Saturday, May 30, 2009

Indoor S'mores

8 c. Golden Grahams cereal
5 c. miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. light corn syrup
5 T. butter or margarine
1 t. vanilla
1 c. miniature marshmallows, if desired

Into large bowl, measure cereal. Butter 13x9-inch pan. In large microwavable bowl, microwave 5 cups marshmallows, the chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter uncovered on High 2 minutes to 3 minutes 30 seconds, stirring after every minute, until melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in vanilla.

Pour over cereal; quickly toss until completely coated. Stir in 1 cup marshmallows.

Press mixture evenly in pan, using buttered back of spoon. Let stand uncovered at least 1 hour, or refrigerate if you prefer a firmer bar. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store loosely covered at room temperature up to 2 days.

from: Betty Crocker

Mexican Rice

2 c. dry white rice
1 can tomato sauce + enough water to measure 3 1/2 c.
1-2 T. taco seasoning
1-2 T. butter
chicken boullion to taste...1 cube or about 1 t. paste

Put all ingredients in rice cooker, and enjoy!

from: my friend Amy

Cheesy BBQ Mini-Meatloaves

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 egg
1/2 cup bread or saltine cracker crumbs
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Heat oven to 400ºF.

Mix salsa and BBQ sauce, divide in half. Combine first 4 ingredients with 1 cup cheese and 1/2 of the BBQ mixture.

Press evenly into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Use back of spoon to make indentation in center of each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered baking sheet.

Bake 25 to 30 min. or until meatloaves are done. Top with remaining BBQ mixture and cheese; bake 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

Audrey's little note: I made a mistake and put the sauce and cheese on top before baking these meatloaves, and these still turned out yummy.

adapted from: Kraft Food & Family

Aunt Lynette's Frito Bean Salad

1 can black beans
1 sweet green pepper, diced
a few green onions, chopped
1 bottle Kraft Catalina salad dressing

Combine ingredients, cover with Catalina salad dressing, marinate in fridge for several hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, stir in:

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1-2 fresh tomatoes, seeded & diced
fresh cilantro, chopped (as much as you want!)
Fritos chips (I like to use the jumbo dip size)

Add more salad dressing if desired, serve with the Fritos chips on the side as a chip/dip combo, or sprinkle the chips over the salad immediately before serving (you don't want them to sit long or they'll get soggy, blech!)

from: Aunt Lynette

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Fudge Oatmeal Bars

Bars:
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
3 c. quick oats

Topping:
1 (12 oz.) chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt

Mix sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla until creamy; add dry ingredients. Spread oatmeal mixture in a greased cookie sheet.

In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate chips, condensed milk, butter, vanilla and salt. Heat and stir until smooth.

Pour chocolate mixture over oatmeal mixture. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

from: Preston family favorites

Pineapple Chicken

bone-in chicken thighs & drumsticks
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 c. pineapple juice
1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger (or dried works too)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (I used green onions...they were good!)
cooked white rice for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove skin from thighs and drumsticks. Season thighs, drumsticks, and wings with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Saute chicken in two batches until golden, 5 to 7 minutes per batch, transferring each batch to a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Wipe skillet clean; add pineapple juice and ginger. Cook over medium heat until syrupy and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 7 minutes.

Pour sauce over chicken. Add scallions; toss to coat. Serve with white rice, if desired.

adapted from: Martha Stewart Everyday Food