Christmas Crack

Ingredients

1 cup butter (NOT margarine - original recipe calls for unsalted butter but I've used both)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400.
2. Line 12x17 cookie sheet with foil and spray well with cooking spray.
3. Layer the saltine crackers on top of the foil.
4. Heat butter and sugar on stovetop and heat until gently boiling, stirring constantly.
5. Reduce heat to very low boiling and cook, uncovered, 3 minutes, until the mixture is thickened and sugar is dissolved. (Be careful to avoid burning the butter and sugar- that will ruin the recipe!)
6. Pour butter and sugar mixture over crackers and spread evenly.
7. Bake 5-6 minutes in oven.
8. Remove pan from oven and let cool 3-5 minutes, then sprinkle with chocolate chips.
9. As chocolate chips melt, carefully spread into an even layer over the toffee layer.
10. Let cool completely (refrigerate to cool more quickly.)
11. Break into bite-sized pieces and serve. . . yum!
12. Store covered in refrigerator.

Parmesan Crusted Baby Carrots

Prep 5 m
Cook 20 m
Ready In 25 m

Ingredients
1 pound carrots, chopped
2 teaspoons butter

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Place carrots into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in carrots; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Wait 30 seconds before stirring into carrots. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie

1-1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of plain flour
1/4 cup of cocoa
dash of salt
4 egg yolks
2 cups of milk
1/4 cup of butter
1 tsp of vanilla
1-9" pastry shell baked

Bake pie crust until golden
Combine first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan; set aside.
Combine milk and egg yolks.
Stir milk and egg yolks into mixture; add butter.
Cook over medium heat, and stir constantly until mix thickens and boils.
Remove from heat; stir in vanilla; spoon into pastry shell.
Using the egg whites from eggs used for pie make a meringue on top
As a general rule, add a total of 1/4 cup of granulated or superfine sugar for each egg white. Beat until peaks form. Toast under broiler if desired.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

1 lb asparagus
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon regular table salt)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Cut off the woody bottom part of the asparagus spears and discard.
3. With a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin on the bottom 2-3 inches of the spears (this keeps the asparagus from being all "stringy" and if you eat asparagus you know what I mean by that).
4. Place asparagus on foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Sprinkle with salt.
6. With your hands, roll the asparagus around until they are evenly coated with oil and salt.
7. Roast for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your stalks and how tender you like them.
8. They should be tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
9. The tips of the spears will get very brown but watch them to prevent burning.
10. They are great plain, but sometimes I serve them with a light vinaigrette if we need something acidic to balance out our meal.

http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-asparagus-50847

Chocolate Nut Clusters

Yields about 3 dozen

Ingredients

1 pound dry-roasted salted peanuts
1 pound dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
1 pound white almond bark
1 (10 oz.) bag peanut butter chips
1 (12 oz.) bag dark chocolate chips
4 oz. German chocolate bar, chopped

Directions

1. Place all peanuts in the bottom of slow cooker.
2. Cover with almond bark, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips and German chocolate.
3. Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until melted.
4. Stir everything together, making sure nuts are thoroughly coated in chocolate.
5. Cover again and continue cooking on LOW for another 30-40 minutes.
6. Use a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon to scoop equal mounds of chocolate mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (or into cupcake wrappers).
7. Let dry at room temperature until completely set and hardened. 1-2 hours.
8. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container.

http://12tomatoes.com/shockingly-easy-dessert-recipe-slow-cooker-chocolatecovered-nut-clusters/

Peanut Butter Fudge Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 ounces (about 1 & 1/2 cups) creamy peanut butter

For the icing:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
16 ounces confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1 _ Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9” x 13” baking pan.
2 _ Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
3 _ Place butter in a medium saucepan. Melt over medium heat.
4 _ Stir in cocoa powder. Then, stir in water, buttermilk, and eggs. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils.
5 _ Remove the mixture from the heat and add to flour mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
6 _ Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly.
7 _ Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
8 _ Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, spread the peanut butter over the cake. Allow to cool completely.
9 _ To make the icing, place the sifted confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.
10 _ Combine butter, buttermilk, and cocoa in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil.
11 _ Remove from heat and pour over confectioners’ sugar. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla.
12 _ Spread icing over peanut butter. The cake can be served immediately or can sit at room temperature to allow the icing to set.

http://www.cookin-at-home.com/2015/04/fudge-cake.html

Cranberry Port Ring

Ingredients

6 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 thin coins fresh unpeeled ginger
2 sticks cinnamon
3 1/4 c. cold water
1 c. ruby port
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (7 1/2 tsp.)
Vegetable oil, for greasing

Instructions

1. In 5- to 6-qt. saucepot, combine cranberries, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, 2 1/2 c. water and 3/4 c. port. Heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to maintain simmer; cook 10 to 15 min. or until most cranberries pop, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile to sm. bowl, add 1/2 c. water and sprinkle gelatin evenly over it. Let stand 10 min. Lightly grease decorative mold with oil.
3. Into lg. bowl, strain cranberry mixture through fine-mesh sleeve, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids. Stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved, then stir in remaining 1/4 c. port and 1/4 c. water. Pour liquid into prepared mold. Refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days. To remove from mold, place serving plate face down on top of it and invert plate and mold together, then lift and remove mold.

Serves 12