Carmelized Pecans

Have you ever bought those caramelized almonds or pecans at the mall?  These are basically the same thing.  The brown sugar and cinnamon mixture gives an amazing flavor and the slow baking gives the perfect crunchiness....  I just made a batch and put some in a pretty Holiday plastic bag, and tied it with a ribbon.  A fun addition to a gift I gave at an annual get together with friends.  Bonus: your house will smell wonderful!!   Feel free to use almonds in place of the pecans.

Caramelized Pecans
1 egg white
1 tsp. cold water
1 lb. pecans (or almonds)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar

Put nuts into large bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat egg whites slightly, add water.  Beat until frothy but not stiff.  Pour over nuts, stir until nuts are well coated.  In a separate bowl, mix sugar, salt and cinnamon, add to nuts mixture, stir until well coated.  Pour onto buttered cookie sheet.  Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring half way through.  Pour onto waxed paper, let cool.  Store in covered container.  Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

We love tacos and we love lasagna, so......  I will definitely make this again, I actually made an extra pan to freeze.  I really like recipes that freeze well, I often find myself with not much time to throw something together, love it when I have something to just throw in the oven :).  This recipe calls for uncooked lasagna, I partially cooked them since I was freezing some.  If you cook your noodles, omit the water.

Mexican Lasagna
2 pds. ground beef
1 - 16 oz. refried bean
1 - 4 oz. chopped green chilies
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 T. hot salsa
4 c. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided
12 oz. lasagna, uncooked
1 - 16 oz. mild salsa
2 c. water
2 c. sour cream
1 - 2 1/4 oz. can sliced olives, drained
3 green onions, chopped
1 med. tomato, chopped, optional

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, chilies, taco seasoning and hot salsa.  In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer a third of the noodles and meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers twice.  Combine mild salsa and water; pour over top. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until heated through.  Top with sour cream, olives, onions, tomatoes if desired and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings.
WW PointsPlus™ = 11 pts. per serving 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

So if there is oatmeal in these cookies, does that mean they are healthy?  That's what I thought....  I actually love oatmeal raisin, but for some reason my kids prefer these (chocolate vs. raisins?).  I suppose the raisins would make them too healthy....  Seriously, these are excellent, I tend to prefer a moister cookie like this one, and maybe the oatmeal really does add a nutritional benefit... sounds good to me.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1-1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. oatmeal
1 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cream shortening, margarine and sugars until smooth.  Add vanilla and eggs, mix well.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Stir in chips.  Use cookie scoop or drop onto cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Au Jus Roast Beef (French Dip)

This French dip recipe is so incredibly easy to make and tastes excellent!  This is often a recipe I make if we having friends for dinner.  I have heard many times "this is the best French dip I have ever had!"  I have served it with the drippings as a dipping sauce, or I have mixed the dripping in with the shredded beef and served directly on hoagie buns.  Either way, its delicious!

Au Jus Roast Beef (French Dip)
 4 lbs. beef roast
1 pkt. Hidden Valley dry mix (original)
1 pkt. Au Jus Mix
8 c. beef broth

Mix the 2 mix packets with beef broth, the dry ingredients mix better if the broth is warmed a bit first.  Pour over roast in crock pot.  Cook all day (6 hours minimum), remove from crock pot, shred and serve in hoagie buns.  Use remaining sauce/juice for dipping.