Friday yummies

So at work every other Friday we have a "Payday Potluck" Today's pot luck was exceptionally delicious! We had coconut milk/chicken soup, tortellini shrimp salad, strawberry spinach salad, chicken salad, cheese & crackers, homemade salsa & chips, fruit salsa, fudge, breads, and I brought caramel rice crispy treats. So I took these rice crispy treats to our neighborhood girls night out and I cooked the caramel too long--it was toffee hard--so in the trash it went. I tried it out again and they turned out delicious!! Here are 2 of the recipes.

Fruit Salsa
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 can (8 ounces/227 g) crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup sliced strawberries,
fresh or frozen1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients; chill. Serve with “Baked Cinnamon Strips”

Baked Cinnamon Strips
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6–8 flour tortillas (8″/20 cm in diameter)
1. In a large, sealable plastic bag, combine the sugar and the cinnamon.
2. Cut a tortilla into 6 strips. Lightly brush both sides of the strips with water, place in the plastic bag, seal, and shake to coat the strips. Remove the strips and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Repeat this procedure with the remaining tortillas.
3. Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 8–10 minutes or until crisp. Serve immediately or let cool and store in an airtight container.

my friend Bonnie got this recipe out of the "Friend" magazine about 7 years ago and she's lvoed it ever since. It is sooooo good.



Caramel Rice Crispy Treats
Make rice crispy treats-I usually use 1 square butter, 1 large pkg mini marshmallows and enough rice crispies to make it look good (8cups??) but don’t’ use too many or it’ll make it dry. Pour into well-buttered pan or use parchment paper (my favorite). The smaller the pan, the bigger the end product. I use large cookie sheet-but if you want the caramel thick-use a 13X9 pan and don’t make so many rice crispies.

Caramel
1 cup butter
16 oz brown sugar (2 ¼ cups)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Karo syrup
vanilla

Add all ingredients except vanilla. Cook and stir until 230* or soft ball stage, usually takes 12-15 minutes. Add vanilla. Pour over rice crispy treats. Let set until firm.

If you use parchment paper—cutting is a breeze. Just remove the whole lot and place on counter to cut with large chef’s knife. If the caramel is too hard—turn rice crispy treats over and cut through with rice crispies on top.

mmmmmmm