Candied Yams

From Grandma Wayman.

4-5 long, thin yams (not sweet potatoes)

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice

Dash cinnamon

Marshmallows

Scrub yams and pierce the skin with a fork. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 450 F. Allow yams to cool enough to be peeled. (Yams can be baked but not peeled the night before.)

When you are ready to assemble the yams, bring the margarine, brown sugar, water, orange juice, and cinnamon to a boil in a skillet until thickened (2-6 minutes).

Cook baked, peeled yams in above mixture for 1 minute. (If skillet is not large enough to fit all the yams, cook them in more than one batch.)

Carefully lift yams out of syrup and place in greased baking dish (9x13 or 11x17). Pour remaining syrup over yams. Bake 15 minutes at 350 F.

Top yams with marshmallows and briefly broil until marshmallows are puffy and golden. (Watch them, as the marshmallows can quickly go from golden to burned.)

Notes:
- Start a while in advance, as yams must cool before being peeled.

Death by Chocolate (Trifle)

From Sis. Luke.

1 9x13" pan of brownies, cooled and chopped or crumbled
1 large container of whipped topping
1 large Symphony bar with almonds and toffee, chopped finely
1 large + 1 small box chocolate pudding, prepared according to directions


Trifle:
Mix 3 small packages of chocolate pudding as directed. Let set in refrigerator.

Once the brownies are completely cool, layer in the following order:
1 layer brownies
1 layer chocolate pudding
1 layer whipped topping
1 layer finely cut Hershey’s Symphony or Hershey’s milk chocolate bar (5 oz.)

Repeat layers to fill trifle dish.


Notes:
- Best if assembled the night before.
- I like to use Matt's Award-Winning Brownies.  Sis. Luke uses this brownie recipe in her trifle:


Brownies:
2 ½ sticks butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups walnuts, chopped

Melt butter over medium heat. Mix in cocoa powder and remove from heat. Add sugar, salt, eggs, and walnuts (in that order). Pour into greased 9x13” baking dish. Bake at 300°F for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tortellini Chicken Soup

From Mom Larsen.

Combine in a large pot and bring to a boil:
3 (10.75 oz) cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
½ cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp basil
½ tsp oregano

Add 7 oz. package cheese tortellini. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes.

Add 9 oz. fresh or frozen broccoli. Simmer additional 5-10 minute or until broccoli is tender.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Notes:
- Meatless Version: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.  Use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken soup.  Omit chicken and add more vegetables and pasta.

Taco Soup

From Mom Larsen.

Serves: 4-6

1 lb. hamburger, browned and drained
1 onion, chopped and browned with hamburger
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 14½-oz. can cut-up tomatoes, undrained (Mexican style is best)
1 15½-oz. can whole-kernel corn, undrained
1 15½-oz. can kidney beans, undrained
1 package taco seasoning (try using Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix)

Garnishes:
Shredded cheese, Fritos, sour cream or fat-free Greek yogurt

Put first 7 ingredients into a large saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. You will probably want to add 1-2 cups of water for a mores soupy consistency. To serve, put soup in individual serving bowls and sprinkle with cheese and Fritos. Add a dab of sour cream.

Notes
- We recently used fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I think the brand was Dole).  So delicious!  The tomatoes were softer and added a sweeter flavor to the soup.
- Next time we make this, we're going to try it with black beans instead of kidney beans.

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Mom Larsen.

White chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies (see Variations)

3 eggs
16 oz. (2 cups) dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 Tbs. vanilla
1 lb. butter, softened (do not substitute margarine!!)
6 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
18 ounces chocolate chips
2 cups chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Beat eggs until thickened—about 4-5 minutes. Add sugars; mix well. Add vanilla and butter; mix well.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture; mix well. Dough will be thick!

Add chocolate chips and nuts (if desired); mix.

Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, drop dough on cookie sheets covered with baker’s/parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until tops begin to crack. Cookies will not look done in the center but will continue to cook after you take them out. Leave cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Variations:
Cocomac Cookies: Substitute coconut and macadamia nuts for chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies: Substitute white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts for chocolate chips and nuts.

Larry's Chili

From Dad Larsen.

In a crock-pot or large pot, add the following ingredients and turn on to a medium setting:

3 15-oz. cans of small red beans
3 15-oz. cans of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 15-oz. can of Beef Consommé (or beef bouillon or beef broth)
1 small can (about 3 or 4 oz.) diced, green chilies
3 Tbs. chili powder (2 Tbs. for a milder flavor)
1 Tbs. ground cumin
Salt & pepper to taste (suggested: 1 tsp. salt & 1/2 tsp. black pepper)

Meanwhile, brown the following in a skillet:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 Tbs. olive oil (omit if hamburger is not lean)

After hamburger is browned and onion is cooked, drain off excess fat. Add hamburger and onion to crock-pot.

Cook for 1 hour or more.

Note:
- When small red beans or poquito’s are not available, use kidney beans. May use a combination of kidney and small red beans, if desired.

Hot and Sour Soup

From Szechuan Garden in Mountain View, CA.

Makes a LOT!

Boil on high for 30 minutes:
10 cups water
4 packets low-salt chicken bouillon
1.25 oz. black (shiitake) mushrooms, crushed (but not into powder)
4 oz. bamboo shoots, cut in strips
1 Tbs. corn starch in ¼ cup cold water (mixed)

Meanwhile, cut 2 chicken breasts into small pieces and marinate in the following spices:
3/8 cup white vinegar
5/8 cup soy sauce
2 ½ Tbs. corn starch mixed with 3/8 cup Chablis (or water, if desired)
3 ½ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white pepper (or black, if necessary)
¼ tsp. red pepper
2 tsp. sesame oil

Prepare:
1 14-oz. package of extra firm Tofu, cut into strips or chunks the size of sugar cubes
1 egg, scrambled (mix, don’t cook yet), hold in fridge
1 scallion (or green onion), cut into small rings

Procedure:
Stir tofu into soup and cook 15 minutes.
Add meat and marinade and cook only 2 minutes.
Add egg slowly in a stream while stirring the boiling mixture.
Add scallions.

Let stand 20 minutes. Serve.