Sticky, Chewy, Crunchy Goodness...

Popcorn "Cake"
(from Jen L.)

This is a fun, easy thing to make for a party anytime of the year (you can just buy the M&M's that go with the appropriate season!) Warning: Not for those who don't like to get their hands sticky while making food! This is definitely a hands on project!

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) bag of mini marshmallows
20 Kraft caramels
1/4 cup of butter, cut into small cubes
10 cups of popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups of peanuts
1 cup of M&Ms

Directions:

Grease a bunt pan or other container you would like to use.
Pop the popcorn and place in large bowl.
In a glass bowl, microwave marshmallows, caramels and butter (uncovered) for 3 minutes, stirring halfway through (I had to do mine a little bit longer to make sure the caramels were completely melted). Just a note - this makes THE most sticky substance I have EVER come in contact with!
Add the melted mixture to the popcorn and stir well.
Stir in peanuts and M&Ms and press into greased pan. (I put butter on my hands to help keep myself from getting entirely caught up in the goo!) =)
Let cool, invert on a plate and cut into slices with a serrated knife.

Two kinds of chocolate + oreos =

Chocolate Cookie Bark
(kraftfoods.com)

This bark has only four ingredients, is a snap to make and is sooo yummy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S White Chocolate, melted

10 OREO Cookies, crumbled, divided

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Directions:

Add peanut butter to melted white chocolate; stir until well blended. Stir 1/2 the cookies into each bowl of melted chocolate.

Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet, alternating colors of chocolates. Swirl with kife.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces.

Pumpkin Pie with a difference...

Turtle Pumpkin Pie
(kraftfoods.com)

This pie is a great twist on the traditional pumpkin pie... it's creamy filling, combined with caramel and nuts, topped with whipped cream is amazing!


Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping, divided

1 HONEY MAID Graham Pie Crust

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Pecan Pieces, divided

1 cup cold milk

2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided

Directions:

Pour 1/4 cup caramel topping into crust; sprinkle with 1/2 cup pecans.

Beat milk, pudding mixes, pumpkin and spices with whisk until blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP. Spread into crust.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Top with remaining COOL WHIP, caramel topping and pecans just before serving.

A new idea for Sweet Potatoes...

Sweet Potato Biscuits
(taken from Wonder time magazine)

This isn't a dessert, but was something new and different I decided to try and is a great new sweet potato side dish!

Ingredients:

2 to 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

Heat oven to 400. Scrub sweet potatoes, prick several times with a fork, and microwave them until tender, at least 10 minutes. Slice in half and scoop the hot flesh out of the skins, add to a mixing bowl, along with the butter. Using an electric mixer, whip together potatoes and butter until well combined, about two minutes. Beat in sugars, salt and spices. Let mixture cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile stir together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add flour mixture to potato mixture and use a fork to combine well. You may have to knead the dough a bit by hand at the end. (My dough was actually quite soft... I may have used a little too much sweet potato, so I just added more flour, until it seemed "doughy" enough). On a floured surface, roll or pat the dough into an 8x8 inch square about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out 2 inch square biscuits. (Making them square means you can use all the dough in one go, rather than rerolling it).

Place the dough squares 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake until they're golden brown on the bottom and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Ice Cream Cake

OREO and Fudge Ice Cream Cake
(kraftfoods.com)

There are lots of variations of ice cream cakes that can be made using ice cream bars... here's one that has Oreo and a yummy, chocolate fudgy layer!

Recipe:

Click here

For the cream cheese lover...

Banana Nut Roll
(taken from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)

This takes more time and effort than most desserts I make, but is definitely worth it! With a cream cheese filling And cream cheese glaze, it's pretty awesome!

This recipe is fairly detailed and a bit long, so instead of typing it all out, I decided to just have you click here instead! =)

Great cake!

Apple Dapple Cake
(recipe from my neighbor, Myrtle)

This is an easy, delicious cake that would be great served hot for breakfast, or for dessert or for a snack!

Ingredients:

Combine

1.5 cups of oil
3 eggs
2 cups of sugar
2 tsp. of vanilla

Add:

3 cups of flour
1 tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of salt
2 to 3 tsp. of cinnamon
3 cups of chopped apples (or raisins)
1 cup of chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Mix all together and pour into greased 13X9 pan.
Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

If you like, you can add a sweet topping:

1 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of butter

Heat and pour over cake while still hot.