Peanut Butter Balls: "Old School Style"

Peanut Butter Balls: "Old School Style "

  
Hi everybody :)

Bring your favorite chocolate dessert to Roxana’s Home Baking #chocolateparty and win amazing prizes from OXO, Calphalon, Keurig, Imperial Sugar, Honey Ridge Farms and Land O’ Lakes® Butter.

Peanut Butter Balls were a favorite of mine since I was in elementary school. I remember them shape differently from the way they are now. The didn't cafeteria workers have time to shape up enough balls for the whole school. They used cookie scoops and left them in the cookie dough-like shape when spooning the topping on them.

I missed those days. So while browsing the net I came across this recipe and the sweet memories came floating back to me. I hurried into the kitchen with the attempt to recreate those memories...

Peanut Butter Balls adapted partially from here & Me

Ingredients
Balls:
2 cups  powdered sugar, sifted
1  cup creamy peanut butter
1  cup extra crunchy peanut butter
1 sleeve (1/3 of the box) graham crackers , crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

The Mixture before Mixing

For the Balls:
Blend sugar, peanut butters, butter, graham cracker crumbs, salt and vanilla until smooth. 

The Mixture after Mixing

Shape into balls with cookie scoop and place on waxed paper

Dough-like Balls

For the Topping:
Melt chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave.

Melted Chocolate

Spoon chocolate over balls in chocolate spread until 3/4 covered and refrigerate until set. 

Plain

Fancy

 

What I Did and/or Think: 

Because I wanted these to look like the balls I remember in school I use a cookie scoop to shape them instead of rolling them into balls. I used my medium OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop for the bigger balls and my little scoop for the small balls. I also spooned the topping on instead of dipping with a toothpick. For a more fancier look, drizzle it on.

This recipe can be change many ways. I added 1/2 cup M&M's to some of the ball mixture, but feel free to add coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips or chopped nuts to create the flavor you desire. The graham crackers can be interchangeable too, you can also use rice crispy cereal, cornflakes, or vanilla wafers, so go ahead and experiment.

Now for the taste; these balls were GREAT! A word of waring though; they are very, very, rich! EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK! When you make them, share. These balls are definitely worthy of a REPEAT!

 ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked to:
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday #85 
Six Sisters Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party Week 61
Be Different Act Normal: Show and Tell Saturday  
Shaken Together Life: {what's shakin' link party} #25 
The Gingerbread Blog: Sweet Saturday Link Party V.55
Katherine Martinelli: Nut Blog Hop
Carole's Chatter Childhood Favorite Foods Friday 
Roxana’s Home Baking #chocolateparty

 

Baked Buffalo Wings: NO FRYING!

 Hi everybody :)

I been browsing the web again looking for a recipe that make buffalo wings that are not fried. I do like fried foods, but not all the time. I mostly cook my meat and fish dishes in the oven, as you know from yesterday post never in the microwave.

While browsing I came across a lots of buffalo wings recipes, but this one stood out. Here we go....

Baked Buffalo Wings adapted partly  Live Better America

Ingredients

Chicken Wings

2 lb chicken wing drummettes (about 24)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons red pepper sauce (I used Frank's Original )
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I 1/2 teaspoon  used McCormick Worcestershire Ground Black Pepper Blend)
1/2 teaspoon A.1. Dry Rub Bold Original
Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce
Paprika
Celery sticks, if desired
Served with blue cheese dressing and bleu cheese crumble

Heat oven to 350°F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil. Remove skin from chicken. (I didn't do this)
Step 2 In resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix honey, ketchup, pepper sauce , Worcestershire sauce,  and  A.1. Dry Rub. Add chicken. Seal bag; refrigerate at least 15 minutes but no longer than 24 hours, turning occasionally. I marinade it for 2 hours.
 

Wings with Marinate Mixture

 











Step 3 Place chicken in pan; sprinkle with Hot Wing Sauce and paprika. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes. Drain. Sprinkle with more Hot Wing Sauce and cooked 10 minutes longer, or until crisp and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Wings after marinating for 2 hours, Paprika, and  Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce

Uncooked Wings

What I Did and/or Think:
I know this is not a healthy recipe, being partly adapted from Live Better America but I didn't want a fried recipe, so I used this one. I made a few changes to the recipe: I didn't used Worcestershire sauce, used a  Worcestershire Ground Black Pepper Blend instead, added a Dry Rub seasoning, and Hot Wing Sauce for a little spicier taste. I also didn't skinned the drummettes, didn't have the time or the patience :) 

I served it  with blue cheese dressing with bleu cheese crumble. The wings were GREAT! Not too hot, but hot enough, just the way I like it. You all know what that means .... IT'S....A....REPEAT!  If you're looking for a baked hot wings recipe, because you're tried of fried, give this one a try, it's gooooooood y'all.


















ENJOY! Come again....

I was feature on appetizers on the Gallery of Favorites!
  
I linked this to:
Rattlebridge Farm: Foodie Friday , Tidy Mom I'm Loving It: RadLab , Simply Designing: Simply Link Party , Eat Your Heart Out Foodtastic Friday ,  The 21st Century Housewife: Gallery of Favorites , Simple Living with Diane Balch: Foodie Friday ,  Whipper Berry: Friday Flair Link Party,  Appetizer Round-Up and Your Best Party Recipes Blog Hop and  Comfy in the Kitchen: Friday Favorites!

Microwave Hot Fudge Sauce

Microwave Hot Fudge Sauce

Hi everybody :)

I have a confession to make, I don't use my microwave for cooking. I mostly use it to reheat  food already prepared, to melt something in a hurry, or for popcorn. I know,  it's suppose to make food prep easier, save time, and energy.

Candy recipes are fine for the microwave, but I shy away from any microwave-cooking that deal with meat or fish; especially chicken. I totally avoid that section in my cookbooks.  I just can't get pass the idea of microwaving certain things, maybe one day I will...

Now I would like to share this recipe with you from my collection, this one is just too good to avoid  :)

Microwave Hot Fudge Sauce adapted "Yours, Mine & Ours" Cookbook

1/2 cup sugar 
3 Tablespoons cocoa (I used Hershey's Cocoa Special Dark)
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch ( I used 2 1/2 Tablespoons)
Dash of salt
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a 2-cup glass dish.

Dry Mixture

Stir in water and cook 1 -2 minutes; stir every 30 seconds, or until thick.

Mixture with Water

 Add butter and cook 30 seconds more. Stir thoroughly and add vanilla. Makes 1 cup. Serve on ice cream.

What I Did and /or Think:
This was GREAT, what could be bad about hot fudge sauce anyway, NOTHING. I did add an extra tablespoon cornstarch for a little thicker sauce, but if you like it a little thin this recipe is perfect.

For a Macho Taste add 1 tablespoon instant coffee along with the dry ingredients or 1 - 2 Tablespoons of Kahlua after adding the vanilla.

This is another great REPEAT!

ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked to:

Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday  , Something Swanky: Sweet Treats and Swanky Stuff Link Party , Momnivore's Dilemma: Creative Juice # 88 , A Little Nosh:Tastetastic Thrusday  , The Mandatory Mooch: Tasty Thursday #7 , and Just Wing It:: Show Your Stuff # 40 , Sweets for Saturday @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies, and  Show Off Your Stuff (Separate Craft/Food Parties) @ Fireflies and Jellybeans