Christmas Candy!

Welcome to December!!!!  Indulge a little today. . .or make a gingerbread house! 

Reindeer Breakfast!

Can you think of a better way to ring in December?  Didn't think so!  No recipe needed!  Your favorite pancake recipe, some whipped cream, sausage links, and a few candies make this special breakfast possible!  Make your little one (or big one!) smile this morning! 

Chocolate Buttercream Brownies

Super simple treat in a pinch!  Box of brownie mix. . .and a good old homemade buttercream.  I LOVE how thick the frosting layer is.  Pop them in the fridge for a few hours before serving to make them they cut really well. . .and taste even better!


Chocolate Buttercream

2 sticks of butter
5ish cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk

Bake a box of brownie mix. . . and let it cool completely.  In a mixing bowl, combine all the buttercream ingredients together and beat until light and fluffy!  Add more  milk if needed to get the desired texture.  You want the buttercream to be thick!  Frost, and refrigerate until serving!

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake!

MMmmmm. . . as summer approaches, I can't think if a better way to enjoy ice cream than this!  Cookies and Cream ice cream layered with Hot Fudge and Peanuts. . .it doesn't get any better than this!

COOKIES AND CREAM ICE CREAM CAKE
1 package of Oreos
3 Tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 gallon container of Edy's Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
1 jar Hershey's Hot Fudge Topping
As many peanuts as you like!

1.  Crush Oreos in a food processor until they are just crumbs, and mix with butter!

2.  Press 3/4 of the Oreo mixture into a 9" square pan, set aside the rest of the Oreo Crumbs.

3.  Scoop softened ice cream on top of Oreo crust and spread evenly.

4.  Spread fudge over the top of the ice cream layer.

5.  Top with peanuts and the rest of the Oreo crumbs!

6.  Freeze for several hours until frozen solid!

Summer Berry Salad with Berry Viniagrette

 I love salads.  Especially salads that are not your every day kind of salad.  This was so good.  The feta cheese, and the candied pecans.  . . amazing.  I love the bite you get with the little bit of red onion, and the freshness the strawberries bring in.  Topped with the Berry Viniagrette. . .one delicious summer salad!  Looking for something better for fall?  That's simple, take out the berries and add apples instead!

Summer Berry Salad with Berry Viniagrette

SALAD:
Romaine Lettuce
Finely chopped red onion
Glazed Pecans
Slices Strawberries
Feta Cheese
Raisins

Toss lettuce on a plate and add all the other stuff on top. . .you can't go wrong!

BERRY VINIAGRETTE:
1/4 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey
salt and pepper

Use an immersion blender to blend ingredients together.  Drizzle over salad and eat it up!

Thick and GOOEY Chocolate Chip Cookies!

 Who doesn't love Chocolate Chip Cookies?  Seriously?  I have never met anyone who doesn't think a warm Chocolate Chip Cookie is the most amazing thing on Earth.  There are a million recipes out there, and I myself don't have just ONE recipe I always use.  My kids LOVE this recipe, so I make this one sometimes.  My husband likes a flatter, chewier cookie, so I use a different recipe for those.  Then theirs the recipe my mom always made when I was a kid. . . that's just like going home.  Want something healthier?  Try a recipe that replaces the butter with applesauce.  There's also the Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies. . .that recipe makes a super soft cookie as well.  The possibilities and recipes are endless. 

This recipe is for those days that you want a soft, dense, NOT cake-like cookie, that stays warm and gooey much longer than most other recipes.  I'm sure the cornstarch plays a part, but the melted butter plays an even bigger part!  You don't even need a mixer for this dough!  Just a wooden spoon and a little bit of wrist action! 

I have one word for you:  Delish.  Toss in a glass of milk, and it's a match made in heaven.  I don't even like milk, but with these cookies, it's a must!

 You see this big platter of cookies. . .they lasted a few hours.  Maybe.  Took a lot of self control to not take in more than just a few.  I think Dave had like 7 of them. 

 Thick and GOOEY Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp corn starch
3/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Chips

1.  In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, soda, and corn starch.  Set aside.

2.  In another bowl mix together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg and yolk, and vanilla.

3.  Combine the dry ingredients with the wet.

4.  Stir in chocolate chips.

5.  Drop by Tbsp onto cookie sheets and bake at 325 for about 11 minutes.

6.  Enjoy!

Sausage and Pepper Flatbread Sandwich with Cucumber Sour Cream Sauce!

My husband loves sausage. . . and peppers. . . and onions. . .and anything covered in sauce.  So this was a huge hit for him!  It's like a gyro. . .only not so much.  Same idea, except with ingredients my whole family will eat! 

Cooks up quick, great for a lunch or dinner, and sure to please a picky eater!  All my kids loved it. . .but one of them opted out of the sauce. . .ahem. . .Justin. . .

You'll want to make the cucumber sauce first, because it tastes better after it's sat a while.  It also gets a bit more "saucy" if you let it set mixed together for a while before eating.



Sausage and Pepper Flatbread Sandwich with Cucumber Sour Cream Sauce

1 pkg. of the precooked Johnsonville sausages. . . like the ones here.
1 green pepper, sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
small pat of butter
6 flatbread like the ones here.  Sams Club. . .12 pack for $2.98!

1.  Put the flatbread on a baking sheet and set in a warm oven, about 170 degrees, to warm slightly.

2.  Toss pepper, onions, salt, pepper, and butter in a saute pan.  Heat until veggies are slightly browned, tender, and heated through.

3.  Thinly slice sausages, and add to a hot pan.  Saute until heated through.

4.  Remove flatbreads from the oven and load them up with sausage and veggies. . .top with LOTS of cucumber cream sauce!




Cucumber Sour Cream Sauce

1 cup shredded cucumber. . .I just use a cheese grater and shred away!
1 tsp lemon juice
LOTS of salt (like more than you think you should use)
LOTS of pepper
2 Tbsp finely grated red onion
Enough Sour Cream to coat cucumbers.

  
Mix all ingredients together!  Don't over do it on the sour cream, use just enough to make a thick concoction. . . as it sets in the fridge, the salt will bring the liquid out of the cucumbers making the thick mixture much more saucy.