Cooking: Lefthanded

Hey There, Hi There, Ho There!

2010-05-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

Long time no see, huh? I promise I have been busy baking but I also have a bit of other life events on the burner as well, hence the lack of blog posts! Just wanted to give an update and a promise that I will return...because really, your life felt incomplete without my posts right?

This past week was fully of craziness as my partner and I finally got our scholarly project/thesis signed off on, printed and sent for binding! Honestly, what a weight off my shoulders as I had been dreading that project since I began the Occupational Therapy Program!
Also, last Friday I turned in the final two papers of my college career! I am officially done with assignments and just need to walk across that stage on May 15th! Whoo hoo!!!
This past weekend I hosted breakfast for several of my classmates as we celebrated "Springfest." Springfest is an annual tradition at our university which consists of a party in the park. My bestie and her BF came up for the event and we had one last hoorah as irresponsible college students!
This week will be spent getting all my documents signed off on so I can apply for my temporary occupational therapy license! I accepted a position at our local hospital and will begin June 7th! I cannot wait to have a job after 5 years of schooling!
Also, I am hosting my graduation party this Saturday and am excited for some family members to come and celebrate this long awaited day with me! One of my besties and I are planning on making cupcakes for dessert and are making extras for favors! So cooking prayers will be needed!
Finally, I will be studying for my boards over these next couple weeks so I am hoping to put my full attention towards those which may mean that my blog posts will be a little scarce! But please, hang in there with me and I hope to be back in full force during June when life, hopefully, mellows out!

Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

2010-05-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Awww...cheesecake. I feel that nothing can make a busy week of homework, presentations and papers better than cheesecake. I also continue to build my love for cupcakes. There are so many varieties that I have barely touched the surface but boy, am I excited to explore!

These were very tasty and I loved the cherry topping! They start off with such a simple elements but combined it's incredible! Plus...aren't they cute as sin! They just scream summer to me.

Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Source: Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Ingredients

Filling:

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 c sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cupcakes:

1 package plain yellow cake mix

1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 c whole milk

2/3 c vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

24 vanilla wafers

Topping:

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners

Prepare the filling: Place cream cheese in a small mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on a low speed until the cream cheese has softened. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla and continue to beat on low until the ingredients comes together. Set the filling aside.

Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides.

Place 1 vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Spoon cupcake batter on top of each vanilla wafer until about 2/3 full. Gently dollop a heaping teaspoon of filling on top of each cupcake. The cup will be very full. Do not shake the pans. Place in oven.

Bake cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when touched, 18-20 minutes. Remove pans from oven and cool on a wire rack. Lift cupcakes from pans and place on wire rack to cool.

Dollop a generous amount of cherry filling on top of each cupcake when ready to be served.

Enjoy!

Pizza Bites

2010-04-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I hate to admit that the hubs is right. Maybe someday I will learn to take more consideration into his advice because if I had, I would have been enjoying these little one-bite-wonders months ago! This is another one of those recipes I dreamt of but was too intimidated to try it because it looked difficult. I think it was the pizza dough on this one that turned me away. But since I discovered that I can take the left handed approach (aka. shortcut) and use frozen bread dough, I have been a happy camper and much more willing to try new recipes.

These are SO good! Honestly, I have made them twice since we first tried them. The hubs loves them and therefore, I'm love them as well...and I'm not even a peperoni fan! Best part!?!? They are so simple, I end up making them when I am crunched for time or lack the energy to make anything else. This time, I just heated up a little extra spaghetti sauce from the other night to dunk mine in and they were delish!

Pizza Bites
Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients

1 loaf frozen bread dough (thawed)

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)

Sliced pepperoni

For the topping:

Olive oil

Garlic Salt

Italian Seasoning

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9 inch pie plate or cake pan with cooking spray. Divide pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces. Take one of the dough pieces, flatten with fingers, and place a cube of cheese sandwiched between 3 or 4 slices of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough together and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Pizza

2010-04-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said the hubs was upset that the breakfast pizza I made didn't 'look' like pizza? Well, I decided to try again and I'm so glad I did. I think we hit the jackpot on this one! It has all of his favorite things, white based sauce, scrambled eggs and BACON! He raved about this pizza and was actually telling other people about how good this pizza was! I felt so honored but I did have quite the struggle to get a decent picture of the pizza. Sorry, it tasted MUCH better than it looks, I promise.

Scrambled Egg Breakfast Pizza

Source: Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

Favorite pizza crust (I used a loaf of frozen bread dough)

1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese

6 eggs

1/4 c milk

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 c shredded monterrey jack cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella)

1-4 c bacon crumbles (I used 3 strips of bacon and it was not quite enough...I'm thinking 5 slices next time)

Directions

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, add eggs, milk, salt & pepper to taste. Whisk together to break up eggs. Pour egg mixture in skillet and scramble eggs. Once scrambled, allow to cool about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a round baking sheet with cooking spray and spread your pizza dough out into a circle about 12 inches or so. Spray dough with cooking spray (or brush with olive oil) and spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese, leaving about an inch of dough on the outer edge.

Top with scrambled eggs, bacon crumbles, & shredded cheese.

Bake for approximately 13 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites

2010-04-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that I'm a little late to the party with these tasty treats. I've honestly had the ingredients bought for a month or better but was too nervous to try and make them. Something about using yeast and letting the dough rise was just beyond my capabilities (remember when I said I have a short attention span?). But the other day, when I was home alone (hubs is out of town) and we didn't have school (because we are 'cool' seniors and get days off to work on our thesis) I decided I would give them a try. I decided if they were a complete fail then I wouldn't have to fess up to making them ;)

But to my delight, they turned out perfectly! They were SO good! I love anything bite sized that I can dip, so these were perfect. All of a sudden, I was wishing there was someone I could share these with so they could understand my enjoyment...but sadly, I didn't tell anyone I was making them. Vicious cycle isn't it?

Oh well, now I get to share them with you. Please, please, if you are a coward like me, don't be scared to make these! They were quite easy with the most time consuming part being the boiling of the bites. I honestly feel like I checked something off my bucket list by using yeast (sad list if this is one of the items).

Ham and Cheese Pretzel Bites
Source: Pennies on a Platter

Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar, divided
1/4 c warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 c warm milk (110-115 degrees)
2 1/2 to 3 c flour
1/2 c finely chopped ham
1/2 c shredded cheese of choice
6 c water
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1-2 tablespoons coarse salt

Directions
Combine the yeast, 1 tsp brown sugar, and warm water in a large bowl. Set aside until foamy, 5-8 minutes. (if using the instant yeast, skip this step and just add the flour). In another bowl, stir together the remaining 2 Tbsp brown sugar and warm milk until dissolved.

Add 2 1/2 c flour and milk mixture to the yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Add the remaining flour as needed. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times, forming a smooth ball.

Brush the inside of a large clean bowl with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, draft free area for about 2 hours, until dough has doubled in size and bubbles appear on the surface.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands and rolling pin with flour. Roll one of the four sections into a 12x4- in rectangle. With the long side facing you, gently press 1/4 of the ham and cheese into the bottom third of the dough, and roll as tightly as possible, starting with the end that has filling. Cut into 12 1-in pieces and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining 3 portions of dough.

Let rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Again, if using instant yeast, you can skip this step.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the baking soda and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Boil pretzels in batches, cooking about 20 seconds each, turning once. They should be slightly puffed. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them back to the baking sheets.

Bake until puffed and golden-brown, about 15 minutes.

Brush warm pretzel bites with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bird Nests

2010-04-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for some of the posts coming up! I have some good things in store and feel like I need to get this one out before I completely miss the 'Easter boat.' I am still trying to use up Easter candy and I remember these from years ago. I thought they were the most amazing little things. Now, I find out how easy they are! Next year, I even plan to make them BEFORE Easter!

Bird Nests

Source: Flamingo Bear

1 2/3 c butterscotch chips

3/4 c creamy peanut butter

sprinkle of kosher salt

2 1/2 c chow mein noodles

3 c mini marshmallows

chocolate candy eggs (I used Whoppers)

Directions

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

Melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter together over medium heat. Gently stir in salt and marshmallows. Once melted, stir in low mein noodles. Mix well.

Spoon onto prepared baking sheets, shaped into bird nests and add eggs to nest.

Let stand until firm.

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-04-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

I will make these again and again and again. I am completely hooked. At first glance I figured they looked good. So the other day I made them for brunch and had one fresh out of the oven. It was goooood! I promptly packaged up all but 4 of the remaining muffins to be given away (I did NOT need these sitting in my house). One of the friends whom I gave them to commented on how moist they were. Temptation then got the best of me because sure they were good out of the oven but uber moist? Umm, kinda maybe? But oh my goodness was she ever right. They moisted up significantly after being packaged. I didn't know that was possible. They went from good to amazing!! I love these things!

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Source: Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor

Ingredients

1 pkg chocolate cake mix

1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix

1 container (6oz) low-fat vanilla yogurt

3/4 c water

1/2 c vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2c semisweet chocolate chips (1 bag)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 28 muffin wells with liners.

Place cake mix and pudding mix in a large bowl. Mix together and make a well in the center. Place the yogurt, water, oil and eggs in a small mixing bowl and stir with a fork to break up the egg yolks. Pour the yogurt mixture into the well of the muffin mix. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and gently stir just until mixed.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Mini Cherry Lattice Pies

2010-04-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Oh these are just too freakin cute! I am falling more and more in love with my mini muffin pan with every recipe I make. I am also a huge new fan of the blog Picky Palate . I have around 10 of her recipes starred in my googlereader and had to stop myself at that, otherwise, I would have added everything in her blog! It has also been a secret new goal of mine to bake a pie. I say secret because I'm not a big pie fan and pretty much swore to myself that I would never make one! It's slowly creeping into my interest for the sole fact that I love the look of a lattice top. Hopefully, these have cured my desire for a little while as I weed through the other 100's of desserts I have on my, 'to make' list.

The original recipe called for peanut butter and jelly instead of cherry, but I'm in spring fruit mode and not a huge fan of PB&J so I opted for a little change. The lattice tops didn't turn out quite as cute as I had hoped because when they were baking, they rose and lifted the tops. I softly patted a couple of them down when they came out of the oven and it helped. Overall, the slightly wonky tops didn't throw off the yummy taste and I strongly encourage you to try these when you have a pie craving!

Mini Cherry Lattice Pies

Source: Inspired by Picky Palate

Ingredients

1 roll Pillsbury pie dough

1 small jar of cherry pie filling

1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon of water for egg wash

powered sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Use a 2 1/2 in round cutter to cut out circles in dough (I used my 1/4 c measuring cup). Lightly press dough rounds into a greased mini muffin tin. Roll remaining scraps of dough to an even thickness then use sharp knife to cut thin 1/8 inch strips to create lattice tops.

Spoon 1/2 tablespoon of cherry pie filling into each of the pie crusts. Using the pie strips, form lattice top. Cut excess dough from edges and brush tops lightly with egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from tins with the tip of a knife. Dust with powered sugar and enjoy!

Yields 12 mini pies.

Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese

2010-04-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

I feel that all my brain power has been used up these past two weeks between sitting in a review course all weekend, putting the finishing touches on our Scholarly Project, submitting our Program Plan, Functional Job Analysis, Case Study and my Assistive Technology topic paper....and I still have that dang weighted blanket to finish. I cannot wait for school to be done!

So that's my excuse for not giving these little one bite wonders the proper introduction they deserve. These were very tasty and a huge hit with the hubs! Plus, they took less than 5 minutes to mix up and get into the oven! You really can't beat that. A great appetizer or brunch item!

Mini Frattatas

Source Elizabeths Edible Experience

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1/2 c finely chopped onion (I used dried minced onion)

2/3 c chopped reduced-fat ham

1/3 c shredded reduced-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left it out)

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 large egg whites

1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium high heat. Add onion and ham to saute. Remove from heat and let cool while combining other ingredients. Combine eggs, pepper, thyme, cayenne, and cheese in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk until combined. Add ham and onion mixture. Spoon mixture into 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Each cavity will hold about 2 teaspoons. (Don't worry, they will puff up). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until set.

Toasted Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches

2010-04-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Some of the most simple things taste the greatest. This sandwich is one I threw together one night when I wanted a grilled cheese but needed something with a bit more substance. I would recommend an electric skillet for these because it will warm the entire sandwich from within and melt the cheese to perfection, all without burning the outside! Feel free to add a slice of tomato or onion to the sandwich for a little more flavor and crunch.

Toasted Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches

Source: Mrs. O

Ingredients

2 slices bread (Sourdough would be great!)

2 slices mozzarella cheese

2 slices American Cheese

2 Slices thick Turkey breast lunch meat (or whichever thick sliced meat you like)

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Heat electric skillet and spray with cooking spray. Apply 1 tablespoon of butter to one side of each slice of bread. Layer 1 slice of mozzarella cheese, 1 slice of American cheese and 1 slice of Turkey breast on each slice of bread. Combine layers to create a sandwich. Place on electric skillet and cook until golden brown on each side. Enjoy!

Makes 1 hearty sandwich

Reeses Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

2010-04-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Any extra Easter candy laying around the house? I have TONS! I really think that I could keep a small elementary school on a sugar high for days with my arsenal of Easter candy! So in an attempt to use up some of the Easter candy I came across this amazing recipe. I love cookies but I am very picky about my cookies. They must be soft and chewy. Guess what?? These cookies fit the bill and I love the cookies base as much as I loved the mix in! I cannot wait to try other mix-ins of my other excess Easter candy like Reese Pieces and Peanut M&M's.

Reeses Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

Source: Picky Palate

Ingredients

2 sticks softened butter

1 c packed brown sugar

1 c granulated sugar

3 tablespoon corn syrup

2 large eggs plus 1 egg white

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 c all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 c chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs, around 12 eggs. Or since Easter is over :(, you can use regular Reeses Peanut Butter cups

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, sugars and corn syrup until well combined, it will be light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs. Mix only until combined. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes or so until transferring to cooling rack.

4 dozen cookies

Smothered Burritos

2010-04-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

It had been far too long since I had eaten these burritos and now that I have, I'm not sure I can stop. Honestly, with my head held in shame I will admit that I made these on a Sunday night because I knew the hubs was heading out of town and I would get the left overs...I ate them for supper on Sunday...lunch on Monday....AND supper on Monday. I only quit eating them because...well they were gone! Yep, their amazing and the cheese melts sooooo good and runny and stringy....yum!

Smothered Burritos

Source: Mrs. O's mom

1 (16oz) can refried beans

1 lb hamburger

1 pkg taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

6-8 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 (8oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup taco sauce

Brown hamburger. Add beans, taco seasoning and water. Cook until bubbly. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. Spread on tortillas and roll up. Put in a greased 9x13 in pan. Mix tomato sauce and taco sauce in a separate bowl. Pour over top of rolled tortillas and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese melts. Serve with lettuce, onions, black olives and sour cream.

Turtle Brownie Cups

2010-04-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

These are my version of crack. I know, it's not funny to joke about drugs but honestly...they gave me a high. It included a happiness on my lips and satisfaction in my tummy. These are a, "YOU MUST MAKE THESE NOW," kind of ecstasy. Honestly, I ate 3 in one day....and out of pure shame I stopped myself at that.

I came across these cupcakes when I was searching out ideas for my graduation party. One of my favorite girlies (Mrs. K) and I are planning to make a variety of cupcakes for our graduation parties and the testing began with these.

Myself and Mrs. Korynta

Just a tip: you can either make your own Dulce De Leche or you can find pre-made dulce de leche in the Mexican food section of some grocery stores (I've only had luck at Walmart in my area). I used pre-made for these.

Turtle Brownie Cupcakes

Source: Recipe Rhapsody

Ingredients

1 fudge brownie mix

1 stick melted butter

2 eggs

1/4 c water

1 cup dulce de leche

24 pecan halves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place paper liners into a 12-cup muffin pan. Spray liners lightly with oil (I used cooking spray) as the brownies like to stick to the liners.

Combine brownie mix with melted butter, water and eggs until well mixed. Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling them about 1/2 full. Put a teaspoon or two of cold or room temp dulce de leche on top of each brownie cup.

Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Use dulce de leche to glue on 2 pecan halves on each top. Drizzle remaining dulce de leche on tops of brownies.

Enjoy and try to limit yourself....it will be hard I promise!

Easter Basket Cupcakes

2010-04-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

Have you caught on yet that I love cupcakes? At some point, I plan to make a calendar of 365 different cupcakes that way, you could have a sweet inspiration everyday! Well until then, I will slowly be building up my list of successful cupcakes. They lil guys I made for class treats on our final day of class before Easter. I thought they turned out pretty cute. My decorations were a little big in comparison of the cupcakes but I had to go with what I found in the store! I also decided to make the cupcake portion into rainbow cakes! Check out this great tutorial on Omnomicon for a how to guide on making rainbow cakes!

There isn't a real recipe that will accompany this post as I just used a regular white cake for the cupcakes and then a classic almond buttercream recipe for the frosting. The fun is in the decorating! I also rolled the cupcakes in regular sugar for a little extra detail. I think it really added a fun texture to the frosting that I loved. Don't know if I needed the extra sugar kick though.....

Idea was inspired by Bakerella

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

2010-03-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

Before I discovered the slimming effects of black, I was a pink to the heart kinda girl. My mom would joke that my entire closet, bedroom, locker and car were as pink as one could get. I even remember piling all the stuff I was hauling up to college for my dorm in our living room and only 3 items weren't pink; the totes (they were my mom's and coming home), my textbooks and my toothpaste! You can imagine how excited my husband was when we merged our belongings for our first apartment!

Anyways, with Spring in full force, I have seen all kinds of adorable pink desserts that just scream, "Make me!" Far be it from me to deny them this honor. I made these cupcakes for class treats and was a little worried about bring Champagne to class. Yes I know, we are all of legal drinking age, but I didn't want to be that crazy girl bringing alcohol to class! Luckily everything turned out good and they were well received! These make great little Easter treats as well with the pastel pink!

Pink Champagne Cupcakes

Source: Betty Crockers, "Cupcakes, cakes, and more" pg. 36

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 box Betty Crocker super moist white cake mix

1 1/4 c champagne (cheap will do, I think my bottle was $5 or so)

1/3 c vegetable oil

3 egg whites

4 or 5 drops red food coloring (I used a little pink Wilton color gel)

Champagne Frosting

1/2 c softened butter or margarine

4 c powdered sugar

1/4 c champagne

1 teaspoon vanilla

4-5 drops red food coloring (or pink color gel)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking liners into 24 regular sized muffin cups.

In a large bowl, combine dry cake mix and champagne. Add oil, eggs and food color. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 17 to 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

In a medium bowl, beat frosting ingredients with electric mixer on medium spread until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

Overloaded Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

2010-03-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

So, I got a little excited when making this cheesecake (Hello!?!?! It's cheesecake, I think we have already determined my weakness for this dessert) and proceeded to add the entire package of Oreo's. Upon review, I found out I wasn't suppose to. Result.....Overloaded Cookies and Cream Cheesecake! This made for a pretty rich dessert....very good but very rich. You won't hear me complaining but some 'weaker' people may prefer the original Oreo recommendations ;)

Overloaded Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

Slightly adapted from Philadelphia Cream Cheese Classic Recipes

Ingredients:

Crust

1 cup chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (about 12 cookies)

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Filling

3 packages (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

3/4 c sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

16 chocolate sandwich cookies, quartered, divided

Directions

Crust

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and butter in the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes, if using a silver pan or bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes if using a dark pan.

Filling

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs and mix on low just until blended. Fold in 12 quartered cookies. Pour over crust. Place remaining cookies on top of batter (This is where I went wrong and add the REST of the cookies, i.e. the rest from the package)

Bake at 325 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Bake at 300 degrees if using dark pan. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake and cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Breakfast Pizza

2010-03-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is ANOTHER recipe that my mom would make occasionally when I was younger. So when I started cooking for my then boyfriend/now husband, I was so excited to serve him this. He was all jazzed too because he had been raving about a breakfast pizza that he had tried at a gas station (ick, only boys eat that food don't they?) However, when he came to dish up his 'pizza' he was upset because it, "doesn't look like pizza." I cook my breakfast pizza in a 9x13 inch pan because that's how the recipe told me to do it and I usually screw up when I don't follow the recipe.

Besides they make rectangle pizza don't they?

Anyways, if you think that you simply cannot eat breakfast pizza without it being in a pizza pan, then make it in a pizza pan. Really, it will taste the same and that taste is amazing!

I have made this for potlucks and it goes SO fast. Best part is, it's so easy!

....still can't believe my pizza lost to gas station food....

Breakfast pizza

Source: Mrs. O's mom

Ingredients

1 tube crescent rolls

1 lb pork sausage

1 cup frozen shredded hash browns-thawed

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

5 eggs

1/4 c milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown sausage. Pat crescent rolls into lightly greased 9x13 in pan (or pizza pan). Crumble on sausage. Add hash browns. Sprinkle on cheese. Beat together milk and eggs. Pour over top. Bake for 30 minutes

Mini Cheddar Garlic Popovers

2010-03-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

These were good. Like pretty dang good. And pretty dang simple. I made these for brunch one weekend and think they would be amazing paired with a great soup so you could dunk them. But then again, I love to dunk things.

Mini Cheddar Garlic Popovers

Source:Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way

Ingredients

3 tsp oil

3/4 c milk

1 egg

1 egg white

3/4 c flour

1/2 tsp- garlic salt (or any garlic seasoning)

1/3 c cheddar cheese (shredded)

Direction

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Add 1/8 of tsp oil to bottom of each cup. In a small bowl combine the milk, egg and egg white, mix well using a whisk. Add the flour and garlic seasoning then mix well, once fully combined stir in the cheese. Warm the muffin pan in oven for 5 minutes. Once heated, divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove popovers from the pan and serve warm.

Cheesecake Cookie Bars

2010-03-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

These are my absolute MOST favorite bars of all time. They are easy to make and incorporate my two favorite things; cheesecake and cookies! I have brought these numerous times to potlucks or for class treats and I have left empty handed every time. Yes, they are that good. Rich and good.

Cheesecake Cookie Bars

Source: Pillsbury

Ingredients

2 (18 oz) packages of chocolate chip cookie dough, divided

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let dough stand at room temperature for 15 mins to soften. Press 1 1/4 packages of cookie dough into bottom of a 9x13 in pan. Combine other ingredients in a medium bowls and pour over cookie mixture. Break up remaining cookie dough into small, flat pieces and place over top of cheesecake mixture.

Cook for 35 minutes.

Hamburger Soup

2010-03-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

Spring has arrived so I kind of missed the boat on making this amazing soup but I figured better late than never! This is a soup that is best served with fresh baked bread on a cold night. It has amazing powers that instantly make your nose run and if you weren't cemented in your chair eating this soup, maybe you would go catch it. The liquid portion of this recipe is mainly a guesstimation (mixture of a guess and an estimate, a term that my high school science teacher swore would get us through college exams) so fell free to add more vegetable broth. This time my 'soup' was a little more 'runny casserole' but it was good none the less.

Hamburger Soup

Source: Mrs. O's mom

Ingredients

1 lb hamburger. browned and drained

1 med onion sauteed with hamburger

1/2 c celery chopped

1/2 c carrots chopped

1/4 c barley (instant)

1 can stewed tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

8 c water

6-10 ounces vegetable broth (this is where you can guesstimate, anywhere between 1/2 to a full can)

1 envelop Country Vegetable soup mix

1/2 c macaroni

Directions

Combine all ingredients-except soup mix and macaroni-in a large stock pot. Cook for 1 hour on med/high heat allowing for a simmer. Add soup mix and macaroni and cook for an additional 1/2 hour.

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Brulee

2010-03-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Strawberries are my favorite fruit so anytime I can incorporate it into a recipe I am in love. I have also been trying to try some new breakfast recipes that aren't as heavy as a casserole. This oatmeal brulee was the perfect dish both because it was light and I got to use the kitchen torch the hubs gave me for Valentine's Day!

I thought this oatmeal was very good but it defiantly taste like original oatmeal. I am more of a maple and brown sugar kind of gal. So next time, I think I will try adding more brown sugar to bring out the taste.

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Brulee

Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

3 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups old fashioned oats

3/4 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Swirl of honey

1 banana, sliced thin

6-8 strawberries, sliced thin

Granulated sugar

Directions:

Combine water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the oats and reduce to medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally and allow liquid to become mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey.

Divide oatmeal between serving bowls. Top with sliced bananas and strawberries in an even layer. Sprinkle the sliced fruit with granulate sugar in thin layer. Heat with a kitchen torch until the surfaces are golden brown. Serve immediately.

Coca-Cola Roast

2010-03-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

School has been so busy lately that I am searching for the easiest recipes possible without sacrificing the taste. Enter crock pot, the most efficient method to cooking the juiciest meat. Also, with the crock pot bags, there is no simpler clean up. Exit, happy college housewife. This recipe has been made so many times in my family and they don't come much easier. This roast is also the reason we registered for an immersion blender for our wedding and is still the only meal I have ever used it for! That needs to change....but anyways, this roast is great and the gravy that comes after it...ohhhh even better!

Coca-Cola Roast

Source: Mrs. O's mom and there are also several varieties floating around the Internet

Ingredients

1 roast- any size

1 12 ounce can of coca-cola

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 medium onion

Directions

Place roast in crock pot.

In a medium bowl, combine soda and soup. Place immersion blender in the bottom of the bowl and press on. Mixture will foam up (hence the need for a medium bowl). Pour over roast.

Slice onion and place on top of roast.

Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.

Chicken Yum Sticks

2010-03-17T15:46:00.001-07:00

The hubs loves salt. I mean LOVES salt, as in, he adds salt to his McDonald's fries which are already overloaded and thirst inducing. It's a wonder the man doesn't need to be hooked up to a water IV to keep his body hydrated. So when I was meal planning for a weekend visit from our favorite couple, my best friend Kari and her amazing boyfriend Mitch, I remembered these salty wings that my mom use to make. I have past visions of these being served on New Year's eve with my dad and I sitting down to devour a bowl of them. The flavor is mind boggling salty heaven, which was a perfect combination for the night. They are also very easy to make with the prep working being completed the day before. Just bake, serve and enjoy!

Chicken Yum Sticks

Source: Mrs. O's mom

Ingredients

20-25 chicken fryer wings

1 cup water

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 c pineapple juice

1/4 c vegetable oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Ginger

Directions

Break apart chicken wings at first and second joints (unless already disjointed). Mix all ingredients above and pour over chicken in a large shallow dish and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with tin foil (to make clean up easier). Bake uncovered on a flat cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender and brown.

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

2010-03-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Since the moment I laid eyes on these, I just knew I had to make them! We love breakfast foods but hate the mess and time required to use the electric skillet to make bacon, eggs and then toast. These little devils only dirty 1 fry pan (or I used my large soup pot to decrease the splatter) and a muffin tin. It was some of the easiest clean up I have ever done. When I saw this recipe I thought, "Yeah, I can probably screw it up," because I have been having quite a time with recipes lately. But guess what? I didn't and am so excited to make them again. I really can't explain how easy these were and how great they tasted! Plus, I think they are cute as sin!

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

Source:Annie's Eats

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon

6 slices of bread

shredded cheese

6 eggs

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 6 wells of a muffin pay with nonstick spray.

Cook bacon via your preferable method. Leave the bacon slightly undercooked as it needs to be bendable and will finish in the oven. Dab dry the grease after bacon is cooked on a plate of paper towels.

Cut out 6 circular rounds using either a 3 inch cookie cutter or the top of a glass. Place bread in muffin wells.

Wrap bacon around outside of muffin wells.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

One at a time, crack eggs over another bowl discarding half of the egg whites. Place yolk and other half of whites on top of shredded cheese. Be careful not to break the yolks!

Bake until eggs are cooked thoroughly or to your liking (6-10 minutes for runny and a little longer for hardened yolks) and bacon is crispy.

Run knife around edges and use another knife or fork to ease cups out of the muffin wells.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Pesto Penne

2010-03-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

Since the hubs has been working out of town lately, I have been left with just little ole me to feed. It barely seems worth cooking for. However, the other night while I was rummaging through the cupboards, I came across my penne noodles and they just screamed, "EAT ME." So, I did and I loved it. This is my own little creation of ingredients I had in my kitchen. I think this would be great with some garden tomatoes or black olives as well. This makes two servings.

Pesto Penne

Source: Mrs. O

Ingredients

6 ounces penne noodles

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp pesto

1 tsp minced garlic

a sprinkle of shredded Italian blend cheese to garnish

Directions

Prepare penne as directed on the box. Drain. Place noodles in a medium bowl, stir in pesto, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Stir until evenly distributed. Lay shredded cheese over warm noodles. Allow to slightly melt or place in microwave for 10-15 seconds. Enjoy!

S'more Bars with Peanut Butter Cups

2010-03-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

I had a bag of peanut butter cups left over after making the hubs peanut butter cake and despite vowing not to attempt anymore S'more recipes, I did and am quite happy I went back on my word! These tasted really good and were incredibly easy to make! My only complaint is that the crust was really crumbly. Next time, I plan to make it with more of a cheesecake crust base and maybe that will help soften it up a bit, then again, don't the bases of S'mores always break when you eat them? These may have renewed my love for S'mores!

S'more Bars with Peanut Butter Cups
Source:
My Adventures in Food
Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/3 c flour
Pinch of salt

Toppings
15 mini-peanut butter cups
2 c mini marshmallows
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 13x9 inch pan with non stick spray.
Cream together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl. Mixture will look slightly curdled. Stir in graham cracker crumbs, flour and pinch of salt. Set aside 1/4 c of the mixture.
Press remaining mixture into the pan, this layer will be quite thin.
Bake for 12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and set oven on Broil setting.
Top the base with peanut butter cups, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Press toppings into crust slightly, but do quickly because chocolate will melt. Sprinkle the graham cracker mixture over the top. Broil just until the marshmallows toast. Only a minute or two.
Cool bars for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Coat a knife with non stick spray to avoid sticking when cutting the bars.

Fudge Ribbon Cake

2010-03-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

It is finally spring break and I am so excited to have a few days off! My plans for spring break are pretty uneventful because my partner and I hope to mostly wrap up our thesis! That will be such a good feeling. I do plan to throw some fun into the week though as we have a girls shopping trip planned to the outlet mall (hello, Coach store!) and I have quite a few new recipes I want to try! I haven't been spending much time in the kitchen lately due to school and the hubs has been working out of town during the week, so suppers have consisted of cereal or Jimmy John's.

I began my return to the kitchen in pursuit of filling my craving for cheesecake. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. It was very easy and tasted pretty good!

Warning: Use spray on the bunt pan. I was in a hurry and left out this step...it did not end well and resulted in me remaking the cake. When I was teenager I remember having multiple fights with my mom because I REFUSED to use cooking spray on the pans, insisting that it made no difference. I think it was my attempt to rebel and ever since then, when I cook, I typically do not use cooking spray. Well mom, are you happy?!? I don't think I will forget again.

Fudge Ribbon Cake

Source: Bake Me More

Ingredients for the cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients called for on the box

1 8oz package cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat)

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for the ganache:

3 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli chips)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon corn syrup

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. SPRAY 10 inch bunt pan with no-stick cooking spray

Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese, butter and cornstarch in a medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over cake batter. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and remove from pan. Allow to cool and apply chocolate ganache.

Ganache directions:

In small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. In separate bowl, combine 3 oz of chocolate and 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour hot cream over chocolate. and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes. Stir, if not all lumps are dissolved, place in microwave for 10 second intervals. Let ganach sit until think but still pourable. Pour ganache over cooled cake. Let set for 30 minutes or until glaze is set before serving.

Course 1, class 4

2010-03-10T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well course 1 of cake decorating has wrapped up. I have to admit, it was more stressful that I thought it would be. Mostly a result of my mistakes but I had such difficulties with my frosting! This week it was great for spreading but would NOT make roses! Oh well! I decided to go with strawberry filling and a white cake. I then flooded the top of the cake with strawberry filling. Little did I know...the filling did not want to stay on the top and made the black frosting bleed...making it look even more scary! When I finished this cake during class I thought it needed a little extra on top...hence the Till Death. Hope you get my sense of humor.....

Cream Cheese Corn

2010-03-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, a 18 year old Mrs. O (back when she was Miss M) flew the chicken coop and ventured into the world as a college student. Home sick as could be, she decided to make one of mother hen's best recipes, cream cheese corn.

"What a simple recipe," she thought. After several conversations via the tin can and string, she had gathered her ingredients (shucked the corn, churned the cream and I don't even know where the sweetened milk comes from?!?!) and was ready to go. But poor naive Mrs. O (or Miss M, whichever you prefer), did not plan anything to accompany her yummy corn and proceeded to inhale the whole pot as her meal.

"Ohhhhh never again," she said as she laid sprawled across the kitchen floor rubbing her belly.

And from that day on, Mrs. O learned the value of moderation and sharing food with others, or a BAD tummy ache will be the punishment!

Cream Cheese Corn

Source: Mother Hen aka Mrs. M

Serves 4-6 hefty side servings (DO NOT EAT ALL BY YOURSELF!)

Ingredients

1 regular size bag of frozen yellow corn

1 4 oz bar of cream cheese (used fat free)

1 14 oz jar sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)

Directions

Prepare corn according to package. Do not drain. Leave over the heat and melt in the cream cheese. Then add jar of sweetened condensed milk. (My mom uses the whole can, I use about half. Depends on how sweet you like it.)

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2010-03-01T11:17:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite memories growing up was when my mom would have the day off (usually the first or last day of school) and she would make us breakfast! Until she became her amazing Carmel rolls, 'blueberry muffins with the crunch on top,' was always the most popular request. Funny thing was, they were from a box! Those muffins never disappointed but for the past couple years I have been unable to find them in the store! Tragic, I know. Lately, I have been searching for some tasty breakfast foods that I can take to class with me and I can't stop thinking about those muffins! I did a quick search and of course I found a recipe on Annie's Eats that looked like it could do the trick! These were very easy and made amazing, moist cupcakes! I made a double batch and even had them for supper one night when the hubs was gone. Best part is, you don't even need to spread butter on to make them delicious! Great huh, I consider that calorie counting ;)

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Source: Annie's Eats
yields 16 muffins

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2 cups blueberries

streusel topping
1/2 cup sugar
4 tablespoons and 4 teaspoons flour
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 16 muffin wells with liners.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a 2 cup measuring bowl combine vegetable oil, eggs and milk, enough to fill the bowl. Combine with flour mixture and proceed to fold in blueberries.
3. Fill muffin tins to top.
4. Make the steusel topping by combining the listed ingredients and mix well with a fork until mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle generously over muffins.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Reese's Peanut Butter cake

2010-02-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, school is crazy! I am sitting here with a bunch of backed up posts and hope to get a couple more out this week.
This cake was pretty much amazing. It was rich and definitely tasted like peanut butter. Since Reese's Peanut Butter cups are the hubs favorite candy, I made this cake for the hubs on Valentines day and boy did he eat!
I was impressed how easy it was to make this cake and how visually appealing (I thought) it turned out.
I followed the recipe exactly so I am just going to link it back to the original. Enjoy!

Reese's Peanut Butter cake
Source: Annie's Eats

Donut Muffins

2010-02-22T10:42:00.000-08:00

I started out the Valentine's Day menu with these delights to tide us over and prepare for a large supper. These were easy and quick but lacked the donut taste I was looking for. They were very good, so don't get me wrong, but I think that because they are baked they lacked that extra goodness.

Donut Muffins

Source Mac&Cheese

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Coating

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup super fine sugar or powdered sugar

Directions

Lightly grease a muffin tin with vegetable spray

Combine sugar and egg until light in color. Add vegetable oil, milk and vanilla to sugar mixture.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into liquid mixture and stir.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in muffin pan for 10 minutes or so and remove from pan. Dab tops of muffins with butter and roll in sugar.

Peach Crunch Cake

2010-02-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I can control myself around chocolate. Yes, I think it is one of God's gifts to man but it is also something that I can take a couple bites of a set aside. Now fruit desserts on the other hand, are a major weak spot. One of my all time favorite desserts, besides cheesecake of course, is my Grandma L's apple bars! Amazing! A pan of those little devils never last long. The other day I had a mouth watering craving for a fruit dessert and came across Bakerella's recipe for Peach Crunch cake. I made it, ate it, gave some away and polished off the dish by the weekend. Ouch! Like I said, bars, cookies and cakes can get stale but I planed my day around when I would get to have another piece of this amazing treat. I anticipate myself making this several more times and probably for a couple pot lucks...served warm...oh my goodness, I am struggling not to make this again right now!

Enjoy, I dare to say that you will not regret making this!

Peach Crunch Cake

Source: Bakerella

Ingredients:

24.5 ounce jar of sliced peaches in light syrup (The jar I found was a little bigger and used it all. Still good)

1 yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) cut into tablespoons or smaller

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place ingredient in a 9x13 and layer ingredients in order as listed above, starting with the peaches.

Cook for 40 minutes

Can serve warm or cold and with or without ice cream. But believe me, warm with ice cream...ahhh...did you hear my stomach growl?

Crock Pot Taco Soup

2010-02-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

The hubs has been working out of town during the week and with my crazy school schedule, I have found myself rarely making time for supper or having anything more substantial than cereal. I took this as a time to make something for myself, something that he wouldn't normally eat. The recipe I decided on was Crock Pot Taco Soup and I'm pretty dang glad I did. I was quite happy with the way this turned out and I couldn't have asked for an easier recipe.

Crock Pot Taco Soup

Source: Adapted from AYearOfSlowCooking

Ingredients:

2 cans of kidney beans

2 cans of pinto beans

2 cans of corn

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes and chile's

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 lb browned ground hamburger

1/4 tsp garlic salt

shredded cheese, sour cream and black olives to garnish

Directions:
1) Brown meat, drain fat and pour into crock pot

2) Sprinkle seasoning packets and garlic salt on top of meat

3) Drain and rinse the beans and add

4) Add the entire contents of the corn and tomato cans

5) Stir, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5.

Wilton Cake Class, Course 1, Class 2

2010-02-18T16:13:00.000-08:00

Three friends and myself recently began the Wilton cake decorating course. After receiving a set of decorating tips for Christmas and not being able to manipulate them, I knew a course would be my best chance for success! Class 1 we learned what supplies we needed, a demonstration of how to frost a cake and a quick preview of some of the things we are going to learn in the following sessions. For Class 2, we got to bring a cake to decorate! I began the night before by attempting to make a rainbow cake. I was SO excited for this cake! However, just like so many other recipes I try, I always manage to fail once before succeeding, hence the picture below.

My rainbow cakes ;(

I believe that I did not cook them long enough because they FELL apart when I tried to remove the pan and place on the wax paper. Up side, (there always has to be an upside, right?) they tasted really good and when I have more time I plan to attempt again. At that point I will list the recipe!

Onto plan B at ten o'clock at night...I made another cake. Just a basic cake mix, Devil's food. When I get a little better at decorating, I plan to make a cake from scratch, but at this point in the semester and in the middle of the week, it just wasn't happening.

The class was a blast and can't wait for the next one. I do have to miss class 3 though as I will be out of town for an internship, but I plan to have one of my friends show me what they did in class and I will try to post that cake later.

My first decorated cake!

Cheesy Sausage Penne

2010-02-17T19:42:00.001-08:00

I have been on this cookbook buying spree. Despite having oodles of recipes saved to my google reader, I keep finding magazines with good looking food. The latest one I picked up was Taste of Home's Casseroles, Slow cookers and soups. Initially paging through, I came across at least five different recipes I wanted to try. The first one I made was this little delight. I was a little hesitant at first because you don't mix in the cream cheese/sour cream combination. However, after you dish up and stir it around a little, yum! Now, I thought this was pretty tasty and when one of my best friend J (shown below)was over, I decided to pawn some off on her, so we had it for supper. She was shocked by how good it was and more impressed by how easy it was! I'm winning them over one at a time....

Cheese Sausage Penne

Source: Taste of Home's Casseroles, Slow Cookers and Soups

Ingredients

1 lb bulk Italian sausage

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce

1 package (16 ounces) uncooked penne pasta

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

4 green onions, sliced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

*I used fat free cream cheese and sour cream and it tasted great!

Directions

1) In a large skillet, cook the sausage and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat' cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

2) cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and onions.

3) In a greased shallow 3-qt baking dish, layer half of the pasta and sausage mixture. Dollop with half of the cream cheese mixture; sprinkle with half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat layers.

4) Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Miss J and I; one of the greatest friends a girl could have ;)

Chocolate Turtle Cake

2010-02-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful day full of love and appreciation for their significant other! In our household, we celebrated last night with dinner, a movie and exchanged gifts! The hubs scored HUGE brownie points because he got me a kitchen torch and the cutest apron decked out in pink polka dots, rhinestone buckle and embroidered, "Domestic Diva."

I got him a movie and baked a cake. Wow, that boy is hard to buy for!

This Valentine's Day was our eighth 'love day' together! It does not seem like we have been together that long...yet I can barely remember my life before him. Valentine's Day is always one of my favorite holidays because it brings with the lowest amount of stress. I know some people feel that it is a Hallmark holiday, and to each their own, but I don't think it's a bad idea to have an extra day each year to tell each other how much you love them!
Today we celebrated by me cooking a meal, funny how that has become my idea of a good time. We rented movies and I enjoyed listening to the hubs laughing at them as I was in the kitchen. I made us a full meal of turkey, ice cream potatoes, cream cheese corn and homemade buns. It was my first attempt with a turkey and let's just say, "it was falling off the bones."

For dessert I made, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cake, which I will post in a few days because that is the hubs favorite candy!

Now onto the actual post!

I know that this breaks one of the biggest rules in the cooking world but I LOVE box cake mixes. Maybe it because of my minimal skills, poor attention or limited patience but I have yet to make a cake from scratch that I like as much as a cake mix. Eek! I know, I will probably be banished to some far away cooking island, left with only a spear and my imagination, being forced to create a Wilson-like friend to speak to for the rest of my days. Horrible, I know. In time, I do hope to enjoy made-from-scratch cakes more than I do mixes but until that day I found a nifty little cookbook by Miss Betty herself titled, "Ultimate Cake Mix Cookbook." The entire book is filled with bars, pies, cookies and cakes that have some sort of mix as their base. I think the recipes are amazing and perfect for a quick fix!

Chocolate Turtle Cake
Source: Betty Crocker's, Ultimate Cake Mix Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 package Devils food cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 bag (14 ounces) caramels
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag (6 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 9x13 in pan.
2) Make cake mix according to box using water, oil and eggs. Pour half the mixture into the pan. Bake 25 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, heat caramels and milk in 1 quart saucepan over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramels are melted. Pour and spread caramel over warm cake in pan. Sprinkle with pecans and chocolate chips. Spread with remaining batter.
4) Bake 30 minutes. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cake. Cook completely, about 1 hour. Serve with ice cream. Store at room temperature.
5) To reheat, place piece of cake in microwave for 10-20 seconds and serve with ice cream.

Boston Cream Pie cupcakes

2010-02-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

My husband has amazing control when it comes to food. He is blessed with amazing metabolism, an active job and the ability to say no when it comes to sweets. The last time I made BostonCreamPie, I talked him into trying a piece, just a piece to get a taste. Over the next two days, at least twice a day he'd say, "Can we have some pie?" Despite my love of this cake, I couldn't keep up with him! He was heading out of town for a couple days due to work and about half the cake was left. For the sake of my own thighs, I knew I did NOT want to be left home with this cake. So I told him, "Eat what you want tonight because I am throwing whatever is left." Little did I know that he took that as, "I need to eat every last bite!" I don't think I have ever seen him eat so much and his tummy ache later proved to him that it probably wasn't the best idea.

Ever since his overdose, I have been searching for more recipes, preferably in a cupcake form to help him not eat to much! I came across this one and I honestly don't think you could find an easier recipe. I am in love!

Boston Cream Pie cupcakes

Source: PenniesonaPlatter

Ingredients:

1 butter yellow cake mix

1 3 0z box French Vanilla instant pudding

1 cup half and half

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup powered sugar

1 1/2 cup chocolate ganache, I used thisone

Directions:

Prepare yellow cupcakes according to the box.

While baking, prepare the vanilla custard filling by combining the instant pudding mix and the half and half in a medium bowl. In a stand mixer using the whip attachment, combine cream, vanilla and powered sugar and whip at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the pudding mixture to the whipped cream until it is full incorporated.

When the cupcakes have cooled, place the tip of the pasty bag inside each cupcake and pipe in filling, being careful not to overfill, as it will crack the cupcakes.

When all cupcakes have been filled, prepare your ganache. Dip the tops of the cupcakes in the ganache. Place glazed cupcakes on a cooking rack to dry.

Drain and pat dry maraschino cherries. While the cupcakes are slightly wet from the glaze, place a cherry on top to garnish and cover the hole created from filling.

Mini Ham and Cheese sandwiches

2010-02-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

These were pretty dang tasty. Initially, I was intimidated to try these little devils but when I was planning our weekly menu last week, I decided to take the plunge. However, when I returned from the store and was looking at 24 buns, I realized that it was WAY to much for the hubs and I. Sounds like party time to me, right? So, I decided to serve this as girls night and they were great. I was unable to find the Hawaiian rolls and had to go with some larger buns, so I can only imagine how amazing they would be with the smaller bun! I think the marinade would soak in even better and really soften the whole bun.

Mini Ham and Cheese sandwiches

Source: BeantownBaker

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

1 1/2 tbsp grated dried onions

1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp honey mustard

2 (12 ounce) packages Hawaiian rolls

1 pound cooked ham slices

12 ounces sliced swiss cheese

Directions:

In saucepan, mix butter, poppy seeds, onion, Worcestershire sauce and mustard, stir until blended and melted. Pour 1/2 of mixture into bottom of baking dish.

Place ham and cheese onto sandwiches. Arrange rolls in single layer in baking dish, spreading them around to soak up the sauce in pan. Pour rest of sauce over tops of sandwiches, cover dish and refrigerate up to 24 hours for sauce to soak in.

Preheat oven in 350 degrees, bake rolls for 10-12 minutes or until rolls are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls

2010-02-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

So, I picked up a tub of Ricotta cheese. Then I didn't know what to do with it. It was almost like a Christmas miracle that this recipe came across my google reader because it was delicious. A warning though, it truly is a cheese filled delight and 1 will, more than likely, be plenty for a hungry adult. I followed the recipe exactly except the hubs is afraid of eating anything green so I left the spinach out. If I made it again, I would add it because I feel that it would break up the immense cheese flavor! I reduced the recipe by half for the two of us and that is the recipe I am posting below.

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rolls

Source: JennandFood

Ingredients:

Rolls

6oz. chicken breast, poached and shredded

6 oz. part skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

6 lasagna noodles, cooked according to the package

Sauce

4 tablespoons

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced
shake of dried oregano

Grease 8x8 in pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the chicken, ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Spread the mixture down the center of each noodle, leaving an inch and a half at each end. Roll each noodle and place in pan.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Whisk in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the Parmesan cheese, garlic and oregano.

Pour the sauce over each noodle. Top with the 2 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 20 minutes.

Fruit Bruschetta

2010-02-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

I have had this recipe starred on my google reader for weeks now just waiting for the perfect time to make it. I am so glad I tried these! The other night I hosted a Thursday night/Fun night will some of my classmates as we don't have classes on Fridays. My best friend Jenna was looking for something she could bring and I was so excited to help her make this! Since we were making this for a crowd and I got an adorable fruit and veggie tray for Christmas, we decided to have a, "Build your own Bruschetta." The fruit you choose to use is up to you! We used our favorites and what was available. It was also my first experience with Greek Yogurt, which will be a great new favorite.

Build your own Fruit Bruschetta
Source: Annie'sEats

Ingredients:
Sliced bread rounds, we used french bread
grapes
kiwis
strawberries
raspberries
butter
cinnamon and sugar
Plain Greek yogurt

Directions:
Wash and slice fruits. Turn oven on to broil and place rack on top level. Lay bread rounds on cookie sheet. Butter bread rounds and lightly cover with cinnamon and sugar. Place in oven and cook until toasted (could take seconds to 1-2 mins). Remove from oven, top with thin layer of Greek yogurt and serve with fruits.

Vodka Punch

2010-02-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

I have been MIA for the past week due to crazy-ness with school and a spur of the moment decision to head to our hometown after hearing of a family friends house burning down. I do have several recipes ready to be written over this next week so hopefully I will be MIA, no more!

On a more positive note, FOOD! I have to once again apologize for a bad picture but this punch was taken to a party with my classmates so I didn't get to stir and pour before we left. Don't worry though, I had my fair share at the party and it was amazing! This recipe originated from my best friend Jenna's mother who knows how to make a good drink. This was such an easy recipe and tasted like heaven.

Vodka Punch

Source: Jenna's mom, a.k.a. Shelia

1 can frozen orange juice concentrate-thawed

1 can frozen pink lemonade concentrate- thawed

48 oz cranberry juice

1 packet of cranberry jello

2 cups water

1 liter vodka- cranberry flavored was good but plain works just as good

2 liter bottle of red berry 7-up

Find a large bowl.

Combine 2 cans on concentrate, cranberry juice and vodka. Prepare jello as instructed on the box but do not let harden. Pour hot, liquid Jello mixture into bowl. Stir completely. Let freeze for at least 24 hours, in a snowbank if you have one ;)

To serve: Pour glass 3/4 full of slush and fill to top with 7-up. Enjoy with caution!

7 Layer Taco Dip

2010-01-31T19:14:00.000-08:00

This dip is amazing. I love this combination of flavors layered together over a Tostito chip. I made this dip for a friends baby shower the other night and between 10-15 girls, I only came home with a sliver left. Now I call that success! This is a basic old recipe that has been sent around a trillion times but I fill it deserves to be repeated.

* Note: I used all fat free/low fat ingredients and it still tasted great! No need to waste the extra calories on this dip because it's delicious without them.

7 Layer Taco Dip

Source: A. Lee

Ingredients:

2 (8oz) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can refried beans-fat free

1 container sour cream-fat free

1 (2 cup) bag of Mexican blend cheese

1 cup salsa

Shredded lettuce

1 can black olives, sliced

Directions:

Mix cream cheese with taco seasoning. Spread across bottom of 9x13 in pan. Spread 3/4 can of refriend beans. Spread salsa over beans. Spread sour cream over salsa. Spread cheese and top with lettuce. Garnish with black olives or tomatoes. Serve with Tostito chips or Doritos.

Mom's Amazing Alfredo

2010-01-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

As much as I love to cook, I find it hard to beat anything that is made at a restaurant. One of the few items that I will only eat at home is my mom's fettuccine alfredo. No other alfredo sauce can compare. Perhaps it's the love that is stirred into every bite...or the cream cheese. I can't decide which but point is, it's amazing! This is a recipe that she has been making for years and is often a company favorite. Everyone who has tasted this glorious mixture has been astonished by the great taste.

I am not sure where this original recipe came from as it has been a family favorite for years and is ingrained into our memories, but I am guessing it's from Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe book as that is the main ingredient.

Now for mine, as shown in the picture, I made a half batch of the sauce (just for the hubs and I) and placed it over some frozen cheese tortellini. The recipe I am listing below is the original and paired with fettuccine noodles. Take your pick of how you want to pair it, we have used penne as well, but the main message here is, YOU MUST MAKE THIS! I promise you will not regret it!

Mom's Amazing Alfredo

Source: My mom and possibly a Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe book, once upon a time

Ingredients:

1 lb fettuccine noodles

1 (8oz) package Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened (I used 1/3 fat and it tasted just as good, shhh don't tell my mom)

1 stick margarine

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a medium saucepan cook fettuccine noodles in boiling water until tender, drain.

In a small saucepan melt margarine and cream cheese until combined. Add milk and parmesan cheese. Stirring constantly until bubbly. Pour over warm, drained fettuccine noodles.

Enjoy!

Sausage and Cheese Cresent Squares

2010-01-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

I love breakfast foods, but we don't usually eat breakfast. So often we eat breakfast for supper and pretend like it's morning. Works, doesn't it? While trolling on the Pillsbury website, I came across several recipes that looked tasty, this being one of them. This was a great, quick and easy meal which will make a return to our menu list! It was fairly rich, so I may pair it with a lighter side next time and half the recipe.

Sausage and Cheese Crescent Squares
Source: http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=18935

Ingredients:
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 lb pork sausage
1 package (8oz) cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2) Unroll can of crescent dinner rolls and flatten tightly to the edges of a 9x13 glass baking dish.
3) Brown pork sausage until no longer pink and drain excess drippings. Add cream cheese to pan. Cook over low heat until melted. Spoon evenly over crust in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
4) Unroll second package of crescent rolls and place over mixture.
5)Bake 21 to 26 minutes or until golden bow. Cool for 15 minutes. Cut into small squares.

Oreo Fudge Bars

2010-01-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't noticed a trend, I am in love with pretty much anything Oreo. I loved them before when it was just the cookies, milk and me but now since I have increased my cooking, so has my awareness of the millions of possibilities with Oreo's. This recipe looked great and thought it would be a nice little change to all the cupcakes I have been making. It's true...these were great but let me warn you, they are very rich and only a small piece is needed to avoid a sugar coma. I think a tall glass of milk or a scoop of ice cream would be a perfect mix with these.

Oreo Fudge Bars
Source: StephanieCooks
Ingredients:
1 16oz package of Oreo cookies
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I used another 1/2 cup of semi-sweet)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 323
Line a 9x13 in pain with foil and spray with PAM.
Set aside 6 Oreo cookies for the toppings.
In a food processor grind the rest of the cookies. Feel free to use the rolling pin method if you do not have a food processor.
Add salt to the crumbs and stir to combine.
Melt butter and gently stir together with cookie crumb mixture.
Press firmly into bottom of the pan.
Coarsely chop the remaining cookies into chunks and set aside.
Over a double boiler or in the microwave, melt 3/4 cup semi sweet and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips together with the condensed milk and vanilla.
Stir until smooth.
Spread evenly over cookie crust.
Sprinkle mini chocolate chips and the Oreo cookies chunks over the top of the filling. Press down gently into the chocolate topping.
Bake for 20-22 minutes.
Allow to cool on counter for 1 hour. Chill in fridge until completely cold and set before cutting into bars.

Campfire S'more Cupcakes (a.k.a. The 6 hour cupcakes)

2010-01-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

I have been searching for a s'more recipe for quite some time now. I even attempted another recipe from Annie'sEats and it was a complete disaster! It was completely my error (think I added the vanilla in the frosting too soon) but I have been left with an insatiable craving. After scrolling through some blogs I often look at, I came across these little delights. I have been looking at them for a few days and when my turn came up to bring treats to class, I knew these had to be it! Little did I know what an endeavor these would be.

So let me being by laying out the time line of the 6 hour cupcakes:

* Long week, working till 11:30 each night on my thesis,the hubs and cleaning is neglected.

*Started out at 7 pm on Wednesday night to begin the cupcakes.

*By 7:20 realized that I only had 1 cup of sugar when I needed 3 (I doubled the recipe). So, I ran to Target.

*7:45 I returned and restarted the cupcakes.

*7-45-10ish: made up two pans of cupcakes; let bake while reading a research article for class; within minutes of being removed from the oven; all collapsed in center where marshmallows were placed.

*10-12: Rapidly searched the Internet for reasons for failure; no answers; did read review of recipe and saw a couple others had same problem. Made another small pan with 1/3 of marshmallow inside and turned out better, only slightly collapsed. Mixed up another single batch, added 1/4 marshmallow inside. Some collapsed more than others.

*12am: I am left with 23 minimally acceptable to serve; fed up and tired; decided to package up anyways (without ganache topping) because I couldn't arrive empty handed. Returned to another research article due for class the next day but couldn't stop thinking about failure cupcakes.

*12:30; had idea to cover holes in cupcakes; cut marshmallow in half; place on cupcake and broil to give toasted effect! Completed task and was overjoyed!

So, in conclusion, I have no overall idea of why I failed with these cupcakes but am very hesitant to attempt cooking with marshmallows again. I am slightly proud that I was able to salvage the cupcakes after all that time, as they turned out to be a hit with my class! Also, I do plan to make these again sometime because I hate to let the cupcakes win!

Campfire S'more cupcakes

Source: Bakerella

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup oil
6 jumbo marshmallows cup in half, plus more for decorating

Graham Cracker Crumb topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Ganache
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk. Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.

Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other.
Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined.
Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.

Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping.
Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on melted butter. Stir until combined.

Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups (so it barely covers the bottom) and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface.
Place a marshmallow half on top and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full. ( I used 1/4 a marshmallow cut into 4 pieces on my more successful batch).
Sprinkle with more topping mixture.

Bake cupcakes for about 15-17 minutes.

According to recipe it yields 12 cupcakes: I made a double batch and came up with 36 even with filling my first pan too full.

Let cool completely. (To cover the collapsed portions, I cut a marshmallow in half and placed into the hole. Turned the oven on broil and placed rack in notch, second from the top to allow room for marshmallows. Watch very closely as they burn quickly!! Toast to desired color.)

Heat the butter and cream on the stove. Heat until just before it boils. Remove and add chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Let cool for few minutes to let ganache slightly thicken. Pour over cupcakes and marshmallows. (I only used around 1/4 of the ganache mixture, next time I will make a half batch)

Cheesy Biscuit Lasagna

2010-01-22T00:21:00.001-08:00

With the start of classes and a never-ending literature review, I have found myself with very little time left in the day. I keep getting puppy dog eyes from the hubs as he has been neglected so I am trying my hardest to stay strong with meals. It has been our only time catch up and discuss the thrilling events of our day. So in my futile attempts to multitask, I am trying to build up my repertoire of fast and easy meals. In my search to do so, I came across this little dandy on the Pillsbury website.
The original recipe calls for only tomato sauce and 9x13 inch pan but out of respect for the hubs I thought it would be easy enough to split the recipe and use some leftover Alfredo sauce on half of it. He really enjoyed it despite the slightly odd combination of hamburger and Alfredo...I'll let you be the judge on whether or not that appeals to you. Bottom line, there are options to change things up a little.
Future adaptations: I may try cooking filled, pressed and sealed biscuits on a cooking sheet and bake separately because the bottoms were a little doughy. I feel that the bottoms have a difficult time cooking when laying on the sauce. Then serve meal by placing biscuits on top of hot beef mixture.

Cheesy Biscuit Lasagna
Source: Pillsbury

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (I used 1/2 lb Jenny-O ground turkey burger)
1 jar (28oz) of tomato pasta sauce (I used 10oz of each kind of sauce in each pan as we don't like a ton of sauce)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (12 oz) Pillsburry Jr. Golden Homestyle Butter Biscuits
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I didn't look closely enough and put shredded Parmesan on the top, which is the dark cheese on top...oops!)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small fry pan, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pasta sauce, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and pepper. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes.
2) Separate dough into individual biscuits. Press or roll each into 4-inch round. In a small bowl, mix mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, parsley flakes, onion and basil until well blended. Place around 2 tablespoons cheese mixture on each biscuit. Fold dough in half and press edges with a fork to seal.
3. Into ungreased 9x13 in pan (or 2 8x8's) glass baking dish, pour hot beef mixture. Arrange filled biscuits on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

2010-01-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

I saw these posted on StephanieCooks, was so excited and made them the same night! I have been looking for a healthy-ish quick breakfast that I can grab on my way to class and with her reviews on these, they looked perfect. However, the original recipe called for raspberries which I am not as fond of as strawberries so I decided to change it up a bit. I also took her recommendations and made it with all whole wheat flour. The result was a bit more of a dense muffin than I was originally looking for, still tasty but much softer. So the next time I make this I plan to use the original 1/2 wheat and 1/2 all purpose. But like I said, they were still pretty dang good and have been great for curbing the morning growlies!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Adapted from: StephanieCooks where it was adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/3 cup 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2.5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1/2 large egg
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup fresh or froze strawberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with mixer at med-high speed until well blended. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and eggs; beat well.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups; pack and level with knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in strawberries.

Line 12 muffin cups with liners. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

2010-01-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

I have seen the recipe for crock pot salsa chicken everywhere! It looked so easy and with returning to school, it seemed like the perfect time to try this. We are not huge rice fans, so I didn't go with the traditional accompaniments of rice, but decided to make the chicken into enchiladas. I was a little hesitant and didn't tell the hubs what was for supper before he came home out of fear of hearing, "What the heck?!?!" So, I told him to close his eyes and eat. Result: He loved it and has actually requested it to return! That's a huge win in my eyes!

I started with the traditional crock pot salsa chicken recipe and am excited to try it on a bun or over some noodles. I can see many variations of this tasty food and the best part is...the chicken is lowfat. Check out Spark People for nutritional information.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Enchiladas
Source: SparkPeople
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( I used around 6 small chicken tenderloins)
1 cup salsa (Hint: check out the salsa by the taco shells instead of the chips for MUCH cheaper salsa, I got mine for $1.50 compared to $3.99 by the chips)
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

For the enchiladas:
Flour tortillas
1/2 reduced fat cheddar cheese

Directions:
Add chicken to slow cooker.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken.
Combine salsa and soup, pour over chicken. Flip chicken to coat.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
Shred chicken. (mine literally fell apart when I used tons go mix in sour cream...yum!)

For enchiladas:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 9/13 in pan with cooking spray.
Placed 2-3 tablespoons of chicken in flat tortilla, roll and place seam down in pan.
Sprinkle cheddar cheese over rolled tortillas.
Bake in oven for 10-13 mins or until cheese is melted. Do not over cook as tortillas will dry out.
Serve with lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, black olives or any other 'taco' accompaniments.

Lighter Taco Bake

2010-01-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

I enjoy marinara sauce. The hubs does not. And so the fight begins. I try to honor his tastes most of the time but I have been craving Mexican lately and this recipe just looked so dang good. I thought the adjustments StephanieCooks made were perfect and followed them almost to the T. It resulted in a great meal that even won over the hubs, leaving me amazing leftover for lunch the next day.

Lighter Taco Bake
Source: StephanieCooks

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (I used 1/2 pound to lighten it up)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used half since I halved the recipe)
15 oz. tomato sauce (I used around 8 oz. on the hub's behalf)
8 oz. seashell pasta (again, half)
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened in microwave (I used 4 ounces)
1/2 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used about 1/2 cup of 2%)

Directions
1. Brown ground beef, drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. ( I simmered for about 7 since I had less tomato sauce)
2. In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
3. Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl.
4. Spray bottom of pan. Put pasta in bottom of pan.
5. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta.
6. Spoon ground meat mixture over this.
7. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
8. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving. (I may have over cooked a little initially, so I peeled off the cheese and remelted some cheese on top. Turned out perfectly)

Loaded Potato Soup

2010-01-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I ever had loaded bake potato soup it was days before my wedding and my mom, sister and I were out running last minute errands for the big day. We decided to stop at Chili's for lunch and on the menu was unlimited Caesar salad and loaded baked potato soup. I was so excited, in fact, never before had I been so excited for soup and salad. Okay, okay, I know I could have probably eaten a Thanksgiving day meal for the amount of calories these glorious bowls contained but it was just SO worth it. The sad part is that the closest Chili's to my house is an hour away! I guess that helps me have it only as a treat ;(

Anyways, in my continued love for Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade magazine, I came across this super simple recipe for loaded potato soup. Now, this soup was pretty dang good and easy, however, I managed to make it about as difficult as possible! I HATE cooking bacon and for all those who know me can attest to this little fact. I hate that it splatters, I hate the greasy clean up and I HATE HATE HATE the smell it leaves in the house! Wow, that's a whole lotta hate, but I LOVE to eat it, so there lies the problem.

I usually cook bacon on my electric skillet because I can cook alot, scrape off the grease (cuts down on splatter) and slightly reduces the smell when I cook it on low heat. Well this recipe called for some of the grease to be reserved and to cut down on dishes, I just cooked it in the large pot. Well, I had a friend walking through the door (with her newborn!!) and a general lack of experience with frying bacon in its grease, which resulted in very burnt bacon in about .2 seconds. Bummer! I actually said, 'screw the soup,' and went to see the baby!

Well, round two was for supper that night when I decided to attempt it again as I had really been looking forward to this soup for weeks! This time it went much better, came out with perfectly cooked bacon, but the brain child that I am, forgot that bacon grease holds it's heat very well and after letting it cool for a mear couple seconds, I inserted my PLASTIC measuring spoon to reserve the grease. Smart, right? Needless to say, I am now left with an oblong spoon instead of a circle.

I don't mean to give this soup a hard time because all the faults were my own but oofta, when your head isn't in the right place, it's time to get out of the kitchen! Next time I make this soup, I plan to cut the potatoes up into 3-4 pieces so it will be more soup like and less like potatoes with gravy.

Loaded Potato Soup

Source: Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade Oct/Nov 2009

Ingredients:

6 bacon slices

1/4 cup green onion

1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth

1 cup sour cream

1 cup whole milk

1 (20 ounce) bag red potato wedges, Simply Potatoes brand

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Garnish: shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped fresh chives and sour cream

Directions:

1. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, cook bacon until crisp; remove bacon; and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pot. Crumble bacon.

2. Cook green onion in hot drippings over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, or until tender. Add broth. Whisk in sour cream and milk. Add potatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, or until heated through. Top with crumbled bacon, and, if desired, garnish with shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped chives and sour cream.

Boston Cream Pie

2010-01-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Boston Cream Pie is one of the greatest mixtures ever created! Cake, custard and chocolate are all you need for a delish dessert. I originally developed this craving when thinking of my mom's Boston Cream Pie. Somehow she managed to make a cake that tasted even better 3 days later as leftovers, if it lasted that long! I have also been wanting to attempt a layered cake and with this pies simple ganache, it was perfect to try because I didn't have to worry about messing it up!

Now I do have to admit that I was running short on time and patience and substituted a yellow cake mix...I know I know, it would have been better homemade but it did still taste pretty amazing. If you are interested in making the cake from scratch, which I will try next time, just use the original recipe. My comments are in bold below.

*Caution*-utilize control! The hubs devoured this cake in 2 days, no joke! He keep asking for more pie and far be it from me to stop the man! I was so glad I found something that he liked so much. His stomach on the other hand wasn't too happy with me ;)

Boston Cream Pie
Source: Annie'sEats

Ingredients:

For the pastry cream:
2 cups half-and-half
½ cup (3.5 oz.) sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tbsp. cornstarch
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces1
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For cake:
Yellow cake mix (or make your own through original recipe)

For the ganache:
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the pastry cream, combine the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

When the half-and-half mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. (I did not have a mesh sleeve but since the pastry was placed between cakes, you couldn't tell a difference, not the best but it works until I pick one up). Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

Prepare cake mix according to box. Spray 2 9 inch pans with PAM cooking spray. Divide the batter between the 2 pans. Bake and let cool only slightly in pan before removing. (My cakes came out great by just placing my hand over the cake and inverting pan, then gently placing on wax paper to cool completely.)

To make the glaze, combine the heavy cream and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate; cover and let stand for 8 minutes. (If the chocolate has not completely melted, return the saucepan to low heat and stir constantly until melted.) Stir in the vanilla extract very gently until smooth. Cool the glaze until tepid so that a spoonful drizzled back into the pan mounds slightly. (Feel free to place in the refrigerator to speed up process, stirring frequently. It took me around 10-15 mins.)

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a cardboard cake circle or serving surface. Place 1 rectangular piece of wax paper (torn into 4 smaller rectangular pieces) underneath the edges of the cake all the way around the perimeter. If desired, reserve about half a cup of pastry cream for decorating. Use a sharp knife and cut out a VERY slight indent in the bottom cake layer, or at least make it level, creating a space for the pastry cream to set. Spread the remaining pastry cream in an even layer on the first cake layer, all the way to the edges. Top with the remaining cake layer and press down gently. Pour the glaze onto the middle of the top cake layer and let it flow down the sides of the cake. Use a spatula, if necessary, to help cover the sides completely. Let the cake sit until the glaze fully sets, about 1 hour. This cake is best served the day it is made.

Crock Pot Asian BBQ Chicken Wings

2010-01-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

I have been attempting to add more protein to our diets. The hubs and I have a tendency to fill up on carbs and leave out the meat. I have also been craving chicken wings lately which is not typical for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the taste but unless your my dad and are willing to put forth the work and time it takes to 'pick the bones clean,' it just doesn't seem worth it. But these amazing wings were perfect! A slight change to your typical BBQ wings and the meat literally fell off the wings when I was serving them! That's a serious plus to me.

Please excuse the picture, with an anxious hubby standing over my shoulder, I forgot to take a picture until I had poured the ranch and the sauce had ran. Oh well, don't say I didn't warn you because I meant when I said looks are deceiving.

Crock Pot Asian BBQ Chicken Wings

Source: StephanieCooks

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of chicken wings

1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce

3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon of onion powder

Salt

Pepper

Sesame seeds

Directions:

1- Wash and place chicken in the crock pot. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

2- Add the barbecue sauce and soy sauce.

3- Cook on low 6 hours.

4- Remove from the crock pot using tongs or a small spatula, discard the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Parmesan Rolls 2 ways

2010-01-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Bite sized food is one of the greatest things in my opinion. It makes me feel like I am getting more and I can savor the taste. I have also been looking for foods that I can add my homemade Pesto to and these were great! I made pesto ones for myself, as I think the hubs is scared by 'green' things ;) and garlic butter mozzarella ones for the hubs. This is also a very easy appetizer that looks like it was more work than it was. We used the left over Beer and Cheddar Pretzel dip but I ate most of mine plan because they were that good alone!

Parmesan Rolls 2 ways

Adapted from Sandra Lee's Weeknight Wonders cookbook

1 roll (11 ounce) refrigerated bread stick dough, Pillsbury

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Variation 1: Garlic Butter Mozzarella

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon garlic spread concentrate, Lowery's (I didn't have any the first time I made these and used garlic salt, they turned out just as good)

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Variation 2: Pesto

2 tablespoons prepared Pesto

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8 inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Separate bread sticks

2. For Variation 1, in a small bowl, combine butter, garlic concentrate and cheese. Spread filling on individual bread sticks. For variation 2, apply pesto to bread stick. Roll up bread sticks and place in the prepared pan. Using a pastry brush, brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Taco Mac and Cheese

2010-01-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

As previously mentioned, I love Mac and Cheese, so when I came across this recipe in Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade magazine I knew I had to give it a try. I also loved that it involved 4 ingredients with endless additional possibilities. Feel free to jazz this meal up with fresh veggies to give it an extra kick. I could see loading it up with some green peppers, tomatoes or corn. I also halved the original recipe as it was very filling and it easily fed the two of us with some leftovers. The recipe listed below is the full recipe, serving 4 hungry people. It was a great weeknight very quick meal.

Taco Mac and Cheese

Adapted from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade magazine Oct/Nov 2009

2 boxes Mac and Cheese

1 lb ground beef

1 packet of taco seasoning

Prepare boxes of Mac and Cheese according to the box. Brown ground beef, drain and add seasoning according to the pouch. Finally, dump it all together, stir and enjoy!

See, I told you it was easy!

Garlic Cheese Pretzels with Beer and Cheddar Pretzel Dip

2010-01-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

A local bookstore is going out of business and as a result, I was able to get 2 Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade cookbooks for a steal! I have tried to cut down on the number of cookbooks I buy because we received a TON for our wedding and have barely scratched the surface with them. Also, I have NO room left more and since we (the hubs) have picky tastes, many recipes from cookbooks don't appeal to us. Plus, I have about 50 recipes saved under my favorites online that I am excited to try, so why not save money and make those? Oh well, Sandra is one of my favorite cooks and I love her approach to cooking good food with available items and limited time, so I felt it to be a worthwhile investment. I am a avid reader of her magazine and now her cookbooks, so don't be surprised to see several items from her featured here.

Once again, onto the food! I made this as a weekend brunch meal in which totally freaked out the hubs. He asked what was for lunch. I said pretzels and beer cheese dip. He goes, "Your feeding me pretzels for lunch?!?!" (He's still a little on guard with all the new foods he is trying. He's not use to change but hasn't disliked anything I have made yet ;) Review at the end of the meal..."Are there more?" For a boy who doesn't eat much...he had around 8 (count em) pretzels! Wow! I had 4 and was stuffed! He has already requested them again. I was a little nervous making these, I had never really attempted such a thing before, but I am excited to try them again. The beer and cheddar pretzel dip was great as well. The hubs thought it was great that I was serving him beer, for lunch, on a SUNDAY! Shoulda gone to church...

Garlic Cheese Pretzels

Source: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking

Yields: 14 pretzels

Starts with basic pretzel recipe:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed

All purpose flour, for dusting surface

1 egg, lightly beaten

-Feel free to end here with ingredients to make plain pretzels. Simply sprinkle with coarse salt before baking.

To make pretzels garlic cheese continue here:

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Line cookie sheet pan with waxed paper. Divide dough into 14 pieces. (I used a kitchen scissor to cut)

2. On lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a 16 inch rope and form into a pretzel shape. (This is where all the times I watched the employees at The Pretzel Maker came into good use.)

3. Transfer dough to prepared sheet pan; cover and refrigerate until ready to boil. (I made pretzels the night before to cut down on time the next day)

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter a sheet pan.
5. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add pretzels, 3 at a time, and cook until pretzels rise to the surface, about 2 minutes. (Mine never sunk, so they never rose. I just set the kitchen timer for 2 minutes)

6. Remove and drain on paper towels.

7. Arrange pretzels 3 inches apart on prepared sheet pan. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan and garlic power.

8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown.

Beer and Cheddar Pretzel Dip

Source: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Weeknight Wonders

Ingredients:

1 can (10.7 ounce) condensed cheddar cheese soup

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons horseradish mustard (I used regular mustard)

1/2 package (.4 ounce) buttermilk ranch dressing mix

1 bottle (12 ounce) pale beer, Budweiser

2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Spray a 1 quart oven safe baking dish with cooking spray.

3. In a medium sauce pan, over medium-high heat, cook and stir together the cheddar cheese soup, cream cheese, mustard, and ranch dressing mix until the cream cheese has melted. Stir in beer.
4. Remove from heat and add the cheddar cheese a handful at a time, stirring until thoroughly combined.

5. Transfer cheese mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with warm soft pretzels.

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

2010-01-07T15:06:00.001-08:00

Every word of that title makes me go yummmmmm! And yes, the m's are drawn out like that. For Christmas this year, I requested cupcake decorating supplies. Well leave it to my mom to not just buy something simple and basic. In my gift from 'santa' there was Wilton Master Tip set, disposable frosting bags, adorable 'fashion' cupcake liners and the mother of all cupcake cook books by the one and only Mrs. Martha. My mom had set me up for success. Therefore, ever since Christmas morning I had been dying to make these cupcakes. However, I know my ability to resist cupcakes and cheesecake AND oreos, so I waited until I knew I was getting together with friends so I could pawn some off on them! So far the reviews have been great and I am quite a fan myself.

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Source: Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Ingredients

42 Oreos- 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped (I used 6 chopped cookies as I only bought 1 package of oreos and wanted to have enough bases. The 6 suited the recipe just fine. I still ran out of bases as this recipe made 36 cheesecakes for me.
2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature (yikes, I know, that's alot of cream cheese)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.
3. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
4. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined.
5. Beat in vanilla.
6. Drizzle in eggs.
7. Add in sour cream and salt.
8. Mix in crushed cookies by hand.
9.Divide batter among cookie filled cups, filling each almost to the top.
10. Place in oven, rotating half way through, for 22 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Place in refrigerator (in tins) at least 4 hours. Remove from tins right before serving.

Pesto

2010-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

During my last internship, I was awakened to two amazing flavors that I had never dreamed of cooking with. First, garlic. Sure, I add garlic salt and/or powder to about everything I make but never had I minced my own fresh garlic cloves. So good!

Next, pesto. Amazing pesto, added to everything from pasta to sandwiches. I love the full flavor it adds to the most basic of ingredients! I have since came across several recipes calling for Pesto and when I went to the store, I couldn't find it. I was bummed beyond belief. But once I got my very own food processor, I knew this was first on the list to make. Since then, I have added it to a few meals that I will post about in the future. So stay tuned!

This picture by no means does the pesto justice. Once again, I encourage you to judge by taste and not by looks!

Pesto

Source: SimplyRecipies

Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (When using fresh basil, use the leaves and only the stalks that are connected to the leaves)

2. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
3. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.

4. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended.

5. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

White Chocolate Chex Mix

2010-01-03T13:52:00.001-08:00

Yum....Yum...Yum...YUM!!! I am always game for food that involves dumping and mixing so when I came across this recipe, I knew it was perfect. Since first seeing this recipe, I have came across it several times now and one difference I see is that some people use almond bark instead of the white chocolate chips. Now, I don't know if I am still on my almond bark high from Christmas or if it truly does make the mix better, but I am a huge fan of the white chocolate chips. It's simple, quick, very yummy and makes alot! I separated the mixture into decent sized bowls because I have yet to invest in a Big Momma Bowl...my term for a jumbo bowl capable of mixing puppy chow. This is a pleaser for all ages and it went over amazing at a small New Year's get together we went to.

Hubbs approval rating: "Wow this is amazing. Hey, pass the bowl!"

Seriously though, thank goodness I gave half of it away because I keep munching!!!

White Chocolate Chex Mix

Source: Penniesonaplatter

5 cups Cheerios

5 cups Corn Chex

2 cups peanuts (optional)

10 oz bag small twist pretzels

1 big bag of M&M’s (I used regular, feel free to opt in seasonal M&M's or I think peanut butter would be amazing)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 (12 oz) bags Nestle Premier White Morsels

In a jumbo/Big Momma Bowl, mix the cheerios, corn chex, peanuts, pretzels and M&M’s.

Melt the vegetable oil and white morsels together in a double-boiler (I did mine in the microwave, just be sure to watch it) and pour over chex mix.

Mix with wooden spoon (to avoid sticking or pieces getting stuck in the groove)or if the bowl has a lid, shake the bowl to mix.

If desired, lay out on wax paper to dry or just let dry in bowl without lid on. ( I left mine in the bowl and had to work with it a bit to break chunks apart. Next time I plan to spread it out.)

Count Chocula Cupcakes

2010-01-02T23:09:00.000-08:00

I think cupcakes are one of the greatest inventions ever. Then again I am a fan of anything that is individually packaged for many reasons, portion control, easy sharing and/or sanitation for those who are anti germ. While scanning other blogs I came across these adorable cupcakes. I also purchased my first food processor and was beyond excited to use it! It's pure electric power now! These cupcakes turned out pretty good, they were a little dense for my liking but a nice change from your standard cupcake.

I was in a bit of a hurry to finish these before New Year's so I have to admit I used pre-made frosting. I will include the frosting directions in the recipe because I feel the dark chocolate frosting would really compliment the cupcake. Also, my frosting skills leave much to be desired. I am still trying to figure out how to swirl up and with the master set of Wilton tips I got in my Christmas stocking ;), I should have plenty of fun ahead of me!

Count Chocula Cupcakes
Source: MyBakingHeart
Yields: 12 cupcakes

1/3 c vegetable oil
1 c milk
2 c Count Chocula cereal
3/4 c white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 c light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Using a food processor, crush the Count Chocula cereal. (Or feel free to use my previous method of placing cereal in a zip lock bag, make sure to zip, place towel over to soften the sound and smash with hammer until cereal resembles a fine dust)
In a large bowl or stand mixer, join together the ground cereal, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.
In another bowl, beat the oil and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add the milk and beat until well-combined. Resembles a frothy consistency.
Fold the liquid into the dry ingredients until just blended. Avoid over mixing!
Divide the batter evenly among the liners. Gently pat the tops to smooth them off.
Bake for 18-20 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes from the pan to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Frost as desired.

Dark Chocolate Frosting
6 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c powdered sugar
3/4 c dark cocoa powder
1/3 c milk

Cream butter and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture.
Slowly add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency, then beat until creamy.

Spritz

2010-01-02T08:39:00.001-08:00

I have always loved the simplicity of Spritz cookies. Each bite envelops you in a variety flavors layered with butter. I also love that this is a cookie I can jazz up with various bold colors without having to cover with frosting. Initially, I thought Spritz cookies were complex...be it the cookie gun or mixing the dough. But to my surprise, they were one of the easier cookies to make. I bought the Cookie pro gun and could barely wait to get it out of the box! Instantly, I was searching online for the perfect Spritz recipe. The one I found was from All Recipies and it called for vanilla extract instead of almond and I chose to use Orange extract. Something I had seen from other recipies. I am not typically a orange flavoring fan and was a little concerned as I was mixing the batter that it wouldn't create the Spritz cookie taste I was looking for. However, I turned out loving this recipe! The cookies turned out great and were a perfect colorful addition to my holiday goodie treat trays.

Butter Spritz Cookies

Source: AllRecipies

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons orange extract (original recipe called for Vanilla extract)

Directions
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the egg, then stir in the orange extract.
Combine the flour and salt; stir into the sugar mixture.
Place desired amount of dough into separate bowls and add food coloring. ( I used gel coloring)
Cover dough, and chill in fridge for at least one hour.
Chill cookie sheets.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Fill cookie press gun.
Press dough out onto ungreased, chilled cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly golden at the edges. (Mine only took around 7 mins)
Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

Cookies in a box

2010-01-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

This by no means constitutes a 'homemade' recipe but I'm going to take the viewpoint of enlightening others of the best boxed cookies available. My initial thought of having my sister visit for a couple days was, "How the heck am I going to occupy a 12 year old?" I made these Krusteaz cookies last year (found at Target)and really liked the taste and simplicity. Also, it was mostly fool proof and didn't want the struggle of attempting royal icing with E (the sis) when it would be my first attempt as well. The results were pretty tasty and the appearance...well...from far away...you get the point.

The beauty of these cookies was that everything came in the box, cookie cutters, dough, icing, sprinkles and food colorings. Below is a quick outline of our work. We sure had fun!

Gourmet Mac and Cheese

2009-12-29T09:13:00.000-08:00

The first meal I ever made was Mac and Cheese and one of my favorite birthday gifts was when this glorious creation came in a huge bucket! I hope my mac and cheese skills have improve because I remember a time when I added so much milk that it was more of a soup...and my mom never said a thing! She just ate it and told me it was great...now that's love!

Now that I have 'grown up' it is a meal that I make frequently for the hubbs but I have been looking for something more. This is the third baked mac and cheese recipe I have tried and this is the only one I plan to make again because, it was amazing! Very quick and easy because you just toss a bunch of stuff into a pan and bake for 30 mins! What more can you ask for?

Hubbs approval rating: Initially after seeing cottage cheese: "What are you trying to feed me?!?!" After tasting: with a sheepish grin "It's actually really good, filling."

Gourmet Mac and Cheese

Taken from IceCream&Wine

Ingredients:

8 oz. package elbow macaroni ( I used Penne because that was what I had in the cupboard)

8 oz. package shredded sharp cheddar cheese

12 oz. container cottage cheese

8 oz. container sour cream

1/2 cup Italian cheese blend (parmesan, asiago, fontina)

Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta - cook until done and drain. In a 2.5-quart baking dish, stir together macaroni, shredded cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, Italian cheese, salt and pepper. You may sprinkle additional cheese on top before baking.Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is golden.

Feeds 4 hungry people

Peanut Butter Blossoms

2009-12-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had safe travels over Christmas! We got 'stranded' back in our hometown and had 28 inches of snow waiting for us when we returned home! Boy, was that fun.

Onto the food, when I think Christmas, I think peanut butter blossoms. I'm not quite sure why this magical cookie only makes an appearance around Christmas but I sure enjoy them when they do! This is another recipe from the Hershey's Christmas magazine and they turned out delightful. These cookies are so easy to make and quick to bake! My sister and I made them at the end of the day when we were tired of baking but knew these had to be done! Saved the best for last.

Hubbs approval rating: "One of my favorites."

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Taken from Hershey's Christmas magazine

48 HERSHEYS KISSES brand milk chocolates

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat peanut butter and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until well blended. Add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in additional granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookies will crack around edges. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Yields: about 4 dozen cookies

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T15:27:00.001-08:00

After borrowing my Mom's stand mixer to complete all my Christmas baking....I am so excited and blessed to receive a beautiful KitchenAid Stand mixer in the mail today!!

I want to wish everyone the MOST amazing Christmas filled with friends, family and fun! I will be back with this, 'blogging thing,' after Christmas with all the other yummy goodies made during my sister's stay.

Drive safe!

Oreo Truffles

2009-12-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

I love oreos. I love cream cheese. I love chocolate. So what happens when all three are combined? Pure bliss! I have heard so many positive comments about these delicious little balls of heaven that I had to make them. They were so simple and so fast! Plus the taste...oh my goodness, the taste! These will be added to my favorite's list and utilized whenever a great treat is needed. I love that they are all individual as they trick me into thinking portion control!

I would like to say a huge thank you to my guest chef....my 12 year old sister E! I was so blessed to have her come and stay with me for 3 days for a bake-a-thon! These truffles were her first experience of using almond bark and she caught on quick. She sure had great attention to detail with using both sprinkles and drizzle.

Hub's approval rating: "I can't eat anymore chocolate! My teeth hurt!"

Poor guy, I've filled him so full of sugar his teeth can't take it anymore. So my sister and I were the official taste testers on this one and they were amazing! Just as good as I had imagined!

Oreo Truffles

Taken from All Recipes

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-oreo-truffles/Detail.aspx

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 (8 ounce) packages chocolate almond bark, melted

Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. ( Cookies can be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.)

Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. ( I used my stand mixer and it blended very quickly.

Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.)

Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Red Velvet Cake balls

2009-12-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

I saw these delicious little treats on Bakerella and was so excited to try them. I had been completely in dark about red velvet cake until a good friend's beautiful winter wedding where guess what was served?? Red velvet CAKE! I was also looking for new and different Christmas goodies and with their minimal ingredients and fool proof instructions, I was set. The hubs and I hosted a small Christmas party for our closest friend's and everyone was sent home with goodie jars. These cake balls were by far the favorite and will be added to my annual baking list. I made them with white almond bark simply because I liked the sharp contrast and the taste, but you can make your own judgement call.

Hubs approval rating: "I love the almond bark and the cake is really good, even though it's red, that's kind of strange." Haha...that's his version of a positive.

Red Velvet Cake Balls
Adapted from Bakerella

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)

1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)

1 package white almond bark (regular or white chocolate)

wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (I mixed it in my stand mixer and it came out perfect without any mess.)

3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (If dough is having trouble staying together put in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Should make 45-50. )

4. Chill for several hours in the fridge or freezer if you are in a time crunch.

5. Melt almond bark in microwave per directions on package.

6. Roll balls in almond bark and lay flat on wax paper until firm. I used 2 forks to cradle the ball to avoid prong marks from the forks and to ensure easy release from utensils.

Heath Bits Cheesecake

2009-12-20T13:38:00.000-08:00

I have always been a HUGE fan of cheesecake and it's thick, rich goodness. My mom and I have been known to drool over cheesecake and we even have a routine of the proper way to savor cheesecake. Now, I have tried to teach the hubbs this important sequence of events but he doesn't quite get it. He doesn't 'appreciate' the cheesecake. Poor men, they miss all the important things in life.

However, I have been intimidated of making my own cheesecake because of the crust. I don't care for the idea of crushing up cookies, adding butter and hoping it all holds together. But I got an amazing Hershey's magazine and this recipe was calling out to me. It was also very simple and quick to make. The Heath bits really helped cover up any blemishes.

Regrets: I need to perfect my method of cutting cheesecake. I sort of 'butchered' it and as a result, the pieces are choppy.

Hubbs approval rating: " Yeah, pretty dang good. Really rich and filling."

Heath Bits Cheesecake
Take from Hershey's Christmas magazine

Ingredients
Vanilla wafer crust (recipe follows)
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 container (8 ounces) dairy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups (8 ounce package) HEATH milk chocolate toffee bits, divided

Prepare VANILLA WAFER crust. Heat oven to 350 degrees
Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat on low speed until blended.
Pour half of cheese mixture into crust. Reserve 1/4 cup of toffee bits for topping; sprinkle remaining toffee bits over cheese mixture in pan. Spoon in remaining cheese mixture.
Bake 1 hour or until filling is set. Cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle reserve toffee bits over top; with knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake.

VANILLA WAFER CRUST: Combine 1 3/4 cups of vanilla wafer crust (about 55 wafers, crushed) and 2 tablespoons sugar; stir in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9 inch spring form pan. Refrigerate about 30 minutes .

Attempting this, "Blog thing"

2009-12-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

So here I am. After reading (some may say stalking) several other cooking blogs, I have been inspired to start one of my own. One that chronicles my attempts to fall into that 'perfect wife' category. One that depicts my attempts to multitask and accomplish amazing feats, be it cooking, cleaning, organizing, decorating, studying or entertaining. One that makes me feel more worth of being my mothers' daughter, because you see, I am one of those girls that thought my mother had it all together.

The food listed in this blog will not be of Julia Child's french cuisine but rather a creative take on basics like Mac & Cheese. I have a picky husband who hates marinara sauce and chunky potatoes so I am forever struggling to find foods that will please everyone. I will not spend 20 minutes to get the perfect picture or smooth edges. I rather hope to inspire other 'average' chefs to feel successful within their own realms. So I encourage you to judge by taste instead of by looks. I will list a hubs approval rating at the end of each item as I figure if I can win him over, it should be a hit with others.

This leads to who I am. Well, I just so happen to feel the need to describe myself in bullet format.

Clumsy left handed girl; I was created backwards and continue to pay for it

Newlywed

College student-the never ending task of achieving my masters

Slightly OCD when it comes to cleaning and smells

Loves to cook; lacks endurance or attention span for complex instructions; hates the dishes

Poor speller, so try not to judge the grammar

There are of course many other words that describe me (kind or not) but those are all that are important for my purposes here.