Sweet Party Mix

I love having some kind of party mix around the house to snack on. This has been my all time favorite party mix so far. I have already made 2 batches of it and they are all gone. I have a few more different party mix recipes I am going to try and if they taste good as well, then I will also post them. I made this mix for MOPS group the other day and they loved it.
Ingredients:
-8 Cups of Chex Cereal. I use the cinnamon to give it a little more flavor, but you can use rice, corn or wheat.
-2 Cups of Pretzels
-1 Cup Sliced Almonds
-3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
-6 TBSP Butter
-3 TBSP Corn Syrup
-1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda
-1 Cup Dried Cherries, Blueberries or Cranberries. I use cranberries.
In a large roasting pan combine cereal, pretzels and almonds. Set aside.
In a saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until well mixed. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda.

Pour over cereal, stir to coat.Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, stir cereal mixture and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit. Pour on wax paper to cool. Enjoy!

Super Burritos

These burritos were very good, even the kids loved them. I didn't use the really big tortillas, but it would have been better if I would have used the big ones. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
-1 Pound Ground Beef
-1 Cup Chopped Onion
-1/2 Cup Chopped Bell Pepper
-1 Clove Garlic, Minced
-1/4 Cup Water
-1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
-1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
-1 Cup Cooked Rice
-1- 4oz. Can Diced Green Chile Peppers, Drained
-Flour Tortillas
-1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
-2/3 Cup Chopped Tomato
-2 Cups Shredded Lettuce
For the filling, in a large sauce pan cook beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic until meat is done and veggies are tender. Drain off fat.
Stir in water, chili powder, and cumin. Cook about 5 minutes or until most of the water is evaporated. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked rice and Chile peppers.
Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil. Heat in 350F oven for about 10 minutes to soften.Spoon about 1/2 a cup of filling in each tortilla. Top with cheese, tomatoes and lettuce if using and wrap up.
Arrange burritos on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes until heated through.
I served them with quacamole and sour cream.

Herb-Roasted Chicken

They had whole chickens on sale for really cheap, so we picked up a few and I started looking for recipes to use them in. I had never cooked with a whole chicken before. I found this recipe and it was so easy. It took a while to cook, but it was all worth it in the end.
Ingredients:
-Whole Chicken, I used a 4lb one
-2 TBSP Butter, Melted
-2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
-1 Tsp.Dried Basil
-1/2 Tsp. Salt
-1/2 Tsp. Dried Thyme
-1/4 Tsp. Lemon-Pepper SeasoningRinse the inside of chicken, pat dry with paper towel.Tie the chicken up, I tied the legs together and the wings. Place chicken breast side up in a shallow roasting pan.Brush chicken with melted butter and garlic.In a small bowl stir together basil, salt, thyme, and lemon-pepper seasoning.

Rub season mixture on chicken. Bake at 375F for 2 hours or until chicken is done. My chicken took exactly 2 hours! I didn't get a picture of the cooked chicken because I had all 3 kids crying! Enjoy!

3 Chip Cookies

These are my first cookies ever made from scratch and boy were they good!!! They turned out so chewy and were all gone fast! The recipe made about 36 cookies, so if you don't want that many cookies, cut the recipe in half.
Ingredients:

-4 C. All-Purpose Flour
-1 Tsp. Baking Powder
-1 Tsp. Baking Soda
-3 Sticks of Butter
-1 1/4 C. Sugar
-1 1/4 C. Packed Brown Sugar
-2 Eggs
-1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
-1 C. Milk Chocolate Morsels
-1 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
-1 C. Premier White Morsels
-1 C. Chopped Nuts
Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda in medium bowl. In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture.Stir in morsels and nuts.
Drop dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.Cook at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Cook on wire rack. Enjoy! They taste even better when they are still warm!

Pork and Mushrooms

This recipe called for tenderloin steaks, but I used pork chops instead and it still tasted amazing! Everyone especially loved the mushrooms. There was no left overs on this meal!
Ingredients:
-Steak or Pork Chops
-1 TBSP Dijon-Style Mustard
-2 TBSP Olive Oil
-1-8oz. Package of Sliced Mushrooms
-1/2 C. Sherry Cooking Wine
-1 TBSP. Worcestershire Sauce
-2 Tsp. Dried Thyme
Spread mustard evenly over both side of meat. In a large skillet, heat 1 TBSP. Oil over med-high heat. Add meat. Cooked to desired doneness. Transfer meat to serving platter. Keep warm.Add remaining oil to drippings. Add mushrooms, cook and stir for 4 minuets. Stir in wine, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme.

Simmer uncovered until mushrooms are tender. Spoon over meat and enjoy!

Pasta Pizza

Super fast and easy pasta dish! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
-2 C. Dried Penne
-1 Beaten Egg
-1/4 C. Milk
-2 TBSP Grated Parmesan Cheese
-1 lb. Ground Beef
-1 1/2 C. Pasta Sauce
-1 C. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Cook pasta according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water. Drain well.
For crust, in a large bowl combine egg, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Stir in drained pasta. Spread pasta mixture in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
While pasta is cooking, cook ground beef until brown. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce.Spoon meat mixture over baked crust. Add whatever toppings desired, I added mushrooms, olives, green pepper, and pepperoni.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies

I got a new cookbook for Christmas from the SIL and BIL and I love it!! I made some awesome brownies for dessert last night and they are already all gone! This was my first time making brownies from scratch and not out of the box! Thanks Rich and Michelle for the wonderful new cookbook!
Ingredients:
-3/4 C. Flour
-3/4 C. Baking Cocoa
-1/4 Tsp. Salt
-1 stick of Butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 C. Sugar
-1/2 C. Packed Brown Sugar
-3 Eggs, Divided
-2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
-1 C. Chopped Pecans
-3/4 C. Premier White Morsels
-1/2 C. Caramel Ice Cream Topping
-3/4 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in small bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar in bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after adding each one. Add vanilla and mix well.
Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 C. batter.

Spread remaining batter into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle pecans and white morsels over batter. Drizzle caramel topping over top. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same bowl until mixed well. Stir in semi-sweet morsels. Spread evenly over caramel topping. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Sooo good!