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.

Roasted Vegetable Hash (Sweet Potato)

Roasted Vegetable Hash

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp coarse sea salt

½ tsp cracked pepper

¼ tsp ground turmeric

5-6 cups coarsely chopped vegetables such as peeled sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and /or boiling onions cut in wedges

3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half

2 tbl olive oil

1 cup packed spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 425.  In a small bowl, combine chili powder, salt, pepper, and turmeric.  In large roasting pan toss vegetables and garlic with olive oil.  Sprinkle with chili powder mixture; toss again to distribute seasonings.  Roast vegetables uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned and tender stirring once or twice.  Remove from oven.  Add spinach; toss just until spinach is wilted.

DUP Ladies' Sweet Potato Casserole

I have 2 different recipe options that I take my pick or mix/match ingredient list.  I don't remember exactly which way I have done it when and honestly I probably do a combination of both and use as many yams as I want to fill the pan, so I'll share both ingredient lists.  You can certainly reduce the butter to cut down on the fat and calories. UPDATE: in 2021 Lara introduced a recipe variant with 1/2 cup shredded coconut in the topping. Definitely do that if possible!

6 large yams*
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
Topping:
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 c. flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans (I have been known to use walnuts--don't judge)

OR
4 cups mashed sweet potato/yams*
1/3 c. melted butter
2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Topping:
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter

Mix yams, butter, sugar; beat in eggs (and milk).  Pour into 2 quart casserole (I use a regular size cake pan).  Combine pecans, brown sugar, and flour.  Stir in melted butter and sprinkle over the mixture. 
Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

*Prep tip: I have found that baked yams taste better than boiled yams and discovered that you can cook yams in the skin in a crock pot and it's basically like baking them, but so much easier! Just scrub and put them in a crock pot and turn it on high or low, depending on how much time you want them to cook (all day or overnight on low and high for part of the day). You can usually tell when they are done because they smell amazing, but check and make sure they are soft. Turn off the crock pot and take off the lid and when they are cool enough to handle you can pretty much slip off the peels and trim off any unsightly parts and then mash them when they are warm. If I am not using them immediately I toss them in a gallon ziploc bag and mash them with my hands, you can do this days before or you can freeze mashed yams in the bag for future use.

Broccoli Salad

We originally got this recipe from the Colorado Dietetic Association's "Simply Colorado" cookbook.

3 c. broccoli flowerets
1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c. red onion, sliced or chopped
3 Tbsp. bacon bits
Can also add:  raisins, nuts or sunflower seeds, some recipes use grape halves instead of raisins

Dressing:
3/4 c. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar

Combine salad ingredients.  Mix mayonnaise and sugar then stir in vinegar.  Toss dressing onto salad, mix, chill and serve.  This yields 3 cups, so we obviously always make more.

The nutrition analysis without raisins or nuts/seeds, using reduced-fat cheese and fat-free mayo is 101 kcal, 2.4 gm fat and 441 mg sodium for 1/2 cup serving.