Cinnamon Caramel Popcorn with Pecans & White Chocolate

This caramel corn is delicious!  It has a rich flavor, a lot like cinnabun, and is really simple to make which is what we're all looking for this time of year, right?   It would be a great to give as neighbor gifts  (hint, hint).  It doesn't stick together like this....I took the picture BEFORE breaking it up.  I was in too much of a hurry to start eating it after!

12 c. popped popcorn (about 1/2 c. kernels)*
1 c. roughly chopped pecans
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick real butter (1/2 c.)
1/4 t. salt (optional)
1/4 c. Karo syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
4 squares almond bark


Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

*  Make sure to remove all unpopped kernels

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in  a large bowl and set aside.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl.  Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture.  Pour corn syrup over the top of everything.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine.

Return to the microwave and heat for 4 minutes stirring every 2 minutes.

Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.  Stir to combine.  Mixture will foam and rise.  Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pecans and stir until everything is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread out on a large piece of parchment or wax paper.

Melt almond bark according to package instructions.  Drizzle over popcorn mixture.  When almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks.  Store in an air-tight container.

Chicken Pot Pie

I came up with this recipe when I had some left overs from a yummy rotisserie chicken.  

This recipe would be great with some left over turkey as well.

Chicken Pot Pie

You will need:

4 TB butter

4 TB flour

14.5 oz can of chicken broth (about 2 cups)

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups (combined) of frozen peas, carrots and corn

2 large russet potatoes

2 cups rotisserie chicken or turkey

1 tsp+ italian seasonings

1/4 tsp onion salt

black pepper to taste

Box of Pastry Puff Sheets or 1 pie crust to top

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Take your pastry sheets out of the freezer and set on a lightly floured counter to thaw.

The Sauce:

Over low to medium heat, melt butter in a saucepan.  Stir in flour and cook until thick and bubbly.  Whisk in chicken broth.  Let simmer a few minutes until thick.  Add cream of chicken soup.  Add italian seasonings, onion salt and pepper.  You may need more than the 1 tablespoon of italian seasonings, I didn't measure at the time.  

The Veggies:

Peel the potatoes and slice into small, bite sized squares.  Place cut potatoes and frozen veggies in a pot of cool water and boil until potatoes are just tender.  Do not over cook potatoes as they will still cook in the oven later.

Lightly spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.  Put cooked veggies in the pan and lightly salt and pepper them.  Add chicken or turkey.  Then pour the sauce over the top. Top the pie with a pie crust of your choice.  Just lay it right on top.  I used the Puff Pastry Sheets which used 1 and 1/3 sheets and then I used the rest of the 2/3 of the second sheet for dessert  (These are in the freezer section in the grocery store).  A regular pie crust would work great as well.  Slit the top of the crust several times with a knife to allow venting.  Brush the top with egg wash (1 beaten egg+ 2 TB water) for shine.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Rice A Roni Chicken Salad

This is my number one favorite "Main Dish" salad.  This is delicious to serve for a shower or similar event.  It is hearty enough to be a meal with some rolls and fruit along with it.  You could even serve it with soup in the winter months.  Oh so good!

Rice A Roni Chicken Salad

Make a box of Chicken Rice A Roni.  Cool and then refrigerate.  Make sure to cool and fluff it before you put it in the fridge or it will cool in a big clump instead of fluffy pieces.

Then, in a large bowl, stir together and add with the cooled rice:

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 cups red grapes
1 cup raisins
2 large chicken breasts that have been cooked and cubed (about 2 cups)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 bunch green onions, diced
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Right before you're ready to serve it, add 4 apples cut up in bite size pieces--you can leave the skin on.  I like golden delicious apples or something similar.  Stay away from granny smith or red delicious for this recipe.

For presentation, we put a large leaf of green lettuce under the salad to make it look pretty, but it is not necessary.

Makes 12 "Main Dish" sized portions

This recipe is from my Aunt Jana Wheadon of Alpine, Utah

Best Cauliflower Ever

Cook a head cauliflower until fork tender. You can either cook it as a whole head, or in pieces -- whichever you like best.  You can use a pressure cooker for about 5 minutes or steam it for about 15 minutes.  My family likes it in little pieces because the mayonaise mixture covers it better and it's easier to eat and serve that way.

Combine:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard

Mix and then "frost" the cauliflower with the mayo/mustard mixture, then salt and pepper.  Top with grated cheddar cheese.  Then you can either microwave for about 2 minutes (until cheese is melted) or put it under the broiler in the oven for a little bit of a crust on the cheese.  The broiler method is best.

Red Robin (copy cat) Fries

Red Robin has the BEST french fries and dipping sauce, in my opinion.
Perfect for summer barbecues.  This dip is GREAT for a burger sauce as well.  

This recipe is so simple but SO yummy!

Fries:

Bag of steak fries from the grocery store (not seasoned or battered, just plain)

Bake according to package, we usually cook a little longer.  Season with Seasoned Salt liberally.  I usually season part way through the cooking time and turn the fries over.

Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup barbeque sauce

Shredded Beef Sandwiches

1 roast
brown sugar
1 can of coke
3/4 bottle of ketchup
1/4 tsp Mustard
1 TB worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
dash of liquid smoke

Pack roast in brown sugar. Cook in crockpot until roast falls apart. I usually put in night before. In separate pan on stove, mix all other ingredients and cook for approximately 15 minutes. Pour over roast, let cook in crockpot for another 20 minutes until sauce thickens a little. Serve on buns.

Pizza Rolls

There are a lot of ways to eat pizza, and yesterday we tried a new one.  This isn't really a recipe, but here is what we did:

-Make your favorite basic pizza dough recipe.  Let it raise for 25 minutes and then roll it out into a rectangle.
-Spread pizza sauce all over the dough.  You can't use too much sauce or it comes out when you roll it p.  Sprinkle with toppings.  The difference with this pizza is that the toppings need to be cut smaller than you would use on a normal pizza.  We used those cute mini pepperonis and we cooked some sausage.  Add whatever other toppings you like.  Then top with a little mozzarella cheese.
-Roll the dough just like you would for cinnamon rolls.  We used dental floss to cut it into uniform pieces and then placed them on a tray to bake.
-They cooked at 350 for about 25 minutes.  Then we "frosted" them with more pizza sauce.

We made another batch using Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce and added some garlic powder, italian seasonings, chicken, bacon, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  You can thin the alfredo sauce down for when you put it on as "frosting" by adding just a little milk to it.  I was wishing we had some diced roma tomatoes to go in there too. It was SO yummy!  This would be great to serve for a party or gathering!