Today I made caramel popcorn with pretzels and M&Ms. Here is the link to the recipe. This is the first time I made caramel corn by myself.

Using a little more then a 1/4 cup of unpopped kernals and popping it makes just about 8 cups popped popcorn. It was good, but next time we make caramel corn we just want to make it with pretzels and M&Ms.

A few years ago I started making Russian tea but I called it rotten tea and the name stuck. I have three different versions of it. If you click here you can see my first recipe. Here are my other two;

Recipe Two:

• 1 Cup Tang
• 2 Cups old fashioned lemonade mix
• 1/2 Cup instant tea without sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp nutmeg

Recipe Three:

• 1 Cup Tang
• 6 pkg True Lemon lemonade mix
• 1/2 Cup instant tea without sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp allspice

To Make:

1. Mix ingredients well.
2. Store in airtight container.
3. Use about 3 tsp mix with hot water for each cup
4. Let it cool and drink!

Do you have any other variations?

For Daddy’s birthday, I made baked beans. Ever since I learned how to make baked beans from Momma, it has been my specialty. My recipe is from Oma who got it from Aunt Judy. I experimented and tweaked it to my liking. Click HERE for Oma’s recipe. For my version you will need:

• 56 Oz Baked Beans
• 1/2 – 1 Lb Ground Beef Cooked
• 1/2 – 1 Lb Cooked Bacon
• 1 1/2 Cups Ketchup
• 1/2 Cup Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Large Onions Diced and Fryed

1. Turn a crock pot on low
2. Add all the ingredients together in the crock pot
3. Add spices to taste
4. Put the lid on the crock pot
5. After a few hours turn crock pot off
6. Let cool and eat

Serves Lots of People.

Today I made stew with Italian bread and salad. I had fun making it! It was easy.

To make the stew I used*

• Two small to medium or one large onion
• Three pounds of chuck roast
• Four carrots
• Three cups of beef broth
• 2 celery ribs
• Six small potatoes
• Two cloves of garlic
• A dash of Worcester sauce
• Oregano to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut onions and put in crock pot, unwrap the roast and place in crock pot add pepper, oregano, and garlic and put on the lid and turn the crock pot on low. After about three hours add the potatoes, celery, carrots, and broth. When you are almost about to eat it (or slightly earlier) add the Worcester sauce. Serve in bowls and eat with you favorite Italian bread with garlic butter and salad!

*We just used what we had on hand to make it, you can add other things in it.

Not enlarged to show detail.

Momma found this recipe a few years ago, but we do not remember where. She let Megan and me make a batch because we were out.

• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp paprika
• 1.5 tsp sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• +/- 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1.5 Tbl parsley flakes optional

Remember to shake it first or else it will not taste very good.

Use on popcorn and meat!

Momma let me make cookies today. Here is the recipe I used:

• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 Tbl molasses (or more if you like it!)
• 1 cup browned butter (cooled)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup raisins (soaked in water and drained)
• 1/4 cup each dark chocolate M&M’s, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips.

Cream together butter, sugar, molasses and eggs.

Add remaining ingredients and stir well.  It will be very thick!

Roll into balls, roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet.  Flatten with a glass.  Sprinkle with more sugar if you want.

Bake 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Remove to cool on rack.  Eat and enjoy!

Megan and I made party mix today. We changed our recipe to make it even better!

• 3 cups Corn Chex
• 3 cups Rice Chex
• 3 cups Cheeze Bugles
• 2 cups Extra Dark, Extra Salty Beer Pretzels
• 2 cups Rye bagel chips, broken in half
• 2 cups Garlic Bagel chips, broken in half
• 1 1/3 stick Butter
• 5 Tbl coconut oil
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 10 dashes Franks Red Hot Sauce
• 5 cloves mashed garlic
• 1 teaspoon of your favorite seasoned salt recipe
• 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Put all the crunchy stuff in a big bowl.

Melt the butter and coconut oil over low heat. Add the garlic and start browning the butter.

Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. We like it with less salt, so you might want to add more.

Put crunchy stuff on cookie sheet with sides and pour butter with seasonings over while stirring.

Bake at 250 degrees until mix is dry (about 1 hour and a half) Stir every so often.  Cool and store in an airtight container, and be sure to share!