Recipe of the Week - Cheesy Snack Pretzels

I have a recipe book called 365 Foods Kids Love To Eat. I think my mom got it when I was a kid! It has recipes for everything from baby food to lunch box fillers to party food. Best part is that most recipes are so simple that the kids can make them themselves! This is one of the recipes that we make over and over. Simple, easy and delicious! An added bonus; the dough can be formed into letters, numbers or any shape to help preschoolers learn! The "pretzels" taste like cheez-it crackers. 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2-3 tablespoons cold water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit . In a large bowl, stir together the flour, Parmesan cheese and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in cheddar. Sprinkle water over mixture, stirring lightly with a fork. Shape dough into a uniform ball. Cut into as many as twelve equal parts. (I like making larger pretzels by cutting into only six parts.) Roll parts into logs and shape into pretzel or shape desired. Bake 12 minutes. They don't really brown at all so bake the full time.

Hope your kids enjoy this treat as much as mine do!

Submitted by: Laura Cox

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Recipe of the Week - White Chocolate Snack Mix

Making this "snack mix" at Christmas time has become a tradition in my extended family. We also call it "Christmas Crack" because it is addictive! I don't even like white chocolate and I could eat a whole recipe of this! After our children were born, my husband decided that we should call it "Christmas Snack" instead of "Christmas Crack." You can decide for yourself what you'd like to call it. Buy red and green M&Ms to make it more Christmas-y. You can also dye the melted white chocolate with food coloring if you like. Work quickly. The white chocolate cools and hardens in a short amount of time. 10 oz mini pretzels 5 cups cheerios 5 cups corn chex 2 cups salted peanuts 14 oz M&Ms 2 11 oz packages of white chocolate chips 3 T vegetable oil

Line three baking sheets with waxed paper. (You can also tape a long piece of waxed paper to the counter or your dining room table. It's easier to work with this way.) In a large bowl combine all ingredients except white chocolate chips and oil. Heat white chocolate chips and oil in the microwave on medium-high for two minutes, stirring once. Microwave on high for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth. Pour over cereal and mix well. Spread onto prepared sheets. Allow to cool and then break apart and store in airtight containers.

Recipe and photo from allrecipes.com.

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Recipe of the Week - "Lauren" Bars

Confession. I’m in love with Lara Bars. Too much. Too much for my pocket book, that is. So I was thrilled when I stumbled upon this ultra simple recipe of my favorite treat. I’ve played with all of the proportions, and I can guarantee you that you really cannot mess them up! I’ll throw in a few of my alterations at the bottom: Ingredients: •1/3 cup nuts (cashews, almonds, etc) •1/4 cup whole dates (remove pits)-about 3 large dates (more if dried) •1/4 cup raisins (or more dates) •dash of cinnamon (optional) Directions: 1. Put nuts into food processor and chop until in small pieces. Remove and put in bowl. 2. Put dates and raisins (any combination of the two that equals 1/2 cup total) into the food processor and pulse until play dough consistency. It will start to clump together when it is done. 3. Mix the two ingredients by hand until well incorporated and the consistency of stiff playdough or cookie dough. (You can do this all in the food processor also) 4. Roll between two sheets of wax paper to a 1/2 inch thickness and cut into bars. (Or make it really easy and just roll into energy balls!) 5. Wrap in wax paper, plastic wrap or snack size ziploc bags (or glass containers if you aren’t giving to kids) and store in fridge until ready to use. Enjoy!

Ok, a few of my favorite variations with APROXIMATE measurements (I did most to taste):

Cinnamon Raisin Cookie: •1/2 cup almonds •15 dried dates •1/2 cup raisins •1 T. (or more) cinnamon

Apple Pie: •1/2 cup almonds •15 dried dates •1/2 dried apple slices •1 T. (or more) cinnamon •½ t. nutmeg

Cashew Cookie: •1/2 cup cashews •15 dried dates

Cherry Pie: •1/2 cup almonds •15 dried dates •1/2 dried cherries •1 t. (or more) cinnamon •½ t. nutmeg

Original source – http://wellnessmama.com/1047/amazing-homemade-energy-bars-the-wellness-bar/

Please share some of your experiments with us!

If you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share with our readers, please submit it here or email us at submissions@themotherhoodcollective.org.

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