Salted Caramel Pretzel Snaps

Salted Caramel Pretzel Snaps

These are an easy treat especially for the holidays, salted caramel pretzel snaps

Ingredients

3 bars Milk Chocolate Almond Bark, melted

Mini pretzels

Caramel squares, melted

Sea salt

Instructions

Lay out wax or parchment paper, using a spoon, drizzle a little on the paper and smooth it out a little with the back of the spoon like you are painting a circle. Drop three pretzels, slightly overlapping onto the chocolate and spoon a little melted caramel over all three. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and then drizzle a little more chocolate. Let set and store in tupperware.

St. John’s Pothole Filler Squares

St. John’s Pothole Filler Squares

Ingredients:

12 strips bacon

16 oz. good quality semisweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

Pinch sea salt

1 ½ cups crispy fried potato sticks (i.e. Hickory sticks)

1 ½ cups roasted salted peanuts

2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Line an 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper in both directions, leaving overhang on each side.  Cook bacon until very crisp, drain well and crumble.  Set aside.

In a large microwave safe dish, toss the chocolate chips with oil and microwave in 1 minute intervals, stirring between heatings until melted and smooth (up to 3 minutes).  Stir in chipotle and salt, add bacon, potato sticks & peanuts, mix well.  Stir in marshmallows.

Pack into the parchment lined pan, if you put another piece of parchment paper on top will help you press down to get it smooth & chill until completely firm.   

Cut into squares, dip your knife in a jug of hot water & cloth to wipe between cuts will make nice, even edges.  Four cuts across & four down make 16 decadently sized squares of sweet & salty goodness; 5 or 6 across & down make 25 or 36 daintier sized squares, respectively.

 

Toffee Blondies in a Jar

Toffee Blondies in a Jar

For the jar:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup Heath Chips
1 quart size mason jar

To make the Toffee Blondies:

The contents of the jar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Layer the brown sugar, chocolate chips, flour, baking powder, salt, Heath chips, and pecans.  I used a 1/4 cup measure to get the contents in jar.

Try to level out the ingredients a little better than I did.  You want it to look pretty.  It is a gift after all.

To make the Toffee Blondies, melt some butter in a bowl.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

Pour in the contents of the jar. Mix it all up.

Pour the batter in an 8x8x2 pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the blondies are set and start to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool in the pan and cut into 16 bars.  

Print the directions on card stock and attach to the jar with string or ribbon.
What a wonderful gift.

 

Coleslaw

 

Coleslaw

Ingredients

    6 cups shaved green cabbage
    1 medium peeled and shredded carrot
    1 cup mayonnaise
    3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
    1 teaspoon celery salt
    ¼ teaspoon white pepper
    ¼ teaspoon Colman’s powdered mustard
    ½ teaspoon poppy seeds
    2 Tablespoons white sugar
    1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

    Shave cabbage by hand as thinly as possible. Add shredded carrot.

    In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.

    Add the mayonnaise mixture to the cabbage and carrots.

    Let sit in the refrigerator for one hour to incorporate flavors, then mix again and serve.

    If the coleslaw mixture is too watery after sitting, drain slightly before serving. 

Slow Cooker Barbecue Beef Brisket

Slow Cooker Barbecue Beef Brisket

Note: This recipe was written for you to sear the meat the night before and store in the refrigerator with all of the other ingredients overnight. It was written this way for a busy working household where you do all the prep the night before and just place the bowl in the slow cooker the following morning and let it cook all day while you are out. When you return at the end of the day, dinner is ready. Or feel free to prepare everything in the morning and let it cook all day. Either way, it will need 8-10 hours on low or 5-7 hours on high. (Slow cookers vary. This brisket pictured, was pull-apart tender in nine hours on low.)

Ingredients:

    2 pounds beef brisket
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 tablespoon canola oil
    2 cups diced onions
    2 tablespoons tomato paste
    ½ cup bourbon
    1 cup non diet cola
    ½ cup beef stock
    ½ cup brown sugar
    2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    ½ cup ketchup
    2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    2 tablespoons molasses
    2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
    1 teaspoon liquid smoke
    Few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
    Bulky rolls
    Coleslaw

Instructions:

    Pat the beef dry and season on both sides with the salt and pepper.
  
 Heat both oils in a heavy bottomed pan or pot until smoking hot and carefully lay in the beef. Let it sear without touching for about four to five minutes, flip and repeat. Remove directly to the slow cooker pot.
   
Reduce heat to medium high and add onions. Cook for one minute and add tomato paste. Stir constantly for another minute.
   
Add bourbon to deglaze pan. Let reduce by half then add cola, beef stock, sugar, mustard, ketchup, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and hot sauce. Stir to combine and remove from heat.
 
  Pour liquid over beef. At this point, you can refrigerate until morning or place in slow cooker and set for eight to ten hours on low or five to seven on high. While beef is cooking, or the night before, prepare the coleslaw. 

    Once beef is fall apart tender, remove to a cutting board to rest. Pour the contents of the slow cooker into a sauce pan and reduce to a thick sauce, about 1 ½ cups.

    To serve, slice the beef against the grain, place coleslaw on the roll bottom and top with the sliced beef and spoon on some of the sauce you reduced. Serve with lots of napkins.

Serves: 4

Cheese & Salami Stromboli

 

Cheese & Salami Stromboli

Ingredients:

    1 lb. (450 g) refrigerated pizza dough (or from your local pizzeria)
    1/4 cup flour
    1/2 cup pizza sauce
     1  cup Mozzarella  Cheese , grated (or a mixture of Italian cheeses)
    12 thin salami slices, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
    1 egg
    1 Tbsp. water

Directions:

    Heat oven to 400ºF.

    Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece into 7x5-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface.

    Spread 2 Tbsp. sauce onto each dough rectangle, leaving 1-inch border around all sides. Top evenly with half the cheese, salami and remaining cheese. Roll up each rectangle, starting at one short end. Pinch edges and ends together to completely enclose filling. Place, seam-sides down, on baking sheet covered with parchment or sprayed with cooking spray. Beat egg and water; brush onto dough.

    Bake 25 to 30 min. or until golden brown.
 

Breakfast for Dinner: Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes with Maple Candied Bacon & Eggs

Breakfast for Dinner: Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes with Maple Candied Bacon & Eggs

Ingredients

Maple Candied Bacon:

1/2 pound thick cut bacon (use peppered bacon if possible)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt & pepper

Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes:

2 eggs, whites separated from the yolks

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

butter, for serving

pure maple syrup, for serving

Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs:

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

8 ounces fresh spinach

1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

6 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoon heavy cream

salt and pepper, to taste

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

    Maple Candied Bacon:

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

    Wrap a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack.

    In a large, shallow bowl, add the maple syrup, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Add the bacon to the bowl and toss gently with your hands. Make sure that all of the slices are evenly coated in brown sugar. Place the bacon in a single layer onto the wire rack.

    Bake in the center of the oven for about 20-25 minutes. The bacon may look done, but I placed mine back in for about 10 minutes. It looks pretty dark, but I promise it's not burnt!

    Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the rack. Don't let them sit too long or else they will stick.

Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes:

   

While the bacon is cooking, be working on the pancakes. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

  

 Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, buttermilk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate, larger mixing bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt to the ricotta and buttermilk milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined.

    Stir a small scoop of the egg whites into the pancake batter to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites with a spatula.

   

Heat a skillet on medium heat. Grease with butter or cooking spray. Pour 1/3 cup pancake batter on the center of the hot pan. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Using a spatula, gently flip the pancake over and cook the other side for a minute, or until golden. Repeat with the remaining batter.

    Keep the pancakes warm in a 250 degrees oven while you make the eggs.

   

Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs:

    In a bowl, using a fork, beat together the eggs, salt and pepper until blended.

    In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter foams, reduce the heat to low. Add the beaten eggs and cook, stirring several times, until curds just begin to form, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, stir once or twice, and continue to cook just until the curds are soft, 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in the goat cheese. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

   

To serve:

    Spoon the eggs into small bowls. Divide the warm pancakes among plates. Drizzle with maple syrup and add a pat of softened butter. Top with candied bacon. DIG IN.

Gingerbread Granola (with Dried Cranberries, Pistachios, & White Chocolate Chips)

Gingerbread Granola (with Dried Cranberries, Pistachios, & White Chocolate Chips)

Sweet, lightly spiced Gingerbread Granola is studded with red dried cranberries, green pistachios, and white chocolate chips, making it a perfect holiday breakfast or homemade food gift!

Ingredients

    4 cups old-fashioned oats
    2 cups shredded coconut
    1 cup raw slivered almonds
    2 teaspoons ground ginger
    1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
    1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
    2/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
    6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
    3 tablespoons molasses
    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    1 cup lightly salted roasted pistachios
    1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
    1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

    Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.

    In a large bowl, mix together oats, coconut, almonds, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Pour coconut oil over mixture and stir. Combine maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla, pour over oat mixture, and stir all ingredients until evenly coated.

    Transfer granola onto a 13"x18"x1" rimmed sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring and flipping with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 30 minutes total. Watch carefully for the last 10 minutes of baking time, checking every few minutes and stirring as necessary to prevent over-browning.

    Remove granola from the oven and stir frequently as it cools, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Once completely cool, mix in pistachios, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container.

Notes:

Measure the maple syrup/molasses into the same measuring cup you used for the coconut oil. The residue of the oil helps the syrup slide out of the cup without sticking. If you prefer, melted butter may be substituted for the coconut oil. The granola will probably need to bake for a total of about 30 minutes, but ovens vary so watch the granola carefully, particularly the first time you make it and particularly for the last 10 minutes of baking time.

If you cut the recipe in half, it will require less time, and if you double it and cook two sheet pans at once (switching racks and rotating pans each time you stir), it will take longer. Since this granola tends to stick to the pan if not stirred very frequently during the cooling process, if you use a Silpat or some parchment paper on the bottom of your sheet pan alleviates this problem (you just have to stir carefully to make sure the granola doesn't wind up stuck under the parchment paper).