Christmas Crack

from Jamie/firedancer201 on the BHB boards:

CHRISTMAS CRACK
40 Saltines
1 c Butter; don't use margarine
1 c LIGHT brown sugar; not dark
12 oz Chocolate chips
1 c Nuts; chopped, YOUR choice

Line up the saltines on a jelly roll pan that has been LINED with FOIL that
makes a bigger rim then the pan. There should be 5 rows of 8.


Melt butter and add LIGHT brown sugar. Stir often and bring to a full rolling
boil for EXACTLY 3 minutes.

Pour over the saltines and bake in a 400 oven for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with
chocolate chips and wait until they are almost melted; spread over all the
saltines. Drop the nuts over top as evenly as possible. Refrigerate for two
hours and then break up into pieces. Can be stored in a pretty tin with tissue
paper or clear Christmas bags with ribbon tied around.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are awesome and my 10 year old just made them all by himself. Yes, they're that easy. We bake when we're bored, can ya tell?

3/4 cup butter flavored shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together shortening and sugars. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, and salt and stir into wet ingredients. Stir in oats and 1/2 bag chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon full onto greased baking sheet; bake approximately 10 minutes. When in doubt, undercook just a little. This makes about 2 1/2 dozen, but double the recipe if you want because they freeze very well.

No-Bake Cookies

We all need our chocolate fix, and oatmeal is supposed to be great for those of us nursing babies, so I figured I might as well post this recipe so that there is an easy place to find it, right? It's very simple and yummy, just follow the directions precisely and they'll come out perfect every time.

2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick oats


In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except oats. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a rolling boil. Allow to boil, still stirring constantly, for a minimum of 90 seconds. Remove from heat and immediately stir in oats. Drop by tablespoons full onto waxed paper and allow to set up for 30-40 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

Spicy Summer Supper

Turkey Fajita Burgers
This is an adapted Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meal. It's one of our favorites.

Patties:
1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 palm-full McCormick’s Grill Master grill seasoning
½ palm-full ground chipotle chili powder

Mix together and form into 4 patties. Drizzle just a touch of extra virgin olive oil over the patties. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for 6 minutes per side.

Seared Peppers and Onions:
2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1 medium onion, sliced into thin rings
1 cup salsa verde

Cook peppers and onions over high heat till tender. Add salsa and stir till warm.
Place burgers on wheat buns and top with cheese and seared peppers and onions.

Bacon and Black Bean Smash
4 slices bacon, cut into pieces
2 cans black beans
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalepeno, seeded and diced (optional)

Render bacon over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and jalepeno and cook, about 1-2 minutes. Drain 1^st can of black beans and add to skillet. Mash with potato masher. Drain 2^nd can of black beans and add to skillet. Don’t mash, stir until incorporated.

Delicious Corn Salad
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup red onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 package (2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup Miracle Whip
1 10 oz. Bag Chili Cheese Fritos

Mix and serve. If preparing ahead of time, mix all ingredients except Fritos and add them just before serving to keep them from getting soggy.

Italian Sausage and Pepper Pasta

1/2 pound raw turkey sausage, Italian-style, casings removed
2 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
2 medium yellow pepper(s), cut into 2-inch long thin strips
1 medium onion(s), thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine
1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted recommended
1/2 small tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or less to taste
1/4 tsp table salt
8 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, fusilli
1/3 cup basil, fresh, chopped

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, to make sauce, in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage, stirring and breaking up meat with back of a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes; remove to a plate.

Heat oil in same skillet. Add yellow peppers and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are lightly colored and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Add wine and garlic; cook until most of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt and browned sausage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

While sauce simmers, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add sauce and basil; toss to mix and coat. Yields about 1 1/3 cups per serving.

I love Weight Watcher recipes since I'm on the plan to lose the baby pudge. I found this one on their website and made it a couple of nights ago. Sooo good and only 5 WW points (for those of you counting)! -K

Scalloped Potatos

Ripped from allyou magazine

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a shallow 3-qt baking dish. Peel 2.5 lbs of russet potatos and slice 1/4 in thick, dropping slices in large bowl of cold water as you go.
2. Melt 1 tsp. butter in a large saucepan over med heat. Add 1 minced garlic clove and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups whole milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg; bring to simmer. Drain potatos well and add to milk mixture. (milk may not completely cover potatos.) SImmer, stirring occassionally until potatos are nearly tender when pierced. (about 10 minutes.) Stir in 1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese.
3. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp butter. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with tip of knife and top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

pics

Lets see if this works: heres a pic of the buckeyes...----->

and because a true chocoholic never wastes a drop of choc, i dipped my gluten free cookies (not homemade) into the remaining choc!)
<----cookies