Nut Rolls

I found this recipe online at this site, http://iammommy.typepad.com/. Sorry I can't find the exact page at this time. This is a very easy recipe. It tasted really good. I think next time I will only use about half the extract. It did have a strong almond taste.

I bought a canister of deluxe nuts. I sorted out the almond and just did a quick chop. On the site she used peanuts. Her's looked like a Pay Day bar. Anyway, here is the recipe.

1 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

1/2 tsp. almond extract

3 cups powder sugar

1 14 oz bag caramels

2 cups salted nuts

Wax or parchment paper

1. Put marshmallow creme, extract, and powder sugar in a bowl and combine with your hands. This can take a few minutes! The dough will be very stiff.

2. Divide into 6-10 pieces depending on how big you want your nut roll to be, then roll into the cylinder shape.

3. Wrap each cylinder in wax paper and place in freezer for at least 2 hours.

4. Melt caramels in microwave for about three minutes, removing to stir at 30 second intervals. Make sure they are completely melted.

5. Place salted peanuts (or whatever variety you would prefer) on baking sheet.

6. Remove rolls from freezer, then dip into caramel and coat completely. Try not to use your fingers! This gets really messy if you do... you can use two forks to dip and remove.

7. Place caramel covered roll onto salted nuts and cover completely.

8. Transfer nut covered roll onto wax paper, then store in the refrigerator!

**When I divided into logs they seemed large so I made them smaller. Just be sure not to roll them too small, they will fall apart when you try to dip them. Not saying how I know this!!

Semi-Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I am calling these semi-homemade because I am using crescent rolls from a can. I think they are yummy. I think Corey thinks so too. He has asked for them a few times since the first time I made them.

I took one tube of crescent rolls and gently unrolled them. Gently press and seal the seams. However now you can buy sheets of crescents without the perforations. I gently roll my rolling pin over them just to get an even spread. Sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. I would say about two parts sugar to one part cinnamon. Then I sprinkled nuts over that. I had walnuts on hand, so that is what I used. I just ran my knife over them to rough chop. Gently reroll them. Try to keep them as tight as possible. I cut mine into eight pieces. Once they are in the pan I gently pressed them down. Not really necessary, but I think it helped tighten the rolls. Bake at the suggested heat and time. The package I used was 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.

The glaze is just a little powdered sugar and water, could use milk, but we are not milk drinkers so none in the house. Drizzle over the rolls.

**I think I will try them again sometime with some apple pie filling spread on them before rolling them back up.

Italian Chicken and Potatoes

I found this recipe on the internet. I can't remember which site so can't add the link. Anyway, this is a super easy recipe. The chicken was nice and tender. The potatoes were nicely cooked. The flavor was very good. Corey says it's a keeper.

Italian Chicken and Potatoes

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

4 small to medium potatoes cut into wedges

Put chicken into crock pot. Sprinkle with half the dressing and spices. Add the potatoes on top of chicken, or put around chicken. Add the rest of the dressing and spices. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until chicken and potatoes are tender.

**This recipe could easily be doubled for a larger family.

**I cooked mine for 8 hours.

**I think next time I am going to marinate the chicken overnight in the dressing and spices.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

I'm not much of a pasta eater. I like spaghetti and I'm starting to be ok with some noodles. But I must say these were really good. I figured even if I didn't like the shell I could eat the stuffing. I tried it with the shells and it was good. Corey really liked them also.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

1 Lb. ground beef

1/4 cup onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup salsa

12 jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded lettuce

2 Tbsp. diced, seeded tomatoes

1/4 cup sour cream

Heat over to 350 degrees. Spray an 11 X 7 pan with non stick spray. Brown meat with onion and garlic. Drain, add spices cook, mix well, cook about one minute. Add salsa, cook about five minutes, stir often. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream. Let cool slightly. Stuff shells. Place in baking pan. Cover with foil and bake fifteen minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese melts, about five minutes. Top with lettuce and tomatoes.

**I cooked my meat in my Pampered Chef Micro cooker, with the onions and garlic. Then stirred in the salsa, cooked another minute. Then added the sour cream.

**The shells were still hot when I was stuffing them. So I dampened a paper towel and held in one hand to hold the shell while I was stuffing.

**I used a cheddar, mozzarella blend.

**I didn't top with lettuce and tomatoes. I just drizzled more salsa over the shells.

**As you can see by my picture I didn't follow the directions. I cooked the whole box of shells. I stuffed as many as I could with the filling and froze the rest of the shells.