Butterscotch Peanut Butter Bars

This is a recipe my mom made a lot... it is out of some cook book that she has but I just have it written in my recipe book so I'm not sure which one!!

I tried to make these with my friend Holly when I was younger and because butterscotch is in the title, I thought there were butterscotch chips in them... I put a whole bag in with the peanut butter mixture. They actually weren't too bad, but there was a layer of butterscotch on the bottom that was kinda hard and weird... OOPS!! :) haha I had many food mishaps when I was younger and thought I could cook. Now that I am older and think I can cook I still have a few, but luckily not as many! :)

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a 2 qt sauce pan. Add the brown sugar and peanut butter, mix well. Bring the mixture just to boiling over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, let cool to lukewarm. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. While cooling, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, set aside. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan. With a wooden spoon beat the eggs and vanilla into the cooled peanut butter mixture. Stir in the flour mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes (the top is going to kind of bubble up and look flaky) let it cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars and eat while still slightly warm.

A yummy treat that is a little different than what we usually have!

Pizza Bites

These were AMAZING... I mean seriously, "Pizza Bites" that's all I really have to say here right?? My sweet baby girl turned 1 yesterday! I had a few people over to celebrate and wanted to make something that wasn't sweet... cuz I had LOTS of other sweets already. I've been wanting to make these for a while and decided it would be perfect!

I got this idea from Annie's eats, I didn't use her recipe because I was in a hurry and didn't have time to look at it!

I used a bread recipe that sadly I can't share. It is Pantry Secrets recipe and I think they sell the recipe with ingredients and a kit or something. It is what I use whenever I'm short on time... so pretty much always! :)

I would use just a basic pizza dough recipe like this one:

**I'm also thinking if I use the breadsticks recipe it'd be good, and not as heavy as the pizza dough or bread dough.

Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water

1 TBS yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp shortening

abt. 3/4 cups flour

(which is also quick and easy but I didn't know it off the top of my head like I do the bread recipe!)

Pizza Bites

mozzarella cheese, I used shredded but it would be easier if you cubed a block of cheese and used the little cubes

pepperoni, quartered

Italian seasoning

garlic salt

grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the pan, I used butter! Make the dough. Break the dough into little pieces, like 1/3 of the size you would do when making rolls, try to get them pretty even, try to get about 24 pieces. Cut the pepperoni slices into quarters. In each piece I put 3 pieces of pepperoni (3/4 of one whole pepperoni slice) and a little bit of cheese then fold the ingredients inside and pinch the seam and place seam side down in the pan. Do this with each ball. Sprinkle with garlic salt, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Seriously... make these!! They are so easy, though a tad bit time consuming filling each one, but they are worth it!!!!!

Easy Beefy Nachos

This isn't much of a recipe, just an idea really! I used my chili meat recipe for the shredded beef.

Easy Beefy Nachos

Tortilla Chip

1/2 lb Velveeta Cheese

1/4 cup Milk

1/3 lb Shredded Beef for Chili Meat (along with all of the other small ingredients you need for it click on link above for recipe)

1 cup Black Beans

**We have been eating out of our pantry and we only had Velveeta cheese... which I don't like except for in cheesy potato soup but it wasn't too bad! And normally I'd add home made refried beans on top of Nachos too... yum!! **

Warm up the chips in the oven for just a few minutes at 300 degrees. Meanwhile in a small saucepan melt 1/2 lb Velveeta cheese with about a 1/4 cup milk, just make it as creamy as you'd like, it is going to harden a little bit as it cools on the chips. In a 2 qt saucepan make the chili meat and mix in the black beans. Then just put a layer of chips on a plate, then a layer of the meat/beans then some cheese and keep doing that until it is all used up!

Cheese Ball

YUM YUM YUM!!!! This is a super good recipe that I got from my Sister in Law Heather! She made it for us when we were at their house for Christmas and I couldn't stay away from it! I made it last night because I had a few people over for a Spa Demo (I am an independent distributor for NuSkin!) and it was a hit! :) The recipe makes a pretty big cheese ball so I halved it. I'll just give you the original recipe and say next to it if I changed anything... but I really didn't change much!!

Cheese Ball

2 8oz block of cream cheese (16 oz)

2 small packages corned beef (I used salami, I got 1/4 lb from the deli but probably ended up only using half of it... so like 1/8 lb thinly sliced salami)

1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

1/4 tsp garlic powder (I put a little less just cuz garlic powder scares me sometimes... but next time I'll probably just put all of it because the lemon juice balances it out really well, especially if left overnight in the fridge)

1 tsp lemon juice

chopped walnuts

Soften the cream cheese, just let it sit out for a little while. Drain the can of pineapple and squeeze out some of the juice so your cheese ball isn't too runny! Cut the salami into little squares. Mix everything together except for the walnuts until it is all "well balanced" (for example, all of the salami isn't clumped into one place, but is equally distributed throughout the cheese ball :)!) Shape it into a ball and roll until it is covered in crushed walnuts (I really could do without the nuts, but I don't hate them on their either... I just dig into the middle and let everyone else enjoy their nuts!) It looks prettier with the walnuts too. Stick it in the fridge and Heather told me to let it sit over night... but I'm a slacker and didn't make it until a few hours before, which tasted fine... but don't be a slacker like me, take her advice! :) Just keep it in the fridge until right before you serve it! Oh and I bought some crackers (which weren't on sale and I didn't even have a coupon... GASP!! Seriously though, that is a big deal for me... I'm hard core :P) anyways they went REALLY good with the cheese ball, they are Brenton Minis, the original flavor. Brenton is the kinda puffy really big crackers but these were just little bite size ones and not so puffy... really good though!!

Banana Bread

I have never liked bananas, but when it comes to banana bread I could eat a whole loaf!! It is so good! Growing up my mom would always wash out cans and use them to bake banana bread in, usually so we could give it to our teachers around Christmas time or end of the year, it made the perfect little loaf! This stuff is SO good!!

Banana Bread

1 Cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 Cup butter

3 TBS sour cream or milk

2 Cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

3 large bananas

nuts if desired (definitely NOT desired here!)

Cream the butter and sugar, add the beaten eggs and sour cream. Add all of the dry ingredients except for the flour.

In a separate bowl mash the bananas, I used my pastry blender. In another bowl put the flour. Alternately add some bananas into the first mixture then some flour... then bananas, then flour. (I added a 1/4 of each then mixed... and so on)

Add vanilla and mix well. Spray your loaf pan with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees, mine only took about 40 minutes but depending on your oven it could take up to an hour, when you push on it and it springs back up it is done.

Shepherds Pie

This was very easy to make and we really enjoyed it!

I used this recipe but added a few things and I didn't use the same amounts that she did... and of course I used shredded beef instead of ground!

Shepherds Pie

1/2 lb Shredded Beef

abt. 3/4 can french style green beans (I used the whole thing but it was a little much so next time I'll use less!)

3 carrots, cooked and slices
lots of mashed potatoes.. like 3 cups? I didn't measure it out but you'll need enough to cover the

top of the pie, I used instant mashed potatoes

8 oz can tomato sauce

dash of Worcestershire

1 TBS parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 TBS flour

1 TBS milk

(I also used the leftover potatoes from a roast chopped up in the filling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the carrots and put then into a small pot of boiling water and cook until soft. Mix beef, tomato sauce, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, green beans, and carrots.

Mix the flour with 3 TBS water in a small bowl then mix into the beef mixture. Put mixture into a pie dish. Make the mashed potatoes and cover the top of the pie with them, put 2 or 3 vent holes in the potatoes (see picture below). Bake for 20 minutes, then take out and brush potatoes with the milk, I also sprinkled a little cheese on 'cause they were looking a little pale. :P

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese "Mc"Muffins

These were really good and really easy!! I didn't make the english muffins even though I had planned to... they were on sale, and the dry milk the recipe called1 for was not! Maybe next time!

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese "Mc"muffins

4 slices cheddar cheese
4 english muffins, toasted

4 eggs

salt and pepper

1/2 pound of sausage

Take out your roll of sausage and cut in half (I browned the other half and used it in my sausage gravy the next night for dinner). Cut the 1/2 pound into 4 equal pieces and shape each piece into a little sausage patty and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until there is no longer any pink in the middle! In a separate frying pan make 4 fried eggs w/ salt and pepper. I used a little egg thing to keep it in place so it'd fit on my english muffin ... :)

Place the egg on your english muffin, then the sausage, then a piece of cheese, then the top of the english muffin! :) These were nice, just something different than usual and fun to make!

Mommy's little helper

:) Livvy is growing up so fast! She has discovered the kitchen, and how much fun it is to open and close the cabinets... and pull everything out of them! Just thought I'd share :)

Zucchini Bread

This is my Aunt Heidi's Recipe and it is SO SO good!!

Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

3 eggs

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups finely grated zucchini (it took me 1 1/2 medium sized zucchinis)

3 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

I grated the zucchini with the really small and fine cheese grater. Just mix all of the ingredients together really well. Divide equally into 2 loaf pans. Cook at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. I like to eat mine warm with butter!!

German Pancakes

These are great! So easy, not too involved, yet scrumptious! Just throw it together and you have a nice warm breakfast! (or a fast dish for "breakfast for dinner" :))

I don't know if they really have these in Germany, though my German friend did tell me they don't have pancakes like we do here... so maybe! :)

German Pancakes

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

5 TBS butter (ok it really calls for 5 tsp ... but I LOVE extra butter on these!)

I like to throw it all into the blender, it makes it super fast! I learned that from a mutual activity we had when I was in YW :) Anyways just put all of the ingredients EXCEPT the butter into the blender or other mixing bowl and whip it together. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put the butter into a 9x13 baking dish (I halved the recipe for us and used a 9x9) and put into the preheating oven to melt... DON'T forget it in there!! When butter is melted take out and pour batter into the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes... it is going to get really puffy and tall... then when you take it out it'll shrink down. All done!

You can put powdered sugar, syrup, brown sugar... maybe even some jam or nutella??

Chimi's and Chili Meat

These are SO yummy, growing up my parents used to make these all the time! If you have some shredded beef already cooked up they are SUPER fast to make!!

Chili meat

Shredded Beef

dash of onion powder

Chili powder (quite a bit) to taste

Cayenne pepper (pretty spicy, so depending on how hot you want it)

Salt and pepper to taste

Chimi's

Chili meat

Cheese

Beans (optional)

Tortillas

Oil for frying

Make the chili meat in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Put the meat and about and inch of water into the sauce pan. Add spices, salt and pepper to taste and let it simmer on low while you get everything else prepared, adding water as needed, it will boil out and leave the meat really flavorful.

Get your tortillas and sprinkle with cheese and if you'd like to add some beans just do one spoonful per chimi, I used black beans and cheddar cheese (the bulk of the chimi should be the meat though). In a large skillet (10-12 inch) pour enough oil to cover the bottom, put over medium high heat. This time I just rolled them in the oil instead of filling up a whole pan and letting them float around in oil to cook, either way works! Add Chili meat and roll up tightly burrito style and put a toothpick into the flap, through all layers of the tortilla to keep them closed while cooking in the oil (pictured above.) If you don't secure them they could come unrolled while frying and it would become dangerous with the hot oil popping everywhere! Fry until browned and crispy. You can eat with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa... whatever you like to eat on this type of stuff :)