Super Bowl Chocolate/ Peanut Butter Brownies/Blog Hop

Who can resist a Chocolate Peanut Butter
Brownie???? These are actually very similar to
the Chocolate Mint Brownies we did before.

These turned out to taste really good...They
are a little rich but you can control that by the
the size you cut each one. Hope you like
them.. P.S. These would be a great addition
to any Super Bowl Party.
RECIPE
Bottom Layer:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
4 lg. eggs, beaten (FYI: the original recipe in
Cooking Light replaces 2 of these 4 eggs with
1/2 c. egg substitute...that's what I did for this
recipe)
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
8oz. chocolate syrup (1/2 of a 16oz. can)

Peanut Butter Layer
2 c. powered sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 Tbsp. milk (I used non-fat, but you can
probably use whatever you have)

Chocolate Glaze
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
TO PREPARE BOTTOM LAYER:
Combine flour & salt..whisk set aside.
Combine sugar, 1/4 c. melted butter,
2 Tbsp. water, vanilla, eggs & chocolate
syrup in a medium bowl; beat with mixer
til smooth. Slowly add flour mixture to
chocolate stirring until blended.

BATTER WILL BE THIN! Pour batter
into 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with
cooking spray.

BAKE at 350F. for 23 min. or until a
wooden toothpick inserted comes out
almost clean. COOL completely in pan
on wire rack.

PREPARE PEANUT BUTTER LAYER:
Combine powdered sugar, 1/2 c. melted
butter, peanut butter, & milk. SEE BELOW:

Make sure bottom layer is completely COOLED
before frosting..
Frost bottom layer with Peanut Butter filling as
seen BELOW:
TO PREPARE CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
Combine the chocolate chips & 3 Tbsp. melted
butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
MICROWAVE ON HIGH for 1 minute or
until melted.(stirring every 30 sec) Let stand
2 min.

Spread chocolate mixture evenly over the top.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut & Serve...and Enjoy the delicious taste.

Valentine's Day Dessert

Here is a FAST & EASY Dessert for the ones you
love... It's just a Chocolate brownie cut out with a
heart shaped cookie cutter...topped with a scoop
of vanilla ice cream, Chocolate sauce dipping
down the sides..& a Chocolate heart place on top!!!
It looks harder than it is..I promise...

RECIPE
1 box of Brownie mix (any kind)
ingredients for brownies (eggs, oil, & water usually)
vanilla ice cream

For Chocolate Hearts on Top:
1 bag chocolate melts (like in previous post..from
Walmart or Michael's)

For Chocolate Sauce:
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Make brownies as directed on back of pkg.
(cool & set aside)

2) To make Chocolate Hearts
Take 1/2 a bag of chocolate melts and microwave
for 1 min. on 50% power...then continue at 30 sec.
intervals at 50% power stirring after each one
(until smooth & shiny)

(Line a baking sheet with wax paper for the hearts
to be placed on & to dry)

Take melted chocolate & put into baggie (that
is not pleated) or small Ziplock bag with spoon.
Grab & twist bag tightly at top so chocolate doesn't
come out & cut a tiny bit off the corner so you have
a small hole that you "write" a heart on the prepared
baking sheet. Make as many hearts as the baggie will
hold or that you need. Let cool (I put them in the
refrigerator to speed up the process.) Set them aside

For Chocolate Sauce:
Melt chocolate chips in microwave @ 50% power
for 1 min & then 30 sec. intervals until melted
(Stirring after each interval) stir in cream slowly
to blend & is smooth & shiny

Putting it all together:
1) Cut brownies with heart shaped cookie cutter
2) With ice cream scoop put 1 scoop of vanilla ice
cream on top of brownie
3) Make sure the Chocolate sauce is warm & with
teaspoon drip some sauce on top of ice cream.
4) Place a Chocolate Heart on top of ice cream &
Chocolate sauce....

Superbowl Football Brownies/Blog Hop

Here for the Blog Hop?? Show us what you
have been working on.. It's Below the recipe.
Please link up & show us your talent. We can't
wait to see...

Are you thinking about what kind of foods
to have at your next get together..whether a
"Superbowl Party" or just having friends
over anytime..???

You don't want to be in the kitchen..you
want to be with family & friends..& enjoying
the memories your making. So with that being
said I am going to be giving you a fun recipe that
hopefully makes a 'Touchdown" at your next get
together.

You can make these the day before. These Chocolate
Brownie Footballs are adapted from Betty Crocker.
Thanks Betty.

RECIPE
1 box of your favorite brownie mix (Lg size)
(water, eggs, & vegetable oil called for on mix)

1 tub of white frosting or icing in a tube

Chocolate Ganache
4 (1 oz) semi-sweet chocolate squares
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9"x 13" pan
with foil so that foil extends about 2" over
short sides of pan. Grease bottom only of
foil with cooking spray. SEE BELOW



2) Make & bake brownies as directed on box for a
9x13 pan using water, oil & eggs. COOL for 1 hr.

3) When cooled take out of pan with foil & flip over on to surface (breadboard, etc.) for cutting out the
footballs.

Peel off aluminum foil and make a template of a
"Football" (abt 3 1/2" x 2") SEE BELOW

If this is all you want to do then just use white icing

to put "Laces" on the football & your done.

OR

4) If you would like to make a ganache then proceed

with taking 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, 3 Tbsp.

butter getting it hot on stove. (watching to not burn)

Add semi-sweet chocolate squares & blend together

to make ganache. SEE BELOW

It should have a beautiful glisten.

5) BELOW shows the way I did the dipping.
I hand dipped one side of the brownie & put on
cookie rack to dry.
Then after they have dried I put white frosting
into a icing bag (with a small round hole tip) &
decorated the footballs with "Laces." I was happy
with the way they turned out..and they were a big
hit with friends & family.

Super Bowl Rib/Mon. Blog Hop

Blog Hop is below recipe...Show us your great ideas.

I've made Country Style Boneless Ribs for a lot
of years but these are different...I experimented with
the recipe & found some Great flavors (the Dijon
mustard gives it a KICK) to blend in the sauce & a
different way to bake them!! Soooooooo..of course I
wanted to share these ideas with you guys....

Here goes: Pre-heat oven to 250F.

RECIPE
3 -3 1/2 lbs. of Country Style pork or beef ribs (I used boneless)
1 tsp. minced garlic
dash of garlic powder
dash of salt
dash of pepper
BBQ Sauce
2 c. Honey BBQ sauce
1 1/2 c. Brown sugar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Directions:
Line a 9 x 13" pan with aluminum foil
over lapping the sides enough to fold
over top of ribs.

Place Country Stye ribs in pan and sprinkle both
sides with garlic powder, salt, pepper, &
minced garlic. AS SEEN BELOW

Fold aluminum foil over & place in pre-heated
250F. oven and bake for 2 hrs.

While ribs are baking, mix together Brown sugar,

Honey BBQ Sauce, & Dijon mustard into a

beautiful basting glaze. SEE BELOW

After baking for 2 hrs. take ribs out of

oven, drain excess water and grease from

pan, & baste ribs with glaze....put back in

oven for 1 hr..Take out...Optional: baste 1

more time for an even thicker glaze and put

back in the oven for 10 more minutes.. Throw out any un-used sauce since you have been

using a brush back & forth touching raw meat..so for

health reasons you would not use any left

over sauce. After.. Tender, juicy & succulent!!!!

After you make these..you'll have to keep them

hidden or they'll be gone...Before dinner. That's

what my family told me..so be forewarned..

These would be a SUPER football party food.

The glaze could be even put over wings or chicken
legs. Deliciousssssssssssssssss.....Enjoy..

Valentine's Day Gifts (made from Vinyl Decals)

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas....here are some fun Vinyl Decal
items I made that are currently in my ETSY Shoppe..Take a
Peek..CLICK HERE

Favorite 3 Bean Chili

I took 2 completely different recipes from 2
different generations & mixed them together,
omitted some other ingredients & came up with this.
I wanted something that would be especially
nutritious for my family. Great on a cold evening.

My daughter let me know in past weeks how
much she loves black beans, & how good they
are for you sooo I wanted black beans, kidney
beans, & veggies in it plus some lean gr. beef..
but not too spicy.. This is what I came
up with.

Hope you enjoy this as I much as I had coming
up with it....

RECIPE
1 lb. lean ground beef, crumbled
1 yellow skinned onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 (14.5oz.) can of crushed tomatoes (not drained)
1 can of tomato soup
1 (15oz.) can of black beans (not drained)
1 (15.25oz.) can of kidney beans (not drained)
1 (16oz.) can of Fat Free refried beans
1 Tbsp. chili powder (more for a spicier chili)
1 c. water

Directions:
In a deep pot combine onions, ground beef, &
garlic. Brown these together (drain off any grease)
Add 1 can of tomato soup, can of crushed tomatoes,
black beans, & kidney beans. Cook on med. heat for
about 10 min. Season with chili powder (to your
taste) Blend in refried beans & water. Simmer
for 10 min or until all are ingredients are blended
together.. Taste...add more of any thing you like....

Toppings
shredded cheese
chopped scallions
tortilla Chips

Re-opening of santasgiftshoppe/Mon. Blog Hop

It has been a wonderful vacation & now it's time to
re-open our ETSY store...this Wed. Jan.11th, 2012.

Above are a few of the Vinyl Decals for Aluminum
Water Bottles (or any smooth surface) available for
purchase @ santasgiftshoppe.etsy.com starting Wed.

What have you been making?? Join our Mon. Blog Hop
and show us your talents...Link up below...

2012 New Year's Breakfast (Aebleskivers)/Fav.Post Blog Hop

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas..
We still have one more to go for our out
of town kids..Our Christmas' go on til
around Jan. 8th..We love this time of
year so we don't mind.

The Blog Hop is your Fav. Post for 2011.
(It's below the recipe) Please put your
link us for all of us to check out.

I hope you are looking forward to 2012
with wonder..

Here is a wonderful BREAKFAST RECIPE
(to start 2012 with) that my mom loved
to give us thru the year not just Christmas
time. It's even better if you have homemade
Jams to go with them!

We hope you will love it as much as we
do & start your own Holiday tradition
of Aebleskivers in your home.

How to make Aebleskivers....It's even
hard to pronouce but I hope to
show you how through this tutorial.

THE TOP PHOTO SHOWS YOU THE END
RESULT (or what we hope they will look like)
with a selection of my homemade jams: Straw-
berry/Boysenberry, Strawberry/Raspberry/
Blueberry, & Strawberry/Blackberry..Ymmm!!

This is a family tradition. I hope my mom
is looking down & smiling about this wonderful
tradition she passed on to us & now to you &
your family. She was Norwegian (& was
raised by her Norwegian grandmother who
did not speask any English)

One of her favorite places was Solvang (a Danish
Community by Santa Barbara/Buellton area..
Calif.) where she got her pan (as well as I did)

According to Wikipedia, Aebleskiver
(Danish meaning apple slices, are traditional
Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a
sphere) They have been described as a cross
between a pancake & a popover... They are light
& fluffy & delicious with jams & confectioners
sugar or syrup & butter...

RECIPE

Mix together:
1 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt

Beat together with a whisk or fork:
1 C. Buttermilk
2 Eggs
1 C. Sour Cream

Below: are some of the dry ingredients (I only
had dry Buttermilk which when mixed with water
is the same as regular buttermilk) I hope that doesn't
confuse you...I should not have had the buttermilk
in the picture or sour cream.



Below: These are the dry ingredients: Flour, Baking Soda,
Baking Powder & Salt in a bowl.

Below: These are the wet ingredients: Buttermilk,
Eggs, & Sour Cream

Below: This is how it looks mixed together (dry
& wet ingredients)

Below: This is the original Aebleskiver Pan..
You can get the original in Solvang or probably
online...Now I see similar ones everywhere..but
I don't know if they heat the same or are as
heavy & sturdy as this one is..It should last a
lifetime.



To Make: Combine the dry & wet ingredients
until smooth..put 1/2-1 tsp. oil in each space in
the aebleskiver pan. (I tried several different
ways: Non-stick spray burnt them, not enough
oil made the outside mushy, butter would probably
burn) The Canola Oil worked well..
Heat the pan until Hot...You should hear
the oil sizzle...before adding the batter.
Below shows you how they bubble like
regular pancakes (when they are ready to be
turned)

This is the tricky part..The Solvang people
say to turn them in 1/4 turns..Which I have tried
to show you here in the following 4 photos.

You can turn them completely over the first
time but it will be a flatter sphere & not as
fluffly inside..It should be round all the way around.

My mother turned them with a knitting needle..I
found a wooden skewer grabbed it the best.
I have seened people use a fork to turn them as well.

Below: This shows you how they should

look when done...Crisp on the outside &

soft/fluffy on the inside...

After you put them on your serving plate sprinkle

Powdered Sugar on top (either with a special

can for sprinkling or take a sifter..here is a smaller

sifter size for rolls & such)

and now dip them into your favorite jam or

melted butter & syrup....is your mouth

watering yet???

AND ENJOY!!!!

Turkey/Cranberry Braid/Wreath/Blog Hop

Sorry it's been a while since I posted but the Etsy Store
has been unbelievably busy & I just mailed the last order
for the year today.

Here is a great idea to use any leftover turkey you may
have in your freezer. I have done this recipe with turkey,
chicken & ham & they all are wonderful.

Ohhh...This is sooo good!!! My daughter
gave me this wonderful recipe for a
CHICKEN/CRANBERRY BRAID....This
is in a braid but you can make it into a great
Christmas Wreath!

Looking for the BLOG HOP?? It's BELOW.............

I changed the original recipe from Turkey
to Chicken.. Ham would work, too. The
flavors are sooo incredible...the Swiss Cheese
melting into the Chicken...the Cranberries
bursting with flavor & sweetness, along with
the crispness of Celery, crunch of Walnuts,
& the little bite that comes with the Dijon
mustard....Quite a WOW combination...

This recipe comes from the"Season's Best
Recipe Collection" 2000 from Pampered
Chef...



Below: is the "Pampered Chef....Stone."
They have some great recipes & ideas...I never
knew what a "Stone" was to cook on until I was
invited to a Pampered Chef Party many yrs. ago.

Some of the things "a stone" does is to cook Pizza,
Cookies, & this Braid thoroughly.... You don't
have to worry about the middle being cooked
all the way through as well as the edges....It
just does it.....
Recipe
2 pkgs. Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 c. cooked chicken (chopped)
1/2 c. celery (sliced)
3 Tbsp. parsley (fresh or dried)
1 c. Swiss cheese (shredded)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts ( I used 3/4 c.)

1 egg (for gloss from egg wash on top of braid)
Bake @ 350F. for 25 min. (ovens may vary)

In a bowl mix all ingredients together...set aside

Unroll the pkgs of crescent rolls..Place triangle
pieces on stone layered (a little on top of each other)
as shown below....Put straight side down the middle
& pinch/push together to make stick...

Above: shows how to place the unwrapped crescent
triangles...& push them together so they stick...

Next Below: Mix the ingredients together


Now Below: Scoop the mixture onto the
dough (down the middle) A large Cookie
Scoop works great...

Next Below: Take one triangle at a time and

fold over (one side then the other) It looks

mummy like..Ha! It'll look great after you put on

the egg wash...

Above: Beat the egg with a fork or whisk and

use a pastry brush to brush back & forth over the

entire braid for a beautiful gloss & flakey crust.

And out of the oven it comes..Beautiful...

Doesn't it look delicious???? It tastes

as good as it looks...It would Great for

a Super Bowl party...It's great for Turkey

leftovers...Chicken... Ham...

Let me know how you like it......Yummmm...
Now let's see what you have been doing....
Blog Hop below..