Broccoli Salad

This recipe has been around for a long time but I still have requests for it and so here it is. Usually we serve it in the summer but every now and then it tastes great no matter what season.

Broccoli Salad

Approx 1½ pounds Broccoli Florets
1 lb. bacon- cooked crisp and crumbled
½ lb. Swiss or Monterrey Jack cheese (grated)
1 red onion
raisins, optional

Dressing
1 c. mayonnaise
¼ c. sugar
2 t. vinegar

"Bunnies and Bears"

One of the things that we have done as a family tradition for the holidays over the years is to make "Bunnies and Bears." My sister brought some cute molds and this recipe to us when our girls were little. Over the years we have always made them at Christmas time. Now that our girls are all grown up it is one of the things that we don't do much anymore. I was missing this tradition this year and decided to expand it to the grandchildren, it was a lot of fun carrying on the tradition to another generation. We have since added some more Christmas type molds but we still call it the Bunny and Bear recipe.

Melt the butter.

Add the brown sugar,

stir in the Karo Syrup,

and finally add the sweetened condensed milk. Bring to a boil.

Add the puffed rice and or puffed wheat cereal and start the fun.

The Gourmet Guy with our four year old grandson making the Christmas Tree shapes.

All of us around the table working with the molds and the kids decorating with lots of different sprinkles. Even the one year old was having fun at the table with us.

She was too young to use the molds but not to entertain us while we made them.

Our six year old grandson really got into making these, it was a lot of fun

A family tradition lives on.

“Bears and Bunnies”

6 oz. bag puffed rice or wheat
2 c. brown sugar
2 sticks butter
1 c. corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Boil butter, sugar, syrup and milk for about 6 minutes. Place cereal in a large bowl and pour the mixture over the tip, mix well. Spray mold with a vegetable spray and fill with the mixture. Remove from mold immediately.

Sweet Pork

We love to eat at places like Costa Vida, or Cafe Rio and are always looking for recipes that can compare to some of our favorites to make on our own.

In December our family gathered together to watch a bowl game together. We all brought finger foods and Natalie found this new recipe to try. We made mini nachos with the meat, they were so good!

SWEET PORK

2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

Chicken Squares

These are a quick and easy meal on a busy day. I keep these ingredients on hand in my pantry to fix easily. This is not a new recipe but one that my girls all liked growing up.

Mix an 8 oz. package of cream cheese with chunk chicken or leftover turkey. (The original recipe called for pimentos but my girls didn't like them.)

Take two of the crescent rolls and pinch them together.
Each can will make four of the chicken squares.

Mix the ingredients together well. I have my own canned chicken so I have to use a little extra salt.

Place even amounts on the square crescent roll dough.

Pull the dough around the meat mixture and seal tightly. Bake until golden brown.
Enjoy!

Turkey or Chicken Squares

2 8 oz. cream cheese
½ t. salt
2-4 c. cooked turkey or chicken or 2 large cans chunk chicken
¼ t. pepper
2 8 oz. can crescent rolls

Blend cream cheese until softened. Add turkey, salt, pepper, onion, chives, and milk. Mix well. Separate the 2 cans of crescent rolls, into 8 squares. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon ½ c. of meat mixture into the center of each square. Draw the corners of the dough up and around the meat and twist to seal. Brush top with butter. Dip in seasoned bread crumbs or sesame seeds. Bake at 350’ on cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Vegetable Pizza

This is one of our families favorite things to fix for things like showers and parties. This is a recipe that I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make this.

The crust is so simple and quick to make. Simply pinch the crescent roll dough together and bake to a golden brown. Cool.

Mix the dressing mix, cream cheese, and mayonnaise together and top the crust. Add the vegetables of your choice and chill. The more color from the vegetables the better.

Vegetable Pizza

2 pkg. Crescent Roll dough
Ranch dressing mix
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ c. mayonnaise
vegetables of choice, diced into small pieces
(red onion, radishes, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes…the more color the better)

Roll the dough out on a jelly roll pan, cover the bottom, pinch the seams together to make a flat crust. Bake at 400 until golden brown, approximately 10 minutes. Let cool. Mix the dressing mix with the cream cheese and mayonnaise, blend until smooth, spread on top of the baked and cooled crust. Top with the vegetables of your choice. It is best if it has a couple of hours to chill before serving.

Wassail

I have already posted this recipe but it is mixed with some other ones. After serving it for a baby shower and neighborhood gathering I had enough requests for the recipe that I decided to repost it so here it is.

Wassail

2 c. water
1-2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 t. whole cloves

Heat one half hour but don't bring to a boil. Remove the cinnamon and cloves.
Add:
1 c. sugar
1 6 oz. can orange juice concentrate
juice of 1 lemon
6 c. water

Heat thoroughly and serve warm.

(Thanks to my sister Rosemarie for introducing this one to me!)