Caramel-Pear Pie

Holiday Recipes Collection- Dough for 1 (9-inch) double-crust pie  3 TB all-purpose flour, divided  1 TB ground almonds 3 lb. Bartlett pears( about 6),peeled, quartered 1 TB pear or apple cognac, if desired 2 TB unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar  Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 9-inch pie pan with 1 circle of dough. Sprinkle 1 TB of the flour and ground almonds over bottom of crust; refrigerate while preparing filling.  Toss pears with cognac in large bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add sugar; cook and stir 7-8 min until golden brown.( At first, caramel will appear crystalized,followed by a separating of butter and sugar. It will smooth out as it begins to brown.) Whisk in remaining 2 TB flour until combined. Add pears; reduce heat to low. (Some of the caramel will harden.) Cook and stir 3-5 min or until caramel melts and coats pears. Place pears on pie crust; pour remaining caramel over pears.  Cut remaining circle of dough into 10 (3/4 inch wide) strips. Weave strips into lattice over pie filling, letting strips overhang pie pan. Trim strips to 1/2-inch overhang; fold under edge of bottom crust. Press down gently to seal; flute or crimp edge. Bake 45-55 min or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, covering edges with foil after 20 min if browning too quickly. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. TIP:  If you're new to making caramel,reduce the heat to low as the sugar starts to carmelize to minimize the chances of getting too dark. Serve pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or drizzle of cr'eme fraiche.  8 servings  (Source: Cooking Club of America)

Brownie S'mores

Holiday Recipes Collection- 9 whole cinnamon graham crackers,halved crosswise  3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut up   4 oz. unsweetened chocolate,cosrsely chopped  1 cup sugar 1 cup packed light brown sugar 2 tsps vanilla extract  3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup all-purpose flour  1 1/2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips  35 regular-sized marshmallows    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 13 by 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange graham crackers over bottom of pan, overlapping slightly or breaking to fit, if necessary.*  Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until blended and smooth; stir in flour. (Batter will be smooth,thick and shiny.)  Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon and gently spread over graham crackers.  Bake 35-40 min or until top is just set and toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Heat brolier. Place marshmallows on their sides evenly over top of brownies. Broil 30 seconds to 2 min or until marshmallows are puffed and tops are golden brown. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.  TIP* Depending on the shape of your pan, you may have part of a graham cracker left over.  To cut brownies, spray cooking spray on a knife so it glides easily between the marshmallows.  35 bars  (Source: Cooking Club of America)

Baking Tip

UNSALTED butter vs SALTED butter- As a general rule always buy unsalted butter as you can add the desired salt as needed. If you buy the salted butter, you can never be sure of how much salt is already in the butter. It's better to be able to add salt vs having too much salt to begin with.(Source:Ina Garten-Food Network)

To all my viewers :)

HOLIDAY RECIPES are on the way!!! Any ideas or recipes please email me at katcramat@live.com.

Taco Pasta Casserole :)

A super tasty dish!!!  1lb ground beef 1pkg taco seasoning 1 tbs butter 1 large onion:chopped 1 large green pepper: chopped 1 large (16oz) box shell pasta or elbow macaroni 2 cans stewed tomatoes or regular whole tomatoes 2 cups cheddar cheese:grated salsa and small can sliced olives. In large skillet over med heat, brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and stir to blend. In same skillet, saute' onions and green pepper in 1 tbs butter until tender.Add tomatoes and optional ingredients. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed and drain. Mix well- add cheese on top until melted. Optional method: Layer taco meat mixture and pasta and salsa and cheddar cheese in 9 by 13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for aprox. 20-30 min until heated through and cheese is melted.( Source: Recipe4Living)

Sensational Sloppy Joes :)

A family favorite- 1 lb hamburger, 1 large onion- cut fine. Cook hamburger,drain add onion and cook together. Add 3/4 cup catsup 1 tsp salt 1 tBsp vinegar 1 tsp sugar 1 tBsp mustard 1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp tabasco. Combine all ingredients-simmer 30 min. Optional recomendations- Cook in slow cooker  on low all day then top sloppy joes with grated cheddar cheese or omit cheddar cheese. Great with potato rolls.

Cooking Tip

Keep rolls or breads warm at the table with this OLD trick: Line your bread basket with foil, shiny side out. Drape a towel over that over that, and snug the bread inside. ( Source: King Features -G.R. in Wisconsin)