Miscellaneous

[Guardian Angel]

Quick Microwave Caramel Apples

6 apples
6 wooden sticks
1 (14 oz) package of wrapped caramels
2 tablespoons milk

Wash and dry apples and remove stems. Insert a wooden stick into the end of each apple and set aside.

Place unwrapped caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring once.  Swirl each apple in caramel mixture, then place on a well greased cookie sheet to cool and set.

 

[Guardian Angel]

Homemade Root Beer Float

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Root Beer Concentrate (I got mine at Wal-Mart in the section where the flavorings are)
1 bottle (1 liter) cold club soda or seltzer
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Bring water to boil in medium saucepan. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Add Root Beer Concentrate; stir until well mixed.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slowly pour soda into root beer mixture. Place 2 scoops ice cream in each of 4 tall glasses. Slowly pour root beer between ice cream and side of glass. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information per 1 serving: Calories: 279 Sodium: 72 mg Fat: 7 g Carbohydrates: 52 g Cholesterol: 29 mg Fiber: 0 g Protein: 2 g

[Guardian Angel]

Cinnamon Tortilla Snacks (great after school snacks)

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Nonstick cooking spray
8 (10-inch) flour tortillas
 
Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In a shallow dish, combine sugar and cinnamon; mix well and set aside.
Place 2 tortillas on a cutting board and, using your favorite cookie cutter shapes, cut shapes from the flour tortillas. Spray both sides of the tortilla pieces with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place on baking sheets and bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Allow to cool then store in an airtight container.

[Guardian Angel]

Lemonade like mom used to make....

6 lemons
2 oranges
1 cup white sugar
6 cups cold water

Juice the lemons and oranges to make 114 cups of juice. FIRMLY roll the lemons between your hand and counter top before cutting in half and juicing.  In a gallon pitcher combine 1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, and 6 cups cold water. Stir. Adjust water to taste. Chill and serve over ice.

[Guardian Angel]

Choco-Peanut Butter Apples

10 wooden popsicle sticks
10 medium tart apples, stems removed
1 (10-ounce) package peanut butter chips
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
Chopped dry roasted peanuts

Insert wooden stick into each washed and thoroughly dried apple.
Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper. Stir together peanut butter chips and oil in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes or until chips are softened. Stir until melted. If necessary, microwave at HIGH an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, just until chips are melted when stirred.
In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and cocoa and then gradually add dry mixture to melted chip mixture, stirring until smooth. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until very warm.
Dip apples in mixture; twirl to remove excess coating. (If coating becomes too thick, return to microwave for a few seconds.)
Roll lower half of coated apple in chopped peanuts, if desired.
Allow to cool on prepared cookie sheet. Store in refrigerator.

[Guardian Angel]

Mojito (I am not a drinker, but this is a good summer cooler.)

1.25 oz spiced rum
12 mint leaves
1 tbsp sugar
0.5 oz lime juice
2 oz soda

Place mint leaves in bottom of glass. Add crushed ice, spiced Rum, sugar, and lime juice, and muddle. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves. 

[Guardian Angel]

Citrus Shaker

1/2 lemon
1/2 orange
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cup Ice cubes
3 tablespoons Water
Orange wedges or lemon slices, optional

In a 16-ounce shaker, squeeze juice from the lemon and orange halves. Add sugar. Add enough ice cubes to fill two-thirds full. Add water to cover ice. Cover and shake. Serve in a tall glass.

[Guardian Angel]

Fun Fall Snack Mix

1 cup diced dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/2 cup unsalted or lightly salted roasted almonds or sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cup unsalted or lightly salted roasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Add all of the ingredients to a gallon size plastic bag and seal.
Toss the bag around to mix all of the ingredients well.

[Guardian Angel]

Old Fashioned Hot Cocoa

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
 
Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

[Guardian Angel]

Finger Gelatin from Juice

1–12 ounce can frozen juice concentrate (use your favorite)
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups water
9" x 13” baking pan


In a pan, bring the water to a boil.  Add the gelatin and stir until dissolved and add the frozen juice to the dissolved gelatin.
Remove from heat.  Pour gelatin mixture into pan.
Place in refrigerator to set for several hours or overnight.
When the gelatin is firm cut into 1 inch squares.  Keep refrigerated in air tight container.  Kids really like finger gelatin and they can even help make it.

[Guardian Angel]

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

1 large egg white
2 Tbls + 1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp or less cinnamon
2 cups shelled raw pumpkin seeds

Heat oven to 300.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with cooking spray.  Whisk egg white in a medium bowl until very foamy.  Add remaining ingredients, except seeds, and whisk well.  Stir in seeds to coat   Lift them up with a slotted spoon and spread in a single layer on baking sheet.  Discard leftover liquid.  Roast seeds, tossing them several times until puffed and edged with brown, about 25 minutes.  Cool completely.  Gently pry seeds from sheet and break up any large clumps into smaller chards.  Store up to 2 weeks in airtight container.

[Guardian Angel]

Hot Buttered Rum Batter

1/4 pound butter
1/4 pound brown sugar
1/4 pound confectioners' sugar
1 cup vanilla ice cream, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Blend in brown sugar and confectioners' sugar.  Remove from heat, and whisk in ice cream, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Pour mixture in to plastic container, seal and freeze.  Will keep in freezer for 3 months.

To serve: 
In a coffee mug, measure 1 tablespoon of batter and 1 fluid ounce of rum.  Fill cup with boiling water, stir well and sprinkle top of drink with nutmeg.
 
 
 

[Butterfly]

Donna's Grandma's Recipe for Pumpkin Seeds

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, rinsed and dried
6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dry and toasted. Larger seeds may take longer.
In a large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons of white sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and sprinkle the remaining sugar over them. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts, about 45 seconds. Pour seeds into the bowl with the spiced sugar and stir until coated. Allow to cool before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe

[Guardian Angel]

Another Stuffed Mushroom

24 large mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar chz


Preheat oven to 425. rinse and drain mushrooms. remove stems and set the caps aside while you chop the stems to make 1 cup.  In medium saucepan cook stems, green onions, garlic and butter until tender. stir in bread crumbs and cheddar cheese. Spoon crumb mixture in mushroom caps.   Arrange mushrooms in a 15x10x1-inch bake pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until heated through.