All-Time Favorite Recipes

I know everyone likes to get new recipes. Here are some of my all time favorite ones!

Caramel Popcorn
2/3 c popcorn kernals - pop, pour in brown paper bag and set aside

1 cube butter
1 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c karo syrup

Combine ingredients in microwave safe bowl. Microwave 2 1/2 minutes, stir, then microwave 2 1/2 minutes again. Add 1 tsp baking soda. Stir, then pour over popcorn in brown paper bag. Shake well. Put whole bag in microwave for 1 minute, shake well, microwave 1 more minute, shake well, then pour out in large bowl. Break apart popcorn as it cools. Enjoy!

Mexican Cream Cheese Chicken
12 or so pieces of chicken tenderloins
1 1/2 c salsa
2 cans black beans (liquid included)

Combine ingredients in crockpot. Cook on med-med high long enough to be able to shred chicken. (about 3-4 hours) Once all chicken is shredded, add 1 box of cream cheese (cubed). Stir as cream cheese melts.

Serve over chips or rice (or both), or wrap in tortilla shell with favorite toppings. Optional toppings to add: cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, or whatever sounds really good to you!

Standard Pie Pastry
For a 9-inch single-crust pie:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 tablespoons ice water
1/2 cup Crisco© or other good shortening

For a 9-inch double- or lattice-crust, just double this recipe.

Preheat oven to 425°F (or whatever temp your pie recipe calls for).

Put the Crisco in a medium bowl. Over it, pour 1 cup of the flour and the salt, reserving 1/4 cup flour. With your pastry blender (some old timers use a fork), cut the flour and salt into the Crisco until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine the reserved 1/4 cup of flour with the 2-1/2 tablespoons ice water (estimate, or, if you must be exact, a half tablespoon equals 1-1/2 teaspoons) in a cup to make a smooth paste. Pour the paste over the pastry mixture and continue cutting in with the pastry blender until incorporated. Remember, the less you work the dough, the lighter and flakier the pastry.

Form the pastry into a ball, flatten and roll between sheets of waxed paper (you may see little veins of Crisco here and there, but that's okay) to a thickness of about 1/8 inch and 1-1/2 to 2 inches wider than the pie plate.

Peel off the top piece of waxed paper, invert a 9-inch pie plate on dough surface, and turn the sheet of dough and the pie plate over. Center the dough on pie plate, if necessary, and peel off the second sheet of waxed paper (tear off in pieces, if you like). Fit the dough into the pie plate without stretching it. If the dough tears a little, just pinch it back together.)

Trim the dough to overhang the edge of the pie plate by about 1-1/4 inches, then turn under to make an edge. You can put a fancy crimp in the edge at this point, if you wish.

Pre-Baked Pie Shells:
For a pre-baked pie shell, prick bottom and sides of pastry with a fork to avoid bubbles developing, and bake in a 425°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes until the crust is lightly browned.