Random Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Squares

Posted by random olio

I can be very salty — you know in that sassy kind of way. Yet, I also have a sweet side. Maybe that is why I am so into things salty and sweet. Take brunch for example, while we do not do it often, there are times when I want to order a sweet dish like french toast or pancakes, and pair it with an egg dish and then split it with Chris. Then I want it on the same plate and so a little bit of the syrup oozes into the eggs and bacon. Why not, right?

Recently we found this easy peasy recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Squares. All good salty and sweet things combined. A nice treat or snack that hits the spot.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Squares [Adapted from King Arthur Flour]

Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 1 hr 30 mins

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup ground pretzels (measure only after grinding them)
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

Filling
2 cups chocolate chips (we used semisweet)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup chopped pretzels to sprinkle on top

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ x 13″ baking pan with parchment paper. Use enough paper to line the sides for removing later.
2) To make the crust, combine the flour, ground pretzels, and sugar. Mix with your hands. Add the melted butter and mix again until you have a dough.
3) Press the dough into the pan and bake for 12 minutes.
4) To make the filling, melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler. Stir in the creamy peanut butter until completely mixed. Pour the filling over the crust.
5) Sprinkle chopped pretzels on top.
6) Cool in the freezer for about an hour. Remove from the pan by lifting the parchment paper. Slice into your preferred size. Serve cold for best result.

Random recipe: Six Ingredient Sausage Potato Pie

Posted by random olio

My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. I could have it any time of day. So, yes, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Often instead of going on a date night, we do a date brunch. A meal we love, it is easy, quick and since it is on the weekend, I am more rested and focused on Chris. A win-win all around. Typically one weekend morning we go out to brunch and Chris makes something at home on the other weekend morning (or often afternoon by the time we get to brunch).

Which is why we constantly are on the lookout for yummy and different options to make for breakfast. This is by far one of the best recipes we have made in months. It has a little bit of everything. Eggs, sausage, hash browns, kale, cheese. What more can you ask for? I could not stop at one piece. The sausage is I believe what makes this recipe. I am not usually a big fan of sausage, and you will usually never see me eat a sausage patty, but crumbled up pieces in this dish is heavenly. It just will not be the same if you remove the sausage. If you do not like kale, do not leave it out, you do not even know it is there.

SIX INGREDIENT SAUSAGE POTATO PIE [Pinch of Yum]

Serves: 6-8 (nutrition info is for 1 of 8 servings)

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces ground sausage
6-8 eggs
½ cup milk
1½ teaspoons Herbes de Provence
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound raw shredded potatoes (we just bought refrigerated uncooked hashbrowns)
1 cup shredded cheese (we used a combo of Swiss and Gruyère)
2 cups shredded kale

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a pan with oil.
Brown the sausage until completely cooked and crumbled. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Whisk the eggs, milk, herbes de provence, and salt and pepper.
Add the hash browns, ⅔ cup cheese, kale, and sausage from step one. Mix it all together.
Transfer to the pie pan and top with remaining cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until set. Remove foil, turn heat to 400 or 450, and bake an additional 10 minutes until golden brown on top. Let stand for 10 minutes to allow excess moisture absorb. Slice and serve.

Happy Mother’s Day, Sis.

Posted by random olio

For many years after my mom was gone, my sister was like a mother to me. I loved and hated it about her. She is older, so it was natural for her to step in and be the older, wiser sister, and I often resisted it. We fought a lot, which often ended in tears. Yet we also laughed a lot, which also ended in tears. I did not want to be mothered, and yet we both in our own ways, wanted to be mothered. We wanted that connection of family. There were ebbs and flows of times when we yearned to have our own family. We always had different individuals in our lives that were an inspiration to us, maybe not mother types, but individuals (yes I did not say women, because mothering can come from a man too) who gave us the mothering that we needed.

Each year as Mother’s Day comes and goes I have to say it is a strange day for me. It has been 20 years since I saw my mom’s face, held her hand, or gave her a hug. I have lived more years of my life without her than I had with her. Some years are tougher than others. On years when my sister and I lived in the same city, we would often have a sister brunch on Mother’s Day. Other years, I just go about my day as though it is just any other Sunday in May.

This year, my sister became a mother. Sunday will be the first Mother’s Day for her as a mom. While Charlie is too young to dote on her mom, I hope my sister cherishes the day. I hope she remembers that while she has had extremely less sleep, and most likely not much of a life in the past few months, it has all been worth it. I know she will say it has been.

Love the hell out of that precious little baby. Enjoy every moment as a mom. I only wish our mom could be with you on your first Mother’s Day, she would love the crap out of, lil Charlie.

Happy Mother’s Day, Sis.