Jonah's Microwave Caramels

1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. butter (not margarine)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. karo syrup






Put all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 2 minutes and then stir. Repeat for 2 minutes then stir. Cook again for 1 1/2 minutes and stir. Cook for 1 minute and then pour into a well buttered 8x8 pan and let cool for 3 hours. Cut and wrap in waxed paper that is cut into squares (roll as a diamond and twist sides closed).

For a slightly softer caramel use these times: (2 min, 1.5 min, 1.5 min, 1 min).

This recipe is for a high wattage microwave (i.e. 1100 watts). If your microwave has fewer watts then you'll need to increase some of the times. This recipe is so easy! 8 minutes and you have perfect caramels. Jonah makes these every Sunday.

For black licorice caramels add:
1/2 t. black food coloring
1/2 t. anise flavoring (before pouring into pan)

Other variations:
Pour warm caramel over pretzels, chocolate chips, nuts, coconut etc. You can also make a flavored caramel - i.e. Raspberry caramels -- using flavored extracts. Follow directions on the back of the extract bottle.

Monte Cristo Casserole

(Pampered Chef)

1 cup milk
6 eggs
2 packages (12.5 ounces each) frozen French toast slices, thawed
8 ounces deli baked ham, diced
8 ounces deli roast turkey, diced
4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated (1 cup)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, snipped
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup strawberry ice cream topping
(frozen strawberries and jam also work)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Heat milk in small microwave-cooker on HIGH 3 minutes or until hot. Whisk eggs in a bowl; add hot milk to eggs, whisking until blended. Cut French toast into 3/4-inch cubes; place in large colander bowl. Pour egg mixture over French toast cubes; toss gently; set aside.
2. Dice ham and turkey. Grate cheese. Snip parsley. Combine ham, turkey, cheese and parsley in a bowl; mix. Layer half of the French toast cubes in bottom of a rectangular baker. Top with half of the meat and cheese mixture. Repeat.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and set in center. Remove to cooling rack; cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
4. Slice strawberries. Combine strawberries with strawberry topping in small colander bowl. Cut casserole into squares; serve. Top each serving with strawberry mixture.

We had a Christmas brunch last December. A neighbor brought this and I loved it. It reminds me of the Monte Cristo sandwiches that we had a Disneyland last May.

Sweet Pulled Pork

Sprinkle garlic salt over pork roast placed in crock pot.
Cook all day on low (or fewer hours on high) or until pork is easy to pull-apart.
Remove from crock pot. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Strip (pull-apart) the pork and put back into juices in the crock pot.

Add:
1 c. salsa
1 c. brown sugar
(if you have a larger pork roast, you may want to double or triple these two items)
Cook until warm through.

Serve on burritos, taco salad, or rolls.

Sweet Potatoes

4 lbs Sweet Potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2/3 c. brown sugar
5 T. butter
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
2 c. marshmallows
1/2 c. sliced almonds (or other nuts)

Preheat oven to 375. Put potatoes into a 9x13 pan.

Mix everything else except Marshmallows and nuts in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar dissolves. Drizzle over potatoes.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and stir to coat all pieces. Bake for an additional 20 minutes (uncovered) until potatoes are cooked and syrup thickens.

Take out of oven. Increase temperature to 500. Put marshmallows and nuts on top. Cook for 3-4 minutes until marshmallows are browned.

Turkey Spice Rub

1/2 c. soft butter
3 -4 cloves garlic (minced)
Poultry Fresh Herbs (usually available in a clear plastic box around the holidays)

Prepare this rub the day before use.

Wash herbs and chop up finely. Mix all ingredients including a dash of pepper. Lie out a strip of plastic wrap on the counter and lay the butter mixture out like a log. Roll it up tight and let it harden in the fridge or freezer. When it is hard, cut it up into 1/2 inch slices. Gently loosen the skin from the turkey and slide the slices underneath as far as you can go. Put the butter slices all over the turkey. If you have butter left over, spread it on top of your stuffing and the bird.

Cheesy Penne Italian Shepherd's Pie

(Rachel Ray)

1/2 pound mini penne
Salt
3 tablespoons EVOO
1 pound ground turkey
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded provolone (we just used regular chedder and jack)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring up to a boil to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook until al dente according to package directions. Heads up – reserve a mug of starchy water before draining the cooked pasta. Drain well and transfer pasta back to the cooking pot.

While the water is coming up to a boil for the pasta, place a large skillet over high heat with 3 turns of the pan EVOO, about 3 tablespoons. Once the oil starts to ripple, add the ground turkey and break it up into small pieces as it cooks using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Cook until the turkey is nice and brown, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the veggies and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, 1/2 cup chicken stock, half of the reserved starchy water, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 10 more minutes, stirring every now and then.

While the veggies and turkey are cooking, place a medium-size saucepot over medium heat with the butter. Once the butter melts, add the flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly so the flour doesn't burn. Whisk in the milk and the rest of the starchy pasta water and chicken stock, bring up to a simmer and cook until thickened. Once thick, turn off the heat, add the cheese to the pot and stir until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the bottom of a large, oven-safe baking dish with the turkey and veggie mixture. Meanwhile, add the cheese sauce to the reserved pasta in the pasta pot. Stir to coat then transfer the cheesy pasta to the baking dish. Spread it out to cover the turkey mixture evenly. Place in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.


**So, I know you said you think this sounds weird....but trust us! It is good! Try it!