Homemade Reese's

A Sleight family Christmas tradition, adapted over time
















1 pkg graham crackers (approx. 12 full crackers)
1 c creamy peanut butter
1 c butter, melted
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 pkg milk chocolate chips
1 tsp canola oil

Crush crackers into a very fine powder. (Using a food chopper or blender is all but required to get the right consistency.)

Stir in melted butter and peanut butter.

Add in powdered sugar.

Still until mixed well. Press into bottom of an 9"x13" pan.

Melt chocolate chips in double boiler or microwave. Add a tsp of oil to the chocolate, so that it will be a bit softer when it hardens.

Refrigerate until cool. Remove from fridge about half an hour before cutting, to allow chocolate on top to soften a bit. If cut too soon, chocolate will crack!

Comments from the cook: I added a bit of oil to the chocolate this year (in hopes of avoiding the cracking), and it helped a lot! However, it does make the finished product a little bit melty when you pick it up. But, these are to-die-for. Little kids love them, and a whole pan is a LOT.

My mom and I used to roll these into balls and dip them in chocolate, but eventually started putting them in a pan. Much easier, and a lot less mess. Yum!

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

A Mathias family Christmas tradition, with a little help from the internet
















1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c peanut butter (creamy)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
white sugar (for rolling cookies in)

Cream butter, PB, sugars, egg, and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients.

Form into 1" balls, roll in white sugar, and place in greased miniature muffin tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and quickly press a Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie.

Cool and carefully remove from pans.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Comments from the cook: These cookies are a tradition for Brian's family, and he can't say no to them! Most of the text above is taken from the Cooks.com recipe, and the original recipe calls for a mini Reese's PB cup in the center of each. They are excellent that way...and super rich!

These cookies are a holiday favorite of ours, and we hope you like them too... :)

Coconut Cream Pie

Originally shared by: my mom, a fellow ultimate-lover-of-all-things-pie
















1 large box vanilla pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 bag flaked sweetened coconut
2 8oz containers Cool Whip
1 TBSP butter
pie crust


Add butter to medium saucepan. Add flaked coconut and brown over medium heat. Stir as you go, to allow for even cooking.

Allow coconut to cool on a plate (covered with a paper towel). Should take half an hour or so.

Prepare vanilla pudding according to pie filling directions. Cool in fridge for 5 minutes.

Stir in flaked coconut (saving 1/2 cup out for topping) and one small container of Cool Whip.

Pour mixture into pre-cooked pie crust (cook according to directions) and top with other container of Cool Whip and leftover 1/2 cup of coconut.

Best when prepared the night before...or after at least a few hours of refrigeration.

Comments from the cook: My FAVORITE. Not lying. Not exaggerating. My ALL TIME FAVORITE PIE. Even better when made in my mom's homemade crust. But, from what I've learned, most people aren't interested in making crust from scratch. So, just go ahead and settle with the store-bought kind. Granted, you won't know the full extent of the delicacy, but you'll get close enough to know what I've been ranting and raving about. MY FAVORITE.

Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies

Originally shared by: my mom (this version found online long ago)
















1/2 c sugar
1 c creamy peanut butter
1 c corn syrup
6-8 c Cornflakes (generic ok)

In large saucepan, combine sugar, peanut butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.

Add 6 cups of Cornflakes to large bowl. Pour hot mixture over cereal and stir. Add more Cornflakes if desired.

Spoon onto wax paper in small heaps. (You will probably need to drop them into heaps and then go back and form each one so that they'll hold together.)

Cool and store in airtight container when finished.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Comments from the cook: These are truly my own personal Kryptonite. I CANNOT leave them alone! They're easy, fast, and they're totally addictive...

Peas and Potatoes

Originally shared by: My mom, who learned it from my Grandma Tibbitts (which would make this "how to feed a hungry COWBOY" food!)
















6 red potatoes, diced
1/2 bag frozen petite peas (these are sweeter than regular peas)
6 c milk
1/4 - 1/2 c sugar
cornstarch

Dice red potatoes. Bring to a boil in medium sized pot. Boil until cooked thoroughly.

When potatoes are nearly finished cooking, add peas to boiling water also. This will cool water down, but bringing it back up to a boil should be enough to cook the peas and finish cooking the potatoes.

Drain water and put back in pot.

Pour milk over peas and potatoes until they are covered (may be more or less than 6 cups, depending on the size of your potatoes).

Add cornstarch mixture (about 2 TBSP cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of water or milk) to pot of milk, potatoes, and peas.

Cook on medium high (NOT high) until mixture starts to bubble and thickens. Be very careful not to allow the milk to burn in the bottom of the pan. (Burnt milk taste is the worst!)

Stir in sugar and allow to cool. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Comments from the cook: I imagine that my Grandpa must've really enjoyed this...especially after a long, cold day on the ranch! In order to add more cowboy approval-ness, I think my Grandma made steak or hamburger patties to go with it.

This is one of my favorite dishes, and it's even better warmed up the next day. I like it fairly sweet, with a dash of pepper to add a little kick.

Chicken Pot Pie

An original!
















1 pkg ready-to-bake pie crusts (2 included)
5 small potatoes
2 TBSP butter or margarine
2-3 TBSP flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
frozen peas
frozen carrots
chicken

Allow pie crust dough to defrost to room temperature. Put one crust in bottom of glass dish.

Cut chicken into small pieces and saute in a little bit of canola oil or cooking spray. Place on top of crust.

Dice potatoes (into 1/2" pieces) and pour over crust in dish. Add frozen peas and carrots to crust also, as desired. (Veggies are uncooked during assembly!)

In medium sauce pan, heat 2 TBSP butter or margarine over medium high heat. Once melted, add 2-3 TBSP flour to butter. Stir constantly, while adding 1 cup milk. Heat (and continue stirring) for 2 minutes. Mixture will thicken into a gravy.

After that 2 minutes is up, add 1 cup chicken broth and stir well until mixed (should only take a couple seconds of good stirring to be done). Remove from heat.

Pour gravy mixture over potatoes and vegetables in pan. Set aside.

Take your 2nd pie crust (that has not yet been used). Trim about 3/4" of crust off the edges. Place newly trimmed crust on top of the other to create a lid. Fold edges of bottom crust up and over.

Poke holes in top crust with a fork.

Bake at 375 for a hour or so. If top becomes too brown, cover in foil for remaining cook time.

Comments from the cook: I made this the other night, and only cooked it at 350 for about 55 min. The potatoes were still a little crispy, so we microwaved the whole thing for 3 minutes and they were perfect!

The real question...

Have you tried anything you've seen on here?

If so, what was it? Did it turn out ok? Will you make it again?

Please reply. Would love the feedback! :)