Hot Buttered Rum

Difficulty: **

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. butter (not margarine)
• 1 lb. brown sugar
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1 qt vanilla ice cream, softened

Mix Prep:

1. Mix butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar.
2. Add nutmeg, cinnamon and then blend with softened ice cream. Makes a little more than 2 quarts.
3. Store in the freezer in a freezer friendly container.
4. Remove from freezer and soften before making hot buttered rum.

Drink Prep:

1. Make hot water. Get a coffee mug.
2. Put 1-2 Tablespoons of Buttered Rum Batter in Mug (to taste).
3. Add 1 Shot of Rum (to taste).
4. Fill the rest of the mug with hot water. Stir.
5. Enjoy!

Lil' Smokies

Difficulty: *

Ingredients:

• 2 pkgs Little Smokies Sausages - Jimmy Dean or Hormel
• 1 bottle Honey BBQ Sauce (or other BBQ sauce flavor of your choosing)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. catsup

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients in a crockpot or baking dish.
2. In crockpot, simmer on medium for 2 hours. In oven, cook at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Set toothpicks near the finished dish to help your guests pick out one at a time.

Serves 8-10.

Super Bowl Nachos

Difficulty: *

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• Mexican seasoning
• 1 pkg. Velveeta
• 1 can Rotelle
  
• 1 large bag nacho chips
• 1 15 oz. can of vegetarian refried beans
• 1 c. of Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
  
• 1 small can sliced black olives
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 bunch green onion tops, sliced
  
• 1 c. salsa

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef, mixing in Mexican seasoning to taste.
3. Prepare Queso topping, melting Velveeta while stirring consistently to prevent burning. Stir Rotelle into Velveeta and allow to simmer.
4. Open bag of chips and spread on a large cookie sheet. Scoop refried beans across chips. Sprinkle cooked ground beef across chips and beans. Pour 1/2 of melted Queso mixture over all the chips. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese.
5. Place cookie sheet in the oven for 9 minutes.
6. Dice tomato and red onion. Chop green onion tops. Drain water from can of olives.
7. Remove cookie sheet from oven and transfer warmed chips to a serving tray. Sprinkle diced tomatoes, red onion, olives, and green onions over the chips. Dollop sour cream on top, to taste. Place salsa, and remaining sour cream and Queso in a dish and serve on the side for dipping.
   

Go TEAM!!

Serves 10-12.

Taco Dip

Difficulty level: *

Ingredients:

• 1 medium can refried beans
• 1/2 c. mayo or Miracle whip
• 1 c. of sour cream
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 2 8 oz. pkgs shredded cheese - your choice
• 3 green onions
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 can medium diced olives

Method:

1. Mix together the refried beans, mayo, sour cream and taco seasoning and put in the dish you want to serve it in. Flat 8x8 or 9x13 pans work best.
2. Spread a layer of shredded cheese over the top.
3. Dice onions and tomatoes.
4. Spread onions, tomatoes, and diced olives over the shredded cheese.
5. To finish top again with shredded cheese.
6. Serve with Doritos, corn chips, or Tostidos.

Serves 10-12.

Oops Brownies

Difficulty: **

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow cream

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons milk, more if needed
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Combine flour and cocoa; gradually add to creamed mixture.
4. Fold in the pecans.
5. Fold in the the marshmallow cream to the batter.
6. Transfer to a greased 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 43 to 48 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely (cake will fall in the center).
7. For frosting, in a mixing bowl, cream butter.
8. Beat in confectioners' sugar, cocoa, vanilla and enough milk to achieve frosting consistency.
9. Fold in pecans.
10. Spread over cooled brownies. Store in the refrigerator.

Serves 1 - 20 - depends if you want to share!

WADF Meatloaf

Difficulty: **

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg McComick's Meatloaf Seasoning
• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/4 of dry bread crumbs or 2 slices of soft bread, torn into small pieces
• 1/4 cup of diced onions (optional)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup of catsup

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix beef, seasoning mix, egg, milk, bread crumbs, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper in a large bowl until well blended.
3. Spray a 9 x 13 or 8 x 4 loaf pan with Pam.
4. Shape meat mixture into an 8 x 4 shape and place in pan. Cover top with catsup.
5. Bake in oven for one hour. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serves 4-6.

Gopher Holes

Difficulty: *

Ingredients:

• 2 c. flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 heaping tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. milk
  

Method:

1. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together into a medium bowl.
2. Add milk gradually, folding into dry mixture to form a dough.
3. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into strips and then squares.
4. Cook in deep fryer or in pan of boiling oil. Remove when golden brown.

Tips:

• For a dessert-like twist, pieces can be dipped in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar when first removed from oil.
  

Makes about 4 dozen pieces.

Texas Jalapeno Jelly

Difficulty: ***
Due to use with jalapeno peppers and with care in handling

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh green jalapenos
• 2 fresh red jalapenos
• 2 cups of cider vinegar
• 6 cups of sugar
• 6 ounces of liquid fruit pectin
• 2 drops green food coloring

Equipment:

• 5 - 1/2 pint jars with new canning lids and bands
• 1 water canner or deep pot with bottom rack
• 1 small pot

Method:

1. Fill canner or deep pot with enough water to cover the jars with 1 inch of water.
2. Place empty jars in hot water to sterilize.
3. Finely chop jalapenos and sprinkle in with cider vinegar in a small pot. Heat vinegar to boiling, slowly stirring in sugar. Boil for 12 minutes, constantly stirring to keep from boiling over until all sugar is dissolved.
4. Remove hot empty jars from boiling water and dry thoroughly.
5. Slowly stir pectin in to the boiling vinegar solution. Add the food coloring to desired color.
6. While jars are still hot, pour in hot jelly, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Place lids and bands on jars. Do not overly tighten.
7. Place closed jars into boiling canner or pot with bottom rack to keep jars from sealing to bottom and breaking. Be sure the water in the canner covers the lids of the jars.
8. Boil the sealed jars for approximately 11 minutes. Remove jars and place on a cooling rack or towel until cool. Allow to cool for 12 - 24 hours before testing the seals. If the seal does not take, you may utilize new seals and redo the process. Enjoy!

Tips:

• Serve with Ritz Crackers and Cream Cheese for tasty bite-sized morsels.
• The amount of heat in the jelly depends on how many seeds are left in the jelly. If you want spicy, leave the majority of the jalapeno seeds in the jelly. To have a more mild jelly remove the seeds from the Jalapenos.

Cheesy Bacon Crackers

Difficulty: *

Ingredients:

• 1 pound thin-sliced bacon
  
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
  
• 30-40 club crackers

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Cut each bacon slice in half.
3. Sprinkle the top of the cracker with a generous pinch of cheese.
4. Wrap bacon around cracker, overlapping on the bottom of the cracker.
5. Place 1/2 inch apart in a glass or metal baking dish.
6. Cook for 2 hours or until bacon is thoroughly cooked.
   

Tips:

• Use your best judgement in slicing the bacon; for extra long pieces, you can slice into thirds instead of halves.
• Do not use a flat baking sheet as bacon grease will leak off while cooking.
• These can be frozen after cooking for up to 2 months. To reheat, simply place in an oven heated to 200 degrees and heat until thawed and mildly warm.
  

Makes approximately 3 dozen bacon crackers.

Mix-n-Match Vegetable Soup

Difficulty: ***

Choose 4 or 5:

• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 3 green onions
• 4 stalks celery
• 2 cans green beans
• 2 cans kidney beans
• 6 large carrots
• 2 green peppers

Add:

• 1 package Lipton Chicken Noodle Cup of Soup
• 6 cups chicken OR beef broth
• 3 cups water

Season with:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Parsley

Method:

1. After choosing 4-5 vegetables, cut all to bite-sized pieces.
2. Boil vegetables in water and broth for 10 minutes.
3. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes and serve.

Tips:

• Fresh vegetables can be substituted for any canned vegetables.
• If using more than 4 or 5 vegetables, add another 1/2 cup of broth and 1/4 cup of water per vegetable.
• Any noodle you prefer can be substituted for the Lipton Cup of Soup.

Serves 6.