Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Makes 24 Sticks

Ingredients: 12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento)1 large egg, beaten2 tbsp flour
5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
5 tbsp panko crumbs
2 tsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
olive oil cooking spray 

Directions:
Cut cheese in half to give you 24 pieces. Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen. In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish. In separate bowl,combine bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and dried parsley. Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs.Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden). When ready to bake preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil. Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients:
1lb. Ground Beef
1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic
29 oz Can Tomato Sauce
8 oz Package of Lasagna Noodles, Uncooked
4 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 1/2 Cottage Cheese

Directions: 
Spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray. Grown the ground beef with the onion and the garlic. Stir the tomato sauce in with the ground beef. Spread 1/4 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the crock pot. Arrange 1/3 of the uncooked noodles over the sauce. Combine the cheeses in a bowl, spoon 1/3 of the cheese over the noodles. Repeat first two layers twice. Top with the remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Add mozzarella cheese to top. Let the lasagna stand with the top off for ten minutes.

Cheesy Artichoke Bread

Ingredients:1/4 cup butter3 garlic cloves, minced1 (14-ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained well and chopped1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese1 cup grated Parmesan cheese1/2 cup sour cream1 French bread loaf (about 12 ounces)Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:Preheat your oven to BROIL.Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the artichoke hearts, Mozzarella cheese, Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and sour cream to the skillet and stir to blend. When completely combined remove from the heat. Slice the bread lengthwise. Spoon the artichoke mixture evenly onto the bread. Broil for about 4-7 minutes or until cheese has melted an bread is hot. Do not walk away. Watch the bread closely or it could burn.

Crock Pot Hamburger and Cheese Dip

Ingredients: 
1 lb. ground beef 1 lb. Velveeta cheese 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/2 package taco seasoning mix 
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup 
1 can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis 

Directions:
Brown meat and drain grease. Put ingredients in a crock pot, heat on high until all cheese is melted. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking to edges. Turn down to low to keep dip warm. Serve with chips

Brownie Batter Dip

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) block of Cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup Butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups Powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons Milk
5 Tablespoons All-Purpose flour
5 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Chocolate chips for garnish (optional)

Directions:In a large bowl, or stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter, until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes) Slowly beat in the 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons of milk, until creamy. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy and smooth, or until it reaches your desired consistency. (You can add 1 more Tablespoon of milk, if needed) Serve dip with strawberries, vanilla wafers, pretzels, marshmallows, or whatever your heart desires! Enjoy!

Nutter Butter Balls

Makes 30 Balls

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Nutter Butter cookies (broken… use cookie with the cream center)
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
chocolate bark

Directions: 
 Finely crush all but 5 cookies in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency. Combine with cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together. Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. Once dry, refrigerate and enjoy!

Apple Chips

Ingredients:
Thin Apple Slices
Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Mixture

Directions:
Slice apples, dust with mixture. Bake on a low setting for two hours, flip apples after first hour.

Salted Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce

Pretzels
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
2 tbsp butter, melted
Pretzel or Kosher salt

Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, sugar, yeast, and salt on low speed for 10 seconds.  Switch to the dough hook and add the flour and butter.  Mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer it to a well-oiled bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an wide 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Slice each rope into 1-inch pieces.  Place a lightly damp towel over the pretzel pieces to prevent them from drying out while you roll and cut the other pieces.Using a slotted spoon lower a handful of the pretzel pieces into the boiling water and boil them for 30 seconds, flipping them around in the water with the spoon a couple of times. Remove the pretzel pieces from the water using the spoon, drain as best you can, and place them on the baking sheets. Brush the top of each pretzel with the melted butter and sprinkle with the pretzel/Kosher salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 10 – 12 minutes. Brush with remaining melted butter before serving. Serve warm.

Cheese Sauce

Ingredients: 
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (not package pre-shredded cheese – shred your own)
Kosher salt

Directions:
In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk until no lumps of flour remain.  Stirring constantly, bring the milk to a simmer over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the shredded cheese until all of the cheese has melted.  Add a pinch of salt, if needed.  Serve warm.  Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave on medium power at 30 second intervals.

French Bread Pizza

Makes 4 Pizza's

Ingredients:

2 Loaves French Bread
1 Jar of Pizza Sauce
Any Desired Toppings
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Cut Bread in half, length wise. Put halves on a cookie sheet open face. Spread 1/4 of the pizza sauce on each side of the bread. Place on your toppings and add 1/2 cup cheese. Bake two halves at a time for 5-7 minutes. Repeat with next two.

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Dry Baking Cocoa
12 oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/8 Tsp Salt
7 1/2 Cups Water
1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
Marshmallows

Directions: 
Combine milk and water in crock pot. Add dry cocoa and salt, stir until smooth. Cover and Cook on High for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

Twisted Shamrocks

Ingredients:
1 Bag of Pretzel Sticks
1 Bag of Mini Pretzels
1 Bag of Hershey Kisses
1 Bag of M&M's

Directions:
Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Assemble three pretzels to look like a clover. Place a Hershey kiss on top of the pretzels, in the middle. Set in oven and remove after 4 minutes. Stick the end of the pretzel stick into the melted chocolate. Cover the stick and chocolate with an M&M. Let harden.

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

Ingredients:
1/2 Bag of Mini Pretzel Twists
2 Sticks of Butter
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 Bag of Chocolate Chips
Sea Salt 

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.Then line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and lay a single layer of pretzels down. I was pretty meticulous about this and made neat little rows.In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil gently just until it starts to stick to the bottom and it forms a nice smooth caramel. You’ll want to let it bubble a little and get really thick.Remove from heat and pour evenly over the top of the pretzels (don’t worry if every single pretzel isn’t covered). Put in the oven at 350 degrees for five minutes.Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. You can let the caramel melt the chips, but I prefer to put it back in the oven for one minute.Spread the chocolate chips around with a spatula until mostly melted.Sprinkle generously with salt.Let cool on the counter top for a few minutes and then pop in the freezer for at least two to three hours.When it comes out of the freezer, break it up into uneven chunks with your hands and serve.

Mini Apple Pies

Makes 24 Mini Pies

Ingredients:
Eight Cups of Apples
12 Tbs of Flour
1  1/2 Cup of Sugar
4 Tsp of Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp of Nutmeg
4 Tbs of Chilled Butter
4 Chilled Pie Crust
1 Stick of Butter
1/2 Melted Butter

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut up eight cups of apples into small 1/2 inch bits. Mix the apples with the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into apples coating them nicely. Unroll pie crust and cut out circles until you have 24. Line cups of the muffin tin with tiny pie crust. Fill the crust with apple mixture. Divide the stick of butter equally and put on dab on each pie. Cover pies as desired with leftover dough. Bake for 18-22 minutes.

Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes

Makes 18 Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 18 cupcake liners
• 1 package jumbo marshmallows

Directions:

Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners.Whisk cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in eggs, warm water, milk, sour cream, butter, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Fill each muffin cup half way (about 2 ounces each). Bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 18 minutes.Let cake cool slightly and change the oven to broil.Make the topping: Place one marshmallow vertically in the center of each cupcake. Put the cupcakes back into the oven (careful not to knock any marshmallows off) and watch them closely, as the marshmallows will roast in a matter of seconds.When the marshmallows appear golden brown on top and puffed slightly, take the cupcakes out of the oven and carefully press the marshmallows down, using your hand or a spoon, to cover the whole top of the cupcake.

Pretzel S'mores

Ingredients:
1 Package of Pretzels
1 Bag of Marshmallows
5 Hershey Bars
2 Bags of Dark Chocolate
Sprinkles

Directions:
Place marshmallow's and two pieces of Hershey chocolate onto pretzel. Place another pretzel on top of that. Dip in melted chocolate. Add sprinkles.

Crock Pot Mushrooms

Ingredients:
6 Packages Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 Packet Dry Hidden Valley Ranch
2 Sticks of Butter

Directions:
Cook on low until finished