Throwdown Chili

2- 15 oz. cans black beans

2- 15 oz. cans white beans

1- 16 oz. can kidney beans

1- 16 oz. can pinto beans

3- pints bottled tomatoes, diced

2- 4 oz. cans green chilies

8 jalapenos, roasted

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 pkt. chili seasoning

1/4 c. brown sugar, loose- not packed

1/4 c. ketchup

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 c. water

Roast jalapenos by slicing in half lengthwise, take out seeds and place on a cookie sheet. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Place in a ziploc bag and let cool. Peel as much of the skins off as you can and then chop the peppers. Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion. Drain and rinse all of the beans. Drain tomatoes. Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Calzones

1 c. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
2 ¼ tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
3-3 ½ c. flour
Grated mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni, sausage, etc.

Combine water, sugar and yeast. Let sit a few minutes to soften yeast. Add remaining ingredients and mix with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Let rise 45 minutes. Divide dough into eight pieces. Roll into circles. Fill with your favorite pizza toppings. Fold over and seal edges. Cut a small slit in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake 450 degrees for 15 minutes. (I usually double the batch and put some in the freezer for a quick lunch.) Serve with marinara sauce.

Coconut or Caramel Syrup

There isn't a picture for this post because one would never do it justice. Just take my word for it that you will never want anything else once you've tried it! The coconut version is the most popular in our family served with Belgian waffles or fluffy french toast.

1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla OR coconut extract

Combine buttermilk, butter, sugar, and baking soda and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add extract of your choice. Chill. Makes about 1 1/2 c. of syrup.

Fluffy French Toast

Recipe given to Candice by Suzanne P.

4 eggs
2 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. Bisquick
4 tsp. sugar
Cinnamon to taste, optional
1 loaf Texas Toast
Crisco, for frying

Beat together eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add Bisquick, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth. Melt Crisco in a heavy frying pan until at least ½ inch deep. Dip toast slices in batter and deep fry until golden brown on both sides. Place on a rack or paper towels to drain. Serve with powdered sugar, syrup, fruit, etc. Enjoy!

Mock Turkey-Pomodoro

Bread of choice
Cranberry jalepeno jelly
Thinly sliced Turkey Deli Meat
Thinly sliced cucumbers
Havarti Cheese slices
Roman Lettuce
Roasted tomatoes - found in grocery store deli's, ie. Harmon's.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ onion, chopped
2 limes, juiced
cilantro, chopped to taste
1 pkt. Italian dressing mix
¼ c. oil
2 Tbsp. water
¼ c. vinegar

Combine all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips.

Candice's Sticky Bun Bites

12 Rhodes rolls, microwave thaw for 1 min. 15 sec. (turn halfway through), cut into 48 pieces
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
¾ c. brown sugar, unpacked
2 tsp. cinnamon

Melt butter, set aside. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
Prepare caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce:
1 c. brown sugar, packed
½ c. butter
¼ c. Karo syrup
1 c. pecans, chopped (optional)
Bring sugar and butter to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and add Karo syrup. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle on pecans. Set aside.

Dip each piece of roll dough in melted butter and roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place in baking dish on top of caramel. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter and let sit for a minute to let the caramel sauce drip over rolls. Serve warm.