Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp milk
50 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars.

2. Add in egg, vanilla, and baking soda, and salt.

3. Mix in flour until incorporated.

4. Add in milk to thin out a bit.

5. Roll dough into 50 Tbsp size balls.

6. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick baking spray.

7. Put one dough ball into each cup.

8. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

9. Immediately press one Reese's Peanut Butter Cup into the center.

10. Let cookies cool completely and gently remove them from the pan.

Christmas Crunch

This is actually called "Puppy Chow" in my family. (For 11 months out of the year anyhow.) But in December, we put a little spin on it, and call it Christmas Crunch. This is similar to the Chex Mix Muddy Buddies, but WAY different. Our version, I have to say, in my opinion, is the best. The difference is, ours doesn't have butter in it, instead it has butterscotch chips. It's so delicious and addicting! I like to keep it in the freezer. . .because it's insanely tasty when it's frozen!

Christmas Crunch
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 box of chex cereal
Powdered Sugar

1. In a large microwave safe bowl, melt together chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter.

2. Add in cereal, and stir till well coated.

3. Add in powdered sugar, top with a lid, and shake like crazy.

4. You may need to add more powdered sugar to get the desired coating.

Christmas Stripes Cake

As far as Holiday Baking goes, this is as simple and as light as it gets. I used a reduced sugar cake mix, sugar free Jello, and Light Sugar Free Cool Whip. The kids loved it.

Christmas Jello Cake

1 pkg. white cake mix, prepared as directed on box.
1 small pkg. red jello
1 small pkg. green jello
1 cup water
1 large container of Lite Cool Whip

1. Pour cake batter into two 8" or 9" pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Cool cakes completely on a wire rack.

3. Put cakes back into pan.

4. Poke holes in cake layers with a large fork at 1/2" intervals.

5. Dissolve red jello in 1/2 cup boiling water.

6. Pour over one of the cake layers.

7. Dissolve green jello in 1/2 cup boiling water.

8. Pour over the other cake layer.

9. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

10. Dip bottom of 1 pan in warm water, and invert onto a serving dish.

11. Frost top of that layer with Cool Whip.

12. Dip second pan and invert onto the top of the cake.

13. Frost with Cool Whip!

Christmas Jello Parfaits

Christmas Jello Parfaits

1 large box of sugar free lime Jello
1 large box of sugar free red Jello
1 to 2 cups of sugar free Cool Whip
2 1/2 cups boiling water

1. Dissolve green Jello in 1 1/4 cup boiling water.

2. Pour into a 8" or 9" square pan.

3. Let set in refrigerator for 3 hours.

4. Repeat with remaining water and red Jello.

5. Cut Jello into 1" cubes and layer in cups with Cool Whip.

6. Enjoy a healthy holiday sugar free treat!

Nut Goodie Bars

Nut Goodie Bars

CHOCOLATE LAYER:
1 12oz bag of chocolate chips
1 12oz bag of butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups peanuts

1. Melt together all ingredients EXCEPT peanuts and spread 1/2 of the mixture in a parchment lined 10 x 15 pan. Refrigerate until set.

2. Top with vanilla layer, spread evenly.

3. Mix remaining chocolate with peanuts, and spread over vanilla layer. Refrigerate until set.


VANILLA LAYER:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3oz box of COOK AND SERVE vanilla pudding
2 lbs of powdered sugar

1. Melt butter, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and pudding together in a saucepan.

2. Cook over medium heat until thickened.

3. Remove from heat and, with electric mixer, mix in the powdered sugar.

4. Spread over chocolate and finish bars!

Mint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

CHOCOLATE MINT CUPCAKES:
1 box of dark chocolate cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cup strong coffee, cooled
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Divide among 24 paper lined cupcake tins.

3. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes.

4. Cool completely then dip tops of cupcakes into ganache.

5. Top with a dollop of Winter White Whipped Icing, marshmallows, and a candy cane!


CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 Tbsp butter

1. Scald cream over medium heat.

2. In a large glass bowl, pour cream over chocolate chips.

3. Whisk until chocolate chips are melted and creamy.

4. Add in butter, and stir gently until melted.

5. Cool until slightly thickened and dip tops of cupcakes into ganache.

6. Let the ganache set on cupcakes, and dip a second time for a thick glossy finish.


WHIPPED WINTER ICING:
3 heaping Tbsp of flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1. In a saucepan, whisk together flour and milk.

2. Cook over medium heat until thickened.

3. Remove from heat and cool completely.

4. Transfer flour/milk mixture to large mixing bowl.

5. Cream together with it the butter, shortening, and vanilla.

6. This is where it gets to be time comsuming: You have to add the sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing on high, between each addition. If you do not mix long enough, your icing will have a gritty sugary consistency. If you do mix long enough, your icing will be very fluffy and creamy.

7. Pipe dollops on top of cupcake, and top with a candy cane and Peppermint Marshmallows!

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 unbaked pie shell

1. Mix together corn syrup, sugar, eggs, vailla, and melted butter.

2. Put pecans in the bottom of a pie shell.

3. Pour pie filling over the pecans and bake at 350 for a little over an hour or until internal temp is 200 degrees.

Enchilada Bake

Recently some friends of ours purchased a new house! They were so excited about it and so were we, but there was a lot of work to be done. They had spent a few nights painting and doing lots of cleaning and work there. One night Dave and I decided to go check out the new place so I offered to bring them dinner.

I had all the ingredients on hand to toss this together and it was so good! Super simple, and very quick to make. Add to it some Mexican Rice and a salad and it's a great dinner!

Enchilada Bake

1 lb hamburger, browned
1 can of red enchilada sauce
1 can of refried beans
1 1/2 of shredded cheese
4 medium sized tortilla

1. Mix together the hamburger with the enchilada sauce.

2. In a 8" cake pan, place a tortilla inside it.

3. Top tortilla with a few Tbsp of refried beans, and 1/3 of the meat mixture.

4. Top with another tortilla, and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.

5. Repeat layers using all your ingredients.

6. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and gooey.

7. Let set a few minutes, and then slice like a pie and serve! I like to eat it with lettuce, sour cream, and your typical Mexican fixings.

Strawberry Banana Trifle

This year when all the guys went deer hunting I got together with my sister-in-law and her kids for a fun family night! We had dinner, dessert, chatted, watched a movie, and enjoyed the kids laughing and playing together.
She made homemade chicken nuggets, and a tasty treat called "Pizza Snowballs" and I brought some fruit and a dessert.

I feel like I'm ALWAYS making cupcakes, so I opted for something simpler, and something that did not require any baking. I made a trifle. I mean, you can't really go wrong with a trifle. Layer together a bunch of things that taste good, and all combined, it'll taste great!

Strawberry Banana Trifle

1 small package of banana cream instant pudding
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
5 cups milk
1 large package of instant vanilla pudding
1lb of sliced, fresh, strawberries
4 slices bananas
1 package of Golden Oreos

1. Mix together banana pudding with 2 cups milk and set aside.

2. Whip together the whipping cream, and powdered sugar.

3. Fold together the whipped cream and pudding mixture.

4. In another bowl, combine remaining milk with vanilla pudding. Whisk together and set aside.

5. Layer your dessert. I started with Oroes, and did a layer of Oreos, pudding, strawberries, whipped cream, more cookies, pudding, bananas, etc. Be creative. Layer however you'd like!

Juicy Lucy Burgers

My very first time seeing this amazing burger was at some hole-in-the-wall dive burger joint in Rochester Minnesota. It looked SO GOOD! They actually had a lot of burgers that looked really good. My sister ordered a burger . . .not on a bun. . .but sandwiched between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches!!!! That's four pieces of bread folks!!! It was definitely and indulgent dinner!

I didn't eat one there, but I did come home and make one. Since then I've seen these burgers everywhere. Recently I watched a show in the travel channel called Food Wars. It was comparing two restaurants that make a similar dish. Not only did they compare the two dishes, but they voted on which one was the best. On last nights episode they were comparing Minneapolis's Matt's to Minneapolis's 5/8 Club. The dish that was competing to win was a burger. . .but not just any burger. . . a Juicy Lucy.

Upon seeing this delicious, tasty, cheesy, oozing burger, I decided that was dinner the next
night. So here you have it. The Juicy Lucy.

Juicy Lucy Burgers

1 1/2 to 2 lbs hamburger
6 pieces of cheese, I used American this time but you can use whatever you like
6 buns
and whatever burger fixings you like

1. Divide your hamburger into 6 equal portions.

2. Take each of your six portions and half them.

3. Roll each of your now 12 burger portions into a ball.

4. Set the ball of burger on top of a piece of tin foil, and top with another piece of foil.

5. For this next part you can get creative if you want. The goal is to make that ball of hamburger flat and thin. I usually take a plate, and press down on it, revealing a ultra thin burger patty.
6. Top that burger patty with a piece of cheese. Usually you'll have to break up the cheese to make it fit in the center of the burger.
7. Repeat the flattening process with another portion of hamburger, and top the cheese with another burger.

8. Carefully press edges together, and shape in your hand to make a nice cylinder shaped burger.
9. Fry burger on grill or pan until cooked thoroughly.
10. Eat like any old burger, toss it on a toasted bun and top with whatever you like on your burger!

11. BE CAREFUL of the insanely hot melted gooey cheese! It's best to let the burger sit a few minutes before that first bite!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

CUPCAKE:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups flour

1. Cream together shortening and butter until light and fluffy.

2. Add in eggs, one at a time, making sure to mix well after each egg.

3. Add in cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking powder, and baking soda.

4. Stir in flour and pumpkin until incorporated.

5. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla.

6. Put in a paper lined cupcake tin, and fill each 2/3 of the way full.

7. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

8. Cool completely and frost with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Buttercream.


CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE BUTTERCREAM:
8oz brick of cream cheese
1 stick of butter, softened
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
7 cups powdered sugar
Few Tbsp of milk

1. Cream together the cream cheese and butter.

2. Add to the mixture the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.

3. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and whip until light and fluffy.

4. Add in milk as needed to get the best buttercream consistency.

5. Frost cupcakes!

Pumpkin Pie Squares

It's Pumpkin Pie. . .only more filling. . .and square.

Pumpkin Pie Squares

SHORTBREAD CRUST:
2 1/4 cups of flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, cubed

1. Mix all ingredients together until course and crumbly.

2. Pat the filling into a 9x13 pan.

3. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

4. Top with pumpkin filling.

5. Bake at 350 for a shade over an hour. Should look like a pumpkin pie when it's done. Set, but not firm.


PUMPKIN FILLING:
6 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cup brown sugar
3 cup pumpkin
2 cup whipping cream

1. Combine all ingredients and dump on top of crust!

Marinated Ham Sammies

To. Die. For. A few years back I had tasted one of these at a party and couldn't get them out of my head. I came across many recipes, but none measured up. I made them several times and then I found the key: Kings Hawaiian Dinner Rolls.

See, they are a combination of every thing sweet and savory, but if you use regular dinner rolls, and not the Kings Hawaiian, they are just not sweet enough. Trust on me this one, it makes all the difference in the world. Being the Sam's Club shopper that I am, I buy these in a 24 count package for $3.88!

These are great as appetizers, and a must have on Christmas and Easter morning when you wanna pop something in the over without doing any cooking. And I don't know about you, but I am SO OVER all the "egg bakes" of this world.

I have never made them and NOT had someone ask for the recipe. As a matter of fact, once you do make them, not only will people ask for the recipe, you'll be known as "the girl who brought those little ham things" at every future gathering.

I suppose I should mention that there's an astronomical amount of butter involved, but it's the Holidays. . .grab the butter and run with it!

Make them. Seriously. Tonight.

Marinated Ham and Swiss Sammies

24 Kings Hawaiian Dinner rolls, split
24 pieces of ham, folded neatly to fit in dinner roll
24 small pieces of swiss cheese, again, nice and tidy inside that pillowy little roll
3 sticks of butter (take a deep breath. . .you're not eating them every day.)
4 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestishire sauce (if your worried about any ingredient is should be this one. . . made from fermented fish. Not even kidding. Saw it on Dirty Jobs.)
3 Tbsp spicy mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Arrange the bottom of all the buns in a large baking dish. I use a 10 x 15 pan.

2. Top each bun with a piece of ham, a piece of cheese, and the top of the bun. Some recipes say to put mayo on each bun, but the butter has left me feeling guilty enough.

3. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and microwave until melted.

4. Pour over sandwiches, cover with foil, and refrigerate over night.

5. Assuming you were smart enough to make these the night before Christmas, means that in the morning, when the kids are dumping stockings and you want to crawl back in bed, toss these bad boys in the oven, and wait for pure bliss! 350, until everythings melted and gooey. usually about 25 minutes.

Chicken with Dill Cream Sauce

I don't know about your family, but mine LOVE chicken. We eat it a lot. Not such beef fans, but chicken is a must have.

When the grocery store has the bags of frozen chicken breasts on sale, we stock up! I rarely have less than 7 bags in my freezer!

With all that chicken, we have to find different ways of preparing it. This one is a special treat. I don't use heavy whipping cream in this fashion very often, but when I do, it's so good. This sauce is just velvety and smooth.

What inspired this was actually a dish I had at Disney World last fall. We were eating dinner at the Grand Floridian with Cinderella, and her evil step mother and step sisters.

It was a buffet (Gasp! I am SO not a buffet person! However, in Disney, most of their character meals are buffets.) and the signature item that I dove into was the salmon with a dill cream sauce. I had only had salmon a few times before, and hated it. But at the Grand Floridian, they don't skimp on great cuisine! The salmon was perfectly prepared, and the sauce was the "icing on the cake." When we came home, this was a recipe I had to re-create. . .but with the price of salmon being what it is. . .I went with chicken. It was still good, but it was no Fairytale meal like Disney offers!

Chicken with Dill Cream Sauce

4 chicken breasts, baked or grilled with salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dill
1 clove garlic
salt
pepper

1. In a small saucepan, combine the cream, garlic, dill, salt, and pepper.

2. Stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

3. Serve over grilled or baked chicken.

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Some people call these twice baked potatoes, but not me. When I was a kid, I remember my grandma making these incredibly creamy indulgences and she ALWAYS called them Stuffed Baked Potatoes.

She made them in huge batches, and then froze them. The ability to freeze is one of the things I love about this recipe!!! I can make a whole bag of them, and freeze them! You don't even have to thaw to bake them, and they taste just as good from frozen as they do fresh.

She always made them for holidays and special occasions. If you really want to get fancy, you can pipe the potatoes back into the shell using a pastry bag and a large tip, but I like the hap-hazzard look you get just spooning it in there. The best part is, that when you bake them, the top of the potato gets a bit crispy. I LOVE that crispy top!!! It's just so darn good. Reminds me of Grandma. You can top it with extra sour cream, or eat it as is. . .

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

1 5 lb bag of potatos, baked until fork tender and slightly cooled
1 stick of butter
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 brick of cream cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, and some good old Franks Red Hot

1. Cut the tops off of the potatoes.

2. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes being careful to leave enough of a shell so that the potato skin doesn't tear.

3. Take all the potato that you scooped out and put it into a mixing bowl.

4. Add to the potato all the rest of the ingredients and whip the daylights out of it until it's decadently creamy.
5. Scoop back into the shell and bake at 350 for about 1/2 an hour.

6. Or you can freeze them, and bake from frozen, at 350, for about an hour.

M&M Cookie Cupcakes

Simply heavenly. This chocolate cake recipe is the best out there. It makes about 36 cupcakes, but they go fast!!! I'm not even kidding, I could drink this batter. My mouth is literally watering thinking about it right now.

The frosting, well, it tastes like cookie dough. Need I say more?

And the cookies are perfectly fluffy. This one's a keeper folks.

M&M Cookie Cupcakes

CUPCAKES:
1 cup softened butter
3 cups packed brown sugar
4 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups strongly brewed coffee, cool
1 1/3 cups sour cream

1. Cream together butter and brown sugar and vanilla.

2. Add in eggs, one at a time.

3. Stir in vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda.

5. Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients alternately with coffee and sour cream.

6. Scoop into a muffin pan lined with cupcake papers, mostly full.

7. Bake at 350 for about 18 to 20 minutes or until set.


COOKIE DOUGH BUTTERCREAM:
3 stickes butter, room temp
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 1/2 cups powder sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp milk
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Combine butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl.

2. Beat on high speed until whipped and fluffy.

3. Slowly add in flour and salt.

4. Mix in milk and vanilla, and whip a few more minutes.

5. Top with a cookie!

M&M MINI's COOKIES:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large bag of M&M's

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.

3. Slowly add in flour, baking soda and salt.

4. Scoop dough by the Tbsp. I use a Pampered Chef Small Scoop.

5. Roll dough in M&M's to cover the top and sides of dough ball. Place, M&M side up, on a baking sheet.

6. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake.

7. Cool, and top cupcakes!

Chicken Salad on Croissants

This is my FAVORITE FOOD EVER!!! Not even kidding. I know it's pretty random, but it's just so good!!! I hated it when I was younger. Thought it was the weirdest combination ever, but as I grew so did my taste buds.

I love the creamy with the crunchy. The salty with the sweet. It's just so incredibly, intensely, decadently, delicious.

This, again, is a "mix to your liking" kind of recipe so I will just give you the ingredients that I put in MINE.

You really can't go wrong!

Chicken Salad Croissants

Mayo
Miracle Whip (I like to use half and half. Too much mayo makes me gag, and I love that tangy zip of Miracle Whip!)
Chopped onions
Chopped celery
Red Grapes
Cashews
Cooked, diced, chicken
salt and pepper
1. Combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Don't add the cashews until right before you serve to keep them nice and crunchy. I also don't like to over-do it on the mayo/miracle whip combo either.
2. Serve on a great big, buttery, pillowy, croissant! (Sam's Club are the best!)

Italian Pasta Salad

Who really needs a recipe for this? I mean c'mon. . .seriously. I question weather or not to even put it up here. . .but then again, you can't really go wrong. I'm not posting it as a "recipe" but more of an "ingredient idea list."

Everyone has a different version of this same thing. Even me. I have a tendency to make this pasta salad different every time I make it, based on what's in season or what I have on hand. The one thing that never changes though, is the fact that Dave packs it in by the bowl!!! He loves this pasta salad. Would probably eat it every day and never get sick of it. To me though, it's a summertime dish. I tend to make certain things during certain times of year to keep it "special."
Italian Pasta Salad

Small noodles of some sort. (I like the Barilla Mini Bow Ties.)
Italian Dressing (My brand of choice for this is Wishbone. Weird, but true.)
Mini pepperoni
Cheese, cubed into itty bitty cute little pieces
onion
green pepper
broccoli
cauliflower
shredded carrots
black olives
red pepper

Chop the veggies into bite size pieces, and toss the cooked pasta with dressing and veggies to coat! If you make it the night before, it's always good to toss in a bit of extra dressing when serving.

Auntie Diane's Christmas Caramel Corn

Every year we have the same Holiday routine. Christmas Eve we visit with my Dad's sister (Diane), and then head to my Mom's Sister's (Nancy) house.

My aunt Diane gives us the the same thing for Christmas every year. . .and it's something we all greatly look forward to. I giant bag of her homemade caramel corn, and several loaves of her homemade bread.

She lives over an hour away. . . and it's definitely worth the drive! After two years of inhaling her caramel corn the night we get it, I finally asked her for her recipe. She gave it to me! I rarely make it. In fact, this is only my third time. I still want it to be special when she gives it to us on Christmas! This recipe is similar to the one posted previously, but slightly different.

I highly recommend using air popped popcorn, NOT the microwave bags. It makes the hugest difference to go all homemade. Also, to get the greatest caramel flavor, use all dark syrup and dark brown sugar. Don't forget to sift the popcorn to avoid getting kernels and small pieces in there!

Auntie Diane's Christmas Caramel Corn

1 cup butter

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

2 cups dark brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

6 quarts (24 cups) of fresh popped popcorn

1. In a saucepan, combine butter, corn syrup,salt, and sugar.

2. Bring to a boil, and boil WITHOUT stirring for 5 and a half minutes.

3. Add in the baking soda and vanilla, stir, and coat all the popcorn in it.

4. Pour into two shallow baking pans and bake at 250 for about 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

5. Cool, break apart, and eat!

Pizza Lasagna Rolls

My kids HATE lasagna, but they LOVE pizza. I thought I could combine the two, and make something we all like. The fact that this doesn't look like lasagna, is an added bonus because I don't have to work as hard to talk them into eating it.

The pepperoni is really where you get the pizza flavor. I love these. It's a change from the norm, yet super simple and super fast to make. You can even make it ahead of time, toss it in the fridge or freezer, and just bake when you're ready to eat!

If you like veggies on your pizza, you can dice them really small, and add them to the cheese mixture. I didn't go that far yet. . .I gotta work the kids up to that one.

Pizza Lasagna Rolls

12 lasagna noodles, boiled and drained
1 small container or Ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
Pepperoni
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
extra cheese

1. Lay lasagna noodles out on cutting board or counter.

2. Mix together Ricotta, Mozarella, egg, salt, and pepper.

3. Put cheese mixture into a ziploc or pastry bag. Snip the tip, and pipe down the length of each noodle.4. Flatten cheese mixture with back of spoon.
5. Top cheese with pepperoni.
6. In a baking dish, spread about 1/2 cup of sauce to prevent the rolls from sticking.

7. Roll up the filled noodles, and arrange, seam side down, in baking dish.
8. Top with sauce and cheese.
9. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

10. Let set about 10 minutes before serving.

Heath Cupcakes

I have a little bit of guilt over this recipe. Dave LOVES Heath and anything Heath related. I don't. He had been asking me to make him a Heath cupcake for quite sometime, but I never did.

Then, one day, my friend Jenny asked me to make cupcakes for her husband's birthday. We go to church every Wednesday night, and every Wednesday night I bring cupcakes. I love doing it. It's a fun little way to say "Thank You" to all the people who take care of my kids when I go to my class. Her husband is one of those people.

So I just couldn't decide what kind of cupcakes to make. I wanted to bring a kind that I hadn't brought before. I called Jenny and asked her what Troy's favorite candy was. She said Heath. So there you have it. My husband asks for it and I don't even attempt. . .my friend asks for it for her husband. . .and I make them. Hence: guilt.

I will say, they were a real crowd pleaser and everyone loved them. . . my poor husband included.


Heath Cupcakes

CUPCAKE:
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup Hershey's Dark Cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups strong brewed, cooled coffee
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix together cake mix with all the dry ingredients.

2. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and mix until incorporated.

3. Scoop into cupcake tin 2/3 full.

4. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

5. Cool completely, and pipe caramel filling into the center.

6. Top with buttercream and roll in Heath!

FILLING:
Brace Yourself: I just use T. Marzetti's Caramel Dip for apples. No home-made tricks here. I like it because it's thick and gooey. It stays where you pipe it instead of soaking into the cake like homemade caramel, and it tastes just as good!

SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup T. Marzetti's Caramel Dip
1/4 tsp salt
Few Tbsp milk
2 bags of crushed Heath Bits

1. Cream together the butter and shortening.

2. Add in sugar and caramel dip.

3. Add in salt and milk and whip until light and fluffy.

4. Add more milk or sugar to get desired consistency.

5. Pipe on top of cupcakes, and then roll in Heath Bar Bits.

Banana Split Cupcakes

I LOVE banana cake. You just can't go wrong. It's good with everything. Throw some chocolate buttercream on top and it's perfect. Not a chocolate fan? That's fine, goes amazingly well with Cream Cheese Buttercream too. Don't like that either? Give this a try!!! It's a Banana Split Cupcake!

We got invited to a friends house for a get together after church one Sunday this summer, and these cupcakes had everyone "oohing and aaahhhing."

Banana Split Cupcakes

BANANA CUPCAKES:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mashed super-ripe banana
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1. In a mixing bowl, beat together flour, sugar, powder, soda, and salt.
2. Add to that mixture the banana, buttermilk, shortening, and vanilla.

3. Add eggs in and mix until combined.

4. Scoop into muffin tins about 2/3 full and bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Cool cupcakes and dip tops in chocolate ganache. Let the ganache set until stiff.

6. Pipe strawberry buttercream on top of ganache, and drizzle with remaining ganache.


CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

16 oz. bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate (we used chocolate chips)
2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Place the chopped chocolate into a medium-sized bowl.

2. Heat the heavy cream in a microwavable container and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer; be careful not to allow cream to boil over.

3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds or so.

4. Stir until mixture is smooth.

5. Use as is for glazing.

FRESH STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
6 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup fresh strawberry puree

1. Beat together butter and shortening.

2. Add in about half of the powdered sugar.

3. Mix in strawberry puree. (I just blend fresh strawberries with 1 tsp of lemon juice until liquified.)

4. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar.

5. Beat buttercream to desired consistency. At this point you can add more sugar or puree if too thick or thin.

6. Frost cupcakes.

Peaches and Cream Pie

This is my Dad's favorite pie. Peaches and Cream. Mine didn't turn out quite how my mom's does and I know why.

You know what I do wrong: I slice the peaches instead of halve them. Sounds ridiculous that it doesn't turn out right because of that, but it's true. By slicing the peaches, you release more liquid into the pie which makes it never firm up. But by halving the peaches, you get a firm texture.

So if you you make this rich, creamy, peachy pie, don't make the same mistake I did!!!!

Peaches and Cream Pie

1 unbaked pie shell
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp corn starch
5 fresh peaches, peeled and halved
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Mix together sugar and cornstarch.

2. Pour 3/4 cup of the sugar mixture in the bottom of the pie shell.

3. Arrange all peach halves over sugar mixture.

4. Evenly pour the rest of the sugar mixture over the top of the peaches.

5. Pour the whipping cream over the pie.

6. Bake at 350 for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the peaches. Best way to tell when pie is done, is the custard should be clear.

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

Well, I was on quite the peach kick this summer. I bought peaches by the case at Sam's Club. They were always so good! I have never purchased so many peaches, however, in late July I went to Sam's to do the usual bi-weekly grocery shopping and the smell of fresh peaches was everywhere. By the time I hit the produce section, I was in desperate need of peaches. They fresh, fruity, sweet, fragrant smell was so good.

I bought a case.

Then the next week. . .I bought another.

Came back a third time. . .and bought another.

It was probably the third or fourth time I purchased peaches that I finally decided I needed to make a peach cupcake. (Which I am just now posting because - let's face it - I got lazy once school started.)

I went in search of the perfect recipe and found a few that sounded good. As usual a tweaked and changed them, and came up with what I have here. NOTE: This recipe DOES NOT use any eggs! The vinegar reacts the same way eggs do, making the cake light and fluffy. Weird huh. . .science. . .I tell ya.

I guess I better tell you before you decide to make them, that they were not as "peachy" as I had hoped for. I really wanted that fresh, juicy, sweet, peach taste to come through, and after trying several recipes, I decided that if you want a juicy peach. . .just eat a peach. If you want a cupcake that tastes slightly peachy. . .make these!

CUPCAKES:
2-2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh peach puree
1/2 cup high quality peach preserves
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar

1. Mix together all dry ingredients.

2. Add to they dry mixture the peach puree, peach preserves, oil, vanilla, water, and vinegar.

3. Fill muffin tin's 2/3 full of cake batter and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

4. Once cooled, fill and frost!

PEACH CREAM FILLNG:
1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp peach preserves

1. Dump all this stuff in a bowl and beat the heck out of it on high! (If my opinion, this is the tastiest part of the cupcake!)

2. Put Peach Cream Filling in a pastry bag fitted with a small tip, and pipe directly into the top of the cupcake, filling until the top of the cupcake begins to crack.

PEACH BUTTERCREAM:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup peach preserves
Milk to thin if needed.

1. Whip together butter, shortening, and powdered sugar.

2. Add in peach preserves.

3. Whip on high, until light and fluffy. You may need to add some cream or milk to help with consistency. Pipe on top of cupcakes, and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

It's that time of year again. . .Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I hate to admit it, but I'm not exactly a "Thanksgiving-y" person. I would honestly not be disappointed if we just skipped right over it and headed straight to Christmas. I know: some of you are highly offended by such things, but for me, it's true.

I get that there's history in the Holiday, and that people take their turkey and pie quite seriously. I however, could (and do) eat turkey and pie all year long, so it's not about the meal for me.

Last year we spent our Thanksgiving at Disney World. It didn't even feel like Thanksgiving, and I was completely fine with that. We ate at a Chinese restaurant inside Epcot called Nine Dragons. Wasn't very good. TOTALLY un-Thanksgiving-y. We had an amazing time. Finished off the night with the Holiday Fireworks Display with more than 14,000 fireworks!

But this year we'll be home. My mom is having surgery on Monday and will be on the mend during the Holiday break, which means I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year. To prep myself for such festivities I have been pumping out the pumpkin treats!

I made these cookies a few weeks back to bring to our small group at church on Wednesday night. I usually bring a treat every Wednesday, and they tend to almost always be cupcakes. This week, however, I stepped outside the usual, and brought cookies.

They're soft, spicy, moist, and delicious. The cookie itself isn't very sweet. Almost like a pumpkin bread. But top it with the glaze and it's an incredibly indulgent treat! So prep yourself for the big meal, get into the swing of things, and make a batch of cookies! Added Bonus: The house smells very festive when they're baking!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies!

COOKIES:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until lightly pale and fluffy.

3. Add in egg and vanilla extract.

4. Combine the pumpkin with the creamed butter mixture.

5. Slowly add in the dry ingredients.

6. Drop, by Tbsp, onto cookie sheet and bake for about 12 minutes at 350.

7. Cool, and glaze!

GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until incorporated.

2. Spoon over cookies and let set.

3. I like to lightly dust the cookies with cinnamon sugar when glaze is still runny.

Orange Chicken

My neighbor Jackie recommended the Orange Chicken from Trader Joes and I could have easily turned that into an addiction. I made it for Ava and I once when Dave was gone, and we LOVED it! However, I really wanted to find a way to make it at home from scratch. (Cheaper, and more convenient.) I found a recipe similar to this online, and went for it tonight! Wasn't sure how it would turn out. . . but Oh. My. Gosh. It was SO GOOD! Justin and Ava ate WAY more than Dave and I did!

I do have a few ideas or things I may change next time. I felt guilty beyond guilty for feeding my family FRIED chicken for dinner! Next time, I may do a breading and bake it, or just use diced baked chicken, and then toss it in the sauce. Either way, the sauce is amazing!

You'll have to try it and tell me what you think! It's a keeper here!

Orange Chicken Recipe

CHICKEN:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 eggs (beaten)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Oil (for frying)

1. In a large bowl, mix Chicken together with egg.

2. Toss the flour, corn starch, salt, and pepper on top of the chicken, and shake until coated.

3. Fry chicken in a deep fryer, or just do it in batches in a wok or pan.

ORANGE SAUCE:

1 ½ cups water

2 tablespoons orange juice

¼ cup lemon juice

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

zest of 1 orange

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Combine all ingredients together in a sauce pan.

2. Bring to a boil, while stirring, and reduce heat.

3. Simmer until sauce is clear and thickened.

4. Toss with chicken, serve over rice, and garnish with green onions and oranges!

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

My kids LOVE oatmeal. . .but they get sick of the same old thing every day. I do have to say, they're a bit picky about their oatmeal. Can't be too mushy or too gritty. Can't be too sweet, but has to be sweet enough. And it can't be those individual packets of quick oatmeal. They hate it.

Recently I've become addicted to Trader Joes Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats. It's amazing. (And I HATE oatmeal!) But the texture of the Steel Cut Oats is so good!

Being fall, I decided to combine my kids favorite fall dessert, with their coziest warm breakfast. Hence: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

Single Serving

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp pureed pumpkin

1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of ginger

Dash of cloves

1/4 cup Trader Joes Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats

1. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, pumpkin, sugar, and spices. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat, and add in the oats.

3. Cover, and simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes or until oatmeal is thickened, and tender. Be sure to stir every few minues.

4. Top with a splash of heavy cream, and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Bucatini All'Amatriciana

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Giada DeLaurentiis! She is my favorite cook on the Food Network. (Well, she and Paula Deen are tied.) Over the years I have made MANY of Giada's recipes. When I found out that Target was carrying her brand I was so excited! Her pasta recipes always look so fresh and delicious.
One thing I realized when watching her show, however, is that she always cooks with pasta shapes that I cannot find in stores. Now I know that to a lot of people, pasta is pasta. Who cares about the shape, but after two years of searching for Bucatini noodles, I wanted to SCREAM when I found this!It's basically Spaghetti Noodles, only thicker, and with a tunnel down the center of them!
I cannot WAIT TO EAT DINNER! I actually just took the recipe from the back of the box, and followed that with a few minor changes. So here it is:



Bucatini All'Amatriciana

1 lb Bucatini Pasta
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb Peppered Bacon, fried and crumbled (this is different than her recipe, hers calls for 6oz of pancetta, but I used bacon, and a lot of it! This is a mostly meatless pasta but I thought that by adding the bacon I could use it as a main dish.)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 14oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1. To a large, heavy skillet add onion and olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes till tender.

2. Add in garlic, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and bacon. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until sauce slightly thickens.
3. Cook pasta according to directions and toss with sauce.

4. Stir in cheese, and serve! Garnish with additional grated cheese.

Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes

Well. . .here's another recipe that started with a favorite flavor combo. Made Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches for lunch. I like to add a drizzle of honey to my sandwich so it's just messy and tasty! My kids like it too, but due to the "no peanuts" rule at school, I can't pack it in their lunch. Instead they enjoy it as a treat at home.

I have a pile of 9 bananas, ripe as can be, setting on the counter and need to use them. So here we are, Peanut Butter Banana Caramel Cupcakes! I've never made them before, but think they turned out fantastic!

Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes

CUPCAKES:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, very soft
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 cup ripe banana, mashed (2 large)

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add in eggs one at a time.

3. Mix in mashed bananas.

4. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt.

5. Stir until combined.

6. Scoop into paper lined cupcake pan.

7. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.


PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 or 3 Tbsp milk

1. Prepare cupcakes and let cool completely.

2. Mix together butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

3. Stir in milk.

4. Whip frosting till it's light and fluffy.

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshakes

Mmmm. . .fall got me thinking about campfires. Campfires got me thinking about s'mores. S'mores got me thinking about toasted marshmallows. . . and once I started thinking about that, the wheels started turning and I had to find fun ways to capture that taste!

I LOVE the ooey, gooey, delicious, messy, taste of toasted marshmallows. My kids love milkshakes. . .thus the Toasted Marshmallow Milk Shake. It's so good. So marshmallowy.

This is a good one for summer, spring, winter, or my favorite, FALL!!! My kids wanted to dunk graham crackers in it, and told me next time to add ground chocolate to it! Just may have to give it a try!

Toasted Marshmallow Milk Shakes
Serves 4

1 bag of large marshmallows
5 cups vanilla ice cream
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Spray a large pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Spread marshmallows out evenly on pan.

3. Toss under broiler for a few minutes or until marshmallows are toasted and lightly browned.

4. Add to blender, ice cream, milk, and vanilla.

5. Toss in all but 8 marshmallows.

6. Blend until smooth and creamy.

7. Pour in glasses, and top each with two toasted marshmallows!

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

APPLE FILLING:
10 cups of peeled, diced apples
1 cup of butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and stir until incorporated.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for ten to fifteen minutes.

3. Cool slightly before topping bars.


CRUST & TOPPING:
4 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup butter, cubed

1. Mix all ingredients together until course and crumbly.

2. Pat 3/4 of the filling into a 10 x 15 pan.

3. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

4. Top with apple filling.

5. Crumble remaining crust ingredients over the top of the apple mixture.

6. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

Homemade Brownie Recipe

Homemade Brownies. . .There's nothing better! This is the recipe my mom always made when we were kids. They're favorite of my dad's, and my husbands! Once you try a real brownie. . .the box just won't cut it anymore!

Homemade Brownie Recipe

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of butter

4 eggs

4 squares of unsweetened melted chocolate

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add eggs one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated.

3. Slowly drizzle in melted chocolate.

4. Add in flour, salt, and vanilla.

5. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

6. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.