Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Big Al's Bugle Mix

At our work holiday food exchange last week, one of my coworkers, Michelle, brought the most amazing snack mix ... seriously, my boss was licking out the bowl it was that good. And, as she shared the recipe, we all discovered delightfully simple. When asked for the name, she said she got it from her mom, Big Al so, here goes:

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup

Melt the butter and bring the above ingredients to a boil.

Pour over 1 bag Bugles and one pouch of chopped pecans and mix.

Spread the mixture on one or more cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

This is my recipe find of 2010.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Mrs. Jensen's Apple Cake

This is an old family favorite of mine that is yummy for fall and easy to make.

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. (or a little more) vanilla
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. (or a little more) cinnamon
4-6 apples, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the liquid ingredients (eggs, sugar, sour cream, milk, vanilla) with a whisk if you have one or a fork if you don't. Add the flour, soda and cinnamon. Fold in the apples. Pour into a greased cake pan. A 9" x 13" pan works fine as does a bundt pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes.

Pumpkin Soup

This pumpkin soup is a base recipe with some flavor ideas at the end worth trying.

2 medium onions, chopped evenly
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil
2 large carrots, grated
1 14 oz can pumpkin
1 14 oz can chicken or vegetable stock or broth

Sweat the onions in the oil in a large stock pot. Ok, so you don't really need a large pot for this little batch of soup, but if you have one, isn't it fun to use it? When they are translucent, add the carrots and saute until they are soft. Stir in the pumpkin and broth. Heat thoroughly.

This soup is a little chunky in this state. If you are serving it to an informal group, great! If the audience is a little more formal, you might want to puree it in a blender or food processor for a nice silky soup. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream.

Flavoring options:
  • Curry
  • Ginger
  • Crumbled bacon pieces
  • Ham
  • Chicken
  • Steamed vegetables
Variation Number 2

If you have access to a real pumpkin (or squash), bake it at 350 degrees until fork tender. Puree in a food processor or blender in place of the canned stuff.