Sweet and Salty Valentines

If you're like me, I'm always short on time and high on ambition... Especially when it comes to holiday treats. These sweet and salty Valentine treats deliver on both levels.

Simply cover a baking sheet in a single layer of miniature pretzels and place a Hershey's Kiss on top of each pretzel. Carefully place the baking sheet in a 250 degree oven for 2 1/2 minutes. Immediately press a single M&M in the center of each Kiss.

Transfer the pan to the freezer for about 5 minutes to help these treats set up faster.

Having a bunch if pretzels left over, I decided to dip a few in some melted almond bark and then in red sprinkles just to finish off the ensemble.

The whole ordeal took me all of 20 minutes. Happy Valentine's Day!

Blueberry Butter

There is no comparison between blueberry waffles and regular waffles.

The blueberry waffles (albeit store-bought) are serious tantalizing, but they were out of the frozen blueberry waffles last time we were at the grocery store.  The frozen fruit is situated directly adjacent to the waffles, which gave me this idea.

Allow a stick of butter to soften on the counter and then add 1/8 of a cup of frozen blueberries and blend together with a fork.

Spoon the contents into a plastic baggie and distribute it evenly across the bottom of the bag.  You can squish it into the shape of a cylinder or you can use your fingers to flatten the sides to make more of a square butter shape (as I have above).

Seal the baggie and place it in the refrigerator overnight.  If you want to use it sooner, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes or until it is firm enough to slice.

I think regular frozen waffles topped with homemade blueberry butter and sprinkled with powdered sugar or hot maple syrup may be the new quick and easy go-to breakfast in this farm kitchen.

Welcome to the farm!  Enjoy.

Homemade Salad To-Go

If you're like me and it pains you to pay nearly $6 for a fast food salad when you're on the run, only to find that it's made of mostly Iceberg lettuce, browned slightly and light on the chicken, here's your fix.

I must confess that this idea is not original.  I discovered it on Pinterest.  I love that place.  You should follow me on Pinterest - I pin lots of good stuff.

The original description says to use a mason jar, but I didn't want to go buy new ones, so I just used a large jelly jar that I sterilized in the dishwasher.

Pour two tablespoons of your favorite dressing on the bottom of the jar (yes, that is enough!) and then either add chunks of meat or cheese or diced vegetables.  The goal is that the lettuce doesn't touch the dressing until you're ready to eat it.  Then, simply fill with the greens of your choice.  Here I've used half Iceberg lettuce for some crunch and half baby spinach because it is delicious.

I've also covered it in crumbled up Ritz crackers - also delicious.

Store it in the fridge for up to a week (maybe even longer if it doesn't brown) and when you're ready to eat it, simply shake and the salad dressing will coat the entire mixture.  Genius.  My hat is off to whoever thought of this!