Caramel Apple Fondue

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Apple slices

Directions

• In a heavy 3-qt. saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, milk, corn syrup and water; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 230° (thread stage), about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.
• Transfer to a fondue pot or 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker; keep warm over low heat. Serve with apple slices. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes

These are SO good! The onions make them so sweet, and just give it an awesome flavor! :) We made them for our church picnic and they were definitely a hit!!! Enjoy!

Makes about: 10 servings

ONIONS:

3 TBSP unsalted butter

3 TBSP of olive oil

about 4 large onions, chopped

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

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POTATOES:

3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 tsp salt divided

2/3 cup milk

2 TBSP unsalted butter

1/4 tsp pepper

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INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat 3 TBSP butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat until butter is melted. Add onions; stir to coat with butter mixture. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until onions have wilted, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove cover; increase heat to medium high. Sprinkle with sugar; stir to combine. Cook 25- 30 minutes or until onions are deep golden brown, stirring frequently. If necessary, reduce heat to medium to keep onions from sticking. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
3. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch. Add 2 tsp of the salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to low; simmer 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain. Return to saucepan; cover to keep warm
4. Meanwhile, microwave milk and 2 TBSP butter in a small microwave-safe cup 30-60 seconds or until butter is melted and milk is hot.
5. Reheat caramelized onions over medium heat until hot. Mash potatoes. Stir in milk mixture until potatoes are creamy. Stir in caramelized onions, remaining 1 tsp sale and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Stepheny

Mexican Chicken Pizza

1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1-1/2 cups Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

1 ready-to-use baked pizza crust (12 inch) (we make homemade) :)

1/2 cup red pepper strips

1 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro (I didn't use this ingredient)

1-1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

COOK chicken in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat 10 min. or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Stir in salsa; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min., stirring occasionally.

SPOON onto crust; top with remaining ingredients.

BAKE 10 to 15 min. or until cheese is melted.

Peanut Butter Cookies

These may sound a little odd but they're very good (they were great warm!). Perfect for beginning cooks!

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter

Whisk egg. Add other ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Yield: 18 cookies

Fudgy Brownies

Fudgy Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
compliments of Amanda Anderson

Fudgy Brownies:

1 c. butter

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 c. chopped almonds or pecans (opt)

1 recipe chocolate-cream cheese frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool.

2. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan; set aside. Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture in pan. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon till just combined. Stir in the vanilla.

3. In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture; stir just until combined. If desired, stir in nuts. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. If desired, frost with chocolate-cream cheese frosting. Cut into bars.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:In a saucepan, melt 2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool slightly. In a small bowl, stir together 1 1/2 8-oz. packages (12 oz.) softened cream cheese and 1 c. powdered sugar. Stir in melted chocolate until smooth.

Italian Potato Cake

A delicious and filling meal! Serve with a green salad.

Ingredients:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra unsalted butter, for greasing pan
10 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
6 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 large eggs
12 ounces italian Fontina cheese, sliced thin*
1/2 lb thinly sliced salami, cut into 1/2 inch pieces*
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese

Directions:

Move oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch springform pans and sprinkle each with 1/4 cup bread crumbs. Shake the pans to evenly spread out the crumbs. Put the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until tender, around 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Mash them with 8 tablespoons butter until smooth. Add the cream, salt and pepper and stir until well mixed. Let it cool for 5 minutes then stir in the eggs one at a time. Spoon half the potatoes into the prepared springform pans. Layer the slices of fontina cheese over the potatoes and then layer the salami pieces over the cheese. Cover with the rest of the potatoes. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and mix with the rest of the bread crumbs (2 tablespoons). Mix in the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle this mixture over the top of the potatoes. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cakes are very hot and puffed and the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and run a paring knife around the cakes to loosen from the sides and let it stand for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pans. Serve hot.

Serves: 12-14

*Note: Instead of using fontina cheese and salami (which can be rather expensive), try using mozzarella cheese and sliced ham or provolone cheese and pepperoni.

Peanut Rocky Road

This was a huge hit at our house!

2 lbs. almond bark
3 c. mini marshmallows
3 c. dry roasted peanuts
1 1/2 c. peanut butter

Melt almond bark on large cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes. Combine marshmallows, peanuts and peanut butter. Pour melted almond bark over the mixture and mix well. Spread the rocky road evenly onto a cookie sheet (the same one the bark was melted on is fine.) Refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours. Cut and store in refrigerator.