No-Bake Energy Bites

I came across these babies on Pinterest and I'm so glad I did.  They are healthy and delicious.  My kids are pretty picky when it comes to snacks and they gobbled these up.  I like them because I feel like I'm eating something naughty and I'm not!  Try them ASAP!

 No-Bake Energy Bites

(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal (I used old fashioned oats)

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed (I found this by the flour and sugar)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

The BEST German Chocolate Cake

My entire family loves German Chocolate Cake.  Here's our favorite recipe for it.  I could seriously eat the entire cake by myself, it's SO good!

The BEST German Chocolate Cake

Cake:
Cooking Spray
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup water
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
3 egg yolks
1 cup evaporated milk, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/3 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 in baking pan with cooking spray.
2.  To prepare cake, sift flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. (I put it in my Kitchen aid mixer)
3.  In a small saucepan, combine butter, water and cocoa.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter melts and mixture comes to a simmer.
4.  Add cocoa mixture, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to flour mixture; stir to combine. Pour into pan and bake 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cook on wire rack.  Do not remove from pan.
5.  To prepare frosting, whisk egg yolks and about 1/3 cup milk in a saucepan.  Add remaining milk, vanilla and sugar.  Add butter; cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it comes to a full boil.  Reduce heat to maintain boil and cook, stirring constantly, 7 minutes or until thick.  Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans.  Cool, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to spread.
6.  Spread frosting over top of cake.  Serves 16.

Poppy seed Pasta Salad

This is such an easy and delicious salad!  I ate it for lunch everyday for a week.  Yum!

Poppy seed Pasta Salad

12 oz rotini pasta
1 1/2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Brianna's Poppy seed dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.  Shake well to drain.  In a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients.  Start with about half the bottle of dressing, as the noodles will soak up the dressing and you will want to add more dressing later.

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

I made these back at Thanksgiving and they were so good that I'm still thinking about them and it's July.  :)  They will definitely be a Thanksgiving tradition for years to come. 

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

Recipe by Our Best Bites

 

4 C mashed Sweet potatoes (4 med sweet potatoes or about 2 large sized cans)

6 Tbs Sugar

6 Tbs butter (no margarine), softened or melted

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (eyeball it)

1 t vanilla

 

Topping:

If you’re feeling naughty you can double this part :)

1 C brown sugar

1 1/2 C sweetened coconut flakes

6 Tbs melted butter

 

Note: You can make these up to a day or two ahead of time, just keep them well covered in the fridge and don’t put the topping on until just before baking.If using fresh sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick each sweet potato with a fork and place on foil in the oven. Cook for 40-60 minutes or until tender.

Once they’ve cooled enough to handle, slice in half and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl.

To the mixing bowl add in sugar, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Your butter should be soft enough to blend up easily so nuke it in the microwave before you add it to the bowl if you need to.

You could mash it all up by hand, but an electric mixer works great. I don’t like it completely pureed, so I mix it just until everything is incorporated but there are still some sweet potatoes in larger chunks.

Spread this mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 pan.

For the topping, combine brown sugar and coconut and then pour melted butter over and combine. Mmm…

Take a pinch of the buttery-sugary mixture and put it in your mouth. Chew. Swallow. Then sprinkle the rest evenly over the sweet potatoes in the pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes. It will be more or less depending on the size of dish you use, whether you double the topping, etc. But the top should be nice and browned and bubbly so just keep an eye on it.

Kielbasa and Tomato Pasta

Awhile ago, I bought some Kielbasa, because it sounded good and different from the stuff we usually eat.  I found this recipe on allrecipes and made a few changes.  It was really good and I'll be making it again for sure.

Kielbasa and Tomato Pasta

• 1 pound smoked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (I don't like peppers, so I left this out)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 (9 ounce) package angel hair pasta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large skillet, saute the kielbasa, green pepper, onion and garlic in oil until sausage is lightly browned. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir in Parmesan cheese and butter. Serve with kielbasa mixture.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I always have ripe bananas that need to be used.  This was a great alternative to banana bread.  My kids gobbled them up.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Recipe from Jaime Cooks It Up

1 1/2 C flour

1 C sugar

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 egg

1/2 C Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise (I used Light Miracle Whip)

3 ripe bananas

1 C chocolate chips

1. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In your Kitchen Aid or in a mixing bowl beat the egg. Add the bananas and mix until they are all mashed up and smooth.

3. Add the mayonnaise to the banana mixture and mix for 30 seconds.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.

5. Carefully spoon the batter into muffin tins, 3/4 of the way full. You can line the tins with little cupcake holders if you like.

6. Sprinkle the top of the batter with the chocolate chips.

7. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. 

Makes about 16 muffins

Garlic-Parmesan Rolls

I have so many great recipes that I've tried and forgot to post.  This one came to my attention today and I'm so glad.  These are so easy and so tasty!  Anything from Our Best Bites is good.

Quick and Easy Garlic-Parmesan Rolls

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter (I think it's too much butter, next time I'm going to cut it in half)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh or canned)
20 rise and bake frozen rolls (like Rhodes)
Place the butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a microwave-safe dish and heat until melted. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese.

Place the frozen dough balls in a large bowl. Drizzle the butter/cheese mixture over the dough and then toss quickly to evenly coat the dough in the butter and cheese. Place the dough in a 9×13″ pan and allow to rise until doubled (follow the package directions). Bake according to package directions until the rolls are evenly golden on top and serve as soon as you can pull them apart without hurting yourself. Makes 20 rolls.