Papa and Mimi's Suckers

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup corn Syrup

1 cup water 

1/2 teaspoon oil flavoring

1/2 teaspoon food coloring ( or a few drops) 

1/8 teaspoon citric acid powder

Prepare molds by placing them on a cookie sheet with the stick inserted and the bands around the end of molds. Arrange molds on a flat surface. Spray both molds and surface with a light coat of cooking spray. Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a heavy duty saucepan. Cook to hard crack stage (300 Degrees). It seems like it takes a while to heat up at first but at the end it gets from like 280ish to 300 QUICKLY. So watch the candy thermometer closely! And do not over cook. Remove from heat. Add food coloring and stir gently, for one to two minutes. Add flavoring, and citric acid ( for fruity flavors), and stir until throughly mixed. Pour into molds. When suckers have set, remove from surface and molds. 

SOUR POWER: 

Use the regular mixture of sugar, corn syrup, and water and cook to 300. Remove from heat and add flavoring and color; COOL MIXTURE DOWN to 255; then add solution of 1 teaspoon citric acid dissolved in 1 Tablespoon of water, add to COOLED mixture and pour into molds. 

BUTTERSCOTCH:

After sugar, karo syrup and water dissolve and come to a boil and 1/4 cube of butter and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Cook to 300 and remove from heat. 

CINNAMON: 

After adding cinnamon flavoring, walk throughout the house fanning your hand over the pot to make your house smell like Christmas, Papa style:)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal

Recipe makes 9x13 but I usually half for 8x8 (and I've never had flaxseed to add)

2 cups milk
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 over-ripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups oats (quick or old fashioned will work)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
2-In a blender, blend the first 8 ingredients, milk through salt.
3-In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flaxseed, baking powder, and cinnamon. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
4-Pour batter into greased casserole dish. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the edges are set but middle is still soft to the touch. I prefer to take it out on the softer side, because it carry-over cooks even after it's out of the oven.
5-Let cool for about 5 minutes. Serve warm with a little milk on top.

Denver Egg Casserole

• 9 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup white onion finely diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 1/3 cups ham diced
• 1/2 cup green pepper or red
• salt & black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cook onion in butter over medium heat until softened. Cool.
3. Whisk eggs and cream. Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Pour into a greased 9x9 casserole dish.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

*Instead of an onion I added some onion powder and minced onion. I did red bell pepper.  The outside looks too done, but it needs it for the inside to be cooked!

Einstein's Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

2 C Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/4 C Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 stick Butter (room temp)
2 Eggs (room temp)
1 C Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 C Chocolate Chips

Topping:
4 Tblsp Butter
1/4 C Flour
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 C sugar and cinnamon.
2. Beat together butter and remaining 1 C sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in sour cream and vanilla. Fold into the flour mixture until just combined. Add cinnamon sugar mixture and chocolate chips. Spread into pan.
3. Mix together butter, brown sugar, and flour for topping. Crumble over top of batter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Berries on a Cloud

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Spray 13X9 pan very well with Pam.

Meringue Crust
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar

Beat egg whites, cream of tarter, and salt until foamy. Beat in 1 1/2 cups sugar - one tablespoon at a time - until soft and glossy. Don't under beat. Spread in pan and bake 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave in oven with door closed about 12 hours. (Do this at night.)

Cream Cheese Layer
8oz cream cheese (softened)
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond flavoring
1 cup sugar
2 cups chilled whipping cream
2 cups mini marshmallows

Blend softened cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla and almond flavorings.In chilled bowl, whip cream until stiff. Gently fold whipped cream and marshmallows into cream cheese mixture. Spread over meringue crust.

Topping
Fresh Strawberries
Glaze (Danish Dessert per instructions on box)

Refrigerate at least 12 hours or up to 24. Top with fresh strawberries and 1 package of glaze or Danish Dessert. Any fresh fruit with glaze is good. Also, canned pie filling works.

Indoor Smore's

5 Cups mini marshmallows
1/3 Cup light corn syrup
6 Tablespoons margarine or butter
1 1/2 Cup milk chocolate chips
1Teaspoon Vanilla
8 Cups golden grahams (I like malt o meal brand better)
1 Cup mini marshmallows

Measure cereal into a large bowl.  Butter a 13x9x2 in pan. Melt 5 cups of marshmallows, the corn syrup, butter and chocolate chips in a saucapan over low heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in large bowl. Mix quickly until completely coated with chocolate. Stir in remaining cup of mini marshmallows. Press mixture evenly into pan, and let stand 1 hour before eating.

Pretzel Jello

2 Cups crushed pretzels
3/4 Cup  melted Margarine
1 Tablespoon of Sugar

Mix together in a bowl and press in bottom of baking dish. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. Make sure to let it cool for at least 1 hour.

1 Cup Sugar
8oz Cream cheese
8oz Cool Whip

Blend together and spread on pretzel crust.

1 Cup Boiling water
6z Strawberry Jello
20 oz Frozen Strawberries

I like to thaw the tub of strawberries a little to get out of the tub they come in, then in a bowl mix them with the jello and water. Then spread that on the cream layer, and refrigerate until the jello sets.