Pretzel-mania

Kent is currently in Cincinnati for the week. He left yesterday and will return on Sunday.

Last weekend I read about Pioneer Woman making awesome looking pretzels. (Go here to read about it!) And Meredith and I decided that when Kent left for Ohio, we would make yummy pretzels to cheer us up.

Yesterday after school we started the recipe, and although both kids were totally distracted by other things by the time the pretzels were actually done, they both totally loved them.


We got the actual recipe on Smitten Kitchen (find it here.)

Yes, I made T, J, and M pretzels. The M worked the best - by far. Both the T and the J ones kind of came apart.


I made some with coarse salt on the top as the recipe indicates. But then I made some with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. And to kick it up a notch, I also made cream cheese frosting to dip the cinnamon/sugar ones in. You know, because a sweet pretzel isn't fattening enough by itself!


The cinnamon/sugar ones were our favorite. Meredith even had one for breakfast this morning.

Ok. Ok. So did I!

Kent, rest assured that this recipe will not be lost forever. We will make them when you are back home!

Super Bowl or Supper Bowl?

So we had fun at my sister Kristen's house for a Super Bowl gathering. As you can read from the previous post, she made these yummy apple hand pies. And chili. And bacon wrapped little smokies. And had chips and guacamole. And provided the drinks. Everyone else was supposed to bring something to go with the chili, but really, we wouldn't have needed to bring anything.

But of couse we did. Oh did we ever!

I made wings to take along. I've never attempted them before, but I'm telling you, Pioneer Woman makes everything seem so...well...easy to make. So I tried them. I think they were good, but I don't really know because I had only a bite of one before we left the house. (That's always why I hate taking a cake or pie or something to a potluck that I can't test it beforehand...but I digress...) I love wings, but I prefer the BBQ ones, or teriyaki, or something other than plain 'ole buffalo wings. Kent assured me that they were great, though. (The photo is courtesy of Pioneer Woman.)

Anyway, I also made this awesome jalepeno popper dip to go with chips. (Yes, it was one of at least 3 dips at the party...wait...that didn't come out quite right!) Kent's sister Karol made this dip at Christmas, and I've made it at least 3 or 4 times since then. It tastes just like jalapeno poppers (hence the name) but it's way easier than actually making jalepeno poppers. I almost don't want to share the recipe with anyone because then you'll see how easy it is to make!

Finally, I made these way yummy lemon cookies for the party. And seriously, I've never made an easier cookie! (Yes, I had a theme for the last two items: easy-peasy!) Anyway, I found the cookies here. And this is the recipe: mix a tub of Cool Whip and 2 eggs. Add a box of cake mix (I used lemon for mine) and mix together. Drop by spoonfuls into a bowl of powdered sugar and roll around to coat. Then bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. And that's it folks! They are sooooo good. I got stuff to make strawberry cookies next...we'll see how those are!

Comfort

Yesterday Kent came home after a long and not-so-fun day. So I decided he needed a little comfort food. I remembered a recipe I had seen recently on Pioneer Woman for yummy chicken with bacon and cheese on top. What could be more comforting than that?!?

So I cooked up Pioneer Woman's Ranch Style Chicken and some cheddar mashed potatoes - and I believe it was a hit!

Note to readers: the above picture is not mine, but from the Pioneer Woman herself.

Note to self: next time I fry chicken in the cast iron skillet on the stove, make sure to put the splatter screen on...or I'll end up degreasing the stove, counter, and any recipe that is nearby...again!

Have you ever visited Pioneer Woman? (No, not just any old pioneer woman, but thepioneerwoman.com) If not, you should go - she has awesome recipes and great photography and photoshop tips and lots more. I really love the recipes that she has though. Not only are they scrumptious, but she has step-by-step pictures accompanying the recipe. Now that's the kind of recipe that I love!

Anyway, a nice and comforting meal was had by all last night.