Cheerio Treat

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups Cheerios

Directions:
1. In a large sauce pan, combine sugar and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat.
3. Add peanut butter and vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth.
4. Add Cheerios and mix until all coated.
5. Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool.

(We just re-heated in the microwave once they got a little hard)

Jello Popcorn Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup corn syrup, light
1 cup sugar
1 pkg jello (any flavor)
1 cup un-popped corn
Directions:
1. Pop popcorn in an air popper and set aside.
2.  Combine corn syrup, sugar and jello and boil for 3 minutes.
3.  Pour mixture over popcorn and shape into balls.

Change flavor for different holidays.

Pepperoni Pizza Cups

Ingredients:
1 tube of refrigerator biscuits
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese, diced or shredded
Pepperoni slices
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Dried basil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Cut each biscuit in half then press the dough into the bottom and sides of the muffin tin.  Repeat with the remaining dough.
3.  Spoon sauce into each cup. Place diced (or shredded) mozzarella cheese into the cups followed by a few slices of pepperoni.
4. Finally add a bit more mozzarella if desired, then sprinkle the tops with Parmesan cheese and dried oregano.
5.  Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.

found at: http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Mini Monkey Breads

Ingredients:
12 Rhodes Dinner rolls, thawed, but still cold
1 stick of butter, melted
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Icing: (I double this)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp butter, melted
1-2 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Cut each diner rolls into 6 equal pieces, In a bowl, combine butter and corn syrup and stir until well mixed.
2.  In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Dip each roll piece in the butter mixture and then in the sugar mixture.
3.  Place 6 pieces in each well sprayed cup of a 12 cup muffin tin. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size. (Watch them so they don't rise too much.)
4.  Remove wrap and bake at 250 15-20 minutes. Combine icing ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over monkey bread if desired.
5.  Cool at least 5-10 minutes before removing from pan, or they will fall apart.

found at: http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Banana, Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
10-12 fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2.  In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.
3.  In a separate bowl, combine the flower, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined.  Add most of the diced strawberries and most of the chocolate chips, then gently mix them into the batter.
4.  Spoon the batter evenly into each  muffin tin.  Place the remaining strawberries and chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
5.  Place into the oven and bake 18-20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
6.  Let the muffins cool on a rack. Slather with butter and enjoy.

found recipe at http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Mummy Dogs

• Ingredients:
• 2 8-ounce cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 14 5- to 6-inch hot dogs
• mustard

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 F.

2. Unroll each can of crescent rolls, then separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles from each can. With scissors, cut each rectangle into 7 long strips, making a total of 28 strips from each can of dinner rolls (56 strips total).

3. Wrap 4 strips of dough around each hot dog to look like bandages, stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2-inch from one end of each hot dog, separate the bandages so hot dog shows through for the "face." Place wrapped hot dogs on two baking sheets and bake until until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Using mustard, draw features on face.

Avocado, Tomato and Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and olive oil. To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Pizza Mummies

Ingredients:

English muffins

• Pizza sauce
  
• Black olives
  
• Scallions
  
• Red or green pepper
  
• Cheese sticks or slices

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350º F. For
    each mummy, spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an English muffin (toast it first, if you like).
   
   
   
2. Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils.
   
   
   
3. Lay strips of cheese (we used a pulled-apart cheese stick) across the muffin for the mummy?s wrappings.
   
   
   
4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty.
   
   
   

Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:

1/4 cup light margarine

4 cups miniature marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Directions:

1.In a large saucepan, melt the margarine on low heat.

2.When margarine is melted, add the marshmallows and stir until they are all melted.

3.Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies.

4.Pat the mixture into a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
5.Cool and cut into squares.

Serves 16

Creamy Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

4 ounces light cream cheese (half of an 8 oz block)

3 to 4 tablespoons nonfat milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Assorted fruit, cut into pieces

Directions:

1.Soften up the cream cheese on the counter, or in the microwave for a few seconds.

2.Measure the milk into the cream cheese.

(use 4 tablespoons if you like it on the thinner side, use 3 tablespoons if you like your dip thicker.)

3. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar.

4.Beat everything together until it is smooth.

5.Serve it in a bowl surrounded by seasonal fruit.

Serves 6

Pizza Sticks

Ingredients:

• 8 slices white bread, crusts removed
  
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• 16 leaves basil
  
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (or Olive Oil)
• 2 cups prepared tomato or pizza sauce, warmed
• 
  
• Directions:
• 1. Lay out the slices of bread and smoosh them down lightly with a rolling pin.
• 2. Lay some cheese and two leaves of basil down onto each slice and roll them up, pressing them with the seam down so they stay closed.
• 3. Brush the outside of each sandwich lightly with melted butter and transfer to a baking sheet.
• 4. Bake until golden brown and the cheese has melted, 10-12 minutes. 5. Serve with warm tomato sauce as a dipper alongside

Weiner Winks

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) pkg hot dogs
8 slices processed American cheese
8 slices bread
butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Take one slice of bread and butter one side. Turn the bread over and place a slice of cheese on the bread. Place a hot dog diagonally on the cheese. Fold bread corner to corner around the hot dog. Insert a toothpick to hold together. Repeat for the remaining hot dogs.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.