chocolate m'n'm pretzels

These are great for holidays; just put them in a bowl and on the counter top, and you're set. You need:

Pretzels, M&Ms and Hershey's Kisses.

Place the pretzels on a cookie sheet. Then, place one kiss on each of them. Put them in the oven at 325 degrees (long enough to be melted, but maintain their shape). Immediately place the m&m's in the center of the chocolate and press them down a little. Let cool until the chocolate is holding the m&m in place, or about 30 minutes. To store, put in Ziploc bags and freeze.

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Pizza Crust

Since I have a long history of killing yeast breads, I needed something really simple for pizza crusts. Here it is:

Mix together
1 Cup of Warm Water
2 Tsp Sugar (Brown or white)
1 Tsp Salt

Add 1 Tsp Yeast, Let it sit 10 minutes.

Add 2 Tbsp Oil, then 3-1/2 Cups Flour.  Knead until it makes a smooth ball.

Let it rise 1 hour.

Throw the crust and bake 20 minutes with toppings at 450 degrees.

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Crockpot Egg Casserole

I will be trying this one soon. I'll let you know how it goes.

Use your imagination when making this recipe. Try Canadian bacon instead of ham. Use Havarti or Swiss cheese instead of Cheddar. Add some minced jalapeno peppers if you like hot foods. Then enjoy!

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 9 hours

Total Time: 9 hours, 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 32 oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes
• 1 lb. cooked ham, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 12 eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Preparation:

Spray inside of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In small skillet, cook onion and green pepper in olive oil until crisp tender. Let cool about 10 minutes. Place one third of the frozen hash brown potatoes in the slow cooker. Add one third of the ham, onion, green pepper and cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings until well mixed. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker, cover and turn on low. Cook for 8-10 hours, until casserole is set and eggs are thoroughly cooked. If you want to cook on high, it should take 4-5 hours, or 3-4 hours if you have a newer, hotter cooking crockpot. Check the temperature of the eggs to be sure it's done.
If you have a new hotter cooking crockpot, you'll need to check this after 6 hours. It will probably be done after 7 hours. The eggs should reach a temperature of 160 to 165 degrees F.

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Baked Chicken Bacon Alfredo

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/04/baked-chicken-bacon-alfredo/

This one is good. Next time, I think we'll leave the artichoke out. My kids didn't like that part.

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A call for recipes

You may or may not be aware that I'm returning to college in about 2 weeks. I'm returning to the whole super-duper-extra strength budget plan and buckling in for 3 years of taking the bus, mending my clothes, and dollar movie social gatherings. Woot. But the eating. Oh the eating. You see, between choir and work, the past year of my life has been spent in restaurants rather than the kitchen. And let's face it, it's actually more economical for one person to get their veggies from a $5 half salad at Zupa's than it is for them to dump $30 on fresh produce at the grocery store in order to make a salad only have most of the salad go to waste. And $1 fish taco night at Rubio's is ever my Tuesday night fare. But outside of the really great deals and charitable souls willing to buy my food for me, I'm going to have to give up the whoppers, Wendy's, and whims. And cafe rio. *sniff* oh cafe rio.

Plus. I've been eating school lunch for the past 3 years, and I won't have that anymore either. It wasn't great. But it was free.

So as I sit here polishing off the last of my chocolate ice cream, I ask you: what did you eat in college? Favorite, fast recipes for one singular sensational person, priced comparative to a package of ramen or box of Mac and cheese (the generic store brand).

Please. Help out the girl who just dumped $408.09 on 4 textbooks.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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Spicy Mayonnaise Dip

3 egg yolks
4 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
A pinch of white pepper
1 T mild chili pepper paste (awaze) 
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
3 T boiling water

Place yolks, salt, awaze or berbere, white pepper, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in mixing small bowl. Whisk with a fork or beat with a wooden spoon forcefully until creamy. Add ½ cup oil, drop by drop beating well all the time. By continuously beating, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Add ¼ cup oil and whisk well. Add another ¼ cup of oil drop by drop beating forcefully at all time. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon boiling water and whip well. Pour the rest of the oil slowly beating at the same time. Add remaining lemon juice and water; Beat until smooth and thick. If it becomes too thick, add one or more tablespoon of boiling water. Keep it in fridge stored in screw-top jar.

N.B. If shorter version is preferred, mix 4 tablespoons ready-made mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of awaze or berbere, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cold water,1 teaspoon lemon juice, a pinch of salt and white pepper and whisk it well until creamy and serve it chilled.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.food.com/recipe/spicy-mayonnaise-dip-462839

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

My SIL pointed me in the direction of these cookies. They are really good.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Makes 2-3 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

From:
http://ldsliving.com/story/64185-food-dish-cookie-recipe-contest-winner-recipe

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