Oven “Fried” Pickles

August 29, 2012 by 9 Comments

Pickles.

I love the heck out of some good old fashioned dill pickles. They’ve saved me through diets when all I wanted was something to crunch that contained little calories. They’ve saved me through pregnancies when I just wanted something high in sodium. They’ve saved me through times when I just wanted to be reeeeeal bad and eat something deep fried. I’d have to say that they’ve always had my back.

My favorite way to eat pickles? Oh covered in batter and fried to a golden brown and served with a spicy ranch sauce. But since I have this slight (but I really mean huge) aversion to eating fried things, I don’t make or order them too often.

I decided I wanted some “fried” pickles but I didn’t actually want to fry them. Which usually means hello mister oven!

So to begin, we start with a pickle assembly line. Just experience from baking things with coatings on them, I knew that cornstarch was going to be necessary. Then you have your egg substitute, or regular egg if you’re feeling wild. But I promise, you won’t be able to tell if you just use the substitute. It will keep the calories lower this way. Next are a mixture of plain bread crumbs, panko breadcrumbs, and garlic powder. Then you have your pan lined with foil ready for its pickle partners!

Oh and by the way, pickles themselves are needed too. They just didn’t make it into my pictures yet. 🙂

So start off with dipping your pickle in the cornstarch, making sure to shake off the excess.

Take your cornstarched pickle and dredge it through the egg.

Here comes the crunchy part. Then roll it around in the breadcrumbs and place it on the foil lined baking sheet.

Oh look. Now you have all your ducks pickles in a row. Now bake those ducks pickles!

I felt no guilt at all indulging in these “fried” pickles. The pickles themselves are practically calorieless and the breading is used in moderation making these are great snack even for the serious dieter. Plus, the only cost that I had was buying the pickles themselves. They were $1 at Aldi so those didn’t even break the bank. Other than that, you might even have all the ingredients in your pantry right now.

Check out the recipe below.

Oven “Fried” Pickles
Recipe Type: Snack, Appetizer,
Author: Pennywise Cook
You can have the best of both worlds with these oven “fried” pickles. Satisfy your fried pickle craving without the shame or guilt.
Ingredients
  • 1 Jar Dill Pickle Spears, Drained and dried well on paper towels
  • 4 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1/2 c. Egg Substitute
  • 4 Tbsp Panko Breadcrums
  • 4 Tbsp Plain Breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a shallow dish, mix together breadcrumbs and garlic powder. Place the egg in another shallow bowl and the cornstarch in another shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil.
  2. Coat the spear in cornstarch, then shake off excess. Dredge through the egg substitute, then coat with the breadcrumbs.Place on baking sheet.
  3. Once all around on the sheet, very lightly spray the tops. Bake for 12 minutes turning them once every 4 minutes (total of 3 times) so that each side (there are 3!) gets a good brown.
  4. Serve with your favorite low-cal ranch and you have yourself a snack!
Notes

This would also work with the sandwich slices or regular chip versions. However, be prepared for it to take forever to dredge and dip!


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Homemade 3 Musketeers Bars

August 22, 2012 by 9 Comments

Oh man, I’m still on a sugar high from all of this week’s candybars. When you have bowls of fillings and melted chocolate in front of you, it’s impossible to resist. I’m just sayin’.

We’re going to go a bit lighter today on our candy bars and talk about how to make Homemade 3 Musketeers Bars. Once again, the simplicity of this recipe stunned me. There are once again just 3 ingredients in this one and it’s as simple as pie to make. Well, maybe not apple pie. It’s really not that easy to make apple pie from scratch is it?

I digress…

The main ingredient in the filling for these candybars is whipped cream. You don’t get much fluffier than that, huh. I think that’s why it’s so much lower in fat than most other candybars. It also explains it’s lighter than air texture.

You simply melt up 2 cups of chocolate chips. I used semi-sweet this time around, but I won’t be using those next time.

UPDATE- I tried the nougat part with milk chocolate and it made it WAY too runny, so I do not advise using the milk chocolate chips.

Anywho, melt those up in the microwave or double boiler (I prefer this method) and then give them a good whippin’ with your mixer. Beat in an 8 ounce container of cool whip just until combined and fluffy.

Pour into a lined square dish and freeze. The longer, the better. At least 30 minutes, but overnight is great!

Sorry this picture is so dark. I got these put together at night and the lighting was just horrible. But you get the idea don’t you?

Once frozen, cut it into bite-size squares and dip into your melted chocolate wafers. I used a fork to turn and coat them well. These were a little more difficult to work with than the Butterfingers. These didn’t turn out as pretty for me, but they were still tasty!

Recipe from Monster Mama.

Homemade 3 Musketeers Bars
Recipe Type: Dessert, Candy, Snack
Author: Adapted from Monster Mama
Ingredients
  • 2 c. Milk Chocolate Chips
  • 1 8 oz Tub Cool Whip (You can even use sugar-free or fat-free!)
  • 2 c. Chocolate Melting Wafers
Instructions
  1. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or using a double boiler (I use this method). If you do use the microwave, it’s best to melt them on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring between each spurt.
  2. Beat your melted chocolate chips with a mixer for about a minute. Add in the cool whip and beat just until combined and fluffy.
  3. Pour into a lined 8×8 baking dish and freeze for at least 30 minutes. The longer, the better!
  4. Take out and cut into bite-size squares.
  5. When frozen, melt chocolate wafers according the package directions and using a couple forks, roll the squares until coated. Place on a wax-paper lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer to set.

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Homemade Butterfingers

August 21, 2012 by 7 Comments

We’re now on day number 2 of our CandyBar Week here at Pennywise Cook. It’s great making cakes and cookies and casseroles and all, but there is great satisfaction that comes when you have a batch of homemade candybars laying around. I’ve been using them for more than just eating by themselves. I’ve thrown a few in homemade ice cream a couple of times. They also make great bribery tools for the kids. And the husband…

Today’s homemade candybar is Butterfinger! Oh yeah, that’s right. Peanut Buttery, orange goodness. You might just be surprised by what exactly goes into these.

It’s possible that you may need to have a seat before you continue reading.

Almost everyone that tasted these could not guess what it was that these are made of. But they ALL said they taste exactly like the real thing.

It all starts with the famous fall candy, candy corn. I’m a big fan of it myself, but just like coconut I know there are some who don’t like it. It doesn’t matter. If they like Butterfingers, they will like your candybars even though they contain candy corn. If you’re concerned about whether that will make a difference, just don’t tell them. It can be our little secret.

But you might just be dying to share this 3-INGREDIENT recipe with everyone.

It starts with 1 pound of candy corn getting all smooth and melty in the microwave. I was a little surprised, but this was my first experience melting candy corn. It was fun. I was surprised at how quick it went back to being firm again.

Here’s a view of the melted candy corn awaiting the arrival of peanut butter. That’s the next step once you get it melted. Stir in a 16 oz jar of creamy peanut butter.

Then it’s time to pour it into a square pan to freeze. I used another piece of wax paper to smooth the top out and create a perfect square. I didn’t freeze it with the wax paper on top.

No need to freeze it long. Just let it get firm for about 15 minutes. You’ll find that the candy corn really firms up well.

Cut it into squares. You decide how big. Just eyeball it. I tried to make mine smaller so I could eat more. 🙂

Then it’s all a matter of using two forks to roll the squares through melted chocolate wafers. When I started, mine were really ugly y’all. But as I went on, I got better and they began to look fairly similar to a candybar. I even used my fork to drizzle little lines on the top to mimic the real thing. Not perfect, but I think it was a nice touch.

And they turned out SO good! They taste so incredibly similar that it’s crazy. I was very impressed with them and I know you will be too!

Let me know if you make them!

Recipe adapted from Plain Chicken.

Homemade Butterfingers
Recipe Type: Dessert, Candy, Snacks
Author: Adapted from Plain Chicken
With just 3 simple ingredients, you can create your very own Butterfinger candybars!
Ingredients
  • 1 Pound Candy Corn
  • 16 oz Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 2 Cups Chocolate Wafer Melts
Instructions
  1. Melt candy corn in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir then continue microwaving in 15-second increments until melted completely. Stir between each interval.
  2. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Pour into a lined or greased 8×8 square baking dish. Freeze for about 10 minutes. Place wax paper onto a cookie sheet.
  3. Cut into small squares. Melt chocolate wafers according to package. Using two fork, roll the square into chocolate coating all sides. Lay on wax paper and allow to firm. Freeze for about 10 minutes once all are coated.

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CandyBar Week: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

August 20, 2012 by 2 Comments

Happy Monday! There are only about a million reasons why today is a GOOD Monday, y’all. First off, my oldest baby starts kindergarten today! It just doesn’t seem right. I’ve been at home with her since the beginning and it’s going to be really different around here without her energetic self. I might just be able to keep the house clean. 😉

Another reason that today is a great day is because I had a fantastic weekend and someone those always seem to make way for a good week. Enjoyed some time with all of my family. I got to snuggle my step-sister’s little boy and even worked a little Scrabble game in. My dad even made me up some homemade ice cream. You know, the automated cranked kind. (I must be really special, huh?!) It was such a wonderful weekend and makes me so thankful for my family.

The biggest reason that I’m so glad that it’s Monday is that I have now declared TODAY the beginning of CandyBar Week here on Pennywise Cook! Oh yeah, we’re talking homemade versions of your favorite candybars that take very little time, money, and effort. I had no idea how easy my favorites were to make! I’m so glad to share these with you this week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

And my entire family and friends have. I have now shared some of my candybars with most of my family by request. They were all in aw of how close they were to the real thing! And by the ingredients too….you might be surprised what it takes to make them. But I’ll shut up now and start you off today with Homemade Peanut Butter Cups!

I can already tell you that you will love these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups. Much like the original Reese’s Cups, these are much more special because they are made with love and ingredients from your very own kitchen. Can’t you just imagine them as perfect Christmas gifts?

Grab your old trusty double boiler, or perhaps your two small saucepans like I do. Throw some hot water in the bottom one and get it going on a slow boil. Melt up a cup of milk chocolate chips. Or use your microwave if you’re brave. I’m not, so I use my saucepans.

Line a muffin tin with liners and drop a thin amount of melted chocolate into each cup. Use your spoon to get it into each little crevice of the liners. This is what really makes it look like a peanut butter cup. Then pop them in the freezer for a bit while you whip up the filling.

The filling is super easy. In a mixer, mix together natural peanut butter, powdered sugar and honey. Voila! It’s ready to be rolled and then flattened into your frozen bottoms.

Use about a teaspoon of the filling per cup. Roll it up into a ball, then flatten onto the chocolate leaving a little space around the outside. This way the chocolate can ooze down in there to create a smooth outer shell.

Melt another cup of chocolate chips and smooth it on top of each cup and freeze for a little bit longer and you’re done!

So tasty and so close to the original thing that you’ll believe that’s just what you’re eating.

The first time I made them, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips for the coating. It was ok, but not near as good as the milk chocolate. We liked the ones made with them a lot better. I also made them in the mini muffin tins the first time and the second batch was in the larger ones. After having it both ways, my hips told me to go back to the smaller muffin tins next time. 🙂

Mine weren’t perfect by any means, but here’s the inside. Oh my goodness, I want one right now y’all!

Let’s talk about how to make them…

CandyBar Week: Day 1- Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Recipe Type: Candy, Dessert, Snack
Author: Pennywise Cook
With just 4 ingredients, create peanut butter cups that rival even the biggest peanut butter cup competitors.
Ingredients
  • 2 c. Milk Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 c. Natural Peanut Butter
  • 3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp honey
Instructions
  1. Melt 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Drop equal amounts into a lined mini muffin pan. Use a spoon to even it out into the crevices of the liner. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes while you make the filling.
  2. With a mixer, whip together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and honey. If you notice your filling being a little too thick, pour a few drops of the natural peanut butter oil into it to thin it out just a bit. It should be like dough and able to be rolled.
  3. Remove the chocolate from the freezer. Roll the filling into 1 teaspoon- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon balls. I used about 1 and 1/4 tsp for mine. Flatten them on the chocolate leaving a little space on the outside of the filling for the chocolate to go into.
  4. Melt the other cup of chocolate chips and even pour equal amounts on top of the peanut butter filling smoothing it out as you go. It’s best to do one cup at a time because the peanut butter can make the chocolate harden faster this time.
  5. Freeze for about 10 minutes then serve!

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Slow Cooker Pizza Dip

August 9, 2012 by 2 Comments

It’s almost football season. Are you jumping up and down? Or are you grunting at the thought of all the money you’ll be spending on beer and the time you’ll lose with hubby because he’s glued to the tube?

We are not sports folk.

My husband could care less about who is playing what or when the game is on. Frankly, neither am I. But there is one thing that I do enjoy and it’s game food. I love making snacks and treats for the big game even though I probably won’t even lay one eye on the TV set. I’ve even thought about having a mock football party just to make cute little treats.

Is that silly? Maybe, but not really if you know how much I love food.

This Pizza Dip is so easy. No crazy ingredients needed and your crockpot does all of the work. You may have seen recipes for Pizza Dip before, but most of them contain cream cheese. Nothing wrong with that, but often times it can add just a bit of fat and calories that aren’t always necessary. I’ve adapted this from the Fix It and Forget It Lightly Cookbook.

I made this dip recently for a gathering that I had. I had no idea what to serve it with, so I just grabbed some of those little toasts that you find in the deli section of the grocery store. They are like a $1 and are so incredibly cute! I think this is the absolutely best thing to serve this dip with. If you can’t find them, I think that little crunchy bread sticks would also do the trick.

The best part about this dip? It’s low in calories! Less than 100 calories per serving and you can feel absolutely no guilt for eating it. I even used turkey pepperoni to keep it lean. Top it with a little shredded mozzarella and it’s just like eating a pizza but without all of that breading to weigh you down.

It’s the perfect game day snack! Even if you’re not going to watch the game…

Slow Cooker Pizza Dip
Recipe Type: Crockpot, Dip, Side Dish, Appetizer
Author: Pennywise Cook
The satisfaction of pizza without all of the calories and perfect to make for a get together!
Ingredients
  • 28 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
  • 1 Small Can Sliced Black Olives
  • 1 c. Onion, Chopped
  • 5 oz Turkey Pepperoni, Chopped (or the mini version)
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Tsp Garlic, Minced
  • Shredded Mozzarella Cheese for Sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 2-4 hours.
Notes

My crockpot tends to overheat things, so I have even made this and put my crockpot on warm before and it worked just fine. It also made it possible for me to cook it longer without overcooking it.


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Sugar-Crusted Blueberry Muffins

August 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’ve always been a fan of blueberry muffins. You’d never know it. I can probably count on 1 hand the times that I’ve ever made them from scratch. The box mixes just make life  so much easier don’t they? Sure, but do they give as much satisfaction as saying that you “made them from scratch”? Sometimes it really just doesn’t matter though. You’re tired, the kids are hungry, you just want a muffin!  A very sweet friend of mine mentioned how much she loved Perkin’s muffins the other day. There’s one in my hometown where we visit often, but there aren’t any around here.

Apparently their Mammoth Blueberry Muffins are to die for.

My sweet friend seemed like she needed a little pick me up, so I decided to check around for a copy cat recipe of their famous muffins and whip some up. To my dismay, none of them really seemed to sound like they actually mimicked Perkin’s muffins. I decided to shy away from getting them just like Perkin’s and come up with my own kinda muffins.

These turned out so absolutely fantastic! I really love when that happens. The stress of trial and error is surpassed with success. And boy were these a success. The breading part of these muffins is almost cakey thanks to a secret ingredient (which is not so secret anymore), sour cream. Not exactly something you’d expect to pair with blueberries, but tasty all the same. They boast a gooey blueberry jam filling and that’s in addition to the blueberries themselves, dispersed among the batter. What could top these better than a coating of sugar that has baked into a crust on top of the blueberry goodness?

A smear of butter while they are still warm, maybe.

Oh and I forgot to mention that these are in fact, mammoth. The batter only made 6 of a huge pan of muffins. So you’ll either have to make a second batch or prepare to share.

Sugar-Crusted Blueberry Muffins
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Dessert
Author: Pennywise Cook
Ingredients
  • For the Muffins
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp lemon extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c sour cream
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • For the Filling
  • 1/4 c blueberries
  • 1/4 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • For the Topping
  • 1/4 Tsp Sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Combine all muffin ingredients except blueberries in a bowl and mix well. Stir in1 c. blueberries.
  3. Meanwhile, microwave 1/4 c. blueberries with cornsstarch and sugar for 20 seconds at 50% power. Remove, much and stir and then continue microwaving for increments of 20 seconds until thicken and jam-like.
  4. Pour muffin batter in large, 6-ct muffin pan and create small wells in each.
  5. Using a piping bag or ziploc bag, fill each muffin’s well with filling.
  6. Sprinkle each with 1/4 tsp sugar.
  7. Bake for 22 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
Notes

Note- if you use smaller muffin tins, you may need to adjust your cooking times down.


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3-Ingredient Lady Fingers

August 2, 2012 by 1 Comment

Y’all know I’m a big fan of my sweets. Did you see yesterday’s recipe? I especially love recipes that don’t include many ingredients. In most cases that means that it will cost less to make and it will take less time. Cheaper and I can eat it sooner? My kinda recipe.

I can’t take credit for these sweeties today. I found this one inside the Fite for Your Life II cookbook by Janis Forbes Fite, RN. It’s a really good cookbook for low-fat and simple recipes. And she’s from my home town!

These are SO simple and perfect for a brunch, baby shower, or tea. Very light and airy and made out of things you probably have on-hand. It starts with day old white bread. Now I’m not going to lie. My bread wasn’t old. In fact, I bought it the day that I made these. So I just popped them into the toaster for a taddy bit to get them a little “stale”. Worked like a charm, but had me considering the need for a 4-piece toaster. It took a while to toast up all that bread.

So, start by cutting the crust off every piece. This will leave you with a lot of leftover crusts. You can simply eat them as you cut them off as I did. Or consider some of the options below:

  • Pop them into the food processor to make your own bread crumbs.
  • Dip them in melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, then bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or so. Tasty sweet treat!
  • Use them to make stuffing (or dressing as we call it in the south)
  • Use them to make bread pudding.
  • Freeze for later to make any of the above!

Cut each piece into 3 “fingers”. I used my kitchen shears and that worked really well to get straight pieces. Nobody wants a crooked finger! 😉

Enter, sweetened condensed milk. The fat-free kind that is. Using a pastry brush or whatever kinda brush you’d like, spread a generous amount onto each piece. This is what gives it that yummy sweetness.

Sprinkle on some brown sugah too…

Oh yeah. Pop those loves into the oven and let them get all brown and crusty.

And if you’re like me, you’ll sprinkle on a little powdered sugar just because. They are so good! Maybe not exactly like other Lady Fingers that you’ve had. But hey, with plain old (literally) white bread and a couple other simple ingredients, you just can’t beat it.

3-Ingredient Lady Fingers
Recipe Type: Dessert, Snack
Author: Fite for Your Life II Cookbook- Janis Forbes Fite, RN
Using day old white bread, sweetened condensed milk, and brown sugar you can create Lady Fingers in no time flat.
Ingredients
  • Day Old White Bread
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk (Fat-Free)
  • Brown Sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the crust off bread. Cut each piece into 3 fingers.
  2. Brush each generously with sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle each with brown sugar.
  3. Bake for 10 minutes or so until golden and bubbly.
Notes

The reason there are no specifics amounts listed on this recipe is because it is completely up to you how many you make. I didn’t use an entire loaf of bread or an entire can of sweetened condensed milk. 1 can will go a very long way. You can probably make 50- 100 with 1 can.

Store in an air-tight container or bag.


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Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pizza

August 1, 2012 by 2 Comments

There are two things that you’ll notice right off the bat about the picture above. 1) That it’s pizza and 2) there are strawberries on that pizza! But the one thing you won’t exactly pick up from that picture is that crust isn’t just any crust.

It’s COOKIE.

Yes, we’re talking a soft and sweet tasty cookie to make the base for this incredible dessert pizza. And who needs tomato sauce when you can have a vanilla cream cheese sauce on top of your cookie crust? And instead of anchovies or ridiculous pepperoni, let’s top it with strawberries and then drizzle those with creamy chocolate ganache shall we?

And the next step is to make sure to alert the others in your household that it’s there. Otherwise you might find yourself eating this entire pizza yourself.

It all starts with something extremely easy, (dare I say) store-bought sugar cookie dough. I got lazy and this whole idea came to me when I was staring at the cookie dough section at the store. So feel free to make yours from scratch if you wish. I’m sure it will make it all that much tastier.

Simply place it onto a pizza pan and flatten away. Bake it according to the directions on the package or your recipe, you overachiever. 😉 I left mine just a tad bit soft so that it would still have some give similar to breaded crust.

Then using a spoon that you’ve clearly been licking, spread the yummy vanilla cream cheese onto your crust.

After making up your strawberry sauce, spoon it onto your cream cheese and get ready for the chocolate baby.

This chocolate ganache is as simple as it gets. Cream and semi-sweet chocolate chips are a match made in heaven. Drizzled over strawberries on this pizza, they are heavenly for sure.

Do you see what I’m talking about? It just doesn’t get any better than this.

Well maybe it does. If you had a piece like this in your hand! Check out Aldi and their strawberry deals. They always have them cheap!

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pizza
Recipe Type: Dessert, Pizza
Author: Pennywise Cook
Pizza isn’t just dinner anymore, it’s dessert too!
Ingredients
  • 1 Package Sugar Cookie Dough
  • 2 Cups Capped, Hulled, and Chopped Stawberries
  • 1 8 oz Package Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 less fat kind)- Softened
  • 1/2 Cup Splenda + 1 and 1/2 Tbsp Splenda
  • 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 2 Tbsp Water
  • 1 Tsp Cornstarch
  • 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
  1. Prepare cookie dough according to directions, but place on pizza pan to cook. Let cool.
  2. Meanwhile, whip cream cheese, vanilla, and 1/2 c. Splenda together. Spread onto cooled cookie crust.
  3. In a small saucepan, combine 1 and 1/2 tbsp Splenda, strawberries, water, and cornstarch. Bring to boil, then simmer for 5-6 minutes. Let cool.
  4. Pour over cream cheese taking care to not cover the entire cream cheese area.
  5. In a microwave safe dish, heat cream for 1 minute or until boiling. Place chocolate chips in cream and let sit for 2 minutes. Begin to shake the bowl allowing the chips to begin to melt. Don’t stir just yet. Microwave another minute, then stir together. Allow to cool for a bit.
  6. Drizzle chocolate over pizza. Cut into slices and serve!
  7. Keep refrigerated.

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3-Ingredient Reese’s Truffles

July 24, 2012 by 11 Comments

It was a really great weekend around here. I actually got a girl’s night out with some friends and we had a blast. Isn’t it funny how silly us moms can act when you put a few of us in a room together without our children? We need that time every now and then to just be silly.

I was on a mission to create a Reese’s Truffle over the weekend as well and after a failure, I finally got it right. That’s usually how my creations usually work. I have to fail a few times before I get it right. But that’s what we call trial and error. But let me just tell you, these truffles are no error. They are so yummy! And they are so incredibly easy, it’s insane.

I think one of my favorite things about them is that you can get all the ingredients that you need anywhere, including a convenience store! You know sometimes, it’s just not possible to make it to the grocery store. Whether it’s because you’re on vacation and have no idea where a grocery store is or because you don’t want to fight the crowd, a convenience store is always around the corner and you can get all of the ingredients in this particular recipe from one!

You start out by taking 6 packs of 2 Reese’s cups and 3 slices of pound cake and putting them through the food processor (or blender). It makes a crumby mixture that is really soft and easily formed into a ball. Make them as big or as little as you want.

Although trust me, you’ll want them smaller so you can eat more…

Pop your little balls into the freezer for a little bit. Around 15 minutes or so to get them good and firm so you can dip them in the Hershey goodness.

This is the Hershey goodness. Try to refrain from reaching through the picture to eat one. This is just a picture, I promise.

Melt it in the microwave for a bit to get it so nice and gooey. Then it’s time to get your peanut buttery balls out of the freezer for their chocolate bath.

I would never object to a chocolate bath, would you?

When you’re done dipping them, put them back in the freezer for another little bit to help the chocolate firm a bit quicker and then you can put them in a tupperware or in cute little mini cupcake wrappers like these for serving.

This is what the inside looks like. Once again, this is just a picture. I hate to make you sad, but this truffle ended up in my belly. It was really good. 🙂

Here’s the recipe so you can make your own!

3-Ingredient Reese’s Truffles
Recipe Type: Dessert, Snack
Author: Pennywise Cook
3 Ingredients come together to create a peanut buttery truffle made of Reese’s cups.
Ingredients
  • 3 Packs of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (6 total)
  • 3 Standard Size Hershey Bars
  • 3 Slices of Regular Flavor Pound Cake
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, combine and process the pound cake and Reese’s cups until crumby.
  2. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on a pan and freeze for around 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile place Hershey bars in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power. Continue microwaving in 10 seconds increments until completely melted, stirring after each time.
  4. Remove balls from freezer and dip each into the chocolate. Place on dish covered in wax paper and place back into freezer for around 15 minutes to firm.
  5. Serve and try not to consume them all yourself!
Notes

You could also make these with chocolate pound cake and that would be very delicious as well!

 

This experience has been part of a study with Murphy USA and The Smarter Driver. See more Convenience Store Cuisine at The Smarter Driver or at Murphy USA on Pinterest. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.


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Pizza Quesadillas

July 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Every now and then to change lunch up just a bit, I make what my little girl what she likes to call “pizza tacos”. I use a tortilla and spoon on some pizza sauce (or sometimes just tomato sauce) along with some pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. I roll them up and microwave them for a few seconds to help the cheese melt. It makes a really tasty lunch. After making one for her the other day I got to thinking about how the same might taste good in a quesadilla.

The idea eventually made its way to my menu plan and I was excited about that night. It was another one of those dinners that I knew everyone would love.

One of the best things about making these quesadillas is that you can customize them to the eater’s liking. For instance, I like my pizzas with everything on them. Well, minus any small fish or fungi. My daughter and husband? Not so much. Strictly cheese and pepperoni. But I did add some meat to the mix for substance since this is for dinner after all.

These were a major hit with the fam. I even told my hubby that I have to hand it to myself, they are pretty good. I dunked mine in salsa although some might find that a little weird. Pizza and salsa don’t exactly go together, but they tasted fine to me. You could dip them in more pizza sauce. I’m sure that would be tasty.

Oh yeah. That’s obviously a picture of my quesadilla with olives and all. Feel free to leave those off if you must.

Here’s the recipe.

Pizza Quesadillas
Recipe Type: Main Dish
Author: Pennywise Cook
Serves: 4
Make this every day Mexican dish and make it Italian. These Pizza Quesadillas are extra tasty!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Ground Turkey
  • 1 Tsp Minced Garlic
  • 1 Tsp Onion Flakes
  • 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1/2 Tsp Dried Basil
  • 1 Cup Pasta Sauce
  • Sliced Olives
  • Pepperoni
  • 2-3 c. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • 8 Medium tortillas
  • Cooking Spray
Instructions
  1. Brown ground turkey with garlic, onion flakes, oregano, and basil. Add pasta sauce and cook for about 5 minutes.
  2. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray. On a tortilla place about 1/3 c. shredded cheese, then some of the meat mixture, then top with optional olives and pepperoni. End with cheese and top with second tortilla. Place into heated skillet for about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Spray top tortilla with cooking spray then flip the entire quesadilla with spatula.
  4. Repeat for next 3 quesadillas.
Notes

This makes about 4 quesadillas that make 4 squares each. They are surprisingly filling too!


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