The Editors of Southern Living - The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook: Over 1,250 Of Our Best Recipes

Contents The All-New Ultimate Southern Living
COOKBOOK Compiled and edited by
Julie Fisher Gunter Foreword by Scott Jones Appetizers & Beverages Appetizers Snacks For Kids Make Ahead Honey-Nut Snack Mix Prep: 6 min. Cook: 35 min. 4 cups crisp oat cereal squares (we tested with Quaker Essentials Oatmeal Squares) 1 cups uncooked regular oats 1 cups coarsely chopped pecans 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon teaspoon salt cup butter or margarine cup firmly packed light brown sugar cup honey 1 (6-ounce) package sweetened dried cranberries (about 1 cups) Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside. Combine butter, brown sugar, and honey in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring to coat. Spread in a single layer on a lightly greased aluminum foil-lined 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, stirring once. Stir in cranberries, and bake 10 more minutes. Spread snack mix immediately on wax paper; cool. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 9 cups. Per cup: Calories 253 (45% from fat); Fat 12.6g (sat 3.8g, mono 5.4g, poly 2.6g); Protein 3.3g; Carb 35.3g; Fiber 3g; Chol 13mg; Iron 4.4mg; Sodium 124mg; Calc 44mg Snack Mixes generally keep up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Its important to bake a snack mix in an even layer so that all ingredients bake evenly and get crisp. Let mix cool completely before packaging. For Kids Low Cholesterol Make Ahead Quick No-Bake Snack Mix Prep: 3 min. A big yield makes this mix great for gift giving. 2 (8.75-ounce) packages crispy cereal squares snack mix (we tested with Bold Party Blend Chex Mix) 1 (15-ounce) package raisins 1 (12-ounce) can honey-roasted peanuts 1 (7.2-ounce) package fish-shaped Cheddar cheese crackers Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 15 cups. Per cup: Calories 209 (42% from fat); Fat 9.8g (sat 1.3g, mono 2.4g, poly 1.4g); Protein 5g; Carb 26.1g; Fiber 4.3g; Chol 2mg; Iron 3.5mg; Sodium 269mg; Calc 14mg Family Favorite Low Cholesterol Make Ahead Quick Easy Microwave Snack Mix Prep: 3 min. Cook: 4 min. Other: 30 min. 2 (1-ounce) envelopes Ranch dressing mix cup vegetable oil 3 cups crisp oat cereal squares (we tested with Quaker Essentials Oatmeal Squares) 3 cups corn-and-rice cereal (we tested with Wheat Chex) 3 cups crisp wheat cereal squares (we tested with Crispix) 1 (11.5-ounce) can lightly salted mixed nuts Whisk together dressing mix and oil in a large microwave-safe glass bowl. Add cereals and nuts, tossing to coat.

Microwave snack mix at HIGH 2 minutes; stir well. Microwave at HIGH 2 more minutes, and stir. Spread mixture in a single layer on wax paper, and let cool 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 12 cups. Per cup: Calories 174 (63% from fat); Fat 12.1g (sat 1.5g, mono 6.4g, poly 3.6g); Protein 3.7g; Carb 18.5g; Fiber 2.2g; Chol 0mg; Iron 4.7mg; Sodium 657mg; Calc 32mg Entertaining For Kids Popcorn Gorp Prep: 13 min.

Other: 30 min. This sweet treat is best enjoyed the day its made. Use holiday colored candy-coated pieces to go along with a party theme. 8 cups popped popcorn 3 cups corn chips, coarsely crushed 2 cups crispy corn puffs cereal (we tested with Kix) 1 pound white chocolate, coarsely chopped 2 cups candy-coated chocolate pieces Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Microwave white chocolate in a microwave-safe glass bowl at HIGH 1 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until white chocolate melts. Drizzle over popcorn mixture, tossing to coat.

Stir in chocolate pieces. Spread on a wax paper-lined 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; chill 30 minutes. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 16 cups. Per cup: Calories 173 (45% from fat); Fat 8.7g (sat 4.9g, mono 0.8g, poly 0.8g); Protein 2g; Carb 20.7g; Fiber 0.7g; Chol 6mg; Iron 0.6mg; Sodium 77mg; Calc 43mg Family Favorite For Kids Low Calorie Make Ahead Test Kitchen Favorite Crispy Caramel Corn Prep: 10 min.

Cook: 1 hr. Weve found the perfect caramel corn; its easy, and no candy thermometers needed. 1 cup sugar cup butter or margarine cup light corn syrup teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract teaspoon baking soda 2 (3-ounce) packages light butter microwave popcorn, popped (16 cups) 1 cup mixed nuts Stir together first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove hot caramel from heat, and stir in baking soda. Place half of popcorn and nuts in each of 2 lightly greased shallow roasting pans. Pour hot caramel evenly over popcorn mixture; stir well with a lightly greased spatula.

Bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on wax paper to cool, breaking apart large clumps as popcorn cools. Store in airtight containers. Yield: 16 cups. Per cup: Calories 102 (51% from fat); Fat 5.8g (sat 2.3g, mono 2.1g, poly 0.7g); Protein 1g; Carb 13.1g; Fiber 0.7g; Chol 8mg; Iron 0.2mg; Sodium 125mg; Calc 6mg Entertaining Low Carb Make Ahead Spicy Pistachios Prep: 5 min. Cook: 30 min.

This snack is a homemade version of the spicy nuts available in pricey food catalogs. 4 cups shelled dry-roasted pistachios (about 8 cups unshelled) cup Worcestershire sauce 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile pepper (we tested with McCormick Gourmet Collection) teaspoon garlic powder teaspoon ground cinnamon Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top freezer bag; seal and shake to coat. Arrange pistachios in a single layer on a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes, stirring once. Cool completely on pan. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Yield: 4 cups. Per cup: Calories 205 (74% from fat); Fat 16.9g (sat 3.1g, mono 8.3g, poly 4.6g); Protein 6.9g; Carb 9.7g; Fiber 3.4g; Chol 6mg; Iron 1.6mg; Sodium 187mg; Calc 42mg Entertaining For Kids Low Cholesterol Make Ahead Sugar-and-Spice Peanuts Prep: 3 min. Cook: 40 min. cup sugar cup water 2 cups shelled raw peanuts 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice Cook sugar and cup water in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Stir in peanuts, and cook, stirring often, 7 minutes or until sugar thickens and caramelizes. Remove from heat, and stir in pumpkin pie spice until peanuts are coated.

Quickly spread in a single layer on a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes, stirring and breaking apart every 10 minutes. Cool on pan. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days. Yield: 4 cups. Per cup: Calories 140 (58% from fat); Fat 9g (sat 1.3g, mono 4.5g, poly 2.8g); Protein 4.7g; Carb 12.4g; Fiber 1.6g; Chol 0mg; Iron 0.9mg; Sodium 4mg; Calc 18mg Low Cholesterol Make Ahead Quick Sugared Nuts Prep: 5 min.

Cook: 22 min. These nuts are good sprinkled over a salad, garnishing a dessert, or as a stand-alone snack. 1 large egg white 4 cups pecan halves, walnut halves, or whole almonds 1 cup sugar Whisk egg white in a large bowl until foamy; stir in pecans, coating well. Stir in sugar, coating well. Spread pecan mixture evenly on a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.