Peanut butter cups

I have always loved peanut butter cups. And especially if they have been in the refrigerator. Now I have found out that I can make my own. It is not hard to do and they are delicious! This recipe makes 3 dozen. Here are the instructions:

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 cups milk chocolate chips (two 11.5 oz bags)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
 
Line your mini muffin tins with paper liners. Also line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar.

Stir until the mixture is completely melted and begins to slightly bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until completely combined.

The mixture will be thick at this point. Set aside and let cool.

While that is cooling, melt the chocolate chips and the vegetable shortening in the microwave on 50% power for 30 second intervals until the chocolate chips have melted.

Spool the melted chocolate into the bottom of each lined muffin cup. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While that is cooling, roll out the peanut butter mixure into little balls and then flatten slightly into a small disc that will fit into each mini muffin cup. Place each disc on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the melted chocolate has cooled, place a peanut butter disc on top of the chocolate layer.

Then cover the peanut butter with a spoon full of melted chocolate. Once you have covered each muffin cup with chocolate, put back in the fridge for 30 minutes.

It's just that easy. Now you can enjoy your very own homemade peanut butter cups.

Cheeseburger soup

This is probably the best soup I have had in a long time. This soup will be perfect for a cold night.

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
4 or 5 small potatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tbs parsley
salt
pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 box Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Brown the hamburger meat until done. Drain the hamburger meat. Place the potatoes, onion, and parsley in a large pot. Cover with the chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the browned hamburger meat. Cook until the potatoes are done.

In a saucepan, melt the butter.

Quickly whisk in the flour. Add the milk. Stir.

Once the mixture has thickened (it shouldn't take very long), add the cubed Velveeta cheese.

Stir over medium low heat until the cheese is melted. When the potatoes are done, add the cheese mixture to the hamburger and potato soup.

Heat on medium for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the sour cream. Mix in the sour cream and this soup is ready to eat. So delicious you will want to make it over and over again.

Puppy itchy skin shampoo

My little beagle has itchy skin. I am constantly trying to find a shampoo that will help relieve her itchy skin. I am trying Johnson's Baby Shampoo at the moment. The last time I bathed her, I added a few items to her shampoo. And boy! Her coat is so shiny and soft now and has a nice clean scent. And I have noticed she is itching a lot less. This is what I did:

I poured some shampoo in a bowl. Then I added 2 TBS coconut oil, a splash of witch hazel, a few drops of lavender essential oil, and a splash of organic apple cider vinegar. I mixed it all together and rubbed it in her coat during the bath. I rinsed her coat really well and then dried her off. She seemed so happy after her bath. I think it really made her skin feel better. I think I will continue to use this recipe for each bath.

Coconut banana cream pie

I love coconut. I love banana. So this pie is my kind of perfect! I found the recipe at: http://jancooks.blogspot.ca/2009/07/lawry-coconut-banana-cream-pie.html

It's pretty easy to make. First you make the pie shell.

COCONUT PIE SHELL
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, plus more for pie plate
3 cups sweetened flake coconut

Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

 Add the coconut flakes and brown, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. They should be golden brown.

Press the coconut firmly and evenly in the pan to form a shell. Chill the crust 30 minutes before filling.

Then you whip up the pie filling:

PIE FILLING
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
3 cups half-and-half, divided
Yellow food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 bananas

Combine the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, salt and flour in a small bowl. Gradually add 1 cup of the half-and-half. Set aside.

Combine the remaining 2 cups half-and-half and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a 3-quart saucepan and bring just to boil over medium heat.

Add the egg mixture and cook and stir until the mixture returns to a boil and thickens, about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat. Stir in 2 drops of food coloring and the vanilla.

Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool.

Slice the bananas into the pie shell.

Pour the filling over the bananas into the shell.

Then you add the topping:

1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Whip the cream with the powdered sugar until stiff. Spoon in dollops or pipe with a pastry bag around the edge of the pie. Chill 2 hours before slicing. 

You can add some shredded coconut when you slice the pie. YUM! This pie is so delicious and is perfect for special occasions.

Banana Bread French Toast

Wow! Talk about something totally delicious! This banana bread french toast fits the description completely. Banana bread french toast, sliced bananas, and cool whip all covered in caramel sauce. A dish so delicious it's hard to describe.

I got the idea from IHOP when my daughter and I went there for her 18th birthday breakfast. It was so good, I had to see if I could make it at home. And this is a very good duplicate of their recipe.

Banana bread french toast would be a very good breakfast idea for Christmas morning. You could go ahead and have the banana bread ready a few days ahead and on Christmas morning, whip up the french toast. It doesn't take long once the banana bread is made. And everyone would enjoy such a special treat for Christmas morning.

First, you have to make the banana bread. I found a very good recipe at http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

This is the recipe:

Ingredients
3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350. (I had to turn my oven down to 325 after about 30 minutes because the top of the banana bread was turning brown but the middle was not getting done.)

In a large bowl, mix the butter with the mashed bananas.

Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

Add the flour last. Mix until well blended. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour.

For the french toast, you will need 2 or 3 eggs, depending on how much french toast you want to make. 1 tbsp of milk, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla. Mix everything together, then pour into a dish big enough to dip the banana bread slices into. Cut each banana bread slice about 1 inch. You need it to be that thick so that it won't break apart when you move it from the egg wash into the frying pan and when you flip it over.

This is the egg wash.

Have your frying pan ready with some melted butter. Dip each slice of banana bread into the egg wash and coat both sides.

Then place in your frying pan. Cook each side of the banana bread until the egg is done. It only takes a few minutes.

Once the egg is done on each side, remove from the frying pan and place on a plate. Add sliced bananas, cool whip and drizzle it all with caramel sauce. This is so delicious, I guarantee you will want to make it again.

Zebra cake

My daughter found this zebra cake recipe on pinterest. I was not sure that I could do it because baking is not my best subject. But I gave it a try and I think it turned out pretty well. So if I can make it, I think anyone can make it. This is the link for the original zebra cake post: I'm sorry it appears the link has been removed. 

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
3 cans white icing
rose colored gel icing

Mix each cake mix according to package directions. Then in each cake pan alternate the white and chocolate cake batter. Keep layering the batter until you have used it all.

It should look something like this when you get finished layering the cake batter. Then bake according to package directions. I had to turn my oven temperature down a little bit and cook the cake a little longer to get the cakes done in the middle.

Let the cakes cool, then they are ready to add icing. My daughter wanted hot pink icing. So I added the rose colored gel icing to the white can icing to get the color I wanted.

I thought it turned out pretty well for someone who cannot bake. My daughter liked it so I was glad that I gave it a try.

Mason jar candle decorations

I made candle centerpieces for the birthday party. The items I used were different size mason jars, ribbon, deco beads, tea lights, and tulle.

You have to put the deco beads in water and let them soak for 4 to 6 hours.

Once the beads get to the size you want, drain them in a colander. Add the beads to the bottom on each mason jar, put in the tea light, tie the ribbon around the top and secure with a little touch of hot glue. And that is all it takes to have pretty candles for the party table.

I put the tulle on the table and tied 2 ends with ribbon and then set the candles on the tulle.

It makes a very pretty setting for the birthday cake at the middle of the table.