Pretzel Rolo Turtles (easy candy recipe!)

These little candies have to be the easiest things to make - the hardest part is unwrapping the Rolos!

 Only three ingredients are needed: Pretzels, Rolo candies and pecan halves.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pretzels on foil-lined baking sheet. Put a Rolo candy on top of each pretzel.  

Bake for 4-5 minutes until Rolos are soft but not melting. Place pecan half on top of the Rolo candy and press down slightly. 

Place in refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes until cool.

See how easy?? This is a great recipe to make with children or for a quick snack or just to have on hand. You could drizzle a little white melted chocolate over them to make them fancier. Color the white chocolate with red and green for the holidays. If you don't care for pecans you can use any kind of nut -- or substitute something else. I've seen them made with crushed peppermints, M&Ms and dried fruit. 

Here is the recipe again:

Ingredients:

Pretzels (I like to use the square ones but any will work)

Rolos Candies (unwrapped)

Pecan Halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil. Place pretzels on foil-lined baking sheet. (You can put them together fairly close.) Put a Rolo candy on top of each pretzel.  Bake for 4-5 minutes until Rolos are soft but not melting. Remove from oven and immediately place a pecan half on top of the softened Rolo and press down slightly. Place in refrigerator until cool.

These can be stored in an airtight container. I usually keep them in the fridge in a container and remove as needed.

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I am linking to the following parties:

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop at Homemaker on a Dime
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

My Favorite Candy Recipe!

Happy "Pumpkin Day!"

I wanted to share my favorite candy recipe with you -- and it is sooooo easy!

1 pkg of Candy Corn (any size)
1 jar of salted cashews (any size)

Mix 1 cup of each together and stir.

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. and can also be modified to taste by adding more candy corn or more cashews. The mixture is like eating a salted nut roll!


My favorite candy!

This is my only Halloween decoration -- I use it to put my candy in.

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Easy Jalapeno Bacon Appetizer

This is one of my very favorite appetizers! And when I say EASY -- I mean EASY!

I made these the other day while some friends were over and we were sitting outside.

Ingredients are simple: bacon, jalapenos and cream cheese.
I used pineapple cream cheese this time.

After halving the jalapenos and scooping out the seeds, fill each half with cream cheese.

Wrap each half with a slice of thin bacon.
I used an entire slice on the larger jalapenos and a half slice of bacon on the smaller ones.
Place on foil-lined baking tray.

I almost forgot to get the final photo! I set the plate down and then remembered to get my camera. By the time I returned, the appetizers were going fast!

Here's the recipe:
1 pound of sliced Applewood Smoked bacon
Approximately 8 jalapeno peppers
1 container of cream cheese (or use an 8oz block, softened)


Wash and cut the jalapenos in half and scoop out the insides. (Be careful when working with hot peppers -- some prefer to wear gloves as the seeds can be quite hot!) 


Spread cream cheese inside each half. I use a knife and keep the cream cheese pretty much level with the pepper. Too much cream cheese, and it will cook over the side.


Wrap each half with a slice of bacon. You can use half a bacon slice, too.
(I do not use toothpicks in mine and have never had a problem.) Put on foil-lined baking sheet.


Bake in pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't overcook. Put underneath the broiler if needed for an additional 2-4 minutes. I broil mine until the bacon is done.


You can also do these on the grill -- I haven't tried that yet, but plan to do so one of these days.


Enjoy!




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Pork Roast in my new dutch oven!

Last fall, after constantly drooling over Janet's very cool Le Creuset dutch oven collection at From Captain's Daughter to Army Mom, I finally bought a dutch oven!

I did not buy the Le Creuset one I wanted because I just didn't want to spend the money on one without knowing if I'd ever use it. After some research, I decided to go for the Tramontina dutch oven sold at Walmart for $44.97. With the 97 cents it cost to ship it -- and the tax -- I paid under $50 for it.

I used it one time about a week after I bought it. It has sat in the closet ever since. I've been afraid to use it because I don't know how! LOL

Then a few weeks ago, Janet posted this recipe for a pork roast.

Now that recipe looked fantastic -- and like something I could actually do! I was very excited at the prospect of using my dutch oven again.

After forgetting to buy apples and a pork roast every single week since that recipe was posted, I finally remembered them this week. Today, I finally prepared it and I have to say it was absolutely delicious!!

Using the "hey, I'm still a newbie blogger!" excuse, I forgot to take photos while preparing it. However, I did remember to get one at the end:

Cooked perfectly with nice apples and onions to top each slice.

I made my recipe pretty much the same way with a few minor changes. Here's what I did:

1 pork roast (I bought a 5lb roast and cut it in half since it was just me and hubby)
3 Granny Smith apples, sliced
2 sweet onions, sliced
1 cup of white wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey

Season the roast (I use Nature's Seasonings and garlic pepper) and brown all sides in hot olive oil with 2 cloves of crushed garlic in the dutch oven on top of the stove. Remove the roast and pour in the white wine and stir to deglaze. Add soy sauce and honey. Mix well with a whisk and bring to a boil. Put the roast back into the dutch oven and coat with the mixture.

Add the onions and apples and stir to coat as best you can.

Cook in oven for 3 hours at 350 degrees.

It came out perfectly!! The only thing I might do differently next time is to add some more wine while it's cooking.

One nice-sized serving left over -- perfect for hubby later this week.

I hope to use my dutch oven some more now that I'm a little more comfortable with it! Thanks, Janet, for the great recipe. My hubby loved it!


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Easy and Delicious Meatloaf



yum! Meatloaf...

Yesterday was another beautiful day today in Iowa! When I woke up in the morning, the sun was just starting to rise. I took my coffee onto the back deck and sat in the sun while I listened to the birds singing. Later in the morning I went to church and had to sit by a window just to be near the sunshine.

After being stuck inside all winter, a day like that just brings everybody outside. Including me, of course. The last thought on my mind is "what will I make for dinner?" and suddenly at 6 p.m. I realize I needed to come up with something. That's when one of those easy-to-do meals comes in very handy! Something I always have the ingredients on hand for...

So I decided to make Easy Meatloaf. I originally found the recipe on the back of a Stove Top Stuffing mix box years ago and after modifying it a few times I have my standard recipe and would love to share it with you!

Ingredients are simple: 2 pounds ground beef, 1 package Stove Top stuffing mix and 2 eggs.

My modifications are adding onions and water chestnuts. My Aunt told me she added water chestnuts to her recipe, so one day I decided to add them to mine and we absolutely loved it, so I always use them now!

I will also occasionally put craisins into the recipe as well. Last winter I found Stove Top had a cranberry stuffing mix and I picked up a few boxes and now use this all the time.

Lastly, I use a topping of ketchup, mustard and brown sugar. Or just ketchup and brown sugar.

The recipe will make 1 large loaf or 2 small loaves. I usually do 2 loaves and either cook them together -- or cook one and freeze one.

Very simple ingredients!



Chop the sliced water chestnuts into pieces



Mix ground beef, stuffing, eggs, onions and water chestnuts

 

Shape into loaves. I usually cook one and freeze one.

 

Mix ketchup and brown sugar

 

Pour ketchup/sugar mixture over meatloaf

  

Baked and all done!


See?? Easy!!

Here's the recipe if you'd like to give it a try:

Easy Meatloaf
Prep: 5 minutes
Bake: 1 hour for 1 loaf, 30-35 minutes for 2 loaves
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean ground beef (can also use ground turkey)
1 package Stove Top Stuffing mix for beef (I used Cranberry)
1 can of sliced water chestnuts (chopped some more)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup water

Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T mustard if desired

Directions:
Mix 1 cup water, ground beef, contents of stuffing mix, eggs, chopped water chestnuts and the ketchup.

In a separate bowl, mix the ketchup and brown sugar (and mustard if desired). You can double this if you prefer more topping on the meatloaf. Or adjust it to taste.

Shape the meat mixture into 1 or 2 oval loaves in center of a 13x9 baking pan. Spread the brown sugar mixture over the top. (I use a smaller baking pan when only baking 1 loaf.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour if making 1 loaf. Bake 30-35 minutes if you have made 2 loaves (same time if you're cooking 2 smaller loaves or 1 loaf).

And enjoy!!

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My Italian Heritage - and an addition to the spaghetti sauce recipe

I received the nicest email from a fellow blogger about my "jazzed-up" emergency spaghetti sauce from a jar! Thought I'd share her suggestions here:

"Other additions to throw into a jar of sauce at the last minute:
Frozen spinach, frozen meatballs (may need to defrost first) roasted red peppers, cream, wine, smoked sausage, kielbasa, pine nuts, onion slices mixed in olive oil or saute until carmelized."

Thanks Lauren!

I promise to post my mom's sauce recipe soon, too. She was Italian and a fabulous chef!

Speaking of my Italian heritage, I thought I'd post a photo of my great-grandparents. They are my mother's mother's parents and came over from Italy around the early 1900's.

Leaning against the chair is what looks like a brace of some sort. Perhaps with wheels? It's not part of the chair and we can't even begin to guess what it is. Does anybody know? On the back of the photo, it has my great-grandparent's names and "deceased child" and "Uncle Mel" -- Uncle Mel later became a Catholic priest. I don't know which boy is which.and was told that the child who passed away may have died from diptheria...
 

My great-grandparents, Domenico Mastroianni and Mariantonia Perretta Mastroianni, and their first two children. Guessing this is from the late 1800's or early 1900's

The Mastroianni's with more of their children.
My grandmother, Angelina, (born in 1912) is the little girl standing in the front.

 

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Easy Easy Spaghetti Sauce

I posted my My First Tablescape yesterday (still doing the happy dance!) and promised to post the easy spaghetti sauce recipe today. This is one of those recipes that I always have the ingredients kept on hand, as it can be made in record time when needed but tastes even better if it can simmer on the stove for awhile.

My favorite spaghetti sauce is homemade... my mother's recipe. This is not that recipe. LOL

Here is the cast:

Yup, that's it.

Any type of spaghetti sauce can be used but I will only use Newman's Own Fra Diavolo. Only one grocery store in my area carries it and I usually buy eight jars at a time. It does say 'Hot and Spicy' on the jar and yes, there is a bit of a kick to it, but I don't think it's hot or spicy really... My family does like hot and spicy food though, so if you don't this might not work for you if you don't. (But a secret -- one of our friends will not touch anything that is a step above bland -- and yet he loves this spaghetti sauce recipe and has never said a word. I don't let him see the jars.)

So continuing with the easy recipe...

Brown 1 pound of Italian sausage or ground beef. I only had ground beef on hand when I made this but prefer sausage or a combination of both. Be sure and season the meat while browning. Garlic pepper is my favorite seasoning and I use it on many things.

The best thing ever invented for ground beef is the Amazing Handy-Dandy Hamburger Chopper. Does anybody have one of these? It's from Pampered Chef and its real name is called the 'Mix N Chop.' I absolutely love this thing and it can be used with nonstick cookware, too. Last year, I was finally invited to a Pampered Chef party and I couldn't wait to go and order one. No more chunks of meat -- I stand there and chop, chop, chop until it is perfect.

After the meat is browned, I add in my can of drained mushrooms and drained sliced olives. You can use anything you want really. I just like mushrooms and olives so much I'd probably enjoy them in cake frosting. Well, almost. I've added various things over the years, but now I just stick with mushrooms and olives.

Mix the browned meat, olives and mushrooms together and then add the two jars of spaghetti sauce. I also add a bit of sugar -- about 3-4 tablespoons. One time, I accidentally put in nearly a cup of sugar. Still came out great! 

Let the sauce simmer on low for as long as needed, stirring it occasionally. I prefer to let it simmer about two hours but a half hour is all that's needed.

Add spaghetti to water, cook, and serve!

I Became too busy and forgot to take a photo of the spaghetti being served or on the table -- sorry!

So that's it -- my super easy "to go" recipe! It can be doubled or tripled or even halved. Great for a crowd and easy to freeze.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef or Italian sausage or a combination of the two
Seasoning to taste
1 - 2 cans (2.25 oz) sliced olives, drained (I use one because hubby doesn't like olives)
1 - 2 cans (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I used one large 8 oz can)
2 large jars (23.5 oz) spaghetti sauce
Sugar
Spaghetti


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