Furikake Chex Mix in Smaller Batches

We had this for the first time when we went to Hawaii a few years ago. We found it when we stopped by the local Costco and they were selling the Cookies in Paradise Furikake Party Mix. Since then discovered that this is a common party mix in Hawaii. After reviewing a few recipes out there we are a fan of the one by Onolicious Hawaii and this is adapted from her recipe. Mostly adapted to make a much smaller batch, sometimes you want to enjoy a snack without making a huge batch for a crowd. :)

A lot of these ratios are based on evenly dividing up the packages the ingredients are sold in. I would consider this roughly a quarter batch? It ends up fitting in our roasting pan which is about the size of a half-sheet pan with higher edges. It can be hard finding a container large enough to fit everything and mix it which is the main reason we like to make smaller batches so we don't have to buy separate trays. We have 2 roasting pans so we have often made 2 quarter batches at a time and measure out one quarter set of ingredients at a time for each tray.

We do like more coating on ours so we end up using a higher ratio of syrup to mix. Also, I don't love pretzels so I end up using less, feel free to adjust to your taste. After making this a few times I would also recommend making your syrup in separate batches to match however many trays you're making as it tends to separate and it's difficult to split one large mix between trays evenly. While this requires a little more effort we've found it results in more even distribution of syrup on larger batches.

PARTY MIX INGREDIENTS:

• 127.5g Rice Chex (1/4 box)
• 127.5g Corn Chex (1/4 box)
• 106g Honeycomb Cereal (We used the Malt-O-Meal Honey Buzzers, 1/4 of the bag)
  
• 71g Pretzels
• 65g Fritos (1/4 bag)
• 53g Bugles (1/4 bag)

SYRUP INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce

SEASONING INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 bottle of Nori Komi Furikake

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 250° F
2. Measure out all Party Mix Ingredients together on tray lined with parchment paper and mix to incorporate
3. Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, lower heat and add remaining syrup ingredients. Stir to mix and continue stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Pour warm syrup over party mix and using spatulas or gloved hands, toss chex mix until everything is evenly coated.     
5. Sprinkle Furikake evenly over tray and toss to incorporate
6. Bake for 1 hour, taking out pan and stirring/tossing mix every 15 minutes. If making multiple batches rotate trays in oven after stirring
7. Let cool and enjoy! Store in airtight bags/containers.

Cranberry Sauce

Testing...

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 oz cranberries
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Optional: pinch of cinnamon and/or nutmeg

PREPARATION:

1. Over medium heat dissolve sugar in orange juice and bring to a boil. 
2. Add cranberries and cook until they burst. Continue boiling for a few minutes and remove from heat. Sauce will thicken upon standing. 

Chewy Caramel Popcorn

Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes. Really quick and easy to make, tried it for the first time this year and ended up making a ton of batches! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 bag of microwave popcorn, popped

PREPARATION:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. 
2. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt.
3.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly. As soon as first bubbles appear, allow mixture to boil for 3 minutes without stirring. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat. 
5. Spread out on lined cookie sheet, breaking apart into smaller pieces as you go and allow to cool. Enjoy!

Chewy Ginger Cookies

So this is the recipe I've taken to making lately when I make Ginger cookies. It has a few more spices than the previously posted recipe, (which I'm leaving up because it's Mom's original one) but for the most part though, they are incredibly similar ingredient and even measurement~wise. I've just found I prefer the taste of these ones...warm and chewy and filled with Christmas~y memories!

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt

WET INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water (some people recommend using orange juice)
• 1/4 cup molasses

• 2 Tbsp white sugar for rolling cookie dough balls

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Cream together butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg then stir in water and molasses. Gradually add sifted ingredients to wet ingredients. Shape dough into balls and roll in 2 Tbsp of sugar to coat. Let chill in fridge for an hour or so, even overnight if convenient.
3. Place cookies 2" apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake w/o flattening balls to get a crackle on top.
4. Bake for 8-10 min. in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet to settle, approx. 5 min. before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Don and I both agreed that this was the best thing on the table for Thanksgiving this year! We ended up being so busy with preparations that I completely forgot to make the pie and didn't remember until we were sitting down to dinner. Don said though that these were so good we didn't even need pie, which made me feel a lot better! :) Our crumble/streuesel topping didn't turn out looks~wise (ended up more mushy then crumbly-I think our butter was too soft), but taste-wise was still awesome. 

No marshmallows on top this year, but that's probably for the best. While I like the look of the roasted marshmallows on top, the leftovers will keep better this way. Leftover marshmallow topping never works out. I've discovered from previous years that it gets all slimy and gross and we end up peeling it all off anyways. Our version ended up being a slight adaptation b/w this recipe and this recipe. which are pretty much identical except for a couple of ingredients and preparations. 
   

INGREDIENTS for SWEET POTATOES:

• 4 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato (This ended up being about 2 medium-large potatoes)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2 Tbsp milk (Original recipe calls for heavy cream, but we didn't have any. If you happen to have cream on hand, I imagine it would be good. Milk worked out just fine though.)

INGREDIENTS for TOPPING:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup to 3/4 brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter softened (room temp.)

PREPARATION:

1. Put cubed sweet potatoes in medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash.
2. Preheat the oven to 325.
3. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the sweet potatoes and mix until smooth. Transfer to baking dish. (Both original recipes called for a 9x13 but we ended up using an 8x8 and it worked out great.)
4. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour together. Cut butter into mixture with pastry blender  or fork until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle over sweet potato mash.
5. Bake for 30 min. in preheated oven, or until topping is crisp and lightly browned.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Made this for the first time last year for Thanksgiving, and it was awesome! Plan to make this a tradition, liked it even more than regular pumpkin pie. Found it originally here, but there are so many different versions there decided to put it here for quick reference :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 (9") prepared graham cracker crust
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping thawed (Optional)

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 min., or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover w/ whipped topping before serving. 

Ginger Snaps

I'm pretty sure these are the cookies that Mom used to make. I found this in my random recipe binder and it was on a sheet entitled 'Mom's Holiday Recipes' - so I can't really imagine it being anything else! :0) It was during the time when I asked Mom one year when I came for Christmas all the recipes she used and she pulled out all those index cards and we went through them. Little bit of Christmas from home!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
  

PREPARATION:

1. Beat butter, sugar, salt, and egg until nice and creamy
2. Add the remaining ingredients
3. Form into balls and roll in sugar
4. Bake at 350 for 10 min.

Candy Cane Frosting Cake

Mom's Note: I usually mix the gelatin into the crushed candy canes and do not use the water. As you know there is no chocolate syrup in our cake. It's kind of expensive! :0)

INGREDIENTS:

• Angel Food Cake
• 3 tsp gelatin
• 3 tsp water
• 6 candy canes crushed in blender
• 1/2 cup milk
• 500 ml whipping cream
• 1/2 cup chocolate syrup

PREPARATION:

1. In small bowl mix gelatin and water.
2. Melt candy canes in milk. Be careful--too much heat curdles milk.
3. Mix water and milk. Let gel in fridge until just slight set.
4. Whip cream until stiff and gently fold gelatin mixture in.
5. Slice cake in 3 layers, drizzle syrup over layers and reassemble.
6. Frost the cake.

Butter Tart Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 11/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbp icing sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 11/2 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter melted
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup chopped nuts
  
• 1 cup raisins
  

PREPARATION:

• Combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter.
• Press into 9” square pan. Bake 10 min. at 350.
• Beat eggs, add sugar, butter, vinegar, vanilla, raisins and nuts.
• Spread over base.
• Bake for 30-35 min. or until set.

Mom's Note: For nuts I use pecans and put more than 1/2 cup in. One and a half batches will fill a 9x13 pan

Christmas Breakfast Casserole

So something entirely out of season, but you know you'll use it eventually! :0) Okay, so a little story about the next recipe...When I was home recently I started looking for the Christmas Breakfast Casserole thing that mom makes. I know for sure that it's one I'll end up using over and over again and would be incredibly convenient to have access to wherever Christmas ends up taking me. So I started looking and I lucked out, but didn't at the same time.

I found the recipe all right, but instead of finding just one I found not two, not three but four different recipes. Mom was already asleep and I wasn't quite sure what her answer would be about which recipe she uses. Well, that's not entirely true either, I figured she would say she didn't know and probably something like an amalgamation of all four. So after reading through all of them I figured this was the closest to what I remembered having (with notes where I wasn't sure). FYI I do have copies of the other 3 recipes, so if you remember something else let me know and I can send the other versions of the recipe to you. Anyhow, enjoy! A little bit of family tradition to share with your families for years to come...

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 slices of white bread (crusts removed)
• Slices of ham (Mom usually ended up doing one casserole with cubed up ham and the other with sausage bits)
• Slices of sharp cheddar (though I figure you could use shredded cheese as well)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (you can add more, up to a cup, depends on how spongey you like your bread...I think with the butter though you don't need as much milk)
• Dash of Tabasco sauce (Don't think Mom uses this)
• 1/4 lb butter (this ends up being 1 stick of butter, so 1/2 cup butter)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper (Not sure whether or not mom uses this either)
• 1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Ditto for this ingredient)
  
• Special K or Cornflakes, crushed (I think Mom has been leaving this bit out for the last couple years)

PREPARATION:

1. Butter a 9"x13" glass dish
2. Put 8 slices of bread in pan, cover dish entirely
3. Cover bread with ham, cheese and then remaining bread
4. Beat egg, salt, pepper and mustard--add milk etc to mixture
5. Pour over bread and cover, put in fridge overnight
6. In the morning melt butter, pour over top and cover with crushed cornflakes. (We just put extra cheese on top. Maybe don't add this last bit until the last 10-15 min)
7. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Let stand for 10 min. before serving.

Whipped Short Bread

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb butter (2 cups)
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• red and green maraschino cherries (optional)
  

PREPARATION:

• Whip butter for 10 min.
• Add icing sugar and mix well.
• Cream mixture together with cornstarch and flour. Then add salt.
• Mix well.
• Roll out dough and form into desired cookie shape.
• Top cookies with little piece of maraschino cherries for festive decoration.
  
• Bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 min.

Mom's Note: I usually do not whip the butter that long and I don't add any salt. I also bake it at 350 for about 10-15 min. I use a small cup to cut the cookies after rolling it out; you can use a small cookie cutter.