Suzett's Peanut Butter Oat Bars

When  I was in Seattle visiting my friend Dana, I was re-introduced to these great bars. Dana's boys are allergic to wheat and dairy and these bars were easy to adapt to the dietary restrictions. Dana was surprised and touched that a friend (Suzett) thought of her and her family's needs when she delivered this yummy treat. These are super easy !! I line my baking dish with parchment paper to aid in the removal of these bars. They can be sticky so don't forget to grease your pan.


Peanut Butter Oat Bars

(Printable Version)

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

¼ cup peanut butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups quick-cooking oats

Topping:

1/3-cup peanut butter

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

·     In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla

·     Gradually add the oats

·     Press into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan

·     Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown

·     Cool for 5 minutes

·     Meanwhile, for topping, melt chips and peanut butter in a saucepan over very low heat

·     Stir until smooth and spread over warm bars.

·     Cool completely and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before cutting

Rainbow Cake

Today is my son Kellan's 19th birthday, When I asked him what kind of cake he wanted he said "surprise me" .... That is exactly what I did. This fabulous cake was found at the idea room . Kellan thought it was the coolest thing ever. It tasted great.

I took two white cake mixes and mixed them up in a large bowl according to the directions on the box. Then I divided the batter into 6 different bowls. Each bowl ended up with about 1 and 3/4 cups of batter each. Then I mixed some food coloring into each bowl to get my rainbow colors. I used the gel food colors rather than the liquid drops. Bake each layer at 350* for approx 12 minutes.

After all the cake layers have cooled, place your bottom layer (purple) onto your cake plate. Add a thin layer of frosting. Place your blue cake layer on top of the frosting. Continue in this manner until you have added all your cake layers.

The frosting recipe used for this cake is as follows:(*I added  cream cheese to original recipe in place of 1/2 the butter)
Place 1sticks of salted butter, and 8oz of cream cheese at room temperature (otherwise you will get chunks of butter in your frosting), into mixer and whip together until nice and smooth. Then add 1 tsp of vanilla. Gradually add about  ¾ of a bag (regular size about 6 cups? ) of powdered sugar (Confectioner’s sugar). It will be a bit chunky and not very smooth. Gradually add 1 tsp. of milk while mixing frosting. If it is still not the consistency you desire, add another tsp of milk until you get a nice thick frosting that is smooth. Then fold in 1 tub of Cool Whip. That’s it. This makes a very light and creamy frosting. This is just enough for frosting this BIG cake. Make sure to go easy on the frosting between layers so you have enough to cover the entire cake.

Porcupine Meatballs and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Tonight we made an old family favorite Porcupine Meatballs ,  I paired them with some yummy potatoes I found at the sisters cafe  .

We have always like these, it is a nice change from traditional meatloaf.

Porcupine Meatballs (Printable Version)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

• In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Add beef and mix
• well. shape into 1-1/2-in. balls. In a large skillet, brown
• meatballs in oil; drain. Combine tomato sauce, water, brown sugar
• and Worcestershire sauce; pour over meatballs. Reduce heat; cover
• and simmer for 1 hour. Yield: 4-6 servings.
•  

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 each) equals 284 calories, 14 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 50 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 17 g protein.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (Printable Version)

3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/4 lb. butter

1/2-1 c. milk

1/2 c. sour cream

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper*

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until very tender.  Meanwhile heat the butter and milk in small sauce pan (or in microwave).  Drain potatoes.  While still hot, place the potatoes in a big bowl.  Slowly add the milk and butter mixture, sour cream, salt, and pepper.  Mix until the potatoes are mashed but not completely smooth.

Fluffy Sweet Cream Biscuits

 

I have made lots of biscuits in my day and they all require cutting the fat into the flour . This recipe is very different in that there is no use of shortening or butter in the dough. Todays recipe comes from Melanie at my kitchen cafe . 

This is the absolute perfect light and  fluffy biscuit that left the whole family wanting more. Because it was a new recipe I made a single batch. When I make them again , a double batch is definitely in order.

Cream Biscuits (Printable Version)
*Made about 10-12 biscuits

3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and (if using) sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, gently press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. It does not need to be completely smooth across the top. Cut into rounds, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Brush the tops with the remaining butter. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or flash freeze* for future use.

*To flash freeze, place the biscuits on a lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen (about 1-2 hours). Once frozen, the biscuits can carefully be placed in a ziploc bag and removed for baking as needed. Biscuits can be baked straight from the freezer, and additional few minutes baking time will be needed, usually around 3 to 5.

**** I cut my biscuits in squares there is no need to re -roll and no waste