Caramel Popcorn

I love everything coated, dipped, or filled with caramel. In the Russell clan we call these *Neesha's Best Ever* Caramel Popcorn Balls because they are the best ever!!

Caramel Popcorn
1 cup corn syrup
2 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tblsp vanilla
25-30 cups popped popcorn (1-1 1/4 cup popcorn kernels; 4-6 bags)

Cook first 3 ingredients to a boil.

add butter and milk

Heat to 228 degrees

Remove from burner, add vanilla

Pour over popcorn and coat well.

WARNING: Extremely HOT, use spatula to mix.

If desired coat hands with Pam and shape into balls.

Orange Chicken

YUM!  Need I say more?

 

Time: 1 hour
Serving Size: 8
Note: Heathy version is posted below

Fried Chicken Bites:
4 lbs chicken, cubed
1 1/2 c corn starch
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2-3 c bread crumbs
4 eggs, well beaten
oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce:
3 c water
1/2 c orage juice
2/3 c rice vinegar
5 T soy sauce
2 T orange zest
2 c brown sugar
1 t minced ginger
1 t garlic
4 T green onion (optional)
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)
6 T corn starch
4 T water

Combine corn starch, salt and pepper in one bowl.  Place beaten eggs in a second bowl.  Pour bread crumbs in a third bowl.  Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then again in the eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs, set aside.  Heat pan with vegetable oil on medium to 360 degrees.  Fry chicken in batches until completely cooked.  (2-3 minutes)

In a large saucepan combine 3 c water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.  Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes.  Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 T water and cornstarch and mix thoroughly.  Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens.  Pour sauce over breaded chicken and garnish with green onions.

* Healthy option:  Prepare chicken by dicing it into bite sized pieces, salting and peppering it, and cooking in a skillet with 2 T oil.  Make sauce and add to chicken.  Less sauce may be needed.

Rice Krispie Ice Cream Strawberry Dessert

Brittany's Berry Ice-Cream Dessert

3 c rice krispies
1/2 c coconut
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter
1/4 c chopped nuts (opt)
1 carton vanilla ice cream 
1 box danish dessert (found by puddings)(or premade in produce section..fruit glaze)
1 lb strawberries (can use blackberries, raspberries or blueberries)

Melt butter, and mix in rice krispy's, brown sugar, coconut and nuts. Can double this to make it extra crunchy.
Press half of crunchy mixture in to a 9X13 pan.  Cut ice cream into 1" slices and layer  it in the pan.
Spread rest of crunchy topping on top.
Freeze for an hour or two.
Prepare danish dessert and add strawberries. (We drizzled caramel on top also because we had it)
Top with danish dessert.

 

Alana's Sugar Cookies - Lofthouse Copycat

Alana's Sugar Cookies     Mom's favorite for 30 years

Lofthouse Copycat Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Bake for 15 minutes

Cream ;
1 cup of shortening
2 cups of sugar

Then add;
6 T milk
2 teas. of vanilla
3 eggs beaten

Sift ;
4 1/2 c of flour
1 t salt
3 t baking powder

Add dry ingredients into wet a little at a time mixing with mixer until all flour has been added.
Chill
Roll out about 1/4"-1/2" thick on floured surface. 
Frost with a butter cream frosting. (Kindra has a frosting listed with one of her cakes)  These are better than the ones at the grocery store.

Best Lemon Water Ever

Best Lemon Water Ever

1 gallon of water
1 bag of ice
3 cups of sugar
1 T lemon extract
1 T citric acid
This is great for parties and for Sunday too.  Dad sometimes makes it with splenda instead of sugar.

Aunt NaTel's French Bread

Aunt NaTel's French Bread

1/2 cup warm water
2T Yeast
3T sugar
dissolve yeast and sugar in water and let sit while preparing other ingredients
2c hot water
1T salt
1/2 c oil
3 cups flour
Beat well with spoon.  Add 3 more cups of flour(total of 6 cups of flour). Add yeast mixture and beat well with spoon.  Rest 10 minutes.  Beat down.  Repeat 5 times.
Divide into 2 parts.  Roll into a 12X14 rectangle on floured surface. Put on a oiled cookie sheet.  Brush top with beaten egg whites and then cut slits with a serrated knife diagonally about 2-3 inches apart along top of bread.  Rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

I was talking with my friend, Nicole, about how making dinner can be frustrating at my house because I don't have even ONE meal that everyone likes. Someone is always protesting. She agreed that it's that way at her house, except for ONE meal. All three of her girls LOVE it and are excited when she makes it. It's FISH (this recipe) and quiona! Her girls are young, ages 22mo - 6 years old. I had to have this fish recipe! I have tried feeding my kids fish a lot with very little positive feedback! 

She shared this recipe with me about a month ago. It's been so well received around our house, we've had it at least 4 times :) I still have one major protester... but I will take that. With other fish recipes I have tried, usually Douglas and I are the only fans. So with this recipe, we gained 4 more fans of fish :)

If you are hesitant about fish or know your kids will resist, try this recipe. We had good luck with it. YUM!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Parmesan Topping:
1/2 c parmesan cheese*

2 T olive oil or butter, softened

2 T mayonnaise

2 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp celery salt

2-3 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler.  Line a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together parmesan cheese, oil, mayo, and lemon juice, dried basil, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt. If it's too thick, drizzle olive oil or lemon juice until it's spreadable. This is a lot of topping, enough topping for 2-3lbs of fish. I have refrigerated this mixture at this point and warmed it in the microwave for 30 seconds when it's time to use. I imagine you could freeze it for future use as well. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fish in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for approx. 4-5 minutes.  Flip the fillets over and broil for another 4-5 minutes.  Remove the fish  from the oven and spread about 1T of the parmesan cheese mixture on the top side.  Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork.  

*If using freshly grated parmesean, use only 1/3c. You may also need to microwave the mixture for 15-30 seconds to get a smooth consistency.

Serves 6 adults

Recipe by Nicole Moore

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

It is time for me to post something other than a dessert. :) It's not that I ONLY make desserts, I just get the best pictures with the desserts I do make, so I post them more often. I have another girl scout cookie recipe coming at you, so we needed something to break up the sweets. 

This recipe is perfect. We make this for an "everyday" meal or a meal to entertain company. They are easy, unique and tasty.

melskitchencafe.com

 Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
6 T honey
4-5 T lime juice
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
10-12 soft taco sized flour tortillas
2 cups colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 - 10 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients together in ziploc bag and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least a half hour.

With cooking spray, spray a 9×13 pan (or 2 8x8's and save one half of this recipe in the freezer for another meal*). Pour enchilada sauce into the the dish, enough to make a thin layer on the bottom (Approximately 1/2 can for a 9x12 and a 1/3 of a can per 8x8).

Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top - see pic below.)


 *Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top. OR put in your refrigerator the night before and bake at regular time and temperature.

After putting these under the broiler the last few minutes they turn golden... yum.

Samoa Cookies

What is better than a Samoa Girl Scout Cookie? A homemade one :) These are a bit of work, but worth it. Plus, with the shrinking number of Samoas per box, who can afford not to make their own?

Samoa Cookies

Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen

The Cookie (base):

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Coconut Caramel Topping:

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

8 ounces dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate (chocolate chips will do)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: OnceUponAPlate

Monster Cookies

These cookies have been on the blog for a while, but I thought it was time to give them a new picture and bring them all back to our attention. These are good. Peanut butter. Chocolate. Oats. Chewy cookie.

 
Monster Cookies

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
1/2 cup M&Ms (I used mini)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Add baking soda, and oatmeal. Mix well. Stir in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, raisins. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in an air tight container.

Recipe by Paula Deen

Samoa Brownies

In honor of girl scout cookie season, I bring you these irresistible Samoa Brownies :) The caramel/coconut topping to brownie ratio is 2:1 They are simple, rich and can feed a large group. They do take a bit of advanced planning because they need to be refrigerated 4-5hrs or up to overnight after you assemble the caramel/coconut topping on the brownies. Then, cut, drizzle, let chocolate set up. Then, they need to sit at room temperature 1 -2 hrs before serving to make sure caramel isn't too hard. They are worth it... trust me. Time it right and you'll be glad you made these!

Samoa Brownies

Ingredients:
1 recipe for brownies (9x13) or use a mix
3 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted
(2) 14 oz. package of caramels, unwrapped
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. milk
3 oz. chocolate chips


Make Brownies:
Prepare brownie mix according directions and cool.

Toast Coconut:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place coconut on baking pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir coconut and cook for another 2-3 minutes until toasted. Watch closely so it doesn't burn.


Melt Caramels:
In a large, microwaveable bowl, add unwrapped caramels, salt, and milk and cook on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally (about every 45-60 seconds). Cook until all caramels are melted and smooth.


Put it all Together:
Add coconut and mix together. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight. Remove at least 1 hour from the fridge before cutting. Cut into bars and drizzle with melted semi-sweet chocolate. Let chocolate set and enjoy. store in fridge, but remove 20-30 minutes before serving as the caramel will be hard.

Recipe Source: SixSistersStuff

Saltine Toffee Squares

How is it that we have a Thackeray & Family food blog without these treats?? I am not sure how we lasted so long. Lucky for you, I had some saltines that needed to go, FHE treats to prepare and a camera to snap some pictures. The perfect combo for a Thackeray Family recipe that NEEDS to be on here. :) And here it is...

Saltine Toffee Squares

Ingredients:
40(ish) saltines
1c. butter
1c. brown sugar
12oz milk chocolate chips, room temperature
chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with buttered foil. (I sprayed mine with cooking spray - worked great.) Fill with approximately 40 saltines.  Like so...

Next, take the butter and brown sugar and melt it in a saucepan on the stove. Bring it to a gentle boil. Once at a boil, drop heat to medium and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over prepared crackers. Bake for 5 min. Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the toffee covered crackers. I let mine sit about 1 minute more in the oven with the door propped just to make sure the chips were soft. When they are soft. Spread them all over the toffee squares. If desired, which we did (except one row), sprinkle with nuts (we chose pecans). Like so...

Cut into squares while warm. I refrigerated our uneaten toffee squares for 30 min to get the chocolate to set up completely. I then stored them in an air tight container.

You are welcome! :)

Recipe Source: Rose Hicks

Panda Express Fried Rice

 The best fried rice recipe ever!!

Panda Express Fried Rice

1 cup regular long grain Rice, uncooked or 2 cups cooked (freshly cooked is best)
2 cups water
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp butter, divided use
1 cup frozen green peas and carrots, thawed
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Sesame oil
1/8 tsp ground white pepper, or to taste
table salt to taste
1 green onion, diced into pea sized bits, including green tops

In a covered saucepan on the stove top, bring 2 cups of water to a

boil. When the water reaches a full boil, stir in the rice. Stir to

bottom of pan to make sure all rice is moistened and not sticking on

the bottom of pan in lumps. Return water to a boil. Reduce heat to a very

low simmer, replace pan lid and cook for 20-minutes. After 20-minutes,

remove rice from saucepan and place in large bowl to cool. Makes about

2 cups of cooked rice.

Scramble eggs in skillet on stove top with 1 Tbsp of butter. After they

are cooked, chop the scrambled eggs into pea size bits with spatula.

After the rice has cooled in bowl, stir in the chopped scrambled eggs,

and thawed peas and carrots. Toss lightly until mixed uniformly.

Melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat in a large skillet on the stove top.

When the butter is melted and heated, add the rice mixture to the skilled.

Mix the soy sauce with sesame oil in a cup and sprinkle evenly over rice

mixture in skillet.

Saute rice mixture for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring and turning frequently

with a spatula.

When done, season with ground white pepper and table salt to taste.

Place in large serving bowl and garnish top with green onions.

Serve warm.

Makes about 3 cups.

Tortellini Soup

Tortellini Soup

Tortellini Soup

1 lb Italian sausage
1 onion, diced small
1 cup sliced carrots
2 T garlic, minced
4 c chicken broth
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes, chopped or blended
1 - 8oz can tomato sauce
20oz cooked tortellini*
2 c fresh spinach
1 c provolone or mozzarella
1/4 c parmesean cheese
4 t thinly sliced fresh basil

Brown sausage. Add onions and carrots for 3 minutes. Add garlic for another minute. Add broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce to a boil. Add pasta; boil until tender. Add spinach before serving. Garnish with parmesean, basil and mozzarella.

*If you want to boil the tortellini in the soup, increase your broth from 4cups to 6cups. Boil as long as package indicates.

Grandma's Sugared Popcorn

Yum Yum!! They made bags of this at Mark and Contessa's wedding reception and gave them out as you left.

Grandma's Sugared Popcorn

2 c. sugar
2/3 c cream
1 T light corn syrup
dash of salt
food coloring (if desired)
flavored extract (if desired)

Air pop 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels. Remove all un-popped seeds (aka "old maids"). Mix sugar, cream, corn syrup and salt in a pot. On med-high, bring mixture to the "soft ball" stage (approx 235-240°F). Add food color and flavoring to the heated mixture (if desired). Pour over popped popcorn. Stir to coat. Let cool on wax paper. Break apart and eat.

Sesame Chew Bread

I am re-posting this with a picture. :) Chase made this to go along with dinner last night. We love chew bread.

Sesame Chew Bread
Printable Version

2 c. warm water
2 t. salt
4 c. flour
1T sugar
2T yeast
sesame seeds

Mix: warm water, sugar, salt, yeast, flour. Do not knead. Let raise until double (about 30-60 minutes) Press out in a large greased cookie sheet. Melt 1/2 stick of butter and pour on top - sprinkle with sesame seeds (opt.) Cook 30 minutes at 375. Tear into pieces and eat with a hot bowl of soup.

Serving suggestion: With Corn chowder or Hamburger Soup

Sweet Potato Fries

Doug found this recipe and I am SUPER glad he did. We make these at our house 4-5 times a week right now. We are hooked. They are not crispy like french fries from McD's...because they are healthy. They are lightly coated in EVOO and delicious spices, then baked. Each time I think I have made enough. When they are all gone someone says, "Next time, you should make more!" It's really the spices that make these so good. (I haven't ever gotten mine to crisp up) Try these and let me know what you think!

 Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes or yams
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar** (optional - I omit)
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I reduce to 1 tsp - it's plenty for us)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place two rimmed baking sheets in the oven while it preheats and while you prepare the potatoes (about 10 minutes). Peel the potatoes and slice the potatoes into about 1/4- to 1/2-inch strips or wedges. Try to keep most of the pieces the same size so they bake evenly.
Place the potato strips/wedges in a ziploc bag or bowl. Toss the potatoes with the oil. Add the seasonings and mix until the potatoes are evenly coated.

Carefully remove the hot baking sheets from the oven and divide the potatoes evenly among the two sheets, taking care the potatoes are not touching so they have plenty of room for the air circulate to circulate and bake evenly. Also, try to leave any excess oil in the bag or bowl so the potatoes don’t get too soggy while they bake.

Bake the potatoes for about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through, if desired, until they are tender and well-browned. Serve immediately.

 

Eliza thought these were done. She was ready to have some. :)

**Even though I omit the sugar, the original recipe says this about the sugar: "The purpose of the sugar is to help caramelize and brown the outside edges of the potatoes. Combined with the salt and other spices, you are left with a tender sweet potato fry infused with a sweet and smoky flavor. Preheating the baking sheets also helps the outer edges get a nice little crunch." I have made these with and without the sugar, and they are just as soft (but oh so delicious), either way.

Recipe Source: Mels Kitchen Cafe

Rolo Cookies

I posted this recipe for rolo cookies a while a go. Come to find out, I was making them incorrectly. The new way is even better! I got the recipe from a friend and I followed the instructions to my interpretation. Because I had never seen the cookies, I didn't realize the rolo was to be completely enclosed in the middle of the cookie. It makes them much more delicious. A chocolatey, caramelly center... yum.

Rolo Cookies

1c sugar
1c brown sugar
1c butter
2t vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2c flour
3/4c cocoa
1t baking soda
1 bag Rolo

Cream together sugars and butter. Add vanilla and eggs. Separately mix together flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients.

Drop 1 1/2" balls onto cookie sheet.  (I used my cookie scoop)

 

Press Rolo into center. Continue to completely surround the Rolo with the cookie dough. It should be in the middle of the dough ball.

 

Once Rolo is completely surrounded, roll cookie into a ball. Roll in sugar. Lightly press the top of the cookie with a cup so it will cook more evenly. 

Bake at 375 for 7minutes. Let them set on the cookie sheet for another 3-5min. Transfer to cooling rack. Best eaten when warm. Still good any time. 

Recipe Source: Maura Leavitt