Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie
Serves 10 to 12
8 ounces chocolate cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.
Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan.  Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Next comes the Trfle

1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes
1 large box (5-ounce) of instant chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled (this will most likely call for 3 cups of milk, nothing else)
1 bag of peanut butter cups, chopped (I used Dove chocolate peanut butter Promises)
2 cups heavy cream
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on your desired level of sweetness
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
8 ounces of whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to an separate bowl and stick in the fridge until ready to use. I did not even clean the bowl of my electric mixer and just began mixing the peanut butter mixture.
Add the peanut butter and cream cheese to the bowl and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides a few times until mixture is creamy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined, then mix in 2 tablespoons of milk. Remove the whipped cream from the fridge and add 1 cup of it to the peanut butter, folding it in until the mixture turns lighter in color and is mostly combined.
Grab your trifle dish and begin to layer your ingredients however you’d like. I did a layer of brownies, then peanut butter, then a handful of chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and so on. I repeated it until I got to the top, then piped the remaining whipped cream on top and sprinkled the candy on. You really can’t go wrong with layering – just use a long spoon to serve!

Home-Made Snicker Bars - Yes, That's What I am Talking About

Oh, Oh, oh!!!  Yes, the big Oh! these look so yummy!!!

bottom chocolate layer
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
Thoroughly grease you baking pan. Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into the baking dish and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.
nougat layer
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom chocolate layer. Let cool completely.
caramel layer
1 14-ounce bag of caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream
Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth – this took about 10 minutes for me. Pour over nougat layer and let cool completely.
Top chocolate layer
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour over caramel and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get gooey. I like them refrigerated best!
Note: for best results, buy one of the half-sheet aluminum cake pans at the grocery store. That way, you can pop the entire square out and cut from there!

Cranberry Anti-Aging Mask

Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple and there are bound to be leftover berries to create this awesome anti-aging facemask by Erika Katz, beauty expert and author of Bonding Over Beauty, a great book for mothers and daughters.
You’ll need:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup seedless red grapes
2 tsp grapefruit juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
Directions:
Mix ingredients until the mixture becomes paste-like. Cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes and let it thicken. Remove from the fridge and let sit about 10 minutes. Spread the mixture on clean, dry skin, avoiding the eye area. Relax for 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water.
The benefits of the mask come from the fruit acid, which acts as a gentle exfoliant; the grapefruit juice acts as a toner; and the cranberries are a rich antioxidant harboring a one-two punch of vitamins A and C to help with collagen production.

Peanut Butter Cookies - Soft Recipe

Oh My!  These look like Lou Hall's Peanut Butter Cookies...from back in the day when school lunches were awesome.
Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
(adapted from Epicurious)

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter (natural/unsweetened)
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1  large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup peanut butter chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease some cookie trays.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a mixer's bowl cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and egg until well combined then add the vanilla extract
4. With a wooden spoon or the mixer on a low setting mix the flour mixture in with the peanut butter mixture in three additions until just combined.
5. Roll out 1.5 tbsp balls of cookie dough and gently flatten with a fork.
6. Bake for ten minutes, rotating the cookie sheets after five minutes. Let cool on the tray until firm enough to move to a cooling rack.

How is awesome is this? Parmesan or Cinnamon Bites

Take a Texas size Rhodes roll that has been thawed.

Roll it out in a four inch rope.

Cut in four sections.

I got tired of this method.

so I simplified even more.

Take your roll, and cut horizontally and vertically.

You have four pieces.

You will need:

as well as:

Once your bites are all cut,

place on a large greased baking sheet.

Let rise until double in size.

Like this . . .

Bring some water to boil in a large pot.

Prepare a Baking sheet with a clean towel and Paper towels on top.

Like this:

Heat your oven to 375 Degrees.

Plop about 10 bites into that boiling water.

Toss gently so that all sides are shocked with the water.

You will boil for about 45 seconds.

Remove from water with a slotted spoon.

Let drain on paper towels.

Don’t worry if a few of them shrivel up funny.

They will recover nicely in the oven!

Remove them carefully from the paper towels.

Place on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Let them bake until they are a nice golden color.

like this . . .

Roll in Parmesan and sprinkle with garlic and Kosher Salt.

 Oh yum!

or do this:

Use that Cinnamon and Sugar mixture.

and this:

You’ll be too busy eating and dipping to watch the big game!

PRETZEL BITES

Texas size Rhodes Frozen roll dough

*as many as you like – each roll makes four bites

coarse salt, parmesan, garlic, cinnamon & sugar

Vanilla glaze (optional)

Take a thawed roll.  Cut it in four equal sections.  Place dough bites on greased sheets. I placed five across and five down on large baking sheets.  Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and let dough rise until double in size. (about 35-45 minutes) Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil.  When dough has risen, plop about 10 pieces into the boiling water, tossing gently for about 45 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon, and place bites on paper towels to drain slightly.  Move bites to greased baking sheets, and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done and golden brown. 

Brush bites with melted butter, sprinkle with Kosher or Sea Salt, garlic and toss in Parmesan cheese.  You can also make Cinnamon and Sugar bites. Make a mixture of Cinnamon and sugar:  About 1 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and mix together well. After you butter the pretzel bites, toss in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

You can serve the Parmesan Pretzel bites with a cheddar dip, and the Cinnamon and Sugar Pretzel bites with Vanilla glaze.  So yummy . . . so simple!

VANILLA GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Combine sugar, milk, butter and vanilla and mix well. 

CHEDDAR DIP

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2  to 2 cups of grated Cheddar Cheese.

Melt the butter in a med. size saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and stir until blended, and

butter has turned lightly golden brown.  Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in the Cheddar Cheese until smooth and all of the cheese has melted.  Season with salt and pepper.  Shake a few red pepper flakes into sauce for added zing!

 

I found the above on Pinterest.com and it is from Get off your butt and bake.

Coconut Bar Lotion

These bars contain coconut oil & shea butter which will hydrate and heal the skin absolutely 100% naturally!The idea behind these babies is that they melt gently when they come in contact with your own body heat.  Did you know that coconut oil is also said to help prevent sun burns & sun damage? Apparently that’s what the Jamaicans use.

Coconut oil, shae butter & beeswax pellets

Here’s what you’ll need: 

4 o.z beeswax pellets

4 o.z shea butter

5 o.z coconut oil melted (coconut oil melts at 76 degrees)

Glass measuring cup

Mixing bowl

Double broiler

Mini cup cake pan or  mold of your choice

What to do:

Ingredients

1. In a large heat safe mixing bowl, add the beeswax, coconut oil & shae butter.

Double broiler

2. Make a double broiler. To do so, fill a large pot with water and place it on the stove over medium heat, as if you were going to cook pasta. The steam from the water will gently melt your ingredients.

3. Set your mixing bowl with all three ingredients on top of the pot filled with water.

Melted ingredients

4. Let the ingredients melt, stir occasionally.

5. Pour into mini muffin tin or metal mold of your choice. If you wanted more of a bar shape, you could use a mini loaf pan. I was also reading that people used Tetra pak cartons, like the cartons broth comes in. Simply clean the carton out well & cut in half and pour the mixture according to how thick you would like the bar to be.

Lotion bar mixture in mini muffin pan.

After these hardened, I put them in the freezer for a bit. Then I flipped them onto foil (I ran out of parchment paper) and they popped right out of the muffin tin.

Lotion bars

Unbelievably easy. So dang smart!

The best thing about making your own anything, is always that you know exactly what is in it! No parabens, phthalates or toxic chemicals here!  Make sure to store away from heat. An old Altoids tin or something similar would be best. I’m going to store most of these in the freezer until I find something to tote them in. By the way, I spent less than $25 on the beeswax & shea butter. The beeswax was $15 for 16 o.z, so I’m sure you can make these for cheaper. Making these is definitely a must! 

Mongolian Beef Recipe

From Pink Bites as found on Pinterest.com...yes please!!

Mongolian Beef Recipe:
makes 2 servings
You will need:

1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds


Prepare the meat:
First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch (see picture bellow).
Make the sauce:
Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later. 
Cook the meat and assemble dish:
Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.
Serve it hot with rice.

	Use a strainer to help shake off excess corn starch from beef. They should be lightly coated, not over coated with corn starch.