As I was making these, my husband said, “wouldn’t it just be easier and less messy if you bought some at the store”? I replied, yes, but they wouldn’t be nearly as good and I couldn’t say that I made them. Lets just say that he liked them so much that he had one after another and commented how much he liked the size. They fit so nicely into his hand and after just a few bites they were gone.

I hope you like them as much as we did. The picture I show here are some that I glazed and some that I powdered sugar. Now, we prefer the glaze and I think they look prettier too, but you can be the judge.

Apple Fritters- These made about 15. They were the size of a ping pong ball when they went in and end up being the size of my palm when they were done frying.

1 C flour, 1/2 C sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, dash of salt, 1 1/2 tsp or more if you like of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1TB butter-melted, 1 egg, 1/3 C milk or possibly more, and  1 1/2 C chopped apple.

Oil for frying

1 C powdered sugar and 1 TB milk ( for glaze)

Mix all dry ingredients together. Slowly add the wet ingredients minus the apple. Mix until well combined. Fold in the apple pieces. The batter should be similar to a cake batter consistency.

Heat oil. I have an electric stove, so I turn mine to about 4-any hotter and the middle will not get done. Once the oil is ready take 1 TB of batter and add to the oil. You can add 4-5 TB, but  make sure they do not touch each other. Flip once one side gets a med. brown color and then fry the other side until it’s the same wonderful golden color. (Approximately 40 seconds each side.

Once done, wait a few minutes to cool and then either dip in the glaze, dust with powdered sugar or eat plane.

Happy Valentines Day!

Whether you love the holiday or can’t stand it, this pretty little concoction should make you feel a little better about the day.  I thought this pretty little drink would be a great Valentines Day recipe. Though simple, it looks stunning and takes the bite out of orange juice just a bit.  Beautiful at the breakfast table, or anytime of day.

Valentines Day Red Mimosa’s 

Your favorite champagne ( it doesn’t have to be expensive), orange juice, strawberry, and grenadine. Alternate stir in cranberry juice, or raspberry sherbet (mmm)!

I  poured champagne into a quarter of the champagne glass. I then sliced a strawberry and plopped it in the champagne and watched the bubbles flow. Pretty already! Then I filled almost to the top with orange juice. I left about a half of inch. I then added a little grenadine and  you now have your perfect Valentines Day Red Mimosa! As I  mentioned cranberry juice is good too if you don’t like the sweetness and the raspberry sherbet makes it a little more creamy. All delicious!

Yes, you heard right. Teenager approved! My daughter is like many teenagers I am sure. She been taught to eat what is put in front of her, but that doesn’t make her not picky. I was just like her growing up, so I don’t give her a lot of grief about it. If she should  live on everything white, she would. (pasta, bread, cereal,). You can get my drift. Carbohydrates. She enjoys granola bars. They are expensive though and filled with a lot of, well fillers. Gross!  This recipe below, I think you will like. I have tried adding everything from chocolate chips, craisens, nuts, coconut, butterscotch chips and the list goes on and on. Add your favorites. I cut them into bars and put wax paper in between and stored them in a tupperware container.  They lasted a week (before they were gone) in the pantry.

Teenager approved, No bake Granola Bars

1/2 C honey, 2/3 C brown sugar, 1/4 c peanut butter, 1/4 C butter, 4 C quick oats, 2 C rice cereal and 3 tsp. of vanilla.

In a large bowl, stir rice cereal and oatmeal together.

In a medium saucepan, combine honey, butter, peanut butter and brown sugar. Bring to a slow boil over med heat. Turn temp down to low and simmer until all sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and pour in the vanilla and stir.

Pour the hot sugary mixture over the cereal and oatmeal mixture just until everything is moistened. Stir in your toppings. Press into a wax paper lined jelly roll pan.

Press the granola bar mixture as closely and tightly as you can towards one end. If its too thin, the bars will not hold together. Cool until ready to cut.

Make 6 Jumbo Muffins

1 C Flour
½ C Sugar
3 TBSP Unsweetened Cocoa
2 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ C Chocolate Chips (optional)- I did use
1 Egg, beaten
¾ C Milk
1/3 C Canola Oil
4oz. Cream Cheese
2 TBSP Sugar

Preheat oven 375 degrees.
Mix all the dry ingredients and chips if using in a bowl.
Mix egg, milk and oil in separate bowl.
In a small bowl, blend cream cheese and ½ C sugar until fluffy.
Make a well in the center of dry ingredients.
Add wet ingredients all at once to dry mixture, stirring until moistened. Batter should be a little lumpy.
Fill Muffin Cups with 3 TBSP batter, then 1tsp. cream cheese mixture and top with 2 TBSP batter.
Sprinkle with sugar or
Bake 20 minutes and sprinple with powdered sugar when done.

Serves 2

½ stick of butter
1 egg
¼ C. Brown Sugar
1 ½ C Old Fashioned Oatmeal
1 tsp. Bk. Powder
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Vanilla
½ C Milk

Mix all together and Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.
DO NOT OVERBAKE-WILL DRY OUT

Serve with yogurt and any fruit you like

Reheats the next day really well.

Serves 1

½ of an English Muffin-tore into pieces
Shredded Swiss
Shredded Sharp Cheddar
Ham-cut into pieces
1 Egg
1/8 C Milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Spray 1 ramekin with non stick spray
Cover bottom with English muffin
Sprinkle a layer of each cheese over muffin
Sprinkle ham over cheese
Sprinkle another layer of cheese over ham
Beat together egg, milk and pepper
Pour into ramekin.
Cover with Plastic and refrigerate overnight. (works if you don’t too)

Preheat Oven 350 degrees
Uncover ramekin and bake 30 minutes until top is puffy.
Serve immediately.

Serves 3-4

1 8oz. Package of Crescent Rolls
4 Oz. Ham
4 Oz. Salami
2 Oz. Crème Cheese
¼ C Milk
3 Large Eggs plus 1 Egg White
½ C Mushrooms
¼ C Onions
¼ C Shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat Oven 375 degrees
On a cookie sheet roll out crescents lengthwise down the cookie sheet
Seal perforations
On each of the long sides, cut 3 strips down each side
Arrange ham and salami in the middle of dough all the way down.
In a med. Bowl microwave cream cheese and milk for 60 seconds.
Beat eggs in cream cheese mixture.
Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter
Add egg mixture to pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until set but still wet so it can be spooned over ham.
Spoon over ham and sprinkle with cheese.
Lift strips of dough to criss cross over egg mixture.
Pinch together sides and ends.
Beat egg white and brush over dough.
Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Cut with a pizza cutter into sections.

Serves 8-Can be cut and half and frozen and baked later.

2 Cups white sauce (4TB butter, 2 C milk, 4TB flour)
9 lasagna noodles –cooked and drained
8 oz. ham –cut into pieces
8 oz. salami- cut into pieces
1 plus 1 plus 1 C Shredded cheddar cheese
7 hard boiled eggs
1 plus 1 TB. Chives

Preheat Oven 350 degrees
Grease a 9x 13 pan
Place ¼ C white sauce in pan
Place 3 noodles on the bottom of pan.
Sprinkle with ham, salami and 1 C cheese
Sprinkle ½ eggs over top along with 1 TB Chives.
Drizzle ½ remaining white sauce over top.
Layer Again.
Top with remaining noodles.
Spread remaining ¼ cut white sauce over noodles and top with remaining cheese
Bake 40-45 minutes or until bubble and golden.
Sit 10 minutes before cut or serving

Like many of you, I am a Pinterest fan. Okay, maybe stalker is a better word for it. This time of year we are a lot slower than the summer months so I have plenty of time to come up with some new creations and try many of recipes that I have been collecting over the year. I feel like its my responsibility (that could be a little strong) to try some of these Pinterest recipes and report back. This recipe does come from Pinterest, but I have changed it up since it just was not coming together the way I would like it to. In the last 3 days, I have made 5 loaves of this bread. The first loaf was too much for the loaf pan that I had, so most of ooey gooey cinnamon richness was in the bottom of the oven. It was still pretty good, but the presentation had a lot to be desired. I had the intention to cut the recipe in half, but I forgot, so I then I cut the dough in half and made two smaller loaves. This time it worked out perfect, but the flavor wasn’t there. Weird since all the cinnamon stayed right where it was supposed to. The final two loaves, I decided to switch up the ingredients and do things a little differently. The end result is as follows:

Cinnamon Bread – two loaves

1 TB instant yeast, 3+ C all purpose flour, 1 1/4 C warm water, 2 TB canola oil, 2 TB agave or honey, 3/4 tsp, butter, 1 C sugar and lots of cinnamon!

If you have a stand up mixer with a dough hook, this works nice and easy. Mix together the yeast and 3 C of flour in an electric mixture. on low speed. Pour in water, oil, agave or honey and salt. Mix on low speed about 10 minutes, until he dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour at the end if you think it is too sticky.

Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead by hand a few times. Drizzle the inside of the mixing bowl with more oil. Roll the dough around in the oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Butter two loaf pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn out dough on a floured surface and roll out into a long rectangle the width of the loaf pan.  The butter the surface. I don’t know how much, but a lot! Sprinkle 3/4 C sugar and enough cinnamon to cover the dough. Roll the dough up carefully and pinch the seam and sides to the cinnamon sugar doesn’t come out. Lay the dough seam side down in the loaf pan.  Slather more butter on top of bread and sprinkle with  more sugar and cinnamon. Cover with a clean towel  and allow to rise for 30 min or until almost doubled in size.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 20 minutes and enjoy with some honey butter.

This recipe is probably something people have made in some form over the years since you can add whatever ingredients you have laying around that you like. I am a simple kind of girl that likes a hint of surprise. That is where the maple comes in here, but not too much. Just enough, to  make you wonder. Also, the bread is the key ingredient. Sorry Wonder bread lovers, but that just won’t cut it. Make sure your bread is firm and has a little bit of a snap to it. I really like sourdough or ciabatta, but don’t let those stop you. Experiment with what you like.

As a side note, this picture came off of Pinterest since I am still having issues downloading my own pictures, but this picture is pretty darn close to the real thing.

Two slices of bread( I used sourdough here), 2 slices of cheese I used American, but I have also used Swiss, Cheddar and apricot Stilton which brings it to a whole other dimension, maple flavored bacon (2 slices), and 2 eggs.

Brush the top of your two slices of bread with butter AND maple syrup. Set aside.

Preheat your skillet on low to med heat and fry your two eggs. I break the yolks, but don’t scramble. Leave them so they are flat and easy to handle and eat when laid on the bread.  Don’t clean your pan. Fry your bacon. Now, wipe out your pan with a paper towel. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You want your flavors to blend.

Heat your skillet again on low to medium and lay your bread, butter side down in the skillet. After about 30 seconds, add your eggs, bacon and cheese to one slice of bread. Put slices together for a sandwich and let sit for about a minute to let everything melt into each other. Cut in half and drizzle with more maple syrup if you desire. Serve with hash browns and fruit.

My hosting company is having some issues regarding me posting pictures. I apologize that I can’t show you how yummy this looks, so you will just have to make it yourself until they can get the bugs worked out.

I always seem to come across these recipes that claim to taste like a Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. I have to try it, but I am always disappointed. This recipe here, I think is pretty similar. I have been making it a long time. It doesn’t look like a Cinnabon, but he flavor is pretty close and super easy too. Tell me what you think?

Giant Cinnamon Danish – Serves 6-8 depending on the size you cut

1 Can (17.5) oz Pills Grands biscuits with cinnamon roll icing, 8oz. cream cheese, softened, 1/2 c sugar, 2 tsp. sour cream, 1 tsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. of vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9″ pie plate or cake pan. Separate dough into 5 rolls. Set icing aside. Unroll 1 roll into a long strip. Re-roll loosely and place in center. Repeat with remaining rolls until you are around the entire pan. Replace any cinnamon that may have fallen off.

In a small bowl, combine and beat the remaining ingredients until smooth. Spook cream cheese mixture into a pastry bag. Pipe mixture between strips of dough starting in center. Use all. It will seem like a lot, but trust me@!

Bake 25-35 minutes until center is done. Cool 5 minutes and then drizzle warm icing over rolls. Cut into wedges. Yum!

This recipe is a little putzy and you do have to give yourself enough time, but the end result is pretty darn good. It takes about 2.5 hours from start to finish if you do it all at once, but if you don’t have the time, you can always come back to it and do it in steps. I think they are even better than the real thing.

Snicker Bars

Homemade Candy Bars

8oz milk chocolate, 3/4 C sugar, 1/4 C water, 1/3 C heavy cream(at room temp), 6 oz. white chocolate, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 C salted peanuts.

To  make the Snickers bars, line the bottom and sides of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2″ loaf pan with parchment paper. Lightly butter the paper.

Place milk chocolate in a double boiler and stir until chocolate is smooth and completely melted. Pour half of the chocolate into the loaf pan and spread it evenly. Place the loaf pan in the freezer until the chocolate is cold to the touch (about an hour). Set aside the rest of the melted chocolate for later.

Once the milk chocolate is cold and firm, make the next layer. In a sauce pan over low heat, combine the sugar and water. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear. (about a 1 min). Increase heat to med. high and boil without stirring for about 5 minutes until sugar begins to turn a light golden color on the edges. Cook for 2-3 min more tilting the pan to make sure the color becomes even and turns a deep amber.

Immediately remove pan from the heat and slowly add the cream. Be very careful to do this slow as it will splatter. Stir until blended. Add white chocolate and salt and stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add peanuts and stir until blended. Set aside for 5 min to cool slightly.

Pour the cooled peanut/caramel mixture over the cooled milk chocolate in the loaf pan and spread it evenly. Freeze until cold and firm, about 1 hour.

Once the layer is cold, make the next layer. Gently reheat the remaining milk chocolate in a double boiler and pour it over the peanut caramel layer and spread evenly. Refrigerate or freeze for 20-30 min until cold.

Pull the parchment paper out of the loaf pan and peel away. Trim the uneven edges and cut lengthwise into bite size pieces. You can store them in an airtight container and leave out. They should last about 5 days.

Similar to a peanut butter bar, but made with Pillsbury sugar cookie dough. I would consider this a pumped up Peanut Butter bar. I cut them in small squares since they are pretty sweet. They were perfect over Christmas for family.

Peanut Butter Caramel Candy

1 package Pillsbury ready to bake refrigerator sugar cookies, 1/2 c butter, 1 can condensed milk, 1 C light brown sugar, 1 C sugar, 1 3/4 graham cracker crumbs, 1 bag of milk chocolate chips, 1/2 C creamy peanut butter and 1/2 C finely chopped dry roasted peanuts.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13×9″ pan with parchment paper and lighlty spray or butter it. (You will be happy you did). Evenly arrange cookie round in the pan.

Bake 25 minutes until light brown. Cool 15 minutes.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over med. heat. Stir in condensed milk, brown sugar and sugar until blended. Add graham cracker crumbs. Mix well (will be thick). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook another 5 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Pour caramel mixture over warm cookie crust and spread evenly.

In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips for about 90 seconds, stirring until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until blended. Spread evenly over caramel layer. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Refrigerate one hour until chocolate is set. Cut bars in rows and store in the refrigerator.

This probably would be a better summer recipe than winter recipe, but I think it combines the comfort food of potato skins with the thought of summer with the avocados and salsa. I served this with wine and cheese the other night. It was the perfect little appetizer for our group. I hope you enjoy it too.

Serves 20

Potato skins  - 10 small (2″) red or white potatoes, 2 TB olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper

Salsa Fresca - 1 lg. tomato, seeded and diced, 1 TB finely chopped cilantro and 1 TB chopped onion

 Avocado Salsa - 3 avocados, pitted, peeled and diced, 2 TB lemon or lime juice and 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make potato skins, toss together all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well to make sure the potatoes are coated well. Spread potatoes on a baking sheet and bake approximately 45 min until tender. Cool until easy to handle. Halve potatoes and scoop out centers. (you can save potato flesh for hashbrowns if you want for another day).

Increase oven temp to 400 degrees. Place potato skins cut side up on baking sheet, and bake 15 minutes until crisp.

To make Salsa Fresca: combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.

To make Avocado Salsa: Mash together all ingredients in a bowl. Stir as much Salsa Fresca in with the avocado as you would like.

Stuff each potato skin with the Avocado Salsa mixture.