Prize Winning Peanut Butter Bars

These Are Amazing!! There is no other way to describe them. Just a little background on these babies: when my younger brother, Jared, was about 12 years old he would make these bars all the time. They were his thing to make. And he was good at it. One summer our ward had a big BBQ, with a baking contest. Jared made these delicious Peanut Butter Bars and entered them into this baking contest where every other contestant was female, and probably over the age of 60. These lovely ladies had been baking for years perfecting their recipes. And in comes this innocent looking little boy who smashes all their dreams of winning this baking contest. Jared won the blue ribbon, and we've been telling this story ever since. On another note, I recently won a baking contest with these yummy treats. It was awesome!! Also, the reason there is only one PB bar in the picture is because they get devoured too quickly for me to get a picture with any more. This was the last lonely bar, and i took its picture then promptly ate it. And it was good.

Prize Winning Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. flour

1 c. oatmeal

Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Sift together the soda, salt and flour, then add to the creamed mixture. Then stir in the oatmeal.

Spread in a greased 9x13 cookie sheet(with sides). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until done. I think I usually end up cooking it for closer to 13-15 minutes. Just watch it so it doesn't get too done. Remove from oven and sprinkle with about 12 oz chocolate chips on top. Spread when melted. Let cool and frost.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 c. butter(I only use 1/4 c.)

1/2 c. peanut butter

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbs. cold water

Mix all together, and spread on top of cooled* chocolate. These are awesome frozen, or at least chilled. These freeze really well. Just cut into bars, and you can layer them between wax paper so they don't stick to each other.

*I usually try to frost it while the chocolate is still slightly warm, but when it has hardened enough that it stays put when you spread on the frosting. This way the layers won't separate as much when you cut the bars.

Now, I'm just going to be honest, I always double this recipe. I've never actually made it using the original measurements. Because we all love these, and because they freeze so well, and because anyone who has ever tasted these loves them, and we love to share with our friends, I always double this recipe. So, when I double it I spread it in a jelly roll pan, and I still only use about 12 oz of chocolate chips. So if you make the original sized recipe, I'm not really sure how thick the chocolate layer will be. But I'm sure it will still taste good.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

This is another of Larry's favorites(wow, I say that lot on here. I sure am glad my husband likes my cooking!). Maybe I should just say its his favorite way to eat pork chops. Anyway, these are fantastic.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops - from Giada De Laurentis(foodnetwork)

2 Large eggs

1 c. dried Italian-style bread crumbs

3/4 c. Parmesan cheese

4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops

salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 T. olive oil

Lemon wedges for serving, optional

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake

This is another of Larry's favorite recipes. I had two different recipes from two different aunts that I kind of combined to get this beauty. Larry loves the green mint chips in this cake, they have a stronger flavor, and they are heavy and always sink to the bottom(that then becomes the top), and then the top kind of falls apart. But it is soo tasty. Use mint flavored chocolate chips if you want a more mild flavor, and if you don't want the chips to sink to the bottom. Either way it is a delicious cake.

Chocolate Mint Bundt Cake

1 box Devils Food cake mix

1 (6 oz) instant chocolate pudding

4 eggs

1/3 c. warm water

1/2 c. oil

8 oz sour cream

16 oz mint chips

Mix all together until smooth, then add mint chips(if I use the heavier green mint chips then I will just fold them into the batter after it is in the pan). Pour into a well greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for a50-60 minutes. Cool right side up for 25 min., then remove from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with your favorite frosting or glaze.

Lemon Basil Pasta with Grilled Chicken

I got this recipe off one of my favorite recipe blogs, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I love the pioneer woman. I love her recipe blog because she uses lots of pictures, and I am a very visual person. This was really yummy, and a definite addition to my recipe collection.

Lemon Basil Pasta with Grilled Chicken - slightly adapted

4 whole Grilled Chicken Breasts, Sliced *I used this lemon chicken marinade:

Grilled Lemon Chicken
Juice of one lemon (~3 Tb lemon juice)
3 Tb oil
1 tsp minced garlic (~ 2 medium-large cloves)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp oregano
1 lb chicken breasts

1 pound Penne Pasta, Cooked Until Al Dente

½ sticks Butter

3 whole Lemons, Juiced

¾ cups Heavy Cream

¼ cups Half-and-half

1-½ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (or Romano)

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

20 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped

Cook pasta, reserving 1 cup of hot pasta water when you drain. Set pasta aside in a

colander.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. Squeeze in the juice of 3 to 4 lemons.

Whisk together. Pour in cream and half-and-heat. Whisk until hot. Dump in cheese and

whisk until melted. Add salt and pepper. Add pasta to the sauce. Check consistency, adding some of the hot pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Add about half of the basil.

Pour pasta and sauce into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle remaining basil all over the top,

then add sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately!

German Pancakes

I love breakfast foods. I especially love making breakfast foods for dinner, because seriously, who wants to spend time cooking first thing in the morning. I am soo not a morning person, I'm barely awake enough to pour my boys a bowl of cereal. So we often do breakfast for dinner, and we all love it.

GERMAN PANCAKES

1 c. milk

1 c. flour

6 eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

3Tbs. butter

Place butter in a 9x13" Pyrex dish. Place int he oven at 425 until melted. In the mean time, mix and beat all other ingredients. Pour into sizzling hot dish with the melted butter. Be sure your pan is a Pyrex, as anything else will crack with the heat. Bake for 20-25 min. Serve with lemon and powdered sugar, syrup, or jelly.

This time we ate it with the lemon and powdered sugar and the boys all loved it! I think it is a nice change from regular pancakes and syrup.

This is what it looks like in the pan. The boys had fun watching it while it baked.

Project: File Folder Games

This is one of my constant projects. I always have one or two file folder games that I work on when I have a spare moment. File folder games are great, but they are a bit of a process. You can find a lot online that you can either print in black & white, or color. I usually do black & white and color them myself. It gives me something to do when Larry is working late. Here are a couple that I finished a little while ago, but am just now posting!!

REESE'S PIECES Peanut Butter Cookies

I was craving cookies the other day, and wanted something with as little chocolate as possible. So I did a little searching online, and found this recipe here. They were really tasty, and I am definitely adding this recipe to my collection.


REESE'S PIECES Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup REESE'S PIECES Candies(I had the mini baking pieces)

Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in candies. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned; remove from oven. Cool slightly; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. About 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

"Wingers" Sticky Finger Salad

This is the most awesome salad ever!! I got the Sticky Finger recipe from my good friend TerriLyn. Then Larry pieced together the rest of the ingredients for the salad. The sticky fingers themselves are so versatile. They are good on quesadillas, salads, or just on their own. Enjoy!


Sticky Fingers Sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1 T. honey
2 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce(more if you like it spicy!)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Pkg. frozen breaded chicken strips

In a saucepan over low heat, combine all ingredients except chicken. Warm sauce, stirring occasionally while you cook the chicken. Follow package directions for cooking the chicken. When the chicken is done, toss it in the sauce, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 5-7 min. or until sauce thickens and becomes sticky.

*Larry has discovered that if he follows the directions to fry the chicken rather than bake before adding it to the sauce, the chicken turns our crispier.

Sticky Finger Salad
salad greens(iceberg or romaine, or a combination of both)
sticky finger chicken tenders, cut up
cherry tomatoes
chopped red onion
Craisins
grated cheddar cheese
ranch dressing

Assemble your salad, and enjoy!!

Pesto Pizza with Pine nuts and Feta

This a really yummy gourmet pizza recipe I got from a friend from Missouri. She also has a cooking blog called Sisters Cafe. I just use my pizza crust recipe located here.

Pesto Pizza with Pine nuts and Feta
Preheat Pizza Stone in 400° oven Roll out prepared pizza dough and place on preheated pizza stone. (I don't have a pizza stone, so I just preheat my oven, and then sprinkle my pizza pan with corn meal before I put the dough on.)Top pizza dough with the following ingredients in order:

1) Pesto - You can use store bought, or make your own, which is actually really easy and tastes better. Below is a the pesto recipe I use when I can get basil cheap, like from a farmers market. (LIBERALLY spread pesto over the pizza, so you can’t see the dough through it, and up on top the edges so the crusts will have pesto on them as well.)
2) Feta cheese (about 4 oz)
3) Red onion slivers (about 1/3 onion -I like lots of red onion and tomatoes)
4) Chicken pieces (about 1 1/2 Grilled Lemon marinated breasts, diced and cooked) - recipe follows
5) Tomato slices (1-2 tomatoes, bite-sized slices)
6) Mozzarella cheese (to your liking)
7) Pine nuts (sprinkle over top)

Bake in 400° oven for 18-20 minutes.

Pesto - This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe. It is super good, and super easy.
¼ c. walnuts
¼ c. pignolis
3 T. diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 c. fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ c. good olive oil
1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top. Makes 4 cups.
*If I am able to get a lot of basil then I will make a bunch of pesto and freeze it in oiled ice cube trays. After it freezes, just remove the pesto cubes and store in Zip-lock bags. Its great on pasta too.

Grilled Lemon Chicken
Juice of one lemon (~3 Tb lemon juice)
3 Tb oil
1 tsp minced garlic (~ 2 medium-large cloves)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp oregano
1 lb chicken breasts

Marinate chicken overnight. If I'm using this for a pizza or salad, I dice the raw chicken and marinate it that way. If it's diced it has more surface area to marinate and then you can get away with only marinating it for 8 or so hours. You can grill this indoors or outdoors, or you may use a skillet.

Snickers Cookies

These are so yummy!

Snickers Cookies
½ c. sugar
½ c. firmly packed brown sugar
½ c. butter, room temperature
½ c. creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 ½ c. flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
30 mini sized Snickers candy bars (about one bag)

In large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter, and peanut butter. Add vanilla and egg. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and add to peanut butter mixture. Shape dough smoothly around each candy bar, making sure the bar is completely covered, without having a lot of excess dough. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°, check at 12 minutes, and take out when they are slightly golden. Cool a minute or so and remove from cookie sheets. Delicious served warm.

Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies

These are amazing!! The first time I made them, the pan didn't last through the end of the day. So yummy. I've had to adjust the cooking time/temp a little. The edges seem to cook really quickly while the center is still uncooked, so i've lowered the temp a little, i've also covered it loosely with foil before to keep it from browning too much. Just watch it, and adjust accordingly(it may must be my oven). Also, i've never used the sanding sugar, I think its kind of expensive. So I will sometimes just sprinkle a little bit of regular sugar on top. But I think its fine without any sugar on it too. I've also made it with blueberries when I didn't have raspberries. They were good too, but I think the raspberries are better.
Enjoy!


Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies -from the Picky Palate
¼ Cup butter
¾ Cup white chocolate chips
½ Cup sugar
¼ Cup brown sugar
1 Cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ Cup white chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 Cup fresh raspberries
½ Cup finely chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons sanding sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl. Stir in ¾ Cup white chips until melted and smooth. In a large bowl add the sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and ½ Cup white chips. In a small bowl whisk the eggs and sour cream. Pour into the dry ingredient bowl along with the melted white chip mixture. Mix until just combined.

2. Pour into an 8×8 inch baking dish lined with foil that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Top evenly with 1 Cup raspberries. Mix the chopped pecans and sanding sugar in a small bowl until combined then sprinkle over top of blondies. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes clean from center.
9 blondies

Baja Chicken Pizza with Bacon and Cilantro

This is another recipe from a friend from K-ville(You can check out her cooking blog here). Very yummy! I just used my pizza crust recipe found here.

Baja Chicken Pizza with Bacon and Cilantro

3/4 c. Open Pit BBQ sauce
2 c. cooked, diced chicken
3/4 - 1 lb. good bacon, cooked and torn into medium pieces
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 425 degrees. With lightly greased hands, form dough into a pizza crust by using fingertips to spread dough outwards on counter top. Once in a disk about 6-8 inches in diameter, hold dough up by one edge and rotate around to let the weight of the dough stretch itself out, taking care to not let the center get too thin, but encouraging the edges to stretch as well, until 14 inches in diameter. Remove hot stone from oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place dough on hot stone and situate so it fits nicely over stone. Brush sauce over crust with a pastry brush or bottom of large pasta spoon,getting some on edges of crust. Then sprinkle chicken, bacon, half of cheese, then red onion and cilantro over as well. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes until crust and cheese is lightly browned.

Oreo Bon Bons

Oreo Bon Bons

1 package Oreo cookies
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
Almond Bark

Crush up Oreos to crumbs.(I grind them in the blender in small batches.) Mix crumbs thoroughly with cream cheese(I think mixing with my hands works the best). Roll into balls(they don't need to be very big because the coating makes them even bigger). Melt almond bark according to package directions. I use vanilla flavored, and I find it easiest to melt it in the microwave. Dip cookie balls in the almond bark. Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. You can then drizzle them with chocolate bark, or just melted chocolate chips or bakers chocolate. Refrigerate to help the coating set. I think these are best chilled. They freeze well and will last a while.

*These are a family favorite and a hit with everyone who tries them. They make great neighbor gifts. So good!!

Cafe Rio Feast

This is amazingly similar to Cafe Rio's pork salad. It is delicious!! I got all of these recipes from various friends when we live in the 'Ville, and we will be forever grateful.

Café Rio Pork
3# Pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 c Worcestershire sauce
1 t dried oregano
1 t powdered ginger
1 t salt
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
2 T dried minced onions

Cook all ingredients in a crock pot all day. One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it, dump out cooking juices. Put shredded pork back into crock pot and add…
1 c dark brown sugar
1 c red enchilada sauce


Cafe Rio black beans
1 can black beans
1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Heat oil, cumin, and garlic. Throw in the rest until warm

Café Rio Lime Rice (Larry said this was better than Café Rios lime rice)
1 c white rice
2 T chicken broth, + broth to cook rice in
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T garlic powder
1 T dried minced onion
Pinch of salt

Cook all ingredients for rice directions, substituting chicken broth for water. When rice is done, add…
½-1 c chopped cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice
1 c green enchilada sauce

Guacamole (Larry said this was a good guacamole recipe, we just couldn't get very good avocados. I cut this recipe in half, and we still had plenty of guacamole.)
4 ripe Haas avocados
3 Tbs squeezed lemon juice (I think I add more)
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. Immediately add the lemon juice, Tabasco, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper. (I'm pretty sure I always end up adding more salt.)


Café Rio Chicken salad Creamy Tomatillos Dressing(I used this on the pork salad, so I didn’t make the chicken, but I’m including it in case you want to try it with the chicken.)

3 Tomatillos
1 c. cilantro, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 c. buttermilk
½ c. sour cream
½ c. mayonnaise
1 pkt. Ranch buttermilk dressing mix

Husk and cut the tomatillos into quarters, put under a broiler for 7 minutes, then chop or mince. Mix together all ingredients and chill.

Saute chicken in olive oil and garlic. Serve on top of lettuce topped with cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese with the dressing.

How to assemble a Café Rio Salad:
One very large tortilla, toasted with a little cheddar cheese (We like to use the uncooked tortillas found near the cheese section. Then you just heat them up on a low temp in a frying pan, and then melt a little cheese on it.)

chopped greens (romaine, I think)
lime rice and beans (your choice of pinto or black)
your choice of meat (their famous BBQ pork, steak, or grilled chicken)
pico de gallo
guacamole
a few cilantro sprigs
a lime wedge
some kind of Mexican style cheese, when Larry looked it up online it is called Cotija cheese. I found it near sour cream.
tortilla strips, fried and crispy
creamy tomatillo dressing