Monday, October 10, 2011

Pear and Jam Grilled Cheese

Bear with me... I know by the title you may be totally freaked out and think I'm crazy. But if you don't try this, YOU'RE CRAZY!!! Trust me... these sandwiches are delicious (and super simple to make)!


What You'll Need:
Fresh Bread (I usually use Italian)
Butter
Monterey jack cheese-two slices per sandwich
Pear- 1, sliced
Jam (I suggest one of the berry sort- I use my homemade strawberry/blueberry and that is yummy!)

1) Cut the amount of slices of bread you'll need to make the number of sandwiches needed. I usually cut my slices 1/2-3/4" thick.
2) Spread butter on one side of all slices of bread.
3) On the other side of slices, spread jam.
4) Place slices of pear and cheese on jam slathered sides of bread. Place jam sides together and then place in a heated pan.
5) Cook on medium for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until cheese is melted.

The great thing about this recipe is you can really make it your own. You can use different cheeses, fruits and jams, and you can use however much you want of each ingredient. My next combo to try: cheddar, apple and  bacon (no jam this time, but who needs it when you have cheddar, apple and bacon!)



Trust me... TRY IT!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Nifty Thrifty Ideas

I know I missed Wordless Wednesday... I apologize. It was a busy week at work. Flu season has come upon us, which means time to administer flu shots! Lugging around a cooler full of vaccines and all of the supplies is exhausting...I really meant to blog twice last week...  but my bed just got to me first!








Monday, October 3, 2011

Monster Cookie Bars



Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup M&Ms
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal or old-fashioned rolled oats

Directions

Preheatoven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
Combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons two inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

**Quick cooking oats will lend a different texture to the bars, they will be more dense and a similar texture to baked oatmeal. The old-fashioned rolled oats will keep their shape and texture, so the bars will be more chewy. I tend to prefer old-fashioned rolled oats, they make the bars seem more hearty. :)

Friday, September 30, 2011

Poor Little Lil

What a stressful couple of days. Last night my little Lily love got her thumbnail (?) caught in her collar- at least I think that's what happened. We were playing, and then all of a sudden she came walking over to me and crawled on my lap. Then she started licking my hand and when I looked down there was blood everywhere! I didn't know if it was from her or me at first. Then I noticed that it was her nail. I couldn't see much because of all of her fur and blood. From what I could see it looked like the nail was split and almost snapped off at the top. My wonderful husband helped me detain her and wrap her limb with gauze and tape, which luckily she left on overnight.

There is much more to this story, but to make it short, we ended up taking her to the vet this afternoon where they cut/ripped off the remaining nail and wrapped her paw. Below is the result:



My poor little love :( She's limping around the house... in a cute but sad way. They didn't give any pain meds or anitbiotics. I wish they would have, she is favoring it more now than she did when it first happened. Oh well, I suppose dogs have lived in the wild centuries ago and survived such injuries!

Also, last night the development directly behind my in-laws had four houses catch on fire. From what I heard and saw on the news the houses were mostly destroyed. Luckily there were no casualties, except possibly a dog and one person was sent to the local hospital for burns. Please keep these families in your thoughts. The cause is thought to have been a propane tank that blew up in one of the homes.

On a happier note, K(my hubs) and I are finally going back to Happy Valley! He graduated in '07 from Penn State and I followed him, after completing three years there, and then went on to nursing school. We have been wanting to go back and even made reservations once, but we never followed through. So, PSU HERE WE COME!

Until Monday!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

A Little Taste of Fall


Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread

Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

Pumpkin Cream Cheese

Pumpkin Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Whoopie Pie with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Granola





Monday, September 26, 2011

Brownie Pops- filled with Peanut Butter


I know cake pops have become quite popular, but I don't know that I've ever seen any with filling... 



I was in the mood for brownies, and when I decided to make brownie pops dipped in chocolate for a dinner party I shared the thought with my husband. My brother-in-law was nearby and added "filled with peanut butter!". He loves chocolate and peanut butter. After his comment.... I thought... hmmm.... why not fill them with peanut butter? So that's what I did! However I didn't dip them in chocolate (I thought that would be chocolate overload. Wait, what?). Actually, I just didn't have time for the last decadent step!

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Mix together until able to form a ball without sticking to hands. You may need to add more powdered sugar or peanut butter.

Assembly:
1) Make brownies- any kind will do. 
2) Make peanut butter filling using recipe above and roll into 1" balls. You may have to rinse off your hands every once in awhile. After balls are formed place in freezer until step 3 is complete.
2) Cut brownies into 2" squares, after cutting all of the hard edges off. 
3) Use a large cookie sheet for assembly. Roll brownie dough in hands to form a ball- break brownie ball in half and push thumb in the middle to make space for the peanut butter ball. Repeat this until squares are gone.
4) Take half of a brownie ball- place peanut butter ball in space made with thumb. Top with other brownie ball half.
5) Pinch and smooth edges where joined. Roll to smooth.
6) Add a stick if you'd like.... and dip them in chocolate!