microwave caramels.

if i had known sooner how easy these are to make, i would be a much plumper individual. i'm going to have to limit myself to how often i can use this recipe... :)

ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup pecans, optional

directions:

spray 8x8 pan with Pam. combine all ingredients in a large glass bowl. stir well. cook, uncovered, in microwave on high for 7 minutes. allow to cool for 5 minutes. stir again. pour into pan. cool completely in refrigerator. cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper. {to make as a dip for apples, reduce cooking time by one minute.}

and then immediately share them before you eat them all by yourself.

note:

i burned my first batch. in my microwave i only needed to cook it for 5 minutes.

sausage frittata.

this was our general conference breakfast on sunday. i didn't have a non-stick skillet, so it took lots of elbow grease to scrub the remains out of my pan, but it was worth it :)

ingredients:

1/2- 1 lb ground pork sausage

2 cups cubed cooked red potatoes (i used frozen hash browns bc i was lazy)

8 eggs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato

2 green onions, thinly sliced

directions:

cook sausage in large non-stick skillet over medium heat 4-5 minutes or until hot. stir in potatoes. beat eggs, cheese, salt & pepper in a large bowl with wire whisk. pour over sausage mixture. cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes, occasionally lifting edge with spatula and tilting skillet to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath. (do not stir.) reduce heat to medium-low; cover. cook 14-17 minutes or until eggs are set. top with tomato and onions. cut into 8 wedges to serve.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't like Cream Cheese?! My husband's cousin posted the recipe of these cookies on Facebook and I just HAD to make them. And want to know the best part? Eggs are not required!! So feel free to feed your kids all the dough you want with no worries!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 5-6 oz cream cheese, softened
  
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups plus 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment

Cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the Vanilla.

Sift together dry ingredients and then add them to the butter mixture. Beat until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

*original recipe suggests chilling the dough overnight but I made them right away

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are looking light golden brown.

Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets before moving to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes approximately 60 cookies.

***With it being autumn now, I just thought of putting a little bit of cinnamon in it next time I make this batch. Sounds enticing!!

Enjoy!

[Cook Challenge: Fruits Of Your Labors] GARDEN SALSA

fruits of my labor . . . dish #2

Hate salsa?  Me neither!  I love it!! :)  And if you are a big fan, like myself, you'll love this garden salsa recipe from my cute sister-in-law, Bonnie.  It's perfect.  And a fantastic way to use your fresh produce from your garden to share with others.  (FYI: I used my own green peppers and tomatoes from my garden!)

ingredients
2 1/2 c. tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c. tomatillos, chopped
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. green peppers, chopped
2-6 jalapenos, chopped (how spicy do you like it? you can de-seed if needed)
1 lrg clove of garlic, minced
2 T cilantro, chopped
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)

instructions
Combine everything in a large bowl.  I suggest doubling it.  You'll bring out the best flavor if you let everything marinate together in the fridge before serving.

Eclair Pie

Oh my gosh can you say Heaven! This was delicious a little rich, so you can only have so much, but taste so much like an eclair, which I love! This recipe also comes from real mom kitchen...thank you again Laura this one is a keeper. original recipe posted here.

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant french vanilla pudding mix (I used regular vanilla)
• 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package graham crackers or 3 sleeves
• Frosting:
• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp milk or more if needed

1. In a bowl, blend together the pudding for 2 minutes until thick.
2. Fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mixture.
3. In a 9 x 13 pan, arrange graham cracker to cover the bottom of a the pan. I am kind of a perfectionist about this and trim down some of the graham crackers with a serrated knife to completely cover the bottom. Just cover the bottom the best you can.
4. Pour half of the pudding mixture over the crackers and spread out evenly.
5. Top pudding with another layer of graham crackers. Pour the remaining pudding mixture over the crackers and spread evenly.
6. Place one more layer of graham crackers over the pudding mixture.
7. Prepare the frosting. In a bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.
8. Beat in the cocoa, vanilla, and half the powdered sugar until well blended.
9. Blend in the remaining powdered sugar and milk. Blend until smooth. You want the frosting to be on the thinner side so add some more milk if needed. You want it closer to a glaze but still thick.
10. Spread the frosting over the last layer of graham crackers in the 9 x 13 pan.
11. Refrigerate the pie for at least 2 hours but overnight or even longer is best. You need to let the pudding mixture soften the graham crackers.