Special K Bars

Ok, this recipe is well known, I got mine from a girl at work. Pretty much everyone I know loves these bars, but doesn't know how to make them, thus I thought I'd post.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups peanut butter
1 cup clear karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
6 cups Special K
chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips

1. Melt sugar and karo syrup in microwave until it is at a rolling boil.
2. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla.
3. Stir in Special K.
4. Spread in 9x13 cake pan.
5. Melt 1/2 bag of chocolate chips and 1/2 bag of butterscotch chips together and spread on top.
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Variations:
Some make this with rice crispies and its good that way too.

ENJOY!!

Italian Pasta Salad

I sort of made up this recipe based off of having other peoples' pasta salad. I tweaked it to my specifications. I never have to worry about leftovers.
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Ingredients Needed:
1 bag WackyMac rotini pasta
1 sm box pepperoni, halved
4 oz. cheddar cheese cubes
1/2 can black olives, sliced
any assortment of veggies you like
1 bottle italian dressing

1. Boil pasta until tender, but firm, drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In large bowl, add pasta.
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
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Variations:
The veggies part can be anything you like, I personally like to use cauliflower, carrots, celery, green peppers, cukes and baby tomatoes. You can use any amount you like, I usually try to make it colorful. Cheese can be any flavor, though I prefer cheddar.

ENJOY!!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Thought I'd give you an extra recipe to go along with Valentine's Day! Enjoy! ********************************
Ingredients Needed:
16 ounces milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
1 pound fresh strawberries with leaves and stems
toothpicks and styrofoam board

1. Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries.
2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.
4. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.

ENJOY!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is a recipe I made up based on watching my Grama make homemade macaroni and cheese. I tweaked it to my tastes is all.
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Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients Needed:
1 pound cooked pasta
1 batch white sauce with cheese(see recipe below)
salt & pepper

1. Boil pasta, drain, set aside.
2. Spray a 9x13 cake pan with oil.
3. Add pasta to pan.
4. Stir white cheese sauce into pasta.
5. Season to taste.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.

White Sauce with Cheese
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 pound cheddar cheese

1. Melt butter in pan.
2. Stir in flour and cook for about two minutes.
3. Add in heavy cream slowly to reduce lumping.
4. Add cheese, stirring until melted**.

**may need to add a little more cream or milk if sauce gets too thick.
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Variations:
You can use whatever pasta you have on hand - shells, macaroni, bowties - anything but egg noodles works well. You can also use Velveeta or any flavor of cheese you prefer. You can use milk instead of cream if you are looking to trim some fat. Some people garnish the top with corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs, but it is not necessary.

ENJOY!!

Pea Soup

This is another family recipe from as long as I can remember. One of my favorites!
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Ingredients needed:
1 bag dried peas
1 ham bone(shank)
onion salt
pepper
Lawry’s season salt
10 cups water

1. Mix all ingredients in crockpot. Season to your tastes.
2. Cook on high for at least 6 hours. Make sure peas are soft.
3. Remove ham bone from soup, let cool off, then pick off meat and add back into soup.
4. Serve with any type of bread or cracker.
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Variations:
My grama likes to add diced carrots and cooked shell noodles, I prefer it the way it is written.
Both my grama and my mother make this on the stove. I prefer the crockpot cause you can throw it in and forget about it, but if you have time to cook it on the stove and watch it, it will cook faster.

ENJOY!!