Cookie Dough Truffles

Cookie Dough Truffles- I saw these on the Taste of Home site right before they were posted on this board. The dough was super sticky right after making them, so we let it sit in the fridge for a good few hours and then it was great to work with. Again, we did pecans for these. They are a hit! I'm not sure who to give credit to for these.

Cookie Dough Truffles
Taste of Home

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup HERSHEY’®S Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating; allow excess to drip off; Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle

Cranberry Bliss Bars

Cranberry Bliss Bars- we recently had one of these at Starbucks while we were getting our (almost) weekly coffees. We loved them but thought they were way too rich and were talking about how they were made. Lo and behold, I was searching for something else on this board and found the recipe . So, we decide to make them for our trays. I cut out a whole cup of powdered sugar from the frosting and it was much better. I actually liked these better after sitting a day and have been storing mine in the fridge.

Cranberry Bliss Bar (Starbucks)
~*~Sandy~*~ via Top Secret Recipes

Each holiday season Starbucks brings out one of its most beloved dessert recipes: A soft triangle of white chocolate and cranberry cake, covered with delicious creamy lemon frosting and dried cranberries. But, when the holidays leave us, so do the Cranberry Bliss Bars, and that’s when the dozens of requests to clone the dessert start rolling in here at TSR. Each of the more than 3500 Starbucks stores contracts with local bakeries so that the Bliss Bars are fresh for customers each day. The end result may vary slightly from city to city, but the basic recipe is the same, and it rules. Now you can get your Bliss Bar fix anytime of the year, at a fraction of the cost of the real thing, with a little sneaky kitchen cloning.

CAKE
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup diced dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, cut into chunks

FROSTING
4-ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup diced dried cranberries

DRIZZLED ICING
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make cake by beating butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and beat well. Gradually mix in flour until smooth. Mix 3/4 cup diced dried cranberries and white chocolate into the batter by hand. Pour batter into a well-greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake is light brown on the edges. Allow cake to cool.

Make frosting by combining softened cream cheese, 3 cups powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. When the cake has cooled, use a spatula to spread frosting over the top of the cake.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of diced cranberries over the frosting on the cake.

Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and shortening. Drizzle icing over the cranberries in a sweeping motion or use a pastry bag with a fine tip to drizzle frosting across the top of the cake.

Allow cake to sit for several hours, then slice the cake lengthwise (the long way) through the middle. Slice the cake across the width three times making a total of eight rectangular slices. Slice each of those rectangles diagonally creating 16 triangular slices.

Makes 16 bars.

Sandy's Notes: I recommend that you cut back on the frosting, it's quite sweet. Next time I'd use no more than 1/2 to 2/3 of the frosting.

Pan De Sal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

Pan De Sal

· 2 cups milk

· 3/4 cup white sugar

· 1/2 cup butter

· 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

· 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

· 6 cups all-purpose flour

· 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles; remove from heat. Add the butter and sugar; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

2. Pour the cooled milk mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder and 4 cups of the flour; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

5. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form into rounds. Place the rolls on 2 lightly greased baking sheets. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Beef Barley Soup

(4Kowboys)

Ingredients

1 pound Lean stew beef, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup Chopped onion
2 Ribs celery, chopped
2 Medium carrots, diced
1 cup Frozen corn
3/4 cup Barley
2 Bay leafs
6 cups Beef broth
Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Preparation
In crockpot, combine stew beef with onion, celery, carrots,corn, barley, bay leaf, and beef broth. Cook beef and barley
soup on low in crockpot for 6 to 8 hours. Taste and add salt and pepper, to taste.

Greek Pitas

Greek Pitas
Ourbestbites.com~~ Kathy babybeart&me

Greek Style Pita Sandwiches
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 oz boneless pork loin chops, or boneless skinless chicken, sliced into 1/4" slices
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 C diced tomato
1/4 C diced cucumber
2 Tablespoons diced red onion

6 Tablespoons Greek Style Yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 Tablespoon fresh minced parsley
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 Lettuce leaves
4 pita bread halves
2-3 Tbs crumbled Athenos Feta cheese

Combine pork, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish and set aside. Heat a medium skillet to medium high heat. While pan is heating, combine Greek yogurt, lemon zest, parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt and set in fridge to chill. Add pork mixture to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until pork is cooked through and then remove from heat. Combine tomato, cucumber, and red onion. To assemble, place one lettuce leaf in each pita. Divide pork mixture between pitas, add cucumber and tomato mixture and then top with yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of feta.

Beef Barley Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS

· 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast

· 1/2 cup barley

· 1 bay leaf

· 2 tablespoons oil

· 3 carrots, chopped

· 3 stalks celery, chopped

· 1 onion, chopped

· 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables

· 4 cups water

· 4 cubes beef bouillon cube

· 1 tablespoon white sugar

· 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

· 1 (28 ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes

· salt to taste

· ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a slow cooker, cook chuck roast until very tender (usually 4 to 5 hours on High, but can vary with different slow cookers). Add barley and bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Remove meat, and chop into bite-size pieces. Discard bay leaf. Set beef, broth, and barley aside.

2. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables until tender. Add water, beef bouillon cubes, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, chopped stewed tomatoes, and beef/barley mixture. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.