Dinner tonight :)

Another very nice day here in Minnesota even though it is fall.  My heat has not kicked in for several days in a row again and today I actually have a window open for some fresh air  :)  We had a busy weekend watching our son's college football game, driving to Bemidji to visit family, and coming back home to work a shift at Herbergers!  I am not sure working at Herbergers is actually going to put money in my pocket, or just stuff in my closets?  So far I have worked 4 shifts and haven't bought anything but how long can I hold out?  This is the question of the day.  My hubby just called, to inform me, he is on his way home from work, he likes to do this so that I know when he will be getting home and it usually is a signal to get supper in the oven - ha!  Here is what I just popped into my oven now:

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. skim milk
salt & pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 bag frozen chunky hash brown potatoes
12 oz. chopped ham
1 c. grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray your cake pan with PAM.  In a saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. butter and stir in the flour until mixed.  Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer while stirring.  When sauce has thickened remove from heat.  Season with salt & pepper.  Spread 1/3 of your saucwe in the bottom of the pan and top with half the potatoes.  Top with half the onions and 1/2 the ham and 1/2 the cheese.  Add another 1/3 of the sauce.  Continue with one more layer of each ingredient.  Pour remaining sauce over the top.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
P.S.  I got this recipe off of foodnetwork.com and altered just a tiny bit!

Caramel Corn :)

Fall has hit my corner of the world hard in the past few days.  Up until then it still felt like summer, highs in the 70's and even 80's.  No need to turn on the heat even.  Until yesterday that is.  October 18 is the latest I have turned the heat on in many years, so I guess I cannot complain.  My son is a member of the M-State Spartan football team and it brings back a conversation with our son in August 2010.  Grant had gone off to fall football camp and came home five days later so stiff and sore and exhausted that he wondered if it was worth it.  Now two years later at the end of his M State player career, he could not be happier that he soldiered on and stuck it out.  Tomorrow we trek up to Grand Rapids, MN for the final game of his season.  I decided to whip up some caramel corn to bring along for a snack :)  Enjoy what fall is left in your neck of the woods, and don't be afraid to stick things out!

CARAMEL CORN
15 c. popped popcorn ( I pop mine on the stove top) - set aside
2 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
1/2 c. Karo syrup
Put these 3 ingredients into a pan and stir well.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Let boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. baking soda.  Stir well.
Place your popped corn into a paper grocery bag.  Pour your caramel sauce over the popped corn - using a big spatula, stir well.  Close down the top of the bag.  Place in the microwave and cook for 2 minutes on high.  Remove and stir well.  Put back in the microwave and cook one more minute.  Stir.  Pour out onto waxed paper to cool.  Store in  ziplock bags.

My hubby asked - is it time for soup yet?

And I said - WELL, with this fabulous October weather we have been having - it hasn't felt like soup weather.  However, he has not felt well for a month now so figured maybe I best make him some soup and see if that helps his recovery along.  Will he go to the doctor?  I think we all know the answer to this is no.  I asked him, WHY he would not go to the doctor and he said, "Well, it's not like I am dying."  Ok then.  I just have a hard time having sympathy for his discomfort when I have been asking him to go to the doctor for a few weeks now.  I am not certain what his fear of doctors is but apparently there is something underlying here.  SO despite the 75 degree temps outside in Minnesota, in October mind you, I did make said spouse some soup.  Here is the recipe:

CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
1 c. onion, chopped fine
1 c. celery, chopped fine
4 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped fine
carrots, chopped, as desired
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 c. butter
3/4 c. flour
3 c. cooked wild rice
2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
2 cans water
1 pint Fat-Free Half & Half

Place chicken and vegetables in a stock pot with the butter.  Season with salt and pepper and add bay leaf.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Stirring occasionally.  Stir in the flour.  Quickly add the broth and water.  Stir in the cooked wild rice.  Simmer for an hour or more, until potatoes/carrots are tender.  Stir in the half & half, heat through.  Serve! 

Channeling Paula Deen :)

I have a few of Paula Deen's cookbooks.  Friday I was looking for a quick treat to whip up and bring to Morris for a small gathering to be held after the home football game.  I stumbled upon the Pretzel-Peanut bark recipe in the Paula Deen Celebrates cookbook.  Three ingredients and a few minutes was all it took to whip up this sweet/salty treat.  I love me some white chocolate so this was perfect for me.  It was also a hit at the party and is now but a distant memory.

Pretzel-Peanut Bark
18 squares (1 oz. each) white chocolate
3 c. skinny pretzel stick broken into small peices but not crushed (measure after breaking)
2 c. peanuts (I used honey roasted) I also chopped these up a bit so they were not whole or half peanuts.

Melt chocolate in microwave.  I did for 1 min. on high and then stirred and back in the microwave for about 40 more seconds.  It was perfectely melted.  Stir in the pretzels and peanuts.  Spread onto a sheet of waxed paper.  Let cool and harden.  Break into pieces and eat.

I made TWO pies :)

Well, another weekend is in the history books.  It was a busy one.  First of all made a 2 hour trek on Friday night to pick up a used car for our daughter, Heather.  Then turned around and drove 2 more hours back home.  Saturday was a Spartan football game, which our son is a team member of, so my mom, her husband, and my brother Scott all came down for the game.  Well, their grandson/nephew was the homecoming king!  Then yesterday got up and went to church and came home to watch the Vikings play - they are now 0-4 which is a stat I am not too proud to report, it doesn't however, wane my support for my team!  I also texted my son, the homecoming king, to see if he would be interested in coming over for supper, an hour later, no response, to I texted him again, seeing as it was past noon and a football game was on t.v., I knew he would be awake!  Still, however, no response.  So I had Heather trost it yety him too, still no answer.  Finally, as most mom's would do, Iwe texted one of his friends, and they informed us that Grant could NOT find his phone!  Now, I tell you this, because surprisingly, said son has had a cell phone for 3+ years now and has not lost it, until yesterday.....his roommate helped him look, his girlfriend helped him look and then I asked a girl he knows on campus to also help him look and she did.  So when he borrows a phone and calls me this morning I am going over there to do a final search before heading to the Sprint store.  Last night we did get him to come over for supper and I made he, his girlfriend and one of his roommates, cheeseburgers for the main course and PIES for dessert.  Here is the recipe for the apple pie I made:

MacIntosh One Crust Apple Pie
1/2 c. Crisco shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cold water
Mix together and roll out your crust.  Place in the bottom of your pie dish, and Crimp the top edges.
FILLING:
8 large MacIntosh apples
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
Peel and slice the apples, place in a bowl and stir in the other ingredients.  Place in the unbaked pie crust in the pie plate.
TOPPING:
1 c. oatmeal
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. butter, melted
Mix together to form your crumble.  Crumble over the top of the filling in your pie plate.  Bake @ 375 for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown on top!