Parties and Entertaining

FABULOUS Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

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These things are so delicious, they’re DEADLY.
Bar Ingredients:
1.5 C (3 sticks) Butter
1.5 C White Sugar
1.5 C Brown Sugar
1.5 C Peanut Butter
(you’re already seeing the DEADLY part, aren’t you?!)
3 eggs
1.5 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Vanilla
3 C Flour
3 C Rolled Oats (we use instant)
1 bag chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together butter, sugars, peanut butter, and eggs.
3. Add Soda, salt, and vanilla.
4. Alternate adding flour and the rolled oats by the full 1 cup.
5. Spread in a Jelly Roll Pan and bake for 15 mins.
6. When you remove the bars from the oven, immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Let them sit until they get wet looking and are melty to the touch. (That’s a technical term: Melty.) Then, spread the chocolate over the entire surface of the bars.
7. While this is cooling, make your frosting:
Frosting Ingredients:
2 C Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp Peanut Butter
4-8 Tbsp Evaporated Milk
1 drop Vanilla
8. Spread the frosting over the chocolate. You can do it carefully so all you see is the frosting, or you can marble them together. (This is a source of conflict between Mr. Blue Eyes and myself. I like it marbled. It’s pretty that way.) Either way these are FABULOUS and DEADLY!!
Source: My FABULOUS sister-in-law, Debbi

~Kara

Amish Macaroni Salad

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My kids always want a container of the Amish Mac Salad before leaving Walmart. So, I decided to find a recipe so that I could make some at home. It was easy and DELICOUS!

2 c uncooked elbow macaroni
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small red bell pepper,seeded & chopped
2 TBSP dill pickle relish
2 c creamy sald dressing (Miracle Whip)
3 TBSP prepared yellow mustard
3/4 c white sugar
2 1/4 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp celery seed, optional

Cook elbow macaroni according to directions and drain really well! Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, stir together eggs, onion, celer, red pepper, & relish.
In a small bowl, stir together the sald dressing, mustard, sugar, white vinegar, salt and celery seed (optional).
Pour over vegetables, and stir in macaroni until well blended.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. (Chilling the salad is very important! This thickens the dressing, and the noodels soak some of the dressing up too!)

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Layered Chip Dip

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This is a General Conference tradition at our house. It is mui bueno! Mr. Blue Eyes also informed me that 1/8 Cup (including 4 chips) has about 200 calories in it–the same as 1 Glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut. If you’re going for Quality Calories, EAT THIS! If you’re going for SWEET with zero nutritional value, eat the doughnut (I’ll be with you!). 🙂
Ingredients:
2 Cans Refried Beans
4 Mashed Avocados
Lime Juice to taste–about 4 Tbsp
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1-2 Packages Taco Seasoning (I only use one, but know others who use two)
4 Cups Shredded Colby-Jack Cheese
1 Bunch Green Onions
4 Chopped Tomatoes
Your Family’s Favorite Tortilla Chips
1. In an 11×15″ cake pan, spread the refried beans over the bottom.
2. Mix your mashed avocados and your lime juice together. Plop it (or this fabulous Guacamole Dip!) onto the refried beans…

…and spread it over.

3. Mix the sour cream, mayo, and taco seasoning in a small bowl…
…then spread it over the guac.

4. Spread the cheese over the sour cream–use as little or as much as you like!

5. Add your veggies* and serve with your favorite Tortilla Chips. We like any Scoop variety.

Serve immediately. Refrigerate any left overs (or if you’re not serving it until later).
*This recipe is so versatile that you can make it as simple or as glorified as you want. I’ve had several different kinds of veggies (peppers, olives, etc.) and haven’t had a bad combo yet!
Source: My variation of a family friend’s recipe
~Kara

Homemade Kettle Corn

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I used to make this for movie night when I lived at home with my parents.  It’s very easy to make and is ready in about 6 minutes! 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil (I’ve used vegetable and light olive oil.  Both work fine)
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 white sugar

1.  Have everything ready before you begin. Measure your corn and sugar and put into a bowl.  Pull out a large pot with a lid (I always use my 8 quart.  Do not use a dutch oven), two oven mitts, a wooden spoon, a large bowl to pour popped corn into, and salt.

2.  Pour your oil into your pot, add 3 corn kernels, cover, and heat over medium-high heat.

3.  Once the 3 kernels have popped, add the rest of your corn kernels and sugar.  Mix well and cover.

As soon as I put the lid on I rinse the sugar off my spoon.  It hardens quickly so I like to rinse it so I can use it later to mix the kettle corn with salt. 

4. After about 15-20 seconds, grip the handles of your pot and shake it.  Continue to shake your pot every 15-20 seconds until your kernels start popping.  Once they do, alternate between shaking and allowing pot to sit on burner a few moments.  When the popping slows down to 1 pop every few seconds, turn off the heat.  Give pot another shake, just for fun.

4.  Immediately pour kettle corn into your bowl and sprinkle with salt.  Stir, sprinkle more salt, then stir.

Enjoy!

*Please do not add extra sugar when making this.  After your kitchen fills with smoke and your pot is filled with burnt sugar…you will not like me anymore.  Just don’t do it.

*This recipe takes practice to get the hang of when to shake your pot and when to let it sit.  Just listen to your kernels and judge by how quickly they’re popping.

*After I’ve salted my kettle corn I like to fill my pot with soapy suds.  It makes clean up a breeze!

Source:  My memories…  Actually, I don’t know.  Probably somewhere online.

Pumpkin Pie Shake

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I love the fall season and all that comes with it. I especially love the fall food we make! Pumpkin pie spice is one of my favorite spices. So, I tweaked a recipe that I found for milkshakes and came up with the yummiest milkshake ever! The only downside to them is that they are highly addictive. I had one for breakfast this week…. Shh…don’t tell. Hope you like them!

2 c vanilla ice cream
1 c milk
2/3 c canned pumpkin
1/4 c packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. pumpkin-pie spice
3 Tbsp. frozen whipped topping, thawed

Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender, process until smooth. Pour 3/4 c ice cream mixture into each of 4 glasses. Top each with about 2 tsp. whipped topping; sprinkle with the addtional pumpkin-pie spice, if desired.

adapted from Cooking Light

Stuffed Peppers

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Looovvvee these! (in my singing voice) These are easy and yummy! You can add anything to this recipe! Its soo good! Try it!

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 c rice, cooked
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg
1/4 c green bell pepper, chopped fine
1/2 c – 3/4 c Italian flavored bread crumbs,add as desired
1/2c Sweet Baby Rae’s BBQ sauce, or your favorite
1/2 c cheese, cheddar or colby jack
salt
pepper
dash of worcestershire sauce
4 green bell peppers, halved, and cleaned

Sauce:
1/2 c Sweet Baby Rae’s BBQ sauce
1/2c ketcup
1/2c-3/4c brown sugar
8 thin rectangular slices of cheese, big enough to cover the pepper

Boil a pot of water. When water begins to boil, add the halved bell peppers. Cook just to soften a bit. About, 5 min. Take them out of the water and let them cool.

In a mixing bowl, add the above listed ingredients and mix well. You may need to add more bbq sauce if mixture is to dry. Spoon the ingredients into each halved pepper and place in a baking dish. Add to the bottom of the baking dish 1/4 c water. Cook the peppers in a 350 degree oven for 35 min.

Remove baking dish from oven and spoon sauce over peppers. Add a slice of cheese on top of each pepper. Spoon a little bit more sauce over the cheese. Place back into the oven and bake for another 5-7 min or until the cheese is melted good.

*Obviously, you can also cut the top off of the pepper, clean it out and stuff the whole thing. But, so the peppers stretch farther, and so my kids can not be stressed out about seeing an entire bell pepper sitting before them to eat, I cut them in half.