Mint Oreo Truffles

One of my favorite holiday treats 

are these ridiculously easy Mint Oreo Truffles.

There are only 4 ingredients:

a block of cream cheese, a package of Cool Mint Oreos, 

chocolate-flavored Almond Bark, and green sugar sprinkles.

Let your cream cheese soften to room temperature 

and grab a Ziploc to smash your Oreos in.

I'm sure there are more sophisticated ways of doing this,

but I just bust up each cookie with my fingers 

before tossing it into the Ziploc.

Once they're all in there -

Just zip the top and start smashing them.

You can use whatever you'd like to get the job done.

I usually just grab a soup can 

and roll and smash it over the cookies,

 

 until they look like this -

Then dump the crushed cookies 

into the bowl with your softened cream cheese.

Don't forget to take a spoon and scrape out 

any of the mint filling stuck to the inside of the bag.

Then stir the crushed cookies and cream cheese together, 

 until well mixed.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil or wax paper  -

and roll the cookie and cream cheese mix into balls.

I like to pop the tray of truffle balls into the fridge for a bit 

to stiffen them up before dipping them.

Next, melt your almond bark in a bowl -

and grab your chilled truffle balls, some forks, 

and your sprinkles to start dipping.

 Drop a truffle into the melted almond bark and scoop it out 

with a fork, letting the excess chocolate run through the tines.

Then, plop the dipped truffle back onto your tin-foil-lined pan 

and hit it with some sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.

One down,

about 50 more to go!

These rich little treats are delicious and addicting.

 Plus everyone thinks they were slaved over.

I almost hate to post this 

and show people how easy they are to make!

I had to bite one to show you the inside -

 

Believe me, you're going to want to bite one too!

Mint Oreo Truffles
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 package of Cool Mint Oreos
1 package of chocolate flavored almond bark
sprinkles

If you prefer peppermint, another great option is using
the peppermint creme Oreos with the red filling and dipping them in white almond bark with crushed candy cane sprinkles on top.

In Case You Missed It -

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The new "Recipes" tab is an easy way for you to
access food posts I've featured on my blog.
Now they're all in one spot,
and organized alphabetically and by category.
So get your butt in the kitchen and make something
and don't forget to tell me how it turns out!

Barley Hotdish

I had to make dinner myself tonight -

so it's hard times for me too!

Without Adam to cook for me,

I needed a simple meal plan

that even I could pull off.

I decided on  

Barley Hotdish

Here are some of the ingredients:

 Brown a pound of hamburger and half an onion.

While you've got that going,
get your barley cooking on the stove and
then chop up some celery and green pepper.

 I decided to skip the green pepper since Adam can't swallow

and I'd be the only one eating it.

I like almost everything, but I'm not a fan of green peppers.

 Preheat your oven and then grab a baking dish 

to start dumping all of your ingredients in.

Get your meat and onions in,

 Then add your soups and celery,

Next, grab your peas.

DO NOT DRAIN THE PEAS.

Just dump the whole can in. 

(I've made that mistake once before -

dries out your hotdish)

 Lastly, add in some butter.

 Mix it all together and then cover it with tin foil

and pop it in the oven.

 Bake for about an hour, 

before removing the foil
and baking another 10 minutes.

Serve it up with some delicious bread

and you've got yourself a meal.

Barley Hotdish

1 lb hamburger

half an onion

3/4 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. green pepper

1 can tomato soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can of peas - do not drain

3 Tbsp butter

1 c. cooked barley

Cook 1 c. barley on the stove. Brown hamburger and onion. Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Bake covered in oven for about 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove cover and bake another 10 minutes.  

Tough Times

 I like to think of my boys like this -

  happy and healthy.

But last week Walt looked more like this -

 getting nebulizer treatments because he was so congested.

They fixed him right up though, 

and he's been feeling great this week.

Adam, on the other hand, has spent the weekend like this -

 completely miserable. 

A trip to the walk-in clinic today confirmed 

he has strep throat and tonsillitis. 

So far Walt and I are in the clear. 

Let's pray it stays that way 

and that Adam feels better soon

so we can enjoy Christmas!

Nathan's Swiss Dip

Two of Adam's buddies came up to help celebrate the big 3 - 0.

We needed snacks, so Nathan brought along a recipe

and ingredients for a swiss cheese dip.

Is that a great houseguest or what?

We measured out the mayo,

threw in the onion powder,

and added in the cream cheese and swiss cheese,

before giving it all a good stir.

While you're mixing those ingredients together,

don't forget to fry up 4 strips of bacon.

Then spread your cheese dip mix into a baking dish,

and crumble your bacon on top.

Once the crumbled bacon is spread out,

crush up some Ritz crackers and sprinkle those on as well.

Then pop that baby in the oven,

and bake it for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve this warm, cheesey goodness with some chips,

we used blue corn chips and it was a delightful flavor combination.

Here's the full recipe if you'd like to

serve up Nathan's Swiss Dip at your next holiday gathering!

Nathan's Swiss Dip

4 oz Shredded Swiss Cheese
8 oz (1 pkg) Cream Cheese (room temp)
1/2 c. Mayo (not Miracle Whip)
2 T Onion Powder
4 strips cooked bacon
4 Ritz crackers

Directions: Mix all main ingredients well and place in baking dish. Prior to baking top with 4 crumbled Ritz crackers and 4 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.