Peanut Butter Balls

This is a fun treat that my kids love to make, but rarely get to do so. Some call it edible playdough.
I got this recipe from a FHE lesson from Deseret Book - they got it from 30 Days to a Healthier Family.

1/4 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
1/2 c. non-fat dry milk
chopped nuts or shredded coconut

Mix together peanut butter and honey. Add powdered milk. Shape into a ball and roll in either nuts or coconut.

I let the kids make their own shapes, or do whatever they want with it. They usually smash it in their fingers and put it on the their head, and then gobble it up.

Pasta with Sweet Peas

I double this recipe and it's gone quickly. With 16 oz of pasta there are plenty of leftovers. It's really quick. I even cooked up some chicken breasts to go along with it. I sauteed them in the butter and sprinkled the red pepper (I didn't use that much- just a few sprinkles) on them and then added it to the pasta. It would be better with frozen peas, but I had canned, so I used them. This isn't my picture, and those aren't farfalle pasta noodles.

Pasta with Sweet Peas

• 4 ounces farfalle pasta (bowtie noodles)
  
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1/4 cup canned green peas
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1. In a small pot cook farfalle pasta with the 2 cups of water. Add chicken bouillon and boil until water has reduced.
2. Stir in butter and peas. Add red pepper flakes, if desired.
3. Serve with sprinkled parsley on top.

Chocolate Decadence Cake

I made this for Father's Day. It was something I thought Aaron might tackle, so I thought he's enjoy it. I had all of the ingredients - except the whipping cream. We just topped it with frozen whipped topping. It probably has way too many calories, but it was so good. We ate 1/4 of it last night, and no one (except me) could finish their serving. It was so rich and dense. A few suggestions on the preparation. Another reviewer mentioned whipping the egg yolks and the egg whites separately (using 1/8 cup sugar in each). This worked nicely. Also you have to have a 10 inch cake pan. I used my 10 -inch springform pan, and it filled it as it rose (the cake also condenses as it cools). An 8 or 9 - inch pan will be too small to fit all the batter in. It also took a lot longer than 40 minutes. I let mine cook for 1 hour, and it probably could have gone longer. I sprinkled powdered sugar on top because I saw that in one of the pictures and thought it might look nice. Anyway.... it was really good. Aaron took the rest to a meeting tonight. He snagged another piece for tonight, but I don't think I should be eating that all week!

Chocolate Decadence Cake

• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 7 eggs
• 2 cups whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch round pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
2. Chop chocolate squares and place in a large bowl with chocolate chips. Add melted butter. Heat water and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a saucepan until boiling, then pour over chocolate. Stir until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whip eggs with remaining 1/4 cup sugar until thick. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into 10 inch pan.
4. Place 10 inch pan on a cookie sheet in the oven and fill the cookie sheet with water.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool and refrigerate for several hours. Be extremely careful not to burn yourself on the hot water when removing the sheet pan from the oven. (I left the sheet pan of water in the oven until it cooled off)
   
6. Dip the pan in hot water to remove cooled cake. (I have a springform pan where the sides can be removed - so I didn't dip it in hot water). Garnish with whipped cream and serve.

Rhubarb crisp

We were given some rhubarb, and I really wanted to make my MIL's rhubarb crisp. This is the recipe she uses most often. These amounts are for a 9x9 pan. Double for 9x13 (we doubled it). It is so sweet and tangy - yum.

1 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. melted margarine or butter
3½ c. chopped rhubarb

Mix all of the above ingredients except rhubarb, until combined and crumbly. Press ½ of the crumb mixture on bottom for crust. Spread rhubarb over top. In a small sauce pan mix together:

½ c. sugar
1 c. water
2 Tbsp. corn starch

Cook until thick and clear. Remove from heat and mix in:
red food color (it looks more appetizing)
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour evenly over rhubarb. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over top. Bake at 325° F for 1 hour. Serve w/ whipped topping or ice cream. You can cool it, or eat it warm.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I found this recipe a while ago. We don't typically have bacon in the house. But since we had some in the freezer and not much else I made this for dinner (Last week, before I went shopping). I cut this recipe down to about 3/4 and it fed all four of us with left over. I did get to harvest my fresh parsley for the first time this year! Yum! I omitted the wine, and I didn't use nearly as much oil as it called for. But then it was a little sticky.

Spaghetti Carbonara

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 slices bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
3. Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty).
4. Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.