Apple nachos

I am sure many of you have seen the Apple Nacho craze on Pinterest and have pinned them with the hopes of making them for a secret afternoon snack and then forget about the recipe until you see it pop up on your pinfeed because one of your very close friends also pinned it.  That's what happened to me.  Then, last week at our small group Bible Study, my friend Steph made them for everyone.  Let's just say that a huge platter of the yumminess was completely licked clean.  Jon had stayed home that night with the kids because we have had a Roseola epidemic go through our house last week, so I decided to make them for dessert on Tuesday night.  Let me just say that EVERYONE loved them!  I made a small batch, but they were so yummy I will have to make them again!  I keep telling myself that they must be healthy because all the apples I am consuming. . . fiber and nutrients, right?  

So, I dare you . . . go make these for your family. . . err. . . i mean. . . you.  They are so yummy and addicting! 

Apple Nachos

adapted from Shugary Sweets via Pinterest

Ingredients:

4 Apples, sliced and cored

1/4 cup butter

1 cup to 1 1/2 cups marshmallows (I didn't measure)

Hershey's Caramel Sundae Sauce

Handful of mini chocolate chips

Hershey's Syrup

Directions:

Layer apples on plate.   Melt butter and marshmallows together in a small saucepan.  Spoon melted marshmallow goodness over apples.  Drizzle with caramel sauce and Hershey's syrup.  Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top.  Serve or just eat.  

artichoke tapanade

I checked Facebook this morning and saw snow. . . lots of it. Not here though.  We are just cold and dry.  In fact, it hasn't rained in forever. . . it's supposed to rain in a few days . . . I can't wait.  

My oldest is sick right now.  Just a fever, most likely roseola. His brother is just getting over his case of it.  It's a quiet day full of movies.  I maybe strange, but I don't mind a feverish kid every now and then.  It is kind of nice to slow down.  

Preparations for Weston's first birthday party are underway.  I am really excited about his party and how everything is turning out.  There is even a sewing project in the works and I can't wait to share it with you!

So, for today, I am going to leave you with these:

 yes. . . they are yummy. . . but wait until you hear what they are. . . artichoke tapanade over toasted baguette.  Let me just say that they are amazing!  

 I made these awhile back, for my Pampered Chef Christmas Open House.  Which means it is a Pampered Chef recipe that was made for one of their newer products, the manual food processor.  At this time, I didn't have the product, so I just used my good old, reliable plug into the wall and push Go and it will process.  It worked great (of course!).  I do have that special tool now, and maybe later I will give it a review.  

Ahh. . . a close up.  Makes me want to go and make these right now.  Good thing I am out of artichokes, because there is no way that eating ALL of these will help me win my war against extra Jolie. You can go and make them. . . I promise, you won't regret it!


Artichoke Tapenade
Adapted from Pampered Chef


Ingredients:
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley 
1 garlic clove, peeled 
1/2 cup pitted green olives (I used black on accident and it still was amazingly good!)
1 tbsp capers
5 tbsp olive oil 


Directions:
Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until thick and creamy.  Cut baguette into thin slices and lay on cooke sheet.  Place under broiler for a 1-3 minutes until lightly toasted.  Put a dollop of tapenade over each slice and place on serving tray.  This makes a wonderful appetizer!  

Gift cards for Debbie

Every Thanksgiving, Jon's family draws names for their annual Christmas Gift exchange.  We have a 20 dollar limit and we get to suggest some things that we have on our wish list.  This year, I got Jon's Aunt Debbie.  She had asked for some thank you cards and I thought it would be fun to whip up some handmade ones really quick.  Everything was from scraps laying around the office.  I was able to come up with these sets. Each package is a set of 5 like note cards.  

 I <3 yellow and grey!

This one reminds me of spring. 

 

Christmas wrap-up: part 2

This year Jon decided to participate in his work's annual Cookie Exchange.  There were only 6 people who signed up, he being the only male.  We decided to finish off the spritz cookie dough I had made the previous weekend at my Pampered Chef Open House.  They were just so easy to make a bunch and they taste so yummy!

For this cookie exchange, each set of 6 cookies had to be individually wrapped.  I drove my husband a bit crazy because I took the time to put them in small, clear treat bags with festive scrapbook paper with zig zagged edges.  Super easy, but so nice.  (He was slightly embarrassed, but they got lots of compliments!)

Classic Spritz Cookies

From Pampered Chef

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

assorted sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Beat butter on medium speed until creamy.  Add sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Beat well.  Slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time, until all mixed.  Dough will be soft.  Don't refrigerate.  

Fill cookie press with dough, pick desired disk, put lid on and press away.  Then sprinkle with sprinkles and stick in the oven for about 10 minutes.  

This recipe will bake approx. 6-7 dozen cookies . . . .perfect for cookie exchanging!

Oh my goodness!!!!

I made these cookies last night and they were simply amazing! I kid you not! They are actually called "I want to marry you" cookies. And, seriously, with a title like that, how could I resist?

These cookies were good hot out of the oven and they are still amazing this morning. They are quite seriously the perfect cookie. They were easy to make (a few extra steps, but perfect to do while cleaning up an easy dinner and putting kids to bed), had the perfect dough to chocolate chip ratio, nicely colored and soft with a little bit of crunch (just the way my husband likes them, by the way!).

Okay, time to get the little guy up from his nap. I will be back later today with the recipe.

 . . .I'm back (it's nap time again).  Here's the recipe. . . now go out and bake some cookies for someone special.  Send a little love someone's way.  Seriously. . . it's worth it!

"Will you marry me?" Cookies
adapted from Cookingchannel.com


Ingredients:
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla (I don't really measure. . . I just sort of pour it in)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (mine was heaping)
2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chocolate chips


Directions:
Combine the melted butter and sugars together.  Let them chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. 


Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and cinnamon. 


Slowly add dry ingredients.  


Let dough chill out in the fridge for 30 minutes.  


Scoop onto cookie sheet lined with your silpat or parchment paper.


Bake at 325 for 12 minutes.  

Enjoy!

p.s. did you get any proposals?

Getting my chocolate fix

Some days I just need chocolate.  I am sure you can relate.  Really, I am sure that it is written in some {unknown} book somewhere that mom's need chocolate every now and then. . . and not just a handful of M&M's. . . a nice slice of moist, chocolate yumminess.  Anybody agree? 

And, I am sure most of you would probably agree that on such days, when above mentioned chocolate fix needs to be filled, creating more dishes in the sink just doesn't sound like a way to end the day. . . regardless of the delicious, need-meeting, moist, deliciousness that is quenching your palate's need for chocolate. 

So, on a day (much like the one mentioned above), I found a wonderful recipe for a chocolate cake that would not create havoc in my kitchen or leaving me regretting my decision to bake something.  (thank you, Pinterest!) This recipe, required 1 bowl. . . yes, one bowl (and if you were brave and were planning on eating it straight out of the cake pan, you could even mix everything up right in the pan, resulting in less dishes to clean!).  I honestly think this took about 5 minutes to mix up and then bake.  

Chocolate Pan Cake
adapted from The Whimsical Cupcake


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk


Directions:
:: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
:: Grease a 8 inch pan with cooking spray. 
:: Put all the dry ingredients in to a bowl.  Give it a stir and make 3 holes.
:: Start putting the wet ingredients into holes.  Stir until mixed up.  
:: Pour into prepared 8 inch pan. 
:: Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a serving plate.  Dust with powdered sugar . . . cut . . . eat. . . savor. 

Brownie balls: Christmas wrap-up, part 1

I love Christmas time!  The whole month of December is always filled with so many fun-filled activities.  And, I think adding kids into the mix makes it somewhat busier, and then this year, I added Pampered Chef!  So, it has been Crazy around here.  Last week, I said I would be more consistent. . . who knows what happened. . . life apparently.  

So, in honor of Christmas being over and January starting, I thought I would post my Christmas Brownie Balls. They are great! Bad for the diet, but amazingly Delicious!  This year with my Christmas baking, I tried to incorporate everyone's favorite treat.  Jon picked his usual, peanut butter balls and Ethan picked these brownie balls.  They were so very easy!  Did you make anything this year?  If so, what was your favorite thing that you made or received?

Brownie Balls

Ingredients:

Brownie Mix

Chocolate fudge frosting

chocolate candy coating

sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

:: Make brownies according to package directions.

:: Let cool, and then crumble and place in bowl.  Put a few spoonfulls of frosting and mix together with your hands.  You don't want to use too much frosting, or else they won't stick nicely together and you will have a mess.  

:: Put waxed paper or parchment paper on narrow (needs to fit in the freezer) baking sheet.  Start rolling into balls.  Place balls on baking sheet and freeze for about 24 hours.  

::  Melt chocoalte candy coating and dip frozen balls, covering the whole thing.  Put back on waxed paper or parchement paper and let sit until hardened.  Sprinkle sprinkles over the top while still wet.  

These freeze really well and can be made several weeks in advance and then frozen until ready to serve.  These are always fun to keep on hand in case someone drops by and you need a fun dessert.