Buckeyes

One of my Besties,  DD and I have been making these tasty little treats for close to a decade now. 
We make them to put into our Holiday Cookie Treat Tins that we give out at Christmas and they
are ALWAYS one of people Favs!! 
Super easy & no baking make these treats a great addition to your recipe box!



Ingredients:
2 c Peanut Butter (can use either smooth or crunchy - I always use creamy)
1/4 c (1/2stick) Butter -softened
3 3/4 c Powdered Sugar (sifted)

Coating:
2 c SemiSweet Chocolate Chips (or Chocolate Almond Bark)
2 Tbls Vegitable Shortening (if necessary)

How To:
-Beat Peanut Butter and butter together in a large bowl until creamy.
-Mix in Powdered Sugar until mix holds together - I did all of this in my food processor & it worked out very well with minimal effort.
-Shape into 1/2 to 1 inch balls and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet.
-Place in freezer for at least 10 minutes if you will be coating the same day - Otherwise can refrigerate overnight.

Coating:
-Melt the chocolate chips (or almond bark) over low heat until smooth.
-If chocolate mixture tends to be a bit thick or tries to seize up then stire in the vegitable shortening and it will smooth out the mixture.
-Use a toothpick to pick up the peanut butter ball and dip into choclate mixture swirling around making sure to leave the top uncovered (this is why it's called a Buckeye - it resembles the Buckeye nut!)
-Place back onto wax covered cookie sheet and after all are dipped then place back into freezer to set.

*This recipe rendered close to about 120 Buckeyes at 1/2" round!!

My Bestie Tara's Totally Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake

Bestie Tara's Pumpkin Cheesecake

I got this recipe from one of my Besties, Tara.  She swore that this would be the most delicious cheesecake I've ever had....and she was SO correct!!  Really super easy - a bit time consuming due to the baking & cooling time but so well worth it!! 

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 c Graham Cracker Crumbs

6 Tbls Butter

Cheesecake:

4 - 8oz packages of Cream Cheese - softened - best if left out overnight

1 3/4 c Sugar

1 can (15oz) Pumpkin Puree

5 Eggs

1 1/2 tsp Cinnamin

1/4 tsp grated Nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

1/4 tsp Cloves

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tbls Vanilla Extract

2 Tbls All Purpose Flour





How To:

Crust:
-Melt the butter and mix with the graham cracker crumbs and press into the bottom of a well buttered Spring Form pan.
-Bake @ 350 degrees for approx. 8-10 minutes until lightly golden brown - set aside to cool.

Filling:
-Mix Cream Cheese and Sugar with electric mixer until light & fluffy (2-3 minutes).
-Add in pumpkin puree & blend well.
-Add Eggs - one @ a time is best and mix until well blended.
-Add Spices and Flour - mix until incorporated.

Pan Prep:
-Wrap the outside of Spring Form pan with foil and place in a large deep roasting pan.
-Add 1 1/2" of Hot H2O to large roasting pan - should come up to about half way up the spring form pan.
-Pour Cheesecake filling into spring form pan.

Bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour & 20 minutes.
When Cheesecake is set - turn oven off and crack oven door for at least 15-20 minutes before removing from oven - This will prevent the Cheesecake from cracking ontop.

After 20 minutes, remove from oven, take Spring form pan out of roaster and remove foil and place cake on wire rack to continue to cool.

Chill at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Can be served with Coolwhip or Whipped Cream.

Homemade Garlic Pickles

These homemade garlic pickles are SO super easy & really very addictive!!   My husband & son cannot get enough - They are ready in as few as 5 days and will last refrigerated for several months...if they last that long!!



Ingredients:

6 c H2O
1/4 c Kosher Salt
2 Tbls White Vinegar
2 lbs Kirby Cukes - scrubbed clean & cut lengthwise
1/2 - 3/4 c chopped Fresh Dill
8 Large Fresh Garlic Cloves - chopped or sliced
8 whole Black Peppercorns


How To:
-Bring H2O, salt and vinegar to a boil over medium heat, remove and let cool (can add ice to cool quicker if you'd like).
-Pack Cukes and remaining ingredients into a glass jar.
-Pour brine over to cover and let completely cool on counter.
-Store in refigerator - ready in as few as 5 days and will last for several months (if they make it that long!)

Enjoy!