Thai Chicken and Noodles, green salad

Thurs - leftovers

Friday - homemade pizza, smoothies

Sat - Ziti Parmesan, steamed broccoli, apple chips

Sun - Grilled chicken, grilled zucchini, baked potatoes, Caramel Corn.

Happy weekend to you all!

Grandma Spackman's Fudge Frosting

Grandma Spackman’s Fudge Frosting.

My mother is a tough connoisseur of frosting. She calls it her "crack cocaine." The other day she let me know she has officially switched to a new method of making chocolate frosting. What?! Impossible! So, I thought it would be worth sharing her valuable nugget of information. Interestingly enough, it’s her mother-in-law’s recipe. Somehow my mother skipped over it all these years. Anyway...here’s the recipe in my grandma’s words. (P.S. She’s Canadian)

The following is an easy substitute for real fudge icing (or frosting as you Americans say it) and is very good. I seldom use real fudge icing anymore and I don’t have the recipe with me – I usually just remember it.

Fudge Icing

2 cups sugar (powdered)

½ cup cocoa

Mix together and add

1 cup cream and

½ cup butter

Bring to a boil stirring constantly and then boil 5 minutes only. Let cool. Beat with mixer adding 4 or more cups of icing (or powdered in U.S.) sugar until of the spreading consistency. If it gets a little too stiff add a little more cream. Ice the cake. It will be wonderful.

Menu Monday - Sara J

Monday - Homemade Pizza with green salad (with this crust recipe)

Tues - Spaghetti with broccoli and corn on the cob

Wed - Grilled Montreal Salsa Chicken (a family fav), Hasselback Potatoes (trying it out), green salad

Thurs - leftovers

Friday - Date night!

Saturday - Birthday at a friend's house (Yay! No cooking three nights in a row!)

Sunday - Tacos or something. Any great suggestions?

Menu "Monday" from Sara

This is a great idea, Shauna. I'm hurtin' for more dinner ideas! I'd love to hear what everyone else is having! Here's how our week is looking:

Mon - spaghetti & corn
Tues - grilled chicken salad (craisins, pear, feta, poppy seed dressing) with garlic bread
Wed - BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches (I'm even attempting the coleslaw) with green salad
Thurs - Leftover pulled pork over rice with green beans
Fri - Date night
Sat - Homemade Pizza with raw veggies
Sun - roast, potatoes, carrots with steamed broccoli

Dinner Idea

We had a great dinner tonight and it was so easy. I just have to share.

- BBQ Chicken (4 frozen chicken breast, bbq sauce on top, cover, bake at 300*)
- Dill Red Potatoes (chop red potatoes, boil, add butter, garlic salt and dill)
- Corn

Normally, I try to have a green veggie at dinner but it didn't happen today. For some reason all the flavors were just perfect together and we all loved the meal. It helps that it was super duper easy to prepare! This would be heavenly if you could grill the chicken on a bbq with corn on the cob. Yum!

Wheat Crunch

This is a snack I had all the time as a kid. We could buy it in all different flavors: ranch, salted, bbq, salt and vinegar. We recently got a whole bunch of wheat and I'm trying out different recipes with it. My kids and I loved snacking on this one in particular:

- Boil whole wheat grain (not cracked or ground) for about 45 minutes until soft. They are now called "wheat berries." I've heard you can use these as yogurt toppings or add it to ground beef to make it go farther.

- Take your wheat berries and toast them under the broiler in the oven until firm and crunchy. I did this on a cookie sheet. Season as desired.

I tried to just salt the toasted wheat but it wouldn't stick. So, I added butter then salt. It was so good! It tasted a lot like popcorn. Next, I want to try salt and vinegar. I'm sure you could easily add seasoning salt or ranch seasoning. Let me know what you try!

Chicken Mango (x2)

Layer in crock pot:

3-4 frozen chicken breast
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans, drained
1 container 48oz Mango Salsa (with peaches) from Costco

Cook on low 6-7 hours. Remove chicken, shred it with a fork, return to crock pot and cook 30 additional minutes.

Serve with shredded cheese wrapped in flour tortillas. Add a green salad on the side.

Yeild: 10-12 servings


Mango Chicken Variation:

1 container of Mango Salsa
1 cup brown sugar
Chicken Breasts

Follow same cooking instructions as above. Serve over rice...or in tortillas!

I was given these two recipes but I actually did my own variation. I used 1/2 the container of salsa, 1 can of black beans and 1/2 cup brown sugar. It turned out really, really good! It made plenty for us and another family. Let me know what works for you!

Speaking of Menu Planning...

Here's another fantastic website I just discovered:

Supercook

You add all the ingredients you have at home.

They give you all the recipes you can make right now.

It's pretty sweet!

Whole-Wheat Pancakes

Breakfast is one of our favorite dinners. I found this pancake recipe last year and have used it over and over. I have used different ratios of white and wheat flour and it's all delicious - even when it's all whole-wheat flour. We didn't find it too hearty.

I haven't ever tried the Strawberry sauce. Let me know if it's good!

Speaking of sides, we like to have our pancakes with whipped cream, syrup and fresh fruit (like blueberries, strawberries, or bananas). I usually make scrambled eggs and/or bacon. Then we'll have apple or pear cut-up on the side. If we're really getting into it, we'll make orange julius or strawberry smoothies.

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup non-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Strawberry sauce, recipe follows
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Preheat a large nonstick griddle or skillet over a medium-low flame.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In another medium bowl, beat together the eggs, buttermilk, non-fat milk, honey and vanilla.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to combine them. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to ladle the batter onto the griddle or skillet. Flip the pancake when the top is bubbling and it is golden brown on the bottom. Then cook until the other side is golden brown. Hold on an oven proof plate in the oven until the entire batch is ready. When all the pancakes are ready, cut them into heart shapes with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce onto each plate, place pancakes on top and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if using.

Strawberry sauce:

• 16 ounces strawberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened, thawed)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Puree strawberries to a chunky puree. Heat them in a small saucepan over a low flame, until they are just warm. Stir in lemon juice and maple syrup.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size about 1/3 cup)

Quick Chicken Stir Fry

2 tsp cooking oil
1 lb chicken, cut bite size
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 med. onion, wedged
1/2 c sliced carrots
1 c. celery
2 c broccoli florets
1 c water
1 pkg Oriental dry noodles (i.e. Raman)
1 c. fresh bean sprouts
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tsp corn starch
Seasoning pkt from noodles
1/2 c chow mein noodles
1 c cashews

Heat oil in wok. Add chicken, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry until browned. Add onions, carrots, celery, broccoli and water. Break up noodles and add. Cover. Cook until veggies are tender-crisp. Stir in bean sprouts. Whisk soy sauce, cornstarch and seasoning packet together in small bowl. Add to center of stir fry. Stir until thick. Sprinkle with chow mein noodles and cashews.

*Feel free to add or omit when it comes to the veggies - whatever you have on hand. Snap peas are a great addition.

Hawaiian Chicken

15 pieces of chicken legs
16 oz (2 cups) soy sauce
Ginger
1 clove garlic
1/2 c brown sugar

Saute garlic and ginger in oil. Add soy sauce and equal amount of water.
Mix ingredients in pot and add chicken.
Cook for 45 minutes.

*I usually half this for my family. You could make this at any quantity, just use equal parts soy sauce and water.

Ginger Snaps

Ginger Snaps
(this is a double recipe)

Mix together in a large bowl:

1 1/3 cup oil
3 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt

Roll into balls. Then roll into white sugar. Bake at 350* for 8-10 min.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup margarine/butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
3 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated canned milk
1/2 cup regular milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup margarine
whipped cream

Directions:
Take yellow cake mix and set aside 1 cup. Mix remaining cake mix with margarine/butter and one egg. Press into bottom of a greased 9x13 cake pan. (It will be very sticky.)

Mix together pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, 3 eggs, milks and vanilla. Pour into cake pan on top of cake mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining 1 cup dry cake mix, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup margarine/butter (cut into small pieces). Sprinkle on top of pumpkin mixture. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Fresh Peach Pie

1. 1 baked graham cracker crust
2. Slice fresh peaches inside crust
3. Pour 1 can sweetened condensed milk mixed with 1/3 c lemon juice

When ready to serve, top with whipped cream.

~ my great-grandma Tanner's recipe

Fried Rice by Grant

This is my 20 year old brother's recipe for fried rice. I had to share it with you because I laugh every time I read it. It's honestly a great way to deal with random leftovers. In his words...

Rice
Soy Sauce
Oil
Eggs
Meat (chicken or cow tastes the best, but if you want to use fish or pig you can)
Vegetables (peas, corn, green onions, water chestnuts (are these vegetables?), onions)

Acquire some cooked rice, I won't ask how you get it, just get some. Cook the eggs, meat, and veggies how you would regularly cook them (AKA cook them separately). Add rice, eggs, meat, veggies, oil, ad soy sauce together. Cook until everything is hot. You can add pretty much whatever you want to this, just add what you think will taste good and what is available. Also I didn't put in proportions because it really depends on how much you want. If you like eggs, put in a lot of eggs. You're a smart person, you'll do fine.

Oatmeal Cake: don't let the title fool you.

This is super duper delicious.

1 cup oatmeal
1 1/4 c boiling water
1/2 c butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 nutmeg

Heat oven to 350.
Put oatmeal in a medium bowl. Pout boiling water over oatmeal and cover. Let stand 10 minutes. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add vanilla, eggs, softened oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix. Pour batter into a sprayed or greased and floured 9 inch square pan.
Bake 50-55 minutes.

Frosting
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c brown sugar
3 tbsp half and half or evaporated milk
1/3 chopped nuts
3/4 c coconut

In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, and half-and-half. Stir in nuts and coconut. Frost warm cake. Place cake under broiler and brown until bubbly, watching carefully so that it does not burn.

** My sister makes some very yummy modifications. She pours the cake mixture into a 9x13 pan and cuts the baking time in half until it's just barely done. Then she doubles the frosting. I tasted her product and it was heaven.**

Cashew Chicken

Saute:

2 T butter
1/2 c chopped onion
1 c chopped celery

Add:

2 T soy sauce
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 c chicken or turkey, diced

Bake in 9x13 pan at 350 for about 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Top with 1 can of Chinese noodles (chow mein noodles) and 1/2 cup of cashews for the last 5-10 minutes. Serve over rice.

Mexican Fiesta Biscuit Bake

(Similar to Brittany's Oven-Fried Chimichangas)

1 (1 lb, 1.3 oz) can Pillsbury Grand Biscuits, cut into quarters
1 (16 oz) jar thick and chunky salsa
12 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 to 2 cloves minced garlic
4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
Sour cream for topping

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place quartered biscuits in a large bowl. Add salsa, cheese, green peppers, onion, cilantro, garlic, and chicken. Mix. Place mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Serves 5 to 6.

Mint Brownies

1 cup melted margarine (I always use butter, it works great)

2 ½ squares unsweetened chocolate (melt it in the butter)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

½ tsp. Peppermint Extract (not mint, peppermint)

1 ½ cup flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

Mix together wet ingredients, then add dry ingredients until mixed well. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (cool completely)

Frosting

6 T of margarine

4 T of evaporated milk

2 cups powdered sugar

½ tsp peppermint extract

Green food coloring

Mix together well and spread on cooled brownie. Put in freezer for about an hour to allow it to set.

Chocolate top layer

1 cup or more chocolate chips and 4 T butter. Melt together and spread over mint frosting, refrigerate to set. (sometimes 1 cup is enough and sometimes I have to make a bit more to cover, it just depends on how your brownie bakes up.)