Buckeyes

Recipe found here.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

2. Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.

4. Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I made these cookies last night and they are very soft and chewy, like a good cookie should be. And they're just so cute!

{image/ recipe found here}

INGREDIENTS

2 bars (4 oz each) bittersweet chocolate, broken into 1-in. pieces

2⁄3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄4 tsp each baking powder and salt

1⁄2 cup mini–semisweet chocolate chips

mint- or coffee-flavored buttercream*

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with nonstick foil or parchment paper. Put chocolate in large glass bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

2. Stir in sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt until blended. Stir in mini-chips.

3. Drop level tablespoons 11⁄2 in. apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes until cookies are puffed and set. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

4. For each sandwich, spread 1 Tbsp buttercream frosting onto bottom of cookie; press another cookie on top. Refrigerate in an airtight container with wax paper between layers.

*Buttercream Frosting Recipe

3 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp butter, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 Tbsp milk

1⁄4 tsp vanilla extract

PREPARATION

Beat ingredients in medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Then beat on high speed 1 minute until fluffy.

Mint Use 1⁄4 tsp peppermint extract instead of vanilla; add a few drops of green food color.

Coffee Dissolve 1 Tbsp instant coffee in 1 Tbsp hot water; add instead of milk.

Apple Instead of milk, add 1 to 2 Tbsp apple juice until spreadable.

* * * * *

These were very good and E liked them a lot-- I'll definitely make them again because they are just so cute! :)

--Becky

Mexican Rice and Jambalaya

These are two of our all-time favorite meals, and they're super easy to make! They also happen to be my own creations... for the most part ;)

Mexican Corn

Ingredients:
1 box Rice a Roni Mexican Style Rice
1/2 standard-sized can of organic corn
1/4 to 1/2 onion, chopped
shredded cheddar cheese (optional) I always shred my own-- I think the quality is a lot better than that of the preshredded bagged stuff.
precooked chicken (optional)

Directions
1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. While rice is cooking, in a separate pan, saute corn and onion in a bit of olive oil until onions are translucent. Add shredded or cubed (whatever you want, really, as long as it's precooked) chicken, if you want. When rice is done, add corn and onion, and mix until it's even blended throughout. Serve with a bit of shredded cheese on top and some refried beans.


{Image found here. This is also the link to the website/ more recipes.}

I love this rice because it's not tomato-based like Spanish Rice is-- it's a little too salty/ tomato-y for me. Anyway, E and I both love this recipe and it's oh so good!

There's another recipe using this rice on the website that I'll have to try soon.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 box Zatarain's Jambalaya (E and I LOVE the Jambalaya with Cheese kind)

1 lb smoked turkey sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces (the Oscar Mayer kind is really good)

1/2 a can of organic corn

1/4-1/2 onion, chopped

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions.

2. While rice is cooking, saute corn and onion in a bit of olive oil until onions are translucent.

3. When rice is done, add the corn and onion and mix until blended.

We love this! The rice and sausage is nice and spicy, and the corn and onions add a nice, different texture to the dish.

{Image/ more recipes found here}