Chewy Popcorn Balls

I think I'll try this for St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unpopped popcorn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1 (16 ounce) box powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• food coloring
  

Directions

1. Pop popcorn.
   
2. Place in large bowl.
3. Place all ingredients except for food coloring in saucepan.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture comes to full, rolling boil.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add desired amount of food coloring.
7. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat well.
8. Shape into balls with buttered hands.

Barbecue Ribs

This recipe is from Cleo Marshall. I actually used bone-in pork chops for this because I was on the hunt for a new pork chop recipe and this is what I found. It's actually a crock-pot recipe, but I adapted it for the oven last night since I didn't have 6 hours to cook. It's very tasty, but I added **3 cloves of freshly pressed garlic, and next time, I think I'll cut back on the honey and brown sugar or add a bit more salt. Nevertheless, these turned out moist and FULL of flavor! Yum!

3 lbs. country style pork ribs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
**3 cloves minced garlic

Original directions:
Place ribs in the bottom of a slow cooker. Cover and cook 3 hours. Reduce heat to LOW. In a bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Pour over ribs in slow cooker. Cook another 3 hours. Makes 8 servings.

Adapted directions for oven:
Mix all ingredients for sauce in a large Ziploc bag. Place pork in the bag and marinate for 25 minutes in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Dump all contents of the bag into a large baking dish, cover and bake for 50-60 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked.
Enjoy!

Blueberry Sugar Cookie Cobbler

I tried this amazing recipe last night after searching through my cupboards for dessert ingredients. I was bringing a dessert to a friends house for dinner and I had two hours to come up with something that I had all the ingredients for, make it, get the kids and myself ready and be there by six! I have to say I did it! I found this recipe on All Recipes, but it was called "The Best Blueberry Cobbler Ever". It had over 55 4 or 5 star ratings, so I decided, if I followed the directions carefully, I couldn't go too wrong.
The batter is not a traditional cobbler batter, which I discovered while making it. I decided to adapt the name to be more descriptive because the batter is pretty much a sugar cookie batter! I also use frozen berries I had from the cannery and thawed and drained them very well before hand. One thing unique about this is that it uses orange juice in the filling! Oh wow! I think I'm going to try that with blueberry pie too. The tastes compliment each other so well. My Husband said that he loved it! It is also a MUST with vanilla ice cream. Give this a try!

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, drained)
3 Tbs. white sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup all purpose-flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
vanilla ice cream or whipped topping (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
2. In an 8 inch square baking dish, mix blueberries, 3 Tbs. sugar and orange juice. Set aside. In a small bowl thoroughly mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
3. In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, stirring just until combined (I actually added a couple tsps. of milk here). Drop batter by rounded tablespoons over blueberry mixture. Try to cover as much of filling as possible.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling. (I turned the heat down to 325 for the last five minutes of the 40.)
5. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

Pizza Crust

Tonight for Valentine's Day our family is having a little party. We're going to try out heart-shaped pizzas! I have this awesome pizza crust recipe that has served us well many times. It's from my mother-in-law. The dough is so easy to work with. Make sure to follow the directions closely. Too much kneading or playing with the dough will make it too tough. I like to sprinkle cornmeal on the pan to give it a nice pizza crust texture. :) It works really well with my Pampered Chef Pizza stone (Not intended as an advertisement! LOL!) If you want a thick crust let it rise for 1/2 an hour and then punch it down once and let it rest for 5 minutes more before rolling it out. If you want a thin crust don't let it rise and just use it as is. Any way here it is. Maybe later I'll get around to putting on a few pizza topping suggestions. Have fun!

3/4 cup warm water
2 Tbs. soft margarine
1 Tbs. dry yeast
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl, add margarine to warm water, warm enough to melt it. Add yeast. Sift together flour and salt. Add yeast moisture and stir quickly into dough. **Knead till smooth in texture Spread on greased pan or ungreased pizza stone. and put on fixings. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done. Be careful not to overcook. (Will also make 4 personal pan sizes).

***For those who don't know how to knead, follow this link.

Grandma Elsie's Famous Caramel Corn

One New Year's Eve just after my husband's sister had been married, we went up to a family cabin with all the siblings of his and their families. This newly married sister brought her husband of course, and he brought along a recipe from his family that has become a favorite of mine! This is the best caramel popcorn I have ever had, hands down! It stays soft for days! It's got a unique buttery caramel taste that lingers. It makes so much too! I usually cut the caramel sauce in half when we make it just for our family of five, and it is still so gooey and covered completely! You HAVE to try this!

Grandma Elsie's Famous Caramel Corn

4 to 6 batches of popped corn / remove the un-popped kernals and
hulls. Set aside.

In a heavy metal pan combine;
1 cup KARO syrup
1 box or 2 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
Stir together and bring to a rolling boil. Be careful not to scorch.
Reduce heat but maintain boil for 2 1/2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add:
1 cube butter or margarine
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon real vanilla
Mix well and pour and toss over popped corn.
Best served while still warm. Grab a napkin and begin to eat!

Ada's Broccoli Salad

This broccoli salad is a frequent side at our family gatherings. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law and I thought I'd share it with you. I got some requests from guests at my sister's baby shower for it. I made it with cashews and miracle whip instead of mayo, since I didn't have mayo, and also omitted the rice wine vinegar. It was still great. Let the flavors marinate in the refrigerator for a little while before serving for best results!

Dressing:

1 c. mayo, 3 T. sugar, 1 T. rice wine vinegar

Salad:

3 T. diced red onion, 2 c. golden raisins, 4 c. broccoli flowerets,

2 c. slivered almonds or cashews

Mix dressing and refrigerate. Combine salad ingredients. Toss with the dressing and marinate overnight. Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Tiki Marsala

My friend served this to us at her house one night....oh man! I could not stop eating it! It is quite spicy, so simmer down on the cayenne pepper if you must. Oooh creamy goodness. :) Yum

Chicken Tiki Masala (AllRecipes.com)

Marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspon garam masala
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 tomato, chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove chicken and discard marinade. Cook chicken in a saute pan or stir fry.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve over rice.