Buckeyes and Snowballs

 I LOVE peanut butter baked goods and confections... peanut butter cookies, no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies, chocolate and peanut butter candy, and buckeyes/snowballs are among my favorites. I only make buckeyes and snowballs at Christmas though. I'm not sure why. As much as I like them, you think I would make them all throughout the year, but so far I haven't. The good news is that these are super easy to make, and it only requires a couple of ingredients. They come out so creamy and delicious. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I use bark - vanilla and chocolate - rather than regular chocolate to coat mine. And I love them... and I get tons of positive feedback. Give these a shot and add them to your special traditions. 

12 ounces (1.5 cups) creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar

16 ounces almond bark (I split between vanilla and chocolate)

couple tsps coconut oil

clear sparkling sugar crystals

Cream the butter, peanut butter, and vanilla together until completely combined.

Add powdered sugar and blend until it comes together and become smooth. It will take several minutes for this to happen. Don't give up and stop too early.

Using a small cookie scoop, portion the peanut butter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet (that will fit into your freezer). If you want them to look smoother when they're done, roll each ball in your hand to smooth them out.

Freeze peanut balls at least an hour. This year I actually made the confection and portioned them the night before I dipped them. They were so cold that they set really fast and remained easy to work with through out the dipping process.

Prepare the bark by adding 8 ounces plus a couple teaspoons to a deep bowl. Warm in the microwave in 30-second intervals until everything is melted. Blend well.

To dip the chocolate bark to make buckeyes, use a toothpick stabbed into the top. Dip the peanut ball into the bark just over half way. 

Tap it to allow the excess to drip off. Set on another parchment-line cookie sheet to dry and firm up.

To dip the chocolate to make snowballs, prepare the bark the same. I use a fork and knife to dip my snowballs. I drop the peanut ball into the bark and use the fork to turn it over. Scoop it out with the fork, and then tap a few times on the edge of the bowl. I scrape the bottom of the fork on the edge of the bowl, and then use a knife to scrape the snowball onto the parchment. It will set quickly if your peanut butter balls are very frozen, so top quickly with the sparkling sugar crystals.

Let the snowballs and buckeyes set until firm. With the buckeyes, use the tip of our finger to smooth over where the toothpick hole remains. 

Pack carefully in a container (I used parchment paper between the layers to keep them from sticking to each other). There's nothing in these that should go bad, but I find they will keep for weeks (even up to a month or longer) when I keep them in the refrigerator.

Tamale Chicken Casserole

I know this looks a little messy, but let me tell you, it is sooooo good. I love a good tamale. I loved them so much I found a good recipe so that I could make tamales myself at home... and they are always a hit. Enter the tamale casserole. All the flavor of a good tamale, but with a whole lot less prep time and work. I found this Chili Verde Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe on Pinterest, and while the originial was ok, and actually less time consuming, I think the changes I made raised it to another level. The original used canned poblanos and rotisserie chicken. In addition to cooking a spicy chicken to use, I also added jalapeños and onion to counter balance the sweetness of the corn in the original recipe... And there is so much flavor packed into this casserole... so very much flavor. It is delicious. And if you have a small family, buy some roughly 9x9 inches, almost 3 inches deep, poultry aluminum pans, and split the recipe into two servings and freeze one of them. Two birds, one stone! That's my kind of cooking!

FOR THE CHICKEN FILLING:
2.5-3 lbs chicken
Seasonings - adobo, garlic powder, cayenne, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder

FOR THE TAMALE DOUGH:
3 c. masa harina
Couple of tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 poblanos (roasted) - depending on how spicy you want it
1-2 jalapeños (roasted) - depending on how spicy they are are and how spicy you want it
1 medium onion (roasted)
2 tsp coarse kosher sea salt
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
12 tbsp unsalted butter - cold and cut into 12 pieces
3 cups frozen corn - thawed, divided
2 1/4 cups chicken broth - more if needed

OTHER:
3-4 cups grated monterey jack cheese - divided (I used more than this, especially when I divided it into two separate servings)
1 cup chile verde enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp cilantro for garnish



Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat the peppers and onions in olive oil.



Roast them in a 350 degree oven until the peppers are blistered. Carefully peel off the peppers' skins. I used a fork and my fingers; just be careful not to burn yourself.



Season both sides of the chicken; cook on med-high until seared on both sides. 

Set the chicken aside on a plate to cool; set the skillet aside - you'll use this again. Once the chicken is cooled, shred it.

Now to make the masa for the tamale part of the casserole, I had to divide mine into two batches. All of the ingredients overloaded my food processor the first time I made this. In your food process (or blender) add half of the following ingredients: masa; the roasted poblanos, jalapeños and onion; salt; sugar; baking powder; black pepper; and butter, and 1 cup of corn.



Pulse until mixture is coarse and blended.



Slowly drizzle just over 1 cup of chicken broth until the mixture resembles the consistency of peanut butter.

Scrape out that portion into a bowl, and then mix up the remaining half. Blend the two portions together, and then add the remaining cup of corn and mix in. Set aside while you finish preparing the chicken.

In the skillet you cooked the chicken in, put the shredded chicken back in it. Add the chicken broth, enchilada sauce, garlic powder, and cilantro. Mix together, and then simmer until warmed through and thickened slightly.



Lightly spray your pan(s) - one 9x13 or two 8x8 or 9x9, just ensure they are between 2.5-3 inches deep - with cooking spray.

If using one pan, press half the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Next layer the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Layer the remaining tamale mixture. Pour 1 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 1.5-2 cups of cheese.

If using two pans, press quarter of the tamale mixture into the bottom of your pan. Top with about 1/2 cup of cheese. Next layer half the chicken filling evenly. Top with another 1/2 cup of cheese. Layer another quarter of the tamale mixture. Pour 1/2 cup (or a little more to get an even layer of coverage) of enchilada sauce over the tamale mixture. Top it all with 3/4-1 cup of cheese. Repeat for second dish.

If you used two pans and you're going to freeze one, cut a piece of plastic and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Cover the dish and freeze until solid. Then vacuum seal it. If you can't vacuum seal, then tightly wrap the dish in plastic and then cover that with aluminum foil. Before baking, thaw the dish (overnight in the fridge would work well).

To bake, cover the dish with aluminum foil (spray with cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking another 10 minutes or so until the top is bubbly and browned to your liking. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro. Slice, serve, and enjoy!