Pralinutta Shortbread Sandwich Cookies

I just bought my first jar of Pralinutta (YUM!) and to keep from eating it straight out of the jar I came up with this yummy combo! I have a container of them in the freezer ready for Christmas parties!

Shortbread Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Shortbreads: In a separate bowl whisk the flour with the salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Gently stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Flatten the dough into a disk shape, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least an hour.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm about an hour. roll into log and slice into 1/4inch slices about the size of a quarter. Bake about 5-7 min until very lightly brown. cool and spread a small amount of Pralinutta and top with another cookie. Then hide from yourself because you will want to eat them all!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle of the oven. Spray two baking sheets. They don't spread very much so you can load the baking sheet up!

Shortbread with keep in an airtight container for about a week or frozen for several months.

Butterfinger Cookies!

These turned out really yummy!

I did forget to take a picture before I put them in the freezer so I am sorry about that!

48 cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 bite size (or like 1 1/2 full size) butterfinger candy bars, chopped
Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.
Add egg; beat well.
Blend in peanut butter and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Stir in candy bars.
Shape into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies just start to turn brown.
Do not over bake!

(the candy bar will get really hard if you do!)
Let sit on cookie sheet for a few minutes, before transfering to a wire rack.
Cool completely.

Enjoy!!

~You are going to start seeing a lot of cookie recipes as I am trying to build a supply in the freezer for Christmas!

Recipe was found here, http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/print?id=24573 but changes were made.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

My Aunt Martha made this recipe at our last family gathering and it was so yummy I wanted to share it with you!

you will need:

2 rolls of crescent rolls (don't get the extra flaky ones)

2 pkgs. cream cheese

cinnamon

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 stick of butter

lay out one roll of crescents in your casserole dish

press down seams

in a bowl mix up cream cheese (room temp), 1 cup sugar and a tsp. of vanilla.

Beat well with mixer.

Spread cream cheese mixture over the crescent layer.

Then top with other roll of crescents.

melt a stick of butter, a little cinnamon and 1/2 cup of sugar.

drizzle on the top.

bake at 350 for about 30 min....

Once cooled cut into small squares and place on serving platter! YUM!

The Best Banana Bread!

I love this banana bread recipe.

It's so easy and I have never had one turn out less than fabulous!

It is very moist and wonderful.

The recipe does not call for nuts but can add them if you like.

Walnuts are a yummy addition.

It can be made by hand or mixer.

I mix the baking soda and flour together before adding it to the banana mixture.

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!

Banana Bread

Ingredients
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. (I cool about 15 min in the pan and then I turn it out onto a platter.)

Remove from pan and slice to serve.

(We like it warm with lots of butter!)

Recipe found at : http://elise.com/recipes/archives/001465banana_bread.php

October Creations

First try at sushi

(Expanded for Bri! ;-))

The Nori, the rolling mat and the Sriracha sauce can be purchased at HEB in the Asian food section.

Sushi Rice:

1 c. rice (you can get the sushi rice, I just used rice I had on hand)

2c c. water

Cook rice as usual

In bowl mix together

1/4 c. rice vinegar or white vinegar (I have used both)

1 tsp. sugar

dash of salt

stir till dissolved

(You may not use it all, everything is to your taste)

Empty rice into a bowl or cookie sheet. Sprinkle with the vinegar mixture and toss lightly.

Allow rice to come to room temp before making sushi.

You will want to do this by the sink so you can wet your hands.

Cover rolling mat with sheet of plastic wrap, you need to do this each time.

Lay out a sheet of nori you can use a whole sheet or break it in half.

Spoon out rice onto the nori and spread out with wet hands.

Wet your hands as needed to spread thin layer of rice over the sheet.

Add veggies and meats of your choice.

~cucumber, thin strips of carrot, avacado, cooked shrimp, imitation crab meat, canned crab meat, cream cheese (I spread this on the nori before I add the rice).

Using the mat roll and tuck, pulling the plastic wrap as you go.

Use your imagination there are no rules!

Let me know what combos you come up with!

Avacado, cucumber,crab meat, cream cheese

The yummy sauce is mayo and sriracha hot sauce mixed together until desired heat is reached.

1/4 c. Mayo

1. Tbsp Sriracha sauce (to your taste you may want to use less you can add more)

Mix, put in ziplock, clip the end and away you go!
The red dot is a little extra sriracha, we like it hot!

Enjoy!
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Stuffed Chicken Breast


Trim off extra fat and place chicken between layers of wax paper
Pound flat
Add a chunk of cream cheese and several slices of jalapeno (canned or fresh, if fresh no seeds)
Roll up, make sure you cover the cheese or it will bubble out
Wrap slices (I use 2) of bacon around the chicken and secure with toothpics
Season with salt and pepper
In a skillet melt a little butter and add your chicken
I cover mine lightly with a lid to prevent splatter
Cook till done and enjoy!

*Autumn, I am sure it would be just as yummy with nufachel cheese, turkey bacon, and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Apple Dumplings

Peel and core 4 apples of your choice
Stuff with a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon
Top with a dab of butter

Unroll one pie crust or make your own
cut into 4
Place an apple on each piece of crust and cover the apple
Sprinkle the covered apples with lemon juice
Bake in greased pan at 450 for 10 min.

In the mean time you will make a sauce on the stove
1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/8 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Combine all ing, and boil for about 5 min.

When apples have cooked 10 min, pour sauce over apples and bake for 25 more min at 350.
Baste the apples with the syrup from time to time.
Serve with whipped cream and or ice cream.




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Broccoli and Cheese soup

1/2 onion sauteed till soft in way to much butter

add bag of frozen broccoli

2c chicken stock simmer till broc is soft

I then smashed up the broc mix with a potato masher

A sprinkle of garlic pdr

add about 1 c. milk

1/2 lb velveeta ;-)

stir till melty

add about 1/4 cup cornstarch dissolved in about 1/2 c water or stock or milk.

You choose, I used water.

Stir in until thick.