Pineapple Fluff

Not long ago, my Sunday School class had a little potluck after church.

One of my friends told us she would be bringing "Pineapple Fluff". 

I have to admit.

I am not normally a big fruit eater...in desserts. I like fruits alone. Just not in desserts. Usually it isn't a dessert to me unless chocolate is involved.

But I decided to take one little taste (to be polite).

But one taste turned to another and another and another.

I wanted to eat the whole pan!

Well, not the pan, but the contents of the pan.

Oh yum.

I begged for the recipe.  Okay, I really asked but begged sounds so much more dramatic.

And my friend shared the one she used.  She had gotten it from Pinterest. 

So I have made it.  Twice.  In like a week and a half.

Not for me...always for someone else.

Though I wish it were for me sometimes.

Or all of the time.

So here is the recipe. 

Ingredients for the "fluff":
1 box cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 20oz can crushed pineapple, drained
1 container Cool Whip

Directions:
Cream the cream cheese and sugar together until fluffy.

Add in the pineapple and Cool Whip and mix together (I used my electric mixer).

Chill until ready to serve.

Ingredients for the "crunch":
1 cup coarsely chopped pretzels (I just put some in a ziplock bag and hammered away with my meat tenderizer tool.
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
Mix pretzels, butter, and sugar together.  (I just used a spoon/spatula)

Spread into a 13x9 dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Press the pretzel mixture into the dish.

Bake at 400 for 7 minutes.

Once it has cooled, break apart and toss into the "fluff".

Note:  I do this part as last minute as possible to keep it crunchy as long as possible.

Enjoy!

Reba

Chocolate Caramel Graham Crackers

The other day, a co-worker at school was having a milestone birthday.  We were asked to bring snack foods.  If you know me at all, I don't typically just drop by the grocery store.  I try to go once a week.  That is it.

And this past week was particularly busy.  And exhausting.

What to do, what to do...

I remembered reading a recipe I found via Pinterest using graham crackers. I have lots of graham crackers. That sounded promising.  But when I looked at it, I was short an ingredient or two.

I considered making the brownie bites with peanut butter frosting.  But, alas, there was no cream cheese in the house (how did I let that happen?).

So I did a Google search and found just what I needed.

Chocolate caramel graham crackers.  

Quick, easy, and I had all of the ingredients needed.

I don't know that I totally agree with the title. It had more of a toffee taste to me than a caramel.  But otherwise, it was right on...and delicious too!

Ingredients:
12 (or so) graham crackers (the sheets)

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (3/4 cup)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans but almonds, walnuts, and probably even peanuts would be good)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 375.

Line a cookie sheet (15 x 10) with aluminum foil.

Line the bottom of the cookie sheet with graham crackers, breaking apart when needed.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar.  Stir constantly (for about 5 months) until it thickens.

Add in the salt.

Pour over the graham crackers, spreading evenly.  Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until mixture is bubbling.

Remove from the oven and evenly pour chocolate chips over the top.

Return to oven for 2-3 minutes (until chocolate chips are VERY soft).

Remove from oven and use a spatula or a frosting spreader to spread the melted/soft chocolate over the top of the brown sugar mixture.

Press chopped nuts into the top.

Let cool.  (I put it in the fridge overnight to help it set).

Remove foil from the back of the crackers and break into pieces.

Then enjoy!

Reba

Ham and Egg Cups

 I try to have a "breakfast for dinner" at least once every other week if not more. It gives us a break from a heavier meal. Plus the kids LOVE it.  Especially pancake or waffle night.

But sometimes I just want to have some eggs.

I kept seeing these ham/egg "cups" on Facebook.  I thought they looked like fun so I decided we would have them earlier this week.

And they were fun.

For the most part they were well liked too.  I have one non-eater who (bless her heart) tried REALLY hard to eat it. She just couldn't do it.  She did eat the ham though.  The egg was too much for her. Thankfully I also used homemade bread to make toast and we had some fruit, so she didn't go hungry.

Oh, and these are EASY. They would make a great breakfast or brunch food and would be wonderful for those "brunch" type baby or wedding showers. They are kind of elegant looking (not that you can tell looking at my pictures:) and easy to eat with the hands.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (or so) of deli sliced ham (mine was kind of a cross between thick and thin so I just used one slice per "cup".  For thin, I would use two)

eggs (one per cup depending on how much you want to make)

shredded cheddar cheese of your choice (or whatever cheese you prefer)

chives

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Spray the cups of a muffin tin.

Push a slice or two (depending on thickness) of ham into each cup to conform to the "cup" shape.

Break open an egg in each "cup".

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (until whites of egg have set except that is hard to see under the cheese :).

Sprinkle chives on top.

Enjoy.

The only change I would make is possible scrambling a few of the eggs next time in the cups because my hubby doesn't care for the yolk all in one piece. He would rather it all be mixed together. :)

Otherwise, it was a hit with my egg eaters.

Kind of a nice twist on eggs and cheese.

Enjoy!

Reba

Turtle Cheesecake Ball

Today we had Souper Bowl Thursday at school.  The teachers, that is. 

We had a sign up earlier this week for soups, salads, chips and dips, and desserts.

I signed up for dessert.

Then I did a quick search on my Pinterest Sweet Treats board to see what I wanted to make.

I wanted something easy that I could make ahead.  Something with chocolate (of course). 

And then I found it.

Turtle Cheesecake Ball.

I have made something similar but the word "Turtle" really got my heart racing.

I LOVE turtle desserts.  (As in the combination of caramels, nuts, and chocolate, not the animal)

So I did a quick grocery run (and totally did NOT count that for my January challenge since my family didn't get to enjoy any of it).

A few minutes of my time, and I had a turtle cheesecake ball chilling in the fridge. 

Then today, I took it to school, added some sliced apples and some chocolate graham crackers, and a few hours later, I had nothing but a plate full of crumbs.

It was good stuff.

(I won't say how much of the eating of it was done by me, but I did have others tell me it was good too...)

Ingredients:
 cream cheese (8 oz), softened
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature (I used unsalted)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 package dry vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup caramel (ice cream topping)

Directions:
Cream the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer.

Add the caramel and mix together.

Add the brown sugar and powdered sugar.  Cream together.

Add the vanilla and pudding mix.

Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.

Pat into a ball and refrigerate for at least an hour.  (I used plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray to help form the ball, then wrapped the ball up for the fridge.)  By the way, I refrigerated it overnight.

One neat suggestion that the original website had was to drizzle caramel over the top.  And I think adding a few chopped pecans and chocolate chips on top would be nice too.

But I totally forgot to take any of that.

So mine was just plain and not very pretty.

But tasty.

It was very tasty.

I enjoyed each and every bite.

I want to make it again.  And I probably will.  But not until I exercise all of these calories off. :)

Happy cooking!

Reba

Seasoned Oyster Crackers

Recently a sweet parent from our school made some seasoned oyster crackers and put them in the teacher's lounge.  I made the mistake of trying a few.  And then a few more. And then a few more. Oh my goodness, they were (and are) addictive.

I think we got the recipe later and I also googled it but then when I was ready to make them, I couldn't find the recipe.  And then, light bulb...I looked in our family cookbook. And there it was.

I have to admit...this is way too easy to make.  And even easier to eat.

We are finishing up a batch from our family appetizer night earlier this week. I am so ready for it to be gone because it is such a HUGE temptation for me! I seriously cannot stop eating it.

So if you are in the mood for something a little salty, a little tasty, and not really that low calorie, this is the food for you. :)

Ingredients:
1 bag oyster crackers (12-16 oz)

1 envelope Ranch dressing mix (the dry powder...I actually use 1 Tbsp of a homemade version)

1/2-1 tsp dill weed (I used 1 tsp the first time and it was too much. This last time I didn't use any because of my first experience. I think next time I will go with 1/2 tsp to get it just right :)

1 tsp garlic powder

3/4 cup oil (I use olive oil because I LOVE olive oil...)

Directions:
Combine the oil, dressing mix, dill, and garlic. 

Spread the oyster crackers out into a large rimmed cookie sheet or a 9 x 13 baking dish. 

Pour the oil/seasonings over the oyster crackers. 

Bake in a 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Stir frequently. I actually have kept it in the oven for 25 or more minutes until most of the oil is baked into the crackers.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy.

I know.  Simple. But divine.

Reba

Chunky Avocado Salsa

Yes, another Pinterest recipe. What can I say? I am addicted. :) 

The funny thing is I wouldn't describe myself as a risk-taker but for some reason, with food, I am much more willing to try new things...

Anywho.

I LOVE avocado (if you haven't figured that out). So I figure any dip with avocado has to be good.

And this was.

Warning:  It makes a lot!

I followed the original recipe fairly closely.  I have noted any changes below.

Ingredients:
1 medium tomato (I totally cheated and used a can of already chopped tomatoes...if I cheated like that again, I would use petite diced because I don't like my tomatoes too chunky)

2 avocados

1 cup sweet white corn (I just used a can)

1 bunch of green onions (I actually used about half)

1 can black beans, washed and drained

garlic salt

parsley

tapatio (hot) sauce (to taste)

Directions:
Place corn and rinsed black beans in a bowl and mix together.  Dice tomatoes (unless you cheated like I did) and onions and add.  Add garlic salt, parsley, and tapatio sauce to taste.  Add avocado last. Even if you make ahead, I would let it sit in the fridge but not add the avocado until right before time to eat.  Otherwise, it will turn mushy and brown...

 Side Note:  If you are not taking this to a gathering where it will be all eaten, I would NOT add the avocado to the whole bowl, just to the portion you would be eating that day.  I really wanted to eat the leftovers today (two days after I made it) but the avocado was not very appealing at this point.   Lesson learned. This would be a good, though not so low cal, salsa to have around. 

I did eat it with baked Tostitos.  :)

Yum!

Reba

Shrimp Dip

The other day we had a little "potluck" of appetizers and snacks at school for our Literacy Day.  My grade level was assigned "appetizers".  I already planned on making the apples and peanut butter dip (mainly because I have been craving it :). But one of my dear co-workers asked me if I would make shrimp dip.  I was a little (okay, a lot) flattered that she even remembered it.  I haven't made it in quite a while.  So I decided to make both.  :)

I had forgotten how easy the shrimp dip is to make. 

And apparently it is pretty good. Well, I already thought it was, but apparently others think so too.

There was none left by the end of the day.

Ingredients:
1 small package of salad shrimp (by the way, this is CHEAP, find it in the freezer section!)
1 cup mayonnaise
6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt (I used freshly ground :)
1 tsp grated onion (I just used dried chopped onion)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together (and yes, I just stick the shrimp in frozen) and refrigerate overnight to let flavors blend.

Serve with crackers.  (I buy the combo pack of Toasteds)

Yes, that is it. 

Easy, fairly cheap, and quick.

And good.

Enjoy!

Reba

Cheddar Bacon Dip

To Celebrate Secretary's Day (hmmm, what is the more politically correct term...administrative assistant?), we (as in the teachers) decided to have a "snack food" day.  My favorite kind!

I decided to seek out one of my Pinterest dip recipes I had pinned.  When I saw this one again, I knew I had to make it.  So simple, make ahead, and few ingredients.  Gotta love that!

I "tested" a bite or two (no double dipping) before I took this to school.

And I quickly realized I could eat the whole bowl.

The next morning I did take it to school, got a few more chips' full of dip, then went on to class.

When I returned after lunch, my bowl was sitting there.  Empty. All gone.

Apparently others thought it was good too...

Ingredients:
16 oz sour cream (I did use light)
1 envelope Ranch dressing mix (the dry powder stuff)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a lowfat sharp cheddar)
3 oz real bacon bits (used "bagged" bacon bits...REAL, not imitation)

Directions:
Stir ingredients together.

Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Serve with chips or crackers.

Yum...

Reba

Corn Dip

I will preface this by saying I am not a corn person. Corn on the cob? No, thank you. Creamed corn? Gag me. About the only corn I will eat is popcorn. Like with lots of butter on it. :) Well, that was true until this came around.

This is a recipe from my sister who is an honorary guest blogger without even knowing it. Well, I mean not formally. She knows I use her recipes on here (giving her full credit of course) because I am assuming she reads this on occasion.

Anyway, this is an appetizer/party food. Corn dip. And as much as I dislike corn, I love this dip. I also love that it makes A LOT. I mean, a whole bunch. So it goes a long way. My kind of recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cans Del Monte Mexi-Corn, drained

1 can Rotel (which I have heard is a Southern thing...it is diced tomatoes and green chilies. Rotel is the brand name around here)

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

8 oz shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar for most everything like this; I now buy the blocks and shred it myself with a food processor)

1 cup mayonnaise

8 oz sour cream

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.

Chill for 2 hours.

Serve with chips or crackers. (We love it with Fritos)

Enjoy!

Yes, it is that easy. And it really does make a lot.

Happy dipping!
Reba