The Pioneer Woman's Onion Strings

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large Onion
• 2 cups Buttermilk
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
• ¼ teaspoons (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
• 1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil
• Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil to 375 degrees.
Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.
Repeat until onions are gone.
Eat before your family sees them.
Repeat with another onion, because they'll be really mad they didn't get any

Brown Sugar Smokies

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) packages little smokie sausages
• 2 pounds bacon
• 2 cups brown sugar, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage. Place the wrapped sausages on wooden skewers, several to a skewer. Arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and sprinkle them liberally with brown sugar.
Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.

Sausage Cup Appetizers

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package won ton wrappers
• 1 pound sausage
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Ranch dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crumble sausage into medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Drain. Spray mini muffin tins and insert won ton wrappers to form a small cup. Bake 5 minutes in preheated oven. Allow wrappers to cool. Mix sausage, cheeses and ranch dressing together. Fill won ton wrappers. Bake for 10 minutes until bubbly.

Light & Airy Coconut Macaroons

INGREDIENTS

• 2 egg whites
• dash salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 C sugar
• 1 1/2 C sweetened coconut flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325.
Beat egg whites, salt, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
While beating, add sugar gradually to egg white mixture. Continue beating until stiff and glossy.
Gently fold coconut into egg white mixture.
Drop mixture by rounded teaspoon about 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. You want cookies to be set and lightly brown.
Cool on a cookie rack.

Stuffin' Muffins

Ingredients
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 4 ribs celery and greens, from the heart, chopped
• 1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 8 cups cubed stuffing mix (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
• 2 to 3 cups chicken stock

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil to skillet and 4 tablespoons butter. When butter melts, add bay leaf and add the vegetables as you chop them, celery, onions then apples. Sprinkle the vegetables and apples with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Cook 5 to 6 minutes to begin to soften vegetables and apples then add parsley and stuffing cubes to the pan and combine. Moisten the stuffing with chicken broth until all of the bread is soft but not wet.
Butter 12 muffin cups, 2 tins, liberally with remaining butter. Use an ice cream scoop to fill and mound up the stuffing in muffin tins. Remove the bay leaf as you scoop the stuffing when you come upon it. Bake until set and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove stuffin' muffins to a platter and serve hot or room temperature