Penzeys Peanut Butter Bars

So fast and easy, yet always a crowd-pleaser... and literally straight out of the catalog!

Penzeys Peanut Butter Bars
1/3 box of graham crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (preferably CHINA Cinnamon from Penzeys :o)
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peanut butter, creamy or chunky
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 12-oz. bag chocolate chips

Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs (1/3 of a box is usually one cellophane-wrapped package). Mix in the cinnamon and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and peanut butter; mix well. Add the powdered sugar and graham crackers. Stir until well-combined; it will be a stiff dough. Pat the mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan (I do a thin layer on a large cookie sheet with high sides). Melt the chocolate chips on very low heat in a heavy saucepan, or spread evenly in a glass pie plate and microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 seconds, until melted. Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting.

BYU Creamery Salsa

When I was pregnant with Bennett, I craved fresh salsa. So Jeremy started picking some up from the BYU Creamery on 9th East (down the street from where we were living at the time), and it was so good! One day the cashier told him she'd noticed he was buying a lot, and he explained why. She said, “Stop buying it—I’ll email you the recipe!” And she did… and we've been enjoying it ever since!

BYU Creamery Salsa

5 lbs. tomatoes

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 anaheim pepper, finely chopped

1/3 red pepper, finely chopped

small bunch cilantro, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp season salt (i.e. Lawry’s)

4 tsp salt

4 tsp lemon juice

1-2 jalapeños

Chop everything, combine, and enjoy! (Not as good the next day, FYI)

Swedish Meatballs

This is a great standby... Quick and easy to make, and it's also easy to love--I don't get complaints from anyone when this one's on the table!

Swedish Meatballs
4 cans cream of mushroom soup
2-3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Milk to thin sauce, if desired
Meatballs (storebought or homemade, see recipe below)

Combine all ingredients (except meatballs), stir to desired consistency, and heat either over stove or in crock pot. Add cooked meatballs and heat through; serve over rice, noodles, or with baby potatoes (our family's personal favorite). And if you can find Lingonberry Sauce (we get ours at IKEA of all places), it adds a really nice authentic touch :o)

Homemade Meatballs (makes about 30)
2 lbs. ground meat (I usually do half beef, half turkey)
1 egg
1/2 C dry bread crumbs
1/4 C chopped onion
1/4 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
dash of pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Combine all ingredients thoroughly and form into 1-inch balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes until cooked through; don't overcook as they will become tough.

Enjoy!

Valentines Day

When I was growing up, my mom always made a huge deal of Valentines Day. I know she loved us and all, but I really think she just needed a reason to have a party! Christmas is over, it's the dead of the ugly part of winter, it's dang cold, and Spring seems so far away. Who doesn't need something to brighten the mood??? So Mom would go all-out. There would be decorations, she would make a red dinner, and we would find treats under our turned-over plates. It was always a fun day in our family...

When Jeremy and I got married, I tried to do the same thing. Our first Valentines Day, I was finally over morning sickness with Bennett, and I wanted to do something fun. So I decorated the house, bought a cute Valentines maternity shirt, and made Chicken Parmesan--I dyed the noodles red and everything. But Jeremy ended up having to work late that night, and by the time he came home dinner was cold and I was in tears. We had a long chat about expectations and what we wanted to do for our family traditions... Needless to say, we've gotten better with time :o)

For the first couple years, we tried a few different things. One year we went to The Melting Pot for our Valentines date--and we LOVED it... except for the super-expensive part. Jeremy said, "We could do this at home for sooooo much cheaper!" So I took that as a challenge, and we've been doing fondue at home for Valentines Day ever since. Now that the kids are old enough to do it with us without burning themselves or making too much of a mess (be prepared for one), we've turned it into a family tradition!

My favorite part about fondue is just the fact that it takes so long! You eat your food one piece at a time, sometimes you even have to wait for that one piece to cook before you eat it--it's a great opportunity to sit around and talk to each other. You could even make up a list of love/family-related questions or topics to discuss while you're waiting... Doesn't that sound fun???

Now for the actual food part. We make our dinner in 3 courses:

1. Cheese
2. Oil or Broth
3. Chocolate

There are lots of variations to this approach, so do some research and find out how to make it yours... And FYI, we have tried a few different kinds of fondue pots, and have found that the electric ones with the ability to control temperature are the best. Click HERE for the link to the one we have.

Enjoy the recipes below. Have fun, good luck, and... 

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Cheese Fondue

The first course--this is personally my favorite part. I am more a salty than sweet kind of person... Take that however you want to :o)





Cheese Fondue
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (or more Swiss if too difficult to find)
2 Tbsp flour
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 1/2 cups dry white wine (or chicken broth)
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Coat cheeses with flour by tossing together in a large bowl. Rub garlic on the bottom and sides of the fondue pot; discard garlic. Pour wine (or broth) into fondue pot and heat just until bubbles rise to the surface. Stir in lemon juice. Gradually add floured cheese, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly over low heat, until cheeses are melted. You may add more cheese or wine, as needed, to reach the desired consistency.

Dippers (any or all of these):
Broccoli, blanched
Cauliflower, blanched
Asparagus, blanched
Cherry Tomatoes
Mushrooms, blanched
Granny Smith apples, sliced
French bread, cubed
Pumpernickel bread, cubed
Rye bread, cubed

Fondue Bourguignonne

The second course... Definitely worth the time it takes to cook it! There are a couple approaches we've taken in the past, and we like both. Decide what kind of taste you're going for and get cooking! (This is a borrowed picture, but I will switch it out tomorrow night after I take pictures of our dinner :)


Fondue Bourguignonne: Simply fill the fondue pot halfway with vegetable oil and heat till shimmery. Add meat and cook according to directions below.


Bouillabaisse Broth: While usually reserved for seafood stew, this broth is a delicious, savory alternative to oil. Click HERE for specific directions.


Dippers:
Raw steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Raw chicken breast, cubed
Raw shrimp, 31-40 count size
Fingerling potatoes, partially cooked

Cook the steak to desired doneness; cook the chicken till inside is no longer pink (2 minutes?); cook the shrimp till pink (1 minute?); cook the potatoes till soft. The more pieces you have cooking at the same time, the longer they will take to cook... just FYI :o)

We always have sauces waiting for our cooked meats--usually I'll have little bowls of BBQ sauce, cocktail sauce, sour cream/dill or ranch dip, and green goddess dressing. Add your own!

***Remember to be careful when dealing with raw meats, especially poultry. Don't use the same utensils to handle raw meat and to eat it. Make sure your food is cooked thoroughly before slicing it on your "eating" plate.

Chocolate Fondue

The third and final course: everyone else's favorite part. Don't get me wrong--I love chocolate too, but usually by this point I'm busting at the seams...







Chocolate Fondue
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1 lb. desired chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, or dark)
1/2 cup caramel topping
Chopped pecans, optional

Add all ingredients to fondue pot; stir constantly on low heat until melted and smooth. Do NOT allow to bubble. Dip in!

Dippers (any or all): 
Strawberries
Bananas, sliced
Fresh pineapple, cubed
Pound cake, cubed
Brownie bites
Cheesecake bites
Pretzels
Marshmallows

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ummm, this is a really good recipe from my sister :o) Perfect for a Christmas or New Year's Party appetizer. I'm just sayin'...

Happy Holidays, everyone!!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 cube cream cheese, cubed

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken

1/2 cup Kraft Roka Blue Cheese dressing

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank's)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients. Put in microwave for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cream cheese is melted and dip is warm. Serve with tortilla chips.

Gingerbread Trifle

Disclaimer: We have not made this recipe yet. I will report back when we do...

I was reading my Family Fun magazine for this month and happened upon this page--and I didn't get any further. Can you believe this thing? Doesn't it look AMAZING? I think I am just going to have to make it next week. Twist my arm...

Here's the link if you can't resist either: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/gingerbread-trifle-953181/

Taste of Home's Pumpkin Sheet Cake

My mom made this recipe for my brother's wedding, complete with gold sprinkles on top for their wedding colors (and without the candy pumpkin on top). They were a huge hit at the wedding! We also know they freeze well, because we've been enjoying them this past week as well :o) Click here for the original recipe, or see below with a few alterations... BTW, I love this magazine.

Taste of Home's Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan (or large cookie sheet with high sides). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Cream cheese frosting:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Graduall beat in powdered sugar. Spread over cake; garnish with sprinkles or candy pumpkins if desired. Cover and refrigerate until serving. (Or freeze until needed!) Makes 24 servings.

Olive Garden, here we come!

My parents came up for dinner last night before we all headed to the temple for the Christmas lighting ceremony. They've been so busy with my brother's wedding last weekend that I wanted to make something nice for them, but still easy for me :o) So I brought The Olive Garden to our house!

We made my friend Krista's copycat Chicken and Gnocchi soup, my cousin Eleanor's breadsticks, and I tried to re-create Olive Garden's bottomless salad, which we love. Hope you enjoy them, too!

Krista's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

My friend Krista created her own copycat recipe of Olive Garden's Chicken and Gnocchi soup. We made it last night and it was terrific! The only thing I changed was to double the amount of chicken stock... Actually, I doubled the entire recipe, and then quadrupled the chicken stock. I did not, however, quadruple the amount of half-and-half, so it was more milky than chowder-y, but we really liked it that way :o)

Thanks for sharing, Krista!

Eleanor's breadsticks

My cute cousin Eleanor sent me this recipe a few months ago, and Jeremy made it last night. So glad he did--these breadsticks were awesome... and easy!!! They're a perfect last-minute addition to a yummy soup-and-salad dinner. We paired these with Krista's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and my re-creation of Olive Garden's bottomless salad. YUM!!!

Eleanor's Excellent Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs yeast

1 cube butter

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Parmesan cheese

Garlic salt

Combine sugar, yeast, flour and salt. Add water and stir. Knead on floured board for 3 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough into rectangular shape (the size of your cookie sheet). With pizza cutter, cut lengthwise in half and then into inch-wide strips. Melt butter and dip strips in butter (or pour butter over top) and place on greased cookie sheet. Generously sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.

Let rise for 15-20 minutes, then bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until Parmesan cheese turns golden color.

ENJOY!

Karen's Mock-Olive-Garden Salad

I crave this salad on an almost-continual basis, but as the closest Olive Garden is about 20 miles away, we don't get there very often. Last night, I decided to try and re-create it on my own with ingredients I had on hand, and I think it worked pretty darn well!

Let me know what you think...

Karen's Mock-Olive-Garden Salad

Romaine lettuce

Spinach

(A mix with red cabbage in it would add extra color)

1 seeded cucumber, chopped

Whole grape tomatoes

Sliced red onion

Sliced pepperoncini (banana peppers in jar)

Assorted croutons (white, pumpernickel, etc.)

Ken's Lite Caesar Dressing

Shredded Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top

Parmesan Chicken

... not to be confused with Chicken Parmesan :o) This is one of our family favorites--I remember Bennett wolfing it down in his high chair! It is really fast and easy, and it tastes SO good. I modified the recipe from a Kraft cookbook we got for our wedding--who knew it would become such a staple in our home?

My baby brother loves Parmesan Chicken and always has me make it whenever he comes into town. He was searching my blog for it the other night so he could make it for his fiancee, but it wasn't there. Needless to say, he called me the next morning to let me know :o) So this one is dedicated to Freddy and Annabelle, who will get married at the end of this month--we love you guys!!!

Parmesan Chicken

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix (I use Good Seasons)

3 Tbs melted butter (or 1 beaten egg)

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a shallow pan (I use a pie plate), pour the butter or egg (or water, if you're trying to cut down :o) In another shallow pan, combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and dry Italian salad dressing mix. One by one, dip the chicken breasts in the butter, then coat both sides in the bread crumb mix. Place them in a lightly greased 9x13 pan (I just line it with foil for easy clean-up), and then pour any remaining bread crumbs on top. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

I usually do a rice pilaf on the side, with veggies and a salad. You can also do an angel hair pasta with butter and lemon or something like that... It's a very versatile dish.

Enjoy!

My new favorite recipe blog...

I'm sorry for having been so negligent of this little blog lately. I have lots of yummy stuff I want to put up--it's just that this precious tiny chub of love has taken over my life! I wouldn't have it any other way though :o) I promise to get some recipes up soon...

In the meantime, I wanted to let you know about a new recipe blog I've found that I LOVE. It's from a fantastic restaurant out in Utah that makes fresh, healthy salads, soups and sandwiches called Zupas. I guess they have guest bloggers that post their best/favorite recipes, and the ones I've made so far have been fabulous! Here are some:

The best caramel sauce: I made this to go over apple crisp and vanilla ice cream last week. Ummm, it was sort of heavenly. Reminded me of the caramel sauce on Copper Canyon's "Chocolate Uprising", fellow Marylanders... yeah, it's that good!

Ratatouille: I am trying to learn more about real French cuisine, because in less than 60 days I will have a real French sister-in-law! This one is so so so good, especially as a side to salmon, as the author recommends...

Oven-dried tomatoes: I love sun-dried tomatoes, I could (and do) honestly eat them plain. But they always stored in so much OIL! So I loved this idea of making your own in the oven. You can throw them in pastas, salads, whatever :o) Enjoy!

This one is on my menu for next week. I absolutely adore Indian food, but with nursing I have to be really careful about how much spice I take in. Making my own will enable me to cater to my spice-less needs :o)

Anyway, check the blog out HERE. They posted something about Butternut Squash Soup yesterday--yikes, I am SO excited that it is finally Fall...

Pad Thai

For some reason, we have been on a bit of an Asian kick lately. It just sounds so good to me! I wanted to learn how to make Pad Thai, which is just about the most basic Thai dish around, because it's cheaper than buying it :o) So of course, I turned to Alton Brown, because he is the master of doing all things "the right way" in the kitchen. I knew I could get an authentic recipe from him...

I ended up making lots of changes to his recipe, mostly because I just don't have all the stuff it called for. But I've made it 3 times now, and everyone who's had it has loved it! And it's actually extremely fast and easy to make, so that sealed it for me...

HERE'S the link to Alton's original recipe, but I will post mine with the changes below.

Alton Brown's Pad Thai

(with Karen's substitutions)

1 ounce tamarind paste (or 2 TB brown sugar & 2 TB lime juice, mixed)

3/4 cup boiling water

2 TB fish sauce

2 TB palm sugar (or brown sugar)

1 TB rice wine vinegar

4 oz. rice stick noodles (I use the Thai Kitchen brand)

1-2 TB vegetable oil

1 cup chopped scallions, divided

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 whole eggs, beaten

1 lb. large shrimp or chicken, cut in bite-size pieces

3 oz. bean sprouts, divided

1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped & divided

1 lime, cut into wedges

Combine fish sauce, sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl; add to brown sugar/lime juice combination, and set aside.

Follow the directions on the back of the rice noodle box to cook noodles; set aside while you prepare remaining ingredients.

Place a wok or large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add 1 TB oil. Heat until it shimmers, then add shrimp (cook until pink--doesn't take long) or chicken (till browned on edges). Add 2/3 of the scallions, then the garlic, and cook for 10-15 seconds (don't let the garlic burn). Add the eggs to the pan and scramble them. Then add the following ingredients in order, tossing each time you add something new: noodles, sauce, 2/3 of the bean sprouts, and 2/3 of the chopped peanuts. Toss everything till heated through, then transfer to a serving dish.

Garnish with remaining scallions, bean sprouts and peanuts. Add lime wedges for decoration. ENJOY!

Just for Garhett...

We love to have our friend Garhett over for dinner because he always gushes over the food :o) Although, I must say that he favors Jeremy's desserts--can't blame the guy! Here are the ones he's requested....

We love you, Garhett!

Lion House Chocolate Sheet Cake

I know, it's really Texas Sheet Cake, but we got the recipe from The Lion House Cookbook, so we have to call it what they call it :o)

This is a Rich Family staple--the Rich family Jeremy grew up in. It is such a staple, in fact, that when the oven went out on the houseboat at Lake Powell, we couldn't just NOT have it for dessert--we actually fired up the BBQ grill and cooked it that way. Not my preferred choice of baking, but it worked! Love you, Riches...

Lion House Chocolate Sheet Cake

Cake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening, softened
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk**
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
Dash salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease and flour a 10X15-inch jelly-roll pan (we just use a large cookie sheet with high sides). Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour and sugar. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, mix together butter, shortening, cocoa, and water and bring to boil. Pour over flour and sugar mixture; mix well. Add buttermilk, soda, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, and salt; mix well. Pour into jelly-roll pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Five minutes before cake is done, prepare frosting. In a medium saucepan melt butter; add cocoa, vanilla, and milk, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and nuts. Mix well. Frost cake while hot.

**A tip on buttermilk: You don't have to buy it! Just add a tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then use the desired amount in any recipe!

Molten Lava Cakes

Jeremy has become famous for these ones in the last few months... They're "easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy", as Ethan would say, and they taste "divine", as Bennett would say. Here's the link to FoodNetwork for Paula Deen's best recipe ever, in our family's opinion!

Paula Deen's Molten Lava Cakes

• 6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
• 2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Grease 6 6-oz. custard cups (we use jumbo muffin tins instead). Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes (I think Jer only cooks them for about 11-12 minutes). The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

***Jer's note: make sure you don't cook these too long. They really should be runny in the middle--it's the lava! And they MUST be eaten with a hefty serving of vanilla ice cream on the side; they're really rich. Enjoy!