Tasha's Crazy Crunch AKA CRACK

Tasha's Crazy Crunch AKA Crack 1 ½ cup sugar ½ cup light karo syrup 2 sticks magarine... 1 tsp vanilla¾ tsp salt mix all above and boil (on candy thermo notch before 250 degrees… or soft ball?? – my mom’s terminology…) I usually bring to a boil for 3-5 mins… mix the following:12 cups cereal (chex, golden grahams, honey comb and any others you want…)1 cup pretzel sticks1 cup peanuts/pecans (if don’t use nuts – then add another ¾ cup of cereal or pretzel sticks) mix sugar mix w/cereal mix and bake on greased cookie sheet for 1 hour at 250 degrees – stirring every 15 mins… place on greased foil to cool and “crisp”

Caramel Corn

Another favorite in my family.  The holidays wouldn't be the same without a few batches of this being made!

6 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup, light or dark
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 250°. Oil or spray a large roasting pan with vegetable cooking spray, regular or butter-flavored. Pour popcorn into the pan. In a heavy pan, slowly melt butter; stir in the brown syrup, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. Gradually pour the syrup over popcorn, stirring to blend well. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool completely and beak apart.

Hint:  I bought one of these microwave poppers earlier this year and I absolutely LOVE it.  A bag of popcorn costs 1.69 on sale, and I have lost count of the number of bowls of popcorn I get out of one bag. Probably around 25.  How much would 25 bags of Microwave popcorn cost?  Plus, the bonus of no chemicals!


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Full Sheet Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

    8 eggs

    2-1/4 cups buttermilk

    2-1/4 cups vegetable oil

    4-1/2 cups white sugar

    2 tablespoons vanilla extract

    2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

    3/4 teaspoon salt

    6 cups all-purpose flour

    2 tablespoons baking soda

    6 cups shredded carrots

    3 cups flaked coconut

    2 1/2  cups chopped pecans (optional)

    1 20 oz cans crushed pineapple with juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, pecans, pineapple.
5. Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
6. Pour into prepared full sheet pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 -1 1/2 hour. Check with toothpick.
7. Allow to cool overnight.
8. The next day,  Ice and decorate cake, allow to sit overnight, serve on the 3rd day.  Taste is SO much better.

My Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Adapted from Libby's Famous pumpkin pie recipe (makes two 9 inch pies)

1 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup light brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice4 large eggs 

2 cans (15 oz.) Pumpkin

 1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk

1 cup (8 ounces) half and half 

2 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shells 

Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

MIX sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, salt,  and pumpkin pie spice in mixing bowl.   Beat eggs in bowl and add to mixing bowl.  Stir in evaporated milk and half and half.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving if desired.

Sugar Cream Pie

1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream
3/4 cup milk
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Pinch nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine sugar, flour together.  Then add cream and milk into the mixing bowl.  Cut butter into small bits, or shred it on cheese grater and mix with ingredients in bowl.  .  , cream, and milk in a mixing bowl. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle with Apple Pie Spice.
 Bake for approximately 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and cook for approximately 45 more minutes. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled. Serve chilled.

Cook's Note: If using a glass baking dish, lower oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/mae-dawsons-hoosier-sugar-cream-pie-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Pecan Pie

My most requested holiday pie, Pecan,  we love it around here.  Wish we would have planted a few trees 20 years ago!
1 pie crust, baked about 5 minutes in 350 degree oven. 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 1/2 cups pecans

Partially bake a 9 inch pie crust, leave oven on 350.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until the butter just starts to turn light brown.

In a medium bowl mix together butter,  sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, Add eggs and mix until smooth. Stir in pecans, making sure they are all coated well, and then slowly pour the filling into the pie crust. 

Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the filling is set. If the edges of the crust begin to turn too brown, briefly remove the pie from the oven and cover the crust with a pie crust shield, or loosely wrap with aluminum foil, then return to the oven. Once the filling is set, remove the pie and let cool completely before slicing.

 Top with whipped cream if desired.

Zuchinni Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil 2 1/4 cups white sugar 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups grated zucchini 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1.	Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.	Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3.	Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
4.	Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.