Pretzel Peanut Butter Treats

It’s Valentine’s day!!! I had the best intentions of decorating my house this year for this romantic holiday....but this month has come and gone so quick! I missed it. Oops. Better luck next year, I guess:). I did get around to making these amazing little morsels, however. If you want your valentine to gain about 5 pounds, make them an entire batch of these! (I’ll warn you though, you will end up helping them eat every.last.one!) You know me, peanut butter and chocolate are my weakness. Make it white chocolate, and I melt. Literally! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Printable Version

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 Tbs. butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1-16 oz. bag Pretzels

6 squares chocolate (or white chocolate) almond bark

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.

Mix peanut butter and butter together. Scrape down bowl, add sugars and beat until combined. You should be able to roll the mixture into balls without sticking to your hands. Add more powdered sugar until you reach this consistency.

Roll the mixture into small balls. Sandwich the balls between two pretzels and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate according to package directions. Stir occasionally until smooth.

Dip each pretzel bite halfway into the melted chocolate and place on the prepared baking sheet. Let sit until the chocolate is set.

Makes approx. 75 pretzel sandwiches

Recipe from Julieseatsandtreats.com

Neiman Marcus $250 Chocolate Chip Cookies (Amanda Style)

I'm not one for cookies.

I’m one for cookie dough!! Really, I could eat an entire bowl of cookie dough. I also love cookies right when they come out of the oven, and are still pretty much raw. After that initial hot cookie, I can stay away from the sweets that are trying to lure me in. However, when my sister made these for me, I could not resist them! They have blended oatmeal and finely grated heavenly chocolate pieces throughout. I eat all the dough I can, sneak a few right from the oven, and then throw the rest in the freezer so i have a good stash for later....and I try to do it all without my husband knowing, so I don’t have to share!

Neiman Marcus $250 Chocolate Chip Cookies (Amanda Style)

Printable Version

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 1/2 cups blended oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

4 ounces milk chocolate, grated

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda.

Add chocolate chips, grated Hershey Bar. Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375° or until golden.

Recipe from Amanda

Makes about 40 cookies

Artisan Bread

Guess who’s back? Yep, I have been gone a long, much too long, time. We welcomed our new little guy, Meyers, into the world in November, and my life has been a whirlwind! The 20 month old twins have been running circles around me as I cuddle and care for Meyers, so my husband has been in the kitchen A LOT. Thank heavens for him. Honestly he comes home from a long day at work and just jumps right into wrestling the boys, cooking, and rocking the little man to sleep.

I’ve slipped a few meals in here and there, and I’m excited to share a ton of new recipes with you! Starting with this artisan bread. Holy. Easy. Now that what I like to hear at this stage of my life. The instruction may LOOK difficult, but really its just some tips and tricks. This bread literally requires mixing once, and forgetting about it! It looks so very impressive on the dinner table, and tastes even better. We dipped in soup, ate it as our bread for sandwiches, and snacked until every last morsel was gone. It’s on my menu again this week-and I should give both loaves away to prevent consuming all of it on my own:)

Artisan Bread

Printable Version

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

1 tablespoon salt

6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting dough

In a large bowl mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water. Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. The dough will be kind of stickey-don’t worry! Cover lightly with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered in an airtight container, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, cut in half with serrated knife to make 2 loaves. Turn the dough in your hands to lightly stretch the surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put the dough on a piece of parchment paper set on a pizza peel or a rimmed baking sheet turned upside down. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes for room temperature dough; if you have used the dough out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 1 1/2 hours. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

Place a broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven. (BROILER pan...this is important. I learned my lesson the hard way-hot glass pan+water (that will be added in a later step) = shattered glass. Everywhere. It was not fun...but my bread still turned out great!) Place a baking stone on the middle rack and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat the stone at that temperature for 20 minutes before baking.

After the dough has rested and is ready to bake, dust the dough lightly with flour, slash the top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide the dough (with the parchment paper) onto the baking stone. Pour one cup of hot water into the broiler pan and shut the oven quickly to trap the steam. Bake the bread until well browned, about 24-28 minutes. Cool completely.

Some Notes from the original recipe: If you don't have a baking stone, try turning a rimmed baking sheet upside down and heating it in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes prior to baking. When ready to bake, slide the parchment paper with the dough on it directly onto the overturned baking sheet and bake according to the recipe. You can also stretch the rounded dough into an oval and place in a greased loaf pan. Let it rise for 40 minutes if fresh (add an extra hour if the dough has been refrigerated). Bake in the loaf pan in the 450 degree oven, watching the time carefully - check after 20-22 minutes.

Makes 2 large loaves of bread

Recipe from Mel at melskitchencafe.com

Easy Roasted Chicken

My sister has been trying to get me to make this roasted chicken for almost 2 years. It is her husband’s favorite meal, and for some reason I just thought it was too difficult to make. I am a big fan of rotisserie chicken, the ease of it is almost priceless. I figured that was always the best way to go...I was so wrong. So. Wrong. Really, this meal is some the of juiciest chicken I have ever had. Not to mention it is super impressive looking and extremely delicious. I can’t wait to serve it to guests and knock their socks off...without even having to worry a second about if dinner will turn out!

Easy Roasted Chicken

Printable Version

1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken, neck and giblets removed from the cavity

3 Tbs. butter, softened

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

(if desired, lemon and herbs such as rosemary or parsley)

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, cut into six pieces

2 cups carrots, cut into 1” pieces

4 yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1” pieces

Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Rinse chicken and place it on a work surface and pat it dry with paper towels.

Rub butter on the chicken all over the skin. Season generously on the outside with salt and pepper. If desired, place the lemon and herbs inside the cavity. Tie the legs together with a piece of yarn. Place the chicken breast-side up in a large cast-iron skillet or dutch oven.

Combine all prepared vegetables into a bowl. Toss in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter vegetables around the chicken in the dutch oven. Roast the chicken, uncovered, in the oven until the juices run clear and a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh (but not touching the bone) registers 165°F, about 60-80 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a cutting board. Let it rest at least 10 minutes before carving.

Recipe from Amanda

Serves 1 person per pound

Curried Sweet Potato Apple Soup

This soup is on my menu again, and I wish I could it eat daily! The perfect tiny kick from the curry, the sweet apple cider vinegar, the fresh cilantro. And, of course, the rich, creamy sweet potato. I can't wait for dinner!!

Curried Sweet Potato Apple Soup

Printable Version

3 medium sweet potatoes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

1 ½ teaspoons curry powder

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/4 cups chunky applesauce

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Peel and dice 2 1/2 sweet potatoes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, nutmeg, 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until toasted, 1 more minute.

Add the diced sweet potatoes, chicken broth and 2 cups water to the pot, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the applesauce. Simmer, covered, until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup with a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper; keep warm.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring, until browned; remove from the heat and add the vinegar. Top with the curry butter and cilantro.

Recipe from Food Network Mag

Serves 4

Cream Cheese Wontons with Avocado Dipping Sauce

Usually, when it is just my husband and I for dinner, I make a main dish and one side. I invited a couple people over the other night, and I felt like I needed another component to our meal. I looked in my fridge, and decided this was the perfect, quick side. I am sooo happy that I made these! It totally jazzed up our meal, and these wontons made my dinner way more impressive. The Avocado Sauce is outstanding, I could barely keep myself from covering every side of my wonton with it!

Cream Cheese Wontons with Avocado Dipping Sauce

Printable Version

Avocado Dipping Sauce

1 avocado, peeled and seeded

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1 Tbsp. (or to taste) lime juice

Zest from 1 limes

Salt, to taste

Place avocado, sour cream, lime juice and zest in the work bowl of a food processor and blend until very smooth. Adding salt, to taste.

Sweet Cream Cheese Fried Wontons

1 egg

1 (8 ounce) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

15-20 wonton wrappers

1 cup water

oil (for frying)

Heat oil in a small pot, about 1 inch deep.

Meanwhile, beat egg, then mix with cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar.

Spoon about 1 Tbs. of mixture into center of wonton wrapper.

Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and fold into whatever shape you desire, making sure to seal the edges so the cream cheese mixture doesn't escape during frying.

Drop into hot oil and brown both sides, this is a really quick process so watch them closely.

Serve with Avocado dipping sauce, above.

Wonton recipe from food.com

Sauce recipe from avocadocentral.com

Serves 4-5 as a side dish

Pumpkin Pie Bars

I’m not a pumpkin pie fan. I feel like it is usually extremely underseasoned, and I hate the fact that the crust is about 1/16th of the piece of pie. I am a crust girl! I want as much crust as pumpkin filling, and so that’s how I made these delicious bars. I added and almost doubled the spices from the original recipe, as well as bulking up the crust quite a bit for a heartier bite. These keep me going back for more, which is something I just can’t say about the usual pumpkin pie! I’ll be making these for Thanksgiving this year, no question!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Printable Version

Crust

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

Filling

2 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2  teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Mix in flour. Fold in oats. Press into a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, until set.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with white sugar. Beat in pumpkin and evaporated milk. Mix in salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pumpkin pie spice. Pour over baked crust. Bake in preheated oven 35-40 minutes, until set. Let cool, then refrigerate for a few hours before cutting into squares. Serve with whipped cream!

Highly adapted from allrecipes.com

Makes 20 bars