Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Nutter Butter Balls




These bite size treats are delicious. If you love Nutter Butters or the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, then you are sure to love these. They aren't as sweet as the traditional peanut butter balls, but that only means you can eat more of them, right? I hope you enjoy!

  • 1 large package of Nutter Butter peanut butter and cookie sandwiches
  • 1 package (8 oz) of cream cheese
  • chocolate candy coating (about 4 cubes)
  • sprinkles for decoration
Use a food processor to process Nutter Butters to fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, use a large plastic bag and crush until fine crumbs.

Transfer crumbs to large bowl. Add cream cheese and use the back of a large spoon to combine cream cheese and crumbs until one large ball forms, or mixture is evenly distributed. Roll dough into small 1 1/2" balls and place on wax paper lined baking sheet (makes about 3 dozen). Place in refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes or until firm. Melt chocolate in small bowl in microwave , 2 cubes at a time, until smooth. Dip peanut butter balls in chocolate and roll around until covered. Carefully remove balls from chocolate using a small spoon or fork, tapping off the excess chocolate. Place on wax paper. Immediately sprinkle decorations before chocolate hardens. Continue with remaining balls. Refrigerate until served.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Southwest Spinach Artichoke Dip

Yum! This tasty appetizer can be the perfect beginning to your holiday get-together. It's really simple to throw together in a short amount of time. I hope you enjoy!
  • 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained & coarsely chopped
  • 1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed, softened
  • 1 can (4.5oz) Old El Paso chopped green chiles, drained
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
  • Tortilla chips
  1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. In medium bowl combine all ingredients except tortilla chips and pepper jack cheese; spoon into slow slow cooker.
  2. Cover; cook on LOW 2-3 hours.
  3. Stir in pepper jack cheese. Cover; cook on low about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  4. Serve with tortilla chips.

Graduation Pops

When I saw these on Bakerella, I instantly fell in love with the idea of making candy pops. I made these for my graduation party last weekend. I think people were too afraid to eat them because they were so cute. Simple to make and to eat; I hope you enjoy!

  • Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
  • Ghirardelli chocolate squares or similar
  • Twizzler's or pull-apart candy ropes, cut into 1 1/2-inch sections.
  • 1 square of melting chocolate (almond bark)
  • Mini M&Ms or Red Hots.
  • Lollipop sticks (available at a craft store)
  1. Place Reese's in freezer for approximately 5 minutes; this helps to take off the wrapper without taking chocolate with it. Unwrap Reese's and chocolate squares.
  2. Melt one square of melting chocolate. Dip lollipop stick into chocolate and then into the Reese's. Place dot of chocolate on top of Reese's and place square atop Reese's to create the graduation cap.
  3. Place dollop of chocolate on top of cap and attach M&M. Finally, draw a line out of chocolate on top of the cap using a toothpick and attach Twizzlers.
  4. Allow chocolate to dry and set up.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Need I say more?
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in to the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly mixed.
  3. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets or silicone baking mats.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven until the edges start to brown. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Chicken with Broccoli

Possibly my favorite slow cooker dish to date. Delicious! I was afraid at first to use cream cheese in a pasta dish, but it came out fantastic. It would also be great over rice. The following recipe serves 10-12 people, but I cut it down quite a bit. I hope you enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes Total Cooking Time: 4 hours

  • 4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pkg Italian salad dressing mix
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 can (10 1/4 ounces) condensed low-fat cream of chicken soup
  • 1 bag (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
  • 1 pkg (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry (cooking wine)
  • hot cooked pasta or rice
  1. Toss chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian salad dressing mix. Place in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 3 hours.
  2. Coat large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add mushrooms and onion; cook 5 minutes over medium heat until onions are tender, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add soup, broccoli, cream cheese, and sherry to skillet, cook and stir until hot.
  4. Transfer to slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW an additional hour.
  5. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta or rice.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

This is a tasty, easy to prepare dish that works great with shredded rotisserie chicken. Plus, you can make a little extra chicken for regular tacos, quesadillas, and so much more. Sorry, no picture of these, but click here for the link to Cooking Light's picture. Makes 4 burritos. I hope you enjoy!
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (I just used a white onion, chopped)
  • 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa
  • 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
  1. Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a small sauce pan. Stir in shredded chicken and onions.
  2. Combine beans and salsa. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp cheese. Roll up.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (non-stick skillet works best). Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 burritos (seam side down). Place a cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet on top of burritos. I covered my skillet bottom with foil to avoid sticking. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining two burritos.

353 calories per burrito.