Snickerdoodles

1 1/2 cups sugar + 3 tablespoons
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together 1 1/2 cups sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs. Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and mix together. Combine cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Roll dough into balls the size of quarters and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheets about two inches apart and bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza Bites

I want to start by saying these are REALLY good. However, they are kind of a pain in the bahookie to put together. In the future I will probably just use this recipe to make a regular pizza instead of bites with ranch sauce for dipping. If I was to do them for a party for appetizers or something I think I'd do them in little muffin tins since cooking them side by side sometimes you break them while pulling them apart.

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites I have another recipe from their website planned for this week. I'll let you know how that goes.

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted buttersharp cheddar cheese (I used 50% sharp cheddar and 50% mozzarella)
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
about 1 C shredded, cooked chicken.
3/4 C mayo
3/4 C milk

First take 1 teaspoon of your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside. Combine the remaining ranch mix with 3/4 C mayo and 3/4 C milk and place in the fridge to chill.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400-425 degrees.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.
When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings.

I grab the four corners first and then squeeze the seams shut. Then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush with melted butte

r or olive oil and sprinkle with themparmesan-ranch mixture.

Place your rolls in the oven. I've noticed baking time really depends on the type of dough I'm using. Whether it's different brands from the store, or homemade dough, they all take different amounts of time. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 or 20 to be done. Take them out when they're lightly golden on top.
Serve them warm with a side of freshly made ranch dressing for dipping.

BTW: I cooked these in a 9x13 pan. They definitely would not all have fit in a pie pan

Our Best Bites

I came across this super fun blog this morning (to be honest I can't remember how exactly I got there!) I thought I'd share with you since she has lots of fun holiday recipes and ideas as some yummy looking dinners.

This is what caught my eye....I thought Alex would love it.

Our Best Bites go check it out! :)

Caramel Apple Cake

I got this recipe from my friend Danita Berg.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 apples pealed and cut into chunks
3 cups flour
1cup of pecan pieces (optional)

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and mix well. Add dry ingrediants and apples and mix until just blended. Pour into a greased pan.

(I made this last night and my cake batter wasn't much of a batter, but more crumbs. So, I added a splash of vanilla and about 1/2-3/4 cup of milk to make it a batter.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Cool completely and top with warm caramel.

Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Bring all ingrediants to a boil in a saucepan. Boil 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool about 5 minutes. Pour over cooled cake.

Spiced Apple Cobbler

Lynne and I had seen this recipe on Rachael Ray last year (or maybe longer ago). Lynne tried it first and they really liked it so I made it last night. It's SO GOOD!

Ingredients

• 6 large (about 8 cups) Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced (use Granny Smiths for a more tart flavor)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 quart store-bought pumpkin ice cream
• Store-bought caramel sauce

Preheat the oven to 350

Place apples in a 13x9” baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat.

In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups sugar, flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt and the cinnamon. Add milk and melted butter, and mix well. Pour batter evenly over apples and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle over batter. Evenly pour the boiling water on top then transfer to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.

Can be served warm or at room temperature, topped with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.

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