Caramel Pretzel Cookies

If you like a sweet and salty combination, this is it! It's not very often that the kids come home from school to baked cookies, so this was a special treat today.  A sad detail to these cookies is I got so excited about the picture and getting it edited, I forgot about the second batch in the oven and burnt them to a crisp...So we thoroughly enjoyed the 16 cookies from the first batch.  So don't do what I did and get distracted and loose half your cookies!  You know want to go make some. The original recipe came from here.

Caramel Pretzel Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups GF flour (I use featherlite)

¾ tsp xanthan gum

3/4 cup GF stick pretzels, broken into thirds

1/2 cup caramel bits

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars.  Add vanilla and eggs, mixing until well blended. Scrap the sides of the bowl.

Combine salt, baking soda, xanthan gum and flour.  Gradually add to wet mixture.  Mix until well blended.  Fold in broken pretzels, caramel bits, & chocolate chips with a spatula.

Spoon onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes (or until golden brown). *Makes around 2 dozen cookies.

Cheddar Cornbread Waffles Served Navajo Taco Style

Dinner was awesome with these cornbread waffles.  We ate them Navajo taco style with all the fixings!

I found the recipe here.  The batter made 8 seven inch round waffles.  At first I wished that I had doubled it (because we are a family of 6), but in reality, by the time we doctored it up with fixings, one was very filling.  We drizzled honey on the remaining two and that was most delicious!

Cheddar Cornbread Waffles

1 cup all-purpose GF flour (featherlite)

1 cup cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

3 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup club soda

1/3 cup canola oil

cooking spray

Sift together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in cheese. Combine eggs and next 3 ingredients; gently stir into dry ingredients just until blended.

Spray waffle iron with cooking spray.  Pour ½ c batter into round waffle iron. Cook 3-5 minutes or until crisp and done. Repeat with remaining batter.

Transfer waffles to a baking sheet, and keep warm, uncovered, in the oven at 200° until ready to serve. Waffles can be frozen in zip-top freezer bags and reheated in oven or toaster oven.

Serve up with our favorite toppings.  We used the following:

Hormel chili

Chopped olives

Tomatoes

Shredded lettuce

Sour cream

Grated cheese

Peanut Butter Bars (School lunch style)

Remember those yummy peanut butter bars they used to serve at school lunch?  Found this recipe here and decided to give it a try.  Since my kids have never eaten school lunch, they really didn't know what they were missing out on.  Let's just say that out of a whole cookie sheet and sharing with a few friends, there were no leftovers.  Next I make it, I would like to try freezing a few and see how that works out. 

School Lunch Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C GF Flour (featherlite)

1¼ tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Baking Soda

¾ C Butter

¾ C Sugar

¾ C Brown Sugar

1 ½ tsp. Vanilla

1 1/2 C Creamy Peanut Butter (split)

2 Eggs

1 ½ C Quick Oats (I blended mine to make more of a flour like consistency)

¾ tsp xanthan gum

Frosting:

½ C Butter (1 stick)

3 ½ C Powdered Sugar

2 T Cocoa

¼ C Milk (I use whatever I have in the fridge)

1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, mix together flour, xanthan gum,baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugars, 3/4 C peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Then, stir in the oats. Spread onto a greased 11 x 15 Jelly Roll Pan (cookie sheet). Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.

The frosting is a two-step process. First, whip the remaining ¾ C Creamy Peanut Butter until it becomes lighter colored and fluffy. Carefully spread the whipped peanut butter over the pan cookie.

Then, add butter to a small sauce pan and melt the butter. Add the milk and cocoa. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat just until boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Then, gradually add the powdered sugar. Stir until thickened. Pour over the peanut butter and gently spread over the cookie. Cool completely, and slice into bar cookies.

Pumpkin Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup

Deliciousness!   

Pumpkin Waffles

2 C GF flour (featherlite)
2 T baking powder
1 T cinnamon
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum

Mix above ingredients...then add

4 egg yolks
1 C pumpkin
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 C milk
3/4 C butter, melted

Beat 4 egg whites till stiff peaks and fold into batter


Buttermilk Syrup

1/4 C butter
1/2 C buttermilk
1 C sugar
1 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla


Bring first four ingredients to a boil and take off heat.
Add 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla
Do this in a bigger pot than ingredients...it will foam. Stir until it settles.  Pour into a serving jar.

**We like to double the syrup recipe and use it later.  We just put the extras in the refrigerator and reheat it the next time we do pancakes or waffles.

Tiny Spicy Chicken

One of our family favorites!!
This recipe came from some dear friends of ours from way back when.  This meal takes a little extra preparation, but well worth it!  I would probably call this our special occasion dinner...anniversary, Valentine's Day and sometimes Christmas Eve.  Serve it up with a side of ham fried rice or white rice and a veggie.  This is definitely a crowd pleaser.

Tiny Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:
3 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Garlic Salt
2 Beaten Eggs
Cornstarch
Frying Oil

Sauce:
1 ½ tsp Chili Garlic Sauce or Sambal Fresh Chili Paste
1 ½ cup White Sugar
¾ cup Ketchup
3 tsp GF Soy Sauce
¾ cup Chicken Broth
6 tbsp Brown Sugar
¾ cup White Vinegar

Procedure:
Cut chicken to bite size pieces, sprinkle with garlic salt and let sit for one hour. After an hour, dip chicken into egg and then into cornstarch. Brown the chicken in a deep fryer or in oil until golden brown. Put chicken into 9 x 13 pan.

Mix white sugar, white vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, salt, chicken broth, chili paste, and brown sugar. Heat until sugar has dissolved. Pour sauce over the chicken. The sauce will be liquid at first. Put the chicken in the oven at 325 degrees. Bake for one hour, turning chicken every fifteen minutes or so. After approximately 45 minutes the sauce should have thickened and be baked to the chicken. Finish cooking and serve.

Serve over Rice.

Triple Berry Salad

Looking for a new and tasty treat to serve up on Valentine's Day for your loved ones?  My kids told me that if I posted this to Facebook, they would give it one million likes!  There you have it!  This was a pinterest find...again.  I halved the recipe (which is what is listed below) and was plenty for my family of six.  It could easily be doubled.

Triple Berry Salad

1 ½  lbs. of frozen mixed berries  (slightly thawed out)

8 oz.  Cool Whip

16oz.  of vanilla yogurt

½  3oz. pkg of Cheesecake instant pudding mix

Add the Cool Whip, yogurt and then sprinkle in the pudding mix. Blend with beaters until well mixed.  Stir in slightly thawed berry mix.  Fold gently until blended.  Chill before serving.

*I used 1 ½ C heavy cream instead to make my own ‘Cool Whip’.  Whip cream until it begins to make stiff peaks.  Adding about 2 TB of sugar will help the cream thicken.

Monkey Bread Pull-A-Parts

These were literally gone in fifteen minutes after being pulled out of the oven...they are that good!

Pre-Cooked...You want it to raise double to triple in size...

After being inverted onto a serving platter...oozing with goodness!

Enjoy...

Monkey Bread Pull a Parts

Dough:

1 C scalded milk

¼  C butter

½  C sugar

½  C mashed potatoes (can be leftovers or instant)

¾  tsp salt

2 eggs

3 C GF flour (featherlite)

3 tsp xanthan gum

3 TB of ground flaxseed

Let Proof:

1 TB yeast

1/6 C warm water

½ tsp sugar

Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 (3.4 ounce) package Cook and Serve Butterscotch pudding mix

1/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

1.      Mix brown sugar, pudding mix, sugar and cinnamon and set aside (from toppings list).

2.      In microwaveable dish, combine milk and butter and bring to scalding temperature (180 degrees). In separate mixing bowl, combine the seven other ingredients listed up top.  I use yeast that does not to be proofed; therefore I add those three ingredients in with all the above listed.  If you need to proof the yeast, go ahead and once it is all bubbly you can add it the mixing bowl.  Mix on high (about 3 minutes) until dough is well blended.  Spray Bundt pan really well with non-stick spray.  You will want to grease your fingers as well. 

3.      Roll dough into balls the size of a golf ball.  Roll in pudding/sugar mixture and layer in pan. Pour melted butter over first layer. Repeat with the next layer.

4.      When all the dough is gone, sprinkle remaining pudding/sugar mixture over dough in Bundt pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 3 hours.  Bake in pre heated oven, 350 degrees, for 20-30 minutes.  Let cool for about ten minutes and then flip out onto a serving platter.   Enjoy the ooey gooey goodness of these delicious rolls!!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

We have made two batches in the past three weeks!  They are so quick and SO easy.  My two older girls can do this one on their own.  The original recipe comes from here.   I have tried the recipe both ways and we like it best with only milk chocolate, which is the recipe I have listed below.  

Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided

4-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups milk chocolate chips 

Mini cupcake liners and mini cupcake pan

Directions

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth; set aside.

In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter; stir until smooth.

Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups. Top each with a scant teaspoonful of peanut butter mixture; top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3 dozen.

Crock Pot Banana Bread

This bread was probably one of the moistest breads I have ever made and eaten!  It was still very moist on day two and three.  It got rave reviews from the hubby and kids as well!  

The recipe came from here.

Crock pot Banana Bread

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (featherlite)

1 1/4 tsp Xantham gum

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

2 tbsp honey

3 ripe bananas, well mashed

Instructions

Grease and flour (use gluten-free flour) a 4 1/2 quart crockpot. (I just lined mine with parchment paper and it worked great!)  Mix flour, xantham gum, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a small bowl, set aside.  Cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add sugar, eggs, honey, and mashed bananas. Mix until smooth.  Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture.  Pour into crockpot, cover and cook in high for 1 1/4 to 1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (It took close to 2 hours for mine to cook all the way through)  Let cool, then invert bread onto serving platter.  Enjoy!

Crunchy Granola

I had  a friend share this amazing granola with me.  My whole family loves it.  It goes really well in a bowl of yogurt for breakfast or a light snack during the day.  The recipe comes from here.

Crunchy Granola

1 ½ cups brown sugar

½ cup water

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

8 cups rolled oats

¾ cup pecans, coarsely chopped

¾ cup almonds, coarsely chopped

½ cup sunflower seeds, unsalted

½ cup shredded coconut

dried fruits, if desired (tropical fruit is good, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, cherries are all great.)

Heat oven to 275 degrees.  Combine brown sugar and water in a 4 cup microwave proof cup.

Microwave on high 5 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. (I did mine on the stovetop)  Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla and salt.  In a large mixing bowl, mix oats and nuts.  Add the brown sugar mixture.  Mix thoroughly.  Spread onto 2 cookie sheets and bake for a total of 45 minutes or until golden brown. After 25 minutes, stir and put back in the oven for the rest of the time.  When granola has cooked completely, add dried fruits.  Store in an air tight container.

Trifle...Halloween Style

Trifle
1 Betty Crocker GF Devils Food Cake
2 small boxes of Butterscotch flavored pudding
Yellow food coloring
Red food coloring
Cool Whip
1 bag of candy corn

Mix and bake cake as direction on box.  In separate bowl, make pudding as directed on package and add the red and yellow food coloring until you reach the desired Halloween orange color and then refrigerate. When the cake is completely cooled, cut into bite sized squares (1 x 1 inches).  Place cake squares in serving dish and toss in the candy corn.  Spread the pudding on next and then top with cool whip.  Either serve immediately or refrigerate.

Korean Beef or Chicken

My husband has already made it very clear that this recipe must be added into our menu rotation.  It was amazingly quick to make and was very tasty.  This was another pinterest find!  I think it would work  to use any meat of your choice as well.  Next time we make this I will be trying it with chicken.

**Update...2/1/2013...We love it with chicken!

Korean Beef
1 pound lean ground beef  (or 3-4 chicken breasts cubed)
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup GF soy sauce 
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (I just used dry powdered ginger)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness)
salt and pepper
1 bunch green onions, diced (don't skip this!)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger or chicken with garlic in the sesame oil. Drain most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions. 

Cinnamon Churro Chex

My kids have never had a churro, but every time we go to Costco and get an ice cream, I see the churro's and wish so badly I could buy one for them.  Well, here is the next best thing!  This little treat was so delicious and very quick and easy to make.  I know that cinnamon chips (made by Hershey's) are a seasonal item at most stores.  I just picked up a whole bunch at Walmart the other day, so keep your eyes open for some at your local store!

Cinnamon Churro Chex

9 cups rice Chex cereal

3 cups cinnamon chips

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pour Chex cereal into a bowl. Set aside. Combine sugars and cinnamon in another small bowl. Set aside.

Melt cinnamon chips on stove top in a double broiler.  (I just use a small sauce pan, fill it half way with water and place a heat safe bowl that will rest above the water on the saucepan.) Melt chips until smooth and creamy.  Pour over cereal and stir until cereal is well coated.

Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Toss to coat. Pour out the cereal onto a cookie sheet. Continue to sprinkle and toss the cereal with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Enjoy!!

Recipe came from here.

Dijon Mustard Chicken

I am so in love with how many great recipes are on Pinterest.  I have a bunch on file to try over the next little while.  I quite enjoyed this dish.  You definitely have to like mustard for this one!

Dijon Mustard Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and vinegar. Place chicken breasts into sprayed 9×13 baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour mustard mixture over chicken.  Bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Season with rosemary. 

Recipe came from  here.

Better Than Anything Cake

Couldn't decide which picture to use to showcase this amazing dessert, so I used them all.  

It was that good!

Better Than Anything Cake

1 Betty Crocker GF devil's food cake mix

1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

6 ounces caramel ice cream topping

3 bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped (I used one Hershey’s chocolate bar cut in to pieces and ½ C Health English Toffee bits

1 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1.      Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.

2.      In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm.

3.      Let cake cool completely and then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate and serve right from the pan!

Recipecame from Allrecipes.com