NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER DAY TRIBUTE!

Wow. I have tried several peanut butter cookie recipes, but this one is my favorite so far. Tawnie sent me a link to this recipe and I traced it back to this website where it was posted a couple of years ago. Thanks, Tawnie! They are fabulous! I didn't have any peanut butter chips so I just used chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, vanilla, milk and egg. Mix. Add peanut butter. Mix until relatively smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then mix all together wet & dry. Add chips if desired. Roll dough into ball and roll into sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press gently with a fork to criss cross. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies will just be starting to golden on top and may appear to be underdone. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Classic Spaghetti & Meatballs

 

photo borrowed from here

This recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman's spaghetti & meatballs. I found the sauce to be delicious and the meatballs were fantastic.  I have made other kinds of meatballs before, but this was the first time that I have made meatballs from scratch to go with spaghetti. Loved it!

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

• 3/4 pounds Ground Beef
• 3/4 pounds Ground Pork
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Fine Bread Crumbs
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/4 cup Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 T Milk
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil

 Sauce: 

• 1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
•  3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 small Can tomato paste
• 36 ounces Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• 2 t. basil
• 2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente

Preparation Instructions

To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up.
To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside.
In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in  tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, sugar, parsley, basil. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.

Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Baked Lemon Pudding

Pin It (Photo from Elsye's cooking blog)

Over the last few years, I've developed quite a love of all things lemon, so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. And boy, am I glad I did. This is fantastic. Lemony, sweet AND tart, and absolutely mouth-watering. I ate mine warm and it was perfect for a cold winter night. I can imagine it chilled in the summer, though, and I'm sure it would be equally delightful. Make it soon! You'll be glad you did. I made some adjustments, including doubling it for my family. (This is the doubled version)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
dash salt
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used the juice from the lemons I zested and then added some RealLemon juice
zest from two lemons
2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp melted butter
2 cups milk

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt.

Whisk in lemon zest, beaten egg yolks, butter and milk.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the lemon mixture.

Either pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan, or into separate custard dishes.

Place the pan or the custard dishes in a jellyroll pan and pour hot water into the pan (I used about 1/2 to 3/4 inch)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the top is set and golden brown.

This separates during baking making a cakey layer and a pudding layer. YUM!