Ridiculously Good Roasted Carrots

I love carrots just about any way you can fix them except sweet carrots.  I think roasting carrots seems to bring out their natural sweetness. This recipe used a different method of roasting them so I had to try it.  It worked pretty well.

The great thing about carrots is that it doesn't take many ingredients to make them delicious.

Start with about 1 1/2 lbs of carrots.  Peel them.

Cut into strips. Try and keep them about the same size.

Melt 2 Tablespoons butter.

Pour the melted butter over the carrots.

Toss the carrots to coat.

Line the carrot pieces up on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Salt and pepper the carrots.

Cover tightly with foil.  Place in a preheated 425 oven.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Take out of the oven and uncover. Return the pan for another 30-35 minutes.  Stir twice during the cooking time.

Ready to eat.

Ridiculously Good Roasted Carrots Recipe

1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into wedges

2 Tablespoons melted butter

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.  Then uncover and cooke 30-35 minutes.

Cranberry Coconut Pistachio Coffee Cakes

I made these little coffee cakes that are really more muffins for New Year's Day.  I needed something good for breakfast while watching the Rose Parade.  I had had high hopes of being at the Rose Parade this year and then stay over for the National Championship Game.   That didn't happen so I had to settle for watching in HD from my couch with these little muffins.

This recipe uses fresh or frozen cranberries.  So during the holidays always buy an extra bag or two and put them in the freezer to use later in the year.  Cranberries are really good for you and there are more and more recipes that use them.

If the cranberries are frozen set out 1/4 cup of them to let them thaw a little.

Rough chop them.

Then in a bowl add 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut in 1/4 cup butter, cubed and chilled.

Butter all cut in.  This is like making scones.

Add the chopped cranberries to the flour mixture.  Toss the cranberries to coat them.  Coating them in flour will help them not sink to the bottom of your muffin.

3/4 cup buttermilk

Add one egg.

1 teaspoon vanilla.

Add to dry ingredients.

Do not over mix.  Just mix until the dry is incorporated into the wet.

Add to a sprayed muffin tin.

Sprinkle the tops with coconut.

Chop a couple of Tablespoons of pistachios

Chop into medium size pieces.

Sprinkle the pistachios on top.  Place in a preheated 400 oven.  Bake for 18-23 minutes.

Warm from the oven.

Cranberry Coconut Pistachio Coffee Cakes Recipe

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter chilled

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries chopped

3 Tablespoons pistachios

3 Tablespoons sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 400.  Bake 18-23 minutes.

Peppermint Kiss Fudge

This is a Six Sisters Stuff recipe.  If you haven't seen their blog and recipes you need to check them out.  I have used several of their recipes. They make really good family friendly foods.  I saw this recipe the other day and I had some of the peppermint Hersey kisses that I had bought thinking I was going to use in something else but forgot what it was.  I had told my husband I would make some more fudge so this is what I made.

This is made like I make my regular fudge without the nuts.  I had not thought of splitting it up and making it with different chocolates.

Start with 2 cups milk chocolate chips

The recipe says to use half of a can of sweetened condensed milk, so I poured it into my measuring cup.

I used about 1/4 cup of the milk.  Pour the milk and chips into a saucepan and heat on medium heat until melted.

I lined a 8x8 pan with foil and sprayed the foil with nonstick spray.  Pour the first layer of chocolate into the pan.  Then put the pan in the fridge while you are melting the next layer.

2 cups white chocolate chips.

Use the second half of the can of milk. Melt the chocolate and milk in the saucepan.

Pour that on top of the milk chocolate. Put in the fridge.

Unwrap all the Hersey's kisses. Place that in the saucepan and melt.

Pour on top.  Place in the fridge until it sets.

I pulled it out to cut and realized the middle was not set yet so back to the fridge it goes.

Now it is ready to cut.  See those three layers.

Peppermint Kiss Fudge Recipe

2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 cups white chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 10 oz bag Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

You can add crushed candy canes on top if you like

Pioneer Woman Holiday Roll Ups

On the Pioneer Woman's Christmas show she made these little holiday roll ups.  They looked so easy and had all the things I love in them so I had to make them for my holiday party.

There is a little prep work to this recipe.  To save time the day of the party, I chopped the bell peppers the day before and just stored them in the fridge.  I chopped a red, yellow and green pepper.  They need to be chopped pretty fine.

Start with 2 8 oz cream cheese blocks that are at room temp.

Add 1 packet of Ranch dressing mix to the cream cheese.

Mix that really well.

Chop up a couple of green onions.

Take you flour tortilla and spread some of the cream cheese mixture all over it.  These are the medium sized tortillas.  So depending on the size will depend on how many you will make.

Spread the cream cheese all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle the different colored peppers on top.

Add a few green onions.

Then starting at one end start rolling.  You want to roll them pretty tight.

All rolled up.

Now wrap them tight and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Before your party, unwrap and slice.

Makes a really nice tray for your holiday party or really any day.

Pioneer Woman Holiday Roll Ups Recipe

2 pkg cream cheese softened
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
fresh ground black pepper ( I had it out and forgot to use it)
flour tortillas
finely chopped green and red bell peppers, I used a yellow one too.
green onions sliced.

I didn't use all the peppers I had chopped up but saved them for later.