Peanut Butter Popcorn

This is an Een family favorite

4 quarts popped popcorn
1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

5 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

In a saucepan heat corn syrup, sugars and butter on medium/medium-high heat and let it boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and peanut butter.  Pour over popcorn and toss to cover.  

Slowcooker Chocolate Lava Cake

Prep Time:  15 min
Cook Time:  4 hours 15 minutes (it says, we find the regular recipe cooks in our crockpot on high in about 2 hours 30 minutes, I have 1 1/2 times the recipe and it cooks a bit longer, if you'll be gone longer you can try cooking it on low at least part of the time)

6-8 servings

For the cake batter:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla

For the topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup hot water

Top with
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Instructions:
1. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
2.  To the well, add the milk, butter, and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  Spray the slow cooker with vegetable oil or baker's spray (flour-embedded).  Pour into the bottom of a slow cooker.  (We use our large oval one and need to spread it out a bit.)
3.  To make the topping, whisk the sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder together until evenly combined.  Add the hot/boiling water and stir.
4.  Pour gently over the top of the batter.  Do not stir.  Cover and cook.  Cook time may vary some with your cooker.  Our large one cooks this perfectly on high in 2 hours 30 minutes, 4 hours makes it overdone.
5.  Scoop out the lava cake and top with ice cream or whipped cream, include the lava from the bottom of the slow cooker on top.

Our Melissa found a version of this in a kid's slow cooker cookbook when she was in Activity Days and we made it once for the treat.  (This isn't exactly that version, it called for a baking mix which we modified, but then found this version that we think tastes even better.) It was huge hit and continues to be well-loved whenever we serve it.  It's really chocolaty and wonderful and works great for any season, but especially nice to not heat up the oven in the summer or have for a treat at home after a concert/performance, fireside, or activity.

Waffle Cookies

Waffle Cookies

These are great cookies to make in the summer when you don't want to heat up the oven.

4 squares of chocolate (or 3/4 cup cocoa + 1/4 cup oil)

1 cup margarine

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Frosting: 

2 Tbsp butter

4 tsp milk

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt margarine and chocolate (if using squares) mix margarine, chocolate, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and flour.  Chill 1 hour (we don't always do this, it may make the dough less sticky, but we use a scoop so it works fine)  Make frosting (or use what you have stashed, we've use other types of frosting as well, or plain)  Spoon on to waffle iron, cook 1-2 min.  Frost.  I like to add sprinkles if I use chocolate frosting for looks.

We also use our waffle cone maker, they are thinner and cook faster and also great.

Farm Boy Cookies

Farm Boy Cookies

2 1/2 cups canola oil
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla
1 Tbsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
6 cups flour (3 white, 3 whole wheat)
3 cups oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1-2 cups shredded coconut (optional)

Mix together in order given.  Use an ice cream scoop to put on baking stones/sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 17-18 minutes.
This recipe is from our family friend Ashley MacKay.  It makes a very large batch, you can bake some and freeze dough for later.  They don't get very browned when they bake so it's easy to let them overcook, be careful.  David loves to make them.  Nutrition plug--they're lower in saturated fat because they use oil instead of butter or shortening.