Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

When it comes to Christmas, it just isn't complete without an overabundance of food.  Well, at least for our family anyways.  We have our favorites like peppernuts, Gram's veggie pizza, cranberry spritzers and pecan tassies.  We also like to throw new things into the mix.  I think 5 varieties of bacon at one Cracker Barrel breakfast counts as new.

This year I needed to come up with something yummy and new for my food gifts AND that also shipped well.

Enter Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites.  This recipe came from the annual cookie exchange that we have at church.  (Thanks Glennis and Cristina!) These little crunchy, peanut buttery, chocolatey things are the best!  Just as my Dad.

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Pretzel Crisps - they are in a blue bag by the crackers at the grocery store. These are part of what make these so good. And they are bigger than bite size which is an added bonus.
1 bag chocolate chips

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.

Mix peanut butter and butter until combined.  Add sugars and mix well. (I had to add a little extra powdered sugar.)  You should be able to roll the mixture into balls with out it sticking to your hands.   Roll teaspoonful size balls of the peanut butter mixture.  I used the smallest Pampered Chef  cookie scoop to make the balls.  I can't roll anything to save my life :)

Sandwich the peanut butter balls between two pretzels, press down to fill pretzel and place on the cookie sheet.  Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips.  Dip each pretzel halfway into the chocolate.  Place back on cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator until set. 



Try not to eat them all at once.

If you would like me to email you a copy of the cook book with all the cookie exchange recipes, just let me know!

Happy Happy Birthday

I really need to get caught up on a few things  because it has been busy around here!  Since I may or may not have some OCD tendencies, I will start from the very beginning. A very good place to start. 

After we wrapped up birthday and anniversary celebrations  at our house, we moved on to celebrate with some of our friends.

Here are the pictures from the surprise 80th birthday we helped out with. Special thanks to my mother for making the mini pies.  She is the best!

Best cheese spread ever.  Maybe Laura will share the recipe with us :)

Another one of Laura's famous recipes. Harvest Munch.

 

We wrapped October up with a Reformation Celebration at ULC in Boulder.  It is always good  to see Pastor Burhop and feed the students there.  

 

 Maybe before the week is over  I will be up to date.  I still have another million things to put up here. Stay tuned...

Blah blah blah

I am definitely a list making person.  I can't function without one.  Sometimes they are just in my head and sometimes they make it to paper. 

Primarily my lists are for groceries, chores, things I need to do or things I need to take somewhere. 

Today is November 1st and it looks like people are taking each day this month to write something they are thankful for.  I think that is a lovely idea. 

I also wonder why we wait for special occasions to be thankful.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about how truly blessed I am.  I have a wonderful family.  Sisters, parents, in-laws, I really think they are all the best.  I have a great husband and three beautiful girls.   I have an incredible church family and some really, really, really great friends.  I am thankful for my Lutheran heritage and my assurance of eternal life with all of these people I am so thankful for.

I think it's great to be thankful.  I just don't think I could fit all  my thankfulness in to a thing a day for a month.

That's just me.

A title is helpful :) Texas Fun

A few weeks ago, ok, really a month ago, I got to spend a few days in Texas with an incredible group of gals.  And my sisters. While my dear friend Laura watched my children.  What more could I ask for? :)

We had a lovely time shopping, eating, drinking, and most of all talking.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures that pretty much sum up our time in Fredericksburg. 

If you want to see all the pictures and read what everyone else had to say about our trip, check them all out here. I highly recommend it.  These are some talented photographers and writers right here! 

Jan at Just Imagine Heaven

Heather at Last Day Ago  and also at Lark and Lola

Edie at Life in Grace

Adriane at Stet

Gretchen at Minority Opinions

DeAnn at Because I Said So

And Lauren.  Private blogger extraordinaire:)


Next blog post up should included all the birthday nonsense at our house this past week!

Friends + Cookies= One great party

I made some cookies for an ice cream themed birthday party a little while back.  They turned out just as cute as could be, as did the entire party! 

Check out the party and my friend Heather's blog  over at Lark and Lola.

Lombardi Chicken. Don't let the name decieve you .

I am not from Wisconsin.  I am not a Packers fan. Just want to get that out of the way right off the bat.

Last week I took meals to a few people from church.  For some reason, I had a hard time coming up with what to make.  I seem to be in somewhat of a rut lately when it comes to meal planning so I just stuck with a couple of old favorites. 

This recipe was featured in a little cook book called Hometown Cooking from June of 2001.  (I went way back with this one.)  It was published by Better Homes and Gardens and I don't think they publish it anymore.  It was such a fun little book that featured Midwestern towns and recipes from local residents. 

This particular recipe was from Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  Cedarburg is home to some wonderful stores like Amy's Candy Kitchen, home of the best caramel apple EVER as well as Downtown Dough where you can purchase cookie dough,cookie decorating accessories,  and every cookie cutter known to man. I hear there is Pyrex there too.

So out of all that also comes this great chicken dish that your family will love.
Here it is, copied and pasted straight from the internet so I didn't have to retype it.

Lombardi Chicken
from Hometown Cooking magazine. It originated from a cookbook in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. This is a keeper. This recipe pays homage to Vince Lombardi; coach for the Green Bay Packers

2 lbs skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
5 T. flour
6 T. butter, divided
2 c. fresh sliced mushrooms
1 c. dry Marsala wine
2/3 c. chicken broth
2/3 c. shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese
2/3 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions


Cut each breast half in half lengthwise. Place each piece between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Coat chicken lightly with flour.

In a 12 inch skillet, melt 1 T. of the butter or margarine over low heat and add half of the chicken pieces. Cook for two minutes on each side. Transfer to a 2 qt. rect. baking dish. Repeat with another tablespoon of butter and the remaining pieces of chicken. Add chicken to dish.

Melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook and stir until tender; add wine, broth, and dash each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; boil gently until mixture is reduced to one cup (about 5 minutes). Pour over the chicken.

Combine two cheeses and green onions and sprinkle over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree
oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Makes 8 servings.

Help wanted. Or help needed is more like it.

Free cute printable here! Courtesy of www.overthebigmoon.com

I have been scouring the internet for the best way to organize my family photos.  After returning home from vacation with hundreds of new pictures to file, I am hoping to find a organizing method that I can use from here on out.

My biggest problem is that I have an interesting assortment of things that need to be organized.  I have photos of my grandparents, I have a few of our parents, I have some baby pictures of both Scott and me.  I have high school pictures, I have college pictures and then I have pictures of all our college friends that got married. I have our wedding pictures and our life together ever since then.  You know, two apartments, two homes and three cute little girls later, all those pictures.

Fortunately, I have some of these pictures organized by month and year or by event.  So I guess what my main goal is in all of this is to have these pictures organized AND accessible!  And from what I read, having a goal is the best place to start!



Here are a few ideas I have come across that I like so far.

Cherry at Pursuing Heart

Jen at IHeart Organizing always has good stuff.

This one is great too.

Anyone have any great photo organizing tips they want to share with me? 
(Not you Mom:) I will come help you when I am done)