Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I got this sweet little snack recipe from Mommy's Kitchen and love it. It is a kid pleasing treat that adults will like too. I find the salty, sweet, chocolatey combination irresistable - so addictive. You can also sprinkle the bites with holiday sprinkles if you want them to be more festive for Christmas goodie plates, Valentines treats, etc.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I might cut this down to 2 cups next time and see if it works)
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
small pretzels
1, 12 oz package chocolate almond bark

In the bowl of a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, combine powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. Beat until mixture comes together into a dough. Take 1 teaspoon of peanut butter mixture and roll into a ball. Press ball between 2 pretzels and place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough (makes about 45 bites). When all the sandwiches are formed place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 45 minutes.

Before taking bites out of the freezer, melt almond bark according to package directions. Remove bites from freezer and dip half of the bites into the melted chocolate and place onto wax paper. Allow bites to set up completely. Store in an airtight container. 

No Bake Cheesecake

My friend Carolyn had this dessert on her blog recently and I remembered how much I love this cheesecake. I've used the same recipe before and it's great. So I had to make it again and I did for FHE on Monday. SO good. It is much lighter/fluffier than a traditional cheesecake, but I like that. And it's so delicious with a spoon full of pie filling on top.

No Bake Cheesecake

1, graham cracker pie crust or a prebaked regular pie crust
8 oz cream cheese, softened (regular or Neufchatel)
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed (you can use light)
1 can pie filling, your favorite kind (cherry or blueberry are my favorites)

In a mixer beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add Cool Whip and beat until well combined. Spread into pie crust. Chill for 3 hours before serving. Top individual servings with pie filling.

Pork Chops with Amber Rice Casserole

I hadn't made this casserole in such a long time, even though it is a family favorite. The recipe is from my sister and she gave it to me at my wedding shower. The invitation for the shower asked the women coming to also bring me a recipe - yes I have been obsessed with recipe collecting for a while. This casserole is a great kid pleasing meal. The rice has just a slight orange flavor to it. Yum.

Pork Chops with Amber Rice Casserole

4-5 pork chops
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 1/2 cups Minute Rice (or about 2 cups cooked rice, just decrease cooking time a bit)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken with rice soup

Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet. Brown pork chops in oil and place in a 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl combine Minute Rice, orange juice, cream of chicken soup, and chicken with rice soup. Spread this rice/soup mixture over the pork chops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes (check rice to make sure it's done).

Oven Baked Stew

This a great beef stew recipe. I got it from Life As a Lofthouse. I served it with homemade rolls and it was a great dinner for a cold winter night. I think this recipe would work great in the crockpot and in fact I might try it that way next time I make it. It is slightly sweet because of the ketchup, so if you would like it less sweet use tomato soup in place of the ketchup.

Oven Baked Stew

1 lb stew meat
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, thickly sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine meat, potatoes, carrots and onion in a bowl, toss with onion soup mix and paprika. Spread meat mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Combine soup and ketchup and spread over meat and vegetables. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Mix well with a spoon and serve.

*To cook in the crockpot: Combine all ingredients, spread into crockpot and cook on low for, I'm guessing here, 6-8 hours.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pulled pork sandwiches are a favorite dinner around here and I have quite a few recipes on this blog for pulled pork, but I hadn't tried this one yet. This recipe has been going around the food blogs like crazy. It is a super easy way to cook pulled pork and the result is awesome. We had these sandwiches and chips for dinner on Super Bowl night (not that we are actually football fans, but we did watch some of it - mostly for the commercials :)) and my whole family gobbled dinner down without complaint. Thanks for the recipe blogland!

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2, 2 lb pork picnic roasts (or a 4 lb pork butt/shoulder roast)
1 cans root beer
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
hamburger buns or homemade rolls

Place pork roasts in slow cooker (I use picnic roasts, which are small pork shoulder roasts because they are easier to shred at the end). Pour root beer over the roasts. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove pork and discard liquid in slow cooker. Shred pork, removing fatty pieces, and return to slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce, using about 3/4 of the bottle. Toss pork with sauce to coat. Fill hamburger buns with pork and top with more barbecue sauce.

Bourbon-ish Chicken

So this is the homemade version of bourbon chicken without the bourbon :) and it is really really good! The sauce is tangy and slightly sweet and well just yummy. All of my children liked it! Yay! That is quite the accomplishment because there is usually at least one dissenter amongst them. They even wanted seconds. And my husband also loved it. I think I'll be making this often. Oh, and it is an almost 30 minute meal (like 35 minutes with cutting up the chicken), so it's great for a busy night. Thanks to Jamie Cooks It Up for another great recipe.


Bourbon-ish Chicken

5 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces (scissors makes this easy). Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes chicken should be slightly browned, but not all the way cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine: garlic, apple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce, and pepper flakes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add this to the chicken after it has cooked for about 10 minutes. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes with lid on the skillet at an angle to allow some of the steam to escape. Stir a few times during cooking. Serve over rice.

Skillet Swedish Meatballs

I haven't made this recipe in such a long time and I'm not sure why. I used to make it all the time when my husband and I were newly-weds. I got the recipe from our first married ward's Relief Society cookbook (I cut it in half back then since it was just the 2 of us) and we loved it. Well anywho, I made it tonight and it is still super good. I love the nutmeg and allspice in the meatballs.

Skillet Swedish Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (I used freeze-dried)
1 cup bread crumbs (fresh bread crumbs made in food processor works best)
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon allspice
shortening or oil for frying
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk

In a large bowl mix together beef, parsley, bread crumbs, salt, eggs, nutmeg, onions, and allspice. Mush together and then shape into 1inch balls. Melt enough shortening to cover the bottom of a large skillet, or use enough oil to coat the bottom. Brown meatballs in batches, making sure to brown all sides. Remove browned meatballs to a foil covered cookie sheet. When all meatballs are browned pour off cooking oil/melted shortening and discard. Return browned meatballs to the skillet. In a bowl combine soups and milk and pour over meatballs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.