Homemade Peanut Butter Bars

Well, this is my last queued post for the week so I thought I'd end on a sweet note! My ten year old actually found this recipe for us!  She was having a daddy daughter activity at church and they were supposed to bring a treat their dad loved.  For my husband that is Reeses peanut butter cups! So my daughter decided to try her hand at making homemade cups and ended up with a hit! With a little more effort you can make these look like actual cups but they are just as tasty in bar form. Give them a try!

Homemade Peanut Butter Bars
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (finely ground)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl place graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, melted butter and one cup of the peanut butter.  Mix well.  Press peanut butter mixture into bottom of a well greased 9x13 pan.  In a medium microwave safe bowl combine the remaining 4 T. of peanut butter with the chocolate chips.  Melt in microwave for about 1.5 minutes (stirring every 30 seconds).  Carefully spread chocolate mixture on top of peanut butter mixture.  Place tray in refrigerator and allow to cool for 1 hour. 

At this point cut the bars evenly into snack sized squares (this prevents the chocolate from breaking off when you cut them later).  Continue to refrigerate for another 1-2 hours or until set. Re-cut bars and serve!

Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches

When my kids start school again it's always a shock to their system.  A full day of school can be a lot for a kindergartner, or a second grader, or a 4th grader who weighs about 15 lbs.  So I wanted to start loading them up with more protein each morning!  For awhile I tried in vain to get up early enough to cook a nice meal each morning but it turned out my kids and my husband would really prefer cold cereal to a big breakfast that early.  And then I had a baby and making breakfast each morning slowly faded away.  So how can I pack some protein into their diet without having to make a big breakfast?

Enter: The breakfast sandwich!  For awhile I was using the Jimmy Dean delights but I could only get a good price on them at Sam's (which is an hour away) and so we didn't always have them.  So finally I decided to make some of my own and save a little $$.  And save $$ it did.  Plus in about an hour I made a huge freezer stockpile of these bad boys and I could customize them exactly to what my kids would eat.  No cheese for one, sausage for some, ham for some, etc.  It has been great!  I also do this with breakfast burritos and will have to post the recipe for that sometime.  Give it a try and save yourself some time in the morning!

Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches
12 eggs
12 English muffins, toasted
12 turkey sausage patties, cooked (pork sausage, ham or bacon work here too)
12 slices cheddar cheese (thin sliced)
salt and pepper to taste

Thoroughly grease a 12 slot muffin tin.  Crack one egg in each cup and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake eggs at 350 degrees for 16-20 minutes.  (We like our yolks a little runny still so I do about 16 min., but keep an eye on them and bake until you get the texture you want!)

Meanwhile, toast English muffins and cook sausage patties.  When eggs are done cooking build sandwiches by placing one egg, sausage, and slice of cheese between two english muffin halves.

Double wrap sandwiches in plastic wrap and label with a permanent marker.  (If your planning on making these a lot it can be helpful to write a date made on them so that you use them in the right order). Place them in the freezer.

When ready to re-heat.  Unwrap the sandwich from the plastic wrap and wrap it in a paper towel. Microwave for 1.5 minutes on 50% power.  Unwrap completely and flip sandwich over.  Heat for an additional minute at regular power or until meat is heated through.  Enjoy!

One hour Dinner Rolls

Well today is the day! For the past 6 years every time I make this recipe (and I make it a lot) I have to look it up in an old facebook conversation with my friend Rachel.  But today, I'm adding it to my blog so that I will be able to easily access it any time I want! Oh yeah, and I guess the rest of you can use it too!

I call these Jon's 1-hr. rolls because this recipe comes from my childhood neighbors (who are all excellent cooks). They are fluffy and delicious and super easy to throw together. The only change I've made to these is to substitute melted butter for the oil.  But know that either way works great.

They take one hour from start to finish (including baking!).  I often get them all ready except for baking and freeze them at that point.  Then when I'm ready for rolls I just pull them out of the freezer, let them rise until doubled and we're off to the races.  It's also a great recipe for kids to learn.  My eight year old loves to make bread with me and now she does these all on her own!

Jon's 1-Hour Dinner Rolls
1 3/4 cup warm water 
2 T. yeast 
1/3 cup plus 1 T. sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs*
1/2 T. salt 
5 - 6 cups flour 

Bloom yeast in warm water with 1 T. sugar sprinkled on top for about 5 min. Add remaining sugar, butter, eggs and salt and stir until incorporated.  Add flour one cup at a time and form dough in ball.  Place dough in greased bowl (I usually just use the bowl from my stand mixer) Let rest in warm place for 10- 15 min.

Divide dough in half.  Place first half of dough on a lightly floured non-stick surface and roll into a 12 in. circle.  Using a pizza cutter slice dough into 12 even wedges.

Form rolls by rolling each wedge from thick edge to tip like a crescent roll. Place each roll evenly spaced on a large baking sheet and repeat with second half of dough. (At this point you can refrigerate the rolls (covered) for up to 24 hours or freeze them** When ready to bake, let rolls rise for another 15 min. or until roughly doubled. 

Bake at 375 for 12 min or golden. Makes  two dozen rolls.

* If you double only add one additional egg. 

**Freezing instructions:  When rolls have been formed and placed on baking sheet, cover them with foil and place in the freezer.  When they are frozen solid you can transfer them to a gallon sized freezer bag for long term storage.  When ready to bake, remove from freezer and allow to defrost.  When rolls have defrosted, let them continue to rest for about 15 minutes and then follow baking instructions above. 

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

So this is another recipe that I thought I'd posted before but someone told me it wasn't on here! I'm glad they realized it wasn't here because now I have the chance to post it and you can add this delicious recipe to your rotation!  I love this salad because it's light and fresh and makes a giant bowl's worth of food. It's great for a potluck, party, or for packing a family's worth of lunches at once!

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad
Salad:
1 box of pasta (penne or bow tie are my favorites to use)
3 cups shredded chicken
2 green onions (sliced)
1 bag baby spinach
1 cup snow peas
2 cans mandarin oranges (drained)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Dressing:
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/3 cups soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup sesame oil
2 T. sugar
salt and pepper (to taste)

Cook pasta. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds.  In a small bowl or salad dressing mixer, whisk all the dressing ingredients (including the toasted sesame seeds) together until well combined.

When pasta is al dente, drain and rinse in cold water.  Place pasta, chicken and half the dressing in a large bowl and toss.  Let refrigerate at least one hour (or overnight) to marinate chicken and pasta.

When ready to serve add the rest of the ingredients and toss with remaining dressing.  Enjoy!

Easy Baked Salmon and Veggies

I love salmon and since it's pink so do my kids :)  We cook it in a variety of ways but one of my favorite and easiest ways is to bake it right along side some veggies.  You throw it all in a 9x13 and walk away. 20 minutes later you're all set with a delicious meal!  It turns out moist, flaky and perfect every time!

 It's pictured here with asparagus but I've also done baby carrots, brussel sprouts, and zucchini. I also change up the seasoning frequently too depending what I'm serving it with.  I've listed lemon-pepper below but I also love dill or southwestern spices (like chili powder and garlic salt).  If you love a quick and healthy meal this will become a go-to for you!

Baked Salmon and Veggies
2-3 lbs. salmon
1 medium bunch thin asparagus (or sub in your favorite veggie)
1/4 cup butter (sliced thin)
3 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Line a 9x13 pan with a large piece of foil (leave enough on the sides to fold over salmon).  Place salmon (skin side down) in the middle of the pan and surround it with veggies.

Thinly slice butter and place pats of butter on top of salmon and veggies.  Sprinkle veggies with olive oil as well.  Shake lemon pepper, salt and pepper evenly over salmon and veggies.  Pull edges of foil in to slightly cover.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until thickest part of salmon is opaque and pink.  Serve with rice pilaf, calabacitas,  mango salsa, mashed potatoes, or enjoy all by itself! 

Calabacitas (updated)

Do you have recipes that seems to evolve over the years! I do too and I never seem to get around to updating them on the blog.  Which means I'm constantly looking up recipes on here and then I realize I don't make it like that anymore. So today I finally decided to do something about it!


Calabacitas are a delicious side dish here in New Mexico.  Full of flavor, low carb, and the perfect compliment to any meat.  We have them with steak, salmon, chicken, or even sometimes in place of meat altogether.  I've even had a delicious New Mexican shephards pie featuring calabacitas.

They are spicy, cheesy, zucchini goodness. My husband and I love them and 2 out of 5 kids eat them too (as soon as my youngest gets teeth I'm sure he'll join in).  I previously posted a grilled recipe I use for these but here is my stove top version!  Enjoy!

Calabacitas
2-3 T. olive oil
2 small zucchini, sliced (about 1/2 in. thick slices)
2 small yellow squash, sliced (about 1/2 in. thick)
1 med. sweet onion, chopped
2 T. water
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped green chile (I use frozen)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chile powder
1 can corn, drained
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium- high heat.  Add zucchini, yellow squash, onion and water. Cover and cook until onions are transparent and squash is tender (7-10 minutes) making sure to stir and flip squash/zucchini frequently.  Uncover and add garlic. Continue cooking until garlic is frangrant (2-3 minutes).  Reduce heat to medium and carefully fold in green chile, spices and corn.  Top with shredded cheese.  Re-cover skillet and cook until corn is heated and cheese is melted on top.  Serve immediately.

Ham and Swiss Rolls

So I made these for a cooking party I was hosting last night and I realized I've never put them on my blog!  These are super fast and delicious. They are also a great make ahead recipe since they can sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. I've made them for appetizers and my girls even love them for dinner with some veggies on the side.  I get asked for the recipe all the time and last night one of my friends had one bite and said she needed the recipe right then!  They are that good!

Ham and Swiss Rolls
1 can pillsbury pizza dough
1/2 lb. thin sliced deli ham
12 slices Swiss cheese (thin sliced)
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Worchestshire sauce
1-2 T. dijon mustard (I've also used spicy brown mustard and they turned out great)
2 tsp. poppyseeds

Roll pizza dough out flat.  Top with ham and cheese slices.

 
 

Starting on a long side, roll the dough tightly and make sure to connect the seam at the end.

Using a serrated knife slice into 12 even rolls and place in a 9x13 pan.

  In a small sauce pan combine the rest of the ingredients and stir until butter is melted and sauce is heated through.  Top each roll evenly with sauce. At this point rolls can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. When ready to serve,  bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Then hurry and grab one before your kids eat them all! Enjoy!