Allie Pleiter's super-easy Christmas treat

I'm not much of a baker.  While I love desserts, I'm more about eating them than making them.  So, I'm always on the lookout for snacks and desserts that are easy and fun.  Here's one that has been a staple in the Pleiter household since the kids were tiny:

Reindeer Eyeballs
About the silly name--back when it was highly amusing to little minds, we used to make them with pretzel rings so that with a single M&M in the middle they did look like eyes.  Now that we're older and more dignified (supposedly) we make them with square pretzels and four M&Ms.  But the name simply refuses to go away....

Ingredients:
1 package Christmas M&Ms
1 package vanilla almond bark
1 package pretzel "snaps"--or any shape that amuses you


1.  Lay out pretzels on wax paper.
2.  Working in small batches, melt one or two blocks at a time of the almond bark in the microwave until it is a pudding-like consistency.
3.  Using a spoon, dab a glob of almond bark onto (or in the spaces of) each pretzel.
4.  Arrange M&Ms on the almond bark and let cool.

This is a salty-sweet snack that is a holiday must-have around our house.  I hope you enjoy it!

--Allie

Allie Pleiter's favorite Fall tradition

November 1 is coming in few days, which means it's time for my favorite Fall tradition: Snickers Bar Salad!

This started one year when I was speaking to a women's conference on November 1.  One of the attendees who knew my sweet tooth brought this to me as a treat. I loved it. Now, for something like 10 years straight, it gets posted to my email list and Allie fans everywhere celebrate November 1 as "Snickers Bar Salad Day." With so much fun-sized candy around from trick or treating, it's a cinch to make. And yes, I have it for breakfast!

Snickers Bar Salad

6 (or more—go ahead, you’ve earned it…) fun-sized Snickers bars, chopped into small bits (my friend says more are permissible if it's been a bad week!)
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
one 5-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz cool whip
1 c. milk

In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in apples and Snickers Bars. Cool and enjoy.

Don't Forget Mother's Day May 10th

Terri Reed here gearing up for Mother's Day.  My mom lives several hundred miles away from me and I'm not able to make it to see her so I sent her one of her favorites, a Harry and David Chicken Pot Pie.
If you're looking for a nice Mother's Day gift check out this collection of 22 Inspirational stories and recipes by some of your favorite inspirational authors.

http://amzn.to/1GXezZY

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there!  May God bless you and your family's.

Still on sale and would also make a lovely gift :-)

http://www.amazon.com/Duty-Bound-Guardian-Capitol-Unit/dp/0373446608

Allie Pleiter's Favorite November "Recipe"

Every November 1st at our house is a special day--it's Snickers Bar Salad day.  So while I polished off the last of my most recent batch of this tasty treat today, I'm sharing it with you.  It's the best use I know of all those fun-sized Snickers Bars that show up this time of year.

Snickers Bar Salad

6 bite-sized snicker bars, chopped into small bits (my friend says more are permissible if it's been a bad week or PMS is involved!!)
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
one 5-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz cool whip
1 c. milk

In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in apples and Snicker Bars. Cool and enjoy.

Hi Friends, Carrie Turansky here, writing to you today about those delicious recipes we sometimes included in our novels.

I love to cook, especially when I can share what I've made with friends and family. Descibing special recipes in my books has become a tradition for me.

And now I look for new and interesting ways to mention some of my favorite dishes in each novel. Readers have commented that they enjoy the descriptions and asked for the recipes, so I've added several of them to my website. I also like to include a recipe in each of my email newsletters.

My newest novel, A Man To Trust, just released and once again my heroine is cooking and baking her way into the hero's heart. The setting is Fairhaven, Washington, and the hero and heroine work together at Bayside Books, a Christian bookstore that includes a small cafe.

Here are some of the recipes you'll find in my books.

Along Came Love featured Aunt Tilley's Apple Walnut Muffins and Chicken Enchiladas

Surrendered Hearts included Bill's Two Tomato Chicken Ziti

Seeking His Love featured Rachel's homemade cinnamon rolls

A Man To Trust included Adrie's Kenyan Chai, homemade pizza, and Irene's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies.

All these recipes are available through links on the Books Page of my website or in my archived newsletters on the News and Awards Page. I hope you'll try one and let us know how you like it.

http://www.carrieturansky.com/readers.html

______________________________

Carrie Turansky is the award-winning author of ten novels and novellas. She lives in New Jersey with her husband Scott and loves to spend time with her children, grandchildren and friends. She enjoys connecting wtih readers on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and through her webiste: www.carrieturansky.com