Homemade Pretzels

I don't get to the mall nearly as much as I use to, but when I do, one of my favorite things to do is to get a soft pretzel while shopping.  Soft pretzels are one of those little delicacies in life that I'm not sure I can get enough of.  

So when Lee told me that he was going to make soft pretzels for the Super Bowl, I was psyched!  We did a test run the Friday before and we ate the whole batch in one night.
  

Banana Fosters Pockets

So you send your significant other shopping and tell him to pick up items for dessert.  He forgets, but brings a few other off list items home: Crescent rolls, bananas and chocolate sauce..  What do you make?  You may as well be on an episode of Chopped here!  This recipe will make sure that you're here to fight another day.


When I first bit in, I was transported back to the breakfast table at my parent's house.  No offense to Lee, but my dad makes, hands down, the best banana pancakes in the world.  They're totally amazing and the combination of dough and cooked bananas smothered in sugary sauce took me right back.  Dad never added chocolate syrup to breakfast though, so these treats might edge them out.  I'll have to demand a head to head cookoff one day.
For the chocolate sauce, we used Smucker's Plate Scapers which lets you have really nice pretty lines, good for pictures, but not good when you just want chocolate NOW!

Caramelious Monkeybread

Lee gets his recipes from all over the place… magazines, websites, old family recipes, and of course, from our friends.  One of our friends, Leena, put on Facebook that she had some awesome and easy Monkeybread, and we wanted in.  Leena shared the surprisingly easy recipe with us.  It was originally published in the December 2009 Southern Living magazine.

It ended up being delicious.  The cinnamon and smooth caramel cut through the rolls and becomes the scrumptious and juicy ball of dough that makes up for every dry and under seasoned cinnamon roll you’ve ever had.  

Check out that caramel dripping down the bread- have a napkin ready!

New Year's Feast- Seafood Crustini

Have you ever been at a party and been fumbling with the cheese knife trying to get your crackers topped without a.) dumping the rest of your plate on the floor or b.) looking like a dip hog by trying to be sure you get the right cracker to dip ratio so you can top them at your chair?  
This recipe will make sure that never happens for you guest again.  The crunchy crustini is prespread for your guests and easy for you and your budget!  
The creamy dip melds into the crunchy crustini and will make your mouth water! 

Seafood Crustini- creamy, crusty, not messy goodness

Seafood Crustini


1 Package cream cheese
1 cup Imitation crab meat (chopped)
1 can crab meat
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
2 green onions (chopped)
1 loaf French baguette