Peppermint Patty Brownies

1 and 1/2 cups butter, melted
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
24 peppermint patties (small 1-1/2 inch)

Heat oven to 350 degrees; 325 if using a glass pan. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; stir until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; blend well. Set aside 2 cups of batter. Spread remaining batter in prepared pan. Arrange peppermint patties in a single layer over the batter, about 1/2 inch apart. Spread reserved batter over the patties. Bake 50-55 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Food Colors

"Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical.
My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight, and I didn't feel so hot. My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems. He said just think in colors; Fill your plate with bright colors; greens, yellows, reds, etc. I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's and sure enough, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy."

Baked French Toast

OK this one actually should be credited to Jacque as she found the blog site where this recipe came from. I made it this morning for Travis Lovell and his sister and we loved it. I did not put berries on it before I baked it, but made a berry syrup to go on top. The best is that you can make it the night before and then throw it in the oven.
One 8 oz loaf or 1/2 lb French bread or cinnamon bread
(I used Smith's cinnamon swirl, absolutely delicious)
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter
2 cups fresh or frozen berries

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange bread slices in the dish. In a large bowl, stir eggs, milk, granulated sugar and vanilla. Slowly pour over bread. Press lightly with the back of a large spoon to moisten bread. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight. Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. With forks, cut in butter until pieces are the size of small peas.

Before baking, sprinkle berries over bread; sprinkle flour mixture over berries. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 oven for 25-30 minutes until a knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve with syrup.

Love this site!

Ok, while I know I haven't contributed much, I wanted to let you know that I am really enjoying this site. We have tried many of the recipes--working on trying all of them, and we love them!! You ladies are amazing!

Pizza Garlic Knots

I made these tonight, they were so good, Reagan ate about 5
Basic Pizza Dough
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons minced garlic (I used garlic salt, about 1/2 tsp.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I omitted)

Prepare Basic Pizza Dough and set aside to rise.

Combine butter and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover, remove from the heat and set aside. Keep warm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Set aside.

Remove risen dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough out into a large rectangle, about 16 by 12 inches. Brush the dough lightly with the olive oil. Cut the dough in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into strips about 1 1/4 inches wide. Tie each strip loosely into a knot, stretching gently if necessary, and place on prepared baking sheets about 2-inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the knots with salt. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 30 minutes.

Bake until golden brown and risen, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss gently with the warm garlic butter, Pecorino Romano cheese, and parsley. Add salt to taste if necessary. Serve immediately.

Ham & Pineapple

I haven't tried this but found the recipe and wanted to make sure I could find it again. I'll let you know how it goes.

sliced ham (deli meat works well)
1 can crushed pineapple--use all of juice and 1/2 of pineapple
1/2 cup brown sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves

Put juice, pineapple, brown sugar, and seasonings in a pot (not the crock pot). Heat just long enough to melt sugar. Pour a little of sauce on bottom of crock pot. Put ham in and pour the rest of sauce on top. Cook one hour or until warm.