Month: January 2012

Recipes

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls

nk3303 Comments

This is one of the candies I made for Christmas gifts for a few of my friends. I think the thing I struggled with the most was dipping them in the chocolate… it was really thick, and I think I may have made the peanut butter balls too big, because they were hard to handle with a toothpick!

Makes: 4 dozen

2 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 c. peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 (12 oz) packages semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix together the graham crackers, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and butter. Make into small balls. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate chips over low heat. Using a toothpick, dip the balls in the melted chocolate and place on a waxed paper-lined tray. Refrigerate until hard.

Crafts · Recipes

Christmas Gifts

nk3301 Comment

Ah, Christmas, that wonderful time of year for giving. I’m sure Andrew and I aren’t the only ones who feel the money crunch of the holidays. We set a pretty strict budget when it comes to gifts for family (I have three sisters…the gifts add up fast!). And we opted to go homemade on gifts for our friends here in England. I actually made quite a few homemade gifts for my family too: I made a scarf for Kelsi, a scarf & hat set for Becki, and a sweater for my nephew Kaiden.

For my “lunch date” friends, I made some cookies and candies, as well as coffee cozies:

These were incredibly quick and easy. I used some of my scrap yarn that was worsted weight. Here is the pattern at Bernat’s website. These are cute, they fit in your purse, and it’s one less thing going into the landfills, right? If you would like one, just leave a comment with the color(s) you want. 🙂

As for the cookies & candies I made, I made the Raspberry Dreams as well as chocolate-covered peanut butter balls and cream cheese mints. Both were pretty easy and fairly quick, although you should make sure you have enough room in your refrigerator beforehand if you’re making both at the same time!

Recipes

Cheeseburger Zucchini Pie

nk330Leave a comment

This recipe is really tasty! It says it makes 6 servings, but we definitely didn’t have enough for leftovers. Note to self: serve this with some side dishes or a salad!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 25 minutes
Makes: 6 servings

3/4 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, peeled & chopped
1 medium zucchini (about 6 oz), shredded
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1 c. (4 oz) shredded Italian cheese blend
1/2 c. biscuit mix (like Bisquick)
1 c. milk
2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400F/200C. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Crumble in ground beef. Stir in onion and zucchini and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread beef mixture into the prepared 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
4. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the biscuit mix, milk, and eggs until smooth. Pour mixture over beef mixture.
5. Bake at 400F/200C for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges and serve.