Chewy Pretzel Bites with Gruyere Cheese Dipping Sauce

In the mood for light snack that will have you going back for more, and more, and more?? These are it. I have made these multiple times, most recently for our superbowl party. Everyone was diving in and fighting for the last bites...okay so I was fighting for the last bites. Not to mention the cheesy, delicious flavor that the gruyere cheese sauce adds. I was basically drenching each and every bite in the creamy sauce right before it hit my tongue! I am 100% addicted to these salty, chewy morsels. I hope I can get you addicted, too!

Chewy Pretzel Bites with Gruyere Cheese Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

Printable Version

2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) very warm water

1/2 cup (4 ounces) warm water

2 tablespoons baking soda

Coarse salt (optional)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until you get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag (like a zip-top gallon size bag); close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or lightly greasing them.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into about four pieces of equal size, and roll into snakes about 1-1.5 inches thick. Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda in a liquid measuring cup (deep enough to dip the pretzel bites into). Lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Cut each strip of dough into about 6-8 pieces, about 1 inch in width. Dip each pretzel bite in the baking soda solution (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 7-8 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave on low heat.

Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Makes about 40 bites

Gruyere Cheese Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

kosher salt, to taste

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk, cooking for one minute. Then, gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk.

Increase heat to high; bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is thickened, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese, stir until melted.

Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe adapted from Food.com

Makes about 1 1/2 cups dipping sauce

Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls

I can’t believe I haven’t posted these little babies. They have been a staple in our home for months and months! My super-fit awesome friend Tennille made these for me on one of our early morning runs (drives) to the gym...and I pretty much begged her to make them for me again-daily, if possible! I quickly grabbed the recipe and I have a constant store of them in my freezer-well, unless my husband sneaks a few to many a day, then I open the freezer to an almost gone supply! Which is so, so sad. Make them for your protein-packed, cookie dough tasting, snack:)!

Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls

Printable Version

2 cups raw almonds

1/3 cup chocolate whey protein powder

3/4 cup almond or peanut butter

2 Tbs. honey, melted

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

In a food processor, finely blend raw almonds. Add all remaining ingredients except chocolate chips to food processor and blend thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into 1" balls and freeze for at least 30 minutes. They can remain in the freezer in a ziplock bag for up to three months. Enjoy!

Recipe from Tennille

Makes 48 ping pong size balls

Applesauce Oat Muffins

I have a hard time thinking of good, healthy snacks for my family. I am always reaching for the same things, which we all get sick of, and quick! When I saw these posted on my friends blog, I had to give them a try. And guess what?! My kids devoured them, I couldn’t stay away, and, this is the big shocker...My husband ate them. He even took them to work with him the next day for a snack. Seriously this just doesn’t happen. He always eats the same snacks, so this was monumental! I hope your family enjoys them as much as we do!

Applesauce Oat Muffins

Printable Version

1 cup rolled/old-fashioned oats

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 Tbs. butter or coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup sugar

1 banana, mashed, optional

1/2 cup white flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tbs. flax seed, ground, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease the muffin cups. Set aside..

In a medium bowl, stir together the oatmeal, applesauce, milk, egg, vanilla, butter or oil, sugar, and banana. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (and flaxseed if using). Make a well in the center and pour in the applesauce mixture. Stir until just combined (don't overmix or the muffins will be dense and dry). The muffin batter texture is quite runny, fyi!

Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. (I LOVE to make mini muffins-that way my young kids don’t waste 1/2 of the serving that I give them! If doing so, bake for 9-10 minutes.) Bake regular size muffins for 13-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake or the muffins will be dry.

Remove the muffins to a rack to cool completely. These freeze wonderfully, if needed!

Recipe adapted from Melskitchencafe.com

Makes 12 regular size muffins, or 48 mini muffins

Easy Homemade Caramels

Homemade caramels...Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without these. I have always made these the 'old fashioned' way...standing over the stove for 2 hours and stirring and stirring. I couldn't love it more! I absolutely LOVE the nostalgic feeling that I have of home. I absolutely LOVE spending the hours cooking for people that I hold dear. I absolutely LOVE having my mother right next to me making them, teaching me, and having the amazing conversations that we always happen to come upon.
HOWEVER...this time I tried doing it the easy way! I know...funny how after I told you how much I love making them the old fashioned way that I then tell you how I made them the easy way...ha! My mother in law makes this recipe and loves it, so I thought that I would give it a shot! They ended up just wonderful without all the work...which, when you are in a hurry or just don't have the energy to make the regulars, this is a great go-to. I have to admit, these taste a little different, but just as good! I am sure that I will switch back and forth between these two recipes for the rest of my Christmas's!  Enjoy...I hope that you feel the Christmas spirit as you are making these little gems!

Easy Homemade Caramels
Printable Version

2 cubes butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light karo syrup
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter in large microwave safe bowl. Add brown sugar, white sugar, and light karo syrup. Then stir in sweetened condensed milk.

Cook in microwave for 13-15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Microwaves vary, you  may have to experiment with yours...mine is exactly 15 minutes!

To know when your caramels have reached the correct consistency:
Do the soft ball/hard ball test...Fill a small bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Drop about 1/2 tsp. of caramel into the cold water and let sit for 5-8 seconds. Using your fingers, pick up the ball of caramel out of the water; if it stays together and you can slightly squish the ball but not completely mash it, your caramels are done. If the caramel simply slips through your fingers and separates, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes and try the soft ball/hard ball test once again. Repeat until you get the desired consistency.

Remove from microwave and beat for two minutes with electric beaters and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Let cool (this usually takes about 2 hours), cut into caramels into desired size and shape, and wrap individually in wax paper.

Recipe from Laurel

Blood Orange Toast

Want a simple, healthy, delicious snack? This is it! I was at the grocery store the other day and saw a blood orange for sale...sounds a little creepy, but I thought I would give it a try anyway. It was a little more tart than a regular orange, with beautiful red droplets running through every inch when sliced. When layered with cottage cheese and toast, it makes a perfect and scrumptious mid-afternoon snack.

Blood Orange Toast
Printable Version

1 blood orange
⅓ cup cottage cheese
1 slice whole wheat bread

Peel orange and cut into ¼” slices. Toast whole wheat bread and top with cottage cheese and 2-3 slices of blood orange.

Serves 1.

Berry Smoothie

Smoothies are so guilt free! I love whipping this up late at night, and I always feel way better than if I were to indulge in cookies or ice cream. I love our Mango Peach Smoothie, but every once in a while I like to mix it up a bit. Hubbs doesn’t enjoy berry as much as mango, so when he is away, this is the one that I secretly snack on! I will even add a banana every once in a while for another anti-hubby indulgence!

Berry Smoothie
Printable Version

1  cup apple juice
½ cup vanilla yogurt
1 ¼ cups triple berry frozen fruit

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on low for 60 seconds. Pour into large glasses and enjoy!

Makes two 8 oz. servings

Guy's Pretzels

Talk about a perfect Sunday night snack! We ate "dinner" at about 3:30, so at about 8:30 we were both needing a little something. These were quick and easy to whip up, not to mention kind of fun! We had fun rolling them, shaping them, and topping them together. Hubbs came up with some quite interesting toppings, but the best ones were the plain ol' salt or parmesan. Yum Yum!


Guy's Pretzels
Printable Version


1 1/2 Tbs. dry active ueast
1 Tbs. sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. sea salt
2 large eggs
Toppings (coarse salt, parmesan cheese, garlic salt)


Mix 1 1/2 cups warm water, the yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl with dough hook attached, mix flour and sea salt. Add 1 egg and the yeast mixture and pulse in 10 second intervals until the dough comes together, about 3 pulses. Turn out onto a floured board. Knead 10 to 12 times, adding more flour if needed. Cut the dough into 4 equal portions and cover with a towel.
On a floured board, roll out one piece of dough into a 14 by 11 inch rectangle, 1/4 inch thick.
Cut the dough into strips, about 2 inches thick. Roll into a 12-inch rope with your hangs. Transfer the rope to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Grab the ends and bring them toward eachother, forming a U shape, then cross the left end over the right end to make pretzel shape. Cross the left end over the right end again to make a twist in the middle. Repeat wit the remaining dough, spacing the pretzels 3 inches apart. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Beat the remaining egg in a bowl. Brush the pretzels with the egg, then sprinkle with salt, cheese, garlic salt, or other toppings. Bake at 475 until browned, 16 to 18 minutes.


Makes 24 small pretzels.
Recipe adapted from Food Network Mag.

Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Meatballs

This was supposed to be an appetizer, but I whipped it into a meal by simply adding rice! These would be great served with just a toothpick in them as well. I made simple homemade meatballs, but frozen meatballs would be an even easier meal.

Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Meatballs

Printable Version

2 pounds fully cooked meatballs

1 cup raspberry preserves

3 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 Tbs. ginger

Coat crock-pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add meatballs (thawed if pre-frozen). In a small bowl, combine preserves, sugar, vinegar, worcestershire, and pepper flakes. Microwave on HIGH 45 seconds. Stir; microwave 3o seconds or until melted. (Mixture will be chunky). Pour mixture over meatballs and toss gently to coat well. Cover, cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Stir in ginger, if desired. Cook uncovered 15 minutes to thicken slightly, stirring occasionally. Serve with rice for a main dish or toothpicks for an appetizer.

Serves 4 as a meal, 15 as an appetizer.

Recipe From: The Crock Pot Recipe Card Collection

Apple Cinnamon Candied Almonds

These are amazing. Completely, 100% delicious. I will be sharing them with my neighbors and family over the holidays, and I know that they are all going to think I am the best gift-giver EVER! These will now be a tradition at Christmas in my home, thank you, Jen, for this perfect treat.

Apple Cinnamon Candied Almonds
Printable Version

2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups raw almonds
6 Tablespoons sugar*
6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
2 Tablespoons powdered apple cider mix

Beat egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form, add almonds and stir until almonds are evenly coated. Combine sugars, salt, cinnamon and apple cider mix in a separate bowl and then add to almonds, stirring again until well coated. Spread onto an oiled and parchment or tin foil lined baking sheet assuring that all the almonds are in one layer. This is how they will look at this point...I admit, I was scared!

Bake in preheated 250°F oven, yes 250 NOT 350, turning the almonds first after 30 minutes, and then every 15 minutes until dry and crunchy. This took about 1 1/2 hours in my oven, FYI.

Recipe From: Jen at Delightful Delicacies
Makes 4 cups

Lemon Buttons

Thank you Becky! (And Paula Deen for that matter.) These lemon buttons are so, so tasty. The perfect bit of pop from the lemon zest and they just melt in your mouth if you eat them right out of the oven. They used to be called lemon 'muffins', but I changed the name because I feel that they are a mix between a muffin and a cupcake...and button seemed to fit due to their tiny size! Unfortunately, their tiny size also makes you feel like it is okay to eat 10 of them. When my mother-in-law tasted these, she said that they brought back memories of eating lemon cake as a child...o that made me so happy! I love nostalgic feelings from food, and love it even more when I can create those feelings in people around me!

From: Becky

Muffins

1 yellow cake mix
Small box (3 1/2 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
½ cup natural applesauce
¼ cup vegetable oil

Glaze
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spray MINI muffin tins with cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, applesauce and oil and blend well. Fill each muffin tin half full with batter.
Bake for 9 minutes.
For the glaze, sift the confectioners' sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water.
Dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips.
Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour. These are to die for FROZEN! I know, it sounds crazy, but give it a shot, we actually prefer them that way!

Yeilds: About 60 mini buttons.

Homemade Applesauce

What would I do without my mother? What DO I do without her in my kitchen? Basically...she is amazing and I call her every time I am cooking anything. Each time I go home I am reminded of the delish meals that I was fed growing up. This is one of my favorite treats that she makes, but I never wanted to "venture" to match hers. Well, good news....THIS IS SUPER-DUPER EASY! Now, most meals of my mother's I just cannot match no matter how hard I try, I think it is that extra "love" she puts in them. However, this recipe is for anyone and everyone! Give it a try, it will be a go-to snack for your family (that you feel kind of healthy for eating....just try to forget about all the sugar in it!) P.S. please don't judge it by the picture...old camera=not so appetizing pic!

From: Mom

8 cups apples (about 4 large apples) I used cameo, use your fave!

1 3/4 cups 100% orange juice

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Peel and core the apples. Cut into small chunks, no more than 3/8 inch thick. Stir apples, orange juice, water, salt, sugar and cinnamon together in a saucepan. Simmer for five minutes, so that the apples are tender, but still have a little "bite" texture to them. Remove from heat and serve warm. This would be great with ice cream....however, I just eat it plain! This applesauce refrigerates and freezes wonderfully. 

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

Okay....so it was super bowl Sunday, we can cheat, right? I am sure that Tony (the trainer) would kick our butts, but we still need to have our fun! (P.S. I knew I wouldn't last long without making something fun to share with you! We are sticking to our meal plan very strictly, despite what this may look like!)

I saw this made on Rachel Ray's day show, and I just HAD to make them. They were so fun to make, as well as delicious! I will be making these for EVERY single super bowl for the rest of my life! They are a great make-ahead dish that you can pop in the oven 5 minutes prior to serving. I hope that you find these as much fun as we did!

Adapted from: Rachel Ray

1 can pop biscuits

desired filling for mini pizzas

We love to fill our pizza with :

shredded chicken

alfredo sauce

turkey bacon

canadian bacon

mozzarella cheese

Split each biscuit into 3 equal discs (some of them I could only get to separate into 2). Press each disc into the cups of a sprayed muffin tin, pushing in on the corners and making sure that they go all the way up the sides. 

Place in the oven and bake for 1/2 of the directed cooking time (total time is usually 10 minutes). Remove from muffin tins and place on a cookie sheet. (I precooked all of the crusts and then cooked them for the remaining time with the filling on a cookie sheet). Fill each crust with about a tablespoon of sauce along with your desired fillings. Top with cheese.

Bake for the remaining 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and crusts are a golden brown. 

Serves 4-6.

Mummies!

These were fun to make, and fun to eat! Especially for kids! If you have never worked with Phyllo dough, it can be a challenged. Once you get used to it, however, it make DELICIOUS dishes! I really recommend that you try using it, you won't regret it when you are chowing down! TIP: It is very, very important that you let dough completely thaw before working with it. Also, ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep phyllo dough covered. This will keep it from getting dry, and it gets dry quick! I usually just work with one piece at a time and keep  a towel covering the other sheets.

From: Paula Deen

1 package phyllo dough

1 cube butter

10 slices ham

10 string cheeses

pimento or ketchup for eyes

Remove one sheets of phyllo dough from the stack, being sure to re-cover the others with a towel. Butter the sheet liberally, then top with another sheet and butter it as well. Wrap 1 string cheese in 1 piece of ham. Place the ham and cheese roll on one end of the pre-buttered phyllo dough. Roll two turns, then fold in the ends and continue to roll until closed.

Next, tear a sheet of phyllo dough into strips and wrap multiple strips around the roll. The messier the better, for these are the mummies wraps! If you are having trouble making the wraps stay, feel free to use butter to get them to sticks to the roll. Repeat 10 times.

Place on a  greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-2o minutes. When the mummies are cooked, used pimento or ketchup to dot eyes. Serve and be afraid...very afraid!

The BEST Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

I have been eating these since I could eat solid food, and it doesn't get any better than this. You can munch on these at any time, and they are so good for you! I will never do them any other way!

For every 2 cups of seeds:

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

2 tsp. alpine touch (Or 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper)

1 1/2 Tbs. EVOO(or 8 sprays of spray on EVOO)

Clean out your pumpkin and place seeds in a bowl of water. After letting them soak for about a half an hour, it should be very simple to separate the pulp from the seeds. Discard the pulp and rinse the seeds clean. 

Put seeds in a saucepan with 3 cups of water and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Drain and dry seeds on a paper towel then place them in a large bowl.

Toss clean, dry seeds in EVOO, then in the seasonings. Spread out evenly on a greased baking sheet. 

Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes. If you have more than 2 cups of seeds, you may need to adjust baking time.