The Sisters Dish

Almond Joy Brownie Bites

2012-01-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

I came across this recipe while searching for Paula Deen's Volcano cake recipe. I found it here at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. These are seriously SO good! I can't believe that I didn't get a better picture than this. I made these for a family dinner that we had a my in-laws on Christmas day. When I started making them, I thought we had 2 hours until the dinner, but later realized we only had one. So...I had to rush these babies and they didn't turn out very pretty!

I told my husband we might be bringing them all home because they looked so bad. He said he would be happy to bring them all home :) If you want to see a pretty picture of these, check out the link for the ones on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. I'm telling you though...even though these aren't pretty, they were SO good and unfortunately we didn't end up bringing them all home. I had a hard time getting my brownies out of my brownie mini-muffin pan...I think next time, I will line a pan with parchment paper make the brownies and then cut them into small squares or circles and use those instead of the muffin pan. Maybe I just need a different muffin pan. Anyways, I will be trying these again soon.

Almond Joy Brownie Bites

Ingredients:

Brownie batter (homemade, from a boxed mix, whatever is your favorite.)
4 cups sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
About 4 dozen almonds
Chocolate candy melts or almond bark

Directions: Preheat your oven according to brownie recipe directions and generously spray two mini muffin pans with nonstick spray. Fill cups about 1/2 full with brownie batter and bake according to directions. When brownies are done, place pans on a cooling rack and remove brownies once cooled completely.

In a medium bowl, combine coconut and sweetened condensed milk. With clean hands, roll coconut mixture into balls and press onto tops of brownie bites(I actually used my small cookie scoop to make the balls). Press an almond into the top of each. Place brownies in the freezer to harden for about 15 minutes.

Melt almond bark or candy melts according to directions. Remove brownies from freezer and dip the tops in the chocolate. Place dipped brownies on a wax paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate until chocolate is set.

Depending on what brownie recipe you use, you should get about 36-48 brownie bites.

Raspberry Rolls

2011-12-13T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last year we went to Utah to see my family for Christmas. While we were there I tried my first raspberry roll. My sister bought them from...somewhere...not sure what the place is called. I'll have to find that out. I LOVE these!! I made rolls the other night and had some dough leftover...so I decided to make a few of these....I cooked them individually in some oven safe coffee mugs.

Raspberry Rolls

So....you make these just as you do regular cinnamon rolls with only one simple change....instead of using cinnamon sugar you use raspberry jam.

To start, get your favorite dough for cinnamon rolls...bread dough, Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll dough, molly's roll dough(this is what I have been using lately) . Roll your dough into a rectangle as you would for regular cinnamon rolls. Spread a thin layer of butter on the dough(not too much), then spread a thin layer of seedless(you definitely want to use seedless) raspberry jelly. You really don't want to put too much butter or jam...OR you will have jam squeezing out all over when you roll it up, a little goes a long way. Next, roll up your rectangle and cut into rolls....3/4 to 1 inch thick. place in your pan or coffee mug. Let rise(20 to 30 minutes) and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes...Frost with cream cheese frosting...recipe below.

If you would like better instructions on rolling the dough and all that...click on the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll recipe.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 pound powdered sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup softened butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 t. vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions: With mixer, whip butter and cream cheese until soft and creamy. Mix in powdered sugar and salt. Add evaporated milk a little at a time so it doesn't get to thin. If necessary, add a little more milk to thin or powdered sugar to thicken. Add vanilla, mix well.

Oreo Truffles

2011-12-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

Have you all tried these? I have seen these everywhere. I have been meaning to try them for years! I think that I am one of only a few people that haven't made these or at least eaten one. I'm telling you, IF you haven't tried these...you should. They are SO good!! I am not very good at the chocolate dipping part, so mine aren't nearly as pretty as others that I have seen, but they still tasted good:)

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

1 package oreo cookies

8 ounces softened cream cheese

chocolate for dipping...chocolate chips, melting candies...etc.

Directions: Crush oreo cookies in the food processor until they are crumbs. Mix the oreo crumbs with the softened cream cheese until combined. Scoop a small amount of the oreo mixture and roll it into a ball. I put mine on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Place the oreo balls in the freezer for an hour or so, so that they will be easier to handle when dipping. Dip your oreo ball into melted chocolate to cover. (I melted chocolate chips in a double broiler.) Place the oreo ball back onto the cookie sheet. Freeze to set the chocolate. Serve cold from the refridgerator or the freezer.

I hope this makes sense.....

Caramel Pecan Bread Pudding

2011-11-28T09:36:00.001-08:00

I LOVE this bread pudding! I had never tried or thought I would like bread pudding before I made this, but I am now a fan! I found this recipe at cdkitchen.

Caramel Pecan Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

12 caramel candies
1 can Sweetened condensed milk (14 oz size)
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
3 eggs
8 slices Bread; torn into 1-inch pieces (I used approx. 3/4 of a loaf of French Bread)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the caramels, sweetened condensed milk, butter, vanilla, and salt over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramels are melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside.

Place the water in a large bowl and beat the eggs into the water. Add the caramel mixture and mix well. Stir in the bread cubes and the pecans. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir again.

Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

**I baked mine in oven-safe coffee mugs.

Crusty Rolls

2011-11-10T12:37:00.001-08:00

I made these rolls to make bbq chicken sandwiches the other night. Everyone LOVED them!!

Crusty Rolls

recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
2 tablespoons shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
Cornmeal

Directions:

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add shortening, sugar, salt and 1 cup flour; beat until smooth. Add egg whites; mix well. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (dough will be stiff). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

Punch dough down; divide into 24 pieces and shape into balls. Sprinkle greased baking sheets with cornmeal. Place rolls 2 in. apart on baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Place a large shallow pan filled with boiling water on lowest rack in oven. Bake rolls on middle rack at 425° for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 2 dozen.

Paula Deen's Volcano Cake

2011-11-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this cake!! I first had it when my sister-in-law made it. Hers looked prettier though. She is REALLY good at making food look pretty. This cake is rich and I think that next time I will make it in two square pans, so that I can give one away...it's really good and my will power is not that good! I really like the pecan, coconut 'crust' ... mmmmm....really! Thanks Paula Deen!

those holes left by the cream cheese....they soak up the glaze nicely.....

I split this piece open so that you could see the yummy insides:)

I used my small cookie scoop to distribute the cream cheese mixture. (I had a lot of the cream cheese mixture leftover, you could do your scoops closer together if you would like)

Paula Deen's Volcano Cake

Ingredients

Cream mixture:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups 4X or 10X sugar(I don't know what 4X and 10X sugar is, I used powdered sugar)

Cake:
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup pecans
1 (18.25-ounce) box German chocolate cake mix, prepare by following directions on box
10 bite-sized almond and chocolate covered candy or candy of choice

Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

For the cream mixture:
Beat ingredients together with an electric mixer. Set aside until ready to use.

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch cake pan.

Line bottom of greased pan with coconut flakes. Sprinkle pecans on top of coconut. Set aside.

Follow directions on back of box to prepare cake. Beat for approximately 2 minutes, using an electric mixer. Fold in bite-sized candy. Pour into cake pan. Evenly space dollops of cream mixture on top of the cake. When the cake cooks, the cream will sink down to the bottom. This will be your "volcano" of flavor. Place in oven for 40 to 45 minutes. While cake is still hot spread the glaze evenly over the cake.

For the glaze:

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in cocoa powder and add milk until you get a thin consistency. If glaze is too thick, add more milk. While bringing the butter and milk mixture to a boil, whisk in confectioners' sugar and almond extract. Glaze should be thin. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before using.

Hot Fudge Cake

2011-10-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

MMMmmmmm.....I like cake that makes it's own sauce. Serve this with some ice cream and you will be happy!

Hot Fudge Cake

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. sugar

6 T. cocoa, divided

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. milk

2 T. vegetable oil (I actually use canola)

1 t. vanilla

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 3/4 c. hot water

Directions: In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, 2 T. cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Spread into an ungreased 9 inch square baking pan. Combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over all; do not stir. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Yield: 9 servings.

Butter Cream Frosting

2011-10-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

I LOVE butter cream frosting! I posted this recipe...back when I posted the recipe for the BEST sugar cookies ever. I decided that I would post it again....because it deserves it's own post.

This frosting is SO good on sugar cookies and GREAT with cinnamon roles!

One of my boys turned 6 a couple of weeks ago and asked for blue frosting for his chocolate cupcakes...so I tried the butter cream frosting and what do you know...it was also great with chocolate cupcakes.

I know that it looks like their is more frosting than cupcake...and maybe there is....

Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 lb. Powdered Sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cube(1/4 cup) butter (softened)

1/4 c. evaporated milk

1 1/2 t. vanilla

Directions: With mixer, whip butter until soft and creamy. Add powdered sugar and salt. Add powdered sugar and mix. Add milk a little at a time to desired consistency. If necessary, add a little more milk to thin or powdered sugar to thicken. Add vanilla and food coloring(if desired). Mix well. Spread on cake, cookies, or cinnamon rolls.

Green Chili Bean Dip

2011-10-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

Remember when I said that I have A LOT of green chili? We LOVE green chili and use it in SO many things...salsa, green chili burros, chicken sandwiches, Chicken Enchiladas Creamas Verde and now I will be adding this dip to our green chili line-up.

Try not to judge it by the looks of this picture -k- I should really work on my food photography skills:) If only my cousin Tracey lived closer, so that I could get some lessons!

Green Chili Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 can refried beans

1 can ro-tel tomatoes

12 ounces Velveeta cheese

1/2 cup chopped roasted green chilies

Directions: Heat all ingredients in a saucepan, until warm and cheese has melted.

Peaches and Cream Oatmeal

2011-10-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

We eat A LOT of oatmeal at our house...almost every morning. Most of my kids(all but one) love it, the other one tolerates it. I had some leftover maple cream sauce after making The Pioneer Woman's Peach Crisp the other day. I decided to try it with my oatmeal and it was Yummy!!

Peaches and Cream Oatmeal

This is another one of those 'not really a recipe' posts. Just take some good old oatmeal(prepared and warm, of course) top it with some super sweet chopped peaches, sprinkle with brown sugar and add a generous amount of Maple Cream Sauce.

Enjoy!! I can't wait to get my next box of peaches this weekend!

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

2011-10-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman. I LOVE fresh peaches. We got a box of Utah peaches a couple of weeks ago and will be getting another one this week. We have been eating them fresh, making Peach Vanilla Syrup, and freezing them to use in our morning fruit shakes. I'm glad that we saved some to try this recipe! It is very good, but seriously I haven't made anything from The Pioneer Woman's website that is not delicious!!

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

5 whole To 6 Whole Fresh Peaches (best When Not Overly Ripe Or Soft)
1 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
1/2 whole Lemon
7 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup, Divided
1-1/2 cup Whipping Cream
3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

Directions: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed.

Peel peaches into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Squeeze juice from lemon half and stir in with peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well.

Pour peach mixture into a small pan (8” or 9” square) and cover evenly with crumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top.

Maple Cream Sauce:

Pour whipping cream into a saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons real maple syrup, 3 tablespoons corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until it is cold and thick, or set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice (the ice will melt and turn into ice water). Stirring your mixture, it will cool and thicken in about 15 minutes. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp. Serve warm.

Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowls

2011-09-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe here, from Real Mom Kitchen. We loved this dish, even my picky 5 year old cleaned his plate. This is quick and easy! I made the sauce and cut up my chicken during the afternoon...and then cooked dinner in a matter of minutes after soccer practice the other day. Delicious!!

Chicken Teriyaki Bowls

Ingredients:

Oil

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut up into bite sized pieces

3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables

¼ cup teriyaki sauce (see recipe below)
3 cups of steamed rice
Additional teriyaki sauce, if desired

Directions: Place a little oil in the bottom of a wok or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Give the oil and pan a minute or two to get hot. Then add your chicken to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add 1-2 Tbsp of teriyaki sauce and for 3 minutes more until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the frozen veggies to the pan. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minute more, stirring every couple of minutes, until veggies are heated through. Add the remaining teriyaki sauce to the mixture and serve over the rice. Serve with additional teriyaki sauce if desired.

Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
black pepper to taste

Directions: In a small saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and no lumps. Then, whisk in the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce it and simmer until thickens. You will end up with about 1 cup of sauce.

Green Chili Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2011-09-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

I ordered a 35 lb bag of roasted green chili a few weeks ago. We LOVE green chili at our house. I still have a little green chili in the freezer from last year that I need to get used up. The other night we were having tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner. I decided to spice up the grilled cheese with some green chili and we loved it!

I'm sure you've all had grilled cheese sandwiches before, so just make them as you would and throw some green chili in-between some cheese and cook these up. I used one slice of provolone and one slice of some cheddar/mozzarella mixed cheese that I had.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with a hint of coconut

2011-09-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

So...the other day I started making my favorite chocolate chip cookies. I took out the shortening, and it was rancid...really....I just bought it a week or two earlier. ...and it didn't 'expire' until March 22 2013. I was MAD...I had only used it a couple of times and that stuff is not cheap.

....anyway, I had some coconut oil in the pantry that my Mother-in-law gave us. I decided to use that instead of the shortening. I don't know if I will ever go back to using shortening. These cookies are SO good!! Just a hint of the coconut taste. Even my 11 year old that hates coconut, LOVES these!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with a hint of coconut

(basically these cookies with coconut oil)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Cream together coconut oil, brown sugar and sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add salt, baking soda, and flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 9-10 minutes.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

2011-09-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is a quick simple recipe. I found this recipe in the newspaper 'Star Watch'.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions: Prepare grill for direct grilling on medium-high. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with vegetable oil, cayenne and salt to coat. Place shrimp on hot grill. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque throughout, turning once. Transfer shrimp to plate and let cool 5 minutes. Serves 4.

Red Hot Cinnamon Candy Popcorn

2011-09-20T10:47:00.001-07:00

My sister told me about this recipe. She found it here at cdkitchen. This popcorn is SO yummy!!

Red Hot Cinnamon Candy Popcorn

Ingredients:

6 quarts popped popcorn

12 oz red cinnamon candies (red hots)

sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions: Spread popcorn in a lightly buttered roasting pan; bake at 250 degrees while you prepare the syrup. Pour the cinnamon candies into a 2 cup measuring cup(I used my liquid measuring cup). Fill the remaining space up to two cups with sugar. Place in a heavy pan. Add butter corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat; carefully stir in baking soda. Pour over popcorn stirring to coat. Continue to bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir one last time; let cool. Break into pieces; store in an airtight container.

Night Owl S'mores Treat

2011-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe here at Real Mom Kitchen. We really enjoyed these.

The recipe says that these need to be made and eaten in the same day so that the cereal doesn't get soggy. We love dessert around here, but we don't eat a lot at one sitting(well...maybe I do, but we try not to let the kids). I didn't want to waste what we didn't eat, so I put the extra pieces in the freezer and we snacked on this all week long.

Night Owl S'mores Treat

Ingredients:
9 cups honey graham cereal (like Golden Grahams)
3/4 cup corn syrup
3 T butter
11-1/2 ounce package milk chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
3 cups mini marshmallows

Directions: Grease a cookie sheet butter. Measure 9 cups of honey graham cereal in a large mixing bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine corn syrup, butter and milk chocolate chips. Stir constantly until chocolate chips are melted and ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal and stir quickly until cereal is coated with chocolate. Stir in the marshmallows. Pour mixture onto cookie sheet and using a slightly damp hand, press into pan.

This recipe needs to be made and eaten the same day. Otherwise the cereal gets soggy the next day.

Blackberry Cobbler Waffles

2011-08-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

We LOVE breakfast food for dinner at my house!! This is really more like dessert! I did make some super healthy fruit shakes to go with this...so I think it all works itself out.

I found this recipe over at How Sweet It Is. I LOVE Jessica's blog. Seriously the yummiest recipes, best pictures and funniest posts you will ever see!!

Blackberry Cobbler Waffles

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cups rolled oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 pints fresh blackberries

vanilla ice cream + maple syrup for serving (I used buttermilk syrup)

Directions: Preheat your waffle iron and spray it with non-stick spray (I always spray again between each waffle.)

In a bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir in eggs, milk, vanilla and butter, mixing until combined and smooth. Fold in about 1 cup of black berries. Make waffles per your iron's directions.

Heat the remaining blackberries in a saucepan over low heat and mash with a fork until saucy. Serve waffles with warm mashed berries, syrup and vanilla ice cream.

quick and easy way to shred meat

2011-07-20T10:23:00.001-07:00

Quick post today....just thought I would let you all know my favorite way to shred meat. The meat shreds SO quick and EASY.

Place your warm cooked meat in your KitchenAid with the cookie paddle and pulse until the meat is shredded to your desired consistency. It really doesn't take much, if you pulse it too much, it will end up looking like tuna fish. I only shred ~3 lbs. at a time. If I have more meat than that, I will shred part, empty the bowl and then shred more.

Orange Rolls

2011-07-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law made these for us and they are SO good! Thanks Rachele :)

Orange Rolls

Ingredients:
4 cans of biscuits (the type you pull paper off and they pop open - make sense?

Juice from one orange

1 orange rind - grated(small)

2 cubes(1 cup) butter or margarine

1 1/2 cup sugar

Directions: Open biscuits and place 2 stacks of biscuits from cans side by side in one loaf pan. Place the other two cans in another loaf pan. In a saucepan heat, but don't boil, the rest of the ingredients. Pour orange sauce over biscuits and bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Dump out of loaf pans onto a cookies sheet and serve.

Granola

2011-05-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

I really LOVE granola!! This recipe comes from my mother-in-law and is delicious!!

Granola

Mix together in a large bowl:

-14 c. rolled oats

-2 c. wheat germ

-2 c. coconut

-1/2 or more c. sesame seeds, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat bran, etc.

Mix together in the blender:

-1 c. oil

-1/3 c. water

-1 1/2 c. honey

-3 t. vanilla

-2 t. salt

Pour the ingredients from the blender over dry ingredients & mix together thoroughly. Bake in cookie sheets or pan (approx. 4) for 30 minutes at 250-300 degrees.

A simple, favorite after-school snack

2011-05-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

My kids LOVE strawberries. They will literally sit down and eat one or two pounds each, if I let them. They were SO happy to see these waiting for on the table for them after school the other day. So simple and delicious.

My local grocery store had reddi-wip(is that what it's called?) whip cream in the can, and strawberries on sale. I brought them home, sliced a small piece off the bottom of the strawberry(so that it would stand up on the plate). Then I cut the top of the strawberry off, leaving a v-shaped hole to fill with the whip cream. Fun and just sweet enough.

yum, yum...we will definitely be snacking on these all summer long.

Fluffernutter Cookies

2011-05-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe at The Picky Palate. I LOVE these cookies. They are SO simple and SO yummy. I really like the fact that they are not too sweet.

Fluffernutter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup marshmallow creme

1 egg

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter and egg until well combined with a spoon. Slowly stir in marshmallow creme until just combined. You want to see the marshmallow creme not fully incorporated, almost like swirled through. With a small-medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until baked through. Let cool for 5 minutes on a cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes approx. 18 cookies.

Sweet and Sour Asian Wraps

2011-05-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

My Sister found this recipe in her April Family Circle Magazine. When she told me about it, I told her to send me the recipe. I LOVE lettuce wraps and these are SO good!! I've made them twice, once with shredded chicken(that I had bottled) and ground turkey(didn't have ground chicken at my store). I really like them both ways! My husband really liked them with the ground turkey. The ones with the ground turkey were definitely juicier.

I also couldn't find the fish sauce at my grocery store so I left that out of the dipping sauce. The first time I made them with the shredded chicken, I also added some chopped almonds on top(SO GOOD). I also added about a teaspoon of crushed red peppers to my husbands dipping sauce. I made two bowls of dipping sauce and then we just added a spoonful or two to our wraps before we ate them.

Sweet and Sour Asian Wraps

Ingredients:

(Sauce)
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
2 T Sugar
1 t fish sauce
1/4 t. sriracha
1 T water (I didn't add the water)

(wraps)
1 T canola oil
1 lb. ground chicken
1 sm red sweet pepper (chopped)
1 t sugar
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 sriracha
2 scallions chopped
1 T soy sauce
16 lg. bibb lettuce leaves
sliced cucumbers, scallions, mint and limes for serving

Directions:
Dipping sauce: Stir together all ingredients in a small dish and set aside.

Wraps: Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in chicken and cook 2 minutes breaking up large pieces with a wooden spoon. Stir in red pepper, sugar, garlic powder, ginger and sriracha. Cook 3 minutes, until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Take off heat and stir in scallions and soy sauce.

To serve, spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture into each lettuce leaf and top with cucumber, scallions, mint, and a squeeze of lime. Serve with dipping sauce and brown rice.

Crock pot Burritos

2011-04-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

WELL....I'm not sure why this keeps posting with the format all messed up. I'm going to post it anyway. If you have any suggestions on how to fix it, let me know. I found this recipe over at Tried and True with Heidi. As soon as I saw this, I knew my family would LOVE it!! It is really easy too.

Crock pot Burritos

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 envelope taco seasoning

2 cans refried beans

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

flour tortillas

toppings of choice (lettuce, cheese, sour cream, black olives)

Directions: Mix first 5 ingredients in a greased crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-10 hours. Place in flour tortillas with your choice of toppings. Roll up and enjoy.

Recipe coming soon

2011-04-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get a recipe posted today. For some reason it is not posting the way that it looks when I type it in. Blogger must be having some issues. I'll check back later and see if it will post correctly.

Valentines Cookies, Reece's Style

2011-02-11T15:42:00.000-08:00

I found these cookies over at the blog, my name is snickerdoodle. She called them 'melt your heart cookies'. SO cute!

I just wanted to share these really quick and tell you to go check out my name is snickerdoodle (her picture is MUCH better than mine:)). I used a different peanut butter cookie recipe than she used for hers. These are basically the same as the Reece's mini-muffin cookies that I blogged about here.

Valentines Cookies, Reece's Style

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg, beaten
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. milk
30-40 miniature Reece's Peanut Butter HEARTS

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda, set aside
Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well.
Using approx. 1 T of dough, shape into a ball, roll in sugar and place on a baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Press Reece's heart into the center of the cookie and allow to finish cooling.

Paula Deen's Dreamy Creamy Hot Chocolate

2011-02-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

There is nothing that reminds me of Grandma like Cinnamon Toast and Hot Chocolate. I tried this recipe from Food Network for Paula Deen's Hot Chocolate and it is really Yummy!

I am still planning to share the mixed berry syrup from the crepe post with you, I just can't find my recipe book. We have had a few things disappear lately...shoes, books, etc...guess it's time to go hunting for the 2 year old's hiding places:)

Paula Deen's Dreamy Creamy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. salt
6 1/2 cups hot water
miniature marshmallows(optional-I used whipped cream)

Directions: In a large saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, vanilla and salt; mix well. Over medium heat, slowly stir in water; heat through, stirring occasionally. DO NOT BOIL. Top with marshmallows if desired.

Tip: Chocolate can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Mix well and reheat before serving.

Crepes with Cheese Blintz Filling

2011-02-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

My Sister sent me this recipe. Her husband made them for her(lucky). We had to try them and we LOVED them. My Sister served hers with pureed strawberries and pureed peaches mixed with a little Splenda, fresh berries and powdered sugar. I served mine topped with mixed berry sauce(I'll share that recipe soon), whipped cream and strawberries.

I loved these, the filling wasn't too sweet and mixed wonderfully with the fruit syrup and whipped cream. Thanks for the recipe, Heather!

Crepes with Cheese Blintz Filling

Ingredients:

Crepes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 T butter, melted
2 T granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
additional butter (for pan)

Filling:

1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup softened cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla

Directions:

Use an electric mixer to blend together all crepe ingredients(except the butter for the pan) in a large bowl. Blend just until smooth. The butter will be very thin.
Combine the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and mix by hand. Keep the filling nearby.
Preheat a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot add 1/2 t. butter.
When the butter has melted, pour 1/3 cup batter into the pan. Swirl the batter so that it entirely coats the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until golden brown on one side.
Use a spatula to lift an edge of the crepe, grab it with your finger, use the spatula to quickly flip over. Cook for another 1 1/2 or until a bit lighter shade of brown than the first side, then slide it out of the pan. Repeat with the rest of the batter and stack finished crepes on top of each other to keep them warm.
Heat the cheese filling in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. When ready to fill the crepes, place each crepe, dark side down, on a plate. Pour 2 to 3 T of cheese filling across the center of the crepe. Fold the sides in and flip entire blintz over(to hide seam) onto a serving plate.
Top with desired toppings.

Chicken Enchiladas Creamas Verde

2011-01-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

These are seriously some of the best enchiladas I have EVER tasted. I got this recipe from my super awesome cousin Tracey!

I wish I could have taken a better picture. I really don't know how to take a 'good' picture of enchiladas. Also, it seems like every time I try to photograph food, it is night(poor lighting), my family is STARVING(hands in pictures, shaking table)...the excuses could go on and on.

Anyway....you must try these...SO delish!!

Chicken Enchiladas Creamas Verde

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked chicken (a shredded rotisserie chicken would work well)
2 T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 jar tomatillo salsa divided (my jar was 16 oz.)
1 small can diced green chilies
8 oz. cream cheese
1 doz. small flour tortillas
1 cup half and half or heavy cream
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; Saute onion 5 minutes. Add chicken, 1/2 jar salsa, cream cheese and chilies. Reduce heat to medium; stir, melt cheese and blend mixture well. Heat tortillas briefly, then fill each with about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture. Roll up tightly and place in baking dish, seam-sides down. Combine remaining tomatillo salsa with cream; pour over enchiladas and top with shredded cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese melts.

Skillet Meaty Lasagna

2011-01-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

I watched Chris Kimball make this on the Today Show last week. I had been trying to decide what to make for dinner that night and decided to try it. It was great!! My family loved it!! It was simple and easy clean up. I thought I had more lasagna noodles than I had, so I had to add some penne to it with the broken up lasagna noodles.

Skillet Meaty Lasagna

Ingredients:

3 (14.5-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 Tablespoon)
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1 pound meatloaf mix (I just used ground beef)
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles (about 8 1/2 ounces), broken into 2-inch lengths
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
ground black pepper
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 T chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely groun and no large pieces reamin, about 12 pulses.
Heat teh oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 t salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
Scatter the pasta over the meat, then pour the processed tomatoes over the pasta. Cover , increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
Off teh heat, stir in half of the mozzerella and half of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzerella and Parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Tips:

Do not substitute no-boil lasagna noodles for the traditional, curly-edged lasagna noodles here. Meatloaf mix is a combination of ground beef, pork and veal.

White Chocolate Popcorn

2011-01-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

Have you tried this before? A sister-in-law introduced this to us about a year ago. It is now my kids favorite popcorn. SO Yummy!! I usually like to stir in some M&Ms with it too.

This past week my kids planned a family party to watch the BYU/SDSU basketball game. They decorated with blue and white, made their Jimmer poster and asked if we could make their favorite popcorn and make it blue. While I was stirring in the food coloring, it made the chocolate set-up a little fast, so...it's not the prettiest popcorn, but it was very tasty!! The blue is a little on the light side too...oh well...the kids loved it.

The bowl of popcorn is sitting on an article about BYU in the Wall Street Journal.

White Chocolate Popcorn

Ingredients:

1-2 bags microwave popcorn (depending on how covered you like it)
1 bag white chocolate chips
1 bag M&Ms (optional)

Directions: Pop your corn. Put popcorn in a large bowl(pick out kernels). Melt chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for one minute. Continue to microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. Pour over popcorn and stir.

Lime Chicken Tacos

2010-12-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

My neighbor gave me this recipe and my family LOVED it!! In fact I made this chicken twice the first week I had the recipe, because my 10 year old was BEGGING for it. The picture I took of the tacos was really bad, so I'm just posting a picture of the chicken.

Chicken Lime Tacos

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast - cubed
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 lime, juiced
1 t. white sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. dried oregano

Directions: Saute chicken in medium sauce pan over medium high heat until no longer pink(I poached mine and then shredded it). Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic, and oregano. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Place in tortillas, top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and salsa. I like to squeeze a little more lime juice into my taco.

Pizza Rolls

2010-10-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Another recipe to use up some leftover bread dough. My sister told me about these. She said that she had a friend that would use Rhodes rolls, make pizza rolls, freeze them and then she would have a quick and easy snack for later. I thought that sounded like a great idea! I got these made and was going to freeze them, but didn't have anything else planned for dinner...so we ate them for dinner instead. They were a huge hit. I served them with some homemade marinara. MMM!!

Pizza Rolls

Ingredients:

leftover bread dough
string cheese
pepperoni (optional)
dipping sauce

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Wrap a piece of bread dough around a piece of string cheese(cut into half or thirds) and pepperoni. Pinch closed. Place on greased baking sheet. I brushed mine with an egg wash(egg white + 1 teaspoon water) and then sprinkled with garlic sauce. Bake at 350 until lightly brown. Eat, or cool then freeze.

Snakmaster Apple Pie Turnover

2010-10-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my Snakmaster. It was my Grandma's. I always loved it and when she passed away I got it. I use it a lot to make hot sandwiches. My kids really like pizza sandwiches from the Snakmaster. The other day...when I was canning apple pie filling I made my kids a quick, yummy treat!! They LOVED it and so did I! If you don't have a Snakmaster I would definitely recommend getting one.

Snakmaster Apple Pie Turnover

Ingredients:

2 slices bread (I used whole wheat)
apple pie filling
powdered sugar
milk

Directions: Using a rolling pin(or your hands) flatten you bread. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place butter side down in the snakmaster. Place a spoonful of apple pie filling in each side of the bread(each triangle section). Top with the other piece of bread, butter side up. Mix some powdered sugar with a little milk to make a glaze. When the 'turnover' is finished cooking place on a plate and drizzle with the powdered sugar glaze.

Does any of this make sense? I hope so:)

Monkey Muffins - with apple pie filling

2010-10-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

This WONDERFUL recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman. These are SO yummy!! I used the white bread recipe that I posted last. The last time I made these I added some apple pie filling in with the balls of dough before I let them rise. I was canning apple pie filling and applesauce a couple of weeks ago and decided to try some of the apple pie filling in these and it was so good!! I got the apple pie filling recipe here. Yum!! If you like apple pie filling...try this!!

Monkey Muffins

From The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
Leftover Bread Dough (or Refrigerated Biscuit Dough, Cut Into Thirds)

Butter
Sugar
Ground Cinnamon
Sweetened, Condensed Milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to muffin tins. Sprinkle in sugar and cinnamon.
Roll dough into walnut sized balls (or cut refrigerated biscuit dough into thirds). Place three into each muffin tin.
Top with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle on more sugar and cinnamon. Allow dough to rise, if applicable, or just go ahead and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle plenty of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one. Be generous! Allow rolls to sit for a little while to absorb the sweet, sticky milk.

If you want to add the apple pie filling, chop the pie filling and add in with the rolls of dough. Repeat the other steps as described above.

The pictures above are not made in muffin tins, but little ceramic Christmas ornament dishes that I bought from Micheal's last Christmas season. I thought I had taken pictures the the 'muffins' I had made, but...guess not.

White Bread

2010-10-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

This white bread recipe is from one of my wonderful MILs (Ava). This makes super light and super yummy bread!! I almost forgot to take a picture again last time I made bread. This loaf is actually one that had been in the freezer. I should have gotten a picture of a fresh loaf, it probably would have been prettier:)

White Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
2 T. salt
6 cups hot water
1 cup oil
1 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs
3 1/2 T. yeast + 1t. sugar (dissolved in 1/2 c. warm water)
20 or more cups flour

Directions: Dissolve sugar and salt in hot water. Add oil and evaporated milk to cool. Add yeast(sugar added to dry yeast helps it work). Add eggs. Add about 10 cups of flour, mix well and let rest ~10 minutes. Add flour until the right consistency, a soft dough...not too sticky. Knead very well or mix in bread mixer for several minutes. Let rise in large bowl until about double(only once). Put in pans or make rolls or cinnamon rolls. Raise until double. Bake at 350 until golden brown. Butter tops of bread or rolls. Frost cinnamon rolls. When I make this bread, it makes 7 loaves.

Chicken Corn Chowder

2010-09-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

I was going to post my MIL's white bread(seriously the BEST bread) recipe today, but I don't have any pictures....SO, that will have to wait.

I found this recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder a few years ago at the Picky Palate. I have made this several times and it is SO yummy!!!

Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 medium bell pepper, color of choice, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed
1/4 Cup thinly sliced or chopped ham or Canadian bacon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
3 Tablespoons flour
3 ears of fresh corn kernels
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 Cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until softened. Stir in garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. Whisk the broth with the flour in a large bowl then stir into soup. Stir in corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat. Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Stir into soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer until ready to serve.

Vanilla Honey Butter

2010-09-14T09:59:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe on the box that my Watkins Vanilla came in. It is SO yummy! I served it with some homemade wheat bread. It would also be SO good on some warm fresh tortillas.

Vanilla Honey Butter

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used butter)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 t pure vanilla extract

Directions: Whip butter and powdered sugar together until smooth; stir in honey and vanilla. Use on pancakes, waffles, biscuits or muffins....or bread, tortillas, etc. Makes 3/4 cup.

Banana Crumb Muffins

2010-08-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

I LOVE banana cake, banana bread and these banana muffins!! I got this recipe years ago from a Taste of Home magazine.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

Topping:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. cold butter

Directions: In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Combine bananas, sugar, egg and butter; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Combine the first three topping ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Makes about 1 dozen.

Peach Vanilla Syrup

2010-08-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

I received an email with this recipe from Pam a year ago. We LOVE this syrup! My 10 year old won't eat pancakes with anything else. I made another batch today and will be making more tomorrow. Try this syrup with whole wheat blender pancakes...SO yummy!! FYI...Basha's has peaches on sale 2 pounds for $1 this week.

Peach Vanilla Syrup

Ingredients:

5 cups peaches(pureed)
2 cups sugar
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. vanilla

Directions: Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and stir well. Pour into hot, sterile jars and screw the hot lids and rings on tight.

**Edited to add: Process the syrup in a boiling hot water bath for ~15 minutes, to make sure that any bacteria is killed. Start timing when the water comes to a full boil. Set jars out and listen for the pop to ensure they have sealed:)

Here is a link that Sarah D left about the safety of NOT hot water bathing...http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/08/canning-101-why-you-shouldnt-can-like-your-grandmother-did/ Thanks Sarah!!

Root Beer BBQ Chicken

2010-07-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe almost a year ago at Prudence Pennywise. I have made it a couple of times since then and it is YUMMY! I will be making this again soon now that grilling season is in full swing.

Root Beer BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

2 cans root beer, divided use
1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce
1/2 cup Dijon mustard, plus 1/4 cup more for marinade
brown sugar, if needed
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 tablespoon each paprika and garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: In a small saucepan, boil one can root beer until thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup each smoky barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup Dijon. Taste this sauce and add brown sugar if the sauce needs a little sweetness. (Notes: you should have plenty of extra sauce for dipping-just reserve half of it before spreading it on the chicken.) Meanwhile, smear chicken with Dijon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder; drizzle with olive oil. Place in zip top bag. Pour root beer over chicken, cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Grill or broil chicken, about five minutes per side, or until outside is nicely browned and inside is no longer pink.

Baked Rigatoni

2010-05-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

My sister told me about this recipe that she found at Real Mom Kitchen. I LOVE Laura's blog. She found the recipe at Recipes of a Cheapskate.

My family LOVED this pasta!! So yummy! I served a simple salad on the side. I will be making this again!!

Baked Rigatoni

Ingredients:

1 pkg (16 oz) rigatoni pasta
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 qt milk (4 cups)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese(I used 1/2 mozzarella, and 1/2 provolone)
about 1/2 lb thinly sliced ham
seasonings (onion salt, pepper, cayenne pepper)
small pads of butter for top

Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter over medium heat and start water boiling for pasta. Once butter is melted, whisk in flour. Add your milk, and continue to stir until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. When the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until just past the al-dente stage. Just starting to get soft. When the white sauce is done, add your seasoning, ham, and cheese. stir well, to get the cheese melted. Drain your pasta and add to the sauce. Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with cheese. Dot the top with your pads of butter and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and brown.

According to Recipes from a Cheapskate if you’re trying to freeze this recipe, let it cool completely after pouring it into the pan, then add your cheese on top and the butter. Cover securely and freeze. If cooking it frozen, add about 30 minutes on the time, and check the center before you take it out.

Yummy, Easy Whole Wheat Bread

2010-05-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

I got spoiled for Mother's Day and my birthday this year. My husband and boys gave me a Bosch and a Nutrimill(I LOVE them!!). This recipe is the second I tried for whole wheat bread. It is SO yummy! This bread is SO light and delicious!! I found this recipe at The Sisters Cafe.

Yummy, Easy Whole Wheat Bread

(5 medium loaves)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups hot tap water (helps offset the cool can of milk)
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
3 T instant yeast (like SAF)
2/3 cup oil1 cup honey (use the same measuring glass as the oil and the honey slide right out)
1 cup white flour
3 T vital wheat gluten
2 T dough enhancer (this is optional--I used it)
12 cups whole wheat flour (approx 8c wheat berries= 12 c flour)
1 1/2 T salt

Directions: Grind your wheat (in your electric wheat grinder) while getting everything else ready. Then, using a Bosch or other heavy duty mixer, combine ingredients in the order given, mixing well after half the flour, then add the other half of flour and salt. Add a little extra white flour as needed if dough is too sticky. Knead in mixer for 8 minutes. Dump out dough, pour a little oil on your counter top and spread with your hand. Form into a long log, then divide into 5 loaves. Form each loaf into a log shape and place in medium sized nonstick bread pan. Press down the sides of each dough piece to fill the bottom of the pan, leaving the top round and smooth. Let rise in a warm spot until almost desired bread size. (about 1 hour). Bake in preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven to wire racks and brush tops of hot loaves with butter, if desired. Let cool about 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely before slicing.

Southwest Chicken Sandwich

2010-05-11T14:09:00.001-07:00

My Sister told me about this sandwich. She ordered something similar at a restaurant and told me how wonderful it was! I LOVE everything in this sandwich!! She told me it was called the Southwest Chicken Sandwich at the restaurant and since I thought the Green chili, Cream cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, Chicken sandwich would be way too long of a name....I decided to just call it the Southwest Chicken Sandwich also. This sandwich is simple and SO yummy!! I bought my roasted whole green chilies in the produce section of my local grocery store, but you can always roast your own green chilies, it's pretty easy...maybe there will be a post to come about roasting peppers. Let me know if any of you would like one.

Southwest Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless Chicken Breast (pounded to desired thickness)
Roasted Green Chili
Cream Cheese, sliced
Pepper Jack Cheese, sliced
Buns (I used homemade)

Directions: Season chicken(I used Lawry's seasoning salt and seasoning pepper). Grill chicken until almost cooked through. Place green chili on top of chicken(while still on the grill), then cream cheese, and last pepper jack cheese. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melting. Place chicken on bun(I like to butter and toast my bun) then top with whatever fixings you like(I just topped mine with lettuce this time and spinach last time I made these.

This sandwich is SO good!! I wish the picture did it justice!!

Simple Fruit Dip

2010-04-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from my Sister. It is simple and YUMMY!!

Simple Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 sm. jar marshmallow cream
1 sm. carton yogurt, any flavor (I use Yoplait Lemon Burst)

Directions: Beat ingredients together until creamy.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

2010-04-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a LONG time since I have been on here. I adapted this recipe for cream cheese enchiladas from the blog, Our Family Treat(Check out their blog! LOTS of yummy looking recipes!). These enchiladas are delicious!! I have another YUMMY recipe using chicken, cream cheese and green chilis to share with you soon.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts-shredded
1 8 oz block Cream Cheese
1 28 oz can Green Enchilada Sauce (I like La Victoria, but if any of you have a good homemade green sauce recipe....PLEASE share:))
1 can Black Beans-rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked Rice-with juice from one lime and the lime zest. Also add ~1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro. (I add the lime zest to the rice while cooking and then add the lime juice and cilantro after the rice has cooked.)
6-8 Tortillas
1-2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese.

Directions: Mix the chicken, cream cheese and ~2 cups of the enchilada sauce together and set aside. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray, pour ~1/2 cup enchilada sauce into the bottom of the pan. Layer about 1/4 cup of rice, then black beans (as much as you would like) and then about 1/4-1/2 cup of chicken mixture on each tortilla. Wrap up the tortilla lay seam side down on 9 x 13 baking sheet. Continue until mixture is gone. Top with 1 cup enchilada sauce and 1-2 cups of Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes covered. Then uncover for about 5 minutes to brown cheese.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-03-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't had banana cake since the occasional office party when we lived in Oregon. I love it and was SO happy when I saw it at Gourmified. I didn't get a good picture of mine. You should go check out Lisa's picture of her cake here(seriously SO pretty!). If you have some bananas that are past their prime and turning black...try this recipe.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. soda
2/3 c. butter, at room temperature
4 mashed bananas, large
2 large eggs
2/3 c. buttermilk or plain yogurt
2/3 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and soda. Then add: butter, and bananas. Beat thoroughly, then add: eggs, buttermilk, chopped nuts and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Pour into a greased & floured 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. When cooled, top with Cream Cheese frosting. Recipe below.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter

Directions: Combine all ingredients until smooth.

Hot Chocolate Cake

2010-03-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

I cut this recipe from a Real Simple magazine years ago...2005. I found it in a file the other day and couldn't wait to try it. The original recipe shows this baked in a mug. I bought some mugs, but didn't know for sure if they were oven safe or not....so I made it in my 10-inch springform pan. This cake is rich and super yummy. I am definitely going to find some oven safe mugs or ramekins to make this in next time. The cake was messy and hard to dish out, so the individual servings would be great!! I will definitely be making this again!

Messy to dish up, but SO yummy!!

Hot Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

8 T unsalted butter, plus extra for coating
3 T all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting
10 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter, flour and sugar eight 6-ounce coffee cups or mugs made of ovenproof stoneware. Wipe the rims clean. Place the 8 T of butter and the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt, stirring once or twice until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Using a handheld mixer(I just used my kitchen-aid), beat the eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt and 1/2 cup sugar at the highest speed until the volume doubles and mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir the 3 T flour into the chocolate, then gradually add it to the egg mixture, beating on low until it's fully incorporated. Ladle the batter into each cup until it's about 1/2 inch from the rim. Bake until the cakes puff and begin to crack but the centers are still a bit runny, 13 to 17 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with marshmallows, then return to oven for 2-4 minutes, until the marshmallow tops begin to crisp. Remove from oven; let cool about 5 minutes. Sift the cocoa on top.

To make a cake instead....butter, flour and sugar a 10-inch springform pan. Pour batter into pan and bake for 22-25 minutes or, if you prefer a more gooey center, bake for 17-20 minutes. Remove from oven, cover with marshmallows and bake for another 2-4 minutes.

Cafe Rio Chicken

2010-03-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

When I go to Cafe Rio (which isn't very often, unfortunately) I always get the sweet pork. SO...I'm not sure if this tastes like Cafe Rio's Chicken, but I can tell you it tastes WONDERFUL!! Of course this chicken is great for tacos, quesadillas, burritos, salads and more. My mom gave me this recipe along with the recipe I have the the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork, Cafe Rio Black Beans(oops...thought I had posted this recipe before but can't find it. Guess I'll have to make them and post them soon along with the recipe for the Cafe Rio Rice) and my neighbor gave me the recipe for the Cafe Rio Creamy Dressing. Click on the links if you would like the other recipes.

Cafe Rio Chicken

Ingredients:

5 lbs chicken breast
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions: Cook all ingredients together in a crock pot for 4 hours(I cooked mine on high and it was done in just under 4 hours). Shred meat and cook 1 additional hour on low.

Heavenly Brownies

2010-03-03T08:40:00.000-08:00

My family wanted brownies the other night. I was going to make applesauce brownies, but my oldest son requested Mississippi Mud Cake. I didn't have any marshmallows but I did have some marshmallow creme and then I found this recipe at cooks.com. I can't seem to find this exact recipe on their site this morning, but luckily I had printed it out. Try these brownies they are YUMMY!! I'm sure I could have gotten a prettier picture if I would have had the patience to wait until they were cool to cut into them...:)

Heavenly Brownies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (1 c.)
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
3 T cocoa
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 jar marshmallow creme (sm jar)

Directions: Melt together butter and cocoa. Beat eggs and sugar together, and add cocoa mixture alternately with flour. Add nuts and vanilla. Bake in 9 x 13-inch pan at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Spread top with marshmallow creme as soon as it is removed from oven. Let cool and frost with the following.

FROSTING: Melt together 1/2 stick butter and 1 heaping T cocoa. Add 1/2 box Powdered sugar. Beat with 1 T milk. Spread on brownies.

**note...I used salted butter, if you use unsalted butter I would add a little salt to the brownie mix and the frosting. To make the marshmallow creme a little easier to spread, you could melt it a little by placing the jar into a bowl of hot water. I didn't have a box of powdered sugar, I just added until it was the consistency that I wanted.

Rotisserie Style Chicken

2010-02-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on my bottle of Lawry's Seasoned Salt and I'm glad I did. It is really good. Usually I cook my whole chicken in the crockpot, but I am going to start cooking them this way in the winter and in the crockpot during the summer when I don't want the extra heat in the house.

The chicken was SO tender and juicy!! My family LOVED this!! The recipe says that it serves 8, but I'd say more like 6, but maybe my 9 and 7 year old ate more than a 'normal' serving size. :)

Rotisserie Style Chicken

Ingredients:

4 lb. whole chicken
2 T. olive oil
1 T Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 t. Lawry's Seasoned Pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub Chicken with olive oil. Combine Lawry's Seasoned Salt and Lawry's Seasoned Pepper and sprinkle over outside and inside cavity of chicken. Roast in preheated 375 degree oven for 1 hour 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reaches 180 degrees.

**Edited to add: Roast the chicken uncovered.

chicken, rice, bean burrito

2010-02-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

I want to call these, "Chevy's chicken fajita burritos", but I don't want to confuse anyone. They don't have onions or bell peppers in them like fajitas. My husband and I lived in Oregon just over 10 years ago and we used to eat out at Chevy's a lot(back when we could afford to eat out more, before kids). We always ordered the chicken fajita burrito. SO yummy! I'm not sure why they called it a fajita burrito because it didn't seem to have onions or peppers in it, I'm guessing it is because they must have used marinated chicken like they use for their fajitas. Last time we went to Chevy's when we lived in Utah, it wasn't on the menu anymore. This is my version. My husband says it tastes just like Chevy's, but it has been over 10 years since we have had one from Chevy's, so don't take our word for it:) But I will tell you that this burrito is SUPER yummy and simple!!

I feel like I have been apologizing a lot for my photos lately and here I am again!! I forgot to take a picture when I made these for dinner, so this is a leftover burrito that my husband ate for lunch the next day. Not a great photo. Maybe, I should not try taking a picture when I am hungry and my hands are shaking.

chicken, rice and bean burrito

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1 cup cooked rice
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup salsa (click on "salsa" for the best salsa recipe)(my opinion:))
6-8 flour tortillas(depending on size) mmm....LOVE homemade tortillas
1/2-1 cup grated cheese(I used provolone)

Directions: Cook and chop chicken(I cooked mine in a cast iron skillet with butter, salt and pepper. This would also be great if you marinated the chicken and grilled it before chopping). Add rice, beans, salsa and cheese to the chicken. Spoon mixture into tortillas. I have put these in a baking dish and baked them at 375 until hot. This time I put them in the cast iron skillet and put a pan on top for a couple minutes and then flipped and did the same to the other side(kind of like a panini). Enjoy!!

Valentine's

2010-02-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

I just finished making some homemade oreos for my kids to take to school for their teachers tomorrow. I colored the cream cheese frosting pink, made a cute tag(my opinion), and put them in a clear Chinese take out container. I thought about making some soft sour cream sugar cookies(seriously the BEST sugar cookies EVER!), but remembered I sent those at Christmas time:)

15-minute pizza dough and pizza dough seasoning

2010-02-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

We LOVE pizza at our house. We especially love BBQ chicken pizza. I found this recipe for pizza dough and pizza dough seasoning at Little Birdie Secrets. This makes the best pizza dough. MMMM!!

I couldn't get a very good picture of the pizza crust. I LOVE to cook my pizza in my spring-form pans, so there really isn't a crust around the edges. When I made my BBQ chicken pizza this time, I used half provolone and half mozzarella cheese. I also cooked my chicken in my cast iron skillet(grilled would be super yummy) and chopped the chicken instead of shredding it. So yummy!!

Pizza Dough Seasoning

8 Tablespoons of cheddar cheese powder (you can use either white or yellow)

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon onion powder

1 heaping Tablespoon of Italian seasoning

Mix it all together in a bowl and then store in a small jar or zip-top bag. Just add a Tablespoon or so to your pizza dough recipe for an extra tasty crust.

15-minute pizza dough

2 1/2 c. flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 cup hot water (120-130°, use a candy thermometer for accuracy if you're not sure)

1 Tbsp. Rapid Rise or Bread Machine yeast

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 500°. Mix dry ingredients together. Add hot water and olive oil. Mix for five minutes (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook, but you could do this by hand, too). Let rest 10 minutes. Press dough on pizza pan, pizza stone, or jelly-roll pan. Bake at 500° for 3 minutes. Take out of the oven and cover with toppings. Return to the oven and bake 8-10 minutes more. Makes one large pizza (16-18 inches).

famous oatmeal cookies

2010-01-29T09:33:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from my MIL. We LOVE these cookies...they are definitely 'famous' at our house!! These cookies are SO good. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

I'm sorry these pictures are SO bad. I actually get a headache if I look at them too long. I thought about making another batch to get a better picture, but decided I just can't eat another entire batch so soon. Yep, I don't have much will-power when it comes to oatmeal cookies....or any other cookies for that matter. So take a quick glance at the pictures and then go make some of these for yourself...or the entire family.....hmmm...maybe I will go make another batch.

famous oatmeal cookies

ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup water
3 cups oats (I used quick-cooking oats)
1 cup flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. soda
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet choc. chips (optional)
nuts (optional)

Directions: Cream shortening and sugars. Add egg, vanilla, and water. Mix flour, salt, and soda together. Add to creamed mixture. Add oats. Make into cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2010-01-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

Another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. These are SO yummy!!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

24 oz, white button mushrooms (I used 32 oz. and still had some leftover filling)
1/3 pounds hot pork sausage (I used some habenero hot sausage)
1/2 whole medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
8 ounces, cream cheese
1 whole egg yolk
3/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used beef broth)

Directions: Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool. Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Pour in wine(beef broth) to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese. Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up. Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving.

Pumpkin and cream cheese bread

2009-12-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that I LOVE all things pumpkin, except pumpkin pie. This Bread is SO yummy. It is a combination of a Layered Pumpkin Loaf at Kraftfoods.com and Emmy's Pumpkin Bread recipe from kingarthurflour.com. I used the cream cheese mixture from the kraft foods recipe and the bread from King Arthurs. I did add 2 t. of cinnamon to the King Arthur recipe as suggested by the girls at Little Birdie Secrets.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1 8 oz. package or cream cheese
1 egg white
2 T sugar
2/3 cup shortening or 1 cup vegetable oil (I used shortening)
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups (or 1 15 oz can) pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups flour
1/2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
1 t nutmeg
2 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla

Directions: Cream together cream cheese, egg white and 2 T sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening or oil and the sugar. Beat in the eggs, pumpkin and water. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, stirring to blend.

Spoon batter into the bottom portion of a greased bread pan, add a layer of cream cheese filling(this is hard to smooth evenly, I just dropped a couple of spoonfuls per pan), add more batter on top of the cream cheese. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for ~1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

This will make 2 9x5-inch loaves or I made 7 little mini-loaves and 10 muffins. Make sure you only fill your bread pan to ~2/3 full. The first time I made this I used some little Christmas tree molds and they overflowed!! It only took about 50 minutes for the mini loaves.

Sweet Cereal Mix - yummy stuff!!

2009-12-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

My sister sent me these pictures and this recipe. I can't wait to try this stuff!! She couldn't remember where she got the recipe or what it is called. This is what she said in her email...."I really don't know what this stuff is called but it is delicious. I just call it Yummy." Sounds good to me:) If any of you have made this before and know the 'official' name, please leave me a comment and let me know.

Sweet Cereal Mix

Ingredients:

1box Golden Graham cereal
1 box Rice Chex cereal
2 c. slivered almonds and/or pecans (chopped and toasted)
2 c. coconut
2 c. corn syrup
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 cubes butter

Directions: Place cereals, toasted nuts and coconut in a large bowl and toss to mix. In a saucepan, bring corn syrup, sugar and butter to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Pour over cereal mix and stir until everything is well coated. Pour mixture out onto a buttered cookie sheet to cool and set.

Rolo Cookies

2009-12-01T11:40:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for a yummy cookie to share with friends and family this holiday season, try this one! These cookies are YUMMY! Just be sure to let them cool a bit before you bite into one. I had a friend in college that grabbed on right out of the oven and was burnt by the hot caramel inside.

Rolo Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine (I use butter)
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 t baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
13 oz. bag of Rolos
sugar (for rolling the pre-baked cookies in)

Directions: Blend sugar, brown sugar and butter together in a bowl. Add eggs and vanilla to sugar mixture and blend well. Sift together in a small bowl, flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and blend well. Take a spoonful of cookie dough and wrap around rolo. Roll into ball so that the rolo is completely covered with dough and roll in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes. I rolled half of mine in regular sugar and half in Turbinado(sugar in the raw) sugar(leftover from the honey crystal almonds)....I really like the turbinado sugar. It makes them so pretty and gives them a little crunch on the outside.

Canned Stew

2009-12-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

Remember awhile ago, I told you about this great deal on a pressure cooker from Amazon? Well, it is still only $239.00. I ordered mine and received free shipping and received it within only a couple of days. I have used it once and I LOVE it.

I canned 14 quarts of canned stew. I got the recipe here. It is SO yummy! We have already eaten 4 quarts. I open 2 quarts and add 1 pint of chicken that I canned awhile ago. I also add about 1/2-1 pint of water. It is SO nice to have a quick, simple and delicious meal on hand when I am in a hurry. The two quarts of stew will feed my family of 2 adults and 4 kids for dinner with enough for lunch(for my husband) the next day. You can add cooked chicken, canned chicken or beef...or just eat as is. Rachel's bottles of stew look so much better than mine. I peeled and sliced my potatoes with my food processor, but next time I think I will do what she did....scrub and dice the potatoes.

Canned Stew

Ingredients:

carrots
potatoes
onions
celery
1 T Pearl Barley (per quart)
1 T Parsley (per quart) (I used dried parsley)
1 T Bouillon (beef or chicken) (per quart)
1/4 salt (optional - I used garlic salt) (per quart)

Directions: In large bowls --- cut, chop or slice the following: Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion (A food processor works great for the carrots and celery & don't forget to keep the potatoes covered with water so they don't brown). In a clean quart size canning jar add: pearl barley, parsley, bouillon, salt (optional). Then using a LARGE handful of each, add the following: onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes.Cover all ingredients with boiling water leaving 1 inch head space. Wipe rim with clean dish cloth, top with lid & ring then process in a Pressure Canner for 30 Minutes at 12 pounds of pressure.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2009-11-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

I LOVE these cookies! Really I LOVE anything that is baked with pumpkin(except pumpkin pie). These cookies are super simple(3 ingredients) and really...they are super yummy!!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Box Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 - 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together. Drop dough, by spoonfuls, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

2009-11-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

These Cinnamon Rolls are the BEST!! I didn't use Pioneer Woman's maple frosting, but I'm sure it is wonderful... just like everything else that she makes. I used the butter cream frosting that I use for sugar cookies. I will definitely be making these again!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 quart Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
3 cups (to 4 Cups) Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
_____
MAPLE FROSTING:
1 bag Powdered Sugar
2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
½ cups Milk
¼ cups Melted Butter
¼ cups Brewed Coffee
⅛ teaspoons Salt

Directions: Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. “Scald” the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1 ½ to 2 cups melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees (edited to say 375 instead of 400, as The Pioneer Woman now suggests) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls.

Fettuccine Alfredo and Garlic Butter Shrimp

2009-11-04T10:24:00.000-08:00

I can't remember where I got this recipe for Alfredo, maybe Martha Stewart.? I don't usually make it with fettuccine noodles. We like short pasta at our house, penne or farfalle. Also, when I made the Alfredo sauce, I didn't have the heavy cream....SO I used whole milk instead and used two egg yolks instead of one.

The shrimp was SO yummy with the pasta. I had my nine year old helping me fix this meal. I asked him to 'toss' the shrimp together with the steamed pasta. He proceeded to mutilate the broccoli into itty bitty pieces as he was 'tossing' them together. He had a little TOO much fun. I guess he needs a lesson on 'tossing'. It was still SUPER yummy, just not quite as pretty:) or maybe more pretty...whichever you think.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

4 T. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh fettuccine or best-quality dry fettuccine (I used whole grain penne)

Directions: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While you are waiting for your water to boil, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add heavy cream and cheese. When cheese is melted, add egg yolk(I add a little of the sauce to my egg yolk to temper it and then add it back to the warm sauce). Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add fettuccine to boiling water, and cook until al dente, following package directions. Drain pasta, and transfer to a large serving platter. Pour sauce over fettuccine. Serve immediately.

Garlic butter shrimp

Ingredients:

2 pounds large shrimp
3 T softened butter
1 t. garlic powder or garlic salt. I used salted butter, so I went with the garlic powder
3/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: Mix butter, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and parm cheese together well. Add mixed butter to a hot frying pan or cast-iron skillet(med heat). Add shrimp and cook ~2-3 minutes per side until cooked through.

pressure cooker

2009-10-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd pass along a GREAT deal!!

Do any of you out there can or bottle food? I recently bottled chicken. I had to borrow a pressure cooker from my mother-in-law and also my husbands aunt(had A LOT to can). Anyway, it was SO easy and now we are enjoying the chicken. It is so nice to pull a jar from the pantry and add it to soups, salads, sandwiches....etc.

Anyway, I just thought I'd tell you all about the great deal that I got recently on an All-American 30-quart pressure cooker/canner. I bought it from amazon.com for $239.00 including tax and shipping. From what I have read and been told, this is one of the best brands of pressure cookers. I WISH I had the means ($$) to purchase one of these for a give-away(wouldn't that be fun?!), but I don't. If you do a lot of canning and are interested in buying a great pressure cooker, check it out. You can can 19 pints or 14 quarts at a time.

I can't wait to try out this recipe for canned stew. I'll be trying it in the next week or two and let you know how it goes.

I will be sharing a recipe for alfredo sauce and some YUMMY garlic butter shrimp soon(possibly tomorrow...so stay tuned.

Salsa / Pico

2009-10-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

I made this salsa/pico to go with the shredded beef taquitos that I made the other night. I wanted to make some pico, but didn't want to hand chop the veggies.....so I made a salsa pico combo.

Salsa/Pico

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch cilantro
3 green onions, including green part
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper
3-4 tomatoes (I can't remember how many I used, start with 3 and add 4 depending on how you like it)
1 avocado
1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t Lawry's seasoning salt
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Directions: Add cilantro to a food processor and pulse until it is chopped fine. Add green onions, lime juice, and jalapeno, pulse until chopped. Add tomatoes, avocado and spices and pulse until tomatoes and avocado are desired consistency.

Cream Cheese Chicken

2009-10-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

I LOVE to cook in my crock pot, even though it only works on low now:( I love to make this on Sunday. I can get it started, go to church and when I get home it can finish cooking while I prepare the side dishes. Give this recipe a try, it is SO yummy!!

Cream Cheese Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cube butter or margarine
1 packet, Italian dressing mix (I use Good Seasons Brand)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. package cream cheese

Directions: Cut the chicken into cubes. Put chicken, butter, and dressing mix in the crock pot on low. Once the butter is melted, stir it together so the chicken is well coated in butter and seasoning. cook on low for 3 hours. Turn to high and heat for 30 more minutes. *Add soup and cream cheese. Heat on high for 30 more minutes.* Stir until it is smooth and creamy. The sauce is really thick, so you can also add a little water if you want to thin it out. Serve over cooked rice, potatoes, or pasta.

edited to add: *when to add cream cheese and soup.*

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mallow Bars

2009-10-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Kraft foods magazine. It is also on Kraftfoods.com. My family really enjoyed these. The boys picked the peanuts off of their pieces, so next time I'd make half with and half with-out the peanuts. Also...my grocery store was out of BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, so I substituted and approx. equivalent of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mallow Bars

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2/3 cup milk, divided
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 jar (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Creme
1/2 cup PLANTERS Salted Peanuts
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:
HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix dry cake mix, butter and 1/3 cup milk until blended; press 2/3 onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 12 to 14 min. or until center is almost set; cool 3 min. Meanwhile, mix peanut butter and remaining milk.
SPREAD peanut butter mixture onto crust; top with small spoonfuls of the marshmallow creme and remaining cake mixture. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate; press gently into cake mixture.
BAKE 18 min. or just until center is set. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Bayou Chicken or Shrimp Pasta.

2009-09-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Emeril at Food Network. I substituted shrimp for chicken when I made it this time, but I have also made it with chicken and it is fabulous either way!!

The recipe calls for 1 T finely chopped habanero pepper. I only used one habanero(~1 t chopped) since I was making it for the kiddos. If you like it hot, add the full tablespoon. Ours was not hot at all. The first time I made this I used 2 habaneros with seeds and ribs and it was HOT. Anyway you make it...hot of mild, chicken or shrimp...this pasta dish is YUMMY!!

Bayou Chicken or Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound linguine (I used Farfalle(bow tie) pasta)
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces or equal amount shrimp
2 T Essence, recipe below
1 1/2 t salt
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 T finely chopped habanero pepper
1 T minced garlic
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops (I didn't use)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 T chopped fresh parsley leaves (I didn't use)

Directions: Set a large 1-gallon stock pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Place the pasta in the pot and stir until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. set a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, season the chicken or shrimp with 1 T of the Essence and 1/2 t of the salt and add to the saute pan. Sear the chicken/shrimp until well browned/pink(shrimp) on both sides, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and habaneros to the pan and saute until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, remaining 1 T of the Essence, remaining 1 t of salt, and the chicken/shrimp to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. add the tomatoes, pasta and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook tossing to incorporate for 3-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add the green onions, Parmesan and parsley and toss to blend(I added extra tomatoes here). Serve immediately.

ESSENCE:

2 1/2 T paprika

2 T salt

2 T garlic powder

1 T black pepper

1 T cayenne

1 T dried oregano

1 T dried Thyme

Broccoli Salad

2009-09-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

My sister made this for us while she was visiting a couple of weeks ago. It is SO yummy!!

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

3 crowns of broccoli
12-14 slices of cooked, chopped bacon
~1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1 T Red Wine Vinegar

Directions: Wash and chop broccoli into bite size pieces and put in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together 'dressing' ingredients: mayo, sugar and vinegar. Pour 'dressing' over broccoli and toss to coat. Stir in bacon and Parmesan cheese. Adjust the amount of bacon and Parmesan cheese to your taste.

Quick and Simple Brownies

2009-09-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posts!! Things have been busy here! I have about a million projects around here that I am working on or are at least floating around in my brain!! My sister and her family were here visiting from Utah last week and we enjoyed every minute of it!! I have a recipe that she made for us that I will be posting soon!!

Anyways...I LOVE brownies!! I found this recipe here while I was blog hopping one day. The other day, I was out of eggs, and CRAVING something chocolate!! I remembered this recipe and decided to try it! Me and the kids LOVED it! My hubby has been out-of-town and these definitely did not last until he got home, but I'm sure he would have loved them too!! These are quick, simple and delicious!

Brownies

Ingredients:

1 3.4 oz package instant chocolate pudding mix
milk, amount indicated in pudding directions
1 18 oz box of chocolate cake mix (I used Devils Food Cake)
1-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or other mix-in (optional)

Directions: Prepare pudding according to package directions. Stir in cake mix, careful not to overbeat or incorporate too much air. Stir in chocolate chips or other mix-in. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.

Now I'm off to take care of my case of Utah peaches that I have been ignoring for a week. I think I will freeze some for morning fruit shakes and make some into freezer jam....YUM!!

Honey Crystal Almonds

2009-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

These are SO good!! You HAVE to try them! I only had enough almonds to make 1/2 of a batch. It is probably a good thing, I could have eaten an entire batch myself. My boys LOVE almonds so I thought I'd whip this up for a nice after school snack. I had to get theirs bagged up right away so I wouldn't eat them all.

I found this recipe on an ad for California almonds.

Honey Crystal Almonds

Ingredients:

2 cups whole natural almonds
1/4 cup honey
2 T butter
1 cup turbinado sugar

Directions: Spread almonds in a shallow pan. Place in a cold oven; turn oven to 350 F and roast 12-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well roasted. Over medium heat in medium saucepan, heat honey and butter to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low, simmer 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Add almonds; simmer and stir for another 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the almonds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper(I used wax paper) or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the almonds in a single layer and cool slightly. To coat, toss almonds with sugar in a medium plastic food storage bag.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

2009-09-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

I LOVE shrimp and so do my boys. When my six year old requested shrimp for dinner I was happy to cook this up.

Our BBQ grill has died and gone to BBQ heaven:( Since it has been gone we have been using our 'camp grill'. We have not been in too big of a hurry to replace the BBQ grill because our camp grill is WONDERFUL!! It cooks so nice and evenly, but it is a little on the small side, SO someday we will be replacing the big grill. Since I was cooking this on our 'camp grill' I didn't skewer the shrimp. Just threw them on the grill, knowing that the holes were small enough, I didn't have to worry about losing any. If I was using our 'regular' grill I would either skewer these for shish kabobs or put foil down on the grill to cook them on.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 pound large raw shrimp
juice of 1-2 limes, depending on size (~1/4 cup)
1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil, but have used olive oil in the past)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste (1/2 -1 t)

Directions: Remove shells from shrimp and rinse. Pat shrimp dry. Combine remaining ingredients in a quart size zip-loc bag, add shrimp and marinate for 2-3 hours. Cook shrimp on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes per side, until pink on both sides. When serving squeeze a little more fresh lime juice over the shrimp.

We served our with some fresh corn on the cob, a nice big salad and some pasta with browned butter and cheese.

Pasta with browned butter and Mizithra cheese

2009-08-12T08:23:00.001-07:00

When my husband and I lived in Beaverton, OR, we used to LOVE to eat this dish at The Old Spaghetti Factory. It is SO yummy!

First of all, I have made this a couple of times lately (it is SO good and SO simple), but haven't been able to get a decent picture! Second, I didn't use Mizithra cheese. I used to buy the Mizithra cheese at AJ's Fine Foods (I think that is the name), but now I live FAR from the city and am not sure where to buy it(to be honest, I haven't looked too hard). I substituted Sargento grated Parmesan cheese and it is still WONDERFUL!! Let me know if any of you that live here in the White Mountains of AZ know where to find Mizithra cheese.

This pasta is a wonderful and simple side dish! Mmmm and cook up some fresh green beans in some chicken stock and garlic salt. Cook the green beans uncovered and let the stock reduce.

Pasta with browned butter and Mizithra cheese (or Parmesan)

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of your favorite pasta
~3 T butter
2 generous handfuls or grated Mizithra or Parmesan cheese (give or take according to your taste)

Directions: Cook pasta as specified on the box. Brown butter large frying pan over medium heat, this will only take a couple of minutes, keep an eye on the butter so that it doesn't burn. Add the drained pasta to the frying pan with the butter and toss to coat the pasta. Add the cheese and toss again to coat the pasta. Serves 4.

Buttermilk Waffles

2009-07-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

All I have to say about this recipe is YUM!!! This recipe came from my husband's Aunt.

Buttermilk Waffles

Ingredients:

3 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 T baking powder
2 T sugar
1 t salt
2 T oil
3 c. buttermilk
6 egg whites (I only use 5, I've made it with 5 and 6 and I like it best with 5)

Directions: Combine dry ingredients. Beat egg shites until light and fluffy. Ad oil and buttermilk to dry ingredients. Fold in egg whites. Cook. Serves 6-8 people.

Chocolate Mint 3 Musketeers Cookies

2009-07-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

I was checking out at the grocery store the other day and noticed some new(at least I've never seen them before) 3 Musketeers Mint with Dark Chocolate bars. I decided to try them. They are YUMMY!! They remind me a lot of the York Mint Patties, but stiffer, make sense? Anyway, my son needed to bake some cookies for a scouting requirement, so we threw some of these candy bars into the mix. The end result is YUMMY!! My little guy couldn't wait for me to snap the picture to grab another one of these cookies:)

Chocolate Mint 3 Musketeers Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
2 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2 1/2 cups flour
3 3 Musketeers Mint with Dark Chocolate bars(6 pieces, 2 per package)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Beat first 5 ingredients together. Mix the dry ingredients together, unless you are lazy like me. If you are lazy like me and don't want to dirty another bowl to mix the dry ingredients, turn your mixer on low and add dry ingredients one at a time. I only mix for a second with each dry ingredient so that I don't over mix it. I add the flour last and mix until everything is mixed in well. Add you candy bars. You can chop your candy bars first, but I just through them in and turn the mixer on high for a few seconds and that gets them all chopped up and mixed in. Take ~1 T of dough, roll it into a ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Now...ENJOY!

Onion Rings

2009-07-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

I LOVE onion rings!! I really love battered onion rings. This is a super simple batter to mix up for your onions. If you want to make onion rings and homemade corn dogs, I would just use the corn dog batter for the onion rings. I was making burgers, so I used this quick batter.

Onion Rings

Ingredients:

1 cup complete pancake batter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2-5 T Tapatio (adjust for your taste)
~3/4 cup milk (enough to make batter consistency of cake batter)
1 large sweet Vadalia onion, slice into rings
Deep Fryer or pan with at least 3 or 4 inches of oil to fry in

Directions: Mix first 4 ingredients together and let sit for ~30 minutes. Dip onion rings into batter and drop into hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Remove from oil, place on a paper towel to drain. I like to sprinkle a little salt on them as they drain on the paper towel.

Tapatio Sauce, in case any of you haven't used it before. My sis-in-law told us about it and now my husband puts it on EVERYTHING! He especially likes it on his scrambled eggs.

Caramelized Onion, Walnut and Cilantro Chicken Salad Sandwich

2009-07-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe at bhg.com. It is SO yummy!! You could use any left-over chicken, just shred or chop it . I used some canned chicken that I bottled a couple of months ago. The entire family loved this sandwich!! I can't wait to make it again.

Caramelized Onion, Walnut and Cilantro Chicken Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup chopped sweet onion (1 large)
2 cups Shredded Chicken
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup sliced green onion (2)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Salt and ground black pepper (optional)
10 slices sourdough bread, toasted (I used leftover oatmeal bread)
10 slices tomato
3/4 cup baby spinach leaves
Pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional for garnish, I didn't use)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion. Cook, covered, for 13 to 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Uncover; cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes more or until golden.

2. In a large bowl, combine onion, chicken, walnuts, and green onion. Add mayonnaise, cilantro, and lime juice; toss to coat. If desired, season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Place about 1/2 cup chicken salad on each of five bread slices. Top each with two slices tomato and some of the spinach. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices. If desired, secure each sandwich with a skewer and garnish with an olive. Makes 5 servings.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

2009-07-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

I made this for dessert last night and it was a huge hit....and SO simple!! My 8 year old stuffed himself with dinner, so much that he had to go lay down for awhile. When this came out of the oven he came back for more. He actually ate two helpings of this. We all LOVED this! The peaches and blueberries were so good together.

Blueberry Peach Crisp

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh, rinsed blueberries
4 peaches peeled and chopped (~2 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
zest and juice of one lemon

For Topping

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 stick room temp butter

Directions: Mix the blueberries, peaches, cornstarch, sugar, lemon zest and juice together in a 1 1/2 qt. baking dish. Mix topping ingredients together until crumbly and pour it onto the blueberry and peach mixture, make sure you cover all of the fruit. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Serve ice cream or cool whip.

Ranch-Style Steak Kabobs

2009-06-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Wow!! It has been a fun and busy summer so far. We just got home from a fun 2 week trip to Utah. My boys and I LOVE to go 'home' to visit family and friends:)

Now that we are home and vacation is over at least for a couple of weeks, I'm getting back to cooking and blogging. This is another recipe that I got from Kraft Foods. My family REALLY enjoyed this one.

Ranch-Style Steak Kabobs

Ingredients:

4 new potatoes, cut in half **
1/4 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing, divided
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
8 cherry tomatoes

Directions: HEAT grill to medium-high heat. Cook potatoes in saucepan of boiling water 12 to 14 min. or until tender; drain. Cool slightly. RESERVE half of dressing. Thread meat, accordion style onto 4 skewers, alternating potatoes and tomatoes between folds of meat; brush with remaining dressing. GRILL 10 to 12 min. or until meat is done, brushing with reserved dressing the last 2 min.

**I used red potatoes that were a little large, so my son cut them into smaller pieces. Then, we had more potatoes than would fit our skewers....so we just tossed the extra potatoes on the grill, brushed them with some extra ranch dressing and they were DELICIOUS!!

Frosty Orange Creme Layered Dessert

2009-06-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

I love it when I receive my Kraft foods magazine. It is full of wonderful recipes and meal ideas. When I saw this recipe, I knew I'd be making it soon! My family and I LOVED this treat!! When I made mine I used a silicone bread pan instead of the regular bread pan. It worked great!! After the dessert froze I just 'peeled' the silicone pan away.

I am currently away from home and my pictures of this yummy dessert are on my computer at home, so I'm going to post the picture from Kraft Foods.

Frosty Orange Creme Layered Dessert
(From Kraftfoods.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups orange sherbet or sorbet, softened
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Directions:

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil. Spread sherbet onto bottom of prepared pan to form even layer. Freeze 10 min.

MEANWHILE, beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually add condensed milk and juice, beating until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Spread over sherbet in pan.

FREEZE 3 hours. To unmold, invert pan onto plate; remove foil.

Swiss Mushroom Burger

2009-05-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

This burger is SO yummy and perfect for summer grilling! I was in a hurry when I made these and didn't get a very good picture. It was a paper plate night, my favorite kind of nights:)

Swiss Mushroom Burger

Ingredients for the burgers:

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 T McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
slice Swiss cheese (I used Tillamook Cheese)

Ingredients for the mushrooms:

12-16 oz. mushrooms
2 T butter
2 t Worcestershire Sauce
~1 t McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning

Directions: Mix all ingredients for burgers together, except for the cheese. Form into six 1/4 lb. patties. Grill until cooked through. Top with Swiss cheese during the last minute or two of grilling(I just added the cheese after they were finished grilling).

Saute mushrooms in butter and Worcestershire Sauce. When the mushrooms start to turn brown add your steak seasoning.

Place burger on bun and top with sauteed mushrooms. Enjoy!

Super quick and easy lunch or dinner

2009-05-28T11:03:00.001-07:00

My sister told me about this wonderful and simple meal!

Bagels with cream cheese and ham

Ingredients:

bagels
cream cheese
ham

Directions: Spread bagel with cream cheese and cover with ham. Usually we put these under the broiler until warm, BUT my oven is still broken(got the part today), so I put them on the grill and they were wonderful! I cooked them for a couple minutes per side. If you grill them or broil them, watch them carefully so they don't burn.

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

2009-05-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here is the tomatillo dressing recipe that I said I was going to share with you on Monday. I am SLOW, but this is SO yummy!! Thanks to my neighbor for sharing it with me!!

I just finished eating this as a mid-morning snack. I LOVE to dip fresh warm tortillas into the dressing!! It is, of course, WONDERFUL with the Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad too:)

Cafe Rio Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Ingredients:

3 tomatillos, peeled and cut into 1/4's
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
1 pkg. dry ranch buttermilk dressing
1 c. fresh chopped cilantro
6 green onions, with ends
2 cloves crushed garlic
3 t. sugar
1 jalapeno, sliced thin

Directions: Mix well in blender(I used my food processor). Refrigerate for at least one hour.

*Note: When buying tomatillos, peel the skin back to the top of the tomatillo to make sure it is good. I have found some that look good until I peel the skin all the way back.

Sweet Pork -- Cafe Rio Style

2009-05-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

It has been SO long since I have posted. I ordered a new part for my oven and it is still NOT here!!

This will be a quick post!! I thought I'd mention for anyone that lives near or shops at Basha's grocery store, they have Pork Tenderloin on sale for $1.77 until Tuesday. My neighbor told me it was on sale, so I rushed over to get some to make Cafe Rio Sweet Pork.

My neighbor also gave me a new recipe for the Cafe Rio Tomatillo dressing! It is SO good. I will try to get a picture of that soon and post the recipe here today.

French Bread Pizza and some sad news

2009-05-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Okay...sad news first. My oven is having a problem!! The range is LESS than 3 years old and I 'think' the baking element has gone out. I am going to be taking the thing apart in a minute to see. I am hoping it is the baking element! I have found a place to order the part, if that is the problem. The oven will still broil, just not bake:( Unfortunately, I had 5 loaves(4 mini and one regular size) of ooey, gooey cinnamon bread half-baked when I realized that the oven had quit baking. I was SO sad!! When I get the oven fixed, I will be baking that bread again so that I can share it here! Another sad thing, I got to smell that wonderful half-baked cinnamon bread all night:(

Anyway, since the oven was not baking, I had to broil my BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza. I got a coupon from my local Basha's grocery store for a free loaf of French Bread if I spent $10. Honestly, I don't know if I EVER go to the grocery store and spend less than $10. My family LOVES BBQ Chicken Pizza, so I decided to make it on French Bread. Quick and easy!!

Notice all of the silk on the corn...oops! I thought my little helpers and I did a better job than that:)

Really, this is just like the BBQ Chicken Pizza that I make...only on French Bread instead of regular pizza crust. First, took a zip-Lock bag out of my freezer with two chicken breasts in it. I let it thaw and then poured some Italian Dressing into the bag and let it marinate overnight(MMM...I LOVE to marinade chicken in Italian Dressing and eat it right off the grill). The next day, I grilled it, shred it and mixed it with BBQ sauce. Then it was ready for the pizza. Of course you don't need to marinade it or grill it, just cook up some chicken any way you like, shred it and mix it with BBQ sauce.

I cut the bottom 1/2-1 inch off of the French Bread and then the top 1/2-1 inch off the top to make two pizzas. I let the kids fight over the middle yummy, soft bread to snack on while they were waiting.

Place the French Bread on a baking sheet. We like to smear ours with Alfredo sauce(if you haven't tried BBQ chicken pizza with Alfredo sauce....you should), then add the BBQ and top with lots of mozzarella cheese or Italian blend cheese. Normally I would bake mine at 400 degrees until hot and bubbly, but this time....I had to broil it. When it is hot and bubbly, slice and ENJOY.
For the Corn: My little helpers shucked(is that a word) the corn husks into the compost bin and scrubbed the corn. We brushed softened butter on the corn. Sprinkled on some salt and fresh ground pepper. Wrapped the corn in foil and grilled over medium heat for 25-30 minutes...rotating approx. every 5 minutes. It was FABULOUS!!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2009-04-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe over at Real Mom Kitchen. It looked fantastic and I knew that I had to try it. Laura has a WONDERFUL food blog. Check it out!!

I REALLY enjoyed these!! Maybe a little too much! I gave about half away to keep myself from eating them all. I would suggest sharing these with family and friends:)

Unfortunately, the picture I took of this 'plated up' was very blurry, so this is what I have.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Ingredients:

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 t vanilla extract
1 t cinnamon
1 stick butter (1/2 cup real butter, not margarine)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13" baking dish. Unroll 1 can of crescent rolls and place in the baking dish. Press the seams together, or buy the crescent roll sheets(that's what I did:)). In a separate bowl beat together the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the crescent rolls sheet in the baking dish. Top the cream cheese mixture with the other can of crescent rolls, press seams together. Melt butter and pour over the top layer of crescents. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 t cinnamon and sprinkle on top of butter. You can add more or less of the cinnamon sugar depending on your taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the bottom crust is slightly brown. Allow to cool then slice and serve.

Turkey Marinade ...or chicken

2009-04-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that my husband is a hunter? He is in fact a darn good hunter. My freezer is full of yummy, lean, wild, red meat and until this past week...a wild turkey. This turkey has been in my freezer for quite awhile and since he is hoping to bring another one home soon, I decided it was time to cook the one we had.

I got this recipe from my Mom and it is SO good! When I cooked this up for my husband he couldn't believe that it was his wild turkey we were eating! Of course, it is equally wonderful on chicken or turkey you buy at the grocery store:)

Turkey or Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

1 can lemon lime soda (like sprite, or generic brand works too)
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 t garlic powder

Directions: Combine all ingredients, add chicken or turkey pieces, cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight. Discard marinade, grill chicken over hot coals or on your BBQ grill.

*I like to reserve a little of the marinade before I add the meat to brush the meat with as it cooks. The meat is SO moist and SO flavorful!!

Fish Tacos

2009-04-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

My husband went fishing and brought home some wonderful crappie. I LOVE crappie!! I can't wait to send him fishing again:) He put all of it in one bag before putting it in the freezer, so when we got it out to cook it...we had A LOT of fish to cook.

First we battered up some fish and fried it. We ate that with homemade french fries and homemade tartar sauce. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of that. I will be making that again soon...SO...when I do, I'll share photos and recipes here! It was SO good.

The second day we used up the rest for fish tacos. I had never eaten fish tacos before, but I will be eating them again!! These recipes are adapted from PBS Foods and about.com:Busy Cooks.

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

12 corn or flour soft taco shells
1/3 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t pepper
2 T olive oil
1 lb. fish fillets

Directions: Combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin and pepper in a shallow dish. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Dip fish fillets in flour mixture, then place in hot oil and cook 10-12 minutes until browned and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning once. Cut fish into 1" strips and serve in heated taco shells with salsa, cheese, and the red cabbage slaw(recipe below). Serves 6.

Red Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:

1/4 head of red cabbage, finely shredded
1/4 cup sour cream
2 T fresh lime juice
4 scallions thinly slices
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and ribs removed
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions: Combine sour cream, lime juice, scallions, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Mix well. Reserve 1/2 of the mixture to top the tacos. Mix the other half with the cabbage.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

2009-04-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a GREAT hamburger bun recipe for awhile. I have tried a couple of different ones and found one that is REALLY great!! I have made these twice and both times they turned out perfect! I got this recipe from Rosa's Yummy Yums. If you want to see some really great hamburger buns, check hers out here.

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:

1 cup lukewarm water
2 T unsalted butter, room temperature, creamed
1 egg
3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Castor sugar (very fine sugar, I put regular sugar in my food processor)
1 t salt
1 T instant yeast
1 egg yolk (+1 T water)
sesame seeds (optional)

Directions: Sprinkle the yeast into the water and leave for 5-10 minutes, until frothy. Stir to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients and mix well(I do this in my kitchen-aid). I let this knead in my Kitchen-Aid for ~10 minutes, until it is a soft, smooth dough. You could knead by hand on a lightly floured surface. I leave it in my mixer bowl, cover and let rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hour, until doubled in size. Divide dough into 8 pieces and shape into a flattened ball. Place the buns on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise again for 30-40 minutes until puffy and doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Glaze the buns with egg yolk and water mixture(my helper likes to do this:)), then sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake the buns for 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them on a wire rack.

*I didn't make 'flattened balls' this last time, so they are a little tall, but still SO yummy!!

Boston Market Cornbread

2009-04-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

This cornbread is SO yummy!! A friend of mine gave me this recipe years ago. I haven't ever tried Boston Market's cornbread, so I'm not sure how it compares, but I do know that this cornbread is YUMMY!! and EASY!!

Just when I am convinced the weather is warming up, it gets COLD and WINDY again. So, last night I made some Hearty Fiesta Bean Soup to use up the rest of my beans I made the other day. This cornbread is nice and sweet and is wonderful with the spicy beans. I made part of the batter in my super mini-loaf pan(from Wal-Mart) and part in a glass baking dish. My 3 year old has a MAJOR fit when he is trying to eat his piece of cornbread with a fork and it is falling apart, so the mini loaves are good for him to pick up with his fingers and take a BIG bite:)

Boston Market Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 box Jiffy Mix Cornbread Mix
1 box Jiffy Mix Yellow Cake Mix
OR
2 boxes Jiffy Mix Cornbread Mix
1 box regular yellow cake mix

Directions: Mix both boxes according to directions, and combine the batter. You can use a large mixing bowl and combine both boxes of mix together and add the other ingredients all at once. If you have only boxes of Jiffy Mix, use a brownie sized baking pan, 8x8", if you are using a box of regular cake mix, use a 9x13" pan. Spray pan with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees until done, approx. 30 minutes. Test for doneness: insert a toothpick, it should come out clean.

Hot Fudge Cake

2009-04-09T10:44:00.001-07:00

I LOVE hot fudge cake! The steam really got to my camera lens:)

Hot Fudge Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
6 T cocoa, divided
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup milk
2 T vegetable oil
1 t vanilla
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cup hot water

Directions: In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, 2 T cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Spread in an ungreased 9 inch square baking pan. Combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over all; do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm. Top with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired. Serves 9.

Smashed Pinto Beans

2009-04-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

This is for Kali. Sorry it took me so long to post this. I finally made a batch of beans and actually measured the seasonings so that I could share. Usually when I make a pot(crock pot) of beans I puree most of the batch in my food processor for some yummy, creamy beans. This time I saved some to mash with the potato masher, for a little less creamy consistency, so that I could use them in this recipe. Well....they were SO good, we ate them all before I got around the the other recipe. Guess I'll try it again this week:)

So...here it goes...this is how I cook beans:)

I rinse and soak 3 cups of beans for ~ an hour or longer(depending on how much time I have). Then I rinse them again, put them in the crock pot with 3 T bacon grease and cover them with 3 inches of water. If I need to add more water later in the day, I bring it to a boil in the microwave before adding it to the crock pot. I cook the beans on high for 5-6 hours, or until I can easily smash one of the beans between my finger and the countertop...make sense?:)

When the beans have about 1/2 hour left to cook I add the following: 5 jalapeno rings(from the jar, you could use fresh jalapeno), 1/2 T seasoning salt, 1/2 T garlic salt, 1/2 t onion powder, 1/2 t cumin and 1 T chili powder.

After that cooks for about 1/2 hour, I scoop out the beans with a slotted spoon to the food processor and puree with ~ 1 cup of cheese. I add liquid from the beans as I puree until I get my desired consistency.

Appplesauce Brownies

2009-04-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

I LOVE these brownies!! I love the crust that the sugar forms on top. I didn't have any applesauce when I made these, but I had some apples in the fridge that needed to be used up. I peeled, cored and sliced my apples. Then I boiled them in water until they were soft enough to mash. I think I used 8 small apples to make the 2 cups of applesauce. I thought I had a better picture of these, but I guess I ate them all before I got the picture:) I didn't actually eat all of them, but I did eat most of them:)

Applesauce Brownies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 t cinnamon
2 T cocoa
2 cups applesauce
2 cups flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Topping

2 T sugar
chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
chopped nuts (optional, I didn't use)

Directions: Mix ingredients well. Pour into large greased cookie sheet(I used a jelly roll pan). Sprinkle with sugar, chocolate chips and nuts. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Easy Oatmeal-Caramel Bars

2009-03-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Things have been crazy around here lately!! It seems like things are always CRAZY around here. Maybe I'm just crazy!! My allergies have been getting the best of me, but seem to FINALLY be letting up. I have never had allergies until last spring....ugh!! I have a lot more sympathy for my husband now! We have started our garden. That is always fun! We have carrots, peas, lettuce and spinach seeds in the ground. I am hoping to see some green coming up soon!

On to some yummy dessert! I found this recipe in my 'stash'. I'm not sure where it came from. I cut it from some magazine YEARS ago. The recipe calls for Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, but I used this cookie dough. These are yummy. I enjoyed them even more the next day:)

Easy Oatmeal-Caramel Bars

Ingredients:

1 roll(16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookies or two cups of this
1 cup quick-cooking oats (I used old fashioned and they were still yummy)
dash of salt, if desired
2/3 cup caramel topping
5 T all-purpose flour
1 t vanilla
3/4 cups chopped walnuts (I didn't use)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, break up cookie dough. Stir or knead in oats and salt. Reserve 1/2 cup dough for topping; press remaining dough into an ungreased 9-inch square pan.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until dough puffs and appears dry. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together caramel topping, flour and vanilla until well blended. Sprinkle walnuts and chocolate chips evenly over crust; drizzle with caramel mixture. Crumble reserved 1/2 cup dough mixture over caramel.

Bake 20-25 minutes longer of until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store tightly covered.

Blackened Salmon

2009-03-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this blackened salmon!! This recipe is an adapted from a recipe that I found at realsimple.com.

Blackened Salmon

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets, ~1/2 inch thick
3 1/2 T butter
juice of one lemon
2 1/2 T paprika
3/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t ground thyme
1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper, or course ground

Directions: Melt butter in an oven safe skillet(I used cast iron), add lemon juice. Mix all seasonings together in a bowl. Dip each salmon fillet(both sides) in the butter and lemon juice. Dip both sides in seasoning until well coated. Cook the salmon fillet for about 2 minutes per side in the skillet, until blackened. Remove salmon and place on a plate. Repeat with the remaining salmon until all are blackened. Place the salmon fillets back in the skillet. Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 8 minutes, until cooked through. My fillets were a little thinner and didn't need 8 minutes.

Peanut Butter Fingers

2009-03-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't made these in SO long!! My sisters and I used to make these with my dad's little sisters. Yes, my dad's little sisters are my aunts, but they are younger than me and we grew up more like sisters or best friends, so I have a hard time calling them my aunts:)

These are SO good!! We all LOVE them and so did the girls that I made them for. Normally, I would neatly drizzle the peanut butter frosting, but my three year old had a blast swirling it on top. He is a WONDERFUL help in the kitchen!!

Peanut Butter Fingers

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup peanut butter + 1/4 cup for the frosting
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
1 cup flour
3/4 cup oats(I used old fashioned)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-4 T milk
16 oz. chocolate chips(I used milk chocolate)

Directions: Cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, 1/3 cup peanut butter, baking soda, salt and vanilla, mix well. Stir in flour and oats. Spread batter in 9x13 ungreased pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. After baking,but while still hot, sprinkle with 16 oz. chocolate chips. Spread chocolate evenly. Drizzle with peanut butter frosting.

Frosting: Beat together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup peanut butter and 2-4 T milk.

Red Enchilada Sauce

2009-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

I know I've posted about bean and cheese burros with red sauce before. Here is the recipe for red sauce that we use. It is adapted from a recipe that came from my uncle(Thanks Kurt and thanks Nicole for sending it to me:)).

If I was only making this for myself and my husband, I would add some cayenne. The kids don't like it as hot so, I stick with only chili powder. I usually sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top of my husband's burrito.

We really love this meal it is cheap and easy! I cook one pound of beans in the crock pot and then add the beans, cheese, some chili powder, garlic powder, onion salt and jalapeno to the food processor and blend away. Then the beans are all ready to spread on the tortillas and roll them up.

Check out the burrito in the top part of this top picture. Almost every time I make tortillas, I forget about the last one, leaving it to cook on the griddle until crisp. It is hard to get a crispy tortilla to roll nicely around the beans.

Red Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 T flour
6 T chili powder (I used 3 T reg. chili powder and 3 T pasilla de ancho powder)
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, pureed in blender or food processor until smooth
1 (14 oz) can of chicken broth (or just under two cups)
1 t ground cumin
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion salt

Directions: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning the flour. Gradually stir in pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, and spices into flour and chili powder until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

**This makes a large batch. I used it to make a 9" x 13" pan of bean burros with red sauce and had 1 pint left over. The sauce is so yummy and really good mixed in with the pureed beans and served as a bean dip.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-03-02T10:50:00.001-08:00

We love this recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I usually only get to bake a few cookies when I make this recipe because....we LOVE cookie dough at our house. This recipe is delicious, baked....or not:)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together sugar, brown sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Add baking soda, salt and flour. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake @ 375 for approx. 10 minutes.

Buckeye Bars

2009-02-27T15:09:00.001-08:00

SO sorry this picture is SO terrible!! These babies were gone SO fast, I didn't get a chance to take another picture after looking at this one! These were SO good!

This is another recipe that I got from a Kraft Foods Magazine.

Buckeye Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (I used creamy)
22 vanilla wafers, crushed (3/4 cup)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 of an 8-oz tub of cool whip
3 square Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, (I used 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Directions: Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Beat butter and peanut butter with mixer until blended. Add wafer crumbs; mix well. Gradually add sugar, mixing well after each addition. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.

Microwave frozen cool whip and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on high for 1 min.; stir. Microwave 15-30 sec. more or until chocolate is melted; stir until blended. Pour over peanut butter layer; spread to cover peanut butter layer.

Refrigerate 2 hours. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting.