Crunchy Peanut Butter Snack Mix

Sweet! With just a touch of salt.

Pb snack mix recipe

I like all cereals, namely those aimed at the 3-10 age group, so this recipe immediately appealed to me. And who doesn't like peanut butter? I made this to take to my brother's birthday party  tomorrow. Our family pretty much inhales anything with peanut butter, so I think it will go over well.

Bottom line: I have to take this to someone else's house, soon, or I will eat the entire thing. I realize it doesn't look super appetizing, but it melts in your mouth! I added 1 tablespoon of butter to the white bark, so I had 3 total. I also added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. They melted a bit when I stirred in the white bark, but just enough to be gooey, not completely liquified. Nate said this "tastes like chex mix's sexy older sister." I'm not really sure what that means, but it can't be anything but a ringing endorsement!

Garlic Cheesy Pull Apart Bread

Kind of a big deal. This is awesome!

Garlic cheesy bread recipe

Don't be afraid of recipes with yeast! They can be intimidating, but once you experiment a bit, it becomes fun. And very rewarding (for your taste buds).
I don't have a dough hook for my mixer, I just used the whisk attachment. It worked like a charm. I used all purpose flour, not bread flour, because it's what I had on hand. It all worked out.

I let my initial dough rise in a slightly warmed oven for one hour. I turned the oven on for ten minutes, preheated it to the lowest temp, then shut it off about 15 minutes before I started the bread.
These twists end up doubling in size. If you don't want to twist them, no worries!

These look good, don't they? They were. I made my own garlic butter by adding garlic powder, basil, and parsley to a stick of melted butter. You will use the whole stick. I used mozzarella cheese in these loaves. So, so good.








Bottom line: Go make this bread! Even if you've never made bread, this is a super simple recipe to follow. I would recommend broiling the loaves for about 3 minutes before taking out of the oven. Use whatever cheese you like; I plan on using Asiago next time...and there will definitely be a next time!

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

Mixing a packet of dry ranch seasoning and taco seasoning gives a wonderful taste to shredded chicken!

Ranch Chicken Enchiladas recipe

I used a rotisserie chicken for this, and it tasted great. I simmered the chicken in one can of broth along with the two spice packets for about 1.5 hours. The chicken was unbelievably tender, and it soaked up all of the broth. Yum.

Once the broth was all soaked up, I assembled the enchiladas. The ranch and salsa mix is quite good. I topped the chicken with cheddar, but I may use Colby-Jack next time for an extra kick.








Bottom line: These were very good, and so easy to make. The enchiladas went together in about 10 minutes. I was able to do some other baking/cooking while the chicken was simmering. Even Nate liked these, and he's not a fan of Mexican food that doesn't come in a Taco Bell wrapper. The best part is that you can add what you like and make it your own! Rice and beans would be good, so would a can of Rotel or corn. Mix it up!

Homemade Twix Bars

Mmmm...cookie, caramel, and chocolate!

Homemade Twix bar recipe

In this recipe, you make a delicious shortbread, yummy caramel filling, and cover it in chocolate. The shortbread is very crumbly, so it will be a pain to get it in the pan and press it down. I ended up baking mine for about 40 minutes.

The caramel filling is foolproof and delicious! I added an extra Tablespoon of cream so it would be a bit more gooey.




It was good up to this point. But only melting chocolate chips for the topping? They didn't get spreadable, but thick. So I added about 3 tablespoons of butter and it got a bit creamier. But it still wasn't what I wanted. I was expecting a ganache-type topping. More fudge and gooey, not so blah.

Bottom line: Meh. The caramel was definitely the best part of this dessert. The shortbread was okay, but it was dry. The chocolate layer needs removed and reworked! I plan on making this again after I find a ganache recipe for the top and a softer shortbread for the bottom, and I will report back!

Spinach and Feta Pie

Pie for dinner! Actually, this would make a great lunch, too.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/03/easy-crust-less-spinach-and-feta-pie.html

I am a huge skinnytaste fan. This woman has fantastic recipes that are healthy, but don't taste like health food. I highly recommend you browse Her blog.

I also recommend you try this pie, which is really a quiche. It's so yummy!

Bottom line: This is a solid A. No part of this tastes like diet food. With all the feta and the fluffy egg throughout, you will be coming back for guilt-free seconds.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Pizza + wings = deliciousness. Who doesn't like wings? If you answered 'me,' then don't continue reading this post.
http://doitandhow.com/2013/04/03/buffalo-chicken-pizza-strips/

So the "recipe" I found on Pinterest turned out to just be a list of ingredients. Um...what?! Well I already had the ingredients, so I improvised the instructions. I rolled the dough out into a greased jelly roll pan and preheated the oven to 425. I then added the mozzarella and chicken (I used rotisserie) and drizzled with a bit more sauce.

I then topped the pizza with cheddar and baked this baby for 15 minutes. It could have used a few more minutes, but I like a doughy crust.

Bottom line: Yum! Nate said he could eat this again and again, and I agree. We dipped our pizza squares in ranch, but you could easily drizzle ranch over this before baking. This would also be great with some bacon bits sprinkled throughout. What a great snack! It beats chips and dip and could easily be served for dinner, too. 

Biscuits and Gravy

This is not a review, folks, this is one of my own. Actually, it is my Grandma's. She gave me my first gravy lesson at age 18 and I haven't looked back! Here's what you need:
-1 pound pork sausage (any flavor you like)
- 7-9 Tablespoons flour
- 2.5-4 cups milk

Start by frying your sausage. You want greasy sausage, so I wouldn't recommend low fat. If you want a low fat meal, don't make this.

Once your meat is cooked through, tilt the pan so that all the grease accumulates on one side. Add the flour bit by bit to the grease. I add enough until a paste is formed. Once you have the paste, add 1 cup of milk. Cook this on medium heat just until thickened. Add the milk about 1 cup at a time and cook until thickened.