Caramel Apples

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Caramel ApplesThis month my daughter picked Caramel Apples for pick of the month. I decided to try out a recipe with homemade caramel instead of just melting the little Kraft ones. So as I was enjoying some quiet time with my girls at Chapters I started looking through the Taste of Home Kid Approved Cookbook and found the perfect recipe. In fact, there were so many recipes I wanted to try from said cookbook that I just bought it. Splurge time! Am I ever glad I did! I have enjoyed looking through it many times since, and let me just tell you the caramel recipe on these apples is amazing. And, really not that hard either!

  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed
  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • dash salt
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 12 popsicle sticks
  • 12 medium-sized apples
  • 1 cup salted peanuts, chopped

1. Melt butter in large saucepan. Add brown sugar, corn syrup and salt, stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add sweetened condensed milk.

2. Use your candy thermometer and cook until mixture reaches 248 degrees (firm-ball stage).

3. Jam popsicle sticks into tops of apples and dip apples in caramel sauce. Twirl around a bit so the excess drips off, and immediately dip bottoms in peanuts. Place on cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper.

4. Let cool, eat and enjoy!

 

Broccoli Mac and Cheese with Bacon Potato Topper

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Macaroni CasseroleBroccoli, Bacon , Tater tots, not the usual ingredients you will find in a Mac and Cheese recipe. I was intrigued, plus I had both Mozzarella and Cheddar in my house which is rare, as I usually only have one or the other. So we tried it, we loved it. The only thing I would say is it needed some extra salt and pepper. I did modify the recipe a bit to use what I had and added a few extra bits, changed bacon to bacon bits for less work, but it all worked out really good. I think I will definitely make this again, and it is a huge recipe so there would be plenty if you need a potluck dish, or a dish to serve company. Original recipe from Allrecipes although I did make changes.

  • 450 grams macaroni (8 ounces)
  • 2 cups each, cheddar and mozzarella
  • 3/4 cup real bacon bits
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/4 tsp Cajun seasonings- I would increase this to a full tsp next time
  • salt and pepper- don’t be shy
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp butter
  • 30 frozen tater tots

1. Cook macaroni in salted water until tender but still firm. Drain and pour into a large casserole dish that has been greased.

2. Melt 1 tsp of the butter in skillet, and sauté the broccoli and onion until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

3. While veggies are cooking, crack eggs into large mixing bowl. Whisk with milk, remaining 1 tsp butter and seasonings. Stir in 1 cup of each cheese,10 tater tots,  and vegetables, when they are finished. Pour this mixture on top of macaroni and mix well.

4. Top with remaining 1 cup of each cheese, and top the cheese with the bacon bits. Scatter remaining 20 tater tots on top. Cover.

5. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

6. Eat and enjoy!

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs- Crossiron Mills

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Hot dog and fries- Nathan'sMy husband is taking me on a cruise later this summer, so for Mother’s Day I told him I would like to go dress shopping. So we headed out to CrossIron Mills, or super big mall just outside city limits. Our first stop was Nathan’s Hot Dogs, because as we don’t have one in the city, we have never tried it before. It was pretty good. It is a smaller shop than I was expecting, so it actually doesn’t have the full menu that is on the website, but we all enjoyed our Hot Dogs and fries. The picture above is my son’s cowboy Hot Dog and Bacon Ranch fries, both of which were the best things that were ordered. The homemade Orangeade was really good too making me wish I had ordered the homemade lemonade instead of pop. All in all, it was as lovely lunch, and we will be trying out the Airdrie location sometime, with the full menu. Definitely worth the stop in Crossiron mills, though. Oh, and I did find a dress, so that was a bonus too!
Nathan's Famous Hotdogs on Urbanspoon

French Style Baguettes

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French Style BaguettesToday’s main job will be spring cleaning one girl’s room. This is a mighty job, that will hopefully include many filled garbage bags by the end of the day. Lots to move, lots to clean. Luckily it’s Friday which means frozen pizza night, so not much happening in the kitchen. It was my plan to clean each of the kids rooms really good this spring, possibly talk them into getting rid of some of their beloved stuffies as they are growing up, and probably no longer need the 100 + that are in each of their rooms. Okay 100+ is an exaggeration, but it sure seems like it. Now on to bread, I told you all about my love affair with bread yesterday, so no need to go into it further, I’ll just give you another great recipe I made this week, then we can all enjoy the bread together! Sound good?

Recipe from Allrecipes

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 Tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 Tbsp water

1. Add water, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to bread machine in that order. Choose dough cycle.

2. When dough is done ( mine takes 2 hours) remove from bread machine and place in greased bowl. Flip so both sides of the dough have been greased. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

3. Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll into a 16×12 inch rectangle cut into two, making two 8×12 rectangles. Roll each dough half up into a log and pinch the edges together. Use your hands roll it around so the crease blends into the dough. Cut large diagonal slashes down the top of the loaf. Repeat with remaining half, and place dough on greased baking sheet. Again cover with tea towel and let rise in warm spot for 30 minutes.

4. Mix together egg yolk and water, and brush on to dough. Bake for 25 minutes in 375 degree oven.

5. Eat and enjoy!