Candy & Cookie! Peanut Butter Temptations

Sometimes you find a fantastic recipe on the packaging that is worth keeping. This was the case on a big bag of holiday Reese's peanut butter cup miniatures. Not just candy, not just a cookie, but both!

Ingredients:
40 Reese's Miniatures
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 F degrees. Remove wrappers from candies. Line small muffin cups with paper bake cups. You can also use a mini muffin pan as seen in the photo and skip the muffin cups! Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla until fluffy in large bowl. Stir together, baking soda and salt;  gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place one in each muffin cup. Do not flatten. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and lightly browned; remove from oven. Immediately press peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Cool completely in muffin pan.

Tasty Texas Trash

If you're a Chex-mix lover you have to give this recipe a try! It's a popular snack made around the holidays and native Texans call it Texas Trash. As to be expected it's BIG, it's BOLD, and there are BACON drippings.

Ingredients:

9 oz Crispix or Corn Chex 

10 oz Cheerios

8 oz pretzels or Bugles

6 oz Cheez-its

1 lb peanuts

1 stick butter

1 cup bacon drippings

3 tbsp Franks Red Hot sauce

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

2 tbsp garlic power

Directions: 

Combine dry ingredients in roasting pan. Mix liquid ingredients and pour over dry ingredients trying to coat each piece. Bake 2 hours at 250 minutes uncovered. Stir well every 15 minutes. Let cool before serving. Store in large ziplock bags. 

Eggs and Bacon, but Not How You're Thinking

This is a childhood recipe that I love making for the office or holiday parties. Eggs and bacon candy are so cute! Green eggs and ham is for the Dr. Seuss fans out there.

Ingredients:
Almond bark
Stick pretzels
Yellow and green M&Ms

Directions:
Separate the yellow and green M&Ms from the package. Melt almond bark according to directions. Lay pretzels on parchment paper in pairs. Spoon a small amount of almond bark onto pretzels and lightly press in M&Ms. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving or overnight.

Ok, I guess you could have these eggs and bacon for breakfast with a cup of coffee. Happy holidays!

Bacon Lover's Baked Squash

We love this recipe because it's so easy and compliments many different main dishes (as seen in photo with pork chops).

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash
2 slices bacon
Brown sugar
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Cut acorn squash in half and slice a little off the bottom. This will allow the squash to sit flat on a cookie sheet. Scoop out seeds and stringy mess inside the squash. Cut slices of bacon in half and cross pressing down into bowl of squash (1 slice per half of squash). Sprinkle with brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until pierced easily with fork.

The Soup Show with Julia Child

Julia Child's fifty first show was "The Soup Show." In her cookbook The French Chef Cookbook published in 1968 she said, "in this busy can-opener world, a homemade soup often seems like a new taste sensation. The old French standby, leek and potato soup, tastes so good you cannot believe it is nothing but vegetables, water, and salt simmered together." Julia, I completely agree! Just a couple additions though... I'm going to add bacon and cheddar cheese to make my husband happy.

Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups peeled potatoes sliced or diced
3 cups thinly sliced leeks or yellow onions
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream or 2 tablespoons softened butter
2 to 3 tablespoons minced parsley or chives

Directions:
Either simmer the vegetables, water, and salt together, partially covered for 40 to 50 minutes until vegetables are tender; or cook under 15 pounds pressure for 5 minutes, release pressure, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to develop the flavor.

Mash the vegetables in the soup with a fork, or pass the soup through a food mill. Correct seasoning. Set aside uncovered until just before serving, then reheat to simmer. Remove from heat just before serving, and stir in the cream or butter by spoonfuls. Pour into a tureen or soup cups and decorate with herbs.

Beer: Not Just for Drinking, but for Baking Bread

On any given day you will find Deschutes Brewery beer in our fridge. Maybe because they're from our hometown or maybe because they're simply the best, either way, Deschutes is tasty to drink and bake with!

This recipe is from the Farmgirl Fare blog. She is right, this recipe is beyond easy! Better yet, this recipe is easily adapted to your favorite herbs and additions.

Ingredients: 
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer
Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in the beer and mix just until combined. The batter will be thick.

Spread the batter in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with the egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I'll Make you Banana Pancakes

Lyrics from Jack Johnson's 2005 song Banana Pancakes are stuck in my head this morning. The eggs in the fridge had expired so our backup plan was instant pancakes. Just add water. Follow pancake mix directions according to the box. For two people I mash two bananas and mix in with the pancake batter. After pouring the batter onto the griddle add some chocolate chips. When the batter starts to bubble is when you need to flip the pancake to avoid burning. For those with a super sweet tooth you can still add syrup.