Peanut Butter Bars

• 1 c. butter, melted
• 2 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. peanut butter

chocolate topping:

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet choc chips
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter

In a medium bowl, mix together butter, graham crackers, sugar and peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
In a glass bowl melt topping ingredients in the microwave, stirring often until smooth. Spread over prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting. Enjoy.

Recipe courtesy of: Sonja B. from Wisconsin

Cream Puffs

1. Puff

• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. butter (no substitutes!)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. flour
• 4 eggs

2. Filling

• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 (small, not ‘family size) box of instant pudding (your choice of flavor)
• 2 c. whipped cream

3. Topping

• chocolate almond bark

1. Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour in all at once. Combine until ingredients form a large ball. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly mixing the egg in before adding in the next. Drop by quarter cups into a greased baking dish at least 3 inches apart. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees. When done, set on a cooling rack and make a small slit into the sides of the puffs. Make sure that a pocket has formed inside each puff.
2. Beat pudding mix and milk together until thoroughly combined. Pudding will be extra thick since we are using a 3/4ths the amount of milk as directed on the box. Fold in 2 cups of whipped cream. Pour pudding mixture into a zip-lock bag, getting as much air our as possible. Snip off one of the corners on the bag making a small hole. Fill puffs by squeezing the pudding from the bag into the puff, filling the back of the pocket first.
3. Melt two squares of almond bark in the microwave, stirring frequently. Dip fork into melted almond bark and drizzle chocolate over each puff. Allow to set then serve!

tip: do NOT fill these if you do not plan on serving them immediately. Puff will become soggy. Instead, store completely cooled puffs in an air-tight container lined with a few paper towels and keep the zip-lock bag of pudding in the fridge. Filling and topping the cream puffs only takes a couple of minutes.

By the Bay Biscuits

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit knockoff!

• 2 c. Bisquick
• 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 2/3 c. milk
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

Combine Bisquick, cheese, and milk. Spoon 8-10 biscuits onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees. Combine melted butter, garlic powder, and Old Bay seasoning and spoon over hot biscuits.

Greek Salad

serves: 6-8

DRESSING

• 1 c. olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2-4 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tsp fresh minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

SALAD INGREDIENTS

• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2-3 roma tomatoes, cut in wedges
• 1 cucumber (peeled, seeded and chopped)
• 1 red onion, cut in slices
• 1 green bell pepper (seeded and sliced)
• 1/2 lb feta cheese, crumbled (or to taste)
• 1 cup kalamata olive

For the dressing, whisk the olive oil with lemon juice, oregano, garlic, basil, red wine vinegar, salt and sugar until smooth. Season with black pepper. Chill in fridge for a couple of hours before using to blend flavors.

Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to combine. Top with more feta if desired.


(I am not a fan of tomatoes or cucumbers, so I skipped them)

The Italian Surfer

My FAVORITE drink of all time. Guaranteed to be a hit.

• 1 part coconut rum
• 1 part amaretto liqueur
• 2 parts pineapple juice
• splash of cream (or half and half)

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

makes: 12 muffins

• 1 c. oatmeal
• 1 c. flour
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 c. apple sauce
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla

Combine dry ingredients together first, then stir in the remaining ingredients.

Irish Beer Bread

great bread recipe! crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

• 375 grams (3 cups sifted) all purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar
• 12 oz Guinness (or any beer)
• 1/4 c. melted butter

Mix dry ingredients. Sifting the flour is very important. If you are not able to do so, simply carefully spoon the flour into a measuring cup rather than packing it down. Pour in the beer and hand mix thoroughly. Pour the dough into a greased loaf pan, then top with the melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.

Crumb-Topped Banana Muffins

makes 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. melted butter

topping:

• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cold, sliced butter

Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mash bananas, butter, and the egg together. Add to dry ingredients and mix. Spoon into greased muffin pan. Combine ingredients for the topping and sprinkle onto the muffins prior to baking. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.