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This is not a health food recipe, but it is mighty tasty. Everything in moderation, right? I found this recipe for Alice Springs Chicken on Pinterest . I've forgotten on which blog it was posted. Whomever developed it did well as it tastes good and has clear directions. The amounts of ingredients seem correct. I've never ordered the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback Steakhouse so I don't know how this compares, but it is delicious in its own right. OUTBACK’S ALICE SPRINGS CHICKEN 4 boneless skinless chicken bre asts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness Lawry's Seasoning Salt 6 bacon slices 1/4 cup regular mustard 1/3 cup honey 2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes 1 cup sliced fresh mushroom (I omitted because my family does not like mushrooms) 2 cup shredded Colby/Jack cheese   First, sprinkle and rub the chicken breasts with seasoning salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook bacon in...

This year my 10-year-old daughter read all the Harry Potter Books. We made Butterbeer -- a drink mentioned in the series -- to celebrate. The cooked butterscotch syrup makes the cream soda cloudy. I've heard the butterbeer Disney serves is clear. This is so tasty! You can taste each flavor layer -- cream soda, brown sugar, butter, rum (extract). We've decided the foam made by the soda and dairy in the drink (like a root beer float) is adequate and next time we won't make the extra whipped cream froth. BUTTERBEER 1 cup light or dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons water  6 tablespoons butter  1/2 teaspoon salt  1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar  3/4 cup heavy cream, divided  1/2 teaspoon rum extract  Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer. Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and ...

Pumpkin spice is out, I heard a trend watcher say. The most popular flavor these days is cake batter. I say time will tell. There are still a lot of links to current products and new recipes starring pumpkin spice on Google. Here's another: Pumpkin Monkey Bread made in a bread machine and published in Country Woman magazine. This is not the fastest way to make monkey bread, but it is the most delicious I’ve found. And, barring the two sticks of butter in the sauce, it might be healthier than quicker versions. Monkey bread is balls of bread dough, coated in butter, sugar and cinnamon and baked in a tube pan. The quickest way to make it may be to use canned biscuits. Monkey bread, especially made that way, is best eaten warm before the biscuit chunks cool and harden. That wasn’t a problem with this version. We had it for dessert one evening, wrapped the leftovers in foil and snacked on it the next day. The sauce does tend to make it a little soggy as the day progresses bu...

A couple of folks I go to church with are trying the Daniel Fast. You can learn more about it at www.UltimateDanielFast.com . As far as I understand it, the goal is to eat fruits and vegetables and seeds and grain like Daniel did when King Nebuchadnezzar wanted his wise men to eat meat. He drank only water and refused wine. He and three others were more healthy than their peers who ate the richer food. For a church potluck, I wanted to make sure there was food everyone could eat -- even if they were following a certain eating plan. We decided to bring salads and fruits. I found these recipes on www.UltimateDanielFast.com. They are so yummy and filling I felt satisfied after eating only servings of these dishes plus some fruits and salad other people brought to share. The Cinnamon-Raisin Carrot Salad is so sweet, I didn't crave a dessert after dinner. And it is light and refreshing ... it's not heavy like the version that has a mayo-based dressing. I will definitely be add...

Memorial Day signals the start of picnic season. Deviled eggs are a favorite potluck dish of mine. I've written before about how to make boiled eggs without a green ring around the yolk. The green is unsightly, especially when making deviled eggs. I place the eggs in a large saucepan and cover them with water. I bring them to a boil over high heat. I turn off the heat and cover them, letting them sit for 15-18 minutes. Then I drain off the water, and add cold water and ice. When they are cool enough to touch, I peel them. There's the problem I've been having lately. The eggs are so difficult to peel that I can't get the shells off without taking chunks of the white with it, leaving an ugly surface instead of a smooth one. I have heard that using old eggs is a solution for this. As eggs age, gas or air inside the shell makes space between the contents and the shell. Peeling is easier because of the gap. I want to use fresh eggs. I Googled this problem and found ...

A French chef created the Peach Melba dessert in London for an Australian singer named Nellie Melba. It's peaches in a raspberry sauce over vanilla ice cream. I paired two of the flavors in iced tea and it is so sweet you don't have to add sugar! It's really quite good and tastes like summer! PEACH MELBA ICED TEA 2 regular-size bags peach tea such as Celestial Seasonings Peach Passion 1family-size bag raspberry tea such as Lipton Specially Blended for Iced Tea Raspberry 8 cups of water to start plus 6-8 more later Place the tea bags and 8 cups of cold water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and steep for 15 minutes or so (sometimes I lose track of time and it still turns out OK.) Remove the tea bags and discard. Mix the tea with 6-8 cups of water ... taste as you add the water to get it to the strength you like. You can add sugar if you really want to, but it's so naturally sweet you really shouldn't. Definitely taste before you add sugar.

Evidence that we are in a second Great Depression: I made homemade laundry detergent. I used this recipe from The Family Homestead: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm. I'll print it briefly below in case the link goes bad in the future. Homemade Laundry Soap 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above 1/2 cup washing soda(sold in the cleaners a isle, the Arm & Hammer brand is in a yellow box) 1 /2 cup B orax powder  2 gallon bucket Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  (I used the lidded stockpot I wanted to keep my detergent in.) Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket -- I put it in the pot with t he soap mixture. If you're using a separate bucket, add soap mixture to the 4 cups of hot water in your bucket and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water...