Abracadabra Bars

These are new, I've not made them yet.  But the seem fool proof and sound delicious!

48 RITZ Crackers, divided

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.  Arrange 16 of the crackers in single layer on bottom of greased 9-inch square baking pan. Coarsely crush 20 of the remaining crackers; sprinkle over cracker layer in pan.

3.  Cover with layers of coconut, chocolate chips and walnuts. Coarsely crush remaining 12 crackers; sprinkle over walnut layer. 4. Drizzle evenly with the condensed milk.

5.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set and top is golden brown.

Crockpot Chicken Chili

This is great to prepare and freeze, then cook day of :)

1 medium yellow onion (one cup), chopped

1, 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1, 15oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1, can Rotel Chili Fixin's

1, can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup frozen medley of green & red peppers & onion strips

1 2/3 cup frozen corn

1 package McCormick Chicken Chili mix

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

To Prepare:
Place onion, 2 cans of beans, 2 cans of tomatoes, frozen pepper medley, and corn into a gallon-sized plastic freezer bag. Add seasonings. Add chicken. (It’s important to add the meat last so it’s the first ingredient to go into your slow cooker.)
Remove as much air as you can, and lay bag flat in your freezer. (If you have a standard freezer, the “use by” date will be 3 months from now.)


To Cook:
Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.
Add to slow cooker and cook on low for 10-12 hrs or until chicken is tender.

Death By Chocolate Cookies

• 1 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

 

Melt the 8 ounces of chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla. Set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Beat in the sugars.

Mix in the beaten egg/vanilla until incorporated. Add the chocolate and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients on slow speed. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Scoop about 2 Tbsp of dough and roll into a ball. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies have just begun to set with the centers still appearing very soft. They will firm up as they cool.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Turtle Cookie Bars

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened

Topping:
1 cup pecan halves or chopped pecans
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup milk chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 3 ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Pat mixture firmly into an ungreased 13x9 inch pan.

Arrange pecans over crust.

Combine 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate morsels. Let stand 2-3 minutes or until slightly melted. Gently swirl chocolate with a knife, leaving some morsels whole (do not spread). Let cool on a wire rack at room temperature until chocolate is set. Cut into squares.

Pineapple Sangria

Oh this sounds so amazing for summer nights spent grilling on the deck!

3 cups pineapple juice
1 bottle dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup brandy (pear brandy or apricot brandy will work)
1 ripe pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup pineapple soda (or 7up)
1 bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 orange, sliced
 

In a pitcher, combine the juice, wine, brandy, pineapple, and soda with ice and stir. Pour into large wineglasses and garnish with the mint and orange.

Corn Casserole

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1(14 3/4 oz) can of cream corn

1 (8oz) package Jiffy corn bread mix

1 cup of sour cream

1/2 cup of butter melted

1 to 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar

 

Preheat oven 350 degrees, grease a 9x13 baking dish or a large casserole dish.  Mix together the corn, jiffy, sour cream and butter in a large bowl, next stir in the cheese. Pour mix into baking dish.  Bake for 55 minutes, or until golden brown , let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

2 - cups all purpose flour
1 - teaspoon baking powder
1/2 - teaspoon salt
5 - tablespoons vegetable shortening or lard
3/4 - cup hot water

 

Directions:
In a large bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder and shortening. Using you fingers cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles pea size pieces.

Add the hot water and mix together using your hands or a wooden spoon until the mixtures starts to form. Knead on a floured surface for 5 - 10 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and elastic.  Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough into a covered bowl and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.  Pinch off the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into golf ball size ball. Place the balls back into the bowl and cover and let the dough balls rest for 20 minutes.

Preheat your griddle or cast iron pan on med - high heat. Flatten each dough ball a bit and then Roll out on a floured surface forming a circle.

To make a round shape roll out the dough and then make a 1/4 of a turn of the circle and then roll and make another 1/4 of a turn. Keep doing this until the dough is rolled out to 1/8 inch thick.  Your tortillas should be thin rather than thick. Place onto the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly. Flip and continue cooking the other side. Each side should cook about 30 seconds.

Keep the cooked tortillas warm while you continue rolling and cooking the remaining tortillas.