Caramel S'more Bars

When I saw this a few days ago, I already had everything planned out that I was taking to the barbecue on Memorial Day. But I'm pretty susceptible to the powers of suggestion, so when I read that these bars would make our get together "spectacular", I had to agree. And it doesn't hurt that I LOVE S'mores. Which means I'm having a love affair with these bars. Wish I could share them with you all, but you'll just have to whip up your own!

The only thing I had an issue with was the caramel sauce. I had to let it boil a little longer than this says because it was still pretty liquidy (I had already added the vanilla and salt, and was letting it cool, but it wasn't setting up). For some reason, there are issues anytime I make a recipe from someone in Utah. I'm guessing there's some kind of climate difference that I'm not taking into account. Or that it's been raining. Anybody have a degree in food chemistry? I'm leaving the recipe the same, but you might have to add a couple extra minutes of boiling.

Printable Recipe

Caramel S'more Bars

from Jamie Cooks It Up!

Prep. Time: 10 min.  Bake Time: 13 mins

 14 whole graham crackers (about 1 1/2 packages)
1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
5 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
dash salt


Preheat oven to 350.

Place a Silpat or parchment paper on a large cookie sheet.

Break each graham cracker in half and lay it out on the pan. Don't worry if the edges of the crackers don't all touch; the caramel will help to bind them together.

Spread the chocolate chips out evenly over the crackers and sprinkle them with the chopped pecans.

Toss the mini marshmallows evenly over the top of the chocolate.

Place butter and brown sugar in a medium sized sauce pan.

Heat it on the stove over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.

Once the mixture starts to boil and the ingredients have combined well and are no longer separated, remove the pan from the heat, and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and a dash of salt. (You might need to boil it a little longer and then allow to cool just a bit so it can set up).

Drizzle the caramel all over the top of the marshmallows.

Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes. You want to watch for the marshmallows to puff up and get golden brown along the tops.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the bars cool completely before cutting. They are much easier to cut if the chocolate and caramel has had time to set up.

After the bars have come to room temperature, you can put the pan in the fridge for 10 minutes or so for the chocolate to set up, or if you'd like them a little more gooey, skip the refrigeration and eat them as is.

Makes 30 to 40 bars.

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

I've searched long and hard for the perfect oatmeal cookie recipe. After countless attempts, I think this one is it. While I've never had an oatmeal cookie from Starbucks, I kept running across descriptions that include "cult-following" and "absolute be all end all best oatmeal cookie I had ever tasted", so I knew we had to try it, and this does makes a dang good cookie. Because the Commissary was out of the big box of dark raisins, I had to get the tiny boxes and empty them all out (see what I do for the sake of a picture?). This also taught me that the little boxes are a rip-off. It took all but two of them for my 1/2 cup. Go with the big box.

Printable Recipe

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

from Southern Plate

1 stick margarine, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (granulated) sugar

1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark raisins (plus more for putting on top)
1/2 cup golden raisins (plus more for putting on top)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup diced walnuts, optional
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Place sugars and margarine in mixing bowl. Mix until well blended.

Add egg and cinnamon, and mix again.

In separate bowl, place all remaining ingredients.

Stir with a spoon and dump into mixing bowl with wet ingredients. Mix until well blended.

Spoon by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.

Top with a few additional raisins of each color.

Bake at 350 for twelve to fifteen minutes until the edges are lightly browned.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from cookie sheets and cooling completely.

Makes about 2 dozen

Chicken & Salsa

One of our favorite older shows is Seinfeld, and in my opinion, the best character is Elaine's on-again, off-again boyfriend Puddy. And the best episode is "The Face Painter" where Puddy asks, "How come people don't have dip for dinner? Why is it only a snack? Why can't it be a meal, you know?" So every time we have this, that's what I'm thinking. Dip CAN be a meal.

This is another one of those "trust me" recipes. Why is it that so many of my favorites just don't come across in the pictures? This one really is so, so good. I always thought of it as a meal that wasn't that great for you, but when I broke it down, it's not as bad as I thought. Salsa is pretty good for you, and since it makes a lot of servings, there isn't a whole lot of cream cheese in each serving. And if you get baked tortilla chips, even better!

There are two rules though: you need to make this a day ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge (it tastes so much better after it's been allowed to marinate together) and you have to use corn and black bean salsa. Okay, they both might just be my preferences, but I've made this so many times that I should know, right? The absolute best brand of salsa is the Meijer brand (if you live in the Midwest), or the Kroger Private Selection brand (I know it's available at Fred Meyer, and there are lots of Kroger chains under different names that probably carry it).

Printable Recipe

Chicken & Salsa

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen or fresh

1 jar (24 oz) corn and black bean salsa

12 oz. cream cheese

Tortilla chips

Place chicken in crock pot.

Pour salsa over top.

Cook on high 4 hours.

Remove chicken and shred.

Add cream cheese to salsa and mix until combined; add chicken to mixture.

Store for one day in refrigerator, then serve. May be served either cold or warm with tortilla chips.

Baked Steak Burritos

This is one of my favorite ways to make burritos. I'm not a big fan of enchilada sauce (I like the tortillas to have more crunch), so I don't use the whole can. And while the original recipe said it made 12, I've never gotten more than 8.

Printable Recipe

Baked Steak Burritos

from Betty Crocker 

1/4 cup butter
1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 lb boneless beef sirloin tip steak, cut into thin bite-sized strips
1 can (16 oz) refried beans

8 flour tortillas (6 inch)
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
1 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Shredded lettuce

Sour cream

Heat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.

Stir in taco seasoning mix.

Add beef strips; cook and stir 5 to 6 minutes or until of desired doneness. Drain.

Meanwhile, place refried beans in microwave-safe dish. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Spread each tortilla with refried beans to within 1/4 inch of edge.

Top each with beef, Cheddar cheese and green onions.

Roll up, folding in sides.

Place, seam side down, in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.

Pour enchilada sauce over burritos.

Sprinkle with Mexican cheese blend.

Bake at 400°F. for 7 to 12 minutes or until burritos are thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

Top with shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Serve with: Knorr Spanish Rice

Freezer Meal: You can assemble the burritos, then freeze before baking. When ready to make, defrost and bake as normal.

Baked Apples

It was cloudy and cool out today, so even though it's nearing the end of May, it felt more like fall weather. And that made me want apples and cinnamon. We went with baked apples. It's a pretty simple recipe, but it sure was a nice dessert. We topped it off with caramel sauce.

Printable Recipe

 

 Baked Apples

from Food Network

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
6 same-size Granny Smith apples
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 6 teaspoon-size pieces
1 cup apple juice
Caramel sauce (optional)


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Core apples, making sure not to puncture the bottom of the apples so that the juices will remain inside.

Remove skin from 1/2-inch around top of apples at the opening.

Fill each cavity with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Top each apple with a teaspoon of butter.

Place apples in casserole dish and pour apple juice around them..

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove from heat, garnish with caramel sauce if desired, and serve.

Elegant Chicken

And so the feud continues. As I said yesterday, Elegant Chicken is my favorite. I'm going to say that Anthony probably prefers the Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken simply because he's had Elegant Chicken so many more times. Because truly, this one is the better choice.

I'm adding this warning though--DO NOT use low-fat cream cheese. Yes, we all want to save calories where we can. This is not the place. I thought I had regular cream cheese in the fridge, but we'd run out, so I tried to substitute. Ugh. Nowhere near the flavor it should have. Trust me on this one.

Printable Recipe

Elegant Chicken

2-3 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
1 pkg. dry Italian Seasonings Dressing Mix
1 can cream of chicken soup (you can do cream of mushroom, but I think chicken is so much better)
8 oz. cream cheese
Noodles (Fettucine, Linguine, Egg Noodles, or may also be served over rice)


Place chicken and butter in crock pot.

Sprinkle with seasoning mix.

Cook on low until tender, about 4 hours.

Shred chicken and return to crock pot.

Add soup and cream cheese and mix well.

Cook half an hour more.

While sauce is finishing, prepare noodles (or rice) according to package.

Serve immediately.


The sauce can be made ahead of time and frozen for a quick freezer meal.

Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken

Our house is divided. When Anthony and I started dating, I was introduced to Elegant Chicken (coming soon) at Sunday dinners with his family. One of my favorites! And then a few months ago, I ran across this recipe. It is a similar idea, and even though the ingredients are different, it seems like the same family, like their cousin recipes--sour cream instead of cream cheese, Ranch dressing instead of Italian, etc. So I thought I'd try it. But then came the problem--Anthony has declared this better than Elegant Chicken, and while I definitely enjoyed this one, I still prefer the other. I'll let you make the final decision for your home, and I hope I don't cause too much contention.

Some people say the Ranch is a little strong, or it's too salty, and they used only part of the package. I was fine with the whole thing, but you might need to experiment. I also used regular sour cream. Fat-free has a tendency to become chunky when I cook with it, especially in recipes like this where it cooks for an extended period, and it changes the consistency. If you make the switch back too, just adjust the calories (which is still pretty low even with regular sour cream).

Printable Recipe

Bacon Ranch Slowcooker Chicken

from Healthified Kitchen

2 turkey bacon strips, cooked and shredded
1 tsp minced garlic
1 package Ranch dressing mix
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)
1 cup fat-free sour cream
16 oz. chicken breasts, frozen or defrosted/raw
8 oz. pasta (I used rigatoni), cooked

Combine the first five ingredients.

Place frozen or defrosted/raw chicken in slowcooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and pour sauce over the top.

Cook on high for 3.5 hours. Shred chicken with two forks.

Cook pasta per package instructions on stove.

Serve chicken over pasta.

Nutritional Information: 456 calories, 61 carbs, 5 fat grams and 36 protein grams (according to the original author)

Makes 4 servings