No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls

Heather Jurczyk from HeCooksSheCooks.com shares her recipes with Shindigz

Today is National Peanut Butter Cookie day. And where it might be too late (and hopefully too darn hot) for baking, these no bake cookies are sure to be the hit of any event. From Father’s Day (my dad LOVES his peanut butter) to 4th of July BBQ’s to just your everyday peanut butter celebration day, they are easy to make (your kids can help, or your cats if you don’t have kids) can probably be made with what you have already in your pantry, and disappear quickly.

These are low sugar but the sugar can easily be increased to up to 2x to appease the sweet tooths out there. And sugar substitutes are sure to work as well.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls
(Makes 24)

Just as good as Cookies, Heather’s No-Bake Peanut Butter & Pretzel Balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal like Rice Crispies or Chex.
• 1 cup crushed pretzel sticks

In a large bowl mix the peanut butter and powdered sugar together till well combined. Add the chocolate chips and crispy rice cereal and also mix till well combined.

Roll the peanut butter mixture into 1″ balls and then roll in the crushed pretzels to coat.

Chill for 1 hour.

Recipe by Heather Jurczyk, the sassy half of the duo that make up the cooking team of He Cooks She Cooks. They have a weakness for feel good, down to earth, amazingly tasty eats that almost always include the addition of beer.

From growing their own tomatoes to brewing their own beer, they like to cook from scratch as much as possible. They know what’s important. Love. Food. Beer. Visit He Cooks She Cooks for more recipes.

Homemade Butter for National Dairy Month!

Heather Jurczyk from HeCooksSheCooks.com shares her recipes with Shindigz

We are huge fans of anything homemade. Baked goods, sausages, sauces, bacon, mayonnaise, etc. etc. etc. And butter. I make some of the most delicious butter ever. It blows away anything you can buy in a store. You can flavor it any way you like. Fleur de sel? Sure! Blueberries? Of course! Garlic and pepper. You bet!

And it is so easy, you will wonder why you ever waited to try this at home. What better time than National Dairy Month (June) to learn this age old craft. With 20th century equipment of course.

By the way – a few batches of homemade butters make some of the most perfect hostess gifts or shower gifts or pick up a crusty loaf of fresh baked bread and bring it along with some 20 clove garlic butter for quick grilled garlic bread. Or a bucket of corn & some cayenne lemon butter. Possibilities are endless.

Homemade Butter

First we start with the right heavy cream. The best possible cream to use is non-ultra pasteurized, high butterfat content (36-40%), organic, and from pastured happy cows. Just pure cream.

Mmm Heavy Cream!

For sake of this recipe we are starting with 2 cups very very cold cream. This will yield 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of buttermilk.

2 cups of ice cold cream

I am also using the ever faithful Kitchen Aid with whisk attachment. (You can use any hand mixer with a deep bowl or even a large mason jar with a locking lid. Just shake shake shake away!)

Pour cream into your bowl and turn on your mixer. A nice slow speed is good here, say a 2.

First the cream with thicken slightly. See how it coats the whisk? Then it will become whipped cream. Then that whipped cream will break. And then break further looking not really appetizing at all but fear not!

The stages of butter making

Once it breaks down as seen in the almost butter image above, turn off the mixer to avoid injury and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Then turn your mixer back on and watch the magic happen.

Abracadabra! Butter!

The butter milk and the milk solids have separated leaving you some beautiful creamy butter.

Now, let the buttermilk drain from the butter. And please for all that is sacred in this world. DO NOT just throw away the buttermilk. Make pancakes! Make biscuits! Chicken! Drink it! It’s amazing…

Draining the butter

Look at those beautiful golden curds of butter.

Mmm Homemade Butter!

Almost done, we still need to rinse the butter to remove any trace of buttermilk. I do a simple cold water bath while squeezing the butter. It will start out like this:

Butter Washing

And when it is thoroughly rinsed, should look like this:

Clean and Delicious Homemade Butter

At this point you can wrap it in cheese cloth and squeeze out the excess water, or just allow it to strain off. I do the latter.

Now is the time you can add herbs or salt or sugar or honey or berries or bacon or garlic or whatever to flavor your butter. I like to add a 1/2 teaspoon of fleur de sel. It is all up to your personal taste and imagination.

Just add a lid and label and you’re a genius butter maker!

Ok, lets finish. Take the butter and press it into a jar.

Press it down real good so that you push out any air pockets between the butter and the bottom of the jar. Top with cold water.
Store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Every time you need butter, simply pour off the water, take what you need and top with fresh, cold water before covering and returning to the refrigerator. This has the same effect as a butter bell.

That’s it. Yep! It is THAT easy. You can even get some cool silicone ice trays and use them as individual butter molds. Wow your friends! Impress your family! Confuse your enemies!

With homemade butter – you can take over the world.

Recipe by Heather Jurczyk, the sassy half of the duo that make up the cooking team of He Cooks She Cooks. They have a weakness for feel good, down to earth, amazingly tasty eats that almost always include the addition of beer.

From growing their own tomatoes to brewing their own beer, they like to cook from scratch as much as possible. They know what’s important. Love. Food. Beer. Visit He Cooks She Cooks for more recipes.

Carrot Zucchini Summer Squash Muffins

Heather Jurczyk from HeCooksSheCooks.com shares her recipes with Shindigz

April 25th is National Zucchini Bread Day!

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Shindigz will take ANY reason to celebrate!

And really what isn’t there to celebrate about zucchini bread? It is delicious and makes your taste buds happy. It has zucchini in it! Which, okay, may not sound like anything all that special, but really it is. With the addition of veggies in a muffin you have a healthy snack, and dare I say it, with over TWO CUPS of veggies in these muffins, you can probably eat them as a side dish of veggies and reach your Recommended Daily Allowance of veggies! If you eat the whole batch. Which once you taste these you will want to.

These tasty so delicious that they’ll be the hit at any party, from summer celebrations to bridal showers.  Or how about impressing Mom on Mothers Day, especially with the creative way you’re eating your veggies!

Carrot Zucchini Summer Squash Muffins

Everyone will want your recipe for these Carrot Zucchini Summer Squash Muffins!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 cups grated carrots, zucchini and summer squash, blotted dry.
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.
In the bowl of your mixer, add the eggs, yogurt, oil, sugar, honey and mix to blend well.In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Slowly add the flour mix and blend till all ingredients are combined.

Mix the carrots, zucchini, summer squash and walnuts together and add to mixture.

Grease or paper your muffin tins. Fill each muffin almost to the top of the tin.

Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool on rack and then remove from tin.

To glaze mix 1 cup of powder sugar with just enough milk to get a thick syrup. Spoon glaze over cool muffins.

Next week –  a TWO-FER! A drink for the Kentucky Derby lovers and a dish for Cinco De Mayo!

Recipe by Heather Jurczyk, the sassy half of the  duo that make up the cooking team of He Cooks She Cooks. They have a weakness for feel good, down to earth, amazingly tasty eats that almost always include the addition of beer.

From growing their own tomatoes to brewing their own beer, they like to cook from scratch as much as possible. They know what’s important. Love. Food. Beer. Visit He Cooks She Cooks for more recipes.

Lemon Cookie Bars

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 Cup Butter
• 4 Large Eggs
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Lemon Juice From Concentrate
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 2 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and butter. Pat into the bottom of a pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until it turns lightly brown.
In a second large mixing bowl beat the eggs, granulated sugar and lemon juice with a wire whip until well blended.
Stir in the 1/4 cup of flour and 1/2 tsp. of baking powder and pour over top of the baked crust. Return to the oven and bake an additional 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of powdered sugar.

Apple Puff Pancakes

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 Cup Flour
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 medium apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• icing sugar for dusting
• maple syrup

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
2. Place the butter in a 10-inch deep dish pie plate or a 9-inch square baking dish.
3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until well mixed and foamy. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add to the egg mixture and beat just until smooth.
4. Place the pie plate or baking dish into the oven and let heat until the butter is melted and hot. Remove from the oven and holding the dish carefully with oven mitts, swirl gently to coat the entire surface with butter. Quickly arrange the apple slices evenly on the bottom of the dish and pour in the batter.
5. Place in the oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Dust with icing sugar before cutting into wedges or squares. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup if you like.

Crispy Easter Egg Nests

• 1 (14 oz.) bag sweetened flake coconut
• Green food dye
• 1 (7.5 oz.) jar Marshmallow Fluff
• 3 cups Crisp Rice Cereal
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• Cooking spray
• Jelly Beans or Jordan almonds

• Place 1 bag of sweetened coconut in a bowl. Use a toothpick to apply and stir in a few drops of green food coloring and let it dry. Melt 1 (7.5 oz.) jar of Marshmallow Fluff in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until soft and pliable. Stir in 3 cups of crisp rice cereal. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips; remove from heat. Arrange 8 paper cupcake liners on a work surface. Mist hands with cooking spray. Gather a small amount of cereal mixture and shape to fit into a cupcake liner. Add more cereal to make a rim around top. Let cool. Make 7 more. Fill each nest with a bit of coconut and Jelly Beans or Jordan Almonds.

Jelly Bean Cheesecake

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened cream cheese
• 1/3 cup  sugar
• 1 tub (8 oz.) of Whipped Topping, thawed
• 1   Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 oz.)
•  Jelly beans

  

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl with whisk until well blended. Stir in the whipped topping and spoon into the crust.

REFRIGERATE  for 3 hours or until set. Top with jelly beans just before serving.

Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic

• 1 Large Cauliflower washed & cut into bite size pieces (still wet)
• 15-17 Garlic Cloves peeled & lightly crushed
• 1-2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil (may need to add more to drizzle/taste)

1. Mix oil, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic together.
2. Toss in the cauliflower and place in a large casserole dish in one layer.
3. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes and toss up the cauliflower and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Easter Ham

• 1 Whole Ham
• 1 can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, undrained
• 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
• Aluminum Foil

1. Line crock pot with aluminum foil.
2. Place ham in crock pot.
3. Pour crushed pineapple over ham, and then pour maple syrup over the top.
4. Cover and cook for 6 hours.

Fresh Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Combine sugar and flour. Sprinkle 1/4 of it over pastry in pie plate. Heap rhubarb over this mixture. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and flour. Dot with small pieces of butter. Cover with top crust.
3. Place pie on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold.