Playdough

1 cup white flour

1/4 cup salt

2 Tbs cream of tarter

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1 cup water

food coloring

Mix flour, salt and cream of tarter in a medium pot. Add water, food coloring and oil. Stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. The mixture will start out runny and goopy, but will turn into dough!

When the mixture forms a ball in the center of the pot, turn off the stove and let it cool. Then take it out of the pot and put it onto a floured surface and knead it a little bit.

It is then ready to play with! Store in a plastic bag or other air tight container in the fridge.

Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin

*This recipe is definitely a rare recipe, so I like to cook it just a tad longer so my kids or dinner guests don't get sick!

Note: This recipe will work with either natural pork or enhanced pork (injected with a salty solution). If your tenderloins are smaller than 1¼ pounds, reduce the cooking time in step 3 (and use an instant-read thermometer for best results). If the tenderloins don’t fit in the skillet initially, let their ends curve toward each other; the meat will eventually shrink as it cooks. Make sure to cook the tenderloins until they turn deep golden brown in step 2 or they will appear pale after glazing. We prefer grade B maple syrup in this recipe. Be sure to pat off the cornstarch mixture thoroughly in step 1, as any excess will leave gummy spots on the tenderloins.

Serves 6

2 pork tenderloins, 1 1/4-1 1/2 lbs each (when you buy a tenderloin, there are usually 2 in the package)

3/4 cup maple syrup (use the real stuff, not imitation maple syrup or it will be too sweet)

1/4 cup molasses, light or mild

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbs vegetable oil

1 Tbs whole-grain mustard

(it also calls for 2 Tbs bourbon or brandy, but we just leave it out. You could probably substitute apple juice if you wanted)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir ½ cup maple syrup, molasses, bourbon, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne together in 2-cup liquid measure; set aside. Whisk cornstarch, sugar, salt, and black pepper in small bowl until combined. Transfer cornstarch mixture to rimmed baking sheet. Pat tenderloins dry with paper towels, then roll in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Thoroughly pat off excess cornstarch mixture.

2. Heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Reduce heat to medium and place both tenderloins in skillet, leaving at least 1 inch in between. Cook until well browned on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer tenderloins to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.

3. Pour off excess fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add syrup mixture to skillet, scraping up browned bits with wooden spoon, and cook until reduced to ½ cup, about 2 minutes. Transfer 2 tablespoons glaze to small bowl and set aside. Using remaining glaze, brush each tenderloin with approximately 1 tablespoon glaze. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of tenderloins registers 130 degrees, 12 to 20 minutes. Brush each tenderloin with another tablespoon glaze and continue to roast until instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of tenderloins registers 135 to 140 degrees, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Remove tenderloins from oven and brush each with remaining glaze; let rest, uncovered, 10 minutes.

4. While tenderloins rest, stir remaining ¼ cup maple syrup and mustard into reserved 2 tablespoons glaze. Brush each tenderloin with 1 tablespoon mustard glaze. Transfer meat to cutting board and slice into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Serve, passing extra mustard glaze at table.

from America's Test Kitchen

Spicy Corn Dip

1 c sour cream

1 c mayo

2 11-oz cans Mexican style corn, drained

4 green onions, chopped finely

1-2 fresh, diced jalapeno peppers (take the seeds out if you don't want it too spicy)

1 7-oz can diced green chile peppers, drained

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Mix it all together in a bowl and chill before serving.

Maple Blondies

3/4 c butter, softened

2 c packed brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 c chopped pecans (we leave this out and it is still great!)

Maple Cream Sauce:

1 c maple syrup (yes, the real stuff)

2 Tbs butter

1/4 c evaporated milk

(I like to double the sauce or half the blondies)

Vanilla ice cream and chopped pecans.

In a mixing bowl cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in pecans. Spread into a 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.

For sauce, combine syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the milk.

Cut blondies into squares. Place on plates with a scoop of ice cream. Top with maple sauce and sprinkle with pecans.

Parmesan Chicken

Marinade 4-6 chicken breasts in Italian Dressing for 4 hours. (I usually forget to do this, so I just dip it in the dressing before I dip it in the crumb mixture!)

Dip Chicken in crumb mix of:

1 c seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 c parsley flakes

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp salt

1/2 c parmesan cheese

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Place chicken in 9x13 pan and drizzle with 4 Tbs. melted butter.

Bake 45 minutes at 350.

Serve with pasta and red sauce…or veggies and alfredo.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

*This makes a lot of soup, so I always make half for our family.

1 lb Italian sausage, browned and drained

1 c. coarsely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 c. beef broth

1/2 c. water

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 med green pepper chopped

1 c. thinly sliced carrots

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c. sliced zucchini

1 (10 oz) pkg. cheese tortellini

Brown sausage and drain. Saute onions and garlic in sausage pan. (I just cooked these all together). Add all ingredients except zucchini and tortellini. Simmer until carrots have cooked some. Add zucchini and continue to simmer until barely tender. In a separate pot, prepare tortellini as directed on package, but undercook a little. Drain and add to soup. Thin soup with beef broth if needed. Makes 6-8 quarts or 10-12 big servings.

from: Katie Christensen