Here's another of the sweet treats I'll be giving out this year~
Toffee Bark
50 Ritz Crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
6 regular Hershey's Chocolate bars
Line a jelly roll pan with Reynolds non-stick aluminum foil. Put 2 layers of Ritz crackers on top of foil.
In a large saucepan, cook butter and dark brown sugar until it starts to boil and thicken. Pour over crackers and put in the oven at 325°F.
When it starts to boil, remove from oven and let cool for two minutes. Put chocolate bars spread out on top of toffee. Let melt and spread out like frosting. Let cool a few minutes and then put in refrigerator to completely cool.
Break up in pieces and store in air-tight containers.
I'm always trying new things for breakfast. Today it was a combination of bread, sausage and cheese.
Sausage N' Cheese Meatballs in a Bun
1 pound pork sausage
1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded
12 frozen bread dough buns
butter
Divide out sausage into twelve equal patties. Place a generous pinch of shredded cheese in the middle of each patty and roll into a meatball. Cook completely. Let cool on a paper towel.
Wrap thawed bread dough around each meatball. Let rise again. Bake until a nice golden brown. Rub top of each bun with butter and return to the oven for another 2 minutes.
Servings: 12
This is a recipe handed down from my grandmother. I used to wait for her to make these every Christmas.
Date Balls
30 Dates, cut fine
2 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp butter
Boil mixture until thick in saucepan, Remove from heat and let cool down until it's warm to the touch. Add 3 cups crisped rice cereal. Butter hands so it's easy to roll into 1" balls. Roll each ball into coconut, chopped pecans or a combination of both. This year I used chopped hazelnuts.
I could use the work logic to classify these as healthy since they contain dates. At our work potluck yesterday, monster bars were classified as healthy and as breakfast food since they contained oatmeal. :-)
I'm finishing up my Christmas holiday baking today to give as gifts. This is the first thing I made this morning ~
Christmas Snack Mix
4 cups popped popcorn
4 cups Crispix cereal
1 cup pretzels
1 cup salted peanuts
20 oz almond bark, melted
9.9 oz mint chocolate M&M's or plain M&M's
Mix together popcorn, cereal, peanuts and pretzels in large bowl or roaster. Pour melted almond bark over top and make sure everything is evenly coated. Add in M&M's. Let cool and set. Break apart and store in air-tight containers.
It's really easy to make. Enjoy ~
I'm back after a little woman cave remodeling project.
Parmesan & Bacon Green Beans
1/2 pound green beans, cooked, drained
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 dash garlic powder
1 dash paprika
1 dash grated ancho chili pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Melt butter in a small pan and add in Panko bread crumbs and spice and lightly toast. Remove from heat and add in Parmesan cheese. Cook green beans, drain and add in crumbled bacon. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
Put green beans in a serving dish and top with Panko crumbs.
The temperatures are dropping and that means soup season is here. I wanted to try something new and this is what I created with the ingredients that I had on hand.
Chicken Cheese Tortellini Soup
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup carrots, peeled, sliced
1/2 cup peas
1 pound cheese tortellini
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme, crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Braise chicken until no longer pink. Add into chicken broth along with vegetables and spices. Cook over medium heat until vegetables have softened. Add in cheese tortellini and cook for another 10 minutes.
This is a nice side to an Italian dinner or soup (or just a meal in my case this evening).
We start off thawing a loaf of Italian bread dough or you can make from scratch.
Roll out the dough and top with 4 tbsp melted butter with 1/8 tsp garlic powder mixed in, slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, 1 tsp. Italian spices and freshly ground pepper. Roll up jelly roll style and cut into 8 even pieces. Let rise for a half hour in your greased baking pan.
Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes
