Good-For-You Broccoli Rice Au Gratin

A broccoli rice au gratin that will not disappoint! Super creamy and cheesy. The greatest comfort food.
Made fresh with good-for-you broccoli, brown rice, real cheese and milk.
You can’t box t

Rice and broccoli florets swimming in a cheesy sauce and baked to a bubbly, golden brown.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing pan

2 - 3  cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a few cracks fresh black pepper

2 + 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

3 cups cooked rice ( I used brown)

2 -3 cups cooked broccoli florets

Instructions

1. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large saucepan melt the butter over low heat; add garlic and saute until fragrant. Whisk in flour and cook 3-4 minutes, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in milk, mustard and season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer 4 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add 2 cups of cheddar cheese and parmesan; stir until mostly melted; remove from heat.
3. Stir in rice and broccoli florets, pour into casserole pan, sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top. Bake 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly golden on top. Allow to set 5 minutes before serving.

Nutella Swirl Peanut Butter Cookies

Know what temporarily cures unrequited dreams and helps solve unanswerable questions about life? Cookies.
And when cookies are packed with peanut butter and Nutella, one can't help but do a little happy dance while biting into the chewy, tender, criss-crossed circles.

These cookies are fabulous! Peanut butter and Nutella are definitely the 'It' couple of the baking world.
Nutella Swirl  Peanut Butter Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 -3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted, room temperature butter

3/4 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 room temperature egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup Nutella (stir it up a bit, to soften)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking Soda, and salt; Set aside.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter and both sugars. Beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth (about 5 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract; Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

Turn the mixer down to low speed, and slowly add the dry ingredients. Beat until just combined. Use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold in the Nutella. [Note: If you want a distinct swirl, try not to over-mix the Nutella.] Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight).


Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Measure out a rounded Tablespoon for each cookie. (Since the dough was refrigerated, the cookies shouldn't spread too much, so just leave about 1/2-inch of space between each one.) Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern on each cookie. If desired, sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

◦2 Cups Distilled White Vinegar

◦2 Cups Water

◦4 tsp. Kosher Salt

◦2 Tbsp. Sugar

◦5-6 Large Garlic Cloves~ Peeled and Smashed

◦Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

◦Red Onion Slices

Instructions

1.Quarter 5 medium cucumbers lengthwise into spears. {4 spears per 1 cucumber}

2.Put the spears into a jar so they all fit vertically and tightly.

3.In a large bowl combine vinegar, water, salt and sugar.

4.Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.

5.Toss in the onion, rosemary and garlic cloves.

6.Pour vinegar mixture over spears in the jar.

7.Tighten lid and refrigerate for 24 hours

8.Enjoy!!!

9.{Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, but I guarantee the don’t even last that long}

Yummy Cinnamon Roll Waffles

I’ve made pizza, sandwiches and muffins in a waffle maker. Why not make cinnamon roll waffles! IDEA: Slice them into sticks, pour a little syrup into the bottom of a wide mouth cup, place the sticks in with just the tips touching the syrup and you’ve got a nice dippers for the kids or you can serve them up this way for a buffet. Want to add another layer of flavor? How about CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE BUTTER!
Cinnamon Roll Waffles Recipe
Ingredients
1   can of store bought cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting
Directions
Spray waffles iron with cooking spray, place 4 cinnamon rolls on a PREHEATED waffle iron and close to cook.

Cook until light goes off ( WARNING!!! TIME DOES VARY FROM WAFFLE MAKER TO WAFFLE MAKER - WATCH THE WAFFLES - DON’T RELY ONLY ON THE LIGHT! YOURS MAY BE DONE BEFORE THE LIGHT GOES OFF!) and the waffles are cooked through. Make sure you close the waffle maker completely. I locked it closed so the waffle maker would smash the cinnamon rolls..
Cream Cheese Syrup Recipe
cream cheese frosting (from cinnamon roll can)
1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 tablespoon water
Directions
Mix together the frosting and the corn syrup. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the syrup reaches the desired consistency. Drizzle over hot waffles.

TWO TIMIN' PASTA BAKE

Timin’ Pasta

Have you ever eaten at an Italian restaurant and found yourself torn between pasta with alfredo or marinara?! Ummm…me?! Not so much. I’m a marinara girl all the way, but every now and then I like a little alfredo in my life. I love this pasta because it combines the best of both worlds and ohmiword…it.is.GOOD. This little pasta bake required all of no time to prep, but tasted like I spent hours in the kitchen.

TWO TIMIN’ PASTA BAKE

1 box penne pasta

1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce

1 (24oz.) jar Marinara sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions and drain. Mix the sauces together in a large bowl.

Add the mozzarella and stir to combine. Then toss in the penne and toss to coat.

Pour pasta into 9x13 baking dish and cook on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.

SO yum!!! We paired ours with a few slices of fresh garlic bread and it was definitely reminiscent of being in a restaurant….with naked kids running through the dining room & chasing each other with legos. Wow. TMI. If you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner that’s full of flavor, then this is it!!!!

HOMEMADE PRETZEL ROLLS

Pretzel Rolls


The Dough

6 - 7 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 1/2 cups milk, slightly warmed

1 cup water, slightly warmed



Coarse sea salt for sprinkling



The "Bath"

7 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

4 tablespoons baking soda



In a small container, mix yeast with warmed milk and let rest for 10 minutes.Whisk 5 3/4 cups of flour and teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.



Add canola oil and warmed water to yeast mixture. Pour into bowl with flour and salt. Knead in the bowl until dough is mostly smooth. Only add more flour if your dough cannot be easily handled. The dough will be somewhat stiff. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and put in a warm place to rise for one hour.



Punch down dough and knead in bowl for one minute. Cut dough into 15 pieces. (Cut more pieces if you would like smaller size rolls.) Form balls by pulling the dough under. Place on a well-greased surface. Let the dough balls rise for 15 minutes.



While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and get the pretzel "bath" ready. In a large pot, bring water, salt, and baking soda to a rolling boil. Plunge three dough balls into the water and let them "poach" for 1 minute total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a well-greased baking sheet. With a serrated knife, cut 2-3 lines across each roll and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pretzels are a rich brown. These are best eaten the same day they are made.   ENJOY!!!

A Great Fat Free Salad Dressing

Great Fat Free Salad Dressing:

1/2  c. red wine vinegar
1/2  tsp. salt
1/4  tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1  T. sugar
2  cloves garlic, minced
2  tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1  tsp.  Dijon mustard
1  T.  fresh lemon juice
1  cup water

Mix well and refrigerate in a lightly covered jar...Makes 2 Cups.