Ranch Pretzel Nuggets

We love the ranch flavored pretzels, but they are VERY bad for you. So, I decided to try my hand at making them, so I can control the ingredients. This tastes about the same, and has A LOT less calories.

Ingredients
1 lb sourdough pretzel nuggets
2 TBSP vegetable oil (you might be able to get away with 1 1/2)
3 TBSP ranch dressing powder (I used Hidden Valley Ranch)

Pour nuggets into a gallon sized plastic storage bag, then add the oil. Seal the bag and shake vigorously until the oil has been distributed. Next, add the ranch dressing powder, and shake until all pieces are coated well. Let sit for at least an hour so the flavors may meld.

VERDICT: Nice alternative!! However, the flavor is not as strong as the ones in the store. I don't have an issue with that, but if you do, you might want to add some garlic powder.

Mom's Apple Crisp

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

My mom makes this all the time during the autumn months. Last weekend she brought some baking apples (the ones that have bad spots---you just cut around them), and she gladly gave me some.

What better way to celebrate autumn than this apple crisp!

Now, I can't give exact amounts for apples, because God forbid anyone in my family actually measure, but I can give approximate amounts!


Ingredients
Apples (5-8), diced
About 1/3 C white sugar
Cinnamon
1 C brown sugar
1 C old fashioned oats
1 C flour
1/2 C (one stick) butter, melted

Grease a pan (in my case I used an 8-11 pan), and fill 3/4 of the way full with apples. Add white sugar and cinnamon to taste.

Meanwhile, mix brown sugar and oats and flour. Mix in melted butter until the dough is sticky and clumps together. Place the dough on top of the apple mixture.

Cook at 350 degrees until done...maybe around 40 minutes?! I said it wasn't a PRECISE recipe!!


VERDICT: LOVE AUTUMN APPLES!

Tex-Mex Dip

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

This is a variation of my Tex-Mex roll ups. I LOVE this recipe, and it's very versatile--I can make the roll ups, dips, snacks, main dishes, etc., with this. And, since it's football season, I'll make sure to have extra ingredients on hand at all times.

1 can black beans
1 1/2-2 cups 2% shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz block of fat free cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/4 cup (or more...I use a lot) chopped black olives
1/2 cup chunky salsa (you may need to use more or less depending on consistency of dip you want)

Cream together black olives and cream cheese. Add salsa. Mix in black beans and cheese. Let chill for 1 hour before serving. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

VERDICT: As usual, it's a hit!

Black bean and Cheese Quesadilla

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

Such a great way to get a lot of fiber...and an excellent snack.

2 96% Fat free tortillas
1-2 oz 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
Approximately 1/4 cup black beans.

Spray a frying pan with a little bit of oil, then add 1 tortilla. Sprinkle cheese and black beans over the tortilla, then place the other tortilla over the bean and cheese mixture. Fry until bottom is browned, then fry the other side. Makes 2 servings.

Can dip in sour cream or salsa. But, as you can see from Jeff's hand in the picture, we ate them just the way they were.

Verdict: We liked this! I'm thinking I could make it the night before school and take it in my lunch bag.

Cherry Turnovers

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

We're back from our vacation in New Mexico and Colorado, and I'm finally feeling like cooking again! Things might be sparse again as I'm supposed to get my Invisalign braces tomorrow, and my mouth might be sore for a few days. I did buy a Bake Sale magazine to read on the way home and have some ideas for future posts. However, I was completely in love with the cherry turnovers tonight.

My high school used to serve turnovers, and on those days no one would be absent! Now, I have to admit that the school's were more flaky, but these taste just about the same!

Ingredients for turnover:
1 puff pastry sheet (1/2 package), thawed
1/2 can light cherry pie filling
1 egg

Ingredients for glaze:
powdered sugar
milk
vanilla

Grease a cookie sheet, set aside. Cut puff pastry sheet into 6ths. Roll pastry into a square, then place 1-2 TBSP cherry pie filling in the center of the pastry. Fold one point of the pastry towards the opposite side, creating a triangle. Do this for all six pastries. Next, take a fork and crimp the edges of the pastries, and poke a couple small holes in the top of the pastry to let steam escape. Beat the egg and brush on the top of the pastries (this will make them shiny and brown). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until done.

To make the glaze I usually add approximately 1/3 cup powdered sugar to 2 teaspoons milk and a splash of vanilla. NOTE: I don't measure this, so this is just an approximation. Drizzle over hot turnovers.

VERDICT: Of course we always love this dessert! Jeff likes it with vanilla ice cream, but we didn't have any.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

This is my favorite non-plain popcorn recipe. I found it in a community recipe book from back home and decided to adapt it for my needs. We enjoy this the most while watching movies or sports and drinking beer. I should tell you that these are approximate measurements. I don't always measure when I make this recipe.

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white corn syrup
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

Pop the popcorn in an air popper and set aside. Meanwhile, add sugar and syrup to a pan and cook over medium heat until boiling. Boil for at least one minute then remove from heat and add peanut butter, mixing well. Pour over popped popcorn and fold ingredients until mixed--not every piece will have peanut butter on it. Add salt and fold once or twice. Let sit for 5-10 minutes for the flavors to meld.

THIS IS FABULOUS. Sometimes we make more, sometimes less. The recipe can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled. ONCE AGAIN: THIS RECIPE IS GREAT AND YOU MUST MAKE IT.

Mom's Easter Crosses

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Originally uploaded by IowaSunshine

My mom always made these for our Easter baskets when my brothers and I were younger, because her mother did it for her. Since Mom was super busy this year, she asked me to make the crosses. They're super simple, yet fun!

To make just ONE cross you need the following:
1 regular sized Snickers candy bar
2 fun size Snickers candy bars
1 wooden toothpick
1-2 cups of butter cream frosting (I colored mine with yellow and green paste, but you an do any color)

Take wrappers off of candy bars and lay the regular size Snickers vertically in front of you. Approximately 3/4 of an inch from the top of the Snickers bar insert the toothpick so that the toothpick goes all the way through the bar and is horizontal to you. At this point there should be about 1/2 inch of toothpick on each side. Then, carefully attach one fun sized Snickers bar on each end of the tooth pick.

Frost with your name/names, flowers, leaves, etc. The design changes each year. Since I have been teaching myself how to frost cakes I decided to practice leaves on the crosses this year.

Both of my brothers love these and Jeff loves anything that involves Snickers, so since I'm a betting woman, I would bet that this is one tradition that's going to keep on going.

Note: I forgot to take a picture until we got home tonight. I ate the part that said my name, Toni, on the cross above, so I just added another fun sized bar that I had on hand.

Caken Balls

Wahhahahaaaa....I renamed these from Cake Balls, because the word balls remind me of an Adam Sandler movie. Anyway, I got this recipe for free from etsy.com and decided to give it a try this week.

1 9x13 inch chocolate cake, crumbled (mixed, baked and cooled)
1 can of chocolate frosting
White chocolate coating
Assorted decorating sprinkles

Mix the crumbled cake and chocolate frosting together and form into balls. Refrigerate cake balls until cool. Meanwhile melt white chocolate coating (I used white almond bark) and coat the cake balls. Place in refrigerator until firm.


Jeff loved these, and I liked them, but didn't love them. I really like the cake ball itself, but didn't care for the coating, and I don't know what I could substitute. I would make them again, though. I used a chocolate butter cake mix and milk chocolate frosting.

Easy Banana Muffins

1 Banana Cake Mix
1 egg white
1 1/4 C Diet 7-UP

Mix together until moist and fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-24 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from pan to cooling rack.

Glaze:
1-2 drops almond extract
powdered sugar
warm tap water

Mix to taste and consistency desired. Drip by teaspoon full in middle of muffin and place sliced almond on top.

IDEA: I like to place 1 bar of chocolate in the middle of the hot muffin for a sweet treat.

Yields: 18 Muffins

I usually put the chocolate bar in the middle of the muffin. I really like how easy it is to make muffins from cake mixes and will be trying different mixes in the days to come, because Jeff and I love these. I will often put a batch of baked muffins in the freezer and take out one the night before and put it in my food bag for breakfast.