Carmel Apples

1 cup butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

In a heavy pan combine butter, sugar, syrup,  and milk over medium heat;  bring it to a boil.  Continue to cook  and stir until it reaches 248 degrees (firm ball) - about 30-40 min.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt.  Let it cool a couple minutes before dipping apples.  One batch does about 8-10 apples.

Bananas Foster Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large)
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons crème de cacao
• 1/3 cup rum
• Vanilla ice cream (optional)
• Whipped cream (optional)

Preparation

• Place butter in a 13- x 9-inch pan; place in a 350° oven for 5 minutes or just until melted. Remove from oven, and coat pan with cooking spray. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring well. Spread mixture in pan.
• Cut 3 bananas diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on brown sugar mixture in 4 lengthwise rows; cover and set aside.
• Combine mashed banana and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; add to mashed banana mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. Pour batter evenly over sliced banana in pan.
• Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 2 minutes; loosen cake from sides of pan with knife, and invert onto a large rectangular serving platter.
• Drizzle crème de cacao over cake. Heat rum in a small saucepan just until simmering; ignite with a long match. Spoon rum over cake with a long-handled spoon. Serve warm cake with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

From myrecipes.com

Strawberry Fruit Dip

Ingredients
1 large container strawberry yogurt

8 oz strawberry cream cheese

1 pint whipping or heavy cream

strawberry or berry jam to taste (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

Directions
Beat cream cheese till smooth. Add yogurt and beat till smooth again. In a separate bowl beat whipping cream with 1 tsp vanilla and 2 Tbsp sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into yogurt mixture. Add jam to taste. Chill in refrigerator. Serve with sliced fruit.

Apple Cole Slaw

Ingredients
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 unpeeled red apple, cored and chopped
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 carrot, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste


Directions
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, red apple, green apple, carrot, red bell pepper, and green onions. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Pour dressing over salad.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake (Rubarf)

Ingredients
Topping
3 Cups sliced fresh rhubarb
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 Cup butter, melted
Batter
1-1 1/2 Cups flour
3/4 Cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 Cup butter, melted
2/3 Cup milk
1 egg

Directions
Sprinkle rhubarb in a greased 10" heavy skillet. Combine sugar, flour and nutmeg; sprinkle over rhubarb. Drizzle with butter. For batter, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Add butter, milk and egg; beat until smooth. Spread over rhubarb mixture. Bake at 35o degrees F for 35 minutes or until the cake teast done. Loosen edges immediately and invert onto serving dish. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream. (We bake for 40-45 minutes)

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 C chocolate cookie crumbs
1/3 C margarine, melted

Filling
1/2 C raspberry preserves
1/4 C water
4 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
1 1/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 oz white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Garnish
2 ounces shaved white chocolate
whipped cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats. Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds, then let the strained preserves sit to cool, then put the bowl in the refrigerator until later.

Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or crush 20 Oreo cookie wafers -- with the filling scraped out -- in a resealable plastic bag) into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs.

Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. Just a couple passes is fine, you don't want to blend the raspberry and cream cheese together too much. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.

Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate. To serve, slice the cheesecake into 12 equal portions. Apply a pile of canned whipped cream to the top of each slice and serve.

Strawberry Almond Cream Tart

Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
12 sheets low fat graham crackers
2 T sugar
4 T low-fat butter, melted
5 tsp water

Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz. package cream cheese
3/4 C powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

Strawberry Topping
3 C strawberries, sliced
2 T granulated sugar
Sliced almonds for decoration

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare your crust, put crackers in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Add water, butter and sugar and blend until moist. Press the mixture into a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare the filling, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a small bowl until creamy.

Slice your strawberries thinly and toss with the granulated sugar.

Once the crust is cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly across the crust. Place the strawberries on top of the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the strawberries. To make it more decorative you can also place almonds around the rim of the crust.

Apple Crisp

Ingredients
8 cups sliced pared tart apples (about 4 medium)
1 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup oats
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Directions
Heat oven to 375°. Grease square pan, 9x13x2 inches. Place apple slices in
pan.Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly. Sprinkle over apples.
Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.
Serve warm and, if desired, with light cream or ice cream.

VARIATION

Cherry Crisp: Substitute 1 can (1 pound 5 ounces) cherry pie filling for the
apples; use lesser amount of sugar.

I make extra topping!

Pear Gorgonzola Salad

Ingredients
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 head Red Leaf lettuce
1 head Butter Leaf lettuce
Tear into bit size piece in bowl.
Carmalize ½ c. sliced almonds by mixing almonds with melted butter and sugar in plan placed over med-high heat and stirring constantly. Add to lettuce.
Add: ½ pound crumbled bacon
4 sliced pears (2 red, 2 green for extra color)
4 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled.

Dressing
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. Salt
½ cup red onion, chopped
1 ½ c. oil
2 tsp. Dry mustard
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Poppy seeds
Make dressing the night before and shake occasionally. Pour over salad just before serving. This makes enough for many salads.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Ingredients
3 eggs - beaten lightly
2 2/3 Tbs. milk
2 cups sugar (can reduce to 1 1/2 if you wish)
4 Tbs. flour
3/4 to 1 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. butter
4 cups of cut up rhubarb (cubes)

Directions
Mix the eggs, milk, sugar, flour, and nutmeg until fluffy using an electric mixer. Stir in the rhubarb with a spoon. Pour into 10" or a deepdish 9" pie shell. Cut up the butter lay pieces over the top of the pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 - 60 mins. Great warm with vanilla ice cream!

Apple Pudding Cake

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 Cup shortening or 1/2 with 1/2 Cup butter
3 eggs
4 Cups apples, pared and diced
3 Cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 1/3 Cup of water
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions
Grease and flour 9x13 cake pan. Cream eggs, sugar, and shortening. Add dry ingredients.
Stir in apples Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes. To serve, top with carmel sauce and whipped cream.

Carmel Sauce
1/2 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup Karo syrup
2 Tablespoons of butter

Directions for Sauce
Boil above ingredients. Remove from heat and stir in 1 Cup evaporated milk or cream and teaspoon Vanilla.

Mixed Berry Gelato

Ingredients
3/4 C sugar
1 C whole milk
6 oz. fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
4 oz. fresh blueberries, washed
5 oz. fresh raspberries, washed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Extra berries for garnish

Directions
In a saucepan combine the sugar and milk. Warm over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Cool in the refrigerator. Place the berries in a blender with the cold milk-sugar mixture and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturers instructions.

Citrus Lime Muffins

Ingredients
2 C flour
1 C sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 tsp grated lime rind
1/4 C lime juice

Directions
Sift together dry ingredients into large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix milk, eggs, oil, lime rind and lime juice. Add liquid mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir lightly with fork just until moist (Batter will be lumpy). Spoon into greased muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake 375 degrees for 20 min or less. *Don't use a dark non-stick pan, the muffin edges will be overdone and dry

Chicken Fruit Salad

Ingredients
6 chicken breasts cooked and diced
1 large can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 C chopped celery
1 1/2 C halved red seedless grapes
1 large can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing
1 C mayonnaise
1 C light sour cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried minced onion

Directions
Combine all salad ingredients. In a separate bowl mix dressing. Fold dressing into salad. Best if chilled for 8 hours or overnight. You might want to adjust the amounts of fruit and celery to your liking. You can serve on a lettuce leaf with chow mein noodles on top or make a sandwich using a pita or croissant.

Spicy Cherry Sauce

Ingredients
3/4 Cup sugar
dash of salt
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 Cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Cups tart red cherries (not drained)
1 inch stick of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring

Directions
Combine sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in orange and lemon juices. Add cherries, spices and food coloring. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickens and comes to boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Before serving remove cinnamon and cloves. Serve warm with ham.