Orange Julius

And to go along with your Carmel Popcorn (or just regular popcorn) you can make this--a family fav. of ours!

Blend together:
1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate (if you buy the Kirkland brand--use 1/3 can)
1 c. water
1 c. milk
1/4-1/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
tray of ice cubes (or about 15 if you don't have a tray)

A great summer treat!

Carmel/Caramel Corn

How do you spell it? I say carmel, but I don't think that is right.
1C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Butter You can use margarine, they are just gooier.
1/3 C. Karo Syrup
Boil together for 3 minutes
Add:
1 t. Vanilla
1/2 t. Baking Soda



Mix with Pop Corn. I put 1/2 C in my popper. It is the perfect amount. I think you can also use 1 1/2-2 bags of microwave pop corn.
Cool on a cookie sheet. At this point you can drizzle melted chocolate over it for a little extra yummy-ness.

Chinese Wontons

1 Lb. Ground Pork (uncooked)
3 Cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
3 Carrots (finely diced)
3 Stalks of celery (finely diced)
6 Green Onion (finely Diced)
1 package wonton wrappers
Oil for frying

- In a bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix well. (I like to put all of the veggies in a food processor to save on chopping). Spoon a small amount onto a wonton wrapper and wet the edges. Fold across into a triangle shape and seal the edges. Place in hot oil and cook until golden brown. Enjoy!

* I like to dip these in chinese chicken salad dressing. And the wontons wrappers can be found at WalMart in the produce section. Also, I had to have the butcher make me some ground pork because it is hard to find.

BBQ sandwich and coleslaw

BBQ sandwich's

Brandon loves Pork so we use that but I'm sure you could do the same thing with beef.

Pork roast (however much your family will eat)
Famous Daves BBQ sauce (we like the Sweet & Zesty flavor)
Rolls

Place your meat in the crockpot along with half a bottle of BBQ sauce. (How much sauce you use will depend on how much meat your using)
Let the meet cook on high for about 4 hours. Then shred.
Place on sandwich and enjoy!


Cole Slaw
(Brandon puts this on his sandwich. I do it on the side)

4 cups fine chopped cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrot.
2 1/2 T sugar
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
2 T milk
1/4 cup mayo (don't use miracle whip!)
2 T buttermilk (optional)
1 T white vinegar
1 1/4 t lemon juice

(I buy DOLE Classic Slaw mix. It's got the cabbage and carrots already shredded-- it's about a $1.25. I only use about half of the bag)

Crepes

These are one of my favorite breakfast foods, I love them and could eat them every morning!

ingredients:
1 C. Milk
1 C. Flour
3 eggs
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 Tsp. Sugar
1/4 C. Butter

Blend all the above ingredients in a blender. The batter will be very thin. Pour a small amount, I use about 1/4 cup, into a small buttered non-stick pan and spread around to cover bottom of pan. Make sure the heat is on low or they will burn fast. Once the batter starts to bubble, flip.

I usually cut up strawberries and coat with some sugar to make a sauce. And then top with whipped cream. You can use any toppings you want, my Husband likes them with syrup and powdered sugar.

*if you are making these for more than 3 people, you will want to double recipe*

Chicken Pot Pie (from scratch)

Crust (makes 2 pies top and bottom)

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt 

(mix)

Add 1 heaping cut of shortening.

Add 1 egg

2/3 cup cold water

 1 tsp vinegar

Mix. Roll out to fit pie plate. Place chicken (I use canned chicken) on dough.

Filling (for 2 pies)

3 1/2 cups water

3 tsp chicken bullion 

Add veggies. I use a 12oz bag of mixed frozen veggies. You can use whatever you want. 

Bring to a boil.

Gravy

Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with 3/4 cup COLD water. 

Add to boiled veggies. This is used to thicken filling.  

Spoon veggie mixture over chicken. 

Top with crust.

Bake 400 for 20 minutes for one pie, or 35 minutes with both pies in oven. 

Rice Pilaf

Sometimes you just need a good side dish. My family loves this rice. It goes especially well with chicken. It also tastes really good with a cream sauce poured over it (for example, any sauce with cream of mushroom as it's base). Some of our favorite things to serve this with are lemon chicken, flank steak, any steak for that matter, and chicken parisean (I'll post that recipe later).

1 cube butter
2 handfuls vermicelli (about 1/2 cup)
5 cups water
2 cubes chicken bullion
2 cups rice
2 tsp rosemary
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Melt the butter in a pan. Saute the vermicelli until it turns golden brown. Add water. (Be careful, it will splatter at first.) Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes until rice is soft.

I like this recipe because I usually have everything on hand to make it. So long as you are stocked up on vermicelli and almonds, the rest is common pantry ingredients. It's sooo much better than rice pilaf out of the box and just as easy!

Uncommon ingredient of the day: Vermicelli.


You can find it in the pasta aisle. Sometimes it can be tricky to find, so I'll use angel hair instead and just break it into inch long pieces.

Sweet Pork Salad, From Cafe Rio

I got this from Shannon Abbott. I hope she doesn't mind that I posted it. She made it for Bunco, and it was FaBuLoUs!!

Cook a Pork Roast in your crock pot with Brown Sugar and some water OR a Can of Coke.
I didn't measure how much Brown Sugar. I just cooked it for few hours and tasted it to see if I needed more. I probably used about a cup, but I really don't know.

Dressing:
2 Tomatillos



This is what they look like,
for those of you who are as uncultured as I am.


1 Jalapeno (I only did 1/2, because I'm a wimp)
1/2 a bunch of Cilantro
1 Clove of Garlic
Juice of 1 Lime
Blend all of the above in a food processor
Add mixture to a package of Buttermilk Ranch, prepared as directed.

Options for toppings:
Black Beans
Sour Cream
Cheese
Guacamole
Cilantro
Salsa
Tortilla Chips
Tomato
Onion

Serve with your choice of Lettuce over a warmed Tortilla- I like the uncooked ones from Costco.

Silly Quiz

Every time I get something silly like this emailed to me I roll my eyes but play along anyways. So, if you are board you can do the same. Leave your answer in the comments if you want to.

This is recipe related..........isn't it?

If all of the eight desserts listed below were sitting in

front of you, which would you choose (sorry, you can only

pick one)! Pick your dessert, and then look to see what psychiatrists think about

you.

REMEMBER - No Cheating. Make your choice before you check

the meaning.



Here are your choices:



1. Angel Food Cake

2. Brownies

3. Lemon Meringue Pie

4. Vanilla Cake With Chocolate I cin g

5. Strawberry Short Cake

6. Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Icing

7. Ice Cream

8. Carrot Cake

No, you can't change your mind once you scroll down, so

think carefully about what your choice will be.







OK - Now that you've made your choice, this is what the

researchers say about you...













1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE -- Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all

warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you

need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others

perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.



2. BROWNIES -- You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are

a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When

tempers flare up you whip out your saber. You are always the

oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend

to be very loyal.



3. LEMON MERINGUE -- Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your

hands, you are an excellent caregiver and a good teacher.

But don't try to walk andchew gum at the same time. A bit of

a diva at times, you set your own style because you do your

own thing. You shine when it comes to helping others and

have many friends.



4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Fun-loving, sassy,

humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and

lacking motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but

you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in

making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.



5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE -- Romantic, warm, loving. You care

about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect

the same in return. Intuitively keen. You can be very

emotional at times but a true person in every way. You like

to do things for yourself and help others learn about

themselves.



6. CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING -- Sexy; always ready

to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious,

and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but

are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not

settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.



7. ICE CREAM -- You like sports, whether it be baseball,
football,basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like

to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't

like to give up the remote control. You tend to be

self-centered and high maintenance.


8. CARROT CAKE -- You are a very fun loving person, who

likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang

out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a

little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends. You

were meant to lead and teach others. A wonderful role model.

Olive Garden's Toscana Soup

Serves 2 as an entree

2 3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 medium potato

1 cups chopped kale

1/2 lb spicy sausage

1/4 t salt 

1/4 t crushed red pepper

Combine broth and cream over medium heat. Shred potato and cut kale, add to broth. Grill sausage (drain) and add. Add spices and let simmer for about and hour.

** My alterations**

I use frozen hashbrowns instead of shredding my own potato. That also cuts down on simmer time.

When I double the soup, i do not double the meat or cream. I like chunky soups so I do lots of potato's and kale.

This is what kale looks like. It's in the spinach family.

Rolo Cookies

1 Chocolate Cake Mix
1/3 C. Oil
2 Eggs







Mix all 3 and roll in balls around a Rolo
Bake at 375 for no more than 9 minutes or the caramel will burn.