Peanut Blossoms

     These are peanut-blossoms, the recipe came from my grandma (thanks!). They're kinda like a peanut -butter sugar cookie with a chocolate kiss on top, needless to say they are divine! You'll make them and find yourself snarfing them down by the handful!  

1 3/4 cup flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg 1 t. vanilla
LOTS of chocolate kisses

Cream sugars, butter, vanilla and add remaining ingredients (except choc. kisses) Mix well, form in small balls and roll in white sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten a little bit. Bake at 375* for 8 minutes watching closely. Pace a kiss on top and bake for 3 to 5 minutes more. Take out and cool. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Swirl Bread

     Fall, one of the most wonderful times of the year. Thanksgiving turkeys and beautiful leaves. Cool days and warm bread. It's even better when your house is full of warm, delicious smells.
     Which is one reason I'm posting this recipe today, it's your moist, yummy pumpkin bread with a twist... Cream cheese!

Here's what you'll need to get started:
Filling:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T. sugar
2 oz. cream cheese
1 egg

Bread:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup water
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs

~ Preheat oven to 350*. Spray two 9"x 5" loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.
~ Combine ingredients for filling in small bowl, mix well and set aside
~ In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.
~ Add to the flour mixture sugar, butter, water, pumpkin and eggs. Mix well.
~ Pour 1/4 of the batter into a loaf pan, spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture over it, and then pour another 1/4 of the batter over the cream cheese mixture. Do this to the other pan as well.
~ Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in bread. Cool for 30 min and remove from pan. Let cool completely before cutting. Enjoy!

Salsa

     This salsa is wonderful! Depending on how you like to season and pulse yours, it can be spicy or mild, chunky or thin. No matter how you do it, it's amazing every time!

     One word of caution, the seeds in a jalapeño are what holds the heat, so if you like less spicy salsa you can take them out. I prefer to leave mine in, but it's up to you!

Here's what you'll need:

1 (28-ounce) can Whole Tomatoes with Juice
2 (8-ounce) cans Rotel Original (Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies)
1 large chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime

 

Start by dumping in the whole tomatoes, go ahead, slosh 'em in. I'll wait...

Then dump in your two cans of Rotel... Ahh, I love this smell!

Your chopped onion.

Now, the garlic clove...

Then add your jalapeño. 

Your salt.

Then the cumin... This is one of the most wonderful smells on earth... no universe... no-.. never mind. You get the point!

And last but not least, the lime juice and cilantro. I think the fresh squeezed lime juice tastes much better than the store bought stuff! But if you don't have a lime, the other should work too. I'd just add a little extra! Pulse this a few times or until it reaches your desired consistency.

And you're done! This is best after refrigerated overnight, but it can be eaten right after making. Enjoy!