Ranch Crackers

I made these for Bunco last night. Sooooooooo yummy! They're always a hit!

Ranch Crackers

3/4 cup oil

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp lemon pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

16 oz plain oyster crackers

Whisk together first five ingredients. Pour over crackers, stirring to coat. Place on baking sheet(s) and bake at 275 for 15-20 minutes

Cool and store in airtight container.

*I use olive oil. And I don't use as much as it calls for.

The Butler's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Amazing! This recipe is from my bloggy friend, Barb.

THE BUTLER'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 stick butter, softened but not melted
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons (yes, tablespoons) vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour (a full cup more than the recipe on the package calls for)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375*

Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla with a wooden spoon. Stir in remaining ingredients.

The batter will be stiff, and it should be. Just to make sure it is flavorful, you should try some of the dough. But not too much!

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet (preferably a shiny sheet which gives better results).

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly before removing to a wire rack.

Yield: about 5 dozen normal sized cookies or 3 1/2 dozen ginormous cookies.

Caramel Corn

Caramel Corn

15 cups popped popcorn (plain)
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Divide popcorn between 2 9x13 pans. In medium saucepan over medium heat, cook brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt, stirring occasionally until bubbly around edges. Continue cooking 5 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in baking soda until foamy. Pour over popcorn, stirring until corn is well-coated. Bake uncovered in 200 degree oven, stirring every 15 minutes for 1 hour. Cool and store in airtight container.

Apple Dip

Yummy!

Apple Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine and chill. Serve with sliced apples (granny smith, honeycrisp, and fuji are good varieties).

Simple Apple Bake

Sometimes in the evenings when I want something sweet, but don't want to bake something (cause I'll end up eating all of it) I make this sweet snack. I feel like its sorta healthy too because of the apple and the oats.

Simple Apple Bake

1 apple, fuji is my fave!
1-2 Tbsp butter
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
cinnamon
walnuts (optional)

Cut the apple into wedges, and then into smaller pieces. In oven proof dish, add apples, butter, brown sugar, and oats. Sprinkle with cinnamon and walnuts. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes. Stir well, and enjoy. It's good with ice cream on top too!

You can also microwave this, which is much faster, and is how I make it in the summer when I don't want to turn the oven on! I like the way it smells though when it's baking in the oven. Heavenly

Ooey-Gooey Sandwiches

A great kids snack...

Ooey-Gooey Sandwiches

whole wheat bread
peanut butter
chocolate chips
butter

Spread peanut butter on two slices of bread. Add 8-10 (or more) chocolate chips per sandwich. Lightly butter the outside of the bread and cook on hot griddle until the chocolate chips melt.

This is a great after school snack...the chocolate satisfies their sugar craving, and the protein/grains satisfy mom!

Cereal Snack Bars

I got this recipe years ago at a MOPS meeting and it's still one of our favorites. It was explained to me at the time that it uses ingredients from 4 food groups (grains, protein, milk and fruit) and therefore is a healthy snack. It's got a lot of sugar in it too, but I guess it's better than some of the store-bought alternatives.

Cereal Snack Bars

6 Tbsp margarine
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup nonfat dry mil
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup raisins
3 1/2 cups Cheerios

Butter a square pan (9x9x2). In large saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over low heat, stirring constantly. Stir in peanut butter. Remove from heat and stir in milk and cinnamon. Fold in raisins and cereal. With buttered hands, pat in pan.

*I usually double this.
*Also, this is great in lunchboxes as a sweet treat!

Smoothies

YUM! We make these almost every morning at our house. If not for a breakfast drink, then for a mid-afternoon pick-me up. So yummy and so good for you.

Strawberry Pineapple Banana Smoothie

5-6 strawberries
1 banana, peeled
1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple chunks
1 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt (I love Horizon or Dannon)
6 ice cubes

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. YUMMY! Makes about 2-3 cups.
If we have extra I'll pour it into popsicle molds and freeze for a cool treat later.

Orange Pineapple Smoothie

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup fresh or canned pineapple chunks
1 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
6 ice cubes

Blend together.

Sometimes I experiment with whatever fruit I have on hand. Blueberries and raspberries are yummy. Bananas go well with almost anything too. I always keep canned pineapple in my pantry and yogurt in my fridge so we can have 'em whenever the mood strikes. Enjoy!