Caramel Popcorn

There are so many recipes out there for caramel popcorn, but this one My Kitchen Cafe claims to be the best one. Can't wait to try it out!

*Makes 2 large bowls of caramel popcorn

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
1 cup powdered vanilla whey protein (found in any health food aisle from Wal-mart to your everyday grocery store)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water

In a medium saucepan, combine the above ingredients and cook over medium heat until the mixture barely comes to a slow boil. It should still look very light in color. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the following ingredients:

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pour the caramel mixture over two large bowls of popped corn (about 1 cup unpopped kernels that have been air popped) and mix to combine.

Jerk Chicken Dinner

First of all let me just say how much I love the blog that I got this recipe from: Eat it up. Britney happens to be my long-time Gringo girl from Rexburg and she's just awesome. This is one of her many delicious dishes and is one of my top 3 dinners right now. Thanks Brit!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3/4 teaspoon allspice

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

6 chicken breasts

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large sweet potato, or two medium

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

sliced green onion, optional

Instant rice, brown or white

1. Heat oven to 375. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix salt, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, thyme, and chili powder. Rub mixture on all sides of chicken. In a non-stick skillet heat to med-high and cook chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, until brown.
2. In the baking dish layer sweet potato and beans. Top with browned chicken. In a small bowl, mix honey, lime juice, and cornstarch. Add to skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Pour over chicken, beans, and potatoes.
3. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked all the way through and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice and sprinkle with green onions.

Candy Bar/ Symphony Brownies

Found on Tried and True Yummy Recipes

2 boxes(9x13 pan size) brownie mixes
3 large hershey or symphony candy bars -the blue symphony are the best

Mix the brownie mixes according to the package directions. Pour half of the batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Unwrap the large candy bars and place over the brownie batter then pour the remaining batter over the candy bars and smooth out. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until done. Be careful because it is very easy to undercook these.

Chocolate Turtle Cookes

Originally from Cook's Country, found on My Kitchen Cafe

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 egg white
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, chopped fine
14 soft caramel candies
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

Whisk egg white(s) in another bowl until frothy. Place pecans in another bowl. One at a time, roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in pecans. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball. Bake until set, 10 to12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

Meanwhile, microwave caramels and cream in bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Once cookies are removed from oven, gently press existing indentations with teaspoon measure. Fill each with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon caramel mixture. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Ice Cream Brownie pie

Ingredients:

1 boxed low fat brownie mix
1 half gallon of 1/2 fat ice cream (I like Edy's or Dryers)
hot fudge or chocolate syrup
nuts (optional)

Directions:

1.Make brownies according to package.
2. Spray springform pan or just use a 9x13 or 8x8 dish. Add brownie batter and bake according to box direction. Let cool completely in pan. (I used a round cake pan. However, using a whole box of brownies filled the entire pan so I ended up cutting the top half off with a big serrated knife. Using only half the brownies was perfect. And I let it cool a little but not completely)
3. Let ice cream sit on counter for 10 minutes or so to soften. Spoon ice cream onto cooked brownie. (I LOVE hot fudge so before the ice cream I did a layer of fudge on top of the brownie and sprinkled some peanuts on top of that.)
4. Drizzle fudge or chocolate sauce on top. (and more nuts) Place in freezer for at least 4 hours.
5. Open springform pan and cut. Use thin spatula to lift servings.

No Bake Cheesecake

Found on Cooking Stuff

9" graham cracker crust

8 oz softened cream cheese
15oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla

Beat cream cheese until fluffy, mix in everything else. Fill the crust evenly, cover it with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3-4 hours. Serve with the topping of your choice. It will keep, covered in the fridge, for at least 4 days. I can't say for sure past that as I've never seen one last any longer.

A delicious little HEALTHY treat

Found this concoction recently online and I truly love it. The perfect ratio of sweet to salty, with believe it or not NO SUGAR! (that is if you use real dried cranberries).

Ingredients:
Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Raisins
Dried Cranberries

*I don't measure anything, but just throw it together and in the amount that I like. I tend to do quite a bit of cranberries and not many almonds. That's just what suits my fancy :)

And the best part:

The Little Man likes it!!!!
which means it was a success