O'Henry Bars OR Scotcharoos

From: Joyful Momma's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup karo syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

In a small sauce pan, bring sugar and karo syrup to a boil over medium high heat.  Stir constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter.  Whisk in until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, pour the sugar sauce over 6 cups of Rice Krispies and gently stir until well combined.

Press into a greased 9x13 pan.

In microwave, heat the chips 30 seconds at a time and stir well in between heatings.  Heat just until melted, taking care to not burn them.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in dish.  Spread evenly and let cool.  Slice into bars.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! I can definitely see how these don't last long once they're made. What a great combination of flavors! I've never heard of these before but I am so glad I found this recipe. Perfect for family or church gatherings, or just when you have a craving for something sweet! I definitely recommend these and I'll be making these again!

Sweet Potato, Corn and Jalapeno Bisque

From: Here

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 4 ears corn
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• pinch of ground cinnamon

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add in the sweet potatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove from the heat and puree using an immersion blender. 

Stir the jalapeno, corn kernels, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and cinnamon into the soup. Simmer until heated through.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Sweet and spicy? Yes, please! Bring it on! I had sweet potatoes sprouting in the pantry and jalapenos coming up in the garden, so I decided to make this for lunch. I absolutely love this combination of flavors. If you want it to be really spicy you don't have to seed the jalapenos. I did,and there is a zing of surprise every couple of bites, which I like. This is also a really simple recipe. So it definitely is highly recommended by me for you to try! 

Chocolate Mousse Pie

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
7 ounces of milk chocolate candy bars with almonds
16 large marshmallows or 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 pastry shell or graham cracker crust

Place the candy, marshmallows and milk in a heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool. Fold in whipped cream; pour into crust. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Not too sweet and not too chocolately, which is what I was worried about. Very smooth tasting and the best thing of all - super easy to put together! You could whip one of these up in less than 20 minutes (not including refrigeration time). I highly recommend this and I know I'll be throwing one of these together again in the future!

Bean-and-Ham Soup

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
3 cans northern beans, divided
1 can chicken broth, divided
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
8 oz cooked ham, cubed
1/4 tsp pepper

Rinse and drain beans. Process one-third can of beans and half of chicken broth in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add ham, and saute 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring constantly.

Add bean puree, remaining beans, and remaining chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in pepper. Serve immediately.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Very simple, filling soup. Great flavors - I love ham and bean together. Great consistency with the blended beans. Hunter (my 2-year old) was gobbling this up! I would definitely recommend this soup for the ease with which you can make it and the yummy flavor!

Ham 'N' Swiss Soup

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
4 1/2 tsp butter
4 1/2 tsp AP flour
1 can chicken broth
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/8 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

In a saucepan, melt butter; whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the broccoli and onion; cook and stir until tender-crisp. Add the ham, cream and thyme; heat through. Stir in the cheese until melted. 

Please note: This picture is from the Taste of Home website, not my personal picture. The soup was gone before I ever got my camera out!!

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh my goodness, this soup was so delicious and melted in our mouths! I will definitely be making this one again. My only note - I recommend doubling this recipe. It only gave us three servings in the end and I would have liked more of it!

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

From: Ocean Spray Craisins advertisement

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 6-oz package Craisins
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

It helps to have really cute cooks in the kitchen:

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I tasted a cookie from all three pans I cooked, just to make sure they weren't too bad. Seriously, these cookies are delicious! And addictive! And my kids love them, so I don't feel too bad about them eating them. Oats are good for you... cranberries HAVE to be good for you, right?? Anyway, I highly recommend this simple cookie recipe! I'll definitely be making it again!

Pepperoni Pizza Pie

From: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked (9 in) pie shell
• 8 ounces of shredded cheese
• 2 ounces of sliced pepperoni
• 1 (12 ounce can) Carnation evaporated milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese and half of the pepperoni onto the bottom of the pie shell.  Whisk together the milk, eggs, flour, basil, and garlic powder.  Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and carefully lay pepperoni on top of cheese.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until done. 

 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What a delicious dinner. This did not stick around long at our table. I made this several months ago and I cannot remember if we even had any left over after dinner or not. If you like a quiche-type recipe and are looking for a little variety from regular pizza, this is perfect for you. I will definitely be making this again in the future!