Peanut Butter Fluff

Family game night.  It's a concept both Mike and I grew up with.  While the idea for both our families were similar--both our dads avoided playing games as much as possible, there were also some differences.  For instance, he doesn't have a younger brother who, when he was losing a game of Sorry!, flipped the board so the game could no longer continue.  Ahhh memories!

We often enjoyed game night at home around the kitchen table.  My mom would often have snacks ready for us--typically a bowl of popcorn or pretzels with chocolate to dip them in.  It was the one night of the week when we typically enjoyed a can of pop as well.

While game night has changed a bit since we've been married (there are surprisingly few games for just 2 players), Mike and I do enjoy playing games.  He bought me a version of Monopoly that features places we've been together and every so often we'll pull that out.  We also enjoy card games (Mike plays Poker with his bowling group and is teaching me how) and playing video games on our Wii.  One thing that's remained the same is snacks--they are a must for game time.  We enjoy a variety--popcorn, cheese cubes, apples with dip, crackers...We like our snacks!

Whether you choose to play card games, board games, or video games, this Peanut Butter Fluff is part of a healthy and easy snack for you to enjoy while playing.  It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.  In fact, we almost always have a container of this waiting for when the craving strikes.  Just scoop out a dollop, slice up an apple, and snack time is ready!

Peanut Butter Fluff

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 (7 ounce) container of marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon milk

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and milk until completely mixed.

2.  Serve with sliced fruit--we love apples with this dip.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Note:  The first time I made this recipe, I used about 1 cup of peanut butter.  It resulted in a very clumpy spread, but that was solved by adding milk, a small amount at a time.  The dip was quite solid and we enjoyed it very much.  I decreased the amount of peanut butter so this dip is fluffier and easier to dip.  Feel free to experiment with the amount of peanut butter you use!

White Chocolate Popcorn

My weekend in numbers:

20 hours spent in the car

3 states travelled through

1 entire book read

5 meals at restaurants

hundreds of hugs, kisses, and laughs

95 family members all together to celebrate

Mike and I went to Kentucky for our family Christmas party this weekend.  It was quite a whirlwind trip, but we haven't gone for Christmas since before we got married, so this trip was long overdue.  It was so good to see so many of our family members (can you believe that 95 didn't include everyone?!).

Of course, driving for so many hours means that there were plenty of opportunities for snacking.  When I was growing up, my mom always packed a huge box full of "road trip treats".  My favorite was (and is) Twizzlers.  It's a good thing my parents rode with us this year, because my mom brought along a bag packed with goodies.  I, on the other hand, brought water and a small plate of cookies.  Silly me. 

If I had been thinking ahead, I would have made up a batch of this white chocolate popcorn.  It's insanely easy to make--you probably don't even need a recipe.  I added in some Christmas colored sprinkles to make this popcorn more festive.  You could omit them, or use any color you want to match a holiday or special occasion.

White Chocolate Popcorn

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup of popcorn kernels
1 cup of white chocolate candy melts
sprinkles

1.  Pop the popcorn according to the directions on the bag.  Remove any unpopped kernels.

2.  In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate candy melts.  I begin with 30 seconds, then stir. Then continue on 15 second intervals, stirring until the chocolate is smooth.

3.  Put the popped popcorn into a large bowl.  Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the popcorn, stirring gently until the popcorn is evenly coated.

4.  Spread the popcorn out on 2 cookie sheets.  Top with sprinkles.

5.  Allow the chocolate to harden before breaking the popcorn apart.

This is best eaten the day it is made.  If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.

Saturday Sweetness

Happy Saturday!  What are you plans today?  I'll be spending a couple hours in the car, finishing up our whirlwind trip to Kentucky for our family Christmas party.  It's been 3 years since Mike and I have been able to attend and I'm so excited to see our family again!

In case you missed it, here's what happened on Melissa's Cuisine this week:

Pierogi Casserole: Don't you love it when recipes made on a whim turn out fabulously?  This casserole was a hit in our house!

Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti:  This was the recipe I made for this year's Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap.  Not only is it yummy, it's festive too!

Caramel Apple Cider (Guest Post): I shared one of my favorite cold weather drinks over at Simply Sweet Home.  I hope you'll stop by to check it out!

Here's what I pinned this week:

 

Easy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge: Leave it to Peabody to combine 2 of my favorite ingredient in one tempting fudge!  I can't wait to make this!

Source: culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Harry's Roadhouse Cinnamon Rolls:  These cinnamon rolls are only served on weekends at Harry's Roadhouse, but they're so popular that people line up for them.  Look how thick they are!  Yum!

Source: kitchenlink.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Soft Ginger Cookies: Mike and I are both big fans of gingerbread cookies.  And, I love soft cookies.  This looks like a win-win cookie to me!

Source: lifesabundantadventures.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Guest Post

 

Good morning!  I am excited to be posting at Simply Sweet Home today as part of Jerri's Six Weeks of Christmas Treats.  I hope you'll stop by to read my post about this delicious Caramel Apple Cider!

Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti

It's beginning to feel like Christmas!  It has snowed a little bit for the past couple days.  Of course, the sun comes out and melts the snow after a couple hours, but it sure is pretty to wake up in the morning to a snow blanketed world. 

Another thing that makes it really feel like Christmas is Christmas Cookie Exchanges!  I'm going to a live one tomorrow night and I recently participated in The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap.  This was my second year participating and it's so fun to give and receive cookies.

I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect cookie recipe to send to my cookie recipients.  I knew that the cookies needed to hold up well in the mail, as well as taste just as good as the day I baked them as when they were received.  And, I knew that I wanted my cookies to be Christmas-y.

I finally settle on a biscotti recipe.  I coated the biscotti with a thin layer of milk chocolate and then sprinkled crushed peppermint candy canes over the chocolate.  These cookies are delicious by themselves or paired with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee.
Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti

Makes 20-24 cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/4 cups flour

8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

6 peppermint candy canes, crushed

1.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening.

2.  Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar and baking soda.  Beat until combined.

3.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.

4.  Slowly blend in flour until combined.

5.  Form dough into a long log, about 20 inches long and 4 inches wide.  Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  (I found it to be easier to shape the dough while it was on the cookie sheet.)

6.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.  The cookie will spread slightly.

7.  Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 1 hour.

8.  Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the baked biscotti into 1/2" wide slices.  (I used the width of my finger as a rough guide.)

9.  Place biscotti, sliced side down, back on the parchment lined cookie sheet.

10.  Bake at 325 for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip each biscotti piece to the opposite cut side.

11.  Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, until the cookies are crisp.

12.  Allow the cookies to cool completely.

13.  Melt the chocolate in a shallow microwave safe bowl.

14.  Dip the bottoms of each biscotti piece into the melted chocolate.  Set on a wire rack, chocolate side up, to harden.

15.  Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy canes over the chocolate while it is still soft.

Allow the chocolate to completely harden before storing in an airtight container.

Adapted from: Meal Planning Magic

I sent these Peppermint Chocolate Biscotti to Diane who sent me cookies last year!, Bonnibelle, and Aubrey. 

I received cookies from Brynn, Bailey, and Allison.  They were delicious!  Check out their sites for the recipes.

If you would like to participate next year, visit this link to receive notifications!

Pierogi Casserole

I love when the meals I throw together on a whim turn into our favorite dishes!  I stocked up on pierogies a while back when they were on sale at an irresistible price.  They make a simple and delicious dinner or side dish.  One night after work I just threw together a few ingredients that I found in our fridge, and I ended up with this casserole.  Mike and I were both big fans of it!

I ended up having to make this pierogi casserole a second time because I didn't think to take a picture the first time.  Is anyone else frustrated by daylight savings time?  It's dark when I leave for work, and dark by time I get home.  There is absolutely no natural light for me to use for pictures during the week, and it frustrates me because I've really been working on improving my photography and the lack of daylight doesn't help me!

Okay, enough of that.  This casserole comes together quickly and is versatile enough that you could add any meat you want. I used turkey because we still have leftovers from Thanksgiving.  The first time I made this, I used bacon bits.  I think ham would also work well--let me know what you use!

Pierogi Casserole

Serves 6 

2 (12 count) boxes pierogies
1 (8 ounce) container Italian Herb cream cheese
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup diced chicken or turkey
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Layer pierogies into a 9x13" casserole dish.

2.  In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, chicken broth, and turkey.

3.  Pour the sauce evenly over the pierogies.

4.  Sprinkle with the cheese.

5.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, until the casserole is heated through.

Saturday Sweetness

Oops!  I missed my weekly Saturday Sweetness round up post last week--I was so busy I totally forgot about it!  I spent most of last week Saturday shopping.  First, I went to a craft fair with my mom, Mike's mom, and Mike's sister.  Then Mike and I went shopping to the mall.  We couldn't get what he wanted so we just walked around to kill some time before going to a friend's house for the evening.  This week of course was busy--nothing new there!  Today I'm spending the morning making Christmas goodies!

Let's do a big round-up this week of the last two week's posts!

White Chicken Chili:

Gift Ideas for The Foodie In Your Life:


November's Foodie Pen Pal Reveal:

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf:
White Chocolate Santa Mix:

Apple Cider Caramels:

Here are a few of my favorite pins from the past two weeks:

Broccoli Cheddar Soup:  I love a hot bowl of soup when the weather is cold, and this broccoli cheddar soup looks delicious!

Source: luluthebaker.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza Rolls:  Chicken. Bacon. Ranch. Pizza. Rolls.  Five of my favorite things in one--amazing!

Source: sixsistersstuff.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Bowtie Chicken Alfredo:  Leave it to the Pioneer Woman to make something so simple look and taste so fantastic!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Molasses Triple Chocolate Cookies:  These cookies are just oozing of chocolate.  I think they'll be served at at least one Christmas party this year!

Source: loveveggiesandyoga.com via Melissa on Pinterest

What was your favorite recipe you made this week?

Apple Cider Caramels

I love caramel in many forms, but especially in a piece of chewy candy that seems to just melt in your mouth.  I also love a hot cup of Apple Cider when the air turns cold!

I'd seen other Apple Cider Caramel recipes but they all involved reducing apple cider down to a syrup and using that for the flavor.  It seemed like a lot of work to me, so I thought I'd try using the Alpine Spiced Cider Apple Flavor Drink Mix instead.  It worked perfectly and the cider flavor really shines through these candies.

Apple Cider Caramels

Makes approximately 64 candies

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 vanilla bean pod, split and scraped
1-1/4 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
4 packages Alpine Spiced Cider Apple Flavor Drink Mix

1. Heavily butter the bottom and sides of an 8x8 pan.

2. Bring cream, butter, vanilla, vanilla beans, pod, and sea salt to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside. 

3.  Stir the cider packages into the cream until it's dissolved.

4. Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

5.  Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.

6. Remove vanilla pods and carefully stir cream mixture into the caramel (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248 on a candy thermometer.

7. Pour into baking pan and cool 30 minutes.

8. Sprinkle another pinch or two of sea salt over the top of the caramel for a nice salty crunch and let sit until completely cooled.

9. Cut into 1-inch pieces (I buttered a pizza cutter), and store in an airtight container or wrap in waxed paper (directions below).

To wrap caramels: cut waxed paper into 4" squares.  Carefully roll each caramel into a small log and place in the center of the waxed paper.  Wrap paper around the caramels and twist the ends to seal.

White Chocolate Santa Mix

I was honored to share this recipe as part of the Bake, Craft and Sew along a couple weeks ago at A Southern Fairytale.  You can still enter the giveaway today here.  Now I'm happy to share it here in case you missed it...

We're 19 days from Christmas! Do you have your Christmas shopping done?

No?  Me neither!  But let's forget about Christmas shopping for a few minutes and talk about something much more exciting--White Chocolate Santa Mix!  This is a fantastic snack to make and have on hand for all your Christmas parties.  It would also make a fun Christmas gift. (hint hint)

If you have children, I think this would be a fun treat to make with them.  The most time consuming part is making the little Santa hats, but the end result is worth it!

White Chocolate Santa Mix

Makes about 20 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup red chocolate candy melts
1 cup Bugles
mini dehydrated marshmallows, if desired
2 cups Chex cereal
2 cups Cheerios cereal
2 cups popped popcorn
2 cups pretzels
1 cup Christmas M&Ms
1-1/2 cups white chocolate candy melts

1.  In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the red chocolate candy melts in the microwave.  I microwave for 30 seconds, then stir.  Then return to the microwave in 15 second increments until the chocolate is melted.

2.  Using a fork, dip the Bugles into the red chocolate and place coated Bugles on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.  Allow the red chocolate to harden.

3.  In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate candy melts in the microwave following the directions in step 1.

4.  Dip the wide end of the Bugles into the white chocolate to form the brim of the Santa hat.  Return to the wax paper lined cookie sheet.

5.  When the white chocolate has hardened, dip the tops of each hat into the white chocolate to form the pom-pom at the top of the hat. 

6.  If desired, place a mini marshmallow on top of the white chocolate.  Return the hats to the lined cookie sheet to dry.

7.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the Chex, Cheerios, popcorn, pretzels, and M&Ms.

8.  Pour melted white chocolate over the mixture and stir to coat thoroughly.

9.  Spread the chocolate coated mixture in an even layer onto 2 wax paper lined cookie sheets.  Sprinkle the Santa hats on top.

10.  Allow the white chocolate to cool completely before breaking the mixture apart and storing in an airtight container.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Last Monday was Mike's birthday.  We've carried on a tradition that both of us grew up with--choosing your birthday dinner.  Mike's family always went out to a restaurant, while my family got to choose any meal for one of my parents to prepare.  We do a mix of our family's traditions, choosing either a restaurant or a meal.  This year, Mike chose to have me make him a meal. 

At first he chose Hamburger Helper.  I questioned his choice, saying if he really wanted that, I would certainly make it, but that's something we could have any time.  He quickly changed his mind and requested meatloaf.  I asked him if there was any way he wanted the meatloaf prepared and he said he didn't have a preference.

I decided to  make a Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf.  Nothing about this meatloaf is remotely healthy--it contains bacon, cheese, and beef--but it was so good!  One of the reasons Mike chose meatloaf for dinner is because he loves to have meatloaf sandwiches for lunch at work.  Of course, with just the two of us eating dinner, we had plenty of meatloaf left over for him to enjoy a couple meatloaf sandwiches for lunch too.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 egg
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
8 slices bacon, fried crisp and broken into pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar

1.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg.

2.  Add the ground beef, bread crumbs, bacon pieces, cheddar cheese, and garlic powder to the egg and stir until completely combined.

3.  Press meat mixture into a bread pan.

4.  In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and brown sugar.

5.  Spread the ketchup mixture on top of the meatloaf.

6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, until the interior temperature is 165 degrees.

7.  Allow the meatloaf to cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.