Oreo Peppermint Cookies by Inside BruCrew Life

These look delicious, and fun to make for a holiday party!

What you need:

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. flour
1/4 c. dark cocoa powder
1 egg
2 c. oreo cookie chunks
1 c. peppermint patty pieces(the chocolate candies, not the actual patties)


What to do:

Preheat oven to 350* In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in both sugars. Add the egg and beat again. Stir in the baking powder, cocoa powder, and flour. Add the oreo chunks and patty pieces and stir by hand to distribute. Do this gently so you don't break up the chunks of oreos more. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Dipping Spoons by Simply Designing

What a great holiday idea! This would be fun to do with small children or as a gift for Christmas!

What you need:

-spoons (plastic)

- chocolate to melt

- candy, sprinkles, etc. for toppings

What to do:

- Dip spoon in melted chocolate and decorate! Simple!

Laptop Snuggie Giveaway by Love Stitched

I love these laptop snuggies!!! Check out this website link to see how to win this one by Love Stitched...

Hurry up and visit here!

link : http://www.lovestitched.com/?p=3882

The contest ends December 29th! Good Luck!

Santa's Hat Brownie Dessert by Cleverly Inspired Blog

This is such a cute idea!!

Check out her blog to get the recipe!

http://cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com/2011/12/santas-hat-brownie-dessert.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Cleverlyinspired+%28cleverlyinspired%29

Roasted Tomato Feta and Mushroom Stuffed Porkchops by Alicia

Made these the other night for dinner, they are simple to make and really good!

Roasted Tomato Feta and Mushroom Stuffed Porkchops

What you need:

- 2 thinly sliced porkchops (boneless)

- 1 cup mushrooms

- 1 shallot

-1 clove garlic

- Roasted Tomato Feta Cheese

- Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

1. Cook garlic (chopped) and shallot (chopped) with about 1 Tb. of olive oil on skillet until cooked through (soft)

1. Put raw chops in a large ziploc bag and pound meat with tenderizer until flattened out a bit

2. Once flattened, add handful of mushrooms and fets to center of meat. Add a pinch of cooked garlic and shallot.

3. secure both ends together and press toothpicks through one side of meat through the other side.

4. Line a glass baking dish with foil and place the chops inside.

5. Cook about 25-30 min (depending on thickness of meat and how many chops you have) (or until center reads 165 degrees... 175 degrees if you like it well done)

6. Let cool and enjoy! You can add salt and pepper to taste!

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip by The Scrap Shoppe

I actually make a recipe very similar to this each year for Christmas, but in a bread bowl... it is so good for dipping bread cubes or crackers!

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

What you need:

1 10-oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 c. shredded parmesan-romano cheese mix

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

10 oz. prepared alfredo sauce

1 tsp. minced garlic

4 oz. softened cream cheese

Pepper (optional)

I loved this recipe because it was so easy!

The only ingredient that needed any work was the artichokes.

They just needed a little chopping!

Then dump in all of the other ingredients and mix them up thoroughly.

Spread in an 8x8" dish.  Then bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cheese are bubbling and melted.

Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies by Cookin Cowgirl

These look delicious! Maybe for a cookie swap or a holiday party?

Mint Chocolate Chunk Cookies

      makes 32

1 1.5oz pouch Berry Crocker sugar cookie recipe

1/2 C butter, softened

8 drops green food coloring

1 egg

1 C Nestle After Eight mint chocolate thins, chopped

1/2 C semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cookie pouch, egg, butter and food coloring. Stir until combined. Stir in mint chunks and chocolate chips. Roll dough into balls and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes and remove. 

Simple yet yummy!

Tater Tot Turkey Sausage Breakfast Casserole by The Cookin Cowgirl

This recipe looks so good! I will have to try it one weekend morning!

Tater Tot Turkey Sausage Breakfast Casserole

   What you need:

2 lb bag of tater tots, thawed

1 lb ground turkey sausage

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cups 2% cheddar cheese (or cheese blend), divided

4 large eggs

1 1/2 C skim milk

1 T hot sauce

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375°. Lay thawed tater tots out on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes to make sure the moisture is cooked out. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sausage and onion. Drain off fat and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add the milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Pour sausage and onion mixture in a 9X13 pan.

Layer 1 1/2 cups of the cheese over the sausage mixture.

Pour the egg and milk mixture over that.

Line the entire pan with the tater tots (every single one fit perfectly, it's like a sign or something that you should make this!)

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Pull out of the oven and top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and bake for a remaining 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.

Serves 8

Holiday Cheese Ball by Kellogs

This looked like a fun recipe to try for an appetizer!

Holiday Cheese Ball

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 oz., 2cups) shredded, sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon pimento
• 1 tablespoon chopped green bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 cup Kellogg's® All-Bran® Original cereal

Directions

1. Let cheeses stand at room temperature to soften. In small electric mixer bowl, beat cheeses until thoroughly blended and fluffy. 

2. Add onion, pimiento, green pepper, paprika and garlic salt. Beat until well combined. Shape into ball.

 

3. Roll in KELLOGG'S ALL-BRAN cereal. Wrap and chill. Before serving, let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Serve with crackers.

Pouches on Etsy

I am currently hooked on cute pouch purses for phones, makeup, cameras, you name it! I have found some really cute ones on Etsy that I wanted to share!

Paper Flora

Bags of a Feather

Sewing with Me 3

Maddie Kay Handbags

Love all these shops!!

Tote bags by Oh Sweet Joy's Blog

These bags are so cute! Check them out!

You can order them online here at:

http://ohsweetjoy.bigcartel.com/product/exclusive-arianna-totes

Individual Apple Crisps by Cleverly Inspired

These are adorable and look so good! I will have to make a couple of these!

Individual Apple Crisps

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30-40 minutes Level: easy Servings: 8

Filling:

• 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped small
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the filling:

Mix all the ingredients together. Place into 7 to 8-ounce ramekins.

For the topping:

Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.

Bake crisps for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies by My Blessed Life

These look delicious! I will have to put them on the list of Christmas cookies to make this year!

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2/3 c butter, softened
• 2/3 cup raw sugar {You can use brown}
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 c. oats {I used quick oats because it’s what I had}
• 1 1/2 c. flour {I used spelt flour}
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. dried cranberries
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy then add eggs and mix well.  Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl then add to butter mixture in several additions. Mix well after each addition.

Stir in craisins and chocolate chips.  Create rounded cookie dough balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Pumpkin Blender Pancakes by Persia Lou

These look so good for a Saturday morning!! Check them out!

Pumpkin Blender Pancakes

To see how to make these check out her tutorial at:

http://persialou.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-blender-pancakes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PersiaLou+%28Persia+Lou%29

Pork Chops and Apples by allrecipes.com

I love the taste of apples and pork, so I made this recipe!

Pork Chops and Apples

What you need:

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 Tb. butter

6 pork chops

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

3 medium apples- sliced

1 c. water

3 Tb. brown sugar

1/2 Tb. dry mustard 

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

cinnamon

What to do:

1. Saute the onion in butter until soft-- remove

2. Brown the chops in butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper

3. Put chops in baking dish, add onions, cover with apples

4. Add water, brown sugar, dry mustard and cinnamon

5. Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees covered, 15 min uncovered

Potato Topped Beef Bowl by BHG

I also made this meal for Tyler one night when it was cold outside, it was perfect comfort food!

Potato Topped Beef Bowl

What you need:

1 lb. ground beef

1 (16 oz) pkg mixed veggies

1 (8 oz) pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c. fresh parsley

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 c. boiling water

2 c. instant mashed potatoes (flakes)

2 Tb. butter melted

What to do:

1. Preheat broiler-- in large skillet cook beef until brown

2. Stir in frozen veggies-- stir in 1/2 cheese, 1/2 parsley and 1/2 salt and pepper

3. In a large bowl, mix together water, instant potatoes, 1 Tb. butter and stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper

4. Put the beef mixture into oven dish, top with potatoes and cheese

5. Broil for 2-3 min.

6. Drizzle with remaining butter and sprinkle with parsley

Hummus Crusted Chicken by BHG

I made this for Tyler a few weeks ago and it was really good!

Hummus Crusted Chicken

What you need:

1- (15-16) oz. can navy beans, rinsed and drained

3 Tb. olive oil

3 Tb. lime or lemon juice

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

2 c. bread crumbs

salt and pepper

lemon wedges

2 Tb. olive oil (for pan)

What to do:

Hummus:

1. Blend (in blender) beans, 3 Tb. olive oil, lime or lemon juice.... blend until smooth. Set aside 1/3 c. of hummus for later use

Chicken:

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, spread with remaining hummus and roll in bread crumbs

2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

3. Add chicken ,cook until no pink (about 12 min)-- turning once

4. Serve with lime wedges and left over hummus

Muskoglia-- recipe from my mom

We grew up having this casserole, it is so good and Tyler loves it!!

Muskoglia

What you need:

- 1 box of macaroni noodles

- 2 cans of tomato soup

- 1 large can of peas (do not drain)

- 1 lb. of hamburger meat

- cheddar cheese

-salt and pepper to taste

-2 celery stalks

- 1/4 c. onion

-Brown hamburger meat in a pan on the stove

- cook noodles until al dente

-Combine all ingredients into large baking dish (except cheese), sprinkle cheese over the top

- Bake at 350 degrees for an hour

-uncover and continue to bake for another 15 minutes

-Let cool and enjoy!

Strawberry Jam by Matha Stewart

Tyler loves Strawberry jam, so I think I will make this for him!

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

• 1 quart hulled strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. In a food processor, process strawberries until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large skillet and stir in sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high, stirring frequently, until jam is thickened and bubbles completely cover surface, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer jam to a jar and let cool to room temperature. (To store, seal jar and refrigerate, up to 10 days).

Orange Marmalade by Martha Stewart

Tyler's dad loves orange marmalade, I think I will try and make some for when they come for Thanksgiving!

Orange Marmalade

What you need:

• 8 Seville oranges, 6 oranges peeled, peels cut into 1/3-inch pieces, flesh seeded and coarsely chopped; 2 oranges quartered, thinly sliced, and seeded
• 2 lemons, quartered, thinly sliced, and seeded
• 1 1/2 quarts cold water
• Sugar

Directions

1. Bring fruit, peels, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, cover, and let cool. Refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 1 day).
2. Freeze a plate. Uncover citrus mixture, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until thickest peel is tender, about 20 minutes. Measure mixture, and return to pan. For each cup of mixture, add 3/4 cup sugar.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook until mixture registers 220 degrees to 222 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 20 minutes. To test for doneness of marmalade: Drop a spoonful on frozen plate. If marmalade has a slight film when pushed with a finger, it's done. If it spreads out and thins immediately, continue cooking, and test again after a few minutes. Transfer marmalade to airtight containers, cover, and let cool at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight before serving. (Marmalade will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 month.)

Strawberry Butter by Martha Stewart

I have always wanted to make flavored butter for toast in the mornings-- this one looks so good!

Strawberry Butter

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup hulled and coarsely chopped fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and salt until light about 1 minute. Add strawberries and beat until combined, but not totally uniform.
2. Transfer to ramekins or small serving dishes. Chill until ready to serve, or transfer to 2 sheets of plastic wrap, roll each into log, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw before using. Serve at room temperature.

Spiced Carrot Muffins by Martha Stewart

I really wanted to bake some muffins this morning, so I think I will try these!

Spiced Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups plain yogurt
• 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups peeled, shredded carrots (about 5 medium)

Directions

1. Line 12 cups (each 2 1/2 inches wide) of a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, pumpkin-pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, butter, and egg. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add yogurt mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in carrots.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. (If desired, muffins can be baked immediately in a 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes.) Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes, then cover tin with plastic wrap, and freeze until ready to bake, up to 3 months.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake muffins (still frozen) until a toothpick inserted in center of one comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Peppermint Oreo Cookie Balls by Kraft Foods

These look perfect to make for a Christmas dessert!!

Peppermint Oreo Cookie Balls

What you need:

6 candy canes, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup), divided

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg. (16.6 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed

2 pkg.  (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

RESERVE 1 Tbsp. chopped candy. Mix remaining candy with cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended.

SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Sprinkle with reserved candy.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.