Tag Archives: brown sugar

Holiday Caramel Crispix (Holiday Crack) Revisited

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Caramel Crispix (Crack) along with a few red and green holiday m&m candies is a relatively quick way to create gifts and snacks during the holidays. It is super addictive and I do not know how many compliments I have received from the lightly sweetened and salty, crispy cereal mix. True examples of this positive affirmation include “Damn girl, can I have the recipe!” or “I ate the whole bag in one sitting!” or “Yay!” or “My kids loved it!”

Adapted from AllRecipes

  • 12 oz box of Crispix-spread into two 9 x 13 pans (I have yet to try with Chex Mix, but will test this another time)
  • ¼ cup Karo syrup (light only)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar or regular brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick)

Mix together in saucepan and bring to boil. Boil for 1 ½ minutes ONLY. Pour over cereal. Bake @ 325 for 8 minutes. Stir and bake another 8 minutes. Then pour out on wax paper, let cool, break it up. Add medium bag plain M&M’s (or peanut).

Sugar, corn syrup and butter boiled for 1 1/2 minute.

Coated Crispix

Layout Crispix onto wax paper to cool.

Add candy coated chocolates

Bananas Foster Bread and Muffins

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This is the best banana bread recipe. With a little pat of butter, these bananas foster bread slices and  muffins are addictive. I use very ripe, brown bananas (of frozen bananas), light rum, brown sugar to make a caramelized banana foster flavor, and gives additional depth to the bread.

Adapted from Cooking Light

  • 1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana
  • 1  cup  packed brown sugar, divided
  • 5  tablespoons  butter, melted and divided
  • 1/8  cup  light rum, divided
  • 1/3  cup  plain fat-free yogurt
  • 2  large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cup  all-purpose flour
  • 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 3/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
  • Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 3 tablespoons rum in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients  in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray or muffin tins. Bake at 350° for 1 hour (for a large loaf), 30-40 minutes for muffins. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

Super ripe bananasYogurtBananas Foster Loaf

Pan Fried Salmon

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After multiple attempts to make restaurant style salmon, Cooks Illustrated provided a fool-proof recipe in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue. The salmon is flakey, tender and has  a lightly sweetened top. I enjoyed the salmon with an asparagus risotto.

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

  • 1 tsp light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cornstarch
  • 4 skin on salmon fillets
  • black pepper
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees with the rack in the middle position. Combine sugar, salt, corn starch in bowl. Pat salmon with paper towels, sprinkle pepper and brown sugar mixture on flesh side of salmon. Heat oil in pan until just smoking. Place salmon, flesh side down and cook for one minute. Flip and cook skin for one minute. Move pan into the oven until center of salmon is 12 degrees on thermometer (7-10 minutes).

Caramel Crispix Mix (Crack)

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Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Several years ago, this amazing treat was first given to me as a part of a wedding welcome bag. After requesting the recipe, I have been making it every holiday, rainy weekend and randomly for friends at their request. One response to the mix was, “Damn girl, this is awesome.”

It is the perfect balance of salty, sweet and the great crunch from the Crispix. The caramel is similar to the concept of a Fleur de Sel Caramels. Sometimes I alternate between light and brown sugar depending on how deep a flavor of a caramel I am in the mood for. I have added chocolate chips, nuts, or had the mix plain.

  • 12 oz box of Crispix-spread into 2 9 x 13 pans
  • ¼ C Karo syrup(light)
  • 1 C brown sugar
  • ½ C butter

Mix together in saucepan and bring to boil. Boil for 1 ½ minutes ONLY. Pour over cereal. Bake @ 325 for 8 minutes. Stir and bake another 8 minutes. Then pour out on wax paper, let cool, break it up. Add 1 can nuts (or omit) and medium bag plain M&M’s (or part peanut).

I have tried using the microwave to boil the sugar caramel and it has been equally effective and eliminates one baking dish to wash.

Butter and brown sugar goodness

Orange Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

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Simple, delicious and just plain yummy! Who doesn’t love an easy way to make pork?

Adapted from Ellie Krieger

  • 1 one pound pork tenderloin
  • 2 T low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 T canola oil
  • 1 T brown sugar
  • 1 T dry sherry
  • 1 T rice vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 C orange marmalade
  • 3 T orange juice concentrate
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper

Combine the soy sauce, oil, sugar, sherry, vinegar, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, orange marmalade, orange juice concentrate  in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the pork tenderloin. Seal the bag and marinate the pork overnight. Preheat the broiler. Place the pork on a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Salt and liberally pepper the pork. Broil for 20 minutes, turning once. Reserve the extra marinade to make a sauce by reducing the volume in half over medium low heat while the pork broils. Serve once cool enough with a drizzle of sauce.