Honeyed Popcorn

2 cups butter

4 cups sugar

1 cup honey

1 cup cream

Air popped popcorn

In large saucepan, melt butter.  Add sugar, honey and cream.  Cooking over medium low heat, bring to a boil and let cook until mixture is at soft ball stage.  Pour over popcorn.  

Walnut Squares

These are so addicting and delicious.

Shortbread Crust:

1 lb butter

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 c. cornstarch (yes i wrote 1/2 cup.  just trust me)

Cream butter and sugar.  Sift flour and cornstarch.  Mix together and blend well.  Spread on the bottom of two 9x13 pans.  Bake at 300 for 15 minutes.

Yummy Nutty Layer:

4 eggs

1 1lb brown sugar

4 TBSP flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 tsp vanilla

1 lb chopped walnuts

1 c. flaked, sweetened coconut

Beat eggs and brown sugar until very light.  Add flour, baking powder and vanilla.  Mix in nuts and coconut. Spread on top of baked shortbread.  Bake 15  minutes at 300 degrees then raise temp to 350 degrees and bake for 5 more minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 butter
4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Blend together.  Spread over cooled bars.   

Grandmother's Mystery Bars or Super Easy Cheater's Toffe

These are amazing and amazingly easy.  Love them.

Graham crackers - broken along perforated edges

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. butter

12 oz chocolate chips

2 c. chopped nuts

Grease a large cookie sheet.  Place a single layer of crackers (they can touch).  oil sugar and butter together for 3 min.  Pour over crackers.  Bake for 5 minutes or until crackers are floating and bubbly.  Remove from oven and pour on the chocolate chips.  Place back in oven until chips are soft.  Take out of oven and spread chips with a spatula.  Sprinkle on the nuts.  When cool, break apart.  

Grandmother's Oreo Cookies

This recipe comes from my amazing Grandmother-In-Law.  It's easy and always yummy.

Blend together:

2 boxes devil food cake mix

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. shortening (scant) OR 1 c. oil

Drop walnut size balls onto cookies sheet. Dip for in water and press dough balls into a flat circle.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes.  

Frosting:

Blend together:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 c. butter

1 tsp vanilla

4 c. powdered sugar

Spread frosting between cookies to make a sandwich.  Makes around 40 sandwich cookies

Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are soft and delicious.  My mom cut this recipe out of a newspaper years ago and it is still one of my favorites.  

Cream together:

1 1/4 c. butter

2 c. sugar

Add to creamed mixture:

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Combine in separate bowl and then add to creamed mixture:

2 c. flour

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Add:

12 oz chips of choice

I especially like white chocolate or peppermint chips, but peanut butter and normal chocolate are nice too :)

Drop by teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Make Ahead Black and Pinto Beans

I really love these beans. I've been making them for years. In fact, they're so easy to make, we never eat refried beans from a can. These are just too delicious that I can't go back to canned beans. These are the perfect topping to nachos, or the perfect side to any Mexican meal. We also love to eat bean burritos. Tonight we ate them with our leftover pork tacos :)

The Ingredients
1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

2/3 cup chicken broth

one onion, chopped

one garlic clove, minced

one green chile (optional)

cilantro (optional)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

At Ten O'Clock
Rinse, drain and mash beans. Saute onion, garlic, and chile in oil until tender. Add mashed beans, chicken broth and cilantro. Cook for 5 minutes until soft and pulpy. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*I never mash my beans before hand. I have one of those hand-held little immersion blenders and I just use that to mash everything together after I've sauteed my onion and garlic.

Before Serving
Re heat and enjoy!

Family Approval

I can't tell you how much my family loves these beans. They really are so delicious! The recipe calls for either pinto or black beans, but I always love to mix mine with one of both. Either way, they are yummy!

Make Ahead Shredded Sweet Pork Salad

When I found this recipe, I was really excited to make it. It sounded so delicious to me. I absolutely love salads, and the creamy tomatillo dressing looked like the perfect blend with the pork. I actually looked forward to eating this all day long. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed.

The Ingredients
3 pound pork roast

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 Tablespoons dried minced onions

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup red enchilada sauce

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing:

3 tomatillos, peeled and quartered

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sour cream

1 package dry buttermilk ranch dressing

6 green onions with ends, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1 jalapeno, sliced thin--add to taste

juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup fresh chopped cilantro

3 teaspoons sugar

*Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix well.

At Ten O'Clock
Mix Worcestershire sauce, ginger, chile powder, onions, 1 cup brown sugar, oregano, salt and garlic powder together in a mixing bowl. Place pork in crock pot. Pour sauce over roast. Cook on low all day (about 8 hours at least)

Make tomatillo dressing. Refrigerate.

Chop vegetables for salad and refrigerate. (The recipe also calls for tortilla strips, rice and beans and guacamole on the salad. I'm sure you can put whatever you want on your salad though.)

Before Serving
One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it. Dump out all cooking juices and place shredded pork back into crock pot. Add 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup enchilada sauce to shredded roast.

Assemble salad on individual plates. Top with shredded sweet pork and the creamy tomatillo dressing.

Family Approval

This pork is absolutely delicious! So yummy!! I'm just glad I made a 6 pound roast because now we can eat tacos with our shredded sweet pork of dinner tomorrow. I loved the salad, but my husband said he would prefer the pork on tacos or burritos.