Sweet Treats with Peggy

I bought a huge bag of Pretzel Crisps a few months ago at Costco.  I couldn't believe how good they were, considering they were pretzels.  After awhile I was getting a little bored with them so I started putting a little peanut butter on each one.  Not exactly the healthiest way to eat pretzels, but they were delicious.  I thought there's got to be something else I can do with these pretzels.  Yesterday I bought another huge bag of Pretzel Crisps and I finally figured out what it was missing:  CHOCOLATE!  These taste so good that my daughter decided they tasted better than the chocolate chip cookies she made yesterday. There is just the right amount of sweet, salt and peanut butter.   I guarantee that if you take these to a party, they will be a hit.  Let me know what you think!

I don't need a "day" to eat too much sugar.  But, I bet there are a lot of you out there who are not used to eating sugar and are feeling a bit queasy (or maybe it has something to do with all the different strains of viruses going around.)  I actually just read that there is no such thing as a sugar high; that it is a myth.  And, they say, if you actually feel anything remotely close to the affects of a sugar high, it is considered a placebo affect.   Everyone is supposed to have some sugar (glucose)  in their body.  The problem is when you have too much.  Gone are the days of blaming sugar for your child's hyperactivity.  Even though Valentine's Day is over, what you experienced yesterday doesn't change today:  the love of your family and friends.

Most of the time I make things from scratch.  But sometimes I need to make something in a hurry and use prepackaged mixes as a starting point.  Chocolate and peanut butter are a heavenly combination.  Add peanut butter cups and it's even better.  This is a really simple cake.  I made it for my kids for Valentine's Day.  If there is anything that they both like, it is chocolate and peanut butter.

If you're like me,  you might have a lot of candy canes left over from Christmas.  Or, you might wait until they are 90% off and pay next to nothing for a box.  I think I paid 20 cents for 44 candy canes.  I love being able to take one thing and use it for another.  All you need to make this heart is two candy canes and red ribbon.  I hot glued the top and bottom of the candy cane. Then I tied a ribbon and curled the ends and glued it to the front of the heart.  I took another piece of ribbon, made a loop and tied the bottom and glued it to the back.  That's it!  Cute! February 20, 2013 Here is my patriotic version.  Some friends of mine helped me make over 100 of these last night to hand out at the  Veteran's Breakfast that will be held March 2nd in Pepperell, MA.  My daughter, Megan and I organized a little variety show for the Veterans.  Megan and her sister, Ryan will be dancing along with a lot of their d...

I k now th at some people may not understand this, but sometimes I think I like lemon more than chocolate.  It just has this crisp, citrus taste and the smell is heavenly.  This bar combines the best of both worlds:  lemon and shortbread.  And let's not forget the taste of dried cranberries  come on, just yummy.  I will definitely be posting lots more recipes with lemon in the future. adapted from Good Housekeeping article

Recipe I found in a church cookbook more than 25 years ago I have very fond memories of eating Black Moons when I was a child.  The problem is as I grew up I could not find the recipe that replicated the taste that I remembered.  I was constantly searching for just the right recipe.  I finally found the exact recipe and it tasted exactly as I had remembered it.  I think I was a little shocked at what the ingredients were for the cream.  But, you can't beat the taste.  I love a huge Whoopie Pie.  I soon discovered that I could melt different colored candy wafers and personalize them for special events.  It's also fun to change the color of the cream with food coloring.  I hope you will love these as much as I do - a little piece of childhood.

adapted from iVillage.com March 1995 This is an obvious choice for my second recipe since I just mentioned it in the last post.  I'm not kidding when I tell you that this is the best fudge you will ever eat.  It is my daughter, Ryan's favorite fudge ever.  The best part is it makes 5 lbs., definitely enough to go around.  I make this every Christmas.

Adapted from recipe found on iVillage website March 1995. This is the perfect recipe to start off this blog.  I can honestly say that I have passed along this recipe more times than any other recipe I have ever made.  I've also been told that those I have shared this recipe with have also passed it along to their friends.  I found this recipe almost 17 years ago.  My oldest daughter, Ryan, was four months old and we were using the Ferber method  to teach her how to fall asleep on her own.  (By the way, it worked so well, we used it with my second daughter, Megan.)  While she was crying, I went into the next room to surf the web. I came across this website:  iVillage  .  It was the perfect place for a new mom to hang out.  I found two recipes that night that I have have made over and over again.  The first was the Cookies and Cream recipe and the second was Bailey's Irish Creme Fudge.   I love to hav...