Heavenly Cookies or Chocolate Chip Merengues

4 egg whites
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until just foamy.
Add salt and vanilla and continue beating
While beating, add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time until stiff peaks form.
Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake 25 minutes or until peaks are lightly browned.
Allow to cool 3 - 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.
Makes about 30 cookies.
By:  Suzanne Manutai (Hunter's favs!).

Gingerbread Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS light Karo syrup
Cream together the above ingredients, then add:
3 cups flour
2 tsp each: soda, cinnamon, and ginger
1 tsp each: cloves & nutmeg

Roll out.
Cut into desired cookie shapes.
Bake at 400 5 - 10 minutes.
Frost with buttercream frosting.
By: Roxie Hubbs

Pam's Chile Relleno Casserole

3 7-oz cans whole green chiles
1 lb. Jack cheese, grated (reserve 1/2 cup)
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs, beaten
3 TBS flour
1 5-oz can evaporated milk
1 8-oz can tomato sauce

In a 9" X 13" pan, layer half the chiles then half the cheeses.  (Remember to reserve 1/2 cup of Jack cheese)
Add flour and milk to beaten eggs, and using an electric mixer (to make sure there are no lumps), beat until well blended.
Pour egg mixture over chile/cheese layers.
Casserole may be refrigerated at this point if desired.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Spread tomato sauce evenly over the top, and sprinkle with reserved cheese.
Bake 15 minutes longer.
Allow to set for 5 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
* Recipe may be halved and baked in an 8" X 8" pan.

CRUNCHY CARAMEL CORN

(The Father's Day Recipe)
1 cup butter (no substitutes)

2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup (like Karo)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup popcorn kernels, popped **

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Remove any un-popped kernels, and place popped corn in a LARGE bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.

Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Boil, without stirring, for FOUR minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
Stir until mixture appears foamy and lighter in color.

Pour over popcorn and stir until completely coated.

Spread caramel corn evenly onto two baking sheets.

Bake in 250 degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Allow to cool completely, then break into pieces.

Store in zip top bags or airtight container.

** May use 4 bags microwave popcorn.  If using buttered/salted corn, reduce added salt to 1/2 tsp.
Note:  Each cup of kernals makes about 23 cups of popped corn.
Each batch makes about 12 (2-cup) servings

Yummy Apples

Yummy Apples 

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients
3 pounds cooking apples
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1/4 cup butter

Cooking Directions
Core, pare and chop apples into bite-size chunks.
Put some lemon juice on the slices to prevent discoloration.

Place in saucepan with water over medium heat.
Sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add butter
Cook, covered for about 15 minutes until hot and tender

Pizza Fondue

1 pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
20 ounces pizza sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 loaf French bread, cubed

Cook and stir beef and onion together until done. Stir in cornstarch and garlic powder. Add pizza sauce. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and add cheeses, stir until melted. Serve in fondue pot with cubed French bread... toasted if desired.

BLT Pasta Salad

• 3 c. corkscrew pasta
• 1/2 c. milk
• 10 slices of bacon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/3 c. mayo
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 3/4 c. grape tomatoes
• 1/2 c. chopped lettuce, packed
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse, then pour into a large bowl. Stir in the milk and set aside.

Cook the bacon on medium heat until crispy. Remove from the heat, pat dry, and crumble. In a separate pan, bring 1 tsp. of bacon drippings to low heat. Add the garlic and thyme, allowing it to cook for no more than a minute. Pour the garlic and drippings into the bowl of pasta and mix. Stir in the sour cream and mayo until thoroughly incorporated.

Halve the grape tomatoes and add them, as well as the lettuce, to the pasta. Gently toss to coat the vegetables. Mix in all but 1 tsp. of the bacon. Stir in the parsley, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Garnish with the remaining bacon and additional parsley.