Sweet and Salty Refreshment

Spike's Sweet and Salty Milkshake:

1/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups peanut butter pretzel sandwiches, plus extra for garnish
1 cup milk
2 cups creamy vanilla ice cream
4 dollops of whipped cream
Salt

Add pretzel sandwiches to blender and pulse until crushed. Set aside 4 T for garnish. Add ice cream to crushed pretzel sandwiches. Add 1/2 cup milk to blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add more milk if needed. Rim four glasses with peanut butter and salt, then dip rim into reserved crushed pretzel sandwiches. Pour shake into prepared glasses, garnish with dollop of whipped cream and extra pretzel sandwiches.

These Noodles Are Nutty!

Peanut Noodles:

1/3 cup lowfat peanut butter
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 T fresh ginger, minced and peeled
1 T rice vinegar
1 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T packed brown sugar
1 garlic clove, chopped
6 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, pelled, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 carrot, shredded

Puree peanut butter, water, cilantro, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic in a food processor or blender. Cook noodles according to directions and drain. Rinse under cold running water and drain again. Transfer noodles to a large bowl. Add peanut sauce, bell pepper, cucumber and carrots. Toss to coat.

Who Needs Chocolate When You Can Have Peanut Butter

My mom always made this when I was growing up, and I finally made some for hubby. This was always my grandfather's favorite candy, and we still love it today. I was in the mood for something sweet the other night, so when we made this, I cut it into absolute bite size pieces, and it makes a ton!

Peanut Butter Fudge:

2 cups sugar

5 0z. evaporated milk

3 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. butter

Bring the sugar and evaporated milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Stir rapidly and allow mixture to boil for 4-5 minutes. Remove mixture from the heat. Drop in the peanut butter, vanilla, and butter. Allow mixture to cool a few minutes before you stir it all up, but be careful not to let it sit so long that it gets too stiff. Pour onto a greased plate and let set. You can refrigerate to speed the process along.

When I make chocolate fudge, I always pour the mixture into a prepared baking pan to allow it to set. However, the peanut butter fudge always gets poured onto a regular plate because that has been the tradition since my grandfather was young. Why mess with a formula that works, right?

I will link this to Mommy's Kitchen.

Fourth of July Pie

This recipe is so good that it deserves to be posted again. I first posted it about two years ago, and that is just too long ago. The pie is extra rich, so you will not want your pieces to be that big. Even though it has been so long since I first introduced this pie, we still have it for special occasions. It is one of my husband's favorite desserts. Enjoy and have a safe holiday!

Peanut Butter Pie:

2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup whipped topping
14 Reese's cups, regular size **see the note below
1 chocolate crumb crust

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and peanut butter. Mix well. Fold in the whipped topping. Chop 7 Reese's cups into quarters. Fold them into the mixture. Pour mixture into chocolate crumb crust. Quarter the remaining 7 Reese's. Sprinkle them on top of pie for garnish. Refrigerate or freeze for 4 hours. I froze mine although the recipe said to refrigerate.

**** I was unable to find a bag of regular sized Reese's cups at my local store, so I had to opt for the smaller size. They worked just fine and in fact, I think I will use the smaller ones next time as well.





This is what it looked like before I topped it with whipped cream.




This is just before I put it in the freezer.

I have linked this recipe to Mommy's Kitchen for Potluck Sunday.

There is also a link to Simply Sweet Home

P B & J.....Muffin Style

Peanut Butter & Jelly Mini Muffins:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoon strawberry or grape jelly

In large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small mixing bowl, beat together eggs, yogurt, peanut butter and oil until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until moistened. Fill the greased or paper-lined muffin cups half-full. Top each with 1/4 teaspoon jelly and remaining batter. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Cookies for Co-Workers

On Election Day, I sent hubby to work with some snacks. One in particular, is something that I got from my mom. She suggested that James might like these because he likes Reese's cups. Needless to say, they have become very popular. Some of his co-workers (Hi co-workers!) asked for the recipe. So, here you go.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies:

2 logs Peanut butter cookie dough (2 pkgs. of mix would work fine)
1 bag miniature Reese's cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a miniature cookie scoop, divide batter into 1 inch rounds. Place each round in a 24 count mini muffin tin that has been greased with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes. While dough is baking, unwrap 24 miniature Reese's. Take cookies out of the oven. Immediately press a Reese's into the center of each cookie. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the pan.

*****I have used the packaged mix when I can not find the ready to use dough. Just make according to package directions before scooping them into 1 inch rounds.

PB no J

James and I found this recipe while on vacation. It is really easy to make. It is very rich, so slice small portions.

Peanut Butter Pie:

2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup whipped topping
14 Reese's cups, regular size
1 chocolate crumb crust

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and peanut butter. Mix well. Fold in the whipped topping. Chop 7 Reese's cups into quarters. Fold them into the mixture. Pour mixture into chocolate crumb crust. Quarter the remaining 7 Reese's. Sprinkle them on top of pie for garnish. Refrigerate or freeze for 4 hours. I froze mine although the recipe said to refrigerate.

Sweets for the sweet

James has a love affair with Reese's cups. So, when I found this recipe in a magazine, I knew we had to try it. Love it he did! Okay, I did too. It is very rich, so slice small portions. This would also be good to serve when you have a crowd. You will not have any left.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert

1 pkg. oreos
2 tbsp. softened butter
1-8 0z pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted and divided
1-16 oz. carton frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped (reserve some of the remaining for the top)
1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

In a resealable bag, crush the Oreos. Reserve some of them for the topping. Toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 13x9 pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the peanut butter and 1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar until smooth. Fold in 1/2 whipped topping. Spread this mixture over crust. Sprinkle with chopped peanut butter cups. In another bowl, beat milk, pudding mix, and remaining confectioner's sugar on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spread over peanut cups. Sprinkle reserved Oreo's on top. Garnish with a few extra Resse's cups. Cover and chill for 3 hours. Yields 12-16 servings.