Saltine Cracker Toffee Bars

My mom introduced me to these almost two years ago. I had never heard of making toffee bars with saltine crackers! And I haven't stopped making them since. They only require a few simple ingredients, probably stuff you've already got on hand. You can pretty much find similar variations of this recipe just about everywhere, so I just put on my take of this delightful dessert.

Saltine Cracker Toffee Bars
From: Um, everywhere!
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
saltine crackers
1 package Hershey's milk chocolate chips (other recipes use semi-sweet, but not me!)
Chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a regular cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (being in Europe means my jelly roll pan is too big to fit in the ovens!) with parchment paper. You could use foil or eek! wax paper, but coming from experience you'll be disappointed. Just use parchment paper. Then salt side up, fill up your pan with the crackers. Melt butter in a saucepan and then add brown sugar. Boil 1-3 minutes. This part seriously depends on how you like your toffee bars. The longer it boils, the harder they will be. About 2 minutes is good for me. Pour mixture over crackers and spread until even on all crackers. Put into oven for 6 minutes. Pull out of the oven and sprinkle on chocolate chips. The reason I say Hershey's is because they are hands down 10 times better for this than Nestle. I'm not kidding. I don't know what it is, but Hershey's is SO much better. Okay, so after you've put on your chocolate chips, you can either let them sit there until completely melted and then using the back of a spoon, spread it around. Or, if you just can't find Hershey's milk chocolate chips for some reason, like you live in Belgium (grr), and you have to use Nestle's, then you can put them back in the oven for no longer than 5 minutes. That should help those little buggers. After you've spread your chocolate around, add the chopped nuts. Let cool, then cut and serve, or eat them all soft and hot, like us! Either way their delicious, and your friends won't believe you put saltines in them!

Rice Crispy Treat Solutions

I hope Jenny doesn't hate me for posting something that I didn't plan on posting and it's not quite a recipe. I just decided to get on here and post this before I forget.

I LOVE Rice Crispy Treats. And I use to make them all the time. But I got so sick of them being so darn hard. I fooled around with the recipe, but there are so many out there that use the same ingredients but have varying amounts of each...so I thought I couldn't screw it up too much right? Am I the only one with this problem? Well, I figured it out! So I have three simple solutions to making fantastic rice crispy treats. Or, at least they work for me.

1. Use less rice crispies than marshmallows. Seems silly, but every recipe I see calls for more rice crispies. Less is more. For a 9x13in pan, I use a whole bag (16oz) of marshmallows and only 5 cups of rice crispies, and 1/4 cup butter.

2. Grease your pan. Gee what an original idea. Seriously, don't skip this part, even if you think "it's just rice crispy treats). Or you can use parchment paper.

3. Stick it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. That's all. Cut and enjoy. They come out soft and chewy, the way they were meant to be!

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe comes from my friend Sarah. Recently, I substituted half of the peanut butter for nutella. Yum.

Perfect Peanut Butter Cookies

Cream:
1 c white sugar
2/3 c brown sugar
1 c butter
1 c peanut butter
1 t vanilla
2 eggs

Add:
2 c flour
1 c rolled oats
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 pkg semi sweet chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Sweetheart Custard Dessert

I didn't feel like making mine into a heart, but whatever floats your boat.
Sweetheart Custard Dessert

From: The Sisters Cafe

Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
powdered sugar

Custard:
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbs butter or margarine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Topping:
2 to 3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2 Tbs. semisweet chocolate chips (I used white chocolate chips as my husband doesn't do chocolate)
1 tsp. shortening

Roll out each pastry between waxed paper into a 12 inch circle; using an 11 inch wide heart shaped pattern, cut each pastry into a heart shape.(I didn't waste my time with this, I just rolled out my crust.) Place on greased and floured baking sheets; prick with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; gradually stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook
and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. combine the egg yolks and lemon juice. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk mixture; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cover; refrigerate until cool. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently whisk the lemon custard, then fold in whipped cream.

Place one pastry on a serving plate; spread with half of custard. Arrange half of the berries over filling. Repeat with second pastry and remaining custard and berries. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Drizzle over the top.

Lime Ranch Chicken

This was great. I love me a good quick fixer.
Lime Ranch Chicken

From: Cooking with Anne

1 lb. chicken, cut into strips
1 packet ranch salad dressing mix
1/4 cup lime juice
cooked rice

Combine ranch dressing mix and lime juice. Toss mixture with chicken strips and let chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. Grill, bake or cook in a skillet and serve over cooked rice.

Festive Rice Medley

Festive Rice Medley

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice (I use regular rice unless I'm in a super big hurry)
1/4 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup sweet yellow pepper chopped
2 tsp. canola oil
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, minced
2 Tbs. green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika, optional

Cook rice according to package directions. In a large skillet, saute the peppers in oil for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add the cilantro, onion, garlic and salt. Stir in the rice and paprika if desired. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Deli Monte Cristos

These were absolutely outstanding. Love, love, lots of love.
Deli Monte Cristos

From: Taste of Home Simple & Delicious Cookbook

4 slices rye bread
4 thin slices deli ham
2 thin slices deli turkey
2 Tbs. deli coleslaw
2 Tbs. Thousand Island dressing
2 slices swiss cheese
2 eggs

On two slices of bread, layer a slice of ham and turkey, coleslaw, salad dressing and cheese. Top with remaining ham and bread. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs. Dip both sides of the sandwiches in eggs.

In a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook sandwiches over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

Pesto Pepper Tortellini

Using the frozen tortellini puts this easily into the yummy quick fix category. My kind of meal, these days.
Pesto Pepper Tortellini

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

1 pkg. (19 oz.) frozen cheese tortellini
1/2 cup sweet red pepper, julienned
1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbs. butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup walnuts, ground (I used pecans because I highly prefer them)
2 Tbs. fresh basil, minced
1 Tbs. green onion, chopped

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute red pepper and garlic in butter until pepper is crisp tender. Stir in cream; cook for 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the walnuts, basil and onion; heat through. Drain tortellini; add to sauce and toss to coat.

Falafel

I love me some good Falafel so I was quite happy to find this recipe and quite pleased with it.
Falafel
From: The Noshery1 cup dried chickpeas

1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2-1 tsp. dried hot red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. baking powder
4-6 Tbs. flour
vegetable oil for frying
Chopped tomato for garnish
Diced onion for garnish
Diced green bell pepper for garnish
Tahini sauce
Pita bread

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.(I used canned because I'm too lazy for that, or more like, I don't remember)

Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. Add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.

Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Stuff half a pita with falafel balls, chopped tomatoes, onion and green pepper. Drizzle with tahini thinned with water.

BLT Salad

Always good for a nice side salad!
BLT Salad

From: Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook

1 lb. sliced bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup butter, cubed
4 slices white bread, crusts removed and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3-5 Tbs. fresh basil, minced
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic minced
6 cups romaine, torn
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Set bacon and drippings aside. In another large skillet, melt the butter. Add bread cubes; cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove to paper towels, coo.

For dressing, whisk the mayo, basil, vinegar, pepper, garlic and reserved drippings. In a large bowl, combine romaine, tomatoes and bacon. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Top with the croutons.