THREE CHEESE AND BACON DIP

THREE CHEESE AND BACON DIP

http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/appetizers-snacks/three-cheese-and-bacon-spread.aspx

This was a must have, but good. Would make it again.

4	oz (half 8-oz package) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/3	cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1	tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2	tablespoons fat-free (skim) milk
1/8	teaspoon paprika
	Dash pepper
1/4	cup raisins
2	tablespoons real bacon bits
2	medium green onions, thinly sliced (2 tablespoons)
16	whole-grain crackers
1	large red apple, sliced

1.	In small bowl, beat cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, paprika and pepper with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
2.	Stir in raisins, bacon bits and onions until well blended.
3.	Serve spread with crackers and apple slices.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 100 (Calories from Fat 20); Total Fat 2 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg;Sodium 250mg; Total Carbohydrate 15g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 7g); Protein 5g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A4%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 8%; Iron 4% Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 1
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

SNACK MIXES 2

HARVEST BLESSING MIX
Jackson brought this home from school (1st grade - Mrs. Edwards -Lincoln Elem. Rexburg, ID). He just loved it.
Each ingredient in this snack mix symbolizes something associated with the Harvest Season (Thanksgiving).
Bugles - represents a cornucopia, a horn of plenty
Pretzels - represents arms folded in thanks and prayer
Candy Corn/Corn Nuts - during the first Winter, the pilgrims were each allotted only 5 kernels of corn per day because food was so scarce
Dried/Candy Fruits - Thanksgiving is the celebration of the harvest
Peanuts/Sunflower Seeds - seeds represent the potential of a bountiful harvest for the next season if they are planted and well tended

PRETZEL CEREAL CRUNCH

taste of home 2009 QUICK COOKING pg. 39

Was addicting! Made with chocolate chips (melted)

CINNABON CARAMEL POPCORN

Tina brought this to my going away party when we left Oregon. We made it here in Idaho for Jackson to take to school on a "P" day. It is sooo yummy! And smells absolutely wonderful when it is cooking.

PREHEAT oven to 280.

POP 2 bags of popcorn (butter okay)

MIX:

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

CUT IN:

1 stick of butter

POUR:

1/4 c honey

MICROWAVE:

30 seconds - stir

2 min - stir

2 min - stir

ADD (stir quickly):

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 tsp baking soda

POUR OVER POPCORN and stir a lot

BAKE 30 minutes (or less) - stirring every 10 minutes on a cookie sheet that has been covered in tin foil

MELT:

1/2 - 1 cup white chocolate chips and drizzle on top

Sweet & Salty Crunch Munch (submitted by J. Lawrence) 4 cups rice Chex cereal 2 cups popped popcorn 1 cup cheddar Goldfish crackers 1 cup pretzel Goldfish crackers 1 cup lightly crushed plain bagel chips 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 4 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon cinnamon Heat oven to 250 degrees. Stir together Chex, popcorn, both kinds of Goldfish and the bagel chips. Whisk together butter, syrup, soy sauce, and cinnamon. Drizzle over Chex mixture; stir well. Spread mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely. EASTER TRAIL MIX This is from Nancycreative.  This makes me think of Christmas Crunch that Lisa makes.  She uses $1 store candy (or anything - bulk is a good place) and mix with honey nut cheerios.  Something that’s hard for me to resist when I see the long aisle of Easter candy at the store are those malted milk Robin Eggs–malt balls covered with a candy coating. I buy them every year and eat way too many of them! This year, I told myself I would not buy them unless I used them in a recipe. And since I’ve been short on time lately, it needed to be something pretty simple. So I came up with an Easter Trail Mix–a blend of chocolatey sweets mixed in with some healthy ingredients. The mini robin eggs and pastel M&M’s give the mix plenty of chocolatey taste and spring color, and the other goodies include raisins, sunflower kernels, coconut flakes, peanuts, and mini pretzel twists. This recipe makes a large bowl of trail mix, so there’s plenty for everyone to munch on! EASTER TRAIL MIX by NancyC Makes about 13 cups 1 (13.7 oz.) bag Mini Robins Eggs (almost 3 cups) 1 (11.4 oz) bag milk chocolate easter M&M’s (about 1 2/3 cup) 1 cup raisins (you can use golden or dark raisins) 2/3 cup roasted and salted sunflower kernels 1 cup sweetened dried coconut flakes 1 (16 oz.) container cocktail peanuts or dry roasted peanuts 3 cups mini pretzel twists (you can also use mini pretzel sticks or mini pretzel snaps) Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring with a large spoon. Eat right away or store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Makes a great food gift, too, packaged in treat bags!

CONFETTI CRISPS

Confetti Crisps
We made these for New Year's Eve 2011. So yummy! Easy to eat :-)
http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/2011/12/confetti-crisps.html

40 square (about 2×2?) saltine crackers
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter (not margarine!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (or more) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup mini-twist or stick pretzels, broken into small pieces
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup Mini M&M’s (my friend used regular sized)
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange crackers side by side in single layer on large bar pan or jelly roll pan (used cookie sheet - didn't put crackers all the way to the edge) (make sure you use parchment paper, tin-foil or non-stick spray).

Combine brown sugar, butter and vanilla in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk, until mixture comes to a full boil across the surface. Boil, stirring constantly 4 minutes.

Immediately pour sugar mixture over crackers and spread evenly with a spreader or rubber spatula. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove pan from oven to cooling rack.

Immediately sprinkle baked crackers with chocolate morsels. Let stand 3 minutes, allowing morsels to soften, then spread evenly over surface. Sprinkle with pretzels, peanuts and mini M&M’s. Lightly press toppings into melted chocolate using back of a spatula. Let stand at room temperature to cool completely. Refrigerate 20 minutes to firm chocolate. Cut into squares or just break up.

Store in tightly covered container in a cool place at room temperature so they will stay crisp.

CINNAMON & APPLE SAUCE CRAFT

CINNAMON & APPLE SAUCE ORNAMENTS

We had fun making these and they smelled so yummy when cooking. It was a bit messy though. Both kids had to change their clothes when we were done and they make your hands super dry. I always tend to make things too thin. The thicker ones worked out much better. We had fun painting with paint and glitter glue when they were cooled.

2 cups applesauce

2 cups cinnamon (also used for to put on table/cutting board)

parchment paper (optional)

pencil or straw to make a hole for ribbon

cookie cutters

ribbon

Mix together cinnamon and apple sauce. Lightly sprinkle flat surface with cinnamon to prevent dough from sticking. Knead dough until you have a firm, pasty consistency. Roll out to 3/8" thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. With a pencil/straw poke a hole at the top of each shape. Bake on baking sheet (I placed them on top of parchment paper) in 150' oven for 3-5 hours. Decorate when dry. Add ribbon for hanging.

CHINESE NOODLE COOKIES

Chinese Noodle Cookies

http://lds.org/friend/2005/12/christmas-workshop?lang=eng&query=chinese+noodle+cookies

These are so yummy, easy to make and hard to stay out of. I think next time I would like to try 2 cups chocolate chips, 2 cups butterscotch and 2 cups toffee chips.

3 cups chocolate chips

3 cups butterscotch chips

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup peanuts

2 1/2 cups crisp chow mein noodles

1. 1.
   Place the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until melted.
2. 2.
   Take the mixture off the stove. Mix in the peanut butter and vanilla.
3. 3.
   Gently stir in the peanuts and noodles.
4. 4.
   Using a tablespoon, scoop heaping-tablespoon-sized chunks of the mixture onto sheets of foil. Freeze until solid. You can also spread them out on a cookie sheet and then break into pieces once frozen.

Makes about 2 dozen.

GINGERBREAD MAN

GINGERBREAD MAN

This was Abagail's choice for FHE treat. We all had a great time. I used the stencil of the boy (from kids set) and just cut around it. I put some dough on a piece of parchment on the cookie sheet.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
• 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup (used molasses)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the orange peel and dark corn syrup. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and salt, mixing until well combined. Chill dough for at least 2 hours, I like to chill overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are firm and lightly toasted on the edges.