Churros

Ingredients:

Vegetable or Olive Oil (for frying)
1 cup water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs

For topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Prepare to fry the churros by heating oil in a pan (1 to 1&1/2 inches) to 360 degrees F.  To make churro dough, heat water, margarine and salt to rolling boil in 3-quart saucepan; stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute; remove from heat. Beat in eggs slowly so you don’t cook the eggs and beat mixture until smooth.

Spoon mixture into cake decorators' tube with large star tip (like the kind use to decorate cakes). Squeeze 4-inch strips of dough into hot oil. Fry 3 or 4 strips at a time until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and roll the cooked churros in sugar mixture until they are coated.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: about 30 minutes

Recipe Origin: online at http://user.xmission.com/~dderhak/recipe/churros.htm

Boston Cream Pie Minis

Ingredients:
24 chocolate or yellow cupcakes

Filling:
1 cup milk, cold
1 - 4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup cool whip

Icing:
1 cup cool whip
4 squares Baker's chocolate

Directions:
For the filling, beat together the milk and vanilla pudding mix. Let it stand 5 minutes and then fold in the cool whip. Fill each cupcake with about 1 Tbsp of the filling. For the icing, microwave together the cool whip and Baker's chocolate till the chocolate is almost melted. Stir till smooth. Frost each cupcake with the chocolate icing and refrigerate cupcakes for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 90 minutes (including cupcake prep time)
Recipe Origin: Tricia Richards

Rice Crispy Treats

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
40 large marshmallows
6 cups rice crispy cereal

Directions:
Butter a 9x13 pan well and set aside. In a large pot, stir the butter and marshmallows over medium heat until the marshmallows are melted. Once melted, add the rice crispy cereal and stir. Pour the mixture into the buttered pan and use a buttered fork to spread out the mixture evenly. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 15 minutes
Recipe Origin: unknown

Chips Ahoy Cheesecake Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 -4 ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup Cool Whip
Dipping Chocolate
Chips Ahoy Cookies (about 20)

Directions:
Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl. Once smooth, add the cool whip and stir again. Scoop about 2 Tbsp. of the mixture onto a chips ahoy cookie and top it was a second cookie. Melt your dipping chocolate and stir till smooth. Dip half of the sandwiched cookie in the melted chocolate. Drip of the excess chocolate and put the cookie on some wax paper in an airtight container. Freeze cookies for about 3 hours, then serve.

Difficulty: Easy
Time to Make: about 30 minutes prep time plus 3 hours freezing time.
Recipe Origin: Tricia Richards

TV Rolls

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup nuts, chopped

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 squares melted chocolate or 2 ounces cocoa powder

2 Tbsp. butter

25 colored mini marshmallows

2 cups flaked coconut

Directions:

Mix together everything but the coconut in a large bowl. Form mixture into a rolled log on wax paper and roll the log in coconut to coat the outside. Wrap the log in wax paper and tinfoil and chill in refrigerator. The logs will also freeze well. To serve, cut logs in 1/2 inch slices.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: about 30 minutes plus a few hour chilling time

Recipe Origin: Mom

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup peanut butter

powdered sugar (at least a few cups)

1 - 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Stir the butter and peanut butter together in a large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar to the mix and stir till well mixed. Add enough powdered sugar so that the mixture can be rolled into balls without sticking to your hands. Once desired consistency is reached, add the chocolate chips. Roll mixture into balls and store covered.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: about 15 minutes

Recipe Origin: Mom

Oatmeal Fudge

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

3 Tbsp. cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups quick oats

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large pot combine the sugar, milk, butter, cocoa, and salt. Bring ingredient to a boil, stirring often. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and add the quick oats, nuts, coconut, and vanilla extract. Stir till well mixed and drop mixture by spoonful onto wax paper or large plates. Let cool completely.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: about 30 minutes

Recipe Origin: Mom

Karo Crazy Crunch

Ingredients:

4 batches plain popcorn (about 2 quarts)

1/2 cup Karo syrup

1 + 1/3 cups sugar

1 cube margarine

2 cups almonds

Directions:

Pop your popcorn and set it in a large bowl. Stir the almonds in with the popcorn and set aside. In a small saucepan heat the karo syrup, sugar, and margarin. Boil till light caramel color. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and almonds and stir the popcorn to evenly coat everything. Spread the ingredients out onto wax paper to cool.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: about 30 minutes

Recipe Origin: Mom

Chex Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:

9 cups Chex cereal

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

1 + 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Measure the Chex cereal into a large bowl and set aside. In a separate, microwavable bowl measure the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and the butter (or margarine). Microwave ingredients until melted (stirring every 30 seconds). Stir ingredients until they are smooth then stir in vanilla.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir to evenly coat all the chex cereal. Then pour the coated cereal into a 2 gallon re-sealable ziploc bag. Add the powdered sugar to the bag. Seal the bag and shake the contents until all the cereal is well coated.

Spread the cereal on wax paper to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: 30 minutes

Recipe Origin: chex.com

Caramel Corn Puffs

Ingredients:

1 cup Karo syrup

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 - 16 ounce bag of Barrel o' Fun Corn Pops

Directions:

Combine Karo syrup, butter, brown sugar in a medium sauce pan. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 4 minutes. Add sweetened condensed milk and continue boiling for 2 more minutes.

Pour caramel over the corn pops and stir until pops are evenly coated.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: 30 minutes

Recipe Origin: Annette Gardner

Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

4 batches pop corn (about 2 quarts)

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup Karo syrup

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 pinch of salt

1/2 cup margarine

Directions:

Pop your popcorn and set aside in a large bowl.

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and cook till rolling boil. Continue cooking on medium heat until mixture will form a soft ball when dropped in water (about 240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Pour caramel over popcorn and stir to evenly coat all the corn.

Difficulty: Easy

Time to Make: about 30 minutes

Recipe Origin: Mom

Caramels

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup light Karo syrup

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

dash of salt

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, turn to medium heat and keep mixture boiling until a soft ball will form in water (about 240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Pour caramel mix into a WELL buttered 9x13 pan. Cool caramels overnight.

Once cool, dump caramel onto a wax paper. Use a rolling pin to make the caramels more flat. Cut pieces into the size you want and wrap in wax paper.

Tips: Use a wooden spoon to stir while boiling the mixture. Use a metal pan 9x13 pan for cooling the caramels. Loosen the edges of the caramels with a knife before dumping them out. If you need to use a metal spatula to scrape the caramels out as you dump them.

Difficulty: Medium

Time to Make: 30 minutes prep, cooling overnight, 15 minutes cutting and wrapping

Recipe Origin: Annette Gardner

Homemade Marshmallows

Ingredients:

2 envelopes (each 1 scant tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions:
Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; line with parchment paper. Spray parchment; set aside. Pour 1/3 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle with gelatin; let mixture soften, about 5 minutes.

Place sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid; cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup reaches 238 degrees (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.

With mixer on low speed, whisk gelatin mixture, and slowly pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl (to avoid splattering). Gradually raise speed to high; beat until mixture is thick, white, and has almost tripled in volume, about 12 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat 30 seconds to combine.

Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet; smooth with an offset spatula. Let stand at room temperature, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Coat a 1- or 2-inch snowflake-shaped cookie cutter with cooking spray to prevent it from sticking. Cut out as many individual marshmallows as possible; coat cutter with more spray as needed. Use marshmallows immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Difficulty: Medium

Time to make: About 30 minutes preparation, setting overnight, and 15 minutes of cutting out.

Recipe Origin: marthastewart.com