Category Archives: Recipes

Dec19

Cookie Dough Truffles

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Oh my word these are good.  One of our volunteers here at work brought these in, they were delicious and easy to make.  Thanks Linda!  This is what you need:

Cookie Dough Truffles
1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 bags chocolate for melting (I used a mixture of semi-sweet & dark chocolate chips)
 
Cream butter & brown sugar.  Beat in vanilla.  Gradually add flour alternating with milk, beating well.  Fold in chips & walnuts.  Shape into 1″ balls, place on parchment and refrigerate 1-2 hours (I covered and kept in fridge overnight).  Melt your chocolate, cover truffles and place back on parchment paper or wax paper, let dry.  For “gifting” I put them in mini cupcake/candy paper cups.  Enjoy!
Dec12

Reindeer Food

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I found this on Pinterest yesterday and fell in love with it! I’ve included the link to her website below.  I’m taking the ingredients over to the kids’ house Saturday so Owen & I can make packets for him and his neighborhood friends.  It’s just oats, Christmas sprinkles and glitter . . . such a cute idea and she provides the label designs that you can print for FREE! I’ll post our pictures next week!

reindeer food

http://amandaparkerandfamily.blogspot.com/2011/12/free-reindeer-food-tags.html

Dec10

Calzones

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My friend Pat makes these all the time so I thought I’d give them a try.  I bought Rhodes frozen bread “dinner rolls” and thawed out a couple per their instructions.  I rolled the dinner rolls out, one at a time and filled them with salami, cheese and pepperoncinis – you can fill them with anything – Pat uses cooked ground beef & cheese.  Then you just fold them over and crimp with a fork – poke a few holes in top and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 15 min. Use your favorite marinara or any sauce to dip.  They taste really good and the rolls actually taste like pizza dough! Yum!!

Dec9

Dark Chocolate Almonds

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Seriously this is the EASIEST recipe ever.  If you’re not a lover of dark chocolate, then your just weird, lol and you can use milk chocolate chips or  semi-sweet.  Just melt the chocolate in a double boiler – I use a glass bowl over a pot of boiling hot water (the water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the bowl – once the water boils turn it down to low).  Dump in the nuts a cup at a time (you could use any nuts).  I used just about the whole bag (minus the 2 handfuls I ate).  Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment or wax paper and let cool.  That’s it!! And they areeeee so good!!

Dec2

Mini Cherry Pies

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I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving time with family! I was in charge of pies this year and I know how stuffed everyone is after dinner so I wanted to try something different.  I went with the traditional pumpkin pie & found this simple idea on Pinterest.  I’ve never made pie crust, so in my world the Pillsbury dough that you roll out works for me! I bought a can of cherry pie filling and a box of Pillsbury pie crusts (2 in a box).  I simply rolled out the dough a bit thinner and used my Pampered Chef 3″ cutter & sealer.  I placed the bottoms on a cookie sheet covered in parchment and scooped pie filling on top.  I then stretched out the top circle a “bit” and used a straw to cut a hole for venting.  I used a beaten egg & 1 TBS of water for an egg wash, went around the edges of the bottom piece, added the top & crimped, egg washed the entire top and sprinkled with coarse sugar.  Baked at 425 degrees for about 10 min. and it made 14 pies . . . Yummy!! Here’s the website I found it on: http://tinyurl.com/le6c58z

Nov25

Petite Lemon Cheesecakes

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Petite Lemon CheesecakeA yummy idea for a mini version of lemon cheesecake & super simple.  I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks by Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade.  I’ve made it a couple of times but I always use lemon curd instead of the lime curd.  Might be a cute little addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table!!  Here is the link to her recipe . . . http://tinyurl.com/nx8veqe

Petite Lemon Cheescakes (makes 6 mini cheesecakes)

1 8oz package of softened, Philadelphia creme cheese
½  cup sugar
3-4 tablespoons lemon or lime curd – Dickinson’s (I use 4 TBL, love lemons!)
6 mini graham cracker crusts, Keebler

In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in lemon or lime curd on low speed until just combined.  Spoon mixture into individual graham cracker crusts.  Add a squirt of whip creme and enjoy! (You can also make these the day before, keep covered in the fridge & just add a squirt of whipping creme before you serve them.)

 
 
 

 

Nov18

Simple Homemade Chili

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It’s football time and that means it’s chili time!!  First, let me just give a shout out to our awesome BRONCOS!!! What a game last night against the KC Chiefs!!  My daughter asked me about my chili recipe and I thought I had posted it already but hadn’t.  Sundays, in the fall/winter, should just be about church, family, chili & football!! This recipe is super simple and very good if I say so myself.  Here you go Amie:

Homemade Chili

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion chopped
1 can tomato sauce 14.5 oz
1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 oz
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 TBS cumin
1 TBS chili powder
1 can kidney beans – rinse & drain

1 can pinto beans – rinse & drain

 
Brown meat – drain – add all ingredients except the beans.  Cover and simmer on low 30 minutes.  Add beans, simmer another 20 minutes (I normally let it go for an hour or more).  Garnish with shredded cheese & sour cream!! Adding saltines – a must! Enjoy
 
Nov12

Butternut Squash Soup

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I asked my daughter for an immersion blender for my birthday last month because I’ve been wanting to make soup (thanks Amie).  So my first attempt is the following recipe and I must say it was pretty good & very simple.  I wasn’t even sure what a butternut squash looked like so I had to “google” it to know what to search for at the store, LOL.  I’ve never used an immersion blender before so I wasn’t sure how good it would puree the big chunks of apple & squash.  It was amazing – seriously you all need one of these babies!! Using this recipe the consistency came out similar to applesauce which I didn’t mind, however, I might had a bit more creme next time? But it was yummy.  Cute soup bowls (from HomeGoods), thanks mom!!

Butternut Squash Soup

3 lb butternut squash
1 med. onion – diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 or 2 apples – peeled, cored & chopped (I used granny smith & gala)
1 quart Chicken Stock
1/2 cup cream
Salt & Cayenne to taste
 
Cut squash in half & scoop out seeds. Lay skin side down on foil and bake at 375 degrees for an hour or until soft.  When cool, scoop out & put in bowl.  In pot add 1 TBL of butter and saute onion until golden over medium heat, about 10 minutes.  Add 2 cloves minced garlic, stir 1 minute.  Add apple chunks and chicken stock. Turn heat up to high until it comes to a slight boil, turn down to low & simmer 15 minutes.  Add squash, simmer 20 minutes.  Turn off heat, add creme.  Now’s the fun – use your immersion blender till smooth.  Add salt & cayenne – garnish with a bit of sour cream. 
 
Nov7

Country & Cookies!

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What a Legend!!

While watching the CMA’s last night – which were terrific – I found these fabulous new cookies.  A friend at work brought them home from her trip to the Netherlands.  They are wonderful, especially with coffee or tea.  I found them at our local grocery store and you must try them!! A waffle cookie with caramel in the middle – yum! The Gevalia Mocha k-cups are pretty good too! The k-cups are a bit expensive so I think next time I’ll make my own Mocha Latte by adding my own hot chocolate to my coffee mug before the coffee k-cup brews.  Congrats to George Strait – Entertainer of the Year (so handsome)!!! andddd to Blake Shelton – Male Vocalist of the Year & Album of the Year and Miranda Lambert – Female Vocalist of the Year!!!