A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Peanut Butter, White Chocolate, and Cashew Energy Bites

I kept seeing "energy balls" or "energy bites" all over Pinterest and wondered what was up with that. Well, now I know! They are 1 ounce bites (which actually means about 3 bites) of sweet and savory deliciousness wrapped around a lot of nutrition, if you do it right.  In texture and taste, they're a cross between a no-bake cookie, candy, or an old-fashioned sugar plum. Remember the Christmas poem "...while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads..."   I made those one year for Christmas and wonder why I never did again. An all natural chewy bit of carb happiness, I mean, energy. Will definitely be keeping these in the rotation. They will be great for at home but even more perfect for work when I need to grab something quick and easy to nibble on because it's too easy to get busy and end up going 8-10 hours without eating anything and that low blood sugar nausea feeling that comes on doesn't do me or my patients any good.

I will make up other flavors but my first foray into the energy bite world was kind of a rebellion against all things chocolate.  Every recipe I've ever seen has chocolate chips or cocoa in it.  There are some of us out here in the world, I confess, who are not chocoholics.   Loved watching Bobby Flay (old eppy) over the weekend where he made French toast sticks with white chocolate/orange ganache and said "White chocolate has always been my favorite chocolate. My Mom still brings me a white chocolate bunny to the restaurant every year on Easter."  Ahhh!  And yes, a fellow white-a-holic! 

 

Auntie Miranda's Candied Pecans

 

 

These little sugary nuggets of paradise are hard to beat when you have a sweet tooth howling but don't want to eat a lot of calories or a big dessert. They are also absolutely delicious scattered across salads for an extra crunch.  Thank you to Auntie Miranda for giving us a batch and sharing the recipe!

 

 

 

Copycat KIND Bars

These are absolutely dynamite! Seriously, I can't say enough good things about them.  Not only do I love them so much I'll be making them every few weeks for my work lunchbox, everyone I gave them to at Christmas loved them, and I took a bag of remnants, little clusters of nutty goodness that fell apart a bit when I cut the bars, into work one night and shared them with the nurses and aides on 3West and was asked for the recipe multiple times.

A huge Thank You to Monica Matheny of The Yummy Life blog for these recipes. I'm not going to try to reprint the recipe here because her post includes step by step pics and eight different flavors of KIND bar copycat recipes.  My first batch was the Fruit & Nut Delight. My next foray will be the Almond and Coconut--YUM!

Click here:  Copycat KIND Bar Recipes

 

Greek Do Nothing Pineapple Coconut Cake

 OMG, Auntie Miranda made this cake for cousin James' birthday dinner, our theme being "Greek", and it was absolutely divine!  She said it was very quick and easy to put together, which is a definite plus, and the recipe writer states that it only gets better with a day or two, and can freeze well. I believe all of those things and will definitely be making this again and again.  Two thumbs up from the whole family--thumbs up since our mouths were busy eating this awesome cake!

Other Greek Recipes from James' birthday dinner:

Ina Garten's Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna)

Greek Dinner Salad with Easy Homemade Greek Vinaigrette 

Snow Storm Comfort: Paula Deen's Hot Chicken Salad

I first had this recipe about 20 years ago at my cousin, Ann's, table and  everyone in our family loves it as a casserole with a salad for dinner, on Liza Ashley's Angel Biscuits as an appetizer, or with crackers as a snack.  Chilled chicken salad is great but hot baked chicken salad is just a delicious and versatile and very warming on a cold winter's day.

Unbelievably, I couldn't find my handwritten recipe card of Ann's recipe but during a quick search I found this Paula Deen version that had one difference:  cheddar cheese.  Hmmmm.... cheese is always a good thing.  I like both versions, can't even pick a favorite, so I think my next time making this dish will all depend on my mood and if I have the cheese handy in the fridge or not.

The recipe is wonderful served piping hot or room temp, and heats up beautifully in the microwave.

Click for the recipe:

Paula Deen's Hot Chicken Salad

 Nutrition per 3/4 cup serving:  Calories:  381.6;    Protein:  20.2;   Carbs:   2.8;   Fat 32;  Fiber:  2.

 

 

 

 

Related articles

The Best Baked Potatoes EVER!

Halloween 2013: Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball Monster

Hot and Cheesy Bacon Dip with Milton's Original Multi-Grain Crackers

       

 All we really need here are two words:  "bacon" and "cheese".

If pushed, I could probably say a few more words: like yummy to the tummy Milton's snack crackers.  I've been a fan of their gourmet line for many years but the beauty of the snack cracker line is that that crackers are smaller so you get the crunch, the whole graininess, and the slight sweet in a smaller version so you also get bacon and cheese with every bite--that's a win every way there is to win!

Out of the six flavors Gene and I, and lots of other family members, tried these were our favorite flavors:  Original Multi-Grain, Honey Multi-Grain, and Honey & Corn, all yummy on their own or as a great base for chips or chicken and tuna salad.

In this area, southwest Missouri, they can be found at Wal-mart, Target, and Sam's Club.

 

Banana Bread Brownies

 

I kept seeing a Banana Bread Brownies recipe on Pinterest and even pinned it myself. What a clever idea, I thought, especially for those of us who don't care for chocolate all that much or often.  Banana bread brownies...something about it just sounds right.

And it is.  So right.

Baked in a large jelly roll pan, the brownies make 35 pieces and come out to be little squares of OMG delciousness. 

I looked at the recipe I had pinned, one that had been adapted from another recipe, and looked at the original as well. Then I changed a bunch of stuff, not because anything was "wrong" with the original recipes, but because I've been trying to eat a little cleaner by add more whole grains to our diet, change out sour cream for Greek yogurt, use honey instead of refined sugar, etc., and I know from experience with banana bread that it's a great vehicle for whole grained flour.  Banana bread made with half whole wheat is actually tastier, in my opinion, than banana bread made with all all-purpose flour (and Gene can't tell the difference). 

These are truly not to be missed!

Jenn's Yummy Pecan, Rolo, & Pretzel Chip Nummies

 

 Our friend, Jenn, brought these to our annual New Year's Eve party and they were a huge hit: the perfect combination of crunchy, salty, sweet, nutty, and chocolate.  They're a quick and easy addition to any dessert table that will disappear faster than any other treat.

Thank you, Jenn!

Garden of Eatin' Tortilla Chips: The Taste Test

We tried out a new-to-me tortilla chip brand at our Halloween Party. They're from Garden of Eatin'  made from several varieties of organic corn (or sweet potatoes!) with no transfats or preservatives.

We ate them alone, with guacamole, with spinach dip, and crushed on top of our chili.  The official feedback?  Everyone liked them both but everyone (except Dave, haha) LOVED the sweet potato chips the best.  That hint of sweet combined really well with everything we ate them with from the avocado to the chili.  They are delicious.  These chips come in 20 varieties, will be my choice from now on, particularly the sweet potato variety. So yummy. 

Easy to find, they're available in most local grocery stores, including the Price Cutters, Dillon's, Target, and Mama Jeans,  here in our town.

American Classics: Julia Child's Deluxe Chicken or Turkey Salad

 

Nobody's perfect. We all have the opportunity to learn and grow our skills in everything in life.  Gene has admitted a couple of times over the years that my chicken salad is, well, a little boring.  He likes the way I make potato salad, devilled eggs, and tuna salad, but says my chicken salad is "just okay".  Not that he's a jerk. He's my most enthusiastic supporter and eater, and over 25 years my cooking has put 20 lbs on his once too-skinny frame, so I take no offense.  He loves my cooking but I took this as an opportunity to improve my skills.

I added a rotisserie chicken to his grocery list this weekend while I was working, just for this purpose, and decided to go back to the basics and re-learn how to make a good, basic, no frills, chicken salad.  Who better than Julia Child to teach me? 

After reading over a dozen recipes that were either similar to my way or added more frills (pineapple, grapes, nuts, pasta, etc) than I wanted for a classic dish, I hit upon Julia Child's "Deluxe Chicken or Turkey Salad from her book The Way to Cook.  The ingredients are basic but the preparation is not.  Julia uses a two-step method with a ten minute recess that does, indeed, produce a classic, no frills, but delicious and flavorful chicken salad perfect for the classic all-American "Iron Kids" sandwich.  With Julia's method, she tosses the chopped meat with olive oil, herbs, and seasonings, and lets those ingredients get comfy with each other before coming back and binding it together with the mayo.  The two step method makes a world of difference in how the final dish's flavor resonates. The chicken and herb flavors take the lead and happen to be bound together with mayo rather than mayo flavor dominating.  Adding the fruit, nuts, etc, would also work well with this recipe but for those like my hubs who like it on the "classic" side, this is the recipe and method we'll be using, and he agrees. (Personally, I love the walnuts in it--I love the crunch!)

In four days, August 15th will be the 100th anniversary of Julia Child's birth. We are all better cooks for her enthusiasm and her career. Thank You, Julia!