Peanut Brittle

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
3 T butter
1 lb unsalted Spanish peanuts

Heat oven to 200 F. Grease cookie sheet with butter; keep warm in oven. In small bowl, mix baking soda, 1 tsp water and the vanilla; set aside.  In 3-quart saucepan, mix sugar, 1 cup water and the corn syrup.  Cook over medium heat about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to 240 F on candy thermometer.  Stir in butter and peanuts.  Cook over medium heat about 13 minutes stirring constantly, to 300 F.  Immediately remove from heat.  Quickly stir in baking soda mixture until light and foamy.  Pour onto cookie sheet and quickly spread about 1/4 inch think with buttered spatula.  Cool completely and then break into pieces.

Strawberry Shortcake

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla, divided
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup mini or regular chocolate chips
16 oz sour cream
2 eggs
2 cups cool whip
Strawberries, rinsed and halved

Heat oven to 350. Grease 9-inch springform pan(I just used a normal dark pan). Beat 1/2 cup sugar and butter in large bowl.  Add 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla; beat until creamy.  Gradually add flour and baking powder, beating until smooth; stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Press mixture onto bottom of pan.  Stir together sour cream, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and remaining 1 tsp vanilla in medium bowl.  Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Pour over mixture in pan.  Bake 50-55 minutes until almost set in center and edges are slightly brown.  Cool completely on wire rack; spread cool whip over top.  Cover and refrigerate.  Top with sliced strawberries when serving.

Chili

1lb hamburger
1 pkg chili seasoning
3-4 (15oz) cans pork and beans
1-2 (15oz) cans red kidney beans
1 onion
1 cup ketchup
1/2-3/4 cup V8 juice

Brown hamburger with onion. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer until bubbly.

This is the easiest and most delicious chili I have ever had!!  I never really thought I was a big chili lover but this was/is so good that we make it year round, not just in the fall and winter.

Wagon Wheel Cookies

1/2 cup oil
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar

With a double broiler, melt chocolate and cool to room temperature. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix together oil, chocolate and sugar; mix well to fully incorporate ingredients. Blend in eggs, in fourths, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients. Place covered in fridge and chill several hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Shape dough into balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cinnamon Jumbles

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Cream shortening, egg, and sugar until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, soda, and salt. Drop in cookie sheet. Sprinkle tops with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake at 350 for about 9-10 minutes.

Ice Cream Cake

1 package oreo's
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1/2 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 square baking unsweetened chocolate
ice cream
whip cream

Make crust out of crushed oreo's and butter. Flatten on bottom of pan and refrigerate 30 minutes. In saucepan combine milk, sugar, butter, chocolate and cook on medium heat about 8-10 minutes. Cool completely. Cut ice cream into even chunks and lay on top of crust layer. Then layer with chocolate sauce. Freeze for 45 minutes. Add whip cream and garnish with chocolate savings.

Caramel Corn

1 cube butter
1 cup karo syrup
2 cups brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 bags popcorn

Begin popping popcorn in the microwave. Once bags have cooled slightly, slowly empty into a large bowl while sifting out any unpopped kernels.

Add butter, syrup and sugar in medium saucepan over med/high heat and boil two minutes.  Add condensed milk and bring back to a boil. Once boiling again, add the vanilla.  Pour carmel sauce over popcorn and quickly stir until evenly coated.

Beware, this makes a GIANT batch but you just might want it all because it is so delicious.

Chantell's Christmas Salad

1 head lettuce
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 head red leaf lettuce
8 oz sliced almonds, lightly browned
1 lb bacon fried crisp and crumbled
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Wash, dry and tear lettuce into bite-size pieces. Combine other ingredients and lay on top. Mix right before serving.

Dressing:
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 tsp dried mustard
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups sugar
3 tsp salt
2 cups oil

Place all ingredients, except oil, in blender.  While blender is mixing, slowly add the oil.

Seriously this salad is sooo delicious.  Obviously it makes a ton with three heads of lettuce so if you are making it for a smaller family size, I would quarter the recipe.  No matter what, you have to try the dressing...it is AMAZING!!!

Jamaican Jerk Pork

2 1/2 lbs pork

Seasoning:
1/2 onion
1/2 cup green onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2-1 habanero pepper

Jerk marinade:
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground pimento
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp pepper

Rub in seasoning on pork. Leave for 1/2 an hour.  Rub on jerk marinade and leave to marinate for at least 5 hours (overnight is best). Prepare grill and barbeque pork until cooked or put in hot oven at 400* for about 20 minutes. Lower temperature and allow to cook slowly until done.

We normally chop our PORK into small pieces before we season and marinate.  The next day we skewer the meat with veggies and grill it up for kabobs.  Very yummy and authentic!