Caramel Bars

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cook books. Keeping up cook book. I love it.

3/4 cp. butter
3/4 cp. brown sugar
1cp. flour
1 cp. old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together. Press 3/4 of mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

1 (14 oz) package Kraft caramels, unwrapped
3 tbsp. cream or half/half ( I used half/half- Less calories)
3 tbsp. butter
2 cps. milk chocolate chips

While crust is baking, melt the craramels, cream and butter over low heat or in a double boiler. Pour melted mixture over crust. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and crumble remaining oat mixture on top. Bake at 350 for an additional 15 minutes. Cool before slicing.

Perfect Chicken Fajitas

Last night I thought I would try a new Fajita recipe. I had to tweak it a bit, but WOW was it good! Cam came home started eating, while I was busy cleaning up, and out of no where he says, "I give this meal a good 9!" It was hilarious! Sometimes he will rate the food 1-10. I should have asked why not a 10, because after his second one, I confessed and told him, I even had two, probably smaller than his, but still. It was that good!

3 or 4 chicken breast
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Chili powder
sprinkle of salt/Pepper

and 1 tsp garlic salt
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Saute: 1 medium onion, 2 green peppers, and a little bit of butter. Set aside and add to your ( just cooked tortilla, I love Costco and Sam's) tortilla with some mild cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

1. Add all ingredients (except the chicken of course!) into a blender or food processor. Blend until the whole mixture comes together.
2. Pour over Chicken, coating on both sides, in a dish or plastic bag, for one hour. ( I didn't have time and it still went great!

3. Cook Chicken in pan with a little bit of Olive oil until done on med. heat. The chicken gets so tender!

Top with cheese, onions, peppers, and sourcream! Enjoy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Super Easy Cupcakes...

1 box Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Cake mix
*Follow directions and also add one 3 oz. box of Jello chocolate pudding mix. ( Yes, the powder.)
* Then I added in some Reeses Peanut butter chips, to the batter and baked by the directions.

Peanut Butter Frosting ( Wilton)-

• 1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening( I used 1/4 cp)
  
• 1/3 cup butter ( I used just a little more than a 1/3)
  
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  
• 4 cups (approx. 1 lb.) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 4-6 tablespoons milk

Makes:

About 3 cups.

Instructions:

Step 1

Cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Step 2

Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.

Step 3

*To do the swirls on the cupcakes I used a 18 star tip. Put it in the bottom of the little decorating bag, loaded my frosting, and swirled away. A bigger tip would have been better.

Strawberry Spinach Salad-Pampered Chef

Salad:
1/4 cp. sliced natural almonds, toasted
8 Strawberries, or to taste
1/2 med. cucumber
1/4 small red onion
1 pkg. 6 oz. of baby spinach


Dressing:
1 lemon
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp poppy seeds

For dressing, zest lemon to measure ½ tsp. zest. Juice lemon to measure 2 tbsp juice. Combine zest, juice, vinegar, sugar, oil and poppy seeds in Measure Mix n Pour. Whisk until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

How to toast almonds: Pre-heat oven to 350 spread on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.

Combine all together and enojoy!

Italian Styled Pizza, Pampered Chef

1 cp. mozzarella cheese
1/4 cp. parmesan cheese
4 plum tomatoes
1/4 cp. fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp. dried basil
1 can olives, optional
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, I did 2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 salt and pepper
1 package of Boboli prebaked pizza crust or fresh pizza dough
I also added some fresh spinach.

To make sauce for topping pizza. In a small bowl add olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush, brush onto dough.

If dough is not pre-baked, cook dough with sauce on it. Remove from oven and top with olives, tomatoes, and cheeses. Bake @ 400 for 10-15 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

GRILL INSTRUCTIONS:
Place crust in center of grill, top side down brushed with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Leave grill lid open cook at about med heat for about 4-5 minutes.
Turn crust over, add toppings (third), cheese (second), and remaining oil mixture (first). Spread on crust. Add pizza back to grill, if not there already, and put grill lid down and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chili Cheese Frito Pie

Confession! I have had this recipe in my little personal cookbook for oh... I don't know somewhere around 9 years and have never made it. My friend Tasha gave me some of her's and this was one of them. Well... I had some Frito's that no one seemed to care for out of the variety pack from Costco so I thought hmm... that recipe. I was SHOCKED at how good it was. So call it the pantry dinner if you must, but so good! Then I remember being in College at U.S.U and the L.D.S. Institute fed all of the students one day chili inside little Frito bags. I remember how good it was. So this is like a little remembrance meal for me! Enjoy!!!

1 small onion cooked in butter
1 small can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can of Nalley Chili
1 small can of Corn
2 cps. Frito chips ( next time I am going to try chili cheese fritos)
1 cp. cheddar cheese

Mix all together in a casserole dish and microwave 8 minutes. Top with 1 cp. grated cheese, (optional. Olives), and 1 cp. Fritos. Microwave 1 more minute. Oh and I added a little dallop of fat free sour cream, tomatoes, and green onions to mine. Yum!

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies:

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Cookies:

They really do melt in your mouth. Need I say more?

Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Cookies

By Better Homes and Gardens and sweettreatsandmore.blogspot.com

This recipe makes tons of cookies, be ready to share.

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-3/4 cups powdered sugar
• Ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat 2 cups butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.
2. Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are set. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.
3. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup butter and brown sugar until melted and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread frosting on cookies. If desired, sprinkle with additional cinnamon. Makes about 60 cookies.