Our First Online Party!

I guess I'll get this party started, right. It's almost like being at a school/church dance where you all are being wallflowers waiting for someone to make the first move.  I'm brave enough to do it so I'm hoping this gets the ball rolling. . .  My recipe submission comes from my love of the show Survivor and my all time favorite contestant Boston Rob. Yes the cute guy here, I must have a thing for Italian guys right? If any of you watched the All Star season when he won a million dollars it was amazing.  He had people so far brain washed it was incredible to watch. When the tribes merged he told his original tribe members not to talk to anyone from the other side and they listened!   It was jaw dropping to see how he played these people, it was something I had never seen in the 20+ seasons. These people went in knowing he was a villain of the show!  So in the end everyone respected the fact that he Out Wit, Out live and Out Played them all and handed over the big bucks.  So what does this have to do with food or my recipe? While he was brain washing one of his alliance members someone from the other side walked in on their conversation and he says, "Oh yeah I've heard of Snickers Brownies that you make from a cake mix"  Me being a recipe junkie immediately grab my phone and Google this recipe! Seeing it looked pretty simple to make I tried it and I have say Boston Rob got it right it's pretty yummy! Staying with the theme of candy bars here are some other recipes I like Home Made Twix Bars and Rolo Cake Mix Bars

SNICKER BROWNIES

1 (14 oz.) pkg. caramels 2/3 c. evaporated milk 1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix 3/4 c. melted butter 1 c. chopped nuts 1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips Combine 1/3 cup milk and caramels in saucepan and cook over low heat, stir constantly until melted. Set aside to cool. Combine milk, cake mix, butter and chopped nuts in mixing bowl; mix well. Press 1/2 of the mixture in a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust. Spread caramel mixture over chocolate and then crumble remaining dough over the top. Place back in oven for 12 minutes. Remove and cool. Place in refrigerator before cutting into squares.   MACKELPRANG'S ARE HERE Party Time !!!! .... Janelle was right, I had lots of recipes to choose from in this category and they are all sweet!  The issue for me is that parties are usually a rush job so many recipes I have I haven't tried yet.   So today I'm going to submit not one recipe, not two, but THREE party time recipes!   One recipe is a household favorite, one that my kids ate recently and thought they had died and gone to heaven and then made it twice the following week, followed by a recipe that once you see the picture you will know why it's next on my list to try.     #1  Leah's Fav. Oatmeal & Butterscotch cookie ......OK, so it's really from Better Homes & Garden Cookbooks. Makes: about 48 cookies; Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 8 minutes per batch Ingredients 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional) 1/4 tsp. ground cloves (optional) 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups rolled oats  1 cup semisweet chocolate, butterscotch-flavored, or peanut butter-flavored pieces and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. (see other options below) Directions  (truthfully, we bake a pan or two and put the dough in the freezer...the dough gets eaten before it gets baked) 1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and, if desired, cinnamon and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in rolled oats. 2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Makes about 48 cookies. Oatmeal-Chip Cookies: Prepare as directed, except after stirring in oats, stir in 1 cup semisweet chocolate, butterscotch-flavored, or peanut butter-flavored pieces and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. Oversize Oatmeal Cookies: Prepare as directed, except use a 1/4-cup measure or scoop to drop mounds of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Press into a 3-inch circle. Bake in the 375 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Makes about 10 cookies. Oatmeal-Cranberry Cookies: Prepare as directed, except after stirring in oats, stir in 1 cup raisins or snipped dried tart cherries and, if desired, 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Nutrition Facts: Servings Per Recipe about 48 cookies; Calories 84, Total Fat (g) 4, Saturated Fat (g) 2, Cholesterol (mg) 17, Sodium (mg) 51, Carbohydrate (g) 12, Fiber (g) 0, Protein (g) 1.   #2  Cinnabun Popcorn  (Cinnamon Caramel Corn with Pecans & White Chocolate)  Recipe by Our Best Bites    Ingredients: 12 C    popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)  * see alternatives below  1 C     roughly chopped pecans  1 C      brown sugar 3/4 tsp   cinnamon 1/4 C  Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)      1      stick real butter (1/2 C) 1/2 tsp.   baking soda 1 tsp.   vanilla 3 squares almond bark * Options: You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, anything works, but I prefer a “natural” flavor that’s low in butter and salt. Directions: Preheat oven to 250 degrees 1.    Pop popcorn and chop pecans.  Place both in a large bowl and set aside.  (And by large bowl, I mean like, twice as big as you think you really need. Otherwise, the scorching hot caramel goo will burn your hands.) 2.    Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. Again, use a bowl larger than you think you need. 3.    Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything. 4.    Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine. 5.    Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more until nice and bubbly.  You can microwave it a little longer, but just beware that if you overcook; you do not want hard candy stage. 6.    Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.  The vanilla makes it bubble and pop and the baking soda makes it foam up. 7.    Now take that foamy sauce and pour it right over the popcorn and pecans. Stir right away, and stir lots. Keep stirring until everything is well coated.  Take too long and the caramel will harden on you. 8.    Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan. It will be chewy and stick-to-your-teeth-like. That will change after you place it in oven and bake for 30 -35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until it’s crunchy when you sample it. 9.    Give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions)*Mess free option: If you want, you can spread out your caramel corn on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil.   Otherwise it sticks to the hot foil of the original pan.  10 Now, just use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture. 11 pop it in the fridge to speed the hardening process;  break into chunks and enjoy! #3 Untried, but will make this year... I recently came across these fabulous ideas by Melissa and Kellie from Icing Designs (here's the link)!  Actually there are 8 designs shown on the link, the others are more suitable for a baby shower or wedding reception.   Who ever thought marshmallows could look SO delicious?   Picture #1:   Chocolate Peanut Butter –    Dip your marshmallow in melted peanut butter chips, let it dry and dip again half way up in melted milk chocolate.     Picture #2:  Smores -     Dip in milk chocolate and roll in crushed graham crackers. -- Hope  NEXT TO ARRIVE ARE THE TAYLOR'S!!! These three recipes are in honor of Robert and his graduation.  The first is a main dish course.  Robert made this while I was in Wisconsin on a vacation with Brian about two years ago.  I will never forget the phone call I got saying that this dish exploded in the oven.  We don't know why I've made it several times since and the dish has never exploded.  I served it at a book club and it was well received.  It's a  fancy  lasagna recipe - it's a Giada recipe that I sometimes sprinkle some small shrimp over the top.   Lasagna Rolls Recipe Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis Sauce: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups whole milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch ground nutmeg  Lasagna:    1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped 1 large egg, beaten to blend 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil 12 uncooked lasagna noodles 2 cups marinara sauce 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces) Directions To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking. Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside. The next recipe it super super simple but very good.  Robert needed a dish to take to a get-together over Christmas break.  We put these together in about 20 minutes.  He said they were a hit.  The pretzels don't have to be square but they need to be the small ones.    TURTLE CANDIES Printed from COOKS.COM 1 bag Rolo candies 1 bag Snyder's of Hanover square shaped butter pretzels 1 bag of pecans halves Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 1. Unwrap Rolo candies and place in bowl for later. 2. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. 3. Lay down the pretzels onto the cookie sheet. You can get approx. 50-60 to a cookie sheet. 4. Set a Rolo on each pretzel. 5. Place in oven to soften rolos, approximately 5 minutes. Check occasionally, don't let them melt. 6. Take out of oven. 7. Push a pecan half on top of each rolo 8. Set in a cool area or fridge to harden. 9. Remove from wax paper and store in bag or container, stay the freshness if keep cold. This recipe has been a family favorite of ours for years.  Robert made this for his dinner group at BYU.  It might sound like a lot of ingredients but if a college student can put it together - so can you! It makes a lot.  Cut down on the pasta if you want to make less. Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad.   Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad Prepare ahead: 1 lb pasta (your choice) Cook according to directions.  Rinse and cool  3-4 chicken breasts (2 if Costco size) seasoned with salt/ pepper or your favorite seasoning. Sauté and chop and cool. Mix right before serving: 1 can small olives 1 bottle marinated artichoke hearts 1 can baby corn pimento or chopped red bell pepper 3 green onions pasta chicken 1 head romaine lettuce - or more to your liking Cheeses: shredded parmesan and a little feta fresh basil and parsley Caesar dressing. Johnny's Great Caesar is best (can get at Costco). Cardini's, or Bernstei.  Mix with a little good-tasting low cal ranch.  can also add croutons and sprinkle a little extra parmesan on top. Mix up your choice of the listed ingredients according to your families likes.