Ingredients:
10 pretzel rods
3 oz. chocolate chips
In tall microwave-safe cup, microwave chocolate chips 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is softened enough to stir smooth. Dip pretzel rods down into chocolate and around sides of cup till all but 1-2" of the end of the pretzel are covered. Place on wax paper. Sprinkle with decorative candies and sugars. Repeat with remaining rods. Let stand about 1 hour at room temperature until chocolate is firm.
We love making these, especially during the holidays. My daughters decorated a couple of bags of pretzel rods this year and added them to the goodie bags they gave to their friends. Luckily there are still some left - I love the salt and chocolate combination.
Ingredients:
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 chocolate kiss
Tupperware funnel
Place large funnel in a cup. Unwrap chocolate kiss and place so tip blocks the small opening of the funnel. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Chocolate will retain shape in microwave but will be soft to stir. Fill funnel with melted chocolate. Place in freezer for at least 45 minutes. To remove chocolate from funnel after it has hardened, smack funnel on counter. Remove giant kiss. Wrap in foil with a paper strip tag.
My girls like to give these as gifts to some of their friends at Christmas time. They're fun to give - you can write your own personal message on the strip; and kids love getting them and eating them too!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. margarine, softened
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
peanuts
cinnamon candies
licorice shoelaces, cut in 3" pieces
Preheat oven to 350. Beat margarine and peanut butter at medium speed in mixing bowl. Slowly add sugars, beat well. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Mix flour and soda together; slowly add to creamed mixture, mix well. Cover and chill 2 hours. Shape into 1" balls. Taper end of each ball to form tear-drop. Press one side flat and place flat side down onto ungreased cookie sheet 2" apart. Press sides of dough to raise backs of mice. Place nut halves for ears. Make a hole at the tail with a toothpick. Bake 9 minutes. Put red candy eyes, bake 1-2 minutes more. Insert tails. Cool.
These are labor-intensive but lots of fun for the kids to help with. They love seeing them on the cookie plate, and they love eating them too of course! We tried using M&M candies for the noses and the kids decided to use black sprinkles placed for the eyes instead of the cinnamon candies. They turned out very cute!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. flour
2 c. chocolate chips3/4 c. pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 350
. In mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla till light and fluffy. Blend in the flour. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of pecans. Pour into greased 8" square baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips. When the chips melt, spread evenly over top with knife. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of pecans. Allow to cool and cut into squares. Makes 16 bars.
This was an untested recipe I had collected. We made these bars as part of our holiday baking. A good nutty, chocolaty treat.
Ingredients:
1 package chocolate kiss candy
1 package pretzel square/waffles
1 package plain M&M candy
Preheat oven to 170. Line the pretzels up on a cookie sheet. Unwrap kisses and place one kiss on the center of each pretzel square. Put them in the preheated oven for 4-6 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press an M&M in the center of each melted kiss.
Delicious salty/sweet treat, and super easy. Use holiday colored M&M to make them extra festive, or certain colors for particular themed parties. You could use the mint flavor of the crispy M&Ms too. I like how they add that extra pop of color on our goodie trays, so much fun!
Ingredients:
1 fudge brownie mix (family size, 9"x13" pan size)
2 eggs
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
about 30 mini peanut butter cups
Preheat oven to 350. Place cupcake liners in muffin pans. In mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, water and oil. Stir with spoon until well blended, about 50 strokes. Place 2 level tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake 10 minutes. While baking, remove the wrappers from the peanut butter cups. Remove the brownie cups from the oven and push 1 peanut butter cup candy into the center of each cupcake until even with the surface of the brownie. Bake 5-7 minutes longer. Cool completely.
This is a great way to pump up a regular brownie mix. I made these as part of our holiday goodie trays. Also it would be a fun thing to make for an OSU tailgate party.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. corn syrup
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
3 cups corn cereal (Cap'n Crunch type)
Line cookie sheet with wax paper. Combine corn syrup, chocolate chips and sugar in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in peanut butter. Microwave on high 30 seconds more or until peanut butter is melted; stir until smooth. Stir in cereal until all pieces are evenly coated. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto prepared cookie sheet. Chill 30 minutes or until firm. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Makes about 4 dozen.
These remind me of a crunchy caramel peanut butter cup. These are so quick and easy, and no baking required! Great anytime of year, also a great addition to the holiday goodie trays.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. large baking potatoes, quartered
2 broccoli heads (or 1 bag frozen chopped broccoli)
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick margarine
salt and pepper
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the broccoli to the boiling potatoes and cook another 7 minutes. Drain and put back into the pot. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, cream and margarine. Pour this mixture into the potatoes and broccoli, mash together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This is a tasty alternative to plain mashed potatoes. My husband saw this side dish whipped up on the Food Network and we found the recipe online.
Ingredients:
1 small to medium turkey breast
1 stick of butter
salt
Wash and pat dry turkey breast. Season lightly with salt. Place in crockpot with 1 stick of butter. Turn on low and cook for 10-12 hours.
Heat up a jar of turkey gravy and make some stuffing or potatoes and you have a delicious meal, any day of the week.
Ingredients:
4-6 large baking potatoes
olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to the highest temperature. Slice the potatoes long and thin, leaving skins on. Place in single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Crush oregano and thyme and sprinkle over fries. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in hot oven and bake for 20 minutes, turning once. Don't open the door to check on them other than when turning them the one time.
A great way to have a real meat and potatoes meal. I use Italian seasoning instead of the oregano and thyme - it has both in it and some other herbs that just add to the flavor. The Pampered Chef large bar pan (stone) works great to cook these, it has a lip so the fries cook in the olive oil and get brown and crispy where they are touching the stone.
Ingredients:
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 15oz. container of cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese if you prefer)
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef and onion. Add sauce. In a 2 quart baking dish (I use a 9"x13" glass pan), spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Top with 3 or 4 uncooked noodles. On top of the uncooked noodles, spread the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the grated parmesan cheese, and another cup of the sauce mixture. Top with 3 or 4 more uncooked noodles and the remaining sauce. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and let stand 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
You can make this up ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator overnight even, until you're ready to bake it. The noodles soften during cooking - you don't even need to buy the kind that are specially made to be used that way. This rivals any lasagna I've ever had - it has great flavor, it's filling and makes the house smell wonderful. Serve with salad and garlic bread, it works great when you're having dinner guests.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
7 slices bread, torn/crumbled into small pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Preheat oven to 35
0. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbles, diced onion, eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly - your bare hands work best. Divide in half and put into 2 loaf pans. Pat/pack loaf firmly. Bake 1 hour.
The first few times I made this when I was growing up, instead of using loaf pans I divided the meatloaf mixture into the cups of a muffin tin, shortening the baking time to just 20-30 minutes. This isn't your typical meatloaf with tomato sauce or gravy, though my daughter eats it with ketchup. The onion-y flavor is so hearty and a family favorite. This is my husband's favorite meal I make!
