Cinnamon Caramel Corn

This turned out pretty good... exCEPT... 2 TBS of honey needs to be increased. Mom and I both agree on that.

Cinnamon Caramel Corn Favorite All Time Recipes: Diabetic Snacks  pg. 58

• 8 C air-popped popcorn (about 1//3 C kernels)
• 2 TBS honey
• 4 tsp butter
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray jelly-roll pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place popped corn in large bowl.

Cook and stir honey, butter, and cinnamon in small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth; immediately pour over popcorn. Toss to coat evenly. Pour onto prepared pan; bake 12 to 14 minutes or until coating is golden brown and appears crackled, stirring twice during baking time.

Let cool on pan 5 minutes. As popcorn cools the coating becomes crisp. If no crisp enough or if popcorn softens upon standing, return to oven and heat 5 to 8 minutes. 

makes 4 servings

I.. ummm... didn't have any butter so I used an olive oil/canola oil mix, but more honey still is needed.

Sauerkraut Sling

mmmmm... I liked it. Denny did to some extent, mixed foods, ya know, aren't his thing. LOL  

Sauerkraut Sling
2 cans sauerkraut
4 pork chops
1 onion
4 red potatoes
Caraway seeds
Herbs de Provence seasoning mixture (it's in a jar already mixed up, I didn't know that a few months ago)

Brown chops in skillet and place into a roasting pan. Add sauerkraut and two cans water, quartered potatoes, caraway seeds, and seasoning mixture. Cover the pan and put into pre-heated, 350 degree oven and bake for a couple of hours, till the potatoes and chops are tender.

When done, serve. Save those left overs!!!  Now for the sling part!!!

Chop up the pork chops into little pieces, cube the potatoes, chop onions, and put in hot skillet with olive or canola oil, stir and cook a few minutes. Drain the sauerkraut and add to the skillet, stir. Cover the skillet with a lid, turn the burner down to low and cook for about half an hour.

Course, you can make the sling part without there being left overs. Watch out for burned fingers while cutting the chops and potatoes, though. :)

Switchel

huh???  Exactly what I thought when I first saw it at the Hillbilly Housewife site. I printed out the recipe and vowed I was going to try it. That was a couple of years ago, or longer. I did try it.... and like it!  I was sooooo surprised. Very pleasantly surprised. I will post the recipe as it appears on the Hillbilly Housewife site.
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Switchel

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (yes vinegar)
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup sugar or honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 cup oatmeal (optional)
• tap water to make 2 quarts

This is a very old recipe, imported from our Yankee neighbors to the north, and before that, from Nova Scotia. Did you ever wonder what folks used to drink in the days before soda pop, and when lemons were out of season? Why Switchel of course. Instead of lemon juice, it uses a tangy combination of flavorful apple cider vinegar, molasses and ginger to make a summertime treat which will whet your whistle better than any modern thirst quencher I’ve ever run across.

First get out a two quart pitcher. Measure the vinegar, molasses, sugar or honey and ginger into it. Add cold tap water to fill. Stir to dissolve everything and serve in tall ice filled cups. Traditionally, oatmeal was also added to the mixture, to give it a little body, and improve the flavor. I am ashamed to say I have never prepared it with the added oatmeal, so if anyone does, please let me know what you think. This beverage takes a little getting used to. It is strongly flavored, nothing bland about it. It tastes best when it has mellowed overnight, blending the ginger with the molasses. It does quench your thirst better than anything else on a hot summer day though, and of course, costs next to nothing to prepare. I have also tried heating it in the winter time and drinking it as a hot toddy, it is actually quite delicious this way.
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I didn't use the oatmeal; it just didn't sound like it would be good at all. Course, neither did the Switchel to begin with. LOL  I did read on the site where someone was going to try blending up the dry oatmeal and adding it to the switchel letting it set for 24 hours before drinking it, then it would turn out to be a creamy/milky drink. THAT doesn't sound so bad... but I think I still won't try it. LOL 

You'll find the link to the Hillybilly Housewife site in my Links area. 

Italian Tomato Salad

At least Vicky said it was Italian. My friend, Vicky. She made it for us for supper one day YEARS ago when we were in the Air Force and Denny and I were in our first apartment. It was GOOD!!

Italian Tomato Salad  from Vicky Fennel and embellished sometimes by me

Nothing measured precisely, of course. LOL It's ME!!

• 2 to 3 ripe tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 orange sweet pepper
• 1/2 red sweet pepper
• olive oil
• sea salt
• Italian seasoning 
• pepper

Mix olive oil, salt, pepper, and the Italian seasoning mix together. Smoosh and chop the garlic cloves and add it to the mixture. Chop the tomatoes, peppers, and onions into bite size pieces and add to the mixture. Stir, let sit all day so everything just mixes together and tastes scrumptious.  

You can always play around with the garlic and spices to your liking. I used fairly large cloves of garlic, I LIKE garlic. 

Denny likes this stuff really well. Mom likes it, too. Try it... you will, too!!  :)

Maid-Rites

Oh, yeah.... remember Maid-Rites??  I know they are still around, but few and far between. When I was in high school I'd go over to the Maid-Rite and get lunch every day. mmmmmm....

I've tried fixing them and they turned out ok... but they just weren't quite right. Wellllll....  I went to KopyCat Recipes on the web... or is it CopyKat... well, which ever way it is, I went there and found a recipe for Maid-Rites and tried it. Turned out great!!

Maid-Rites  from http://www.copykat.com

• 1 1/2  pounds hamburger
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 can chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

Brown the hamburger and smoosh it up very fine. Drain grease. Add chopped onions and chicken broth. Bring to boil, cover and lower heat to simmer and cook until broth is gone. Stir it up from time to time. Serve over hamburger buns and enjoy.

It's a Denny approved recipe. He LOVES Maid-Rites and he liked these. 

Summer Veggies

Denny doesn't like mixed veggies. There is a little bit of Mr. Monk in him. Do I let that keep me from fixing mixed veggies?  Not a bit. I love them and I figure if he doesn't want them mixed, he can separate them when they get onto his plate. (Am I mean or what?)

Mixed Summer Veggies

• 2 slices bacon
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 small tomato
• 1/2 onion 
• 1/2 orange pepper
• Italian seasoning
• salt

While frying up the bacon slice the veggies into bite size chunks. When bacon is done, remove from pan. Add veggies to pan in the drippings. Season with Italian seasoning and salt. Break the bacon into bite size pieces and return it to the pan with the veggies, cover and cook at low for about 15 minutes, or until the veggies are done where you like them, crisp or soft. 

I cooked the veggies until they were soft, the way Mom likes them. We both liked them. Denny didn't try them; such a coward. :::: giggling ::::

Baby Back Ribs

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...  I haven't been fond of baby back ribs, until tonight. I like country ribs better. I still do, but now I also like the baby back ribs. They turned out GOOD!!  Mom was upset cause I didn't par-boil them and said the meet had best be tender and fall off the bones or she was gonna be disappointed. She wasn't. YAYAYAYAYYYA  She did say to not tell Seth but she liked these better than when he fixes ribs. ssshhhhhh...

Baby Back Ribs
Cut slab of ribs into four chunks. Put in shallow pan, cover with aluminum foil, bake in pre-heated 300 degree oven for two hours. Remove foil, coat one side with BBQ sauce of your choice, place beneath the broiler set to high until the sauce starts turning brown/black (about 8-10 minutes), turn ribs, coat with more BBQ sauce and place under the broiler again for around 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and dig in. Make sure you have LOTS of paper towels/napkins/bib.   mmmmmmm...

Oh... where did I get the recipe???  On the package of ribs. :)

Ranch Snack Mix

I found this on the web.... somewhere. I cannot tell you where because I don't remember where I found it.  I haven't made it yet, but I bought the crackers today, I love them anyway, so I could make it. I'm gonna make it tomorrow, unless I cave and do it tonight. LOL

Ranch Snack Mix

Makes 9 servings

· 4 cups oyster crackers plain

· 2 cups popcorn

· 2 cups pretzel sticks

· 1 cup nuts or peanuts

· 5 tablespoons butter or margarine,

melted

· 1 1-ounce package ranch salad dressing mix (not

buttermilk recipe)

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan, mix oyster crackers,

popcorn, pretzels, and nuts. Pour melted butter over the top

and toss until well coated. Slowly sprinkle salad dressing mix

evenly over mixture, stirring until well blended.

Bake 10 minutes, stirring once. Cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Yuuuummmmmm....  yessiree...

Livi's sixth birthday was last weekend and due to the fact that everyone was ill during the time... we didn't go see her and they didn't come here. LOL  Soooo... today they came over for cake and ice cream and, of course, the presents!!! She is wearing one of her gifts now and coloring with another gift. She said the cake was good, too. :)

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake  Taste of Home Winning Recipes, pg 394

• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 C water
• 3/4 C sour cream
• 1/4 C shortening
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 C flour
• 2 C sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

In a mixing bowl combine the first six ingredients; mix well. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to chocolate mixture. Beat on low speed just until moistened. Beat on high for 3 minutes.

Pour into two greased and floured 9 inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost when cool.

Of course, I don't have squares of baking chocolate so I use cocoa. 3 T cocoa + 1 T oil = 1 sq choc. I also didn't have sour cream so I used plain yogurt. It works. :) mmm... I don't have two round cake pans the same size, either, so I put it into a 9 x 13 inch cake pan.

There is also a sour cream frosting to make to put on it, but I didn't have any powdered sugar so I made a boiled chocolate fudge frosting. Do NOT put it into the refrigerator to make it cool faster. It just makes the sugar re-crystalize, even more so if you leave it in longer than you anticipated because you forgot it was in there to begin with.  Sooooo... much stirring later it was ready to put onto the cake. It did taste good, even if it was a bit crystalized.

Sour Cream Frosting

• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 6 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 6 C confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 C sour cream
• 6 T milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl combine frosting ingredients. Beat until smooth and creamy. Spread over cake. Soter in the refrigerator.

All Yield: 12 - 16 servings

What's for supper???

mmmm... corn meal coated, pan fried catfish, hush puppies, sliced onion, coleslaw, and french fries. mmmmm..

Sounds good, doesn't it?  It WAS!!  We went out to eat. LOL  Which, of course, makes it all taste better. : ) That was last night.

Tonight I fixed sloppy joes and cabbage.

Cabbage
I chopped up the cabbage, apples, green onions, and put them into a skillet with water and cooked it. I added some caraway seed, salt, and a little dab of butter a little later and when it was tender I took it off the heat.

Sloppy Joes
I cooked up a pound of hamburger, added chopped onion and orange pepper, garlic powder, basil, dill weed, cumin, parsley, salt, lemon pepper, thyme, worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, packet of stevia, and simmered it for about an hour. Turned out pretty good!

I don't make any of it the same way twice. You'll probably find another recipe in here for Sloppy Joes and it won't be the same as this one. LOL Denny ate it without complaint so it musta been pretty decent. LOL