Showing posts with label Snack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snack. Show all posts

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Caramel Matzah Crunch

Ingredients
4-6 Unsalted Matzah Squares
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375*
Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper
Line bottom of pan evenly w/matzo sheets and fill empty spaces with extra pieces
Combine butter and brown sugar in 3qt saucepan
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly
Remove from heat and pour over matzah
Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350*
Bake 15 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, removed from oven, lower heat to 325* and return to oven)
Remove from oven and sprinkle the matzo immediately with chocolate chips
Let stand 5 minutes then spread melted chocolate over matzo (Optional: sprinkle with chopped nuts)
While still warm cut into square or odd shapes
Chill in refrigerator until set (Some people put in freezer and eat frozen!)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients
1 stick butter
1 jar Peanut Butter (I use Skippy's Reduced Fat Creamy)
Confectioners Sugar
2 containers of Baker's Dipping Chocolate

Directions
In medium sauce pan, melt the butter
Add the peanut butter (yes, the entire jar!) until the two meld together into liquified peanut butter
Add confectioners sugar until consistency is solid enough to roll a "ball" in the palm of your hands(yes, your hands will get dirty and sticky and creamy...from peanut butter...how bad can it be!?!?)
Set aside these "balls" on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and then refrigerate for at least one night
Melt dipping chocolate according to package's directions
Dip balls into chocolate until covered and return to wax papered cookie sheet
Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight and have a happy chocolate rush for breakfast.

**NOTES**
I do not recommend using chocolate morsels/chips for melting or semi-sweet anything. Milk Chocolate all the way!!

This recipe will yield: 50-80 balls, depending what size "balls" you like (go ahead, insert 8th grade humor here)

When stirring the peanut butter and sugar, be sure to rest the wrist. Child labor is great to use at this point (or if you are alone, a KitchenAid mixer)

You can add liquor--kahlua or chambord-- to the mix (you wont even taste the alcohol). When people ask for the recipe it just makes it sound more grown up :)

This is not an exact measurement recipe. Somewhat vague, but once you get the right consistency, things will go from there. Lots of trial and error: In my years of tweaking this recipe, I have yet to meet a version I didn't like.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Squares

Ingredients
4 bricks of reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tubes of chocolate chip cookie dough (better to have extra than not enough, I always say!)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 340*
Grease the bottom & sides of a 9x13 pan
Spread the bottom & sides pan with cookie dough so it is approx 1/4" thick
Beat together cream cheese and eggs
Spread the mixture on top of the cookie dough
Slice the 2nd tube of cookie dough into 1/4" circles and layer on top of cream cheese mixture with the edges touching
Cover with foil and bake for 30min
Remove foil and bake for add'l 10min
Let cool and cut into squares

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Fresh Spinach and Artichoke au Gratin

I wanted to make Spinach and Artichoke Au Gratin, but I wasn't sure how it would come out using fresh, uncooked spinach...most recipes call for the frozen stuff. I almost steamed the spinach or blanched it, but ultimately, laziness ruled the day and I just used raw spinach. Worked out fine! Again, there's a recipe I used as a jumping off point (here), but made some significant changes.

Not the most low-cal recipe, but both of my twins will eat vast quantities of this...the only way they'll eat spinach!


Ingredients:

1/3 pound spinach, coarsely chopped
2/3 of a 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts (non-marinated, drained), coarsely chopped
6 oz. cream cheese
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Soften cream cheese and butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds until it can be stirred together.

Mix in artichoke hearts, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Transfer to a baking dish (or just make the whole recipe right in the baking dish from the get-go...that's what I did!)

Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Serve with chips, bread, and/or veggies for dipping.

Fresh Salsa

I make a very simple, fresh salsa. All raw, very bright, uncluttered flavor. I make it with nothing spicy so my boys will eat it. It is one of the few relatively healthy foods they'll eat, so I keep it plain and find it's still outstanding. However, feel free to toss in some spicy peppers or hot sauce to jazz it up. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (any kind...I've even made it with halved grape tomatoes)
Scallions
Cilantro
Salt
Diced jalepenos or other hot peppers, or tobasco sauce (optional, I usually omit so my kids will eat it).

Directions:

You may notice this recipe lacks quantities. Can I say it's all to taste? Well, I'm going to! But, I'll try to give some hints here in the directions.

Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze out seeds. You can use your finger to squish some out, or even just gently squeeze the tomato. You don't have to perfectly get all the seeds out. In fact, if I use grape tomatoes, I don't even bother seeding them. You just don't want your salsa to be drippy with seeds.

Dice the seeded tomatoes.

Finely slice the whites of the scallions. Reserve the green part for something else. I would say as a rule of thumb, if you're using medium sized tomatoes, you'll want to use one scallion for every two tomatoes. Or more or less, depending on your taste.

Chop some cilantro leaves. How much? Oh, it depends on how much you like it. I use a few sprigs for each tomato, then add more if I feel like it needs it.

Mix the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro leaves, then start adding the salt. I use a salt cracker (actually, I let my boys add it), so I just keep tasting. It does take a bit of salt, and I don't like my food very salty. I've made it with very little salt, but I find it's the salt that really makes the flavors of the salsa pop. So be guided by your own taste buds on this one.

Eat immediately. We rarely have leftovers, but you can store it for a day or two. You'll probably have to drain off some excess water if you keep it in the fridge overnight, but it still tastes wonderful.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Seattle Bars

Ingredients
1/2 c butter or margarine
12oz butterscotch chips
1/2 c dark brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs at room temp
1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c mini marshmallows -- sometimes more ;)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350
In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Add brown sugar and butterscotch chips -- stir until melted
Remove from heat and let cool
Once cool, mix in vanilla and eggs
In separate bowl, combine flour and baking flour and add to butter mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly
Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallows
Spread in a greased 9x13 baking pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes
Cool on rack and cut into squares

Additional Information

The recipe originally calls for pecans. Since I do not like pecans (and I am overly cautious about putting nuts in things served at large gatherings), they get omitted. If you want, you can put them back in: 1 c chopped pecans get added with the chocolate chips and marshmallows.

I have also learned that the baking time will vary depending on what type of pan you use (glass vs metal vs stoneware)

In the past I have made this recipe with margarine, egg beaters, splenda brown sugar and whole wheat flour -- I have never received a complaint and the eaters never mentioned anything to me other than they want the recipe

If you want to get fancy-schmancy, you can melt a 2 squares of Baker's white chocolate and drizzle it on top after it has cooled. Again, I have never had any complaints about this either! ;)

PMS Squares

Ingredients
1 Bag of Snyder's Butter Snap Pretzels
1 Bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms
1 Bag of Hershey Hugs (unwrapped)

Directions
Preheat oven to 250*
Line 9x13 cookie sheet with wax paper
Line up as many butter snaps as you can on cookie sheet
Place 1 Hug on each pretzel
Bake for 5min
Remove from oven and immediately place 1 Peanut Butter M&M on top of melted Hug
Place cookie sheet in fridge for 1 hour or until firm

Peanut Butter Dip

Ingredients
1 c. cold milk
1 pkg sugar free instant vanilla pudding
1 c. peanut butter
assorted dipping things (nilla wafers, apples, strawberries, bananas, graham crackers, etc)

Directions
Beat together milk & pudding for 2 minutes
Add peanut butter & mix well
Spoon into bowl & refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour