Creamy Carrot Dip

Snack:
you need-
1 cup sour cream
4 teaspoons dry ranch-style salad dressing mix
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped zucchini

Combine the sour cream and dressing mix in a medium bowl; mix well. Stir in any or all of the vegetables you desire, cover the dish. Refrigerate for an hour or two to let the flavors mix. Serve the dip with carrots, celery or any other fresh vegetable dippers.
ENJOY!


Fact:
Carrots were first grown in Afghanistan in the 7th century. They were originally yellow on the inside and purple on the outside!

Sweet Smoothie

Snack:
you need-
1 banana
3/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
2 ice cubes
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend.
ENJOY!

Fact:
There is evidence that yogurt was eaten as long as 4500 years ago in the Middle East.

Spicy Chips

Snack:
you need-
6 flour tortillas
Paprika, chili powder, or cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle one tortilla with water to dampen, then shake off the excess water. Lightly sprinkle the top with whichever seasoning you choose. Repeat this with all the remaining tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Set up as many wedges as fit in a single layer on a baking sheet (the edges can overlap). Bake for 4 minutes. Rotate the sheet and bake another 2 to 4 minutes or until chips are firm and the tortillas are a light golden color. Remove chips to plate to cool and sprinkle with salt if desired. Repeat with the ramaining wedges.
ENJOY!


Fact:
Ripe paprika contains surprising large amounts of sugar and vitamin C.

Can-Can Twists

Snack:
you need-
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 can buttermilk biscuits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Microwave the butter in a small bowl at medium power until just melted; cool slightly. Stir in the cheese, parsley and basil. Set aside. Pat each biscuit biscuit into 5x2-inch rectangle. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter mixture on each rectangle; cut each in half lengthwise. Twist each strip 3 or 4 times. Place the twists on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake them for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
ENJOY!


Fact:
The first can foods appeared in 1811, but the can opener wasn't invented until 1855.

Buffalo Blizzard Wings

Snack:
you need-
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings, split and tips discarded
1/2 cup Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/3 cup butter, melted

Put a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Deep fry wings for 12 minutes or until they're crisp and no longer pink; drain. Combine pepper sauce and butter in a large bowl. Add wings to sauce; toss them to coat each one evenly. Serve the wings with celery and blue cheese or ranch dressing.
ENJOY!


Fact:
In December 2001, Buffalo, New York got 82.7 inches of snow. 81.6 of the inches were during a relentless 5 day snowstorm!


* photo courtesy of classicbuffalo.com

Mexican Madness


Snack:
you need-
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground turkey or beef
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or taco seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, or a Mexican blend)
1 can refrigerated corn bread stick dough

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the turkey or beef; cook until the meat isn't pink, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic, oregano, chili powder and salt. Take the pan off from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, then set all this aside. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease 24 miniature muffin pan cups. Remove the dough from the container but don't unroll it. Separate the dough into 8 equal pieces. Then divide each piece into three, and form each smaller piece into cirlces; press the circles into the muffin pans. Fill each cup with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the turkey or beef mixture. Bake for ten minutes and then sprinkle tops with the remaining cheese. Bake for two more minutes to let the cheese melt. Garnish with a little shredded lettuce if you'd like.
ENJOY!



Fact:
Mexico City is the leading city with taxis. They have over 60,000!



*photo courtesy of travelblog.org

Bringing Home the Bacon

Snack:
you need-
1 pound Velveeta cheese product, cut up
1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
2 tablespoons bacon bits

Microwave the Velveeta in a microwave-safe bowl on high for about 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted, stir every minute or two. Then stir in the bacon bits and sour cream, microwave for one minute. Serve this delicious dip hot with potato chips.
ENJOY!


Fact:
More than 2 billion pounds of bacon is produced in the United States each year!


*photo courtesy of tonychor.com

Cakes Ablaze

Snack:
you need-
chocolate and vanilla ice cream
Oreos
Chocolate syrup

In a loaf pan, spread a one and a half inch layer of chocolate ice cream. Then put twelve Oreos and a quarter cup chocolate syrup in a Ziploc plastic bag. With a rolling pin or your hands, crush the Oreos and syrup into a crumbly mixture. Spread the mix on top of the chocolate ice cream. Finally, do another one and a half inch layer of ice cream, this time vanilla. Place the whole pan in the freezer for several hours. When it's frozen solid, take it out and cut into slices.
ENJOY!


Fact:
According to the Guinness Book of World Records 2008, the most lit candles ever on a cake was 27,413! The cake was 32 inches wide and 46 feet long.

McWeiners

Snack:
you need-
1 can crescent roll dough
5 1/2 teaspoons barbecue sauce
1/3 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
8 hot dogs

Unroll dough and separate it into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make two triangles. Lightly spread barbecue sauce over each triangle and sprinkle with cheese. Cut each hot dog in half, and trim off the rounded ends. Put one hot dog at the large end of one dough triangle. Roll up jelly-roll style from wide end. Then put them point-side down on a sprayed cookie sheet. Repeat with all the other pieces. Bake for 13 minutes at 350 degrees. Let them cool, eat and
ENJOY!


Fact:
McDonald's originally served hot dogs, not hamburgers.

Corn Dip Royale

Snack:
you need-
2 cans mexican corn (11 oz.)
11 oz package of mexican cheese
1 cup Parmesan
1 1/2 cups mayo
Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly, and put it in a casserole dish. Bake for thirty minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm with Fritos.
ENJOY!


Fact:
The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, is a huge building elaborately decorated using 13 different colors or shades of corn to decorate: red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, calico, yellow and now green corn! They also use grains and grasses. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come each year to see this amazing attraction!

Pepperoni Pleasers

Snack:
you need-
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chopped pepperoni
8 oz. cream cheese


This is a really good family favorite! Mix all the ingredients together in a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for fifteen minutes. Serve with bagels cut into bite sized pieces.
ENJOY!

Fact:
Pepperoni is America's favorite pizza topping, Americans eat about 251,770,000 pounds per year.

Corny Delights


Snack:
you need-
one package of caramel corn
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Stir in the caramel corn until it's coated. Then spread the mixture on a wax paper and let cool. Break into pieces, eat and...
ENJOY!

Fact:
Americans consume 17 billion quarts of popped popcorn annually, or 54 quarts per man, woman and child.

Refuel & Stay Cool


Snack:
you need-
2 (6-ounce each) packages gelatin dessert, any flavor
1 bottle Apple Flavor 100% juice

Get juice boiling in a medium sized saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin until it's completely dissolved. Pour the contents into 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Refrigerate for 2 hours or until it's firm. Dip the bottom of the baking pan into warm water for a few seconds, to loosen up the jello. For fun, use cookie cutters to make different shapes of the jello.
ENJOY!



Fact:
Your brain is just two percent of your body weight, but it uses up twenty percent of your energy.

Cheddar Chomps


Snack:
you need-
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup toasted rice cereal
Heat the oven to 400°F. Put your flour, butter and cheese in a large bowl; mix until dough forms. Stir in the rice cereal until they're fully combined. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place about one inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until they're golden brown.
ENJOY!



Fact:
Canada consumes more Kraft macaroni and cheese than any other nation!

Newcomer's Nachos

Snack:
This one's extremely easy and it's a delicious filler upper.
you need-
a large handful of tortilla chips
cheddar cheese (about a cup)
sour cream & salsa (optional; on top or on the side)
lettuce(also optional)

Spread the tortilla chips into a thin layer on a regular sized plate. Grate the cheddar cheese on top, distributing it evenly, of course. If you want, you can top it with some salsa. Then put the whole plate in the microwave for about 40 seconds, depending on how strong of a microwave you have. When the cheese on the chips is melted, they're done. You can put sour cream on top for a little more flavor if that's how you like it. Sprinkle a bit of shredded lettuce on top for color and taste.
ENJOY!


Fact:
In an average year, 46 million people from foreign countries visit the United States. No wonder we have so many diverse flavors and cultures in America!


*Picture courtesy of quetzales.org.

Banana Pops & Rooftops:

Snack:
you need-
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1 tablespoon butter
2 bananas


Heat chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Stir until melted.
Cut peeled bananas in half. Put a popsicle stick into the cut ends of the bananas. Dip the banana halves into the melted
chocolate and peanut butter. Then place them of a plate lined with wax paper and freeze until hard.
ENJOY!



Fact:
The leaves on banana plants are enormous. So big, in fact, that many people in tropical countries use them to build roofs on houses and shelters!