Mini Toffee Rolls

 

6 tablespoon butter,softened
1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup English toffee bits

2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup confectioners' sugar

4-1/2 teaspoons 2% milk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Photo Courtesy of Taste of Home

In a small bowl, cream thebutter, brown sugar and cinnamon until light and fluffy. Stir in the toffee bits.

Separate each tube of crescent dough into four rectangles; seal perforations. Spread evenly with butter mixture. Roll up each rectangle jelly-roll style, starting with a long side.

Cut each into six 1-in. slices; place cut side down into two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. Bake at 375° for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Yield: 4 dozen.

Winter Beef Stew

1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, cut into chunks
3 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium onions, quartered
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, halved
1 can reduced sodium beef broth
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 bacon strip, cooked and crumbled

In a dutch oven, cook meat and chopped onion in oil over medium high heat until meat is browned on all sides. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add the potatoes, carrots, quartered onions and mushrooms.

In a small bowl, combine the broth, apple juice, tomato paste, parsley, bay leaves, salt, thyme and pepper. Pour over meat.

Cover and bake at 325F for 2 hours. Stir. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes or longer or until stew reaches desired thickness. Discard bay leaves; sprinkle with bacon.



Toffee Brownie Trifle

1 package fudge brownie mix (13x9 inch pan size)
2 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix
1 package instant white chocolate pudding mix
1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
2-3 Heath candy bars, chopped

Prepare and bake brownies according to package directions for cake-like brownies, using a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set. Fold in whipped topping.

Cut the brownies into 1 inch cubes; place half in a 3 quart glass trifle bowl or serving dish. Cover with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with chopped candy bars. Refrigerate leftovers.



Side Note: I use Skor bars instead of Heath bars. 

One Pot Chili

1 pound ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
1 can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups uncooked multigrain penne pasta
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion and pepper in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the water, beans, broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender; stirring occasionally. Serve with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro.

Pork Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce

1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pork tenderloin
2 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
HORSERADISH SAUCE
2 tablespoons fat free mayonnaise
2 tablespoon reduced fat sour cream
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Dash salt and pepper

In a small bowl, combine the steak seasoning, rosemary and thyme, rub over meat. Using the point of a sharp knife make eight slits in the tenderloin. Insert garlic into the slits. Place meat on a rack in a foil-lined shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with vinegar and oil.

Bake uncovered at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients, chill until serving. Serve with pork.

Side Note: I cooked the meat for about 50 minutes because the meat was still pink at 40 minutes.

Peaches and Cream French Toast

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 can (28oz.) sliced peaches, drained
1 loaf day old french bread, cubed
1 package cream cheese (8oz.), cubed
12 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, pour into a greased 13x9 inch baking dish.

Arrange peaches in dish. Place half of the bread cubes over peaches. Layer with cream cheese and reamining bread. Place eggs, cream and vanilla in blender, cover and process until smooth. Pour over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered at 350F for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.

Side Note: I did not use all 12 eggs for this dish (used 8) nor did I use all of the bread (used about 3/4 of the loaf). I did fill my baking dish without these additional ingredients and it made a fairly big portion. I baked it for 60 minutes.

Hot and Fresh out of the oven.

Country Skillet Goulash

1 pound ground beef
1 can (28oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
I medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cups cooked macaroni

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

In a large skillet, cook beef until no longer pink. Drain. Stir in the tomatoes, soup, corn, green peppers, onion and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in macaroni and heat through.





Apricot Glazed Ham

1 boneless fully cooked ham
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 cups apple cider or juice
1/4 cup apricot preserves
3 tablespoons mango chutney
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup packed brown sugar

Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes 1/2 inch deep; insert a clove in each diamond. Pour cider into pan.

In a small saucepan, combine the preserves, chutney and mustard. Cook and stir over medium heat until preserves are melted; brush over ham. Press brown sugar onto ham.

Bake uncovered at 325F for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 140, basting occasionally with pan drippings.  Cover loosely with foil if ham browns too quickly. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Got this recipe from another site Baked by Joanna.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bakedbyjoanna.com%2F&h=qAQGTLIBq

Serves 36

Ingredients

3 cups white sugar
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the sugar, pumpkin, oil, water and eggs together until smooth. Whisk in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking soda and salt until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Fill the lined muffin pans with batter half full and bake for 22-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a rack to cool completely.

Ranch Snack Mix

1 package miniature pretzels
2 packages (6 ounces) Bugles
1 can (10 ounces) salted cashews
1 package (6 ounces) bite-size cheddar cheese fish crackers
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
3/4 cup canola oil

In two large bowls, combine pretzels, Bugles, cashews and crackers. Sprinkle with the ranch dressing mix; toss gently to combine. Drizzle with oil; toss until well coated. Store in air-tight containers.

Side Note: I had to stop making this mix because I couldn't find Bugles anywhere. I went Christmas shopping to Walmart and found them there. I was so excited to find them because I love this snack mix. So good.

Caramel Chocolate Trifle

1 package devil's food cake mix
2 packages instant chocolate pudding
1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 jar caramel ice cream topping
1 package English toffee bits or almond brickle chips

Prepare and bake cake according to package directions for 8 inch baking pan. Cool on a wire rack. Prepare pudding according to package directions.

Cut cake into cubes, place half of the cubes into a 3 quart trifle bowl or large glass serving bowl, lightly press down to fill in gaps. Top with half of the whipped topping, pudding, caramel topping and toffee bits; repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate until serving.