Bacon Beer and Cheese Cupcakes

By: Stephanie Manley from CopyKat Recipes

Bacon Beer and Cheese Cupcakes

Author: Eat Write Retreat Team # 9

Recipe Type: Dessert

Prep time: 20 min

Cook time: 25 min

Serves: 8

Enjoy sweet and savory together in these bacon beer and cheese cupcakes.

Ingredients

• Cupcake
  
• 6 strips bacon
• 1/2 cup dark beer
• 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup grated Jarlsberg
• 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 + 1/8 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• Frosting
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/8 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• Finely grated Jarlsberg, for garnish
• Grated sharp cheddar cheese, for garnish
• Chopped bacon, for garnish

Instructions

Cupcake directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon until crispy, then remove from oven and finely chop. Coat a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray. Heat beer and butter in a large saucepan on medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add Jarlsberg and cheddar. Remove from heat, and whisk in the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk the sour cream with the egg. Mix the sour cream mixture into the beer mixture. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Fold flour mixture into the batter. Stir in 1/2 cup of finely chopped bacon. Fill cups in prepared tin almost full. Bake for 12 minutes, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean.

Frosting Directions

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Sift powder sugar in a sifter before slowly mixing in powdered sugar into the butter and cream cheese. Spread onto cooled cupcakes, then garnish with finely grated Jarlsberg and cheddar, and chopped bacon

Melon-Pineapple Salsa Cost per serving: 98¢

For a refreshing twist on salsa, try this recipe which incorporates fruit. It gives whatever you serve it with a tangy burst of flavor.

3 cups diced ripe yet firm cantaloupe, from a 3-lb. melon $

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2 cups diced fresh pineapple, from a 2-lb. pineapple

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced $

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1/2 red onion, diced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil $

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Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix melon, pineapple, bell pepper, onion, ginger, jalapeño and lemon or lime juice. Stir well, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Just before serving, stir in mint and oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve cold.

Roasted Tomato Salsa Cost per serving: 87¢

To get the best taste, squeeze the tomatoes after roasting to rid them of some of the bitter seeds.

8 to 10 medium plum tomatoes, about 2 lb., halved lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded $

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2 medium jalapeños, halved lengthwise and seeded

1/2 small onion, chopped $

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2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high; set a rack 4 inches from heat source. Arrange tomato halves cut side down on a broiling pan. Broil, watching carefully and turning pan as needed, until tomatoes are blackened and charred, about 10minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
2. 2. Place bell pepper and jalapeños on broiling pan; broil until blackened and charred, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes. Peel pepper and jalapeños, but leave blackened skins on tomatoes. Coarsely chop tomatoes, pepper and jalapeños.
3. 3. Working in batches if necessary, combine cooked tomatoes, bell pepper and jalapeños with onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a food processor. Pulse briefly until coarsely chopped. (Do not overprocess. The salsa should be chunky.) Pulse in cumin and cilantro. Season with additional salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Key Lime Bars Cost per serving: 22¢

Because Key limes aren’t commonly available, look for the bottled juice in supermarkets. Or swap in regular lime or even lemon juice—the flavor will be different but still delicious.

CRUST:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING:

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup Key lime juice

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, optional

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang. Mist foil with cooking spray.
2. 2. Make crust: Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour and salt. Press evenly over bottom of pan. Bake until firm and light golden around edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly.
3. 3. Make filling: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat eggs, yolk and sugar until smooth. Stir in lime juice and zest. Fold in flour. Pour filling over crust and bake until set, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Use foil overhang to remove bars from pan to cut. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving, if desired.

Nutty Chocolate Pretzel Bars

1        can (10 oz) deluxe salted mixed nuts (coarsely chop Brazil nuts)

1        roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies

1        cup Hershey's® Bits O' Brickle® toffee bits

1 1/2  cups Hershey's® milk chocolate baking chips

1/3     cup Hershey's® butterscotch chips

1/3     cup JIF® Creamy Peanut Butter

1        cup coarsely chopped salted pretzels

1        oz vanilla candy coating, chopped, or 2 tablespoons Hershey's® premier white baking chips

• 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Spread nuts in bottom of pan. Cut cookie dough into 1/2-inch slices; place over nuts in pan. With floured fingers, press to form crust. Sprinkle toffee bits over crust; press in lightly.
• 2 Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 30 minutes.
• 3 In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and butterscotch chips uncovered on High 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Add peanut butter; stir until well blended. Fold in pretzels. Spread mixture evenly over baked crust.
• 4 In small microwavable bowl, microwave candy coating uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds or until melted. Drizzle over bars. Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Cut into bars.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Pops

1        package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2     cup sugar

1/2     cup sour cream

1        cup half-and-half

2/3     cup dulce de leche (caramelized sweetened condensed milk), from 13.4-oz can

2        tablespoons milk

1/2     cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch® cereal, coarsely crushed

• 1 In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in sour cream and half-and-half. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture into each of 8 (5-oz) paper cups. Cover cups with foil; insert craft stick into center of each pop. Freeze about 2 hours or until frozen. Cover and refrigerate remaining cream cheese mixture.
• 2 In small bowl, mix dulce de leche and milk. Place 1/3 cup dulce de leche mixture in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cover and refrigerate remaining mixture. Cut off one small corner of bag; squeeze small amounts over frozen cream cheese layer in each cup. Pour remaining cream cheese mixture over dulce de leche layer in cups. Return foil to pops to support sticks. Freeze about 4 hours or until frozen.
• 3 About 30 minutes before serving, remove reserved dulce de leche mixture from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature to soften. Remove pops from freezer and paper cups. Dip top of each pop in reserved dulce de leche mixture; dip in cereal.

Creamy Mojito Pie

Crust

1     box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1        package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1        cup whole or 2% milk

1        box (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

1/2     cup frozen (thawed) limeade concentrate

1 1/2  teaspoons rum extract

Topping

1 1/2   cups whipping (heavy) cream

1/4      cup powdered sugar

3/4      to 1 1/2 teaspoons mint extract

Garnishes, if desired             

 

Fresh mint sprigs                                           

Lime slices

• 1 Heat oven to 450ºF. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell using 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 15 minutes.
• 2 In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Add remaining filling ingredients; beat on low speed about 30 seconds or until blended. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until thickened and creamy. Spoon filling evenly into pie crust; refrigerate while making topping.
• 3 In same bowl, beat topping ingredients on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Spread topping evenly over filling. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until set.
• 4 Garnish pie with mint sprigs and lime slices. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Crescent Jalapeño Poppers

4         jalapeño chiles (about 3 inches long)

1/3     cup Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs (from 5.2-oz container)

8        slices packaged precooked bacon (from 2.2-oz package), halved

1        can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1/2     cup pineapple or fruit salsa, if desired

• 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Carefully remove stems from chiles; cut each in half lengthwise and again horizontally to make 4 pieces. Remove and discard seeds. Spoon about 1 teaspoon cheese into each chile quarter. Wrap half slice of bacon around each.
• 2 On cutting board, unroll dough; separate dough into 8 triangles. From center of longest side to opposite point, cut each triangle in half, making 16 triangles. Place chile, cheese side down, on dough triangle. Fold 1 point of triangle over filling; fold 2 remaining points over first point. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• 3 Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve with salsa.

Caramel Cashew Bars

1           roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

1          bag (11.5 oz) Hershey's® milk chocolate baking chips (2 cups)

1          container (18 oz) caramel apple dip (1 1/2 cups)

3          cups crisp rice cereal

1 1/4    cups Fisher® Cashew Halves and Pieces

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, break up cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust.
• 2 Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.
• 3 Meanwhile, in 3- to 4-quart saucepan, cook 1 cup of the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the dip over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and cashews.
• 4 Spread cereal mixture over crust. In 1-quart saucepan, heat remaining chocolate chips and dip over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Spread over cereal mixture. Refrigerate until chocolate mixture is set, about 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 by 6 rows.

Apple bacon coffeecake

Total time: 1 hour, 40 minutes plus rising time

Servings: 16

Note: Grade B maple syrup is recommended for this recipe; the syrup is less filtered so it has more pronounced flavor. The coffeecake can be made through Step 10 the night before serving; loosely cover and refrigerate the dough overnight, then warm at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)

1/3 cup sugar, divided

3 eggs, divided

10 tablespoons butter (1 1/4 sticks), at room temperature, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces

3 1/2 cups bread flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 pounds thick-cut bacon, preferably applewood-smoked, sliced crosswise into 1/4 -inch pieces

1 pound tart apples, such as Granny Smith (about 2 large)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup maple syrup, divided

2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur

1/3 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons cream cheese

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, sifted

1. In a small pan, heat the milk over medium heat just until warmed. Remove from heat and pour the milk into a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar, then set aside until the yeast is activated and the milk is foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Whisk two of the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stir in the yeast mixture and remaining sugar until fully incorporated.

3. With the mixer running, add the butter, one or two pieces at a time, until all of it has been incorporated.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of the bread flour and the salt. With the mixer running, add the flour mixture, a spoonful at a time, until all of it has been incorporated into the dough.

5. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until it is soft and elastic with a silky texture, 5 to 7 minutes. Knead in additional bread flour as needed, up to the remaining one-half cup. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6. While the dough is rising, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so the bacon cooks evenly and does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving one-fourth cup of the grease for the remainder of the recipe.

7. Peel and core the apples, and slice each into eight pieces. Cut each slice crosswise into one-eighth-inch pieces.

8. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons bacon grease over medium heat. Stir in the apple slices and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 tablespoons maple syrup and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender, another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the amaretto. Place the pan back over medium heat and cook until the liqueur is mostly absorbed, about 1 minute, stirring to scrape any bits of flavoring from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

9. When the dough is doubled, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 12-by
18-inch rectangle. Spread the apples and bacon bits evenly over the dough.

10. Roll the dough lengthwise into a tube (like a cinnamon roll), making sure the seam is on the bottom of the roll. Make 15 slits over the length of the roll, a little over 1 inch apart and three-fourths of the way through. Carefully transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Form the dough into the shape of a wreath, with the cut sides on the outside of the wreath. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and set aside until almost doubled in volume, 45 minutes to an hour. Alternatively, loosely cover and refrigerate the dough overnight; remove from the refrigerator about 1 hour before baking for the dough to come to room temperature.

11. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon maple syrup with the remaining egg. Brush the egg wash over the outside of the wreath. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the wreath and place the pan in the oven.

12. Bake the coffee cake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking for even coloring.

13. While the coffee cake is baking, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon bacon grease and maple syrup.

14. Remove the cake and brush the top with the remaining tablespoon bacon grease. Allow the cake to cool slightly.

15. Drizzle the glaze over the warm coffee cake. Slice and serve. The coffee cake will keep for up to two days, refrigerated. Cover and bring to room temperature before serving.

Blue-Cheese-Chive Sauce Cost per Serving: $.50

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream $

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1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream, 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, 1 Tbsp. minced shallot and 1 Tbsp. thinly sliced chives, mashing slightly with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 1 day.

Homemade Goldfish

I am still in a bit of shock over this recipe. My kids love eating Goldfish but they can get kind of pricey if you have to buy them often enough. I find that a lot of “homemade” recipes for things online end up costing at ton to make once you buy all the ingrdients and are time intensive. This is not one of those recipes. These homemade goldfish only require 5 ingredients and I can guarantee you have them in your home. This tutorial also includes how to make the fish shaped cookie cutters. Thanks Tasty Kitchen and Melissa's Bargins!

Your favorite fish cracker made at home – and it is SUPER easy.

Preparation Instructions

Pulse everything (except water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand.
Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Remove dough from the processor, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and smile if desired. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until crispy.
Makes approximately 7 dozen crackers.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces, weight Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
• 4 Tablespoons Butter, Cut Into Cubes
• 1 cup Flour
• ¾ teaspoons Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Use whatever kind of cookie cutter you would like to make them

FROZEN BANANA BITES

What you'll need . . .

• 2 large bananas
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• Unsweetened coconut flakes

Method . . .

1. Set out a large plate or bowl with a piece of parchment or wax paper on it.
2. Cut up the bananas into good-sized chunks. Each banana should give you around 5 to 6 pieces.
3. Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about a minute. Then stir until smooth.
4. Dip the banana pieces in the chocolate-peanut butter mixture. Lay them out leaving some space between them on the parchment/wax paper. Then when you've "covered" them all, use the remaining mixture to spoon over the tops (for even more chocolate-y goodness).
5. Then sprinkle the unsweetened coconut flakes on top. Transfer to the freezer for about an hour until hardened.
6. You can enjoy them like this (but they really aren't frozen yet -- and when they're frozen, the banana tastes like vanilla ice cream) . . . I suggest then covering with some plastic wrap (or really you can do all of this in some kind of Rubbermaid container) and let freeze overnight.

Vanilla Bean and Fresh Raspberry Cookies by Meredith

I love the the fresh fruit that summer brings, and Raspberries are my kids favorite fruit. I also love to bake ( which many of you know) and today was one of those days that I just felt like I needed to create something delicious!!

Yesterday I was at an event in Chicago called Pamper me Fabulous, and while I was there I met the amazing ladies from 240 sweets and they sent me home with a fantastic array of items including their Vanilla Bean Sea Salt and Bourbon Barrel Aged Vanilla Extract !

240Sweet makes some super delicious treats including a variety of Artisanal Marshmallows ( Look for a full review later, you wont want to miss it)

With the combination of those amazing ingredients, I made the most delicious cookie!!

Vanilla Bean and Fresh Raspberry Cookies

Here’s what your going to need… but I warn you, eating just one is rare!!!!

1 Cup Fresh Raspberries

8 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Large Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/4 cup flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl add butter and sugar, Mix well until Creamy

add fresh Raspberries, Vanilla, and Egg continue to mix well

Gradually add Flour,Sugar, Baking Powder and Salt

Chill in fridge for about 20 min

Spoon on to cookie tray and bake for 15 – 20 min till golden on the bottom.

I like to sprinkle the tops with Vanilla bean sugar and Eat!!!

Slutty Brownies

Now I don't want to over sell this, so I'm going to be conservative and simply say, that these are...

The Best Brownies In The WORLD.

I know, big statement.
They're called Slutty Brownies because they're oh so easy, and more than a little bit filthy.

They're best served warm from the oven, with good quality vanilla ice cream (devastatingly I didn't have any in the freezer this time, so I guess I'll just have to make them again).

They take about 45mins to make, including baking time.

The ultimate comfort food, whipped up within the hour.

You will need...

1 Box of cookie mix,

1 Box of brownie mix,

2 Eggs,

2 Packs of Oreos (double stuffed ones are even better if you can find them)

Some oil

& your favourite ice-cream (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F, 180°C, gas mark 4.

Line a baking tray with grease proof paper.

Follow the instructions on the cookie mix box & stir furiously until you have gooey cookie dough, I usually add a little extra water and oil to what they suggest, it just keeps it moist as you'll be baking it for longer than suggested. An extra teaspoon of each is just right.

Squidge (technical term) the cookie dough into a lined baking tray, until it covers the bottom.

Cover this layer with your Oreos. Don't use the broken ones, eat them as you go. This recipe is too glorious to use substandard Oreos.

Mix up your brownie batter. Just stick to the recipe on the box for this one.

& pour over your Oreos.

Bake for 30mins.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

When its still a little bit warm, use the paper to lift your creation out of the tray and rest it on a chopping board.

Use a large, sharp knife to cut it into manageable chunks, sections, slabs... depending on how many calories you think you can handle in one sitting.

Drop onto a plate and scoop on your ice cream.

Enjoy, and don't forget to lick the bowl!

 

Taken from The londoner.com

 

ONION FLAT BREAD

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,174,132182-246194,00.html
Content Copyright © 2012 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
freshly cracked black (or mixed) pepper
1/2 ounce dried yeast dissolved in 1 T. warm water
12 ounces flour
1 egg, beaten lightly
coarse sea salt or kosher salt
chopped onion, for sprinkling

This flat bread bakes up wonderfully on a pizza stone set on the grill. Be sure that the stone is well heated before placing the onion bread on to bake. A pizza peel or the back of a pizza pan sprinkled with corn meal (so that it slides off easily onto the stone) can be used as a surface for preparing the flat bread while the grill or oven heats up.Stir salt, sugar and olive oil into warm water. Dissolve yeast in one tablespoon of warm water and add to mixture. Add flour gradually, mixing and kneading until smooth and elastic. Cover, and allow to rise overnight in a warm place, free from draft.
The next day, knead the dough and divide into balls about the size of a tennis ball. Roll each one out to about 1/2" thickness.
Brush with egg yolk diluted in two tablespoons water and sprinkle with coarse salt and chopped onion, and finally, coarsely cracked pepper. (For an extra kick, hot pepper flakes can also be sprinkled on lightly). Pierce the dough several times with a fork so that it will remain flat.
Bake on a lightly floured baking sheet in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes until onions are brown and crust is crisp and golden.
Variation: Top pizza with a combination of black oil cured olives, sliced onions and anchovies. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired (cheese is entirely optional)!

Submitted by: CM

ONION CHEESE LOAF BREAD

1 lb. loaf frozen bread
1 c. finely grated Cheddar cheese
3 med. green onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp. poppy seed
1 tbsp. melted butter

Thaw dough. Make 3 lengthwise cuts almost to bottom of loaf. Mix cheese, onion, and poppy seeds. Spread 1/3 of mixture down each slit. Press dough together to form loaf again. Place in lightly greased bread pan. Brush with melted butter. Let rise 1/2 inch above sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bark

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

bag of mini pretzels

12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

sea salt

Crack Bark
Line a 4-sided jelly roll pan with foil. Cover with a single layer of pretzels. Melt two sticks of butter in a small saucepan. Add one cup brown sugar and stir together. Boil just a little and keep stirring until it gets darker. *You want to let it cook just to the point that you think you may have ruined everything. That's when the caramelly, sticky magic happens. Pour over pretzels. Bake at 350 for 5ish minutes. Remove from oven and immediately throw your chips on. The heat will melt them, then scrape your rubber spatula over them to spread them around. Sprinkle liberally and generously and graciously and lovingly with sea salt. Cool a bit on the counter. Then pop into the freezer for an hour or until you remember it's in there. Break apart into bite sized (aka fist-sized) pieces. Fall asleep with salty lips. Wake up with bark mouth.

BAKED TOMATOES AND ZUCCHINI

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1950,145189-227202,00.html
Content Copyright © 2012 Cooks.com - All rights reserved.

6 ripe tomatoes (or canned tomato wedges)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 c. oil
1 zucchini squash
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 onion, sliced

Place sliced tomatoes, sliced zucchini, and onions in buttered rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.Mix thyme and basil and sprinkle over top. Trickle olive oil over all. Bake uncovered in 400 degree oven for 1 hour.

BIG MAC SAUCE (Just like McDonald's)

1 c. Miracle Whip salad dressing
1/3 c. creamy French dressing
1/4 c. sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dry minced onions

Blend with a fork. Refrigerate in covered containers. Make about 2 cups of sauce.Just like McDonald's.