Pretzels

Pretzels are easy and a fun thing to make with your children.

HOMEMADE PRETZELS
Makes 12

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water 
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast – 1 packet
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted, slightly cool
3 ¾ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
coarse sea salt for sprinkling
1/2 cup baking soda

Preheat oven to 400° degrees.
Get a big pot of water boiling and add the baking soda.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Silicone baking mats are highly recommended over parchment paper. If using parchment paper, lightly spray with nonstick spray or grease with butter. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, whisk the yeast into warm water. Allow to sit for 1 minute.
Whisk in salt, brown sugar, and melted ...

Cherry Mashers

This recipe is from Joanna Gaines and it says it makes about 4 dozen.

I made these for the first time in 2021 and we loved them so much they were added to our list of Christmas candy that we make every year.

One 7.2-ounce package Betty Crocker Home Style Fluffy White Frosting Mix - If you can’t find or don’t want to use the powdered frosting mix, omit the mix and decrease the amount of sweetened condensed milk to 3 tablespoons.
1 pound powdered sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature
One 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
One 20-ounce package chocolate almond bark, broken into smaller pieces
One 11.5-ounce bag milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the f...

QUICKER THAN DELIVERY

On a night when I don't feel like cooking, these are my go-to meals. You can cook these meals with pantry ingredients and have them ready before you could get delivery.

FRITTATA

Let me start this recipe by saying you can take pretty much any vegetable in your fridge and make a frittata. My favorite is asparagus, with spinach as my second favorite. In the recipe, I use asparagus, but you use what you want. If you use potatoes, you need to cut them up very small or par-boil them a little so they will cook completely.

You can use the cheese of your preference, but I like cheddar.

Here are the basic ingredients....

eggs – 6-8 depending on how many people you are feeding
onion or shallot or even green onion
cheese – grated – whatever kind you have
a little bit of milk if you have it – I don't always use it
sea salt
pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Decide what ...

EMPANADAS

Empanadas!  They are so versatile!  You can use a refrigerated, store-bought pie crust and leftovers and create a whole new meal for your family!  Today we are making some Tex-Mex empanadas.

TEX-MEX BEEF EMPANADAS
Yield – 8

1 package of pre-made pie crust (2 rolls)
1 pound of ground beef - drain off the excess fat
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 medium diced bell pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup Mexican cheese
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large skillet cook ground beef, onions and bell pepper until beef is cooked through, onions are translucent and peppers are soft. Drain any excess fat.
Add cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili powder to ground beef mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
Roll out pie crusts. U...