Tasty Thursday: Peanut Butter and Potato Chip Sandwich

That's right.  PB and PC.

The creamy goodness of peanut butter with the salty crunch of potato chips. Mmmmm.

I want to thank the BF for introducing me to this combo.  Out of the blue, he asks, "Want a peanut butter and potato chip sandwich?"

"What did you just say?" It was like he was telling me there really is a Stargate in Cheyenne Mountain (total nerdy sci-fi reference by the way).  My mind was blown.  I never heard of such things.  And my mind exploded some more after biting into the creamy crunchiness.

And now I make it as an after work snack.

And of course, anytime I'm eating a sandwich the dog is somewhere nearby (top right).

You're welcome.

Other great peanut butter partnerships:

Peanut butter and pickles.  My friend from high school brought this to my attention.  Genius.

Peanut butter and powdered sugar.  Delicious.

Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, aka Fluffernutters!  O.M.F.G. I'm pretty sure I die and go to heaven every time I eat one.

Tasty Thursday: Peppermint and Pretzel White Chocolate Bark

Need a way to use up those leftover candy canes from Christmas?  Crush em up!  Along with crushed pretzels and white chocolate, you've got yourself a sweet and salty treat.

The last time I made chocolate bark, it didn't turn out so well.  They were as fragile as egg shells and started to melt as soon as they were touched.

Mindy at Creative Juice made the chocolate bark in a way that was sturdy enough to break into pieces but not melt at the sheer touch of fingers.

Here's what you do:

-Crush up some pretzels.  I crushed a handful at a time until I had about a cup.

-Crush up 2 candy canes...or more, whatevs.

-Melt some white chocolate.  I used 1 bag of Tollhouse chips and got about a square foot of chocolate to break up.  I melted half of the chocolates at a time.

-Pour the melted chocolate onto some parchment paper.  Spread it out to make it even along the surface.

-Sprinkle half of the crushed pretzels over the chocolate while it's still melty.  I pressed the bigger pieces into the chocolate to make sure they're nice and snug.

-Then go and do something to pass the time.  The chocolate has to cool completely and harden.

-Melt the rest of the chocolate and pour over the cool chocolate, spreading it evenly.

-Sprinkle the rest of the pretzels and crushed candy canes, pressing the bigger pieces into the chocolate.  

-Twiddle your thumbs while waiting for the chocolate to cool and harden.

-Break up the chocolate into pieces...or eat the thing whole.  Your choice.

Tasty Thursday

I have a slight obsession with Where's Waldo.  Every time I see a Where's Waldo book, my face lights up.  I've loved Waldo since childhood.  It's something about finding a man in a striped sweater and his friends that get me all excited...

For Christmas yesterday, the BF got me a compilation book of all the Where's Waldo puzzles.

Best. Christmas. Ever.

I've only had the chance to complete one puzzle and I've come to this conclusion.  There's no way a nine year old can do them.  Ain't no way.  After a couple of minutes, my brain was hurting and it felt like I was growing cataracts or something on my eyes, they were so sore.

Anyway, this Christmas I tried out two recipes that are definite keepers.  One's an appetizer type and the other's a boozy type.

I made Killer Artichoke Bread from The Girl Who Ate Everything.  Let me start off by saying that it really was killer.  You can't go wrong with bread, cheese and butter.  And artichokes are vegetables.  Right?  So it can't be THAT bad for you.

Killer Artichoke Bread
adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

-1/4 c butter
-big spoonful of minced garlic
-14 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts, well drained and chopped
-about a cup of shredded Mozzarella
-about half a cup of shredded pepper jack
-about half a cup of grated Parmesan
-1/2 c sour cream
-1 loaf of Italian bread, sliced lengthwise
-salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add the chopped artichoke, cheeses and sour cream.  Stir until everything is combined and remove from heat.

Spoon the artichoke/cheese mixture onto the bread.  Broil for about 4-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Slice into pieces and you got yourself some cheesy artichokey goodness.

And since you've wrecked your diet by eating this bread, you might as well make yourself a boozy milkshake later.

This peppermint milkshake requires three must have ingredients:  peppermint schnapps, vanilla ice cream and whole milk.  Whole milk!  What!?  I know.  But the thick milk helps it have that creamy thickness that alot of milkshakes have.  And it's still thin enough you can drink through a straw without having a brain aneurysm.  And besides, at this point you've already gone past the point of no return with your calorie intake, so what the heck.  Indulge.

Peppermint Cocktail Milkshake
-1 c whole milk
-2 c vanilla ice cream
-3 oz peppermint schnapps

Blend everything together.  If you have some candy canes laying around, crush 'em up and add those too!  I don't want to say this makes two servings because, honestly, I could drink the whole darn thing, so enough for two glasses it makes instead.  And if you're feeling really fancy, add whipped cream on the top.

Tasty Tuesday

You know what's delicious?

Bacon.

Bacon is delicious.

Add a brown sugar coating to the said bacon and you have yourself a delicious start to your day or end to the night, or beginning of your afternoon.  Whatevs.  I don't judge.

First of all, I like to cook pork bacon in the oven.  It's a time saver, less messy, and the fat drips right off onto the pan.

Once the bacon is all laid out on the pan, sprinkle brown sugar on top with a little bit of black pepper.  And that's it.

Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  The result is a savory piece of bacon with a crunchy top of caramelized brown sugar.

You're welcome.

Tasty Thursday

I love my sweet and savory...and crunchy.  I came up with this amazing snack that fits the bill.  Graham cracker, banana slices, chopped walnuts.    Surprisingly, I didn't need to eat that many to get my craving out of the way.  And I can't imagine this treat being THAT bad for you...

 



Tasty Thursday

It's been so hard for me to get back in a routine since moving.  It wasn't really until the last couple of days really that things started going back to normal.

Anyway, I'm the type of person that likes to find an occasion to bake something.  Well, prior to moving, I made these delicious peanut butter cookies.  OMG.  Normally peanut butter cookies are on the crunchier, harder side.  Not these babies from Sally's Baking Addiction.  The softest PB cookies ever.  And since I made these for July 4th, I snazzed them up with red, white and blue M+Ms.

Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
from Sally's Baking Addiction

1 stick of salted butter, softened at room temp
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
3/4 c creamy peanut butter (I'm pretty sure I put in more but it still tasted good)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 c flour
1 1/2 c M&Ms

Cream together the butter and sugars.  Mix in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla, in that order.  Slowly mix in the baking soda and flour, but don't over mix.  Fold in the M&Ms.  Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.  You can also do what I did and take a couple bites of the dough as it chills...

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Drop the chilled dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.  And to make the cookies pretty you can press a couple of the M&Ms onto the top of the dough balls.  Press the dough balls a little since they don't spread much during baking.  Bake for 8-9 minutes.  

Don't over bake them!  They'll be soft and look undone, but they'll firm up as they cool.

Tasty Tuesday

So I feel like I've slacked on this here blog.  Well, I do have an excuse!  Tobin and I just happened to be off work at the same time, which we hardly ever have.  I have weekends off, while he usually works every weekend and late nights throughout the week.  So, needless to say, I feel guilty when I pull myself away from spending time with him to blog.

And...now I'm back. 

And I bring you my Tasty Tuesday.   

I love taquitos.  Who doesn't?  Seriously.  And I love nachos.  If you don't then I don't care to be friends with you.

Let's just ditch the chips typically found in nachos and replace them with taquitos.  Yum.

Taquito nachos.

Yes.

So you get yourselves some taquitos.  You can make them yourself or just buy them premade and heat them up.  You cut the taquitos in half.  Put them on a plate and top with whatever your little nacho loving heart desires. 

 

Tasty Thursday

Do you like mahi mahi?

Do you like tacos?  Or better yet, do you like double decker tacos?

Do you like Rachael Ray?

Well, if you've said yes to any of those, I have the recipe for you!  Mahi mahi tacos!

Ever since that fateful day I had a fresh fish taco on the side of the road in Maui (as sketchy as this roadside eatery was, the food was delicious).  I've been hooked on fish tacos since and I've unsuccessfully attempted to create many variations.

This particular recipe scored some serious points.  I liked it.  The BF liked it.  The dog and cat even liked them.  Well, to their credit, they'd eat anything, but regardless, win.  The BF even mentioned that I should share the recipe on the blog.  That's the first time he's said that, so I have to oblige.

For me, what made this was the black bean/chutney mix used in between the taco shells.  OMG.  I've never had anything like it and I could've seriously eaten it by itself with some chips.  And it helps when it's an easy recipe.

Now, don't let the long list of ingredients and instructions scare you.  Rachael's recipe is actually pretty easy and, yes, it did only take me 30 minutes, if not less.

The recipe calls for mango chutney, which I found in the Indian food section of the grocery.  I imagine you could also use other types of fish besides mahi mahi.  And as for myself, I actually eyeballed alot of the quantities of the ingredients.  So, adjust according to your taste!


Rachael Ray's My-oh-Mahi! That's a Good Fish Taco  

1/4 c canola oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped -- I just used a couple spoonfuls of jarred diced jalapenos
1 red onion, 1/4 of it finely chopped and the remainder thinly sliced -- I did it vice versa
1 garlic clove, minced or grated -- I eyeballed it with already minced garlic
15 oz can of black beans, drained
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c mango chutney
2 limes -- I used squirts of concentrated lime juice
2 tbsp hot sauce
3 tbsp honey
a handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded
4 mahi mahi fillets
1 tbsp grill seasoning -- I used a combo of my own seasonings and added some chipotle chili powder
8 each of hard shell tacos and soft shells
sour cream or whatever toppings you want

Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat and add the jalapeno, chopped red onion, and garlic.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the beans and cumin and mash together.  Season the beans with salt and pepper and fold in the chutney.  Reduce the heat to low, stirring now and then to keep from burning.  If the beans dry out, add a splash of water.

Zest one of the limes and set aside.  Combine the juice of both limes, hot sauce, honey, 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper with the sliced onion, cilantro and shredded cabbage.  Toss it all to combine.

Heat a grill or preheat the broiler.  Season the fish with the remaining oil, 2 teaspoons of lime zest, and the grill seasoning.  Cook the fish until cooked through, turning once.

Glue the hard shells to the soft shell tacos with a couple spoonfuls of the mashed black beans.  Fill your tacos with some flaked fish and top with the cabbage slaw and whatever else your tummy desires.

Tasty Thursday

What's a girl to do when she really wants rice krispy treats and oreos?  Well that predicament didn't last long.  Crush up some oreos and add it to your rice krispy mix.  What would've lasted a week...possibly two in a normal household lasted us, oh, maybe three days...I would have one for breakfast and one or two later for snacks.  Hey.  Don't judge.

And, want to know a good alcoholic drink if you don't like the taste of regular beer.  Lager + lemonade.  It's called a Radler, or some might even call it a Shandy.  Either way, it's delicious and I could seriously see these creeping up on a person.  I happened to use Land Shark since that's what we had.  Mix equal amounts of lemonade and beer, this'll depend on your taste preference, half and half is just a good starting point.  With summer coming, this'll be a great drink.  Let the young ones drink the lemonade and you'll drink the Radlers.

Tasty Thursday

I have a new food love.  Biscoff.  Or in layman's term, "cookie butter."  It's not what you think.  It's not cookie flavored butter....although I probably would try it.  Think of it as peanut butter, but without the peanuts.  It's actually a spread made out of those little Biscoff cookies you get on a plane. 

And it is delicious.  I've dipped my apples in it, slathered it on bread, and licked it right off a spoon.  It's all natural and vegan, which I am not, but hey, it makes it guilt free in a way.  And the fact that I can pronounce every single ingredient and actually know what they are kind of redeems my little obsession with this stuff.

I'm a fan of grilled peanut butter sandwiches and I was planning on making myself a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.  This was before I had a taste of the Biscoff.  As soon as that stuff hit my palette, I had a new game plan.  Biscoff and apple sandwich.  Yes.  Just in case this turned out to be a disaster, I still grilled up a PB and apple sandwich (decided against the jelly since I was going to use sliced apples with the Biscoff and had a bunch of them ready anyway).  Then I went on to make my cookie butter and apple sandwich.

OMFG.  That's the best way to describe it.

I was expecting it be sweet but it wasn't at all.  Usually, when I have a PB sandwich, as much as I love it, I have a hard time getting it down and have to drink a glass of milk or something.  Not the cookie butter.  That stuff melted perfectly and was all gooey and just wonderful.  No milk needed.

Here's what I did:
-Put a little bit of butter on 2 slices of cinnamon swirl raisin bread.
-Spread the Biscoff on the slices.
-Put one slice of bread on a hot skillet and covered it with a layer of thinly sliced apples.
-Put the other slice on top.  By that time, the sandwich was ready to flip.
-Cooked until both sides were slightly brown and toasty.

Tasty Tuesday: Cream of Tomato Soup

Sometimes, I just crave a grilled cheese and tomato soup.  But it can't be any tomato soup.  I particularly don't like many canned tomato soups.  They taste like ketchup and water to me.  I'm a fan of thick and creamy soups.  Soups that can fill you up.  I found a recipe by Jamie Oliver that suited my tastes.  It's thick, creamy, and easy.  And it goes so well with my grilled cheese (that I load up with cheese by the way).  Essentially, you heat a big can of tomatoes, onions, flour and cream together in a pot and sprinkle chives on top when ready to eat.

Cream of Tomato Soup
from Jamie Oliver

28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp flour
1/4 c heavy cream
chopped chives

-You can either puree the tomatoes or leave them be.  I left mine be.
-Heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and season with salt and pepper.  Saute until the onions are soft but not brown.
-Make a roux by adding the flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
-Add the tomatoes and cream.  Re-season with salt and pepper of you wish.  Stir to combine everything.
-Cover and bring to a simmer.  Heat for however long you want to wait.
-Garnish with chives before you eat.

Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate Eclairs

The BF's birthday was yesterday and I made two desserts.  He's special enough that he got two.  Dark chocolate fudge cake and chocolate eclair cake.  And they can't be any more different from each other.

The BF has a love affair of sorts with this chocolate eclair recipe.  He's mentioned that it's his favorite dessert ever.  And I will have to admit, it is pretty darn good.  Graham crackers.  Mmm.  French vanilla pudding and Cool Whip.  Yes.  Chocolate.  Can't go wrong that.  All put together to create a marvelous no bake dessert. 

This is the recipe that his mom has always used and I have no idea where she got it from.  The last time I made this, the store didn't have french vanilla pudding (seriously?) and regular vanilla was used instead.  Still tasted good, but not the same.... 

Chocolate Eclairs
1 box honey graham crackers
2 boxes instant French vanilla pudding
3 c milk
1 tub Cool Whip

-Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with graham crackers.
-Mix the pudding mixes with the milk. Whip until it thickens. Then fold in the Cool Whip.
-Place half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers in the pan. Then cover that layer of pudding with more graham crackers. Pour the rest of the pudding mix on top of that. Cover with a last layer of graham crackers.

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk

-Melt together the chocolate and butter. Add the vanilla, corn syrup, powdered sugar, and milk. Pour over the graham crackers and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Seriously, the hardest part of this is waiting for the cake to set in the fridge.

Tasty Tuesday

Venison is a wonder meat. It's amazing how lean it is. Someone once told the BF that you can keep deer meat in the fridge for months, because bacteria can't grow due to the lack of fat. I haven't looked this up to verify if this is true or not, so it could be complete BS, but I could see why one would believe that.

I have the privilege of having a coworker with a hunter husband. He even takes the meat to the Amish who will prepare it into jerky, lunch meat, hot dogs, burgers, etc. When they run out of freezer space they give away their deer spoils, and I was the lucky recipient. We got to try venison burgers, which actually was mixed with a little pork in order to hold the patties together. OMG. Those burgers were delicious. It was juicy without all the grease from the fat. I'm definitely gonna have to stay friends with these people :D