Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn

Last night, I was looking to make something that would help use up an extra huge batch of cinnamon sugar I had mixed up.  So thanks to the wonderful world of google search, I found this YUMMY popcorn recipe on allrecipes.com.  If you love kettle corn, then you will really like this.  It's sugary and salty, at the same time!

CINNAMON SUGAR POPCORN

1 cup uncooked popcorn
1/3 c butter
2/3 c white sugar
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla extract

Directions
1- Preheat over to 250 degrees.  Pop the popcorn, place in a large mixing bowl, and set aside.
2- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in cinnamon, sugar, salt, and vanilla, and cook until thick and bubbly.  Pour over the popcorn, and stir until the popcorn is evenly coated. Spread the popcorn into a large roasting pan.
3- Bake in the preheated over for 10 mins, then turn the heat off, and allow the popcorn to stay in the over for 20 more mins.  Remove from the oven, and cool completely before serving.

**If you don't have a popcorn popper, you can do what I do ... use a brown paper lunch bag.  Place 1/3 c popcorn kernels in the paper sack, fold top down twice, and cook for 2 mins or until you no longer hear popping.**

Low Fat Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Every year I want to make this recipe, and every year I have to search and search to find it.  So here you go.  Now I will have it for next year!

Low Fat Pumpkin Spice Cookies
2 Spice Cake Mixes
1 Lg. can Pumpkin
Bag Chocolate Chips

Combine the Spice Cake Mix with the Pumpkin. Stir chocolate chips in. Bake 375 for 14-17 minutes 



* If you would like to fatten this sweet treat up a little more, you can top them with some crew cheese frosting

McCormick's Tuscan Chicken Stew

I bought one of those McCormick's dinner season packets, the other night.  This recipe was so yummy and easy, I wanted to write it down for a future reference.

Tuscan Chicken Stew

1/2 t fennel seed

1 t crushed basil leaves

1 t minced garlic

1 t crushed rosemary leaves

1/2 t crushed oregano leaves

1/2 t ground black pepper

1 t salt

2 T olive oil

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges

1 can (15 oz) cannelloni or white beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14.5 oz) dices tomatoes, undrained

1/4 cup red wine or water

1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach leaves

1.  Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add chicken; cook and stir 10 minutes or until browned.  Remove chicken from skillet.  Add onion and fennel seed; cook and stir on medium heat 5 minutes or until tender.
2.  Stir in beans, tomatoes, red wine, remaining spices, and salt.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes.  Return chicken to skillet.
3.  Stir in spinach.  Cover.  Cook 5 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted

Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies


This is my no fail recipe for cookies, and is so versatile.  You can choose between either vanilla or chocolate pudding, you can add nuts, and any type of chips you would like ... peanut butter, chocolate, butterscotch, even the yummy Andies Candy bits.

The ingredients:
2 1/4 c flour
1 c softened butter
1/4 c sugar
3/4 c light brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 small pkg chocolate or vanilla pudding
1 pkg chocolate chips
nuts optional

*combine butter, sugars and eggs.  Mix together.  Then add in vanilla, baking soda, and pudding.
*combine flour and baking soda, and then slowly add the flour to the butter/sugar mixture.
*stir in chips and nuts
*place small balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Steak or Hamburger Soup

Steak or Hamburger Soup

This soup is about as easy as it comes.   Most of the prep consists of just throwing the ingredients into the pot.  You can choice whether you want to use either steak or ground beef for this recipe, but personally I prefer the taste of the ground beef in it.

Here is what you will need:
Either 2 4oz beef steaks - cubed or 1.5 lbs ground beef
1/4 t garlic salt
1/8 t pepper
1 T cooking oil
1 onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
4 c water
10 oz. pkg frozen mixed veges
1 T beef bouillon
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t dried basil
1 7oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 c cold water
1/3 c flour

*Sprinkle meat with garlic salt and pepper, and cook in oil until browned
*Cook onion and celery until tender.  Stir in meat, water, veges, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and basil.
*Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes
*Stir in tomatoes
*Mix together water (1/3 c cold) and flour.  Stir in until thick and bubbly.  Cook and stir 1 minutes
*serve immediately

Oregano-Lemon Chicken Thighs

Oregano-Lemon Chicken Thighs

from The Taste of Home

6 bone-in chicken thighs ( 3 lbs.)

3 T lemon juice

2 T honey

1 T olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 t dried oregano

1 Place the chicken in a greased 13-in x 9-in baking dish.  Combine the lemon juice, honey, oil, garlic and oregano; pour over chicken.

2 Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer read 180 degrees.  Basting occasionally with pan juice.

Non-Dairy Potato Salad

Since I cannot eat dairy, not being able to eat potato salad has been a difficult one for me.  That is why I was so excited to find this recipe.  Don't let the garlic, onions, and scallions scare you away.  They all tend to balance perfectly with the tangy Dijon dressing.

Non-Dairy Potato Salad

2 lbs red potatoes, cooked and cubed ( skin on or off ... I prefer it on)
1 small red onion,  thinly sliced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
2 scallions or green onions, sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup + 2T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1 cloved garlic, minced
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

*Combine onion, olives, scallions and cubed potatoes in a salad bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingrediants.  Pour over salad, mixing well.  You can eat right away, but I think it tastes better after chilling a few hours in the fridge.