Caramel Flan

My mom and dad make an amazing flan. I can't ever order it at restaurants because it just isn't as creamy as theirs!

1 ½ cup sugar
2 T. water
6 eggs
2 tall cans of evaporated milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves; continue cooking until syrup turns golden brown. Pour into 8 cup ring mold. Quickly tip and turn mold to coat bottom and sides with syrup. Syrup with harden quickly. Beat eggs slightly in a medium size bowl; beat in ¾ cup sugar, evaporated milk and vanilla. Strain into prepared mold. Set mold in a baking pan, place on oven shelf. Pour boiling water into pan to a depth of about 1 inch. Bake at 359* for 1 hour or until custard is set. Remove at once from pan of water. Cool, then chill at least 3 hours

Caramels

You know how there is always one lady at church that is a fabulous cook?! This recipe is from "the lady" at church while I was growing up. I think I may have made this enough to have finally gotten it right...gotta find the temperature that works on your own termometer!

1 cup butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 lb. brown sugar (2 ¼ cup)
Dash of salt
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla

*melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar and salt. Stir in corn syrup. Mix well. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat until candy reaches firm ball stage, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla
*Pour into buttered jelly roll pan. Cool and cut into squares. Wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap
*When caramel is cooked, you can stir in pecans or walnuts. Can also make into turtles.

My thermometer reads 238* when ready!

Pancakes, Pancakes, Pancakes

Three of my favorite pancake recipes!

German Pancakes
6 T. butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400*. In preheating oven, melt butter in 9X13 baking pan, checking frequently to avoid scorching. In blender , combine eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Blend lightly to mix. Add flour. Mix well in blender. Pour into baking pan containing melted butter. Bake 20-25 minutes until puffy and golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.


I Hop Pancakes
1 ¼ cup flour
1 egg
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup sugar
1 heaping tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup oil

Mix well and make your pancakes!

Swedish Pancakes
3 eggs
1 ¼ cup milk
¾ cup flour
1 T. Sugar
½ tsp. salt

Mix well and make your pancakes!

Sarah's chocolate chip cookies

My friend Sarah makes these every Sunday afternoon! I think she might have gotten the recipe right off the package of chocolate chips...but man are they good. I always cool my cookies on foil instead of on a cookie sheet. This makes for a much softer cookie!

2 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375* Combine flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl beat butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chips.

Bake 9-11 minutes

Mom's Ranger Cookies

This cookie dough is my very favorite to eat raw...so make sure you don't cook it all!

Mix:
1 Cup Shortening
1 Cup white sugar
2/3 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Sift:
2 cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

Combine two mixtures and add:
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups quick oats
2 cups cornflakes

Bake cookies 350* for 8-10 minutes

mrs. fields brownies

The next few recipes I got on www.meemoskitchen.blogspot.com

Yields: 16 brownies, 2 inches square

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup salted butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, or 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Combine unsweetened baking chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan. Melt over medium-low heat and stir until smooth. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs until light yellow in color, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and blend on low until thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and melted chocolate to the egg and sugar mixture. Blend on low speed until smooth. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Pour batter into greased pan. Smooth surface with a spatula and sprinkle uniformly with chocolate chips or walnuts. Bake on the center rack of oven for 45 to 55 minutes. The batter should be set and a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean. Do not overbake. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut and serve chilled.

Grand Floridian resort cream of mushroom soup

Grand Floridian Resort Cream of Mushroom Soup

Yield: 9 (6-ounce) servings.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1⁄2 of a medium onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon dry white wine
4 1⁄2 cups chicken stock
2⁄3 cup whole milk
1 bay leaf
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2⁄3 heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper

Melt butter in 2-quart sauce pot. Add onion, celery, garlic; sweat until translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add flour to pan when butter pools from the vegetables. Stir until incorporated. Cook slowly for 5-8 minutes to develop the thickening power of the flour.

Whisk in the dry white wine, chicken stock, whole milk and bay leaf to the contents of the pan. Stir until soup simmers and thickens slightly,

Add mushrooms to the soup; allow to simmer for 20 minutes to develop soups flavor. Remove the bay leaf. Finish with heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

chevys refried beans

3 cups dried pinto beans
3 quarts water
6 slices (about 8 ounces) uncooked bacon, coarsely chopped
½ cup diced onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoon chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt

2-4 tablespoons olive oil

Clean and sort beans, discarding any discolored, withered, moldy or broken beans, small rocks/pebbles, and anything else that shouldn't be in your food.

In a stockpot, soak the bean overnight in the water (to cover). The next day, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño and cook for 5 minutes. Stir the chile powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute more. Add 1 cup of the soaking water from the beans while stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen all the brown bits adhered to the pan. Add the beans and remaining water, and bring to a rapid boil. Decrease the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the beans are soft. Add salt after beans have cooked about 1 1/2 hours, just before beans are soft.

To make refried beans:
Heat 2-4 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
Add 3 cups beans with their liquid to the hot oil and start smashing them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Keep stirring and mashing until you get the texture that you like then continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are a smooth, refried beans type consistency.

Note:
I often saute 2 cloves garlic minced or use a garlic press, and a small about of finely diced onion in the olive oil until translucent, then add the beans and follow the above directions on smashing and cooking

chilis molten chocolate cake

Cake
1 18.25-ounce box chocolate fudge or dark chocolate cake mix
1-1/3 Cups water
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

1 bottle Hershey hot fudge topping
8 scoops vanilla ice cream
Magic Shell chocolate topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare cake following directions on the box.

Grease cups of Texas Sized Muffin pan. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter and bake according to pakage directions.

Remove from pan and cool cakes on rack.If desired, since cakes are served upside down, slice dome off top of cake using serrated knife.
Using a sharp knife cut and 1 /2 inch chunk, about 1 1/2 inches deep into the center of each cake, scooping ing out center to place fudge.(Disgard the scooped out piece of cake.)

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the fudge topping into holes of each cake.Cover cakes and refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, heat cakes one at a time in microwave heating 40 seconds on high or until fudge sauce begins to bubble.

Place warm cake on place, waiting 15-30 seconds to cool slightly. Place scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of cake. Pour a coating of Magic Shell over the ice cream.

marie callenders potato cheese soup

Ingredients

8 c peeled and cubed potatoes
2 c peeled and chopped onions
4 c chopped celery
2 ts salt
4 c half and half
6 tb butter or margarine
1 c shredded sharp Cheddar
-cheese
4 tb chopped fresh parsley;
-optional garnish

Instructions

Marie Callender's is a chain of restaurants in the southwest (US). Sister
companies are: Chi-Chi's restaurants, Taco Bell, Claim Jumper, El Torito
and the Cheesecake Factory.

1. Place potatoes, onions, celery and salt in water to cover in a large
pot. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Put in blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade and puree
until chunky.

3. Return to soup pot; add half-and-half, butter and cheese. Stirring,
simmer until piping hot. (Do not boil.)

Presentation: Garnish with parsley if desired. Good served with corn bread.

chevys corn casserole

6 Tb. butter, softened
1/4 cup Masa (corn flour)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup milk
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt


Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter, masa and sugar. In blender mix 1/2 bag of corn and 1/2 cup of milk, puree. (If there's not enough liquid, you can use remaining 1/4 cup of milk) Stir blender mixture into butter mixture and add remaining ingredients. Pour into 8x8 deep glass dish. Cover very tightly with alumminum foil. Nest 8x8 pan in a larger (9x13), deep sided dish. Fill larger dish with warm water (about 1/2 way up the side of 8x8 dish) and put in oven for 2 hours. Keep covered and do not open the oven while baking


vs.

Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1/4 pound butter, softened
1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread mix
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (optional)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Put butter in 2 quart casserole dish, place in oven until melted.
2.Remove casserole dish and add creamed corn, kernel corn, corn muffin mix and sour cream. Mix well, bake uncovered approximately 30 minutes.

I will test the both and make my decision!

photo contest!

Go to http://aleciasphotography.blogspot.com/2009/11/photo-session-give-away.html to enter to win a free photo session!

Grosgrain: Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Grosgrain: Twilight Tide Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Cheese Enchiladas

3 dozen corn tortillas
1 (28 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 can beef consomme
1 can tomato paste
1 onion chopped finely
lots of grated cheese

Combine enchilada sauce, soup and paste. Warm in sauce pan. Heat oil in skillet. Dip tortillas through oil and sauce. Fill with onion and cheese. Roll and place in 9x13 baking dish. Repeat until 1 cup of sauce remains. Pour over the top of tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook at 350 for 30 min. or you can refrigerate until needed and bake at 350 for 1 hour.


I don't remember where I got this, but if you want a super cheesy enchilada this one is great!

Freezer meals

I am going to be doing a day of freezer meals. If anyone is interested in joining me I will be glad to send the ingredients list and we can meet in my kitchen one day to spend the day prepping our meals....followed of course by a wonderful meal that will have been cooking in the crockpot the entire time. On a side note....I have decided I need to add pictures of the recipes I had...so if I can just remember, I will start to add photos of the yummy things we eat. Let me know if you want a list!

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken

Serves: 6
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook:6-7 hours (low)
Finish: 45-60 minues (high)

1 1/2 cups baby carrots
6 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, crushed
1 1/3 cups bottled sweet and sour sauce
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1 bag (1 lb) frozen stir-fry peppers and onions, thawed and drained
6 cups hot cooked rice

1. place carrots ion crockpot. Top with chicken, sprinkle with red pepper (we leave this out because the kids don't want the spice)
2. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours, until juice of chicken is no longer pink when center of thickest pieces are cut.
3. remove chicken and carrots from cooker; drain and discard liquid from cooker. Return chicken and carrots to cooker. Cover with sweet and sour sauce, top with pineapple and stir-fry vegetables. Cover and cook on high 45-60 minutes, until carrots are tender. Serve with rice.

Per serving: 510 cal, 25 g. protein, 82 g. carbs. 4 grams fiber, 9 grams fat, 55 mg, chol, 270 sodium

I picked up a great magazine at a checkstand one day. Woman's day Special Interest Publication called "Slow Cooking" Love the recipes in this magazine!

Chile-Chicken Tacos

Makes: 12
Prep: 15 minues
Cook: 6-7 hours (low)
Finish: 15 minutes (low)

1 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pkg (1.25 oz) taco seasoning
1 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 can (4.5oz) chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1/4 cup medium scallions (about 4) sliced
1 pkg taco shells
3 cups shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray; add chicken thighs. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and brown sugar; toss to coat. Mix in green chiles, corn and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce. Refrigerate remaining sauce.

2. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours, until chicken is cooked through.

3. Remove chicken from cooker, place on cutting board. Use two forks to pull chicken into shreds. Return chicken to cooker. Stir in scallions. Cover and cook on low 15 minutes.

4. Heat maining enchilada sauce. Serve chicken mixture in taco shells with lettuce, tomato and warm enchilada sauce

Per serving: 320 cal, 24 g. protein, 31 g. car, 5 g. fiber, 13 g. fat 60 mg chol, 900 mg sod.

Yummy. The kids all love it

Potato Leek Soup

Nothing is better on a cold day then a hot bowl of soup. This one is amazing. (I know it is far from cold today....but cleaning out my recipe cupboard!)

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 8

4 medium potatoes
3 Tbs. butter or margarine
3 medium leeks, chopped (about 3 cups)
4 cups chicken brother
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp. white pepper
choped fresh chives for garnish

1. Peel and dice potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
2. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat. Add leeks; saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, chicken broth, water, and salt. Simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
3. In a blender or food processor fitted with metal blade, process potato mixture until smooth. Return potato mixture to saucepan. Add milk and pepper. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Ladle soupo into serving bowls. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately.

Leek Prep: first remove the dark green leaves and rinse well to remove any sand. Discard the bulb base and slice the remaining white portion.

For those on weight watchers: 3 points per serving
calories: 151 (31% from fat)
carbs: 21 g
Protein: 5 g
Sodium: 387 mg
Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 1 mg

Tuxedo Brownie Cups

These brownies are adorable and make the perfect treat for a baby/bridal shower or any time you want to bring a dessert to impress.

1 package brownie mix plus ingredients to make cake like brownies
2 squares white chocolate for baking
2 tbs. milk
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping
1 pint small strawberries, sliced

1. preheat oven to 325*. Spray cups of mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake 14 minutes or until edges are set (do not over bake).

2. remove pan to cooling rack. Immediately press tops of Brownies in (I use the pampered chef mini-tart shaper) to make indentions in brownie. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Loosen edges and gently remove brownies from pan. Cool completely. Wash pan, spray with cooking spray and repeat baking with remaining batter.

3. Microwave white chocolate and milk in microwave safe bowl on High for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.

4. Fill decorator icing bag, with a large star tip, with mixture. Pipe cream cheese mixture into cooled brownie cups. Arrange strawberry slices on top. Garnish as desired (with orange zest, mint leaves or melted semi-sweet chocolate). Place in airtight container and refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving.

Yield 4 dozen

Thanks to pampered chef for the great recipe

crockpot brownies

Hold on to your hats. This is one rich, satisfying, amazing dessert. And it took all of 5 minutes to prepare.
The Ingredients.
--1 16 oz package of brownie mix
--1/4 cup melted butter
--1 egg
--1/4 cup water
--1 can sweetened condensed milk
--1/4 cup walnuts
--1/4 cup coconut
--1/4 cup oats

The Directions.
I used my mini 1.5 quart crockpot for this dish
The proportions of the oats, coconut, and walnuts are for the mini crock. If you decide to use a larger size, use enough of the toppings to spread over the whole surface area.
--melt butter
--add 1/4 cup of water, the egg, and the brownie mix
--stir until none of the powder is left dry; batter will be quite thick
--pour can of sweetened condensed milk over the top.
--Shuffle children quickly out of the kitchen because you are "working" and lick out the inside of the can, being careful so you don't cut off your tongue.
--wash sweetened condensed milk off of your face
--cover milk with a layer of oats, then coconut, then walnuts.
--close up crockpot and cook on high, if using a little crock, low if using a bigger one. Test with a knife after two hours, if it comes out clean, cook for another 20-30 minutes with the lid off to get rid of the collected condensation and to help solidify the condensed milk. You will know this is done when the edges pull away from your stoneware.
Since I used my mini crockpot, this cooked for about 4 1/2 hours altogether.
The Verdict.
Well worth the wait.