Saturday, December 31, 2011

Balsamic Chicken

Balsamic Chicken:

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 onion thinly sliced (Not chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, and rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
ground black pepper and salt to taste

Pour the olive oil on bottom of crock pot
place in chicken breasts, salt and pepper each breast
put sliced onion on top of chicken
then put in all the dried herbs and garlic cloves
pour in vinegar and top with tomatoes

Cook on high 4 hours, serve over angel hair pasta

Caramel Corn

Easy Caramel Corn

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)
1 C brown sugar

1/4 C white Karo syrup

1/2 t salt (if you are using salted microwave popcorn then omit salt here)

1 stick real butter

1/2 t baking soda

1 t vanilla

Pop popcorn and set aside. Place brown sugar, Karo syrup, salt, and butter in a microwave safe dish. I cut up the butter into chunks so it melts better.
Are you ready for the directions? I’m warning you, it’s complicated. You might want to take notes. Here we go. Microwave for 30 seconds. That should be enough to melt the butter at least half way. Stir it all to combine. No microwave on high for 2 minutes. Take it out and stir. Microwave for 2 more minutes.

Told you it was complicated.

While the caramel is cooking, put the popcorn in a big bowl. Use one that is way bigger than you think you’ll need. Just trust me. Also, try to get any un-popped kernels out so you don’t break a tooth and try to sue me.
When the caramel is done cooking, take out of microwave and add baking soda and vanilla. Sit back and watch it do cool things like bubble and foam.


Stir it well and mix into popcorn.


Mix it up well with a big spoon. I usually spread it all out on a piece of foil and let it cool for a minute so it doesn’t get stuck in one big clump. The longer it sits out, the firmer it will get, but it won’t ever get crunchy-hard unless you bake it.

For crunchy caramel corn: spread out on a cookie sheet (you might need 2) and bake either at 200 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, or at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. If you choose the latter, keep an eye on it towards the end of cooking time to avoid over cooking.



http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/09/caramel-corn/

Trish's Peach Crumble Bars

Brown Butter Peach Crumble Bars

makes about 12 bars

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour [or all-purpose]

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter

4 ripe, medium peaches, chopped (about 2 cups peaches)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Set aside

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and stir continuously until it melts. It may bubble a little. As soon as you see small brown specks in the butter, remove it from the heat. This took me about 3 minutes. Add the butter, along with the vanilla, to the oat mixture. Stir until moistened. This may take a minute or two! Fold in the peaches.

Butter and flour an 8×8 baking pan. Press batter into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes (the juicer your peaches are the longer you have to bake), the let cool completely – this can take up to 45 minutes! Cut and serve. Can be kept in the fridge or at room temperature in a sealed container.

Trish's Blueberry Crumble Bars

Blueberry Crumble Bars

makes about 12 bars

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter + 2 tablespoons

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Melt the 1/2 cup of butter and add it, along with the vanilla, to the oat mixture. Stir until moistened. This may take a minute or two! Fold in the blueberries – it’s okay if they pop a little bit.

Butter and flour an 8×8 baking pan. Press batter into the pan. Melt remaining butter and drizzle it over the bars. Bake for 20 minutes, the let cool completely – this can take up to 45 minutes! Cut and serve. Can be kept in the fridge or at room temperature in a sealed container.

Leah's Breakfast Bake

Breakfast bake

* 8-10 frozen hash brown potato patties
* 6 eggs
* 1 small can evaporated milk
* 1 can cream of chicken soup
* 1 lb sausage, cubed ham, or bacon (more if you like)
* 8 oz. package shredded cheddar cheese as desired

Line 9x13 dish with frozen potato patties. Top with cooked meat. Beat eggs, milk, and soup together and pour over hash browns and meat. Add cheese to top, cover with Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees or until bubbly and golden.