sis.cooper's buckeye balls

We had the sister missionaries over for dinner on Sunday and served buckeye brownies for dessert because Sis. Cooper is from Ohio.  She mentioned that she'd planned to make buckeye balls the next day.  We didn't expect them to share them with us!  I love these gals- they're great.  Sis. Cooper's companion is Sis. Marble and she is from Arizona so I asked her what I could make for her.  She recommended chips and salsa and shared her salsa recipe with me.  We'll be trying it soon!

sis. cooper's buckeye balls (Sis. Cooper from Ohio)
1/4 pound butter or margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
almond bark

Combine the butter or margarine, peanut butter and confectioner's sugar.  Roll into balls.  Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
Melt almond bark on the stove.
Poke a toothpick into the peanut butter balls.  Dip each ball into the melted almond bark.
Place on a sheet of wax paper to dry.

What Sis. Cooper says- she tripled the recipe and made 62 buckeyes so each batch makes about 20.  She new this recipe off the top of her head!  That's a buckeye for you.

buckeye brownies

When I saw these I knew I had to make them because they look pretty amazing. I thought of our friend John who is from Ohio as I pulled out the ingredients to make them.  I didn't know a lot about Ohio when  I met him (and I still don't) but one thing I learned about Ohio from him is this- being a Buckeye fan is just part of the culture.  John is a Buckeye.  We had the sister missionaries over for dinner on Sunday and one was from Ohio so I made these for her.  She said they made her feel right at home.

buckeye brownies (Lil' Luna)
1 box fudge brownie mix
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips

In a 9x13 prepared pan, make and bake brownie mix according to box directions.  Let cool.
In a bowl mix the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and peanut butter.  Spread with fingers over the brownies and pat down (it has a consistency similar to playdough).  It helped me to wet my fingers because it was sticky!
Melt together 6 tablespoons butter and chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat stirring constantly.  Spread over brownies.

greek chicken pitas

Hall of Fame!  Everything was just right from the Greek flatbread to the chicken to the yogurt dill sauce we got from Costco.  Easy dinner.  Delicious dinner.  

greek chicken pitas (chicken recipe adapted from food network)
3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
1/2 cup cilantro
Papa Pita Greek Pita flat bread, 100% whole wheat (it was so soft and yummy)
feta cheese
Skotidakis dill & cucumber greek yogurt dip (from Costco)
red pepper, sliced
lettuce
tomato

Put lemon juice, oil, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro in a blender.  Marinate chicken for 30 minutes before cooking.  Cook over medium high heat until golden brown.

Slather dill & cucumber yogurt dip on a flat bread.  Add chicken, feta cheese, lettuce, tomato and sliced red pepper.  YUM!

cuban pork sandwich

I've always wanted to try a cuban sandwich and tonight was the night.  They were a hit.  My family enjoyed theirs on nice fresh ciabatta rolls but I had mine on a toasted whole wheat english muffin.  My youngest daughter asked if we could have them again tomorrow- I think it was the roll that won her over.
Next morning important update:  I just had a sandwich using my leftovers but with sweet pickle relish instead of the dill pickle.  This took the sandwich to almost Hall of Fame!

cuban pork sandwich (adapted from Women's Day)
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
4 1/4-inch thick pork cutlets
1 medium onion, sliced
8 thin slices Swiss cheese
8 thin slices black forest ham
4 ciabatta rolls, split
sliced dill pickles
light mayo
mustard

Heat grill.  Mix the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper; sprinkle over both sides of pork cutlets.
Grill cutlets and onions 3 minutes, turning cutlets and onion slices over once, until cutlets are cooked through and onions are slightly charred and crisp-tender.
Fill each roll with 2 slices each cheese and ham, 1 cutlet and 1/4 of the onions and pickles.
Return to grill for 1 or 2 minutes to melt cheese, if desired.

What I have to say-  As the cutlets and onions grilled, I opened up our ciabatta rolls and laid them on a cookie sheet and put a slice of Swiss on each then baked them at 300 degrees.  When the cutlets and onions were finished cooking I put the sandwiches together.

chocolate peanut butter chip cookies

I have cooked up a storm over the past few days!  I've been eyeing the bag of peanut butter chips in my pantry for a while now and decided this could be the perfect recipe for today, after all this recipe got 5 stars on allrecipes and my oven was still hot after baking these.  They cooked up beautifully and who can resist chocolate and peanut butter?!

chocolate peanut butter chip cookies (allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) package Hershey's peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter, shortening, white sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth.  Beat the first egg into the butter until completely blended then beat in the vanilla with the second egg.  Mix flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt in another bowl; mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just incorporated.  Fold in peanut butter chips, mixing just enough to evenly combine.

Drop spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated oven until cookies are set, about 8 minutes.

one pot spicy chicken with rice

This was on our dinner menu for this Saturday but we unexpectedly got a big dumping of snow- enough for school to be cancelled for two days so I needed some good comfort food.  Comfort food this is!  I loved it.  It's spicy yet the orange peppers and dried fruit give it just the right amount of sweetness...and you only have to dirty clean one pot.  It's a one pot wonder!

one pot spicy chicken with rice (adapted from epicurious and  everybody likes sandwiches)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large chicken breasts, filleted
ground cloves, sprinkling
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup dried fruit (I used a mixture of raisins, craisins and dried apricots)
4 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sambal olek (garlic chile sauce)
1 cup brown jasmine or brown basmati rice
2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper then lightly with ground cloves.  Add chicken to skillet and saute until brown, about 5 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to plate.

Add bell peppers, onions, fruit, bay leaves, garlic and sambal olek to pot.  Saute until veggies begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add rice; stir 1 minute.  Press chicken into rice.  Add 2 cups broth; bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender, adding more broth if dry.

creole chicken wraps

Hall of Fame!  It's definitely due to the sauce.  This time for the sauce I used half light mayo and half nonfat sour cream and it worked like a charm for a lower fat version. 

creole chicken wraps (Food Network Magazine, October 2011)
 For the Rub:
 2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the wraps:
1 cup mayonnaise ( I used 1/2 cup light mayo)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
vegetable oil for the grill
4 pieces flatbread (we sometimes use whole wheat pita pockets)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 Maui onion, thinly sliced
8 romaine lettuce leaves

Make the rub; mix all the ingredients in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Prepare the wraps: Whisk the mayo and 1 tablespoon of the rub in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Preheat a grill to medium high. Toss the chicken with rub. Oil the grill; grill chicken until marked, about 6 minutes. Turn and grill until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Wipe the grill clean and brush with more oil. Lay the bread dough on the grill, then brush with the spiced mayonnaise and top with mozzarella. Grill until the bottom is marked, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Slice the chicken and arrange down the center of each piece of bread. Top with the tomatoes, onion and lettuce. Roll up and wrap with parchment paper or foil to seal.