Apple Snickerdoodle Bars

Snickerdoodle cookies and apple pie all rolled into one!

http://www.shakentogetherlife.com/2013/07/apple-pie-snickerdoodle-cookie-bars.html

A 3 ingredient baked treat?! Yes! This was a super easy treat to put together. And it was pretty tasty.

Bottom line: I grade this a solid B. It was good, but it didn't have that homemade taste to it. I'd rather have a crust than pre-packaged cookie dough. I would also rather have my apple pie filling than canned. All that aside, it still tasted good. Just not great.

Homemade Coffee Syrup

I love lattes. A lot. I cannot drink one without some kind of flavoring. Vanilla, caramel, pumpkin, etc. I do not like shelling out $7.00 for a bottle of flavored syrup. I researched homemade syrups but most required whole vanilla beans or other semi-pricey ingredients. I wanted to save a bit of money, so I came up with a very easy, cheap recipe. While I don't think I can replicate all of the flavors available by Torani, I can get my favorites for about $6.50 less than I normally pay. The recipe base is just simple syrup (1 cup water and 1 cup sugar). Heat long enough to dissolve all the sugar. It doesn't need to boil, but you do need to stir it often. When the sugar has dissolved, move pan off heat for 10-15 mins. Now the fun part: add your flavor! I just made peppermint syrup, and I added 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. You can add vanilla, rum, maple, coconut, or any other extract you want. It is so easy!

Mashed Potato Bake

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy carbs?

http://what2cook.net/2013/09/08/baked-potato-casserole/

Without a doubt, these were the creamiest mashed potatoes I have ever eaten. Not the most flavorful, even after boiling my potatoes in chicken broth ( which I always do and highly recommend).

Bottom line: I was left wanting more...taste. Don't get me wrong, the texture was wonderful. The cheese and bacon were great in this dish. But it was bland. Quite bland. Nate suggested adding some ranch seasoning. If I did that, I would use buttermilk instead of evaporated milk as the liquid. Why I didn't add a couple tablespoons of butter is beyond me. I was temporarily insane. I don't think that I would make this again. I need more flavor!

Tortellini Casserole

Cheesy carb overload. In a good way.

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/526808068/tortellini-bake/

I really like pasta. Add cheese filling to that pasta, and I really, really like it! I'm also a big fan of mixing marinara and Alfredo sauces together.

Bottom line: I would make this again. I might change it up a bit by using different sauces and cheeses, but it was good this way as well. I try to make at least one meatless meal a week, and it's sometimes difficult to find a really filling one. This one fit the bill. I didn't use as much Parmesan as the recipe called for-I only used about 1/4 cup. I skipped the broiling and just baked this for 20 mins. Easy as pie. Actually, much easier.

7-up Biscuits

Also known as the best biscuits EVER!!

http://janellescookbook.blogspot.com/2010/10/7-up-biscuits.html

I'm not kidding, these melted in my mouth. They were so good. Like, I cannot stop thinking about them. I'm a bit irritated I just found out about them. They are baked in melted butter, people! Just look past the fact that one of the ingredients is 7-up.

The dough was exceptionally gooey. As in, almost soupy. I thought something had gone terribly awry. I was later proven wrong.

They look very unformed sitting in the glorious pan of butter, don't they? I had a hard time cutting them because they were so gooey. Press on, folks, you will be rewarded.

I wish this picture could convey how wonderful these biscuits taste.

Bottom line: These were an A+++++! Go make these right now. I'm not planning on ever looking for another biscuit recipe.

Italian Pot Roast

Perfect for a cold day! Actually, I had other things to cook and wanted something that required very little fuss.

http://www.crisco.com/Recipes/Details.aspx?recipeID=3072&crlt.pid=camp.JK3pakXODHs3

This recipe was simple and super quick. I used the stovetop method as some idiot (me) broke my crock pot a few weeks ago.

After everything was in the pot, I was off to do my baking!






Bottom line: It wasn't as tender as I'd hoped. Nate assured me it was great, but I will be looking for a different roast recipe. I ended up adding a can of beef broth because there just wasn't enough sauce. I also added about 2 T of flour with the broth, to keep it thick. It smelled great, but it was a tad too tough for my liking.

Soft Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce

I love soft pretzels. And cheese sauce...that's a no-brainer.

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/homemade-soft-pretzel-bites/

I really enjoyed making these. Working with yeast can be very intimidating, but not with these babies.

I kind of freaked out about boiling these in baking soda water. Sounds weird, tastes good. Really good.







Bottom line: The pretzels were great! Chewy, salty, kinda gooey (in a good way). The recipe assumes you know that when you roll out the dough, you don't need a floured surface. You don't, as the oil from the rising dough bowl is sufficient. I took both batches out after 13 minutes, and they probably only needed 11.  Now for the cheese sauce: it was gross. Grainy, actually...and gross. Nothing beats the processed creaminess of Velveeta. I've never had much luck melting cheddar for any kind of sauce, but I gave it a try. Next time, it's Velveeta or a can of nacho cheese sauce. Do yourself a favor and don't make this sauce. But do try the pretzels!