The Best Peanut Butter Cookies...confirmed by me

I will admit that when I saw name of these cookies I thought "Whoa, that name sets some high expectations." Expectations succeeded. My sister-in-law Kristy just came to visit and we finished a huge bag of peanut butter M&Ms pretty much by ourselves in no time at all. Her husband affectionately calls her "The Peanut Butter Princess" so when she posted these cookies from Baking Blonde on her own blog "Sweet Treats and More", I knew they would be good.
Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies
by Baking Blonde

1 cup + 2 TBS peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 TBS milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup Peanut Butter chips

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (I added more...I think Reeses Pieces would be good here too)

3/4 cup Sugar (for rolling dough balls, may need more or less)

Preheat oven to 350.Line baking sheets with parchment paper.In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, butter. Once combined beat in the white sugar, and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla.In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently add to creamed mixture and mix until almost combined. Fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips. Chill dough for at least 15 minutes.

Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Gently roll the dough balls into sugar and place dough balls on parchment lined baking sheets. Carefully press each ball with fork tines to create a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 5-10 minutes until sturdy enough to be transferred to a wire rack to cool completely. *These are delicate cookies but so moist.

***chill dough at least 20 minutes before baking & keep extra dough chilled while other cookies are baking!

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Here's one of our healthy meal staples that we cook all the time. It's full of flavor, only 200 calories, and has only five ingredients. It has all the flavors of bruschetta but with the bread...or the carbs. My kids will eat it too so it must be a winner.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Source: adapted from Kraft Foods

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato dressing, divided
2 tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

Place a large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; heat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Add 1/4 cup dressing and seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 minutes (I marinate it all day if I remember in time). Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill for about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.

Turn the chicken over and place cooked-side up, on foil on the grill. Top with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

*Sometimes we add a splash of balsalmic vinegar to give it a bit more zip.

Roquefort Pear Salad

595 people on allrecipes.com rated this 5 stars so I knew it had to be good. It's great for company because it looks so fancy and tastes amazing. Add some chicken on top and you could have a great meal with just the salad. I practically ate the whole thing by myself.

Roquefort Pear Salad

by http://www.allrecipes.com/

1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped
5 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled 1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pecans ( I did a little more because they are so good and add so much to the salad )
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard ( I used Dijon )
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, stir 1/4 cup of sugar together with the pecans. *Melt the sugar first and then add the nuts so that the sugar doesn't get stuck and clumpy in the grooves of the nuts. It will eventually melt if you just turn up the heat and wait. Continue stirring gently until sugar has melted and caramelized the pecans. Carefully transfer nuts onto waxed paper. Allow to cool, and break into pieces.
For the dressing, blend oil, vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, mustard, chopped garlic, salt, and pepper.
In a large serving bowl, layer lettuce, pears, blue cheese, avocado, and green onions. Pour dressing over salad, sprinkle with pecans, and serve.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe has been floating around the recipe blogs. John absolutely loved them! If you don't like sweet dishes you won't like this. It is a mixture of sweet and spicy. They are so easy and really, really good. Definitely worth making!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

adapted from the Sister's Cafe

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
8-10 flour tortillas, (I use the soft taco tortillas because they fit perfectly in the pan)

1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded

2 cups green enchilada sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the honey (their tip: spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray before measuring out the honey), lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder together and toss with the shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (or toss together in a Ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours).

Spray a 9X13 pan and a 9X9 pan with cooking spray. Pour enough enchilada sauce on the bottom of each baking pan to create a thin layer on the bottom. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and a generous amount of shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.

Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover chicken marinade (you might not need to use all of the enchilada sauce depending on how saucy you like yours). Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and top with reserved cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top. I served mine with sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro lime rice and black beans.

Gooey Potatoes

Also known as funeral potatoes but gooey potatoes is a much less morbid name. Everyone has a recipe for gooey potatoes but this is my favorite version. My friends the Clarks introduced me to them.

Gooey Potatoes

by Ryan and Heidi Clark

1 (2lb) bag of frozen cubed hash browns (I have used shredded too. It's just personal preference.)

2 cups sour cream

2 cups shredded sharp cheese, + ½ cup for topping

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Small bunch of green onions, sliced

Corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sour cream, 2 cups of the cheddar cheese, cream of chicken soup, and green onions in a large bowl.

Add the hash browns and mix together thoroughly.

Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese with 2 cups of corn flakes which have been lightly crushed. Reserve for later.

Cover and bake potatoes at 350⁰ for 30-35 minutes. (*I cook mine a little longer just to make sure they are done. There is nothing worse than crunchy potatoes. ) Cover top with corn flake/cheese mixture and bake an additional 15 minutes until potatoes are bubbling and top has browned.

Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake

I hope everyone had a great Easter. I know I ate way too much. By the time we got to dessert I could hardly eat a bite of this. The next day, however, I had a big slice of this and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am not a big carrot cake connoisseur but everyone loved the combo of cheesecake and carrot cake. This is a copycat recipe from RecipeZaar.

Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake
by RecipeZaar

CHEESECAKE
16 ounces cream cheese (at room temp)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

CARROT CAKE
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash salt
1 (8 1/2 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained with juice reserved
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup flaked coconut (I left this out since my company did not like coconut. I added a dash of coconut extract to make up for it and a little bit more carrots.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

PINEAPPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (*I doubled this)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice
dash of salt

To make cheesecake, in large bowl of electric mixer, beat together 2 pkgs cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in 1 tablespoon flour, 3 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

Meanwhile prepare Carrot Cake: In large bowl, combine oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, blending thoroughly. Stir in 1 cup flour, baking soda, cinnamon and dash salt, mixing well. Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.

Spread 1 1/2 cups carrot cake batter over bottom of greased 9-or 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Drop large spoonfuls of cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter; top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter. Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife. Do not marble with a knife.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

When cake is cold, prepare Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting.
In a bowl of electric mixer, combine 2 oz cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice and dash of salt. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency. Frost top of cheesecake. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Pioneer Woman's Pico De Gallo

The best pico de gallo I have ever had was on our honeymoon in Cabo San Lucas. I survived on pico de gallo, fresh guacamole with chips, and pina coladas because I was scared I would get sick from anything else. That was almost 8 years ago. Now I would probably eat anything there without any trepidation. Maturity or stupidity...tough call.

This pico can compete with the pico we ate on our honeymoon. It's also better than what I use in my Cafe Rio recipes so I have replaced mine with the Pioneer Woman's. What she explained is usually we think the tomato is the star of the pico de gallo but actually she says "the jalapenos, the cilantro, the onions—they require equal billing with the tomatoes to make Pico de Gallo work." I was even a little conservative in mine with the cilantro and jalapenos and will add more next time.
Pico De Gallo
by the Pioneer Woman
5 plum tomatoes
1/2 large or small onion
3 jalapenos
cilantro
lime juice
salt
Quantities are approximate

Chop jalapenos, onion, and tomatoes in a very small dice. Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico. Adjust the amount of jalapenos for your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Disregard the long stems before chopping. Stir together. Add the juice of a half a lime and add salt to taste.

Conference Brunch - Orange Rolls

I wanted to make something special for breakfast while we watched conference and were spiritually fed. I cut this recipe in half for my little family which still made 24 rolls. I made them the night before conference and John got up with the kids in the morning so I could have a day to sleep in. When I woke up and came downstairs ALL but the 3 rolls they had saved me had been eaten. They are that good! Another great recipe from my old roommate Lisa that I have been making over the years. They are definitely best warm out of the oven but with a 10 second warm up in the microwave they are just as juicy the next day.

Orange Rolls

by Lisa Poulsen

Rolls:

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

3 teaspoons salt

6 cups flour

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons (2 packages) yeast

1/2 cup warm water

Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) soft butter

1 cup granulated sugar

grated peel of one orange

Glaze:

Mix together 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar and juice of one orange

(I usually juice the orange and then add the sugar to the taste and consistency I like.)

Stir milk, sugar, oil, and salt until sugar is completely dissolved. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat well. Add 2 eggs and stir in. Dissolve the 2 T. yeast in a 1/2 c. warm water and add to flour mixture. Mix in the remaining 4 cups of flour. Put some flour on a pastry board or counter and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky (more flour may be added if sticky). Put dough into greased bowl and let rise until double (about an hour) in a warm place. Divide dough into 6 parts and roll each into a circle. Spread with 1/6 of the filling mixture and cut into 8 wedges. Roll each into a crescent shape. Cover and let rise at least 1 hour in a warm place. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook! Pour on glaze when rolls are still warm.

Avocado Feta Salsa

Here's a little twist on your average salsa. The great thing about this recipe is that you can pretty much add whatever quantity of the ingredients you want to fit your specific taste preference.
Avocado Feta Salsa
adapated from allrecipes.com

2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
lemon
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, gently stir together tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. I also squirted some lemon juice on it to give it more flavor and to keep the avocados from browning as quickly. Mix in cilantro. Gently stir in olive oil and vinegar. Then stir in feta. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and chill for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips. *It does not keep long because of the avocado so it is best to make it close to when you are serving it.