“Why is it so hard to find an exercise bike with a nice little basket where I can put my nachos?” ~ Ron Alderson

February 9, 2015February 11, 2015Leave a comment

If you are like me and should always be watching what you put in your mouth but never really want to – this quick little jewel of an idea is a great compromise.

It is great for an afternoon snack, a family dessert or can be taken to a party or get together.

And you don’t have to feel too guilty.

The wonderful bonus is how SIMPLE it is to create.

Caramel Apple Nachos

Pre-sliced bag of Granny Smith Apples
Tub of Caramel apple dip
Mini Chocolate Chips
Salted peanuts, chopped

**The amounts would be determined by how much you are making.**

Layer apples on a serving platter.

In a glass bowl, melt caramel dip in microwave until soft enough to drizzle.

Drizzle (amount up to you) caramel over apples.

Sprinkle chocolate chips and peanuts on top.

Serve immediately.

-abp

“If I can’t have too many truffles, I’ll do without truffles.” ~ Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

January 16, 2013January 16, 20134 Comments

A few days ago I had some time left over on a cold rainy day after throwing together a super simple crock pot meal (Honey Sauced Chicken) so I decided I would mix up a batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles.

FYI – all the bowl and spoon licking that occurred during this process totally cancelled out my first trip to the gym this year, the one I had been so proud of mere minutes earlier. (Let this be a warning to you.)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles (adapted from Bakerella)

10 ounces of cream cheese softened
8 ounces milk chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter
1 Tablespoon confectioners sugar
Toppings of your choice to roll the truffles in (i.e. – chopped peanuts, confectioner sugar, cocoa)

Start by creaming the cream cheese in the mixture.

In the mean time, melt the chocolate chips in a glass bowl in 30 second intervals in the microwave.

Stir peanut butter into melted chocolate. Mix well.

Pour chocolate/PB mixture into cream cheese and add powdered sugar. Stir until completely combined.

Spread into an 8 x 8 dish and chill for several hours or overnight.

Once chilled, scoop out with a spoon or melon ball sized scoop and roll into balls. Re-chill if necessary.

Roll truffles in topping of your choice.

Place in fun candy sized cups.

Keep refrigerated.

(P.S. the next night I rolled them in chopped peanuts – that’s my fav!)

I can not describe to you how sinfully good these are!!! The only downfall is they are pretty gooey so its a little difficult to roll but they are so good – I don’t care.

I must admit because of this I ate more out of the spoon than I did in ball form. 😉

Have a good one!

abp

“A human being isn’t an orchid, he must draw something from the soil he grows in.” – Sara Jeannette Duncan

August 11, 2012November 18, 20121 Comment

Today is a good, no great day!!! For two reasons – 1) It’s Friday!! 2) It’s the first day that I feel back to normal. Wednesday I was starting to wonder if that would ever be the case!

So after work, I headed to the store to get to the couple of items I needed to make Salted Nut Bars or as I have renamed them – Friday Paydays . And when I walked in, there were the most gorgeous orchids I had ever seen!! (at Winn Dixie – I know) Considering I am still in mourning because the orchid I had been nurturing for the past several months had faded away a few weeks ago – there was no question that one of those beauties were coming home with me!! Of course, the one I wanted was the one on the top and my short self looked like a spaz try to reach it with out knocking over all the others. Oh well, nothing new about that.

Here she is!!!!

Okie Doke – on to the Friday Paydays. I call them that because it’s Friday, many people get paid on Friday and they taste a whole lot like the Payday candy bar.

They are also addicting. I’m typing with sticky fingers because I can’t stop eating them long enough to finish this post!

These are quite simple to make. 5 ingredients and no baking!

(I found this recipe on the blog Bake or Break.)

3 cups salted peanuts (no skins), divided
2 & 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 cups peanut butter chips
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 cups miniature marshmallows
kosher salt or sea salt, optional

Start by layering half the peanuts in the bottom of a 7″x11″ baking dish.

Over low heat, melt butter and peanut chips, stir til smooth.

Now, mix in the sweetened condensed milk.

Once this is combined – stir in marshmallows until melted and smooth.

Pour mixture over peanuts.

Sprinkle the remaining peanuts on top.

If you prefer more saltly with your sweet and salty snack – add a little sea salt or kosher salt.

Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Cut into bars.

Weeelllll, I did this and they taste absolutely fabulous but they didn’t set up perfectly. You can cut them into bars and eat them but if you stored them cut they would kind of want to stick to each other because they are fairly soft/sticky.

This by no means is to deter you from making these, I just hate that I couldn’t really box them up pretty and give as a gift. Seems to be better served from the baking dish.

Regardless – they are yum yum good!!!

They finished off our dinner perfectly. BTW – we had spaghetti with this new pasta sauce I found at publix that had whole roasted garlic cloves in it – AWESOME! (I doctored it up a little of course ;))

Take a look.

Now off for a walk and then in the bed to watch the first of the three Bourne movies so I’m ready to go see the new Bourne Legacy movie at the theater this weekend!

’til later

abp