Caramel Sauce

I received this as a gift last fall. I added a tablespoon or so of cinnamon the last time I made it and that was yummy too.

In a medium-sized glass bowl:
1 bag caramels, unwrapped
1/4 c. butter or margarine

Microwave for 3 minutes. Stir until smooth.

Add:
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Stir until smooth. Enjoy with apple slices, over ice cream, for dipping bananas, grapes, drizzle over pears. Keeps well in fridge. Reheat in microwave, 30 seconds or until hot.

Meghan R. (Shannon M.)
San Jose, CA

'KFC' Coleslaw

I believe I initially found this on allrecipes.com. It's best when made the night before, or given at least 10 hours in the refrigerator. It may not be perfectly KFC, but pretty close in my book.

1/4 c. finely chopped onions
2 T. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. tarragon vinegar (the one I found is made by Heinz)
3/4 c. Miracle Whip
1/3 c. sugar
1 pkg (16 oz) packaged coleslaw

Mix onions, oil and sugar. Add vinegar and whisk in Miracle Whip. Pour over coleslaw veggies and stir. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 10 hours.

Meghan R.
San Jose, CA

Cheese Ball

1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 teaspoon Bon Appetit seasoning (it's a McCormick one)
4-5 green onions sliced
almonds, sliced

Let cream cheese soften slightly. Mix cream cheese, seasoning, and green onions together and form ball with your (clean) hands. Roll in sliced almonds (so ball isn't sticky). Serve with your favorite dipping crackers.

This is so addicting to eat and fun for holiday parties.

Leslie
Madison, WI

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch
1 cup mayo
1 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tomatillos - peel off paper, chop
1/3 - 1/2 cups buttermilk, to consistency you want
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Put in blender and mix.

Ashley Palmer
Livermore, Ca

Marinara Sauce

This is my absolute favorite sauce. I love it on top of ravioli.

1/6 c. olive oil
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
5 basil leaves or 1/2 T. dried (I usually use dried)
1/2 T. chopped dried parsley

Saute garlic, salt, and pepper in oil. (I like to add red pepper flakes at this point too.). Add remaining ingredients, simmer 30 minutes. I also add a little sugar, maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp.

Libby
Montclair, NJ

Addictive Sticky Popcorn

I'm warning you. Don't make this unless you want to eat it a lot, because...you will.

Popped popcorn (I put 1/2 Cup of kernels in my air popper and it makes a pretty big bowl, but you can use more or less depending on how gooey you like it.)

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar.

20 big marshmallows

Melt the butter in a medium/big-ish sized bowl in the microwave. Stir in the brown sugar and throw the marshmallows on top. Stick it back in the microwave and nuke for about 1 1/2 minutes, or until the marshmallows are big and puffy. (At this point you'll know if your bowl was really medium/big-ish or actually small-ish.) Stir it all together and pour over the popcorn. Mix it up, throw in a good chick flick, and stuff yourself silly.

Holly
Bountiful, Utah

Turkey-Broccoli Sandwich Melt

I love to eat these for lunch when I'm tired of eating mac & cheese or Pb&j with the kids. Ingredient amounts will vary on how many you're making.

Broccoli crowns, steamed
Red bell pepper, sliced and sauteed until tender-crisp
Turkey, sliced
Swiss or Provolone cheese, sliced
Sourdough bread, or any bread you have on hand

Spread:
1 Tablespoon Sour Cream
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Horseradish
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

Assemble open-faced sandwiches, starting with bread and spread, then turkey, veggies and cheese. Broil in oven until cheese is melted.

Meghan R.
San Jose, CA
From cousin Sarah S.

Caramel Syrup aka Buttermilk Syrup

Caution: Use a 4-1/2 quart pan (or larger). If pan is too small, it will boil over and make a big mess! This is similar to what is served at Magleby's. Serve on pancakes, french toast or waffles - or boil a little longer and use it as an ice cream topping!

2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. Karo syrup
1 cube margarine
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk

Mix all ingredients in a large pan. Bring to a rolling boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 2 tsp. vanilla. Pour into your favorite syrup pitcher.

Meghan R.
San Jose, CA

Pizza Sauce

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
4-5 cloves crushed garlic, or 1 T. garlic powder
2 T. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Combine ingredients and spread on your favorite pizza dough. Easy and fast!

Libby
New Jersey