Rolo Turtles

Preheat oven 200 degrees
1. Line cookie sheet with the pecans, pick the best ones.  Toast in oven for 2 minutes.
2. Line a cookie sheet with Snyder's Butter Snaps.
3. I used the mini Rolo's because they are already unwrapped.   I put two Rolo's on some of the  pretzel's to see if it made a big difference.  I thought they were both great, my son like the pretzel   with 2 Rolo's.  I also tried Milky Ways...I probably won't do that again.

    4. Put them in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, they will be soft because they are melting.

    5. As soon as you take them out of the oven press a pecan half into the center of the Rolo. 

Macaroni and Cheese

Ree Drummond's Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 4 cups dried macaroni
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 heaping teaspoons dry mustard (more if desired)
• 1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated (not pre-grated cheese), plus more for baking
• Salt
• Seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme
• I added
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 pound browned hamburger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the macaroni until still slightly firm. Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, whisking constantly. Don't let it burn. Pour in the milk, add the mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the egg into the sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in the cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt and the pepper. Add any additional spices if desired. Taste the sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in the drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately (while it's still very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese and bake until bubbly and golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes

Rhonda's Review

 I liked this recipe but I don't think it is going to be the one I keep and never try another recipe again.
I love Taste of Home so I will be trying their Crock pot recipe next.

 click on recipe for the instructions to an easy Mac N Cheese.  I make all the time.  *** I only use 1 cup of salsa and I don't add the olives and pimientos.

Fruit Smoothie

                                                   

I went to Dutch Brothers this summer and fell in love with their Strawberry Peach Smoothie.  I asked them if they put milk in them and they said, " no,"  they use juice.  I had never thought to put juice in the smoothies I make at home.  I decided to give it a try...love it!

Ingredients

1/8 cup blueberries

3/4 cup peaches

3/4 strawberries

2 small bananas
1 cup mango peach juice

optional           

1/4 cup pineapple                                                       

1/4 cup mango

some kale

I use fresh and frozen fruit.  I usually buy a lot of bananas at a time...if I have bananas that are starting to turn brown I slice them into 1 inch slices and freeze them.  I buy a lot of frozen peaches, strawberries, pineapple, mango's and blueberries.  I usually put all the frozen fruit in the Bullet and wait about 5 minutes to defrost a little.  You don't have to but I notice our Bullet was having to really work hard with all the frozen fruit. 

If most your fruit is fresh then you don't have to wait 5 minutes.

***I don't really eat a lot of blueberries but I found that when I left them out of the smoothie it didn't taste as good.  You can make any changes you like...more juice or your favorite fruit.

 See below that we are using the Bullet now.
We started making so many smoothies that we needed an easier way to do it. 

Chocolate Strawberry Croissant

 I love croissants so I loved this quick snack.  I had a bunch of strawberries so I decided to sliced them and put them in between a croissant I bought from Safeway.  I sprinkled the strawberries with powder sugar, just to make sure they were juicy and sweet.  I covered the berries with whipped heavy cream and drizzled Hersey Chocolate syrup on top of the croissant.  I loved it but my husband seemed displeased.  I guess I shouldn't have called it strawberry shortcake.  I don't know why I said, "do you want some strawberry shortcake?"  Well when I handed him this plate he said, this is a croissant, I don't really like croissants.   Opps, I am just finding this out now after 20 years of marriage.  Now that I think about it, it is my boys that love croissants.  I asked my husband if I should give his plate to my son but he said he would just eat it.  I have a feeling it tasted better than he thought it would.