Hearty sausage and spinach soup

Soup is a winter treat and this soup was so comfy and perfect!

1 onion

1 tbsp minced garlic 

1lb sausage

2 cans chicken broth

2 cans (from chicken broth) of water

1T Italian seasoning 

2 medium carrots chopped

2 large sweet potatoes diced

8 -10 oz fresh or frozen spinach

1/4 c flour

Salt and pepper 

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup heavy cream

1 bag simply balanced prepared farro grains( find this at target with ready made rice)

2 cans cannellini beans

3 green onions chopped

2 tablespoons parsley chopped 

Fry sausage and onions together. Add potatoes and flour . Stir and add broth and water as well as all other ingredients. Stir and simmer 40 minutes 

Pumpkin Honey Banana Nut Muffins

As September rolls in, I first want to say that I am sorry for neglecting my food blog....don't think just because I wasn't posting I wasn't cooking and eating it all up! I just have been really busy, as we all have I'm sure. Summer was filled with so much fun and so many memories this year and not a one of them I can reflect on without a big smile. But Fall always brings a new sense of liveliness for me. As the weather begins to cool and my tan begins to fade I come alive with the smells that fall brings. One of these smells is pumpkin..... May I introduce my Pumpkin Honey Banana Nut Muffins. Yes this was my first taste of Fall and if you whip up a batch I'm sure you'll agree that its a wonderful mouthful of Autumn deliciousness.

Ingredients:
2 mashed bananas
1 cup of canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
heat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin cups with liners.
This is so simple to mix....really its this easy:
Mix all of the wet ingredients together with a whisk. Then add in your dry ingredients and stir just till mixed.
 Scoop enough to fill muffin liners 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes.....watch them till centers are poofed up good. Don't over bake though or you'll dry them out!

I recommend a nice cup of Autumn inspired coffee myself with one or two (or 4 cause its just hard to stop at two!) I hope you enjoy!!!

Molten Lava fudge cakes

I've always been a chocolate lover. These were made for my son's 9th birthday and we threw a scoop of ice cream on top and then went straight to heaven. So warm and fudge!

6 oz semi sweet chocolate 

2 T unsweetened chocolate baking powder

12 T of butter

3 eggs

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/3 C flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Butter 4 ramekins generously!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Melt all chocolate and butter together Ina heat proof bowl in microwave. Go for a minute and stir and then another minute and stir.

In a separate bowl beat eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes till thick and foamy. Stir in chocolate slowly then add the salt vanilla and flour. Stir all ingredients softly together just till incorporated.

Pour even amount into 4 ramekins and place in oven for about 10 minutes. Now the longer you bake these the more done the centers will get. If you want a gooey center pull them out after 10 minutes.

You can easily dump them out and serve as is or top with a little vanilla ice cream and just go on to heaven!

Irish colcannon

Why in my 30 years have I not ever had this stuff? But every year I try a new Irish dish for st. Patricks day and this year I stumbled across Colcannon. It could be my new comfort food. It's kinda like a cross between a potato hash, mashed potatoes and potato salad but its warm and so incredibly tasty. Oh Lord help me, this stuff could be new my new favorite winter dish.

Here's what you need to make it!

8oz bacon

7 nice sized russet potatoes peeled and cubed 

1 bag of washed pre chopped kale

1 large diced onion

5 T butter

Salt and pepper

Lay bacon strips  in a jelly roll pan and bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Place diced onion in a small pan with butter and sauté till very soft.

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with just enough water. Then on top of potatoes place a bunch of the kale. I couldn't quite fit the whole bag. I still had about a third of it left. Then bring the pot to a boil and cover. Sprinkle with salt ! The water will steam the kale perfectly! Let this go about 20 minutes then drain. Return to pot the kale/potatoes then add the onion/butter and crumble the bacon pieces on top. I then used a hand mixed and mixed for about 1 full minute. I wasn't looking for it to be like mashed potatoes but like a hash with some potatoe chunks still there. Taste it for salt and pepper and season it accordingly!

Enjoy!!!

Red velvet layer cupcakes with Chocolate chip cheesecake and ganache

This dessert was everything I wanted plus more! It was so rich you had to have a cold glass of milk to wash it all down! And they were in great little serving sizes that just made it all the more fun!

For the cake:

1 box red velvet cake mix

3 eggs

1/3 cup butter melted

3 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1 3oz box of chocolate fudge pudding

4 oz of Greek yogurt

1/2 C milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tin with really high side paper liners.  I found some cute flower shaped ones at a local craft store and that's what I used.

I beat  all of these ingredients in a large bowl and fill muffin liners about 1/3 full. Bake till puffed in the middle or cake tester comes out clean. About 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.

For the cheesecake:

12 oz. of cream cheese

1/2 C sugar

1 large egg

1/4 C sour cream

2 T lemon juice

1 t vanilla

Beat cream cheese and sugar till fluffy. Add sour cream and beat it in then your egg and lemon and vanilla. Don't over beat. 

When cupcakes are cool place about 2 full tablespoons of cheesecake mixture on top of cake part. And spread flat. Place back in the oven just till cheesecakes are set. 10-12 minutes. Pull out of oven and let cool on a wire rack completely.

For the ganache:

1 C of heavy whipping cream 

A heaping cup of good quality chocolate chips. I like ghirideli ....either bittersweet or semisweet. 

Place whipping cream in small pot and heat till very hot but not boiling. Removed from heat and pour in chocolate chips and let set till melted. Whisk together and let cool a little . Spoon over top of cheesecake and set in fridge for three hours or overnight. 

Enjoy!

Peanut butter chocolate muffins (low fat, no oil, high protien, and whole wheat)

After a wild day like today there were only two options. Take a three mile run or bake something and I fell into the later because of the nasty weather outside. So taking my diet into a little consideration I thought I'd try this out and see what happened. Well greatness was born! It satisfys that PB and chocolate craving without blowing your calories for the day! Here's how it's done:

2 large very ripe bananas mashed

2 egg whites

1/2 C sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 C Greek yogurt

1/2 C all purpose flour

1/2 whole wheat flour

1/4 C unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 C dark or semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 C melted creamy Jiff peanut butter

Peanut butter or chocolate chips to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners.

In a mixer place mashed bananas. Add sugar, eggs ( you can use the whole egg if you'd like. Using  the white just makes it a little less fat) , vanilla, and yogurt and mix well. Sift all the dry ingredients  together in a bowl. Turn mixer to low and add the dry ingredients just till mixed. Stir in the 3/4 c chocolate chips. 

Warm peanut butter in microwave till smooth and melted.

 Place muffin mixture into muffin cups and fill almost full. Spoon a tablespoon of peanut butter and swirl in. Dibble a few chocolate or peanut butter chips on top. Place in oven and bake  about 20 minutes or until centers have proofed up! 

Enjoy!

Buffalo chicken bites

My youngest son insisted on buffalo wings for the Super Bowl party. I love wings myself but had just made a Siracha wing last week and didn't want to do the wing thing again. So I got to thinking......and  I decided this was a better alternative with out all those little wing bones to deal with! Boy they were a huge hit! Give them a shot. This recipe too easy!

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

3 T tobasco sauce

Salt & Pepper

Onion and garlic powder

1/4 c dry white wine

1/2 C hot wing sauce ( I used Moore's hot wing sauce)

1 block of cream cheese

4-5 oz crumbled blue cheese

6 Green onions chopped

1 package of wonton wrappers

 Swirl oil in a pan and heat on med-high. Season chicken breast with tobasco hot sauce, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Cook in pan 4-5 minutes on each side then as the bits in the pan begin to brown pour in dry white wine and let simmer till almost evaporated. Let chicken sit in juices and cool for about 30 minutes. Shred chicken into a bowl and place hot wing sauce and cream cheese. Stir till combined well. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray and place one wonton wrapper into each cup. This recipe will make about 24. Bake the cups for about 8 minutes just till they begin to brown. 

Place about two Tablespoons of buffalo chicken filling into each cup and place back in oven for 5-8 minutes just to warm them through. Remove from oven and sprinkle with blue cheese and green onion. Serve warm.

Cajun crawfish and corn chowder

After a day of playing in the ice/snow this southern girl needed a good hearty chowder to really fill three hungry boys! So this is what we had tonight and after two bowls full everyone was fat and happy!

1 lb crawfish tails cleaned 

4 T butter

3 T bacon Grease

1 chopped onion

3 med sweet potatoes peeled and chopped

3 med Idaho potatoes peeled and chopped

4 carrots chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

1 bay leaf

1 roll of frozen cream style corn

1 can of whole kernel corn

3 C shrimp broth

1 cup water

8 oz evaporated milk

2 T flour

1/4 tsp old bay seasoning

Salt and pepper

1 T Cajun seasoning (I used "slap your moma Cajun seasoning)

1/2 T Italian seasoning

1/2 T garlic powder

1 8oz brick of cream cheese cubed

In a large pot place butter and bacon grease and place onions, carrots, and bell peppers. Sauté till soft and add all potatoes and stir for a few minutes. Sprinkle in all your seasonings and your bay leaf. Add shrimp broth and water and let simmer 5 minutes. Add cream corn and regular corn. 

Whisk flour with evaporated milk and pour into soup. Keep stirring as the mixture will start to thinken. Simmer for 5-10 min on low stirring occasionally to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom. 

Add crawfish tails and cream cheese and stir. Turn all the way to low and let the flavores get happy together for about 15-20 minutes. 

Serve with a dash of parsley on top and enjoy!

Turkey and wild rice soup

Man we ate leftovers for days after thanksgiving and when we had made all the turkey sandwiches we could stand I froze the leftover fried turkey. Then we got a cold front here in south Mississippi and I needed some soup. This is the recipe I came up with and Lord have mercy it was so good all my boys went back for a third bowl!

2 1/2 C chopped turkey meat

4 chopped carrots

1 chopped onion

3 chopped ribs of celery

1 package sliced mushrooms

4 T butter

3/4 C white wine

2 T lemon juice

1 T better than bullion chicken base

1/4 cup flour

3 cans chicken broth

1 1/2 C water

Salt and pepper

3 springs of Thyme

2 C heavy cream

4 T chopped parsley

1 1/4 C uncooked Wild Rice blend (found this at target)

In a large soup pot place butter and onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and sauté till soft. (About 6-8 minutes) when soft add the white wine, lemon juice, and chicken base and let simmer down and reduce a little. Add your flour and stir till flour is incorporated with all the veggies and stir in chicken broth. Add salt, pepper and the whole sprigs of thyme. Stir in the rice and turkey meat and let cook on a low simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring a little. Stir in the heavy cream and chopped parsley and let simmer for about 10 minutes and serve! 

Pistachio, cranberry, and white chocolate holiday shortbread cookies

The colors of these cookies just have christmas written all over them! I spent the afternoon baking them with my boys! We had such a great time and tomorrow I will be sharing them with some very lucky co workers. In fact it was on of these co workers who first drought them to my attention. I altered the recipe a tad and here's what came out! Man, I'm sure glad she did too! I will be holding on to this recipe!

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 C flour

1 T cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1/2 C dried cranberries

1/2 C chopped pistachios

3/4 C white chocolate chips 

Cream Butter and sugar till soft and fluffy. add vanilla extract. Add the salt and begin adding flour a little at a time just so it incorporated till you've added it all in. Add your corn starch and Lastly add in the rest of your ingredients and mix well. 

Lay Saran Wrap out on counter and dump dough into it. Wrap and form about a 3 inch log. Refrigerate for about 90 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and slice with a sharp serrated knife place cookies about 2 inches apart and bake 13 minutes or until edges just barely begin to turn. Don't over bake! Remove from oven and place entire sheet of parchment on cooling rack to cool!

Enjoy!

Acorn/Golden nugget squash Risotto

Fall means there are all kinds of squash and pumpkins that are just ready for the picking! The way I see it that just means I need to come up with some recipes for all that goodness! So here goes!

1 acorn squash 

1 golden nugget squash

olive oil

3/4 cup risotto rice

1 yellow onion diced

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoons butter

1 can of chicken broth

1/2 can of water

1/2 cup of white wine

salt and pepper

1/2 parmesan

parsley flakes

heat oven to 400 degrees and  cut squashes in half and coat in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or till soft.

Meanwhile heat butter in a pot and add onion and garlic. Sauté till soft and add rice. Cook stirring constantly for about two minutes. Add white wine and let simmer till evaporated. Start adding chicken broth 1/2 a can at a time and keep stirring. when mixture becomes thick add more broth. keep stirring.... when thick again add 1/2 a can of water and season with salt and pepper and add the parmesan cheese. turn off the heat and let set for  about 5-10 minutes. If too thick add a little more water and let set for a few more minutes. sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve hot!

ENJOY!

  

Creamy Roasted Potato, Fennel and Leek Soup

2 large leeks

1 large fennel

2 sweet potatoes

4 potatoes

4 carrots

1 cup of half and half

1 cup of milk

salt

pepper

8 cups water

3 T butter

3 T olive oil

parsley flakes

cut green tops of off fennel and leeks and place in a large stock pot with the 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let boil covered for 25 minutes to make a broth.

meanwhile heat oven to 450 degrees. dice potatoes, carrots, rest of the leek and fennel bulb. place one of the leeks (diced) the 1/2 the fennel bulb diced  on a large roasting pan. place one diced sweet potato and 1 1/2 regular potatoes with all the carrots and put them on the roasting pan too. drizzle on the olive oil and some salt and pepper and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

In a large pot place the other leek (diced) and the rest of the diced fennel bulb with butter and sauté till soft. throw in rest of potatoes and sauté for a minute or two longer.  Ladle 4 or 5 scoops of the broth you made into the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes till potatoes are soft.

once potatoes are soft: I used an emersion blender and blended my soup. If you do not have one of these nifty gadgets 1) i suggest you put it on your christmas list 2) you may use a regular old blender just blend it in small batches and be careful...its very hot! pour all blended soup back into the pot and add milk, half and half and about 3 cups of the broth you made. Stir soup and salt and pepper to taste.  

Pull roasted veggies from oven and dump into soup. Stir and and ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley flakes. Serve!

Spinach and artichoke ravioli alfredo

1 lb of refrigerated  four cheese ravioli

1 Jar of garlic Alfredo sauce

1/4 C of milk

1 package of frozen spinach thawed and all juices squeezed out

2 T of minced garlic

2 T fresh basil

1 8 oz bag of Italian cheese

salt and pepper

4 oz of parmesan

1 can of artichoke hearts drained and chopped roughly

1 can of petite diced tomatoes with juices

1 tsp of italian seasoning 

drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray a 9x13 pan and set aside

in a small bowl mix the spinach and basil and garlic and stir to mix well. In another small bowl mix the Alfredo sauce and milk and stir till well mixed.

In the 9x13 pan place a little alfredo sauce and pour in half the ravioli. top the ravioli with half the spinach mixture. Then place half the can of tomatoes and half the can of artichokes on top of that. sprinkle with 1/2 the bag of italian cheeses and drizzle about half of your alfredo sauce over that. Repeat the process with raviolis all the way up to the sauce and cheese. just save the cheese for last this time and  put all of it over top including your parmesan. sprinkle with italian herbs seasoning and a little salt and pepper. drizzle the top with olive oil and bake covered for 30 minutes then uncover and bake 15 more minutes till bubbly in the center!

Whole wheat cream cheese banana nut bread muffins

1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas

1/4 C buttermilk

2 large eggs

1\2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c soft butter

8 oz block cream cheese

2 c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole wheat flour

1cup all purpose flour

1/4 ground flax seed (optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

3/4 C toasted crushed walnuts

Streusel topping:

1/2 brown sugar

1/2 c chopped walnuts

2 T melted butter

2 T flour

Pinch of salt

Few drops of vanilla

Few pinches of cinnamon 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour muffin cups or use paper liners.

Combine flours,ground flax(if using), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl  beat butter and cream cheese till soft and creamy. Add sugar beat till fluffy. Add buttermilk. Add eggs till just blended.

Add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture. And mix well. Stir in bananas, walnuts and vanilla.

Make topping just by combining all ingredients and stirring well.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and sprinkle a little topping on each and press down lightly.

Bake for 30 minutes or till tops are golden brown.

Serve warm with butter!

Alison's Pastitsio

This is better that that box of hamburger helper stuff you thought about making for supper. Besides it has none of those fake flavors and powder packets. Trust me. This is not only better for you.....it taste fantastic!

1 lb of ground round

1 very large yellow onion chopped

5 cloves of minced garlic

1 brick of 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 8 oz box of tub shaped pasta

1 14 oz can of diced tomato drained

2 cups of low fat milk

1/4 cup of flour

salt and pepper

4 oz of thawed spinach with moisture pressed out

7 oz of mozzarella or italian cheese blend shredded cheese

heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet brown ground beef with chopped onion and garlic. While meat is browning boil pasta and drain. Once meat is browned and onions are soft add flour and stir till it is incorporated. Pour in milk and add cream cheese, diced tomato, spinach, salt and pepper. Stir and incorporate till mixture is hot and bubbly.

Add the pasta and 4 oz of cheese and stir. Pour into a casserole dish and put rest of cheese on top.

Bake for 20-25 till cheese melts and the casserole is good and hot.

Spaghetti squash Fritter

I fell in love with the spaghetti squash a few summers ago. Since then I have been through a thousand.....well maybe not quite a thousand recipes , but I have been through lots of them and I put a little twist on an old recipe making this one all mine! I hope you enjoy it!

1 Spaghetti Squash (about 1 1/2 lb is what i had)
8 oz frozen spinach thawed and pressed dry
5 oz parmesan cheese shredded
2 green onions sliced thin
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 T minced garlic
2 eggs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste ( I probably used 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper)
olive oil

Cut spaghetti squash in half. Salt and pepper it and drizzle with olive oil. bake it at about 400 degrees for 30 minutes or till soft. cool to touch and then scrape out the insides.

While squash bakes: in a mixing bowl place panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, green onion, italian seasoning, garlic, eggs, salt and pepper.

mix your squash and spinach together in one bowl and then pour into the mixing bowl with the bread crumb mixture.

heat a pan on the stove top with olive oil swirled in it so that when a water droplet hits it then it sizzles.

measure 1/3 cup sized patties and press them out to about 1/2 inch thin or about the thickness you  like. Place them 3 to 4 in the hot pan at a time and turn after 2-3 minutes or just browned. and cook on the other side for 3 minutes.

serve hot and enjoy it!!!

Pumkpin Spiced Belgian Waffles for best friends!

September hits me every year with this ridiculous craving for sweet potatoes (not that old sweet potato casserole your grandma made but sweet potato rolls and breads and risotto and etc.) and the need for pumpkin anything! This year I made this fantastic belgian waffle. and yes, its a little complicated but let me tell you now sometimes, especially for best friends, its worth going the extra mile to watch that pure joy wash over their face as they enjoy each bite.

2 1/2 Cups of flour

2 1/4 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp of salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp of fresh ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

4 large eggs separated

 2 tsp vanilla

2 C whole buttermilk

1 1/4 C pumpkin Puree

1/3 brown sugar

7 tbs. butter melted

You will need three bowls. 1 very large one. 1 medium one to put the egg yolks and mixture into. 1 smaller one with high sides to whip the whites in.

In a large bowl place the first 8 (dry) ingredients.  Now into the bowl you have your yolks from your eggs you will need to add the vanilla, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and melted cool butter. Stir these together and slowly pour this into your dry ingredients. Mix it till incorporated and set aside. In the bowl with the egg whites whip them with a hand mixer ( I like to add just a pinch of cream of tarter, but you can do it without) till you get soft peaks.  Fold whipped egg whites into the batter and have belgian waffle maker hot and ready to go!

 Follow your waffle maker's guidelines for waffle making. I just bought an Oster Belgian Waffle maker and I am in love with it!! 

This  made 8 very large waffles!

Greek steak pita sandwiches

These are a fantastic summer sandwich! It packs great protein and a cool crunch of cucumber with the sweetness of good ole summer tomatoes!

1 lb of flank steak

2 cloves garlic minced

1 cucumber

1 tomato

3 T of red wine vinegar

3 T of  of chopped oregano (I used fresh but dried would work too)

1 T salt

1 T of fresh ground pepper

4 T olive oil

1 package fresh pita bread

Fresh spinach leaves

Kalamata olives and feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:

5 T plain Greek yogurt 

1 T red wine 

Salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp course ground mustard

3 T olive oil

First we need to make a marinade for the meat. Mix your olive oil and red wine vinegar with oregano and garlic. And salt and pepper and mix marinade well. I like to put mine in a zip lock bag and put the meat in and coat it real well. Let it marinade for an hour or two.

Heat up your grill and grill your meat till the doneness you like it. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

While meat rests, cut tomato and cucumber really thin. Also mix up your dressing by throwing all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisking to bring it together. I sprinkled a little feta in mine just because I love some feta!

Now slice your meat into really thin strips and cut your pita in halves. Make a layer of cucumber then tomato then spinach then add your meat slices in. Throw in some kalamata olives and feta cheese and drizzle in a big spoonful of dressing.

Now take a big bite and enjoy!

Chocolate chip brioche pretzel

A little salty and a perfectly sweet little pretzel bun! Ate the last one with a cup of coffee this morning! They sure didn't last long at all!

2 1/4 C. Flour

2T honey (if no honey then just double the sugar)

2 T sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1/3 C whole milk warmed to 120 degrees F

2 eggs at room temp

1/2 cup unsalted stick butter at room temp.

1 C mini chocolate chips

1 square bakers semisweet baking chocolate square chopped

For the glaze:

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt

1T water

Coarse sugar to sprinkle

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment mix your flour, sugar, honey,salt, yeast. At low speed add Milk and eggs and then work up to a medium speed and let it go for about 10 minutes. Begin to add butter by tablespoon at the end of 10 minutes. You may need to swap to a dough hook here....I did. Keep added butter till all gone and incorporated. Then let dough hook work its magic on low for about 5 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly olive oiled bowl and set in a warm place for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Lightly punch down dough and add chocolate chips and chopped chocolate. Gently fold into dough with hands and begin to pinch about 8 pieces. Roll each of your pieces out into nice long ropes and then twist and fold into pretzelish shapes. Place on parchment paper.

Whisk egg,salt, and water in a small bowl and brush onto each pretzel and then let rest for 15- 20 minutes. Brush pretzels once more and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 12-15 minutes just till they begin to brown. Let cool just a few minutes then eat while warm! Eat them all while they are nice and fresh and warm. You'll regret it later but gosh they really are that good! 😀

Poppa's Peach Cobbler

I am sharing this with you as we'll as preserving for myself the method in which I made the best peach cobbler known to mankind!

I made this for my daddy for Father's Day and it knocked his socks off!

1 quart and 1 pint of canned peaches drained with 1 cup of juice reserved

3 c flour

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 1/2 c white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c milk

1 egg

Few pinches of salt

3 T cornstarch

2 T oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl place 2 C flour, 2 cups brown sugar,a pinch of salt, and two sticks of butter. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter in till it gets crumbly. Sprinkle 1/3 of this mixture in bottom of a 9x13 pan. Don't press it down or anything.

Now to your juice add 1/2 c white sugar and your corn starch and stir.

Arrange peaches over the first layer and pour your juice/cornstarch over the top

In a small bowl mix your milk, oil, egg, 1 cup of flour, and baking soda and a pinch of salt and cinnamon. Whisk well and pour this over cobbler.

Sprinkle the rest of your crumble mixture from the beginning over the top and do not press down. Throw a few pinches of cinnamon over the top and bake at 325 for 35 miniatures then raise temp to 350 for about 15 more minutes.  Remove from over when golden brown and top and serve warm with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream!