Brown Sugar Carmel Pound Cake

1 1/2 c unsalted butter softened

2 c light brown sugar, packed

1 c sugar

5 large eggs

3 c all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 c whole milk

1 bag(s) 8oz bag toffee chips

1 c pecans, in pieces

CARMEL DRIZZLE

1 can(s) sweetened condensed milk

1 c brown sugar, firmly packed

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 spray a 12 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray with flour.

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugars beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.

In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mix to batter alternately with milk, beat until just combined

Stir in toffee buts and pecans. Spoon batter into pan and bake 85 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean. To prevent excess browning, cover cake with foil while baking.

Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon Caramel Drizzle over cooled cake.

Directions for Caramel Drizzle

In a medium saucepan, combine condensed milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat, and SIMMER for 8 minutes, whisking frequently.

Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes before using.

NOTE: Make sure you drizzle the caramel while it’s still HOT. When cooled the caramel does somewhat harden. NOTE: Fill pan as you would any other cake leaving room for it to rise, you may have some batter left over. NOTE: I have had comments that the toffee bits tend to sink and may cause the cake to stick to the pan. It has been suggested that you dust the toffee bits with flour and grease pan with Crisco not a cooking spray.

Zucchini Boats

4 med. Zucchini

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup chopped sweet peppers

½ cup celery diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 egg, slightly beaten

½ cup fine Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp thyme

Pepper to taste

A cup or so Tomato or spaghetti sauce

¼ cup Mozzarella cheese per boat

Cut squash in half lengthwise. With small melon baller, start about 1/2 inch from end and scoop out middle of squash, making sure not to take out too much.

Brown meat, onion and garlic in skillet pan in Tbsp olive oil until no longer pink. Drain browned meat; add celery, sweet peppers, bread crumbs, egg, basil, oregano, pepper, Worcestershire and tomato or spaghetti sauce. Fill up boats with meat mixture and arrange in baking dish. Top with Cheese. Bake at 325 F. degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until squash is tender. Makes 8 boats.

Variation: Use ½ lb ground pork sausage and ½ lb ground round….or 1 lb ground turkey in place of 1 lb ground round. Use ½ cup stale bread soaked in milk and drained or crushed saltine crackers instead of cracker crumbs.

BACON BREAD!!! Yes! Now!

12 bacon strips, diced

1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 envelope (1 ounce) ranch salad dressing mix

Directions

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes or until partially cooked; drain on paper towels. Roll out dough to 1/2-in. thickness; brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut into 1-in. pieces; place in a large bowl. Add the bacon, cheese, dressing mix and remaining oil; toss to coat.

Arrange pieces in a 9-in. x 5-in. oval on a greased baking sheet, layering as needed. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Cover with foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Yield: 1 loaf.

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (1 each) equals 149 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 621 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein.

CHEESY CHICKEN N BROCCOLI BAKE

1/2 cup peppers, chopped
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
6 oz. cooked chicken breast, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 (8 oz.) pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Chop pepper, broccoli, water chestnuts, onion and chicken. Combine all ingredients except crescent rolls in medium bowl. (I sauteed my peppers onion and broccoli first to bring out some flavor.)

Unroll crescent rolls and arrange triangles in a circle on a cookie sheet with the wide part of the triangle being the center of the circle and the points going out. It will look like a sun. After you have arranged the rolls, I pushed mine with my hand a little in the center to create a larger area to scoop the filling onto. After I pushed the centers more, the circle in the middle ended up being about 2" or smaller. Scoop filling mixture onto the dough, in a circle. Fold points of triangle over filling into the center. (Filling will not be completely covered.) Pinch to seal. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Turtle Fudge

Ingredients

14 oz caramel, I used Peter's caramel block but you can use Kraft caramels and prepare it with evaporated milk as directed on package.

1 Tablespoon evaporated milk

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1½ cups chopped pecans

Instructions

Grease a 8x8 baking dish.

Melt caramel and evaporated milk together in a microwave safe bowl, or according to package directions. Set aside.

On stove top over medium heat, combine chocolate chips, sweetened conduced milk and salt. Heat until chocolate is melted stirring consistently.

Stir in pecans and vanilla.

Pour half of the fudge mixture in the pan.

Pour the caramel over the fudge.

Pour remaining half of fudge over the caramel, swirl gently with a knife.

Cover and refrigerate until set.