CHRISTMAS TOFFEE (CHOCOLATE SALTINE TOFFEE)

CHRISTMAS TOFFEE (CHOCOLATE SALTINE TOFFEE)

From Allie Troyer

saltine crackers (enough to line your jelly roll pan)
2 sticks butter, cubed
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 - 1 cup mini M&M's or chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line a large jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray and then line the pan with saltine crackers.

Place the butter and brown sugar in a medium-sized pot over low or medium-low heat.  Stir until the butter is melted.  Once the butter has melted, bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  Stir constantly.

Once it's nice and bubbly and changed to more of a caramel color, remove pan from heat and pour evenly over saltine crackers.  Spread mixture with a knife...however it doesn't have to be perfect.  Try to move fast during this part so the toffee doesn't harden.

Place pan in the oven and bake for 7-9 minutes.  The mixture will spread evenly over the crackers as it bakes.

Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  

Melt the chocolate and then pour over the top with a spatula.

Sprinkle M&M's or nuts on top and then place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Once the chocolate has hardened, break or cut pieces off the foil and store in a container.*

*Allie's note: The toffee will stay fresh for 1-2 weeks. 

JEFF'S FAVORITE MEATBALLS

JEFF'S FAVORITE MEATBALLS

From Allie Toms Troyer

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs*
2 garlic cloves, minced, optional
1 egg
1/4 cup mozzarella* cheese, finely grated
3 T. ketchup
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 T. dried parsley or 1 T. fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine all ingredients minus the meat and slightly mix them together before adding the meat.

Add meat and mix all together. 

Form mixture into one-inch balls.  Makes 24 one-inch balls. 

Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.   Makes 24 one-inch balls.  I bake 12 at a time and freeze the other 12 for a quick easy dinner for the following week.

*Allie's note:  I use Italian style bread crumbs - you can use whatever kind you wish. For the cheese, I use mozzarella but you can use whatever kind you like.

COLD DAY CHILI

COLD DAY CHILI

From Allie Toms Troyer

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 T. jalapeno, finely chopped
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans Mexican style tomatoes, like Rotel (undrained)
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 T. chili powder
2 T. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/2 t. paprika
1 can kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup water

Cook ground meat with onions and peppers; drain excess grease.

Add corn, tomatoes, jalapeno, sauce, seasonings and water and bring to a boil.

Add beans.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Serve with toppings and some corn muffins!  Enjoy!!

Toppings:  
Sour cream
Shredded cheese of your choice
Green onion, if desired

Makes 6-8 servings.

PUMPKIN CINNAMON STREUSEL PANCAKES

PUMPKIN CINNAMON STREUSEL PANCAKES

From Rachel (Reid) Brown

Make the cinnamon streusel:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 t. ground cinnamon

6 T. unsalted butter, cut into chunks

In medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter.

Mix streusel mixture together with your hands or a fork til crumbly. 

Set aside.

Make the pancake batter:

3/4 cup all- purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 T. light brown sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/8 t. ground ginger

1/8 t. ground cloves

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 large egg

2 T. canola oil

1 t. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin, canola oil and vanilla extract. 

Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.

Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray.

Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet.  Add 2 T. of cinnamon streusel.

Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes.  

Carefully flip pancake over and cover generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

Serve warm with maple syrup and butter.

Rachel’s Note:  for a variation - skip all of the cinnamon streusel ingredients and add dark chocolate chips to the pancake batter.  We LOVE pumpkin-chocolate chip pancakes!!

BBQ PORK

BBQ PORK

From Sonya Troyer

Pork Loin (or Chicken Breast*)

Put meat in crockpot.

Pour 1 can of Coke over the loin.

Cover and cook 8 hours on high.

Drain excess juice off.

Shred, then add your favorite BBQ sauce!

*If using chicken breasts, put chicken in crockpot. 

Cook 6-8 hours until it shreds easily.

Add your favorite BBQ sauce.

We make sandwiches using hamburger buns!

CREAM CHEESE DANISH

CREAM CHEESE DANISH

From Roy Reid (From Janice Kidd)

2 pkgs. refrigerated crescent rolls, "butter flake" variety preferred
2 pkgs. (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla

Topping:
1/3-1/2 cup butter, melted (3/4 to 1 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Press one pkg. of crescent rolls evenly into the bottom of the pan, pressing seams together. You may need to cut off about 1 inch of the end.

Mix until smooth the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the crescent roll layer in the dish.

Place the rolled out contents of the second pkg. of crescent rolls on top of the cream cheese mixture.  Press the seams together if possible.  As above, you may need to cut off a portion of the crescent rolls to make it fit the dish.

Add sugar, cinnamon, and pecans to melted butter and spread evenly over the top of the crescent rolls.

Bake until browned at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Watch carefully.

If serving warm, just use a spoon. Cool if you prefer to cut into bars before serving.

Janice Kidd's note:  Reduced fat cream cheese is fine. This is a great dish for carry-in meals because it is terrific warm, very good at room temperature, and leftovers are not half bad cold straight from the fridge.  I tasted this at a brunch for a Bible study group. I was one of the crowd clamoring for the recipe and was delighted it was so easy to prepare once I got over obsessing about putting the crescent rolls down 'perfectly.'  

CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

CHOCOLATE MACAROONS

From Lucy Reid (From Aunt Juanita Stevenson)

Melt to smooth paste shortening size of an egg.

Cream:
1 cup sugar
2 unbeaten eggs
1 cup plus 1 T. sifted flour
2 T. cocoa
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking powder
dash salt
1 1/2-2 cups coconut 

Mix well and set in refrigerator until cold or overnight.

Make into balls the size of an English walnut and roll in powdered sugar.

Bake on cold cookie sheet 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.