Salted Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Got this from www.foodnessgracious.com.  They are good, but the caramel oozed out, and made them stick to the paper towels that I was cooling them on.  I substituted dark chocolate cocoa powder, which made them even better.  I used Werther's caramel, instead of Kraft.  Not sure if that might make a difference either.

Prep time: 10 min.
Bake time 10-12 min.
Yield: 18 cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.

Chop into small pieces and set aside:
12 chewy caramels

Cream until light and fluffy:
1 Stick plus 2 tablespoons room temp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Add:
1 egg and mix until well combined

In a separate bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture.   Add chopped caramels and
6 ounces of chocolate chips

Mix until combined.  Scoop into balls and place on baking tray.  Sprinkle with a little coarse sea or kosher salt.  Bake in oven for about 10 - 12 minutes.  Let cool on the tray for about 10 minutes, transfer to plate or paper towel to continue cooling.

Fudge Pie

3 sq. (3 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan. Add sugar. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add chocolate mixture. Add nuts, salt and vanilla. Pour into a well greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool. Chill several hours in the refrigerator.  Source: Donna Houdeshell

Hungarian Crockpot Meatballs

Made these at a our party recently, and they were a hit.  I've used it with 2 lbs. of stew meat, cut into cubes, and cooked for 8-9 hours, then served over noodles.  For this version, I used 3 lbs. of ready made frozen meatballs from Costco (half a bag).  I had never used pre-made meatballs before, so I was a little nervous, but they were a hit with this sauce.
Either 2 lbs. of stew meat or 3 lbs. of frozen meatballs
1/2 cup ketchup
1 medium mild onion (Vidalia) chopped or sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbs. Worchestershire Sauce
1 tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 cup water
1/4 cup flour (for thickening sauce near serving time, if desired)

Place meat in crock pot, cover with onion.  Combine garlic, ketchup, Worchestershire Sauce, sugar, paprika, salt and mustard.  Stir in water, and pour over meat, and cover.  For stew meat, cook on low for 9 hours.  For meatballs, cook on high for 2-3 hours.  If sauce needs thickening, stir flour into a small amount of water, then stir into pot, then cook on high for 15 min. to thicken.  Makes 5-6 dinner sized servings with stew meat.  Source: Crockery Cookery by Mable Hoffman

Easy Coconut Pie

I got this recipe off the Bakers coconut bag, and it is soooo easy and soooo good.  It's kind of a coconut custard pie, but I don't think it's as fattening as a coconut cream pie.  The baking mix actually makes a kind of a crust when it bakes, so it's easier to remove and serve than a standard custard.  It's great warm or cold.

2 cups milk
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup baking mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup butter, softned
1 tsp. vanilla

Place milk, sugar, baking mix, eggs, butter, & vanilla in blender.  Blend on low speed for 3 minutes.  Pour into greased 9" pie plate.  Sprinkle 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut on top (it will be very full).  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown.  cool at least 15 minutes before serving.  Store in refridgerator.  Makes 8 servings.

Broccoli Salad

This salad recipe came from Craig's brother, David, up in Jacksonville. I love it. I usually don't like raw broccoli, but this salad is great! It keeps well for a day or two in the fridge, so you can make it a day ahead for a picnic or cookout.

Mix in a large bowl:
1 bunch fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (shelled and salted)
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Mix sauce ingredients and pour over broccoli mixture:
3 1/2 Tblsp. sugar
1 Tblsp. vinegar
1/2 cup mayo

Garlic Naan Bread

Thin Indian flatbread is great with curries or grilled veggies.

1 envelope dry yeast (rapid rise OK)
1 tblsp. sugar
1 cup warm water (120 degrees)
1 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1 1/2 tsps. salt
6 cups bread flour

Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water in bowl of heavy-duty mixer with dough hook, stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Mix in yogurt and salt. Mix in enough flour 1 cup at a time to form a firm dough. Knead in mixer until sough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Dough can also be made by hand). Lightly grease large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat entire surface. Cover and let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1 hour.

Heat 2 tblsp. oil and saute 16 garlic cloves (peeled). You can either cook them whole, or chop or press garlic into pan. Pressed garlic is a little easier to spread onto the bread. Saute about 5 minutes, remove from heat.

Naan can be baked either on a tile or pizza stone, or on the grill. For the oven, position the stone on the bottom third of the oven and heat to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes.

Punch dough down. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into either 14 small individual pieces or 8 larger pieces. Shape each into a smooth ball. Flatten each ball and stretch with fingers into a 6 inch round (for small size). You can use a rolling pin to flatten. Brush with oil and garlic on one side. If garlic is whole, press into dough, then brush with oil. Place 2 to 3 rounds on hot tile and bake until lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. If grilling, spray grill with Pam and put oil side down first, then turn about halfway through. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store between layers of waxed paper in airtight container or freeze.) Source: Bon Apetit Magazine

Apple Crisp

This is one of my favorite desserts to make. It's pretty easy and uses few ingredients. I use a counter-mounted apple peeler that cores/peels/slices all at the same time. You just want to do the apples quickly, so they don't get brown before you put the topping on.

Combine in a bowl for the topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Cut butter into mixture until it resemble coarse meal.

Peel, core & slice 3 1/2 to 4 lbs. of Granny Smith Apples. Spread out in a large pie or quiche dish (approximately 12" x 8" x 2"). Fill to almost overflowing. It will compress down a lot after cooking. Spread topping evenly over the top of the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Great served warm or cold, top with vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers.

Key Lime Pie

The crust is the secret with this pie. I altered a traditional recipe and made it more cookie-like. It can be a little difficult to get out of the pie pan, but it's worth the effort.

Combine in bowl:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tblsp. sugar
1/3 cup butter - melted
1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup toasted coconut

Press into pie plate, Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Can be chilled in refridgerator.

Combine in another bowl:
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice

Mix well and fill pie shell. Cook 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool, then refrigerate at least an hour to set. Top with whipped cream, raspberries and toasted coconut to serve. Keep refridgerated.

Carmen's Cookies

These cookies were developed by Craig and Carmen and me. Craig remembered having a great cookie, and we played with this recipe to get it right. They are substantial cookies, almost like a Cowboy Cookie, but better. Be careful when baking. Just a little undercooked, and they will be soft and chewy. But left in the oven a little longer, and they will be crisper. Cook to your taste.

Cream together in an electric mixer:
1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar

In a separate bowl, mix together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Add to the butter/sugar mixture:
2 tblsp. honey
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. ground coffee or espresso
3 eggs
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1/2 cup toasted & chopped pecans
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

Add the flour mixture to the rest of the ingredients, stir by hand. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, depending on size of cookies. Watch carefully.

Chocolate Overload Cookies

Mercedes and I made these the other night, because we needed a chocolate fix. They are great really good. Originally the recipe came from a Mrs. Field's Cookie Recipe Book, but we altered it a bit.

Best served warm, but keep well for a couple of days. Texture is soft and chewy. Use the best chocolate chips you can find. I made them with 60% cacoa chips by Ghiradelli - yum!

Combine in a medium bowl:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Blend in a large bowl with an electric mixer to form a grainy paste:
1 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened

Add to paste and beat at medium speed until smooth:
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Add the flour mixture and mix by hand:
1 bag 60% cocoa chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened flake coconut

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 18-22 minutes at 300 degrees. Transfer to a cool flat surface immediately after removing from oven. Yield: 3 dozen.