Ham and Cheese Sliders

IMPORTANT: STORE IN FRIDGE OVERNIGHT

Ingredients:

·         12 Hawaiian rolls, split

·         12 slices of deli ham

·         6 slices of deli provolone cheese, halved

·         4 Tb butter

·         1 Tb brown sugar

·         1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard

·         1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

·         ¼ tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.  Assemble the sandwiches with a slice of ham and a half slice of cheese on each roll.  Place the assembled sandwiches close together on the baking sheet.

In a small bowl combine the butter, sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.  Microwave until the butter is just melted, about 30-60 seconds.  Add the poppy seeds and stir until combined.

Drizzle the butter mixture evenly over the sandwiches. Keep in the fridge over night.  Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the butter mixture starts to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  Serve warm.

Cinnamon Caramel Popcorn

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)*
1 C roughly chopped pecans
1 C brown sugar
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 C Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)
1 stick real butter (1/2 C)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 squares almond bark

*You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, anything works, but I prefer a “natural” flavor that’s low in butter and salt.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. And by large bowl, I mean like, twice as big as you think you really need. If you don’t believe me, then maybe you will believe the scorching hot caramel goo that’s splattered all over your hands while you’re stirring in your not-so-big bowl. Just a thought.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. Again, use a bowl larger than you think you need to avoid scorching hot caramel goo accidents. It’s really important to incorporate the cinnamon into the brown sugar at this point. For some reason, if you don’t it does crazy things. I don’t know why. Try it and then email Alton Brown and ask him if you really want to know.

Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine.

Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.

By this point it should be nice and bubbly like this.

If it doesn’t quite look like that you can microwave it a little longer, but just beware that if you overcook it, it will reach the hard candy stage and you’ll end up with a giant clump of tasty concrete-like substance with little popcorn pieces stuck to it. Don’t ask me how I know this.

Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.

The vanilla makes it bubble and pop and the baking soda makes it foam up, like this:

 pour it right over the popcorn and pecans. Stir right away, and stir lots. Take too long and the caramel will harden on you. Keep stirring until everything is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.

 Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take a piece out and let it cool. “Sample.” If it’s not crunchy enough, bake for another 5 minutes.  When it’s done, give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions) If you want, you can spread out your caramel corn on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil. I always do this because sometimes it sticks to the hot foil if I leave it on the original pan. I’m kind of a clean control freak and I like to have it on a nice, fresh surface.

Now, just use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture.

When it’s hardened (pop it in the fridge to speed that process along) break into chunks and enjoy!

Fruity Popcorn

8 cups popped popcorn
1/4 C butter (that’s half a stick)
3 T light corn syrup (honey is a good substitute)
1/2 C sugar
1 3.5oz box jello, any flavor (not the sugar free kind)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil or parchment. If using foil, spray lightly with non-stick spray and set aside. Place popcorn in an extra large mixing bowl.

Place butter and syrup in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar and Jello and stir to combine.

Increase heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat so it just simmers. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.

After the sugar mixture simmers for 5 minutes, immediately pour over popcorn in bowl. Be careful, it’s super hot!! Mix right away and keep stirring so everything gets well coated. Spread mixture onto prepared pan and spread out evenly.

Pop in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

2 bags of Simply Salted (or similar) popcorn (or about 20 cups of popped popcorn)

2 c. honey roasted peanuts

3 c. peanut butter chips (I used Reese’s)*

2/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips *

1 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or oil

* If you want more chocolatey flavor in your popcorn, substitute 1 c. of the peanut butter chips with 1 c. of chocolate chips and then still drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn at the end.

Place the peanuts popped popcorn in a very large bowl. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the peanut butter chips and vegetable oil or shortening and heat for 2-2 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Drizzle the melted peanut butter chips over the popcorn and peanuts and toss to combine.

Spread the popcorn onto a wax paper-lined baking sheet. In a Ziploc bag, heat the semi-sweet chocolate chips until just melted and smooth (about 1-1 1/2 minutes, mashing the bag every 20-30 seconds). Cut a small corner in the Ziploc bag and drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn. Allow to stand long enough to become solid (you can transfer the pan to the fridge or freezer to hurry this step along). When done, break the popcorn into small pieces and enjoy!

Sweet and Salty Caramel Snack Mix

6 cups graham cracker cereal (like Honey Grahams)
1 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 cup salted cashews or macadamia nuts--any salted nuts are good
1/2 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups Pretzel M&Ms or any M&M's you like (about 1 large bag)

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or wax paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Toss together the cereal and the nuts in a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and Karo syrup and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to boil. Allow to boil for 2 minutes (3 if you’re at a high elevation) and then remove from heat. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Drizzle the caramel mixture over the cereal/nut mixture and stir quickly to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. When the caramel mixture has cooled but isn’t solid yet (just a few minutes), add the Pretzel M&Ms and toss gently to combine. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Chocolate Covered Popcorn-easy

If you've never tried chocolate covered popcorn, you don't know what you're missing!

This version is quick and easy....

Pop 1 bag of butter flavored popcorn.

Spread the popcorn out on a baking sheet.

Melt 2-3 squares of almond bark or white chocolate in the microwave

Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate all over the popcorn.

Either leave the tray on the table for the chocolate to air dry or pop the tray into the freezer for 2 minutes.

You can make this ahead of time and store it in plastic Ziploc bags.

It's great for gift-giving, too!


MMM!! Delicious!

Granola

Ingredients

• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Carolei Phelps Granola

*Crunchy Granola* 
 
 4 cups rolled oats 
 1 cup wheat germ 
 1 cup chopped walnuts or silvered almonds 

(we used almonds and used 1 - 1 1/2 cups) 
 1/2 cup coconut 

(Mom used the finely grated kind at Sprouts) 
 1/2 cup sesame seeds (we didn't use these) 
 1/4 cup brown sugar or replace with honey
 1 Tb. cinnamon 
 1/4 tsp. salt 
 1/3 cup almond oil (I bet coconut oil would be good 

too) 
 1/3 cup honey (we used agave, if you use agave reduce to 1/2 the amount)
 1/3 cup water 
 1 (6 oz) pkg. dried sweetened cranberries or other dried fruits (we didn't 
 use these) 
 
 1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl stir together the oats 
 wheat germ, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinamon, and salt.  Make a well 
 in the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, and water.  Toss the mixture 
 until it is well comvined, then spread it evenly on a cookie sheet. 
 
 2. Bake the granola until lightly browned, about 40 mins. stirring every 10 
 mins. to keep the mixture from sticking.  Let it cool completely, then stir 
 in the cranberries or dried fruit.  Makes about 7 cups. 

Homemade Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Blend the spinach, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until nearly smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary. Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the mixture while processing until smooth.

Cake Pops-how to

1 batch Dark Chocolate Cake
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk (or more, as necessary)

Bake the cake and let it cool completely on a rack. This is a very moist cake, which is ideal for this recipe. It's best to let it cool overnight at least. When it is completely cool, break the cake into a large bowl. Crumble it with forks or your fingers until it is in fine crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and milk together until smooth. Pour into the cake crumbs and mix with a spoon. Then continue mixing with your fingers, kneading and mixing until fully incorporated into the cake. Check to see if it will roll into a ball. It should: this makes a very malleable, easy-to-handle cake mixture. But if it needs a little extra moisture, add milk a spoonful at a time.

When the mix is completely done, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. You can leave the mix refrigerated for several days at this point. I left mine in the fridge for about three days before making the balls. You could probably also freeze this.

Making Cake Pops

What you need
Lollipop sticks (found at Michael's, JoAnn's, or other craft stores)
12 ounces chocolate chips or almond bark
12 ounces white chocolate bark
Colored sugars, candies, and other decorative sprinkles

How to make the balls
Prepare two large baking sheets by covering with wax paper or parchment. Take a bit of the cake mixture and roll it into a smooth ball. If you want to use the lollipop sticks, stick one into the end of each ball, pointing upward, as you put the ball back down on the sheet. [Note: I cut the long lollipop sticks in half; they seemed a little long for the size of the balls.] Repeat until you've used up all the mixture. As each sheet fills up, put it in the freezer so that the balls harden.

How to decorate the cake pops
Melt chocolate or white chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. If you want to make the coating a little more resistant to melting, add a small square of wax to the pot and let it melt too. Stir well. Dip each ball into the chocolate until covered.

Dip in sugar, coconut, sprinkles, or anything else you'd like to decorate with. Put it back on the sheet to harden.

Don't refrigerate these; it will cause the coating to weep or melt. They can be frozen, however.

With thanks to:
• Cake Pops at Bakerella