Friday, September 18, 2009

Carmel Popcorn


My sister-in-law Laura gave me this recipe. IT'S SERIOUSLY GOOD STUFF! The whole family enjoyed it. Madeline calls it sticky popcorn. It's a gooey carmel corn which is the way I like it.

Best Ever Caramel Popcorn

1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Light Corn Syrup
2 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Bring to full boil. Boil 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over popcorn. I use about 1 1/2-2 batches of air-popped popcorn (I used 2 bags of microwave popcorn)

Egg Casserole and Jalapeno Grits



I made this for breakfast one of the days my family was here for my brothers wedding. I made half the grits with no peppers for those that don't like hot and the other half with peppers. The egg dish is one of my favorite egg casseroles. The gravy mix adds tons of flavor.

Country Breakfast Casserole
Submitted by: Kristin
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package
breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten (I usually add 2-3 extra eggs)
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 (2.64 ounce) package
country gravy mix
6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch
cubes (I used shredded frozen hashbrowns instead of bread)
2 tablespoons melted butter
(optional)
paprika to taste (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 (I use 9 x 13) inch baking dish.
2.
Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
3.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
4.
Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

Jalapeno Cheese Grits

Recipe courtesy Stephanie March (Bobby Flay's wife)





Ingredients

* 2 cups quick-cooking grits
* 2 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
* 3 large eggs, well beaten
* 2 jalapenos, finely diced
* 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
* Garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the grits according to the directions on the back of the package. Remove from the heat and add next 6 ingredients (Cheddar through chilies). Stir well and season with garlic salt, to taste. Pour into a buttered 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Cinnamon Rolls


I don't think it gets much better than a homemade cinnamon roll. I use my cousin Stefani's roll recipe.

Stefani's White Bread
Pour:
1 1/2 c boiling water over
1 cube butter
After melted:
Add 1 c sugar
1/4 c yeast - yes you read it right! (I make sure the water has cooled down to a temp that won't kill the yeast before I add it.
1 t salt
5 oz can evaporated milk
4 c flour (start with 4 cups & adjust to a nice not too sticky not too dry bread dough)
Mix or knead together. Let double & punch down. Make into as many loaves, rolls or bread bowls as you want. Let rise again & bake at 350 until golden brown.

Once the dough has risen & you've punched it down, take 1/2 the dough and roll it out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. Rub 1/2 stick melted butter all over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle 3/4 c packed brown sugar over the butter.

Cinnamon Roll Frosting:
1 stick butter melted
1 t cinnamon
1 bag powdered sugar
1/2 c warm milk +
Wisk the cinnamon and powdered sugar into the melted butter. Add milk & wisk. Add more milk if needed until you get to a nice medium thick consistency that will adhere well to the cinnamon roll. Spoon over the hot cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.