Christmas Pretzel Hugs

I was in charge of Activity Days this week for church and wanted to bring a easy, yet fun and festive treat for the girls. I have made these for Valentine's Day using Valentine M&M's, and Michelle has made them for Halloween using Fall M&M's. This is such a super easy treat, and they are seriously so good too!!!!

Christmas Pretzel Hugs
submitted by Camille

Ingredients:
circle or square shaped pretzels
Hershey Kisses Hugs
Christmas M&M's

Preheat oven to 250 degree's. Line baking sheet with wax paper or tin foil (I used tin foil). Align pretzels on the baking sheet. Unwrap hugs and place one on each pretzel. Stick baking sheet in oven for approx. 4-5 minutes, or until the hugs are softened.
Remove baking sheet from oven and quickly place an M&M on top of each hug. Push the M&M down a bit into the hug to help spread the chocolate over the pretzel. Leave them to sit on the counter to harden, or stick them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to harden.


 

Mandarin Orange Pretzel Salad

This was so yummy!!! Perfect for a summer night treat, or a side dish for a summer picnic :)  The sweet with the salty is one of my favorites, not to mention how easy this was to make.
Definitely a keeper!

Mandarin Orange Pretzel Salad
submitted by Camille
from "A Year with Six Sister's" cookbook

2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup, plus 3 Tbsp sugar, divided
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 (8oz) container whipped topping
1 (6oz) box orange jello
2 cups boiling water
1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges

Preheat oven to 350 degree's. For the first layer, combine pretzels, melted butter, and 3 Tbsp sugar. Stir together until well blended. Press in 9x13-inch baking pan and bake 7 minutes. Cool completely.

For the second layer, beat 1 cup sugar and cream cheese together until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread cream mixture over pretzel layer. Be sure to seal the cream cheese layer against the sides of the pan so that the Jell-O mixture will not be able to leak through when added.

For the third layer, mix Jell-O and boiling water until completely dissolved. Add oranges and let cool until slightly set. Pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares and serve.

5-Star Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

I made this chicken for dinner last night. It was a HIT with everyone! While I did grill it, this would be easy to bake in the oven, or even cook on the stove. Whatever you prefer.
The flavors were amazing though.

5-Star Grilled Chicken Teriyaki
submitted by Camille
adapted from "a year with 6 Sisters Stuff" cookbook

1 lb chicken (I used bone-in thighs. They are our favorite)
1 cup Teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp sesame oil

Mix teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, garlic and oil together. Place teriyaki mixture and chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Close bag and be sure to coat chicken well. Place in fridge to marinade for 1+ hours. Be sure to turn bag once or twice halfway through, so all the chicken marinades evenly.
When ready, grill on medium heat for 15 minutes per side, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.

Nutella Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies

I almost never buy Nutella. Not because I don't love it, quite the contrary! I just eat it too much if I do buy it. So, about 2 months ago while at Costco, I had a weak moment and bought some. And you know how big those things are and they come in two in a package?! So, in my attempt to get rid of the stuff, I found this recipe in the 6 Sisters cookbook and made them for the kids for their first day of school snack. They were a hit!
Definitely a keeper recipe.

Nutella Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
submitted by Camille
from "a year with 6 Sisters Stuff" Cook Book

1/2 cup butter, room temperate
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degree's. Beat together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Then add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
Microwave Nutella on high for about 20 seconds, then drizzle over the dough. Fold in Nutella with spatula until well distributed throughout the dough to give it a marbled look.
Chill dough in fridge 15 minutes and then roll into small balls. Place about an inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet and use a fork to press the balls down slightly, Bake until edges are lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on pan 2 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Fresh Pico de Gallo

Our neighbor brought over a huge grocery sack of tomatoes for us from his garden. I knew that I would be making some pico with them right away, because I LOVE pico de gallo!!!!! I combined a couple of recipes I found and made this. You can eat it right away, but it definitely tastes better when it has had time to chill, and the flavors have all blended together.
So yummy!!!!

Fresh Pico de Gallo
submitted by Camille

8-10 tomatoes, seeded
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic
juice of one lime
zest of one lime
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp course salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients and chill over night.