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all those tidbits about spices, foods, etc.

Here's a spice primer guaranteed to get you cooking in no time!

1. Bay Leaf -- Used in stews, soup and great with pot roast. Go easy. Bay
leaves are strong, especially California bay leaves, which are the kind
most grocery stores stock. I use 1/2 a leaf in my stews.

2. Basil -- Ah, the taste of summer. Who can resist fresh basil and
tomatoes from the garden tossed with olive oil and garlic on a plate full
of pasta? Dried, it's wonderful in soups, pasta dishes and chicken.

3. Dill -- It's not just for pickles. Try some dill sprinkled on fish,
chicken or even in a light cream soup.

4. Garlic -- Nectar of the gods, well, bulb of the gods anyway. Garlic has
a way of making the most ordinary food gourmet. Try sprinkling garlic
powder (not garlic salt) into a prepared box of white cheddar macaroni and
cheese. Surprise! It's pretty good. Fresh is always best. Squeeze it from
a press into almost anything. Don't use with chocolate though.

5. Ginger -- Sprinkle it in your stir-fry, try it on baked chicken breasts
with a little soy sauce and garlic. For fun, get it fresh (it's that
alien-looking root mass in the produce department) and freeze it. It will
keep almost indefinitely when frozen. To use, hack off a piece, peel it
and grate into your recipe.

6. Nutmeg -- I love nutmeg. If you can find nutmeg nuts and the itty,
bitty grater that comes with it, buy it. Once you've had freshly grated
nutmeg, the powdered stuff in the jar is beneath you. Obviously an
ingredient in baking, it's also good grated on sauteed squash, green
beans, and carrots.

7. Oregano -- A staple in Italian cooking, it's also good in stews and
salad dressings.

8. Rosemary -- This beautiful plant grows wild in my garden and provides
an intoxicating aroma to meats, stews and root veggies. Try some crumbled
in your carrots for a change of pace.

9. Tarragon -- An almost licorice flavor, this delicate herb takes front
and center in vinaigrettes, as a delicious sprinkle on the top of baked or
poached poultry and fish.

10. Thyme -- Make time for thyme! It's strong and adds a hint of character
to an otherwise pretty standard dish. Use it with chicken, soups and beef.

Gingerbread Cookies
2/3 cup molasses (not robust)
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring molasses, brown sugar, and spices to a boil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, and remove from heat. Stir in baking soda (mixture will foam up), then stir in butter 3 pieces at a time, letting each addition melt before adding next, until all butter is melted. Add egg and stir until combined, then stir in 3 3/4 cups flour and salt.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed to prevent sticking, until soft and easy to handle, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Halve dough, then wrap 1 half in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.
Roll out remaining dough into a 14-inch round (1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Cut out as many cookies as possible with cutters and carefully transfer with offset spatula to 2 buttered large baking sheets, arranging them about 1 inch apart.
Bake cookies in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are slightly darker, 10 to 12 minutes total (watch carefully toward end of baking; cookies can burn easily). Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll once).
Put icing in pastry bag (if using) and pipe or spread decoratively onto cookies.

Cooks' notes:
�?Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 weeks.

Melanie's Whole Wheat Gingerbread Boys
Makes about 5 dozen 4" men or 20 dz. 2" boys

Cream together:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. molasses
2/3 c. honey
2/3 c. cold water
3 eggs

Switch to dough hooks and add:
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. cloves
2 t. baking soda
6 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350?. Roll dough 1/4" thick on floured board. Cut with floured cookie cutter. Bake approximately 10 min. or until golden on the edges.

__________________
Here's the link http://busycooks.about.com/od/sweets...rcaramcorn.htm

and here are the directions

This is a combination of two recipes; one with not enough sugar and gingerbread flavor, and one with the perfect amount of sugar and no gingerbread flavor. I feel that most homemade caramel corn has too much corn and not enough caramel. This recipe is perfect.
INGREDIENTS:

15 cups popped corn
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup light molasses
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place popcorn into 2 13x9" pans. Mix together salt, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, ginger and cinnamon in a heavy, large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and mix in baking soda. Mixture will foam up - this is why you need a large pan! Pour this foamy mixture over popped corn in the prepared pans and mix thoroughly. Bake both pans at 250 degrees for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until corn is glazed and crisp. Cool completely, then store in airtight containers. 30 servings

**Really this is awesome. Follow the directions about the air tight containers or it will be soggy w/i an hour (at least it did in our humidity!)

anything labeled "kosher pareve" is dairy free

Hot Fudge Sauce
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 c + 2 tbls evap. milk (5 oz can)
1/3 c light corn syrup
1/3 c butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla

In small saucepan combine sugar & cocoa; blend in ev. milk and corn syrup. Cook over med. heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.
Makes about 1 3/4 c sauce

Hot Fudge
3 c sugar
1 can ev. milk
1 1/2 cubes butter or margarine
1 pkg semi-sweet chips
1 (10oz) pkg mini marshmallows
1 t vanilla

Put sugar, butter & milk in bowl. Stir together well, then microwave on medium for 9 min. (I would take out periodically to stir well.) Take out and stir until sugar is dissolved, then cook another 9 min on med. Take out and add chips, marshmallows and vanilla.

Now I don't remember using the microwave and doing the second recipe, but if included it in case you wanted to give it a try. Are they either one similar to the recipe you have?

2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 stick butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbs. cocoa
1/2 c. light cream (or any milk)
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt 1st 2 over low heat. Add next 2 ingredients. Bring to a low boil over low/medium heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and GRADUALLY add the cream or milk and the vanilla. Stir or beat until smooth.

my favorite hot fudge sauce is also the easiest to make:

1 c. skim milk
1/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
heat in the microwave until steaming,

mix 1-2 tsp. corn starch with 1/3 c. milk, stir into hot milk, microwave until it is the consistency you want.

optional mix-ins: vanilla extract, peppermint extract, instant coffee granules.

experiment with the quantities to get the thickness you want, if you up the constarch to a rounded tablespoon you end up with yummy pudding. You can also use dark chocolate instead.

Jill from SL My favorite hot fudge recipe:

THICK HOT FUDGE SAUCE

12 oz (2 cups) semi-sweet chips
1-14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk, like Eagle Brand, or use recipe below.
14oz light corn syrup (use Eagle Brand can to measure)
2 sticks butter or margarine

Stir all ingredients together in a double boiler till melted, then cook over low for 30 minutes. To serve, rewarm over hot water.

Store in fridge. Yield: 5 cups. Lasts forever in the fridge.

Hot Fudge Sauce II

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened
chocolate
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until mostly melted. Transfer to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat and stir in sugar, salt and butter. Stir in cream, a little at a time until smooth. Heat through, without boiling, then remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Store in refrigerator.

HOMEMADE EAGLE BRAND MILK

2C dry milk 1 stick margarine
2C sugar 1C boiling water

Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Pour into a quart jar. This will thicken as it cools. Keeps indefinitely in the fridge. Yield: 2 cans Eagle Brand Milk

Note: I have used this with success in many recipes calling for sweetened condensed milk.

It's just like fudge on a spoon!

Hot Vanilla recipe

For a foamy version, not unlike the steamed milk atop a cappuccino, pour the hot mixture through the feed tube of a food processor while it's running, then transfer to mugs.

2 cups milk
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nutmeg

Combine the milk, sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan. Stir and heat, but do not boil.
Divide between 2 mugs and sprinkle a little nutmeg on top.

Spiced Milk
Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves before heating.

Hot Coconut
Substitute 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut cream for 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Serves 2.

Hot Vanilla Drink

1 c. milk
2 t. vanilla (I think I could have gotten away with 1t.)
1 T. sugar
1 /2 t. cinnamon

I mixed the cinnamon and sugar first in the bottom of the mug, then added milk and vanilla, and microwaved it for 1 1/2 minutes.

White Hot Chocolate

Makes 8 cups2ounces milk chocolate, for garnish
12ounces good-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
6cups whole milk 2cups heavy cream
1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Peppermint sticks, for garnish
Whipped cream, for garnish

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave milk chocolate into curls; set aside. 2. Place white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl; set aside. Place milk and cream in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until bubbles begin to form around edges of pan, about 4 minutes. Immediately pour mixture over white chocolate. When chocolate begins to melt, stir to combine. Whisk in vanilla. Continue whisking until a light foam forms. 3. Serve immediately garnished with peppermint sticks, whipped cream, and chocolate curls.

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

In a large stockpot combine and whisk together until smooth: 2 cans each of the following Campbell soups: Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, Cream of Celery and Cheddar Cheese, 2-15 oz. cans Chicken broth

Add:
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup Pace brand medium salsa
1 - 4.5 oz. can Ortega green chiles
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp. red chile powder, more or less to your taste
salt and pepper to your taste

Bring to a full boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Add: 4 cooked chicken breasts, cut into small chunks, Simmer another hour.

While soup is simmering, make your soup toppings:
Cut 1 pkg. flour tortillas into small thin strips and deep fry in hot oil until lightly browned.
Shred 1/2 lb. longhorn style colby cheese.

To serve: Ladle soup into bowls, top with shredded cheese and fried tortilla strips.

INGREDIENTS:
2 potatoes
3 tablespoons margarine
2 cups chopped white onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups instant mashed
potato flakes
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black
pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
cheese
8 ounces bacon - cooked and
crumbled
2 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake potatoes for 1 hour, or until done. Set aside to cool.
2.
Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, and cook 5 minutes to make a roux. Pour in chicken stock and water. Add cornstarch and mashed potato flakes. Season with salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3.
Remove the skin from the cooled potatoes, and discard. Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, and stir into soup, along with the half-and-half. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until thick. Spoon into bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, bacon and chopped green onion.

also try this extremely easy one

Salsa Chicken
1 lb chicken boneless breasts or tenders
2 cups of your favorite salsa

Place chicken in crock-pot and cover with salsa. Cook on low 6-8 hrs or on high 4 hrs. When chicken is done shread and mix with salsa.

Serve in tortillas, or do like DH and I do. Layer cooked rice, corn, chicken, cheese. YUM! Cooking the salsa makes the tomatoes and peppers sweeten up so if you like spicy stuff use a hotter salsa than usual.

TWICE-BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

6 medium unpeeled potatoes, baked (60 oz raw)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled (10 strips)
3 cups (24 oz) sour cream (fat free)
2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped

Cut baked potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Place half in a greases 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper and bacon. Top with half of the sour cream and cheeses. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with onions.
Yield 6-8 servings.

BAKED POTATO SOUP

This may be the best potato soup I have ever eaten—my family agrees

Bake at 400 ° for about an hour, till done:
4 large baking potatoes, about 10 oz each (prick each with fork several times before baking)
Cool these and cut in half and scoop out pulp. You can toss skins, or do what I do, put a bit of garlic, pepper, cheese and maybe bacon on each and broil till cheese is brown and bubbly.

Fry:12 slices of bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
Chop: 4 green onions, chopped and divided
Melt over low heat:
2/3 C butter ( I used 1/3C butter and 1/3 C canola oil)
Add:
2/3 C flour—and stir till smooth, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Gradually add and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly:
6 C milk (can use skim)
Stir in and cook just till heated:
Potato pulp
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 C shredded cheddar cheese,
½ C bacon
2 T chopped green onions
Stir in: 1-- 8oz carton sour cream (you can use no-fat) , do not boil.
Garnish with remaining items when serving: Yield 2 ½ quarts
½ shredded cheddar cheese
Remaining bacon and chopped green onion

Monkey Bread
serves 6-8

(The dough should be sticky, but if you find that it's too wet and not coming together in the mixer, add 2 tablespoons more flour and mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass. Make sure to use light brown sugar in the sugar mix; dark brown sugar has a stronger molasses flavor that can be overwhelming. After baking, don't let the bread cool in the pan for more than 5 minutes or it will stick to the pan and come out in pieces. Monkey bread is best when served warm.)

Dough

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 Tablespoons melted
1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package rapid-rise yeast (I used 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons salt

Brown Sugar Coating

1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Glaze

1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
2 Tablespoons milk

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Adjust oven rack to medium-low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When the oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Butter a Bundt pan with 2 Tablespoons softened butter. Set aside.

2. In a large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form a smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with non-stick spray (or shortening). Place dough in bowl and flip dough over to coat top.Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 50-60 minutes.

3. FOR THE SUGAR COATING: While the dough is rising, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place melted butter in a
second bowl. Set aside.

4. TO FORM THE BREAD: Gently remove dough from bowl and pat into rough 8-inch square. Using bench scraper or knife, cut dough into quarters. Cut each quarter into 16 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a rough ball.

5. Working one at a time, dip balls in melted butter, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Roll in brown sugar mixture, then place in Bundt pan, staggering seams where balls meet as you build layers.

6. Cover Bundt pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in turned-off oven until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1-2 inches from top of pan, 50-70 minutes.

7. Remove pan from oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap pan and bake until top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubblearound edges, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on serving plate/platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

8. FOR THE GLAZE: While bread cools, whisk the confectioners' sugar and the milk in a small bowl until lumps are gone. Using whisk (or spoon), drizzle glaze over warm monkey bread, letting it run over top and sides of bread. Serve warm.

I have a pizza dough recipe - I know sounds weird but it works. I've used it for the monkey bread every time I've made it. Here it is:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 Cup warm water (105* - 115*)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsps. olive oil (I use vegetable or canola oil here when I do it for the monkey bites)
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

Disolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, oil and 2 1/2 c. flour. Mix until blended well. ( I have a kitchen aid but you can do this by hand too) Add remaining flour, 1/2 c. at a time and mix until dough cleans sides of bowl. Knead around 2 - 3 minutes. Let rise in warm place, free from drafts 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down. And then I just do the monkey bites like normal, filling etc.

Monkey Rolls private recipe

1 stick butter ½ c. brown sugar
1 small box butterscotch pudding, non-instant 2 Tbsp. water
½ c. nuts vanilla
1 loaf thawed frozen bread dough

Tear bread dough into chunks and drop into greased bundt pan. Cook remaining ingredients until butter and sugar melt. Pour over dough. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Let rise overnight. Cook at 350 for 35-45 minutes.

This is my grandma's recipe that's been used in our family for YEARS! It's our comfort food - though I can't make it this Christmas because dh, ds, and dd are all puking and can't stand the smell of anything sweet!

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