Caramel Crunch Sauce

1/4 C Butter
2T Flour
3/4 C light Corn Syrup
1 1/4 C firmly packed Brown Sugar
5 oz Evaporated Milk
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped toasted Pecans
4 crushed Heath Bars

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Stir in pecans and crushed candy. Serve sauce warm over ice cream.

Harry Potter Butterbeer

Vanilla Ice Cream
Caramel Crunch Sauce (see recipe)
Rum Extract to taste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp clove
Apple Cider

Let container of vanilla ice cream soften slightly. Blend in cooled caramel crunch sauce (omit pecans and Heath bars for this drink), rum extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Refreeze for several hours. To serve, pour hot apple cider over a scoop or two.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1C oil
2C sugar
3tsp vanilla
2C grated zucchini
Nuts (optional)

Sift Together:
3C flour
1tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder

Beat eggs well until light and foamy. (This is the most important step.) Add oil, sugar, vanilla and zucchini. Mix lightly. Add remaining ingredients and nuts. Mix lightly. Pour into two sprayed medium sized loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

Sausage, Bacon, Apple, and Cornbread Stuffing

1 (9x9 inch) pan cornbread, cut into small cubes
1 (14 ounce) package dry bread stuffing mix
8 ounces pork sausage links, finely chopped
1 pound bulk pork sausage
1/2 pound bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried sage leaves, or amount to taste
2 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth, or as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
Place the cubed cornbread and bread stuffing mix into a large bowl. Set aside.
Place the chopped sausage links and ground sausage in a skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat until evenly browned. Drain, and place sausage into a bowl. Using the same skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until evenly browned. Drain bacon on paper towels. Drain excess bacon fat from the skillet. Stir the cooked sausage and bacon into the cornbread mixture.
Using the same skillet, cook the celery and onion over medium heat until transparent and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir into the cornbread mixture.
Stir the apples into the cornbread mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and sage. (I didn't have sage so used poultry seasoning to taste.  I also didn't think it needed salt and pepper, so omitted these ingredients.) Pour enough chicken broth over the cornbread mixture to moisten thoroughly, and toss to distribute evenly. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. (I like moist stuffing so used 3 cans chicken broth for the amount of bread I had.)
Bake in preheated oven until top is toasted and the center is firm, about 45 minutes.

Brined Pork Chops with Apples

Brine:
4 cups apple cider
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 TBSP coarsely ground black pepper
2 TBSP dried rubbed sage
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
8-10 1 1/2 inch thick center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed of excess fat

Pork:
1 TBSP olive oil

1 onion- thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple juice
2 TBSP raisins ( I used craisins)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 TBSP Dijon Mustard


Preparation-
For brine: Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir until sugar and dissolve. Add pork chops to brine. Top with plate to submerge pork. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

For pork: Drain brine from pork chops. Pat pork dry. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add pork and cook until brown but not cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to same skillet. Cover and cook until onion is soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add apples and saute until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth and cider, apple juice, raisins and ginger, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream and mustard. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add pork. Cover; cok 3 minutes. Turn pork over and cook until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150' F, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to plates.

Simmer sauce until lightly thickened, about 4 minutes longer. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon over pork and serve.

Milky way apple salad

1 large pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
Mix together and let sit 5 minutes

Mix in 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
Add 1 small container of cool whip
Cut up 6 granny smith apples and add to mixture
Cut up about 6 milky way bars and mix in (you can use more or less)

Refridgerate for 1 hour and enjoy!

Carrot Apple Side Dish

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups diced carrots (about 6 medium)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup diced peeled apple
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

In a saucepan, cook carrots in water until crisp-tender; drain.
Add butter, brown sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon; mix well. Stir in apple.
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine cornstarch and cold water; stir into carrot mixture.
Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened.
Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until glazed, stirring constantly.

Yield: 4 servings **I doubled the recipe for dinner group.**

Creamy Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
Table Salt
1 lb. elbow macaroni (preferably with ridges)
1/2 red onion, minced
1 rib celery, minced
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream


Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Noodles should not be completely done.  Drain in colander and rinse with cold water until cool, then drain briefly so that macaroni remains moist. Transfer to large bowl.


Stir in onion, celery, parsley, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne, and let sit until flavors are absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add mayonnaise and let sit until salad texture is no longer watery, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (The salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Check consistency and seasonings before serving.)