Flour Dusted

Dark Chocolate Stout Brownies

2011-12-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ages ago I ran across the recipe for the "Baked" Brownie over at Fake Ginger. Super yummy brownies? I had to test this out for myself since I managed to get in some kitchen time over the weekend. Ahhhh baking.....how I've missed you.

Not being a fan of coffee I always substitute in stout....which took some tinkering in this recipe given the original contained espresso powder. The brownies turned out nicely though. Rich, dark and tasty.....oh yes. The texture is more of a cross between cake and a brownie, but I didn't mind that too much.

Dark Chocolate Stout Brownies

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup warm stout
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl, whisk together the warm stout and the cocoa powder. Set aside. Combine butter and dark chocolate chips in a bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring often. Stir stout mixture into butter mixture. Stir in sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix in eggs. Fold in salt and flour. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 for 30 mins or until brownies are set. Cool before slicing.

Out of the Kitchen....

2011-10-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

My attention has been pulled away from the kitchen so forgive the lack of new posts. Hopefully I will return to my lovely obsession with all things foodie soon.....so many creations just waiting to be baked.....

Chocolate Stuffed Rolls

2011-09-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

This was an interesting experiment. The rolls needed another component....like apples or dates.....the chocolate just didn't do it for me on it's own. I do feel kind of dirty saying that though.

I have stuffed chocolate into the center of a drop biscuit and been in heaven....all that buttery biscuit dough was a wonderful pairing with the melted chocolate center.

Chocolate Stuffed Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)
18 to 20 squares of dark chocolate
2 tbls coarse salt
2 tbls turbinado sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in milk, honey, oil, and salt. Mix in one cup of flour and vital wheat gluten. Mix in eggs and enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in covered bowl and let rise for one hour.

Turn dough back out on floured board and divide into 18 to 20 pieces. Shape a piece of dough into a round and flatten slightly. Tuck chocolate into center of dough. Pinch the edges of dough closed around the chocolate. Place pinch side down on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover rolls and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Mix together coarse salt and turbinado sugar. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter and sprinkle salt mixture over top of rolls.

Bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on racks.

Apple Cinnamon Pockets

2011-09-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I crave a danish but I'm feeling too lazy to form a pretty braid I turn to pockets....simple and easy to form. Sometimes a no muss no fuss strategy fits the bill.

Apple Cinnamon Pockets

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
Spiced Apple Butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Sugar Drizzle:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 to 3 tbls water or milk

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in milk, honey, oil, and salt. Mix in one cup of flour and vital wheat gluten. Mix in egg and enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in covered bowl and let rise for one hour.

Assemble filling. Stir brown sugar, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter together. Mix in flour. Set aside.

Turn dough back out onto floured surface and divide into 10 to 12 pieces. Spread a piece of dough out into a rough circle. Spread a layer of spiced apple butter across half of circle, leaving the edges of the dough uncovered. Crumble a healthy portion of filling over the apple butter. Fold the pocket in half and pinch the edges together. Move pocket to greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Let pockets rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Brush pockets with melted butter. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mix together icing ingredients and drizzle over top of slightly cooled pockets. Nom!

Apple Cinnamon Danish

2011-09-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Apple cinnamon glory....oh yes. Perfect for a weekend breakfast. I'm still playing around with using crumb topping as the filling in different sweet breads....it really does make a great filler.

Next time I need to thin my frosting a bit more....talk about a super thick drizzle.

Apple Cinnamon Danish

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
Spiced Apple Butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Sugar Drizzle:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 to 3 tbls water or milk

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in milk, honey, oil, and salt. Mix in one cup of flour and vital wheat gluten. Mix in egg and enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in covered bowl and let rise for one hour.

Assemble filling while dough is rising. Stir together both sugars, salt, and cinnamon, and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in the flour until well combined. Set aside.

Divide dough into four sections. Roll a section out into a thin rectangle. Spread apple butter down the center of the dough. Crumble filling on top of apple butter. Using a knife or pizza cutter....cut dough on each side of the filling into strips. Fold strips, alternating sides, over the filling in the center.....I always think of it like a shoelace pattern. Place danish on greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on racks. Drizzle with sugar mixture.

Cajun Chicken Pizza

2011-09-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Another cold pizza that makes a great nibble when guests are over. My Cajun chicken addiction continues.

I always make my own pizza dough, but if time is pressing some refrigerated from the store works just as well. Pizza dough is totally one of the easiest yeast breads to zip together though.

Cajun Chicken Pizza

Pizza dough
1/2 cup medium salsa
16oz reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
2 tsp hickory bacon salt
2 ancho peppers, roasted and sliced into strips
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Cajun chicken, cut into cubes

I formed the pizza dough into 4 long rectangles instead of two large circles. Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes until crust is lightly browned. Let crusts cool on rack.

Mix together cream cheese, salsa, and bacon salt. Spread across cooled crusts. Top cream cheese with chicken, peppers, and tomatoes. Slice into strips and chill until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Fingers

2011-09-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

I was craving doughnuts, but I try to stay away from deep frying these days. These baked treats turned beautifully and fixed me right up. I definitely recommend noshing while they are warm from the oven. So very good.

The filling is the crumb top from the Kitchenarian's New York Style Crumb Cake. I was quite pleased with the buttery, cinnamony goodness.

Cinnamon Fingers

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)

Topping:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Filling:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in milk, honey, oil, and salt. Mix in one cup of flour and vital wheat gluten. Mix in egg and enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured board and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in covered bowl and let rise for one hour.

While dough is rising assemble the filling. Stir together both sugars, salt, and cinnamon, and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in the flour until well combined. Set aside.

Turn dough back out on floured board and divide into 12 to 15 pieces. Take one piece and roll it into a rope. Flatten the rope out into a rough rectangle. Crumble some filling down the center of the the dough. Fold the edges together over the filling and pinch closed. Place on greased cookie sheet, pinch side down. Repeat with remaining dough.

Brush fingers with melted butter. Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes or until dough is nicely browned.

Mix cinnamon and sugar together. When fingers come out of the oven, brush again with butter and dredge through cinnamon sugar mixture. Set on rack to cool.

Spiced Apple Butter

2011-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Cherry Tea Cakes post this amazing recipe. Seriously....aaaaahhhhmaaaaazingly good. I will be making this again and again in the future.

I made just a tiny batch for immediate use. As much as I love apple butter I don't go through it very quickly. ;)

Spiced Apple Butter

2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3 tbls apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp Chinese five spice

In a small sacuepan, cook apples and cider over a low heat until soft. Toss mixture into food processor until smooth. Return to saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat, until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and allow to cool before chilling.

Cocoa Nana Loaves

2011-08-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe over at Return of the Yummy. Deep, intense chocolate flavor in these puppies.

The bread was good, but it was missing something. The fat content was a little low....some additional butter, sour cream, or yogurt would work.....but then I realized this recipe demands something different....so cream cheese, avocado, or even some stout would be the way I'd go next time. Avocado would just be plain fun. ;)

A little more chocolate chips next time too......cause there just is no such thing as too much chocolate.

I went with mini loaves to keep the bake time reasonable. Muffins would turn out beautifully as well.

Cocoa Nana Bread

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup soured milk
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs. Beat in both cocoa powders. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk. Add in flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon batter into greased, mini loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bread tests as done. Cool on a rack.

Double Chocolate Pudding

2011-08-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

I ran across this recipe and used part of it to make a tasty, chocolate pudding. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.....double chocolate how I love you. Bonus points for having no yolks. I did add a little extra chocolate....I just can't help myself. ;)

Spoon some pudding into pop molds to make some tasty, frozen treats. Make sure to hide one of the frozen treats so they don't disappear unexpectedly....ahem. Pop bandit! I have been assured by my beloved they tasted delicious....eye twitch.....ehehehehe.

Double Chocolate Pudding

1 tbls unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)
1/3 cup boiling water
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
3 cups skim milk
2 tsp vanilla
4oz dark chocolate chips, melted

In a small bowl, mix together the gelatin and the boiling water. Stir until dissolved and then set aside.

In a saucepan, mix together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Stir in melted chocolate. Stir in vanilla and gelatin. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with some plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for a few hours to set.

Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle

2011-08-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

I was in the middle a pie frenzy when my hand mixer crapped out on me. Smoke.....angry sounds...it was toast. After wacking it on the counter a few times.....rage plus percussive maintenance can occasionally work some magic.....I gave up and chucked that puppy into the trash.

I now had unwhipped cream cheese. Translate this to tiny chunks of cream cheese throughout my pie filling. Not a good look. I tried working them out by hand and it was taking foooooorever so that was a no go. I could have gotten away with this chunk style filling if I had planned a whipped topping over the pie filling, but no, I was only planning a chocolate drizzle top with some chocolate covered pretzels here and there.

Solution, toss pie filling and crust into pretty glasses and move on. I will make a gorgeous pie next time...I promise. Friggin mixer.

Technical difficulties aside....this treat tastes amaaaaaazing.

Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle

Graham Pretzel Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (one sleeve)
1 cup pretzels crumbs
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, pretzel crumbs, and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter. Set aside.

Chocolate Pie Filling
3 cups skim milk
4 egg yolks, beaten
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbls vanilla
12oz milk chocolate chips, melted
2 - 8oz blocks reduced fat cream cheese

In a saucepan mix together cornstarch, salt, and sugar. Whisk the yolks and milk together. Add the milk mixture to the saucepan and stir everything together. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil for one minute before removing from heat. Stir in vanilla and melted, milk chocolate. Pour into a bowl, press plastic wrap to the top of the chocolate filling, and refrigerate for a couple hours.

Mix chocolate filling with cream cheese. Fold crust mixture gently into pie filling. Spoon into cups. Garnish with chocolate and pretzels.

Nutella Peanut Butter Banana Bars

2011-08-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to try out this recipe I found on The Spiffy Cookie for ages...it was worth the wait. Easy to make and just plain tasty. I will definitely be making this treat again. Who can resist the glory of Nutella?

I tweaked the recipe a bit because I had extra bananas on hand and no hazelnuts....not that I usually need an excuse for tinkering...ehehehe.

Nutella Peanut Butter Banana Bars

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup bananas, mashed
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts
1/4 cup Nutella

Mix melted butter with brown sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add salt and flour. Mix in bananas, peanut butter, and peanuts. Pour into greased 8 inch pan. Melt the Nutella briefly in the microwave and drop by spoonfuls over the batter, and swirl in with a knife. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool before slicing.

My swirl could have looked a little better...I think I was distracted by the bowl of dreamy Nutella in my hand. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)

Almond Coconut Granola Cereal

2011-08-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

I usually like my granola in bar form, but sometimes I crave a cereal version. These crunchy, chunks of granola do make a tasty little snack all on their own though. I found myself nibbling on a handful when the munchies hit. The toasted coconut...it calls to me.

Not a ton of sugar in this recipe...I wasn't keen on tossing in a bunch of oil or butter either. Simple and delicious was the goal.

Almond Coconut Granola Cereal

3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup oat bran
1 tbls wheat germ
1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbls raw honey
1 egg white

Mix together all the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg white lightly. Stir in honey. Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together. Pour onto a greased cooking sheet and bake at 325 for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves two.

Snickerdoodle Streusel Blondies

2011-08-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

These blondies are the combination of two recipes.....both awesome on their own, but insanely good melded together. The Kitchenarian posted a fabulous New York Style Crumb Cake, which I'm still drooling over. Browneyedbaker posted some really appealing Snickerdoodle Blondies.

It's a cinnaplosion! Seriously, I will be making this again....over and over again. Hardest part.....waiting for the bars to cool enough to have a slice.

Snickerdoodle Streusel Blondies

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Stir together both sugars, salt, and cinnamon, and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in the flour until well combined. Set aside.

Blondies:
1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 tbls vanilla
2 tbls sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until just combined. Spread half the batter in the bottom of an 8 inch greased pan. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over batter. Drop small spoonfuls of remaining batter on top of sugar mixture. Spread dollops of batter gently to form a relatively even top layer.

Take the streusel topping you set aside and scoop up a handful, clench it in your fist until it holds together. Then break it off in chunks, sprinkling over the top of the blondies. Repeat with remaining streusel.

Bake for 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Caramel Brownie Pie

2011-08-08T04:55:00.000-07:00

This dessert is insanely rich so slice accordingly. Chocolate caramel glory...oh yes. I'm pretty sure this treat will destroy any cravings with one bite. ;)

I used this caramel recipe for my dessert. Packaged caramels thinned with some milk work just fine. Caramel ice cream topping would work great as well.

This recipe is loosely based on one I ran across in a Southern Living cookbook.

Caramel Brownie Pie

Brownie Base:
1 1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbls dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup thinned caramel

Melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave, stirring often. Be careful that you don't overheat the chocolate. Stir in vanilla, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder. Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl before adding them to the chocolate mixture. Mix in the flour. Pour batter into greased 9 inch pie pan. Pour caramel on top of batter and swirl to mix the two together. Bake at 350 for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Topping:
1 cup dark chocolate chips, melted
1 cup thinned caramel

Spread caramel and chocolate on top of slightly cooled brownie base. Use a butter knife to swirl the two together to create a pattern on the top. Cool and then chill before slicing.

Multi Grain Hamburger Buns 2.0

2011-08-04T03:28:00.000-07:00

I changed my hamburger bun recipe recently....sometimes I just get tired of a particular ingredient...in this case ground flax. I'm quite tickled with the new version. The texture seems much lighter, even with the increase in oatmeal and wheat flour.

I've been slacking on experimental bread making lately....probably the heat nudging me towards the usual recipes to get in and out of the kitchen quickly.

I don't usually bother gussying up my buns, but for a polished look they can be brushed with egg whites....sesame seeds, diced onions, and coarse salt might be some fun toppings as well.

Multi Grain Hamburger Buns 2.0

1 pack active dry yeast
2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, ground
1 cup warm milk
2 tbls oil
1 tbls honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup no fat plain yogurt, warmed slightly
1/3 cup wheat germ
2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup oat bran
3 tbls vital wheat gluten

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add in warm milk, oil, honey, and salt. Stir in yogurt. Add in wheat germ, whole wheat flour, oat bran, ground oatmeal, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in all purpose flour until mixture is too stiff to work in the bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to knead dough for about 8 to 10 minutes adding flour to keep dough from sticking. Place in bowl and cover, letting rise in a warm place for about an hour. I generally use the microwave for this step...heating up a mug of water to steaming before putting my bread bowl inside.

Turn dough back out onto a floured surface and punch down. Divide into 10 portions. Take a portion of dough and form it into a rough circular shape. Holding the round in one hand, use the other hand to turn one side of the dough under. Rotate the round slightly and continue to turn the dough under adding a dusting of flour as needed. This will give you a nice, round shape. Place on greased baking sheet and flatten. Repeat for the other portions. Cover and let your tray rise for another hour.

Bake your buns at 375 for 30 mins or until nicely browned. Cool on rack.

Every so often I get a lovely whiff of honey when I cut one of these buns open. Yummy!

Apple Salsa

2011-08-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

I was so tickled with the mango salsa I decided to make an apple version....so tasty. Apples are one of my favorite fruits....I had to show them some love. ;) I used Pink Lady's, but I'm thinking some Granny Smith would be interesting too.

Apple Salsa

2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced (Pink Lady's)
4 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 tbls lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl. Serve with chips.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

2011-07-28T04:33:00.000-07:00

This cake fell more into the category of hot mess than epic win.....I will comfort myself with the fact it tasted good...ehehehehe. It should actually be a three tiered cake. There was an "incident" that left me short one tier. Momma didn't name me Grace for a reason....snicker.

So I decided to try making some marshmallow cream for my frosting. I've made marshmallows.....a little adjusting of the recipe and I should be able to get a cream easy peasy. Simple, right? Simple until I over thought it. I was going to halve the gelatin, but 1 1/2 envelopes gelatin didn't seem very tidy so I went with 2 envelopes...which was still on the firm side. It wouldn't have mixed easily with the cream cheese to form a smooth frosting....which led to tinkering. The end result was useable and darn tasty, but not the firm frosting I was shooting for.

I did have a neat mix of textures in the cake. The firm chocolate garnish, creamy frosting, dense cookie layers with mini chocolate chips that gave it a bit of a crunch.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherry cranberries

Beat butter and sugars together in a bowl. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Divide dough into thirds and spread into greased 8 inch rounds. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until done. Cool.

Cherry Marshmallows

1 cup water
2 1/4oz envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 pk Black Cherry Kool-Aid

Pour 1/2 cup water into a large bowl. Mix Kool-Aid into water. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let this mixture sit while you cook the syrup.

Combine 2 cups sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 240°.

With mixer on low speed, carefully pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture in a slow, thin stream. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very thick. Let stand for a while to set up.

Icing:

Cherry Marshmallows
1/4 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
12oz milk chocolate, melted
16oz reduced fat cream cheese

Heat the marshmallows and the butter together in the microwave until smooth. Beat in cream cheese and melted milk chocolate. Add in powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Chill frosting.

Place one cookie round on a plate. Spread frosting across top and place a second round over the frosting. Spread frosting across top and add final round on top. Frost top and sides of cake. Garnish with additional melted chocolate.

Never take pictures outside when it's the surface of the sun hot. My chocolate went instantly melty and my frosting.....already less firm than I wanted....slid a bit.

A bit of a slump to this piece of cake...where's my cake eating blindfold? I don't want to spoil my enjoyment of good cake by being critical of the view. ;)

Pasta Salad

2011-07-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

This hot weather is really kicking my tushie....I'm feeling nostalgic for winter at this point...ehehehe. I've gone all cold dishes/appetizers when we have guests over. Pasta salad seemed like a good choice when trying to stay away from the oven. Easy to make and just to very tasty.

Any form of cooked chicken breast works great in this salad, but I went with a Cajun seasoned version for fun.

Pasta Salad

6oz colored pasta spirals, cooked and drained
7oz provolone mozzarella, cut into chunks
1 can medium black olives, drained
8 small tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 jar sweet and hot pepper rings, drained
1 jar Giardiniera (picked mixed vegetables), drained and chopped roughly
1 red onion, chopped
1 cucumbers, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil & vinegar dressing

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill until ready to serve.

Root Beer Float Fudge Sauce

2011-07-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Most fun flavor of fudge ever! I ran across this recipe over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I was lazy and didn't beat the fudge long enough to turn it into a thick, solid fudge, but it makes a wonderful topping for ice cream. The one thing I've always loved about a fudge not turning out quite right....it's never wasted.

Heating the fudge slightly to pour over ice cream does make the marshmallows a little sticky....no stubborn marshmallows will keep me from my fudgy glory!

Root Beer Float Fudge Sauce

4 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups non fat evaporated milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp root beer extract
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 236 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and root beer extracts.

Pour the mixture into a 9X13-inch baking pan (you’ll be mixing it again later). Leave the pan undisturbed to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until fudge thickens. Stir in the mini marshmallows and stop mixing.

Pour mixture into mason jars and let fudge sauce finish cooling before tucking jars away in the fridge.

Cajun Chicken Sandwich

2011-07-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted to this chicken at the moment. Very little effort goes into making this dish....it's quick and painless. The seasoning forms a delicious crust that pops with flavor. The seasonings can be scaled down easily for personal tastes. I usually make sandwiches with this cajun chicken, but it would stand alone as chicken strips or nuggets too.

Cajun Chicken

1 boneless chicken breast, divided in half
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp paprika

Mix all the seasonings together. Sprinkle over top of the chicken breasts. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes. Broil for the final 5 to 10 minutes of the cook time. Serve on buns.

Coconut Zucchini Mini Loaves

2011-07-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

I really need to check on the zucchini in the garden more often...I didn't realize I had ripe goodies waiting for me out there. These little loaves hit the spot. They demanded coconut....because everything is better with coconut of course. Very little effort goes into this recipe. The only thing that really take a bit of time is grating the zucchini.

Coconut Zucchini Mini Loaves

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 egg
1 cup unpeeled, grated zucchini
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp lemon peel
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Mix together egg, oil, yogurt, coconut, sugar, and zucchini. Blend in both flours, baking soda, salt, lemon, peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg until just mixed. Pour into mini loaf pans or muffin pan and bake at 350 for 18 to 25 minutes. Cool on rack.

Chocolate Popcorn

2011-07-11T02:56:00.000-07:00

I ran across this recipe here. It wasn't a bad little snackums, but it was missing something...maybe some brown sugar in the syrup. A fun treat to make...who can resist chocolate covered popcorn?

Chocolate Popcorn

12 cups popped popcorn (2 bags microwave popcorn)
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
12oz milk chocolate chips
12oz salted peanuts

Spread popcorn across baking sheets. Top with salted peanuts. In a saucepan combine corn syrup, and milk chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly, until boils. Spread over top of popcorn and nuts. Stir to coat. Bake at 300 for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring often. Cool before breaking into pieces and packing away.

Tortilla Serving Bowl and Chips

2011-07-07T02:46:00.000-07:00

I was playing around with some flour tortilla dough the other day and made some fun, bowls and chips. I did get a little carried away with the salt when I was making the chips...but they were quite tasty. The edible bowls are such a cute way to serve dip.

Flour Tortillas

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbls oil
1/2 cup warm skim milk
1/3 cup warm water
garlic powder
onion powder
coarse salt

Toss flour, flax, wheat germ, baking powder, and oil into a food processor. Blend everything together. Add water and skim milk and process until dough forms a ball. Pour dough out onto your work surface. If your dough is sticky, knead for a few minutes until it no longer sticks to your hand. Form into a ball and cover with a damp paper towel. Let rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough into three portions and form into balls. Let rest again for 10 minutes.

Cut one of the thirds in half. Roll out into a circle and press into a greased tortilla bowl pan. Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle on some salt, garlic powder, and onion salt. Repeat with other half. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, or until browned nicely. Cool on rack. Spoon dip into bowl right before serving.

Roll out remaining dough into rectangles. Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle on salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cut into pieces with a pizza cutter. Transfer to greased cookie sheets. Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes until browned. Cool on racks.

Mango Salsa

2011-07-05T04:16:00.000-07:00

This is one fast, easy salsa....bonus points for being healthy as well. ;)

I've seen several wonderful mango salsas recently, but sadly I didn't bookmark them. I used this recipe after a little Google action.

Mango Salsa

1 mango, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1/2 cup seedless cucumber, diced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 tbls lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix everything together in a small bowl. Serve with chips.

Chewy Chunky Blondies

2011-06-30T04:18:00.000-07:00

I've had such a butterscotch craving lately that I had to make these bars when I saw them at Sweet Pea's Kitchen. They are incredibly rich so a small piece fixed me right up.

Chewy Chunky Blondies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold in chocolate chips, butterscotch, and shredded coconut.

Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan and bake at 325 for 40 minutes, or until bars test as done. Cool before slicing into squares.

Beer Cheese Pizza

2011-06-27T02:50:00.000-07:00

This dish is a bit of a saltfest, but a tasty one. Beer and Kielbasa....a combination made in heaven. I had leftover beer from making the cheese so I tossed it into the pizza crust for fun.....spread the beer love around.

The beer cheese does stiffen up quite a bit when chilled.....let the pizza's sit for 15 minutes or so at room temp before serving.

Beer Cheese Pizza

Crust:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm Newcastle brown ale
1 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)

Toppings:
Cherry tomatoes, sliced
Turkey kielbasa, sliced thin
Roasted Poblanos, cut into strips
Roasted Onion, cut into strips
Beer Cheese (I did add 2 roasted poblano peppers to the mix and 1 tsp hickory bacon salt)

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water from the tap. Stir in ale, oil, honey, and salt. Mix in flax, wheat germ, and gluten. Mix in flour gradually. When the dough gets too stiff to continue stirring pour it out onto your work surface and knead in the remaining flour. Continue kneading for 8 minutes or so. Dough should be nice and elastic.

Divide the dough into two portions. Drop one portion of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Work it with your fingers into a large round or rectangular shape. Repeat with other portion of dough. Let rise in warm place for 15 to 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 18 - 20 mins or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Spread beer cheese across the two crusts. Spread toppings over cheese. Slice into pieces and chill until ready to serve.

Coconut Streusel Brownies

2011-06-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

Streusel topping on brownies.....brilliant! Plus I can slip this under the coffee cake heading in a pinch and have them for breakfast. Brownies for breakfast! It makes me giddy just thinking about it. ;) Can a day go wrong if you start it off with these treats?

Coconut Streusel Brownies

Streusel Topping:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Set aside.

Coconut Brownies:
1 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 tsp baking powder

Melt together butter and chocolate in the microwave, stirring often, until mixture is smooth. Stir in sugar. Slowly beat in eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour, baking powder, and coconut. Pour half of the batter into a greased 8x8 pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture over the batter. Pour the other half of the brownie batter into the pan. Top with remaining half of the streusel. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes, or until brownies are done. Cool before slicing.

The streusel in the middle of the brownie blended in....so it's not really noticeable. Next time I think I'll skip putting it in the middle. These brownies are incredibly thick. The recipe would lend itself to a 9x13 pan for smaller servings.

Sesame Pralines

2011-06-20T04:23:00.000-07:00

If it stood still in the kitchen I decided to praline it....eheheheh. Not a bad treat, but it does have a slightly bitter aftertaste. I think it needed a little bit of chopped dates mixed in. Overall a fun recipe to play around with.

Sesame Pralines

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup non fat evaporated milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup brown sesame seeds

Combine the sugars and the milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture reaches 236 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and sesame seeds. Continue to stir for another minute or two. Drop spoonfuls or simply pour out onto cookie sheet. Cool. Break apart pieces if you need to.

Stuffed Rolls

2011-06-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

I do love to play around with pizza dough.....embrace the obsession with all things pizza...embrace it! ;) These rolls made very tasty snacks...plus I had a ton of fun making them so it was a double win.

Next time I'll brush the rolls with egg white instead of oil. I prefer the glossy sheen to the look I ended up with from the oil.

Next time I'd tuck a few pieces of pepperoni around the cheese instead of just one slice....don't know what I was thinking being stingy there.

Stuffed Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)

Filling:
Mozzarella, cubed
Turkey pepperoni

Topping:
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Stir in warm skim milk, oil, honey, and salt. Mix in flax, wheat germ, and gluten. Mix in flour gradually. When the dough gets too stiff to continue stirring, pour it out onto your work surface and knead in the remaining flour. Continue kneading for 8 minutes or so. Dough should be nice and elastic.

Divide the dough into 18 to 20 portions. Form each portion into a rough round shape. Turn the dough in one hand and fold a third of it under with your other hand. Keep rotating the dough, turning the edges under. Add a light dust of flour if your ball starts to get sticky. Flatten your ball out slightly. Tuck your cube of cheese and slices of pepperoni into the middle and pinch the dough closed around the filler. Put on greased cookie sheet and so the same with the remaining dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 mins.

Brush oil across the top of the rolls. Sprinkle with garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Bake in oven at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool on racks.

I could have made my rolls slightly smaller...the bread was a little thick around the filling.....I'm torn over whether that is a bad thing though since I am a serious bread lover. ;)

Peanut Butter Bar Treats

2011-06-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

I used the Fat Witch Bakery peanut butter bars that Plain Chicken posted a while back as a base for these treats. Sweet, salty, and chocolatey....it's all in here. I've been fond of the peanut butter, pretzel, chocolate mix lately. These treats zip together very quickly and easily. Not the most attractive looking dessert, but darn yummy.

I was really tickled with the Fat Witch bar recipe. They were dense, chewy and quite delicious. A surprisingly low amount of butter.

Peanut Butter Bar Treats

Peanut Butter Bars:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
.
Beat the eggs and both sugars until smooth. Add the peanut butter, melted butter, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the dough into a greased 8x8. Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 or until done.

Middle and top layer:
2 cups natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups salted pretzels, crushed
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Melt peanut butter and butter together in the microwave, stirring often until smooth. Stir in milk to thin the mixture. Fold in powdered sugar and pretzels. Spread mixture across the top of the peanut butter bars.

Melt milk chocolate chips in the microwave until melted smooth. Spread across the top of the peanut butter layer. Chill to set the chocolate before slicing into bars.

Avocado Dip

2011-06-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

I ran across this cool dip over at The Jey of Cooking. Nice and healthy with a great mix of flavors. The only thing missing was some jalapeno peppers for a little heat chaser....I'll add them in next time. I swapped out kiwi for the mango in the original recipe...I already had mango in another dip for the same gathering.

Avocado Dip

2 avocados
1 apple, diced (Pink Lady)
2 kiwi, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
2 tbls lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt, to taste

Mash avocados with a fork before transferring to a bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients, combining well. Serve with chips.

Monster Chocolate Stout Cake

2011-06-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

I continue to whittle away at the mountain of recipes I've been wanting to try out. ;) At the top of the chocolate cake pile was this wonderful recipe I found over at Ryan Bakes. I combined it with another really cool cake recipe from Completely Outnumbered. A twofer....who could pass that up...ehehehe.

I'm not a coffee drinker so I replaced the coffee with stout....and because I never take the conservative approach I used a LOT of stout. I was a wee bit nervous about how the end product was going to taste, but it was amazing. Seriously....dive face first in....amazing.

It was definitely an adult orientated flavor. I doubt this cake would appeal greatly to the young ones between the dark chocolate glaze and stout. I actually ate more cake than I intended chasing after the taste....that's my excuse and I'm totally sticking with it....ehehehehe. A bite of this cake leads off with a lovely rush of chocolate followed by the stout....so good.

I drizzled the sweetened condensed milk over the cakes while they were still in the pans which actually made the cake bottoms quite sticky and a challenge to remove from the cake plate when serving. Next time I think I'll flip the cakes out of the pans and drizzle from the top down.

I used candy corn and peanut butter to make my Butterfinger crumble topping instead of actual Butterfingers. Mix 1 cup candy corn and 1 cup peanut butter and heat in the microwave, stirring vigorously to create this.

Monster Chocolate Stout Cake

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbs baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or soured milk
3/4 cup oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups hot stout (Guinness)

2 - 14oz cans non fat sweetened condensed milk
12oz dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 to 2 tbls milk
Crushed Butterfingers & Toffee Pieces (or candy of your choice)

In a large bowl mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the sugars to this and mix together lightly. Slowly add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla, and stout, mixing well.

Pour the batter into 3-8inch greased rounds or divide between a greased bundt and tube pan. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 or until cake test as done. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Use a skewer to poke holes in the bottom of the cakes. Slowly drizzle one can of the sweetened condensed milk over the holes so it will soak down into the cakes. After about 30 minutes, flip cakes out of pans to finish cooling.

Stir together remaining can of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Microwave, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth and melted. Stir in milk to thin to desired consistency. Spoon over top of the cakes. Top with crushed candy. Chill to set chocolate before slicing.

Cracker Jacks

2011-06-03T02:38:00.000-07:00

Dangerously addictive. Cheap Ethnic Eatz posted this fabulous recipe. This one is definitely on my make again list....again and again. Nom!

I had a little less coverage with the coating since I had about 6 cups of popcorn instead of 4, but I was still a happy camper. I was noshing away when I realized I was eating whole grain peppered with heart healthy nuts...clearly this should be classified as a health food right? Pay no attention to the candy coating....whole grain trumps all!

My trolling through the avalanche of fabulous bookmarked recipes continues.

Cracker Jacks

1 bag microwave popcorn
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup peanuts

Spread popped popcorn on a baking sheet and add peanuts on top.

In heavy saucepan mix sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Continue cooking for 5 minutes at medium heat without stirring. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Pour over popcorn and peanuts and stir to coat quickly.

Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour stirring several times. Cool, break apart and store.

Take 5 Bars

2011-05-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

Heaven....pure heaven. These bars have it all....sweet, salty, peanuts, and beloved caramel. I ran into this recipe over at Bittersweet and have never been happier that I did. ;)

I tinkered with the recipe a bit....it still needs a little further work, but that just gives me the excuse to make it again...ehehehe. Ahem. The chocolate top was a little too thick......my beloved hubby loudly insists thicker is better....how can I not love a man who appreciates chocolate like that?

Part of my tinkering involved using a syrup to hold the pretzel crust...which really needed to be a little thinner...together instead of the usual butter, sugar, bake scenario. I adore pretzel crusts, but those bishes flake apart on me at the drop of a hat leaving half the good stuff behind in the pan or serving plate.

Even though this has plenty of the salty factor with the pretzels and the peanut butter some coarse sea salt across the top might be fun.....or some bacon....ok I drooled a little....next batch must have some bacon garnish.

I did use my own caramel for this recipe, but a good substitute is caramel ice cream topping or regular caramels melted and thinned with milk.

Take 5 Bars

Pretzel Base:
2 cups pretzels, crushed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbls butter

Combine the brown sugar, water, and butter in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Continue cooking for 5 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in crushed pretzels. Press mixture firmly into a greased 9x9 pan.

Peanut Butter Layer:
1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbls skim milk

Combine peanut butter and butter together in a bowl. Melt in the microwave, stirring often, until mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in powdered sugar. Add in the milk to make the mixture spreadable. Layer over pretzel base.

Caramel Layer:
14oz thinned caramel
1 1/4 cup salted peanuts, roughly crushed

Heat caramel slightly to make it easy to pour and spread. Spread across top of peanut butter layer. Top with crushed peanuts. Press nuts down into the caramel.

Chocolate top:
12oz Dark Chocolate Chips

Melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring often, until smooth and creamy. Spread across peanuts. Chill in fridge until candy cools completely. Turn candy out onto a cutting board and slice into pieces. Nom!

Look at those layers and know joy! Seriously...I'm glad the tray of goodies left the house this morning because I would have decimated them.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

2011-05-26T03:32:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a cool dessert to try out when I saw it on Plain Chicken. I did make everything from scratch since I was low on graham crackers and don't keep instant pudding on hand. I made a chocolate version....because chocolate makes everything better of course. ;)

The chocolate filling is based on a Betty Crocker recipe. The recipe for the graham crackers I found here.

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Chocolate Filling:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups skim milk

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 tbs vanilla

2oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

8 oz Cool Whip Free

Mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk milk into eggs. Add milk mixture to sugar mixture and combine. Stir in chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Cook one minute before removing from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a bowl and press plastic wrap to the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Chill. Fold in Cool Whip.

Graham Crackers:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and honey. Mix in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in milk and vanilla. Add in whole wheat flour. Chill dough.

Roll dough out and use a pizza cutter to slice into rectangles. Transfer pieces to a greased cookie sheet and prick the dough with a fork. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Cool.

Form a layer of graham crackers on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Spread half the pudding mixture on top. Layer in another row of graham crackers. Spread the remaining half the pudding mixture. Top with a final row of graham crackers.

Chocolate Fudge Topping:
14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
6oz semi sweet chocolate chips
6oz dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Heat on high in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until mixture is melted and smooth.

Pour chocolate across the top of the graham crackers and spread it evenly. Chill for several hours before serving.

Seven Layer Dip Pizza

2011-05-23T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is not the most attractive appetizer I've ever made. Kinda makes me want to eat this in the dark. ;) I made a crisp corn crust, but next time I'll do my usual pizza crust instead. It wasn't a bad crust mind you, just a little on the tough side. Hrm.....I just realized some flour tortilla dough would make an interesting crust...more experimentation needed.

A little twist on the usual 7 layer dip....easy to tote around and serve since you don't have to worry about chips.

Seven Layer Dip Pizza

Crust
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt

Toppings:
Salsa
Sour Cream
Refried Beans
Guacamole
Sliced Black Olives
Chopped Tomatoes
Shredded Taco Cheese

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Stir in the remaining warm water, oil, honey, and salt. Mix in cornmeal and flour and continue stirring until it's too hard to continue mixing in bowl. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour. Continue to knead and work dough for 5 to 8 minutes. Divide dough in half. Press or roll it out into a round or rectangle. The other half of the dough is extra so you can either freeze it or roll it out into a blank and freeze that to be used later. Let dough rise for up to an hour depending on the desired thickness of the crust. I wanted a relatively thin crust so I let the dough rest for 15 minutes before baking at 375 for 15 minutes, or until browned. Cool.

Spread beans across crust. Mix together guacamole and sour cream and spread it across the beans. Spread on salsa. Sprinkle taco cheese and top with olives and tomato. Slice into pieces and serve.

Coconut & Cranberry Pralines

2011-05-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

This is an evil candy....evil I say. It melts on the tongue and I found myself reaching for another piece before I knew what happened. Clearly this is a danger to the waistline...nosh with caution. ;)

I am curious what would happen if I made this with coconut milk. I will have to experiment.

Coconut & Cranberry Pralines

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup non fat evaporated milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Combine the sugars and the milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture reaches 236 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, coconut, and cranberries. Continue to stir mixture for another minute or so. Drop spoonfuls or simply pour onto a cookie sheet and spread out. Cool. Break into smaller pieces if you need to.

Toffee Apple Pound Cake

2011-05-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

This cake is not diet friendly...which is probably why it tastes so darn amazing. Aaaaamaaaaazing. Impossible to resist. Gimmie an extra slice now before I have to get rough...amazing. Extra treadmill time is in my future...ehehehe.

Originally I had only planed on doing a praline glaze, but I wasn't thrilled with how it looked. Enter chocolate glaze....my go to plan for fixing the appearance of any dessert. ;)

Seriously though....this cake would be great without any glaze at all....maybe a light dusting of powdered sugar for an extra dose of pretty would work just fine. Sometimes simple can hit the spot.

I was short 1/4 cup of butter so I used some sour cream to fill the gap. The substitution wasn't noticeable at all. Running out of butter....I'm still shaking my head over the shame. ;)

Toffee Apple Pound Cake

Cake:
1 1/4 cups butter
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
6 eggs
1 tbls vanilla
1/4 cup non fat sour cream
3 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced (Pink Lady)
1 cup toffee pieces

Cream butter and powdered sugar together. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Add flour, cinnamon, and allspice. Fold in toffee and apple pieces. Pour batter into a greased bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 75 to 80 mins or until cake tests as done. Cool in pan for 15 mins before removing from pan.

Praline glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup non fat evaporated milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Combine sugars and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook mixture until is reaches 236 degrees. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Continue stirring for a minute or so. Spoon over cake. Let stand for 10 minutes or so.

Chocolate glaze:
14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
6oz milk chocolate chips
6oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Heat on high in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until mixture is melted and smooth.

Spoon glaze over top of cake. Use a fork to drizzle some lines of chocolate across the top. Chill to set the chocolate.

When the praline glaze didn't look as pretty as I wanted....did I go straight to my chocolate glaze? Of course not...I tried a second round of praline. You can see how thick that made the praline layer in spots. Little bit more of a crunch factor than I wanted. Experimentation....sometime it nips you in the tushie. ;)

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

2011-05-11T04:23:00.000-07:00

I ran across this wonderful, tender bread on Sweet Pea's Kitchen. I modified the recipe a bit...it's a compulsion. ;) This loaf originally had a lovely peanut butter glaze....I omitted this step since I was making it just for me....if I were sending it out like I normally do I'd have glazed away happily. ;)

I think the only change I would make would be to reduce the sugar and brown sugar down to 1/3 cup each...I think that would be plenty of extra sweetener.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
3 tbls oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice

Beat together the bananas, yogurt, peanut butter, oil, and eggs until well mixed. Add sugars. Mix in both flours, flaxseed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Beat just until blended. Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Beautiful slices...if only I remembered the Nutella tucked in the cabinet and slathered some on.

Salted Peanut Clusters

2011-05-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

Every so often I have leftover melted chocolate from a dessert. I can't let that beautiful substance go to waste....that would just be criminal. ;) Stir in some unsalted, dry roasted peanuts until nicely coated and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Sprinkle on coarse sea salt. Chill to set. Easy peasy peanut clusters. Simple and oh so tasty.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Mini Loaves

2011-05-05T04:35:00.000-07:00

I found this lovely recipe over at Small Town Oven. This is a great one to use when looking for a hearty, filling treat. A fairly healthy bread unless you're counting the chocolate...which is why I tossed in dark chocolate chips.....the healthy chocolate...snicker. I nommed with great joy....ehehehe.

I made mini loaves instead of muffins because that shape amuses me more at the moment.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Mini Loaves

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips

In a small bowl, mix oats and 1/2 c milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in moistened oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into greased mini loaf pan and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Turn out onto racks to cool.

Look at all those beautiful chocolate chips. I'm thinking some diced apple might be a neat addition next time.

Giant S'more

2011-05-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'm still giggling over this treat....seriously...it's a giant s'more...how can you not love it?

I used the marshmallow recipe I found on sweets by sillianah's blog. I did make a plain version instead of matcha. Wonderful recipe. I had zero problems and the marshmallows turned out to be way easier to whip together than I expected.

The graham crackers I found here at allrecipes. I did tinker a bit with that one. The dough was suppose to be chilled before doing anything with it....I was short on time so I tossed that requirement out the window. ;)

These are horribly addictive. I loved these as is, but they can be heated for a short bit in the microwave if you want a melted, gooey effect....ok....now I really wanted one heated up.

Giant S'more

Marshmallows:

1 cup water
3 1/4oz envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

Line 9x13 pan with foil and spray with some Pam.

Pour 1/2 cup water into a large bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let this mixture sit while you cook the syrup.

Combine 2 cups sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 240°.

With mixer on low speed, carefully pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture in a slow, thin stream. Gradually increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very thick and stiff. Add the 2 tsp vanilla and beat just to blend.

Pour marshmallow mixture into pan. Let stand uncovered at room temperature until set, about 4 hours.

Graham Crackers

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup raw honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and honey. Mix in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in milk and vanilla. Add in whole wheat flour. Divide dough into thirds.

Line a 9x13 pan with waxed paper. Press 1/3 of the dough into the pan to create an easy rectangle. Lift the waxed paper out and flip the dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with another third of the dough. (The dough can be rolled into a rectangle instead of being pressed into a pan.) Using a pizza cutter zip three lines/breaks through your cookies. I used a skewer to form the holes in the cookie. The remaining third of the dough you can save for later or roll out into cookies for snacking.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or so until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Cool.

Chocolate:
14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
12oz milk chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Heat on high in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until mixture is melted and smooth.

Flip one of the cookies face down on a platter. Spread half the melted chocolate across the cookie. Chill the cookie for a few minutes to set the chocolate. Remove your marshmallow by the foil from the pan. Flip the marshmallow on top of the chocolate. Spread remaining chocolate across the marshmallow. Top with remaining cookie. Slice into squares and nom!

Yes....this is a 9x13 S'more. As much as it goes against my grain....I shared the love with others. ;)

A little assembly action....the chocolate will spread just a bit so be careful how close you come to the edge. It's not critical to chill the chocolate after this step....but letting the chocolate cool will prevent an unwanted squished effect when multiple layers are piled on top of this one. ;)

Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

2011-04-28T04:50:00.000-07:00

The Cake Duchess made a really cool Peanut Butter Pretzel Tart. I really liked the concept so I played around with something similar to make this pie. A quick, easy dessert.

If you don't feel like tackling pralines, I think some honey roasted peanuts would work beautifully for a top layer. Happily I had a sack of pralines in the freezer waiting to be used up.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie

Crust:
2 cups hard sourdough pretzels, crushed fine
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix together crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and butter. Fold in chocolate chips. Press into a 9 inch pie plate and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
8oz reduced fat cream cheese
14oz no fat sweetened condensed milk
12oz peanut butter chips
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter

Melt peanut butter chips in the microwave until smooth. Set aside. Blend together cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and peanut butter until smooth. Mix in melted peanut butter chips.

Topping:
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup peanut pralines, crushed roughly

Crush the peanut pralines by hand or in a food processor. Spread over top of the filling.

Melt the dark chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Spoon into a plastic bag with a corned nipped off and pipe lines across the top of the pie. Chill.

I should be banned from slicing pie....seriously. Anywho.....it was really tough not to go back for seconds...I curse you moderation!

Behold....the cure for all peanut butter cravings.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

2011-04-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing some lovely strawberry treats lately so I couldn't resist picking some up that the store. Who could resist dipping them in chocolate? It's quick...it's easy....and oh so tasty.

I don't think instructions are really needed for this one.....melt some chocolate (I used some lovely dark chocolate) and dip your strawberries in. Use a fork to flick on some drizzle. Chill to set. Nom.

Jelly Bean Truffles

2011-04-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

Jelly bean truffles....they had to be done. I could not pass up the Sour Patch Jelly Beans at the store. The chocolate did mute the sour kick a bit, but still oh so yummy. A wonderful mix of chewy and creamy textures.

Jelly Bean Truffles

14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 envelope Kool-Aid Strawberry Lemonade
12oz white chocolate chips
1 bag Sour Patch Jelly Beans
12oz Dark Chocolate chips
2tbls shortening

Roughly chop half the jelly beans into chunks. Mix together sweetened condensed milk, jelly bean pieces, and Kool-Aid. Beat in powdered sugar. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate to the milk mixture, blending until creamy. Form into balls and place on waxed paper. Chill for an hour or so.

Melt dark chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave until smooth, stirring often to prevent overheating. Dip centers in chocolate with a fork and place back on waxed paper. Top truffles with a few jelly beans. When you have finished dipping in chocolate, use your fork to flick lines of drizzle across the tops of the truffles. Chill until set.

One more pic....

It just screams Easter with the pretty pink coloring.

I included these in Sweet as Sugar Cookies Sweets for a Saturday #14 collection of nummies.

Jelly Bean Cookies

2011-04-18T05:01:00.000-07:00

I had to make these Jelly Bean Cookies when I saw them on In Katrina's Kitchen. Jelly beans in cookies...brilliant! Mine are a might bit homley looking, but darn tasty. A nice mix of chewy and crisp textures.

I totally put in too many jelly beans. It was a combination of being stuck in chocolate mode where more is better and not wanting any jelly bean leftovers....because of course I would be compelled to nosh the leftovers. :) I adjusted the recipe to a more reasonable jelly bean amount. ;) Less is more in this case.

So many choices of jelly beans in the seasonal display....I went with Hawaiian Punch personally. Real fruit juice equals healthy right? Ehehehehehe.

Jelly Bean Cookies

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup jelly beans

Blend together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in jelly beans. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Meatball Subs

2011-04-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make a meatball sub for a while. I even baked some Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls to form the buns. So tasty. This came together fairly quickly and it turned out to be a nice make ahead meal. I just piled the meatballs and sauce into a crockpot to keep warm until dinner time.....easy peasy especially when guests are coming over.

Chicken or turkey could be substituted for the lean ground beef of course with no problem.

I think the only change I would make is doubling the red pepper flakes in the sauce....I needed a little more zest.

Meatball Subs

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 egg whites, beaten lightly
1 tbls worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup panko

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Roll portion of meat into golf ball sized portions. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once during cooking.

Sauce:
1 sweet onion, diced
1 banana pepper, diced
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
1 tbls olive oil
2 14oz cans no salt added petite diced tomatoes
6oz tomato paste
1/2 cup spicy ketchup
2 tbls lemon juice
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbls basil
2 tbls sugar *
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt

In a saucepan, cook oil, peppers, onion, and garlic until onions are translucent. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Pour sauce into a blender or use an immersion blender to make a smooth sauce. Mix the sauce and the meatballs together. Serve on buns with slices of Provolone Mozzarella cheese.

* I just used 2 packs Truvia.

Giant Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookie

2011-04-11T02:50:00.000-07:00

I had an urge to make a giant cookie sandwich. It just had to be done. The filling was a bit of a fail though as it was waaaaaaay too firm. It did, however, make an amazing truffle center...so I'm stoked about that little discovery. To fix the filling....omit the melted white chocolate....the powdered sugar might need to go up a cup or so, but otherwise it would be workable in that form.

The lemon flavor in the filling really dominated the entire dessert. I would have done better to do a lemon flavored cookie instead of raspberry to tie it all together....hindsight. Anywho....much fun putting this together. Plus I got to play around with Kool-Aid which still makes me giggle. ;)

Giant Lemon Raspberry Sandwich Cookie

Cookie:
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup raspberry preserves
12oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add in eggs, vanilla, and preserves. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in semi sweet chocolate chips.

Divide dough in half. Spread each half on a parchment covered cookie sheet forming a rough circle. Sprinkle the top of cookies with the turbinado sugar. Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes, until nicely browned. Cool on racks.

Filling:
14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 envelope Ice Blue Raspberry Lemon Kool-Aid
12oz white chocolate chips

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, Kool-Aid, and powdered sugar. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Mix melted chocolate into milk mixture. Spread filling between the cookies.

Melt milk chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Spoon into ziplock back with one corner cut off. Drizzle chocolate across the top of the cookie. Chill until chocolate sets. Slice into wedges to serve.

A little lookie at the inside...

The light blue color just screams Spring and Easter to me. ;) I should have gone with a nice traditional chocolate filling....but sometimes you just want to make something blue...ehehehehe. Hmmm....maybe some mini chocolate chips in the filling would have helped mesh the flavors together too.

Turkey Pepperoni Bundles

2011-04-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

I play around a lot with pizza dough....it's just such a useful thing with immense possibilities. Anywho, I wanted to make a quick snackum for game night and this turned out nicely. I probably didn't need the sprinkle of coarse salt across the top of the bundles....the pepperoni added plenty of salt.

You can use a refrigerated pizza dough from the store instead of making your own if you're in a hurry...but honestly pizza dough whips together really quickly....easiest yeast bread ever.

A side of marinara can be used for dipping, but I was happy with the rolls as is....I'm a bit of a bread nut though. ;)

Turkey Pepperoni Bundles

Pizza Crust Dough
Turkey Pepperoni
Coarse Sea Salt
Egg White, lightly beaten

Divide your pizza dough into two portions. Press one portion of dough out into a rough rectangle. Place your pepperoni on the dough in columns, leaving a little space between each column. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough between the columns. Roll each bundle up pinching the ends together to close the bundle off. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining bundles and the second portion of dough.

Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour. A great spot is the oven with a mug/pan of steaming water in the bottom.

Brush the tops and side of the bundles with the egg white and sprinkle coarse salt across the tops. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until rolls have a nicely browned look. Cool on racks.

A couple more pics....

A little interior view of the goodies. To add a little extra to the bundles, tuck in some sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the pepperoni before you roll them up.

This is how your dough should look before rolling up the bundles. Don't forget to flour the surface your dough is sitting on otherwise rolling up the bundles can be a bit of a bear.....think super, sticky mess....cough....not that I know anything about that. ;)

Samoas Pie

2011-04-04T02:57:00.000-07:00

Samoas are my favorite girl scout cookie.....they're like crack. Girl Scouts = Cookie Pimps...I'm just saying. I wanted to see if I could make a pie version. One can't have too many addictions. ;) Oh it was yummy. My taster piece was waaay too big.

I had trouble getting a clean, neat slice of pie. Apparently, it was my underwhelming pie slicing skills. ;) My beloved hubby has informed me he didn't have any issues. Did he take pictures of his work....nooooo.

This recipe would be super cute as little mini pies, or mini tarts.

The filling is loosely based around a Betty Crocker recipe.

I used some homemade salted caramel (unthinned....since that link goes to a thinned version) in this pie, but packaged caramels from the store work just fine.

Samoas Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used one sleeve)
1 tbls sugar
1/4 cup tub margarine
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and margarine. Press into a 9inch pie plate and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.

Melt milk chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring often until smooth. Spread chocolate in the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Chill to set the chocolate.

Topping:
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
14oz caramels
2 tbls skim milk
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (garnish)

Toast the coconut for 20 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Stir often. When it is golden brown it is done.

Pile the caramels in a bowl and melt in the microwave, stirring often until smooth. Stir in the skim milk to thin the caramels. Pour 1/4 cup of caramel in the bottom of the chocolate covered crust and spread it evenly. Return crust to fridge to continue chilling.

Mix toasted coconut and caramel together to form the topping and set aside.

Pie:
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup lite coconut milk
2 cups skim milk
4 yolks, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Toss the coconut into a food processor and chop it into smaller pieces. Set aside.

Mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Beat the coconut milk and milk into the yolks. Stir slowly into the sugar mixture. Heat mixture over medium, stirring constantly, until it boils. Continue cooking for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut. Pour directly into crust and press plastic wrap across the top. Chill pie.

Remove plastic wrap. Crumble coconut and caramel mixture across the top of the pie. Melt the dark chocolate chips. Spoon melted chocolate into a plastic bag with the tip cut off and drizzle over the top of the pie for garnish. Chill until ready to serve.

One more pic....

Mmmm.....I could totally dive into just the topping and be a happy camper. The best part of making the pie was sprinkling the topping over the top of the pie....licking the bowl....and my fingers. ;)

Funniest part of making this pie was when I decided I could make the crust, toast coconut, and stir the filling all at the same time. Chicken with it's head cut off....that's all I'm saying about that...ehehehe.

Chocolate Gingerbread Brownies

2011-03-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

This is the second pass I took at these gingerbread brownies....originally blondies, but at this point they really are brownies. The cocoa powder blended the chocolate flavor in nicely...but it did mute the gingerbread a bit. The texture does lean more towards cake rather than brownies.

Oh gingerbread....how I love you.

Chocolate Gingerbread Brownies

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup tub margarine, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup molasses

Mix together the melted margarine, brown sugar, cocoa powder, sugar, vanilla, and molasses. Beat in eggs. Add in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

Pour batter into a greased 9x9 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it tests as done. Cool before slicing.

Cherry Nutella Brownie Cake

2011-03-28T03:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just want to make a cake with brownies. This was so incredibly rich and good....it just wasn't natural I tell you. This cake was also insanely full of chocolate. I actually ended up double glazing this puppy. I hated the look of the first glaze so I added a dark chocolate glaze on top.....when your cake won't do you what you want....glaze it into submission!

I intended to garnish this cake with chocolate covered tart cherries and small cherry clusters. One cup of tart cherries, however, is almost the entire 6oz bag and I only had one. Solution...glaze mania. ;)

Cherry Nutella Brownie Cake

1 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend
4 oz (squares) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
Filling:
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped fine

Melt butter and chocolate together in the microwave. Stir often and be careful not to overheat. Add in sugar and vanilla. Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl before adding them to the chocolate mixture. Stir in flour and baking soda. Pour batter into three greased 9 inch rounds. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

Mix together cream cheese and nutella until creamy. Beat in powdered sugar. Add in cherries. Put one brownie round on a plate and top with half of the cream cheese mixture. Add another brownie round and top with remaining cream cheese. Top with final brownie round.

First Chocolate Glaze:
14 oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
6oz milk chocolate chips
6oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Heat on high in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until mixture is melted and smooth. Pour glaze over top of the brownie cake, spooning it down the sides. Chill until chocolate sets.

Second Chocolate Glaze:
14 oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
12oz dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbls milk

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Heat on high in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in milk to thin the glaze a bit. Using a spoon, spread chocolate along the top edge and sides of the cake.

Spoon some of the glaze into a ziplock back with one tip cut off and drizzle lines across the top of the cake. Chill cake until chocolate sets. (You will only use about half of this chocolate batch, but the remainder will freeze nicely if you don't find an immediate use for it.)

A couple more pics....

Put this wedge on my plate and just walk away...just....walk...away. ;)

Just another interior view. I am wondering how this cake would turn out with some super, fudgy brownies. I added some baking soda to this version to give the brownies a little poof. I'm not sure it's possible to make this cake richer...ehehehe.

Stromboli Pizza

2011-03-25T04:10:00.000-07:00

It's a cross between a stromboli and a pizza....and it's so very good. The first version of this I made with deli meat in the stromboli...which turned the dish into an instant salt fest....tasty, but wow that was a ton of salt. I decided to go for a more salt conscious second version. I used some sliced, marinated chicken breast and it worked out beautifully.

I made small individual servings in this version since I was feeding just the hubby and myself....I turned my spare dough into pizza crust rounds for the freezer for future quick meals. The first stromboli pizza I made as just two large servings since I was feeding a gathering of folks. Gotta love a dish that adapts easily to your needs. ;)

You can use pretty much any toppings you like...roasted peppers, sausage, spinach...whatever your taste buds cry out for. The smaller serving size will let you tailor to specific tastes a whole lot easier.

Stromboli Pizza

Pizza Crust
Marinara Sauce
Marinated Chicken (make a double batch)
Turkey Pepperoni
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (1 1/2 slices for each pocket works great)

Divide your pizza crust dough into 8 portions. Press a portion of dough out into a small, thin rectangle. Place sliced chicken breast on one side of the dough. Top with cheese slices. Fold the other half of the dough over top forming a pocket and pinch closed. Gently transfer your pocket to your greased baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining portions of dough.

Let pockets rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes. The oven is a wonderful spot for this when you put a steaming mug/pan of water inside.

Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until pockets are lightly browned.

Top pockets with marinara, a layer of shredded mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni. Pop baking sheets back in the oven for another 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese is melted and pepperoni is a little crisp. Nosh!

A couple more pics...

A bit of an interior view...though it is tough to see with all the cheese and sauce....I might be drooling a little now. Any form of pizza hits my favorite food list. ;)

I was tempted to call this dish strombolza...but that just made me giggle too much.

Flexible cutting mats are the perfect bread making surfaces. I press my dough out with my hands, but a rolling pin works great too. Shredded mozzarella can be used instead of sliced in this section, but the slices just keep things neater.

The pockets can be formed right on the baking sheet, but space can be a little tight. When making two large servings instead of the smaller ones, definitely form them right on the baking sheet as they would be a disaster waiting to happen trying to move them around.

Lemon Raspberry White Chocolate Truffles

2011-03-22T04:15:00.000-07:00

These truffles are amazingly smooth and creamy. Addictive...very addictive. I'm totally tickled with them...plus I used Kool-Aid to make them. How can you not have fun when there's Kool-Aid involved? These truffle centers whip together so easy and they dip beautifully. I will definitely be making these again.

Lemon Raspberry White Chocolate Truffles

14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 envelope Kool-Aid Blue Raspberry Lemonade
12oz white chocolate chips
1 box Nerds - Sour Apple and Lemon flavor
12oz Dark Chocolate chips
2tbls shortening

Mix together sweetened condensed milk and Kool-Aid. Beat in powdered sugar. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Add the melted white chocolate to the milk mixture, blending until creamy. Form into balls and place on waxed paper. Chill for an hour or so.

Melt dark chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave until smooth, stirring often to prevent overheating. Dip centers in chocolate with a fork and place back on waxed paper. Top each truffle with a sprinkle of Nerds as you dip them. When you have finished dipping in chocolate, use your fork to flick lines of drizzle across the tops of the truffles. Chill until set.

A few more pics of the yummies....

Just another view of the finished truffles. I was a little worried about using the apple flavored Nerds, but they blended in nicely. Honestly....the candy garnish was just meant to be...I was standing in the checkout line and there it was....the sour pack of Nerds. I had to buy it...it demanded to be used in my truffle creation. My beloved hubby manfully ignored the squeegasm I unleashed when I spotted them. ;)

The Nerds add a nice bite of crunchy texture....a neat contrast with the creamy centers.

Normally I take a little extra time to shake off the excess chocolate more thoroughly as I dip the centers, but I was a little hurried so I ended up with that tiny base of chocolate at the bottom of the truffles. The perfectionist part of me screams a little over that...ehehehe.

If you want to make perfectly round centers, chill your mixture for about 15 to 30 minutes before you roll into balls. I'm not super patient and knowing the garnish would cover any imperfections I didn't worry about it. ;) Meanwhile....behold my tray of blue balls! (Yes....I am still snickering.)

I added these to the Sweets for Saturday #10 over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies. So many wonderful treats to check out.

Nutella Cheesecake Dip

2011-03-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

This sweet dip is based on a recipe I ran across over at The Boys Made Me Do It blog. A tinker here and a tinker there....toss in some of the glory that is Nutella....perfection! This is ridiculously good. Seriously...very hard to resist just diving right in with a spoon....or finger. Ahem. Serve with pretzels, vanilla cookies, or even gingersnaps. Some Ritz crackers might make a fun dipper as well.

Nutella Cheesecake Dip

1/2 cup tub margarine, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 8oz packages reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp rum extract (vanilla would also be fine)
1/2 cup Nutella

Stir together melted margarine, brown sugar, and rum extract. Microwave 30 seconds. Let mixture cool.

Mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in melted margarine mixture and Nutella. Chill. Serve with pretzels, cookies, or crackers.

Gingerbread Sticky Buns

2011-03-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

Eventually my obsession with gingerbread will peter out....possibly....ehehehehe. I do tend to go in streaks though....a bunch of ideas will crop up surrounding one theme and I just have to try them out to see how reality matches up with my imagination.

These are super tasty. I always love a good sticky bun though. Messy food is just fun. The only change I might make is to add spices to the sticky bottom sugar mixture. The gingerbread flavor is a little muted so it needs a little kick.

Gingerbread Sticky Buns

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 package active dry yeast
3 tbls Vital Wheat Gluten
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Sticky Bottoms:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup tub margarine
1 cup chopped dates

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water. Warm milk in the microwave and stir into the yeast mixture along with the molasses, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix in whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in eggs. Begin to mix in remaining flour, until mixture becomes too hard to stir. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour to for a soft, elastic dough. Continue to knead for about 8 to 10 minutes. Place ball of dough in a covered bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled for an hour.

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling and set aside.

For the sticky bottoms, mix together brown sugar and margarine in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Pour into the bottom of a cookie sheet with sides or a baking pan. Sprinkle the dates over top of the sugar mixture.

Turn dough back out onto floured board. Divide dough in half. Roll each half out into something like a 9x13 rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the dough. Roll dough into a tube starting with the narrow side. Pinch edges together. Cut into one inch slices with a knife. Place slices over the sugar/date mixture leaving room between each roll for it to rise. Cover and put in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes until doubled in size.

Bake at 375 for 18 to 24 minutes, or until done. Invert rolls onto a serving platter. Cool.

Coconut Macaroons

2011-03-14T03:56:00.000-07:00

I ran across this recipe in the back of a Taste of Home issue and I couldn't resist giving it a whirl. It's one of those recipes that require zero effort to zip together. The only thing it was missing was some chocolate....a few chocolate chips in the mix or some drizzle across the top would have been perfect.

Coconut Macaroons

2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the coconut, flour, and salt. Add milk and vanilla and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 mins or until golden brown. Cool on sheet for 5 mins before removing to racks.

Chocolate Cream Pie

2011-03-10T03:55:00.000-08:00

This is my husbands favorite pie. It's super easy to make and it tastes so very good. Thank you Betty Crocker for this recipe....I love it so. One piece is left in the fridge...one lonely....defenseless piece. Not that I'm stalking it....dreaming about it or anything. Moderation is key....snicker.

I've seen some wonderful looking chocolate pudding lately on different blogs...it compelled me to make this pie. Compelled me I say. ;)

Chocolate Cream Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups skim milk

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 tbs 1 tsp vanilla

2 squares (oz) unsweetened chocolate, chopped up roughly

8 oz Cool Whip Free

Prepare and bake crust. Mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk milk into eggs. Add milk mixture to sugar mixture and combine. Stir in chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and begins to boil. Cook one minute before removing from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into baked graham crust and press plastic wrap to the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Chill. Top with cool whip. Garnish as you desire. Makes one 9inch cream pie.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I use one sleeve)

3 tbls sugar

1/3 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend

Combine all ingredients and press into a 9inch pie plate. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.

One more pic of the glory...

It's a little messy....so hard to get a clean slice from the first piece you take out of a pie. ;)

The garnish was pretty straightforward. Melt 1/4 cup or so of milk chocolate chips in the microwave. Spoon melted chocolate into a ziplock with the tip cut off and then pipe some hearts, squiggles, and what not onto waxed paper and chill until set.

Gingerbread Spiral Rolls

2011-03-07T02:36:00.000-08:00

The great gingerbread bonanza continues...yes yes. After I made gingerbread blondies, I wondered how a gingerbread flavoring would work in a sweet yeast roll.....and it worked out beautifully. The bread smelled amazing.

If you aren't fond of dates you can always use a different dried fruit or just leave the fruit out.

I had planned to leave a couple rolls without icing to make french toast, but I went on some sort of crazed icing spree and forgot all about it. Sniff.....the gingerbread french toast will have to be tried another time. Mmm.....gingerbread french toast....I wants it!

Gingerbread Spiral Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (approx)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 package active dry yeast
3 tbls Vital Wheat Gluten
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped dates
2 tbls tub margarine, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water. Warm milk in the microwave and stir into the yeast mixture along with the molasses, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix in whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in eggs. Begin to mix in remaining flour, until mixture becomes too hard to stir. Turn out onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour to for a soft, elastic dough. Continue to knead for about 8 to 10 minutes. Place ball of dough in a covered bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled for an hour.

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Turn dough back out onto floured board. Divide dough in half. Roll each half out into something like a 9x13 rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the dough. Top with chopped dates. Roll dough into a tube starting with the narrow side. Pinch edges together. Cut into one inch slices with a knife and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise 30 to 60 minutes until doubled in size.

Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove from cookie sheets to cool. Drizzle icing over warm rolls.

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbls skim milk
2 tbls maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, until smooth and well combined.

Cookie Dough Truffle Brownies

2011-03-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to experiment with a layered brownie that was topped with unbaked (no eggs of course) honey oatmeal cookie dough and chocolate....a truffle type topping. Not a bad little brownie with an interesting combination of textures. Next time instead of fudge sauce I might try a plain chocolate top just for a change of pace.

Brownies:
1/2 cup tub margarine
2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate
1 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla

Melt margarine and chocolate together in the microwave. Stir often and be careful not to overheat. Add in sugar and vanilla Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl before adding them to the chocolate mixture. Stir in flour. Set aside.

Cookie Dough:
1/4 cup tub margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup raw honey
1 cup old fashioned oats (grind 1/2 cup into a coarse meal)
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together margarine and sugar. Add in honey, oats, coconut, and flour. Divide mixture in half. Add egg, soda, and salt to one half.

Pour half brownie mixture in the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Spread the cookie dough mixture with the egg on top of the brownie layer. Top with remaining brownie batter. Bake at 350 to 15 to 20 mins or until done. Cool.

Top cooled brownies with remaining cookie dough mixture.

Chocolate Topping:
14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
6oz semi sweet chocolate chips
6oz milk chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Microwave, stirring often, until mixture is melted and smooth. Spread half of mixture on top of cookie dough. If you want a very thick fudge topping you can use the whole batch. Chill until set.

Gingerbread Blondies

2011-02-28T02:37:00.000-08:00

I ran across this Gingerbread Blondie recipe on Tracey's Culinary Adventures. I have such a gingerbread obsession....and these blondies are amazing.

I used semi sweet chocolate chips instead of white chocolate. The semi sweet chips...while yummy.... stood out more than I would have liked. I wanted to flavors to blend together instead of standing apart. Maybe a little cocoa powder next time instead of chocolate chunks. I will just have to make the sacrifice and continue to experiment....and taste test....it's a win win.

I tinkered a bit with the recipe....mainly how much of each ingredient I used....it wasn't the most measurement friendly to break down into a smaller batch.

Gingerbread Blondies

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup tub margarine, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix together the melted margarine, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and molasses. Beat in eggs. Add in
flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Fold in semi sweet chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a greased 9x9 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it tests as done. Cool before slicing.

Mediterranean Layered Dip

2011-02-23T04:04:00.000-08:00

Food Snob St. Louis made a Greek layered dip that looked so yummy. I really liked the concept. I do so love dips that are different from the usual staples. It's a huge bonus if the dip is on the healthier side of the fence. ;)

I thought a layer of ground chicken (ground turkey or beef would work as well) flavored like my usual adana kebabs would be really tasty....and it so was. Nom, nom! I will definitely be making this again.

This dip is super quick to put together. I actually bought a package of hummus this time instead of making my own....I feel quite slackerish over that, but I was pressed for time. ;)

Mediterranean Layered Dip

Adana Kabob Flavored Chicken

2 lean chicken breasts, ground
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup dry parsley
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cajun seasoning

Cook chicken, onion, pepper, and garlic in a skillet until onions are translucent. Mix in herbs and spices and continue to cook until chicken is done. Remove from heat and let cool.

Feta
Sliced Black Olives
Tzatziki
Hummus
Cucumber, diced

In a deep plate or 8x8 pan, spread the hummus. Layer the cooled chicken across the top. Spread the chicken mixture with Tzatziki. Sprinkle on the olives, feta, and cucumber. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or bread. Nom!

A picture before the dip fest began.....

This dish made more than I was expecting. Thankfully I had started out with a deep plate. ;)

Ginger Nutella Brownies

2011-02-21T02:42:00.000-08:00

This brownie recipe was guest posted by Cake Duchess over on Gingerbread Bagels. Both of these ladies create some awesome treats and I so enjoy reading their blogs.

Amazing recipe.....amaaaaazingly good! Plus it contained Nutella....which is pretty much insta win for me. ;) The brownies are rich and moist. It was really hard not to dive face first in the pan after my first bite. They had a very interesting texture....not as dense as the usual round of brownies....somewhere between cake and brownie.

I did skip the whipped cream topping....honestly I didn't think they needed anything extra.

Ginger Nutella Brownies

1 cup tub margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tbls non fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup Nutella

Combine the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and both cocoa powders. Beat in the eggs. Add in flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Fold in the Nutella and yogurt.

Pour into greased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes, or until done.

Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has started a wonderful Monday feature....Your Recipe, My Kitchen.. I know I have a ton of fabulous recipes bookmarked that I want to make...so this was a great incentive to dig into my pile. :)

Peanut Butter Cookie Cake

2011-02-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

I made this cake mainly because the idea of it tickled the heck out of me. Who doesn't get a little giggly over a giant cookie cake? It must be an inner child thing. ;)

It is quite rich, but worth the havoc it will create in a diet. The peanut butter filling was so yummy. Licking the bowl was all in the name of quality control! That's my story....I'm sticking to it.

I'm a bit of a chocolate glaze fan...one of these days I might actually traditionally frost a cake.....naaaah.

Peanut Butter Cookie Cake

Cookie Layers:
1 cup tub margarine
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
12oz semi sweet chocolate chunks

Cream margarine and sugars together. Mix in eggs and peanut butter. Mix in flour and baking soda. Fold in chocolate chunks. Divide batter between 3 greased 9in rounds. Spread the cookie dough out into an even layer. Bake at 350 for 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

Filling:
8oz reduced fat cream cheese
14oz no fat sweetened condensed milk
12oz peanut butter chips
1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter

Melt peanut butter chips in the microwave until smooth. Set aside. Blend together cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and peanut butter until smooth. Mix in melted peanut butter chips.

Spread 1/3 of the peanut butter filling on top of a cooled cookie round. Top with another cookie round and spread another 1/3 of the peanut butter filling. Repeat with final round.

Chocolate Glaze:
14oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
6oz semi sweet chocolate chips
6oz milk chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Microwave, stirring often, until mixture is melted and smooth. Spoon the chocolate down the the top edge and sides of the cookie cake....spreading it with the back of the spoon to get an even coat on the sides. Drizzle some of the chocolate across the top of the cake with a fork for a finished look. Chill to set.

A look at the interior of the cookie cake:

Chocolate and peanut butter heaven....if you have a craving this will fix you right up. It was hard to get a neat slice...I was hindered a bit by the chocolate chunks.

The cookie layers ended up with a slight depression in the center after they were done baking. It was perfect to hold the peanut butter filling though....especially the top layer.

I added this to the Sweets for Saturday #5 over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies. Such an amazing collection of treats there...I must go forth and drool a bit. ;)

Dark Chocolate & Lemon Bundt Cake

2011-02-14T04:10:00.000-08:00

I ran across this amazing lemon bundt cake at lululuathome. I loved the lemon syrup brushed across the surface of the cake...it just sounded so tasty. The only thing better than a lemon cake, is a lemon cake covered in luscious dark chocolate. It's like a win win. This made the perfect Valentine's Day cake. I had quite a bit of fun putting it together.

The original recipe called for sour cream, but I was out so I substituted some plain yogurt. Mental note...make sure you have all your ingredients before you start assembling the cake...ehehehe. Though after I baked the cake I realized I had some lemon yogurt I could have used instead of the plain...which might have added a little extra citrus zing. Something to play with next time maybe.

I might cut the flour down a bit the next time I make this.....as I was mixing it just seemed to be a little heavy on that ingredient.

Dark Chocolate & Lemon Bundt Cake

Cake:
2 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tbls lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend
2 cups sugar
4 eggs

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add one cup of the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the batter. Mix in yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes in pan before removing.

Lemon Syrup
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Brush over warm cake. Cool and chill cake.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Topping:
14oz can nonfat sweetened condensed milk
12oz dark chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
2 to 3 tbls milk

Mix together sweetened condesned milk, dark chocolate chips, and vanilla in a bowl and microwave, stirring often, until mixture is smooth and melted....it will be quite thick. Thin the chocolate mixture with the milk. Spoon topping over sides of cake, spreading with the back of the spoon. Chill to set the chocolate. Spoon some of the topping mixture into a ziplock bag with the tip cut off. Pipe some hearts around the top of the bundt, filling in the hearts with more piped topping. Pipe some lines in between the hearts as extra garnish. Spoon the remaining fudge topping into the center of the bundt.

Garnish:
4oz dark chocolate candy bar

Using a vegetable peeler, shave some chocolate off the sides of the candy bar. Sprinkle the shaved chocolate on top of the well of fudge topping in the middle of the bundt.

Melt one to two ounces of the dark chocolate and use another ziplock bag with the tip cut off to pipe some open heart shapes onto waxed paper. Drizzle some stripes of chocolate across the hearts with a fork. Chill to set. Remove the hearts from the waxed paper and tuck them in the chocolate shavings. Chill until ready to serve.

This cake made the perfect entry for Dessert Wars....February's theme is dark chocolate and hearts.

The February prize package includes:

Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon & Star Designs

The Smartshopper Electronic Grocery List Organizer

Beanilla Sampler Pack of Vanilla Beans

Lenox Personalized Musical Cupcake

1,000 ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes

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Unlimited Layers: A Recipe for Turning Your Passion into Profits

Organic Valley $50 Gift Certificate

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BEKA Cookware Crepe Pan

Beer Cheese

2011-02-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

Beer Cheese....who could resist trying out a recipe with that title? ;) Grazing in the Bluegrass posted this recipe and I had to give it a whirl. I took some liberties with it of course. Don't let the modest appearance fool you....this is a great dip. I was pressed for time when I was putting this together so I'm pretty sure I took the most unimpressive picture ever.

I think I would add in roasted peppers or possibly some bacon next time to experiment a bit with the flavor. This dip would also make a fabulous filling for poppers or mushroom caps. The texture would lend itself nicely to piping from a pastry bag. I always turn to cream cheese for my spreadable cheese concoctions, but this opens up some more options.

A word of caution.....you want the dip around room temperature when you let the guests dig in. It will resist dipping and spreading when it's chilled....learned that one the hard way. ;)

Beer Cheese

16oz Sharp Cheddar, cubed roughly
1 tbls diced garlic
1 1/2 tbls Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbls Choulala hot sauce
1/2 cup beer (I used Newcastle Brown Ale)

Put your cheese cubes into a food processor to break them down into small chunks. Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and hot sauce. Add the beer gradually while continuing to beat the cheese. It should become of a firm but spreadable consistency. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Coconut Chicken Curry

2011-02-09T05:52:00.000-08:00

This dish made the house smell amazing....really a fabulous, quick dinner. I've put this on my must make again list....and must make often. ;)

Coconut Chicken Curry

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 stalks celery
1 onion
1 yellow squash
2 anaheim peppers
1 tbls diced garlic
1 pkg sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 cup lite coconut milk
2 tbls olive oil (spicy if you have it)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbls curry powder
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus Seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbls flour

Chop chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Cut celery, onion, squash, and peppers into thin one inch slices. Chop the mushrooms roughly. Cook the sliced veggies, chicken, and garlic in the olive oil until the chicken is cooked through. Mix together all the spices and flour. Stir the spices into the chicken mixture. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and simmer until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Chocolate Swirl Bundt Cake

2011-02-07T02:37:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite cakes from the Hershey's cookbook. I get mad cravings for it from time to time.

One quirk of this particular cake is that it can run over the pan slightly while baking. I solved that problem this time by making 3 little swirl cupcakes to reduce the amount of batter. This might not happen to you, but prep for it just in case by at least putting something underneath the pan to catch any rogue batter.

A cool finishing touch would have been a pile of coconut haystacks in the center of the cake.....this didn't occur to me until after I finished it up, but I will remember it for next time. ;)

Chocolate Swirl Bundt Cake

Cake:
1 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 3/4 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour skim milk (mix 1 cup milk with 1 tbls lemon juice)
1 cup Hershey's syrup
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Fudge Glaze:
14oz can non fat sweetened condensed milk
6oz milk chocolate chips
6oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, 1 tsp baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Mix the flour and the sour milk alternately to the butter mixture. Measure 2 cups of the batter into another bowl and stir in the Hershey's syrup and 1/4 tsp of baking soda. Fold coconut into the remaining vanilla batter. Pour vanilla batter into greased bundt pan. Pour the chocolate batter over top of the vanilla, but do not mix. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes or until cake tests as done. Cool 5 minutes in pan before removing it. Cool then chill cake.

Mix together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Microwave for about one minute, stirring after 30 seconds, until mixture is smooth and melted. Spoon fudge over chilled bundt letting it drizzle down the sides. (If you wish a thinner glaze...use a few tbls milk to thin the chocolate before drizzling.) Let the cake set for a couple minutes. Spoon some of the remaining fudge into a ziplock bag with one of the edges nipped off. Pipe some lines across the cake to give it a finished look.

An inside look at the swirl...

You have to love a cake that self swirls. ;) Pretty with zero effort on my part....love it!

Spicy Olive Oil

2011-02-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I list hot or spicy olive oil in my recipes.....this is what I'm talking about. It's a quick do it yourself project. ;)

I like to use a small bottle of olive oil, but you can use any type of bottled oil. Pour out a tablespoon of oil to make room and add dried spices....do not use fresh herbs or spices....only dried.

My favorite mix is something like 10 peppercorns, 3/4 tsp of red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp of Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning, and 1/4 tsp Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Experiment away with your own mix. Give the bottle a good shake. Let is sit for about a week before using....shake at least once a day if you feel energetic. This isn't a big effort process. ;)

When your bottle starts to get low start a new one. I refill my first bottle with oil at least once or twice before chucking it out in total. If you have two bottles going you are never without the beloved spicy oil. ;) If you prefer you can start a new bottle every time and not bother with refilling.

Maple Apple Braid 1.0

2011-02-02T04:04:00.000-08:00

It's pretty to look at and the bread was quite tasty, but I wasn't too happy with the overall result. I should have divided the dough into thirds instead of halves. The bread to filling ratio was really off. The apple filling was yummy....the apple filling mixed with the cream cheese I wasn't thrilled with. Next time it's all fruit baby!

The maple flavoring in the dough and the frosting was quite nice. It was a lovely, subtle flavor.

Definitely need a do over on this recipe though.

Maple Apple Braid 1.0

Dough:
3 cups unbleached flour (approx)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tbls vital wheat gluten

Dissolve yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water. Heat milk and margarine together until milk is warm and margarine is melted. I use the microwave to heat the milk instead of the stove top, but either works fine. Stir into dissolved yeast. Mix in maple syrup and salt. Add in a cup of flour and the vital wheat gluten. Stir in eggs. Work in enough flour to create a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to work your dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in covered bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm place. The microwave makes a great spot to rise dough. Take a glass of water and heat it to boiling in the microwave. Leave the glass inside and put the covered bowl inside and shut the door. It's a warm, steamy spot.

Turn dough out onto your board and divide in half. Roll each portion of dough out thinly with a rolling pin into a rectangle. Spread a layer of filling down the center of the dough. Use a pizza cutter to slice one inch wide strips in the dough surrounding the filling. You want to slice the strips at a slight downward angle.

Tuck one strip of dough across the filling. Bring a strip of dough from the other side across the top of the first strip. Continue alternating strips of dough until you reach the bottom. Think of shoelaces here.

Cover the braid and raise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until braid is a lovely golden brown.

Drizzle frosting across the top with a spoon or fork.

Apple Filling:
2 Fuji apples or your current favorite
1 tbls sugar
1.5 tbls flour
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
1 tbls lemon juice
1 tbls tub margarine

Peel and core apples. Slice thin and then chop into cubes. Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Toss the apples in the mixture. Turn covered apples into a pan and top with lemon juice and margarine. Bake at 375 for 30 mins or so stirring occasionally until apples are tender and cooked down. Cool.

Cream Cheese Filling:
4oz reduced fat cream cheese
1 egg yolk
2 tbls sugar
1/2 tbls flour
1 tsp lemon zest

Mix everything together and combine with the apple filling.

Maple Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbls skim milk
2 tbls pure maple syrup

Mix everything together. The icing will actually be too thick to drizzle at this point until you heat it for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave to loosen it before drizzling across the hot bread. Alternately you can thin it further with milk instead of heating it.

A few more pics....

Pretty...yes. Too much bread and too little filling....I'm still a little cheesed off about that since I should have seen that coming. I didn't think about the whole double in size bit in the final rise....how I could not think that through I do not know considering how much bread I bake....ehehehe. The cream cheese baked into the bread as well which surprised me a bit. Honestly it looked like I only had a fruit filling going.

The nekkid braid. I had one little flap sticking up on the tail end of both braids. It was like the loaves were flipping me off.....too funny. My bread was issuing it's own feedback. ;)

An egg white wash right before baking would give the crust a prettier finished look, but honestly I knew I was going to cover it with frosting so I didn't worry about it. Something to think about for next time.

I added this treat to the Sweet for Saturday #3 over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies. So many wonderful treats over there to check out and drool over.

Mexican Caviar

2011-01-31T04:09:00.000-08:00

I found this great appetizer recipe over at justjennrecipes . It's a wonderful combination of ingredients and I'm tickled to add it into my snackin' rotation. ;) It's a fairly healthy dip too...which is a nice bonus.

I tweaked a bit here and there, but I didn't change much. Next time I will use chopped black olives...I had sliced in the cabinet and I didn't think to give them a rough chop.

Mexican Caviar

1 tbls spicy olive oil
1 tbls red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Cholula hot sauce
1 can no salt added petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup corn
1 small can sliced black olives
3 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
1 tsp lime
1/8 tsp cajun seasoning
1/8 tsp ground pepper

Mix together the diced tomatoes, corn, black olives, jalapenos, avocado, and garlic. Add olive oil, vinegar, hot sauce, lime, cajun seasoning, and ground pepper to vegetables. Mix everything together. Chill in the fridge a few hours or overnight to let the flavors blend together. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls

2011-01-27T04:02:00.000-08:00

This bread.....delicious! I took a bite and went...Wow! The rolls are chewy and slightly dense. I was really impressed with the flavor. Then I started eying the cooling rolls debating how much I would regret going on a bread bender. ;) I will definitely make these again.

I played around with an egg white wash right before baking. You can easily tell the difference between the rolls I brushed and the ones I left alone. It is a pretty finished look....glossy with a little crackle when you tear the bun in half. Honestly, I could go either way. I'm just as happy with the rustic, flour touched look and tender crust.

Oatmeal Brown Ale Rolls

1 package active dry yeast
2 cups old fashioned oats, ground fine
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (approx)
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 tbls vital wheat gluten
1 bottle Newcastle Brown Ale (1 1/2 cups approx)
2 tbls oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, beaten (optional)

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water...warm water from the tap works just fine. Heat brown ale in the microwave until warm (you can also warm on the stove top) and add to the yeast. Stir in the oil, maple syrup, and salt. Mix in the ground oats, wheat germ, and vital wheat gluten. Mix in the egg. Gradually mix in enough flour to form a soft dough. When the dough gets too difficult to stir turn it out onto your work surface and continue to knead in flour. Knead the dough for several minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a clean bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for an hour. Dough should be doubled in size.

Grease two cookie sheets. Turn dough back out onto floured work surface and punch down. Using a knife, cut off a small bun sized portions of dough. Work it in your hand to give it a nice round shape. Generally I rotate the dough in one hand and turn the edges under with the other, adding flour as needed....this gives you a pretty little round. Place your roll on the cookie sheet and repeat the shaping process with the remainder of the dough. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place an hour. If you want a glossy crust, brush tops with the egg white. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned.

A few more pics of the yummies...

I made some little loafs for small sandwiches. They are wicked cute. I definitely favor the egg wash for these types of rolls....it makes the cuts stand out so nicely.

The oven is my favorite spot for rising sheets of shaped dough....heat a mug of water to the boiling point in the microwave and put it on the bottom. Cover your bread and close the door. Makes a warm, steamy spot. If you are rising a small bowl of dough the microwave alone works great. Heat your mug of water and then tuck the covered bowl in the microwave.

Oaty Nutella Bars

2011-01-25T04:25:00.000-08:00

I made this treat for Dessert Wars. Their theme for the month is Nutella...now how could I resist that? An excuse to make more goodies with Nutella.....I'm on it!

This is a bit of a busy dessert, but it's quite tasty. Think of it like a really, really suped-up O'Henry bar with Nutella. It assembles quickly even though it has four layers. I actually only intended three layers, but sometimes you just need a finishing touch. ;) Each layer has a distinctive texture....which tickles me.

Ahhh Nutella and dark chocolate.....how I love you!. Nom, nom!

Oaty Nutella Bars

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (one sleeve)
1/4 cup tub margarine, melted
2 tbls sugar

Mix everything together and press into an 8x8 greased pan. Set aside.

Oaty Layer:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup tub margarine, melted
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix together oats and brown sugar. Stir in melted margarine, corn syrup, and vanilla. Spread mixture over top of graham cracker crust and press down. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Layer:
1/4 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup skim milk
2 tbls dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/4 cup Nutella
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup old fashioned oats, ground fine
2 oz of a dark chocolate with hazelnuts candy bar, chopped roughly

In a saucepan, mix together butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let cook for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in Nutella and vanilla and mix until well combined. Stir in ground oats and chopped dark chocolate. Spread across oaty layer.

Topping:
1/4 cup Nutella
3oz milk chocolate chips

Stir Nutella and chocolate chips together and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted together. Spread across top of chocolate later. Chill before slicing into squares.

A couple more pics....

More fun with my silicone heart shaped molds. Heart shapes are my current favorite (like that's a surprise) since they are just so cute. These really need some drizzle across the top to finish them off though.

A closer look at the layers.....who wouldn't want to take a bite out of that? Well....maybe someone who isn't a Nutella fan....I'm pretty sure that is some sort of sin though. ;)

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O'Henry Bars with Nutella

2011-01-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

I adore these bars. They are, however, dangerously addictive. You have been warned! ;)

These bars whip together really fast. The hardest part is letting them cool and set in the fridge...they taste their best fully chilled....but honestly I struggle not to dig in. This is also one of those recipes that is easy to cut down in size if you need to. If you only want a tiny amount....generally so you don't snarfle the entire pan....easy enough to make a 1/4 of the recipe.

O'Henry Bars with Nutella

Bottom layer:
4 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tub margarine, melted
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Top layer:
6oz milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup Nutella

Mix together oats and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. Spread mixture in bottom of greased 9x13 pan and press down. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Mix together milk chocolate chips and Nutella. Microwave, stirring often, until mixture melts and looks smooth. Spread over top of baked bars. Chill for a couple hours before slicing into squares and diving in.

Another pic of the goodies...

I used silicone cupcake forms to make the hearts. Most of the time I'm content to do the 9x13 pan and slice into squares. ;) If you want to do a quick drizzle across your squares, spoon some of the chocolate/nutella mixture into a ziplock bag with the corner nipped off. After you have spread your chocolate across your bars, drizzle away.

Sweet as Sugar Cookies has a Sweets for Saturday post with a ton of glorious goodies listed. I spent quite a while drooling over all that glory. ;) I don't think you will regret having a lookie lew.

Mexican Lasagna

2011-01-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

This is probably the only recipe that I use corn tortillas in. They aren't my favorite, but they really work in this dish. I feel like I'm cheating on my beloved flour tortillas though. ;)

This is a pretty healthy recipe overall. It was tough to resist adding a ton more cheese to it...especially when assembling the layers. I held strong though.....freakin' good eating habits...I curse you! If you aren't too worried about keeping things light.....add a nice thick layer of shredded cheese on top of each corn tortilla layer. Mmmm....cheesegasm!

Shortcut note....If you're feeling a time crunch you can use a can of beans or refried beans instead of dried beans.

Mexican Lasagna

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 sweet onion, diced
2 anaheim peppers, diced
1.5 tbls diced garlic
1 cup dry small red beans
2 cups low fat/salt chicken broth
1 1/2 tbls fajita seasoning
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Chipotle seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 14oz can no salt added peitite diced tomatoes
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded taco cheese

Rinse and soak dry red beans in water overnight. Drain. Transfer soaked beans to a saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil and cook for an hour. Drain and set aside.

Combine the chicken, peppers, onions, garlic, broth, and all the seasoning in a sauce pan. Simmer for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken pieces and shred them with two forks. Return the chicken to the sauce pan and simmer about 15 minutes longer. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid over the cooked beans and mash them. Stir the mashed beans into the shredded chicken. Stir in the petite diced tomatoes.

Spread a small portion of the chicken mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer 6 tortillas on top. Spread half the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas. Layer another 6 tortillas. Spread out the remaining chicken mixture. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 for 25 to 35 minutes.

A couple more pics....

It just cries out for more cheese.....cries out I tell you! Such pretty layers though. I do love a colorful dish.

All uncut and waiting on the nom noms. You can pretty much use any style dish you like. A round casserole with the pieces cut pie style would be quite pretty as well.

Salsa

2011-01-16T05:14:00.000-08:00

This dip turned out quite zesty....I was pleased. It's probably not usual to grind the roasted veggies in a food processor, but I wanted all my flavors to really blend together. I used the second can of diced tomatoes to return a bit of chunky texture to the final mix. It was kind of a cross between my mole sauce and salsa really.

The sauce ended up quite a dark color....but that will happen when you have a ton of peppers and cilantro...ehehehe. Hmmm.....I bet this would make an amazing pizza sauce....but then I think just about anything would make a neat pizza sauce. ;)

Salsa

1 sweet onion
1 banana peppers
3 ancho peppers
6 jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup cilantro
1 tbls diced garlic
1 14 oz can no salt added petite diced tomatoes
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp Mrs. Dash chipotle seasoning
1 tbls sugar*
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 14oz can no salt added petite diced tomatoes, drained

Slice up peppers and onions and roast under the broiler for about 10 minutes, until they have a nice color. Toss roasted vegetables into food processor with garlic, cilantro, and tomatoes and grind until relatively smooth. Transfer mixture to a saucepan adding in all remaining ingredients except the second can of drained diced tomatos and stir well. Over medium heat bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or so. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in drained petite diced tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips. Dip away!

*Instead of using sugar I tossed in a pack of Truvia.

Peanut Praline Squares 2.0

2011-01-12T03:52:00.000-08:00

This is the final version of the peanut praline squares I made a bit ago. I'm still pretty partial to the filling I used in version 1.0, but the current filling is amazing! Nom, nom!

The instructions in the recipe use a standard square pan...which is the easiest way to make this recipe. I used some silicone heart shaped cupcake molds and a mini brownie bite mold to make mine. Labor intensive, but cuter patuter!

It occurred to me that salted, dry roasted peanuts could be substituted for the peanut pralines, if I was in a hurry and didn't have time to whip some up. To make the shortcut pretty, do some mini peanut clusters as toppers. It's a pretty valid work around if you don't want to mess with anything involving a candy thermometer too.

Peanut Praline Squares 2.0

Crust:
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
2 Tbls tub margarine
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix together the peanut butter and margarine. Heat in the microwave for about a minute, until the mixture is melted together and smooth. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Press into the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Chill in the fridge.

Fudge Sauce Layer:
14 oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
6 oz milk chocolate chips
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Heat in the microwave, stirring at 30 second intervals. You should only need about a minute or so for your chocolate to melt. Pour half of the fudge sauce over top of the crust. Return the pan to the fridge.

Cream Cheese Layer:
8oz reduced fat cream cheese
2 tbls tub margarine
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbls natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
1 1/2 cups peanut pralines
2 tbls evaporated milk

Blend together cream cheese, margarine, and peanut butter. Melt milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips together in the microwave until smooth. Blend melted chocolate mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Mix in powdered sugar.

Spread cream cheese mixture over top of the fudge layer. Use evaporated milk to thin the remaining fudge mixture to a glaze. (You can increase or decrease the amount of evaporated milk to make a thicker or thinner glaze.) Spread the chocolate glaze across the top of the cream cheese. Top with broken up peanut pralines. Chill before slicing into squares.

To give it a finishing touch, melt a small amount of milk chocolate chips and drizzle stripes of chocolate across the top of the cut squares.

A few more pics of the nummies....

Heart shapes are my favorite at the moment. I'd dub it Valentine's Day prep, but I'm pretty sure I'd make them in July...ehehehe.

When you look at your thinned fudge glaze and think it's too thin....seriously....stop...add some chocolate chips to thicken it. Did I follow this sage advice? Sigh. No. My glaze slid right off leaving a super thin coat of chocolate behind. I may have turned the kitchen a wee bit blue. ;) Instead of a beautiful, uniform chocolate coating....I ended up with a light, mocha hint o' chocolate. These could look so much better...grrr.

Bologna Cake

2011-01-10T04:24:00.000-08:00

I found this cool appetizer over on Las Vegas Food Adventures. I adore fun snackums and this so fit the bill. It demanded to be made! Demanded it I say. This honestly was super fun to put together and send out for a night of gaming. My ability to decorate with a can of spray cheese, however, not impressive...rofl. Give me a pastry bag and I'm a happy camper though. ;)

Paul dubbed this puppy a redneck wedding cake. It just feels like Wonder Bread should be involved with that title though. ;) This isn't the most healthy appetizer. So much salt. I could see myself zipping it together on the rare occasion though. Bologna is not something we keep in the house anymore. Paul happily indulged himself when he performed his taste testing duties.

The recipe called for some dry ranch seasoning, but it cried out for bacon salt to me...plus that seasoning just tickles me. Bacon flavor...what's not to love?

Bologna Cake

1 package sliced bologna
2 8oz containers reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp peppered bacon salt
1 can sharp cheddar spray cheese

Mix together cream cheese and bacon salt. Place on slice of bologna on a plate. Spread some cream cheese over the slice...something like a tablespoon give or take. Top with another slice and repeat. When all the layers are stacked ice the top and sides like you would a cake. Use the can of spray cheese to put on a decorative border and whatever other pretty touches you like. Serve with crackers.

A few more pics of the process...

Really this assembles so quickly. Frosted stack waiting for it's spray cheese garnish.

I could have spread a little more cream cheese between a few of the layers, but I used a little caution so I didn't run short in the end.

Cinnamon Sunflower Pull Aparts

2011-01-07T04:37:00.000-08:00

I thought peeling apart layers of warm, cinnamony goodness would be a fun way to eat this treat....and it was, but there was way more labor involved than I was looking for. ;) Seriously just roll these bad boys up cinnamon roll style and glaze. If I want that shape I'll just toss the cut cinnamon roll into the muffin tin and call it a win....ehehehee. Lazy? Yes, yes I am.

I considered this finger food. My beloved hubby ate it with a fork. Not even the epic amount of stink eye I gave him would make him use his fingers....rofl. Bless his heart he doesn't like messy food. I go with the messier the better rule myself. I'm pretty sure that's the inner two year old speaking though. Wet naps are my friend.

Cinnamon Sunflower Pull Aparts

3 cups unbleached flour (approx)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup raw honey
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
3 tbls vital wheat gluten

Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup tub margarine, melted
1 cup sunflower seeds

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2oz cream cheese
1/4 cup tub margarine
1 tsp vanilla

Dissolve yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water. Water from the tap works just fine. Heat milk and margarine together until milk is warm and margarine is melted. I use the microwave to heat the milk instead of the stove top, but either works fine. Stir into dissolved yeast. Mix in honey and salt. Add in a cup of flour and the vital wheat gluten. Stir in eggs. Work in enough flour to create a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to work your dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in covered bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm place. The microwave makes a great spot to rise dough. Take a glass of water and heat it to boiling in the microwave. Leave the glass inside and put the covered bowl inside and shut the door. It's a warm, steamy spot.

Grease jumbo muffin pans. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Turn dough back out onto your board and punch down. Sprinkle a little margarine, brown sugar, and sunflower seeds in the bottom of a muffin well. Cut off a small portion of dough and flatten it into a thin round. Place in the bottom of the muffin pan. Brush margarine across the top and sprinkle it with the brown sugar mixture and sunflower seeds. Cut off another portion of dough, flatten it into a thin round, and layer it on top of the last one. Brush with margarine and sprinkle on the sugar and sunflower seeds. Repeat until your muffin cups are 3/4 full. Leave the final layer bare of sugar, butter, and sunflower seeds. Repeat the same process with the other muffin wells.

Cover the muffin pans and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely browned. Turn out of pans to cool. Mix together icing ingredients and drizzle over the tops of the warm stacks. Nom!

A couple more pics....

Fresh out of the oven and just waiting on a slew of glaze. Hmmm....I could have done a right side up version instead of inverted.....skip adding margarine, sugar, and sunflower seeds to the muffin wells and add it to the top of the final layer of dough instead.

A non sunflower seed version......which seemed quite boring.

Cranberry Orange Rolls 1.0

2011-01-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

Man these rolls hit the spot for me....light and fresh. They are a nice twist on the usual cinnamon roll. I've been feeling a compulsion to make sweet breads lately so expect a string of yeasty glory down the road. ;)

I might experiment next time with adding some zest to the actual bread dough...or even some orange juice...sometimes that small tweak can create a huge boost in flavor. I divided the dough into thirds before I rolled it out to make some mini rolls....I think I like the larger size better though so I changed the recipe below to reflect that.

I learned an important lesson while adding in the cranberries....the cherry flavored cranberry pack looks exactly like the regular cranberry pack unless you are actually paying attention....ahem. ;)

Cranberry Orange Rolls 1.0

3 cups unbleached flour (approx)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup raw honey
1/3 cup tub margarine
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbls orange zest
1 cup dried cherry cranberries

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2oz cream cheese
1/4 cup tub margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp orange zest

Dissolve yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water. Water from the tap works just fine. Heat milk and butter together until milk is warm and butter is melted. I use the microwave to heat the milk instead of the stove top, but either works fine. Stir into dissolved yeast. Mix in honey and salt. Add in a cup of flour. Stir in eggs. Work in enough flour to create a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead in remaining flour. Continue to work your dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in covered bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm place. The microwave makes a great spot to rise dough. Take a glass of water and heat it to boiling in the microwave. Leave the glass inside and put the covered bowl inside and shut the door. It's a warm, steamy spot.

Turn your dough back out on your board kneading it a bit. Divide it in half and place one half off to the side. Roll the dough into something like a 9x13 rectangle. Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and orange zest. Brush the rectangle with water (melted butter is also an option) and sprinkle half the sugar mixture over the top of the dough. Sprinkle half the cranberries on top of the sugar. Roll the dough up starting with the longest side. Cut into segments and place each piece on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Cover the cookie sheets and let rise 30 minutes in a warm place.

Bake rolls at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they brown nicely. Mix together powdered sugar, cream cheese, margarine, zest, and vanilla. Remove rolls from cookie sheet and drizzle or spoon the icing over the tops. Consume with great joy!

Salted Chocolate Drop Biscuits for Two

2011-01-03T02:34:00.000-08:00

I ran across this post of sea salted buttermilk biscuits stuffed w/chocolate on Vanilla Sugar's blog. Brilliant idea! Just brilliant. I had to try it out and the experiment fit right in with the weekend brunchfest. I just incorporated the chocolate and sea salt into my usual drop biscuit recipe. I'm too lazy to make pretty biscuits...ehehehehe.

Very tasty....do not skip the coarse salt across the top....seriously that part just brings it home. I may have had a wee bit much chocolate though. Brace yourself for possible molten chocolate explosion.

I browse a ton of food blogs and run across so many creative, amazing recipes...my stack of recipes I want to try out is wicked thick. Slowly....and I do mean slowly....ehehehe I get there. It's hard to choose what to make in a week...something wandering around in my own head or something from the stack. I'd love to just go on a baking bender, but then I'd have to taste test everything and spend an unspeakable amount of time on the treadmill. ;) Moderation is an evil hussy.

Salted Chocolate Drop Biscuits for Two

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbls sugar
2 tbls tub margarine
3 tbls skim milk
1 oz dark chocolate (2 squares)
coarse sea salt

Mix together flour, baking powder, and sugar. Blend in margarine until mixture resembles crumbs. Add milk and stir until just combined. Drop a small portion of dough onto a greased cookie sheet and spread it out a bit. Place the square of chocolate in the center. Drop another portion of dough over top of the chocolate to seal it in. Repeat for second biscuit. Sprinkle some coarse sea salt across the tops. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

A picture of the melted chocolate glory...

A little heavy on the chocolate....so much lovely, melty chocolate.

Butterfinger Blitz Cookie Squares

2010-12-30T02:27:00.000-08:00

Soooo.....I made one healthier, lighter recipe the other day....I feel so virtuous....obviously this trend cannot continue. Enter sugar bomb of dooooom! A small piece goes a long way on this one.

Mmmm.....candy corn in December...madness I know. Candy corn is a year round treat and none shall convince me otherwise! ;) Yes....melted candy corn mixed with peanut butter does taste exactly like a butterfinger....it's way cool....makes my inner child giggle in glee.

The Butterfinger streusel topping actually came about by accident so the squares were double butterfingered....ok that sounds a little dirty....moving on. Next time instead of the middle butter finger layer I think I will just do the streusel across the top.

Butterfinger Blitz Cookie Squares

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust:
1/2 cup tub margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup oats, ground fine

Cream margarine and sugars together. Add in egg and peanut butter. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in ground oats. Spread into a greased 8inch pan and bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Middle layer:
1 cup candy corn
1 cup natural smooth peanut butter

Pour candy corn into a bowl and melt in the microwave. Stir in peanut butter until well combined. Spread mixture across the top of the cookie crust.

Topping:
6oz Milk Chocolate chips
1/2 cup candy corn
1/2 cup natural smooth peanut butter

Mix together candy corn and peanut butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave for about a minute. Stir vigorously to break apart the candy corn. Pour mixture out on a plate and use a spoon or knead with your hands to break apart the remaining candy corn pieces. You should end up with a coarse streusel type mixture. Set aside.

Melt milk chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Spread across the top of the middle butterfinger layer. Sprinkle butterfinger streusel across top of the chocolate. Press lightly. Cool in fridge before slicing into squares.

One more picture of the goodness...

Soooo....this streusel topping came about when I decided to experiment with melting the butterfinger mixture. I thought melting the peanut butter and candy corn together would actually make the mixture easier to work with.....not...ehehehehe. Ahem. The candy corn didn't melt into the peanut butter like I expected...it had to be broken apart into it...it was actually quite strange. As I was breaking up the candy corn with my fingers I was like man this is an epic fail....but wait.....this would make a fab topping...so you'll be seeing this again in the future. I'm thinking it will probably involve cheesecake.

Cranberry Oat Bran Muffins

2010-12-28T02:57:00.000-08:00

Bran muffins....a nice change of pace after all the rich Christmas goodies....plus I used leftover cranberry sauce so it was a double win. I found the recipe on the back of the Quaker Oat Bran box....quite convenient I know. ;) I tinkered with it a bit of course. The only change I think I would make for next time would be to use the entire egg, not just the white. The muffins don't look like much, but they were pretty tasty. I must dub them....humble, little muffins.

Cranberry Oat Bran Muffins

1 cup Oat Bran, uncooked
2 tbls ground flax
2 tbls brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tbls raw honey
1 tbls oil
1/4 cup cranberry sauce

Mix together oat bran, flax, brown sugar, and baking powder. In another bowl mix together milk, egg white, honey, and oil. Pour into dry ingredients stir until just combined. Fold in cranberry sauce. Spoon into small muffin cups until 3/4 full (greased or lined) and bake at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 6 muffins.

Mole Sauce 2.0

2010-12-27T03:49:00.000-08:00

This should be the final version of the mole sauce. You never can tell when I'll get the urge to tinker with it again though....I fear I'm a hopeless tinkerer. I'm happy with the flavor though. It has a slow heat that is quite yummy. This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce which I like to freeze in cup servings. It makes it easy to grab and go down the road.

Mole Sauce 2.0

2 sweet onions
2 banana peppers
3 ancho peppers
2 tbls diced garlic
1 14 oz can no salt added petite diced tomatoes
2 cups low salt/fat chicken broth
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp Mrs. Dash chipotle seasoning
1 tbls sugar*
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper

Slice up peppers and onions and roast under the broiler for about 10 minutes, until they have a nice color. Toss roasted vegetables into food processor with garlic and tomatoes and grind until relatively smooth. Transfer mixture to a saucepan adding in all remaining ingredients and stir well. Over medium heat bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.

*Instead of using sugar I tossed in a pack of Truvia.

Cranberry Kiwi Squares

2010-12-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

I used this recipe as a base for these bars. They turned out so very tasty. I will definitely have to make these again. The cranberry, kiwi sauce gives these bars a nice little bite of extra flavor.....and the drizzle is just so pretty. ;)

Cranberry Kiwi Squares

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used one sleeve of crackers)
1/3 cup tub margarine, melted
2 tbls sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
2 egg yolks
1 14oz can non fat sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup cranberry kiwi sauce (another 1/3 to 1/2 cup for drizzling)

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted margarine, sugar, and lemon zest. Press into greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 for 10 mins.

While crust is baking combine egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk. Stir in cranberry kiwi sauce. Pour over baked crust and spread evenly. Return to oven and bake another 15 mins or until filling is set. Cool and then chill before slicing into squares.

Spoon extra 1/3 to 1/2 cup cranberry kiwi sauce into a ziplock bag. Cut off the tip of one corner. Pipe some squiggle designs across the tops of the squares. Chill.

Another pic of the squares....

Make sure you don't cut the tip of your ziplock, drizzle bag too small otherwise you will end up with kiwi seed blockage. ;)

Cranberry Kiwi Sauce

2010-12-21T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is a variation of my usual cranberry sauce. The kiwi doesn't stand out, but it adds an extra bite to the sauce. The blow the top off your head tart flavor is a little more pronounced...ehehehe. I love the way the kiwi seeds look in the sauce too. ;) It makes a wonderful drizzle for various baked goods. I also think it would be a fabulous addition to one of my chocolate frostings. I'll have to play around with it.

Cranberry Kiwi Sauce

12oz bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
4 Kiwi, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 tbls orange zest
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Combine everything in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When berries have cooked down and the sauce has thickened, remove from heat. Pour mixture into a blender (or use an immersion blender...which is my preference) and process the mixture until it's nice and smooth. Cool.

Cranberry Sauce

2010-12-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

I think my sauce is closer to a preserve, but I like my berries cooked down a bit. It's a texture preference. ;) If you like your berries chunkier just reduce the cook time. This sauce is very, very tart. You can up the sugar is you need a bit more sweetness to it. Personally, I like the whole exploding taste bud sensation.

Cranberry Sauce

12oz bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 tbls orange zest
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Combine everything in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When berries have cooked down and the sauce has thickened, remove from heat. Cool.

Drop Biscuits for Two

2010-12-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

I am a bread junkie....maybe I should say reformed bread junkie....but still a junkie. ;) This recipe makes just to enough to enjoy without overdoing. Sometimes you just don't need the temptation. I used skim milk, but some buttermilk would be wonderful as well. I just don't go through enough buttermilk to keep it in the fridge.

In the old days (the naughty, sinfully delicious eating days pre heart attack) we used to have a huge weekend breakfast with biscuits, sausage, bacon, sausage gravy, eggs, and a mess of hash browns. Pancakes were involved at times, but only for me since Paul doesn't like them....savage! ;) Wow....that is a huge list of food. It really was epic. Ok...I might have drooled a little recalling those meals. The weekend breakfast has now returned in the form of a tasty but healthier brunch with oven baked chunky hash browns, drop biscuits, scrambled egg whites (or an egg white omelet), and a half serving of turkey sausage and bacon. I really should have taken a picture of the whole meal...but honestly I was too busy eating it...ehehehe.

Drop Biscuits for Two

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbls sugar
2 tbls tub margarine
3 tbls skim milk

Mix together flour, baking powder, and sugar. Blend in margarine until mixture resembles crumbs. Add milk and stir until just combined. Drop biscuits by the spoonful onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

Lemon Cream Cake Truffles

2010-12-17T02:53:00.000-08:00

I was tickled to find Sweetart tangy candy canes at the store....of course I didn't realize I would have to actually work that tangy flavor into a recipe. I went with a lemon cake truffle...lemon cake mixed with lemon cream cheese frosting. I did use more of a lemon quick bread rather than a lemon cake...not that it matters too much. ;) I only covered half the truffles in the crushed candy canes and made the other half plain....I was worried about how easy they would be to eat and the ultimate flavor mix. After I tasted one I really wished I covered them all in candy canes....the tangy crushed candy really gave them something special. Next time I buy candy canes I might just stick with the usual round of mint.....but probably not...goodness knows I like to be different...ehehehehe.

Lemon Cream Cake Truffles

Lemon Bread:
1 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup oil
1 tbls lemon zest

Beat eggs, milk, oil, and lemon zest together. Add in flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just blended together. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 40 to 45 mins or until it tests as done. Cool.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
8oz reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend
1 tsp lemon extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Mix together cream cheese and butter. Add in lemon extract. Mix in the powdered sugar gradually. Crumble the lemon bread into the frosting and stir the mixture together thoroughly. Roll spoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on a tray covered in waxed paper. Chill centers for at least an hour. These centers are fairly soft so you might even consider popping them into the freezer before dipping.

Toppings:
24oz Milk Chocolate Chips
3 to 4 tbls shortening
Sweetart Candy canes, crushed

Melt milk chocolate chips and shortening in a bowl in the microwave. Stir often and do not over heat. Dip truffle centers in chocolate and place back on waxed paper. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over top of the wet chocolate. Repeat with remaining centers. After all the centers have been dipped, drizzle some chocolate over the top of the truffles to finish them off. Chill to set.

A coupe more pics of the cuters....

I could have crushed a few pieces of the candy canes a little smaller. I had planned to give the crushing duty to my beloved hubby, but he wasn't home at the time. ;)

Just another view of the yummies. After I finished dipping the last chocolate I just started back at the beginning using a fork for drizzle duty. I wanted my lines to sink in a bit so the chocolate hadn't really set at this point. If you want your drizzle to stand out further chill your truffles in the fridge to set the chocolate before you do it. I use both methods...it really depends on my mood. ;)

Nutella & Peanut Butter Granola 3.0

2010-12-15T02:50:00.000-08:00

This is the final version of this recipe. I'm finally happy with it. ;) Meanwhile, I got the cutest pack of silicone cupcake cups as a present. They were perfect for making adorable little granola servings. I left the usual...press into a 9x13 pan instructions in the recipe...but have fun with your granola if you have any cute silicone forms laying around.

Nutella & Peanut Butter Granola Bars 3.0

2 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tbls tub margarine
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup Nutella

Pour your peanuts in a 9x13 pan. Crush them up a bit with the bottom of a cup, or whatever you have handy for crushing purposes. Add wheat germ, oats, and sunflower seeds and mix everything together. Pop pan into the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees for a quick toast. Stir the ingredients in the pan a couple times just to make sure nothing gets overdone. When the 10 minutes are up turn off oven and pour the toasted mixture into a mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a saucepan mix together the honey, margarine, and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and then continue to cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and Nutella. Pour over the mixture you just set aside. Mix until everything is well combined. Spray a 9x13 pan and pour the granola spreading it out evenly. With a piece of wax paper protecting your hand press down firmly to compact the granola. Toss the wax paper when your done. Let cool before turning out granola on a board for cutting. Cut into 20 pieces.

Another pic of the cuters...

Still cute.....but they cry out for the dark chocolate stripes. Dark chocolate being healthy for us and all...it's a crime to leave it off....snicker. A small amount of dark chocolate goes a very long way. Melt it in the microwave and then use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off as a handy piping bag.

So So Minty Christmas Tree Treat

2010-12-13T02:35:00.000-08:00

This goody is super easy to whip together and great fun to decorate. A very kid friendly treat. Just think....the need for colorful decorating material gives you a reason to haunt the holiday food section of the grocery. ;) So much minty good flavor...it was heavenly. Every winter I get this mad craving for mint, so this hit the spot. Now if I can just find another bag of the Nestle Dark Chocolate & Mint chips I will be a happy camper.

This is a twist on the usual Rice Krispies treats....since I was doing a chocolate theme I could have used Cocoa Krispies come to think of it. The measurements are a little loose...but honestly it's Rice Krispies treats you really can't go wrong zipping those together...ehehehe. Pssst....I used the store brand of cereal instead of Kellogg's...a sin I know.

I realized after I finished attaching all the mini mints that I could have used them to make a pretty garland look instead of random ornaments....hindsight and all that. You can use whatever you like for decorations....crushed candy canes, holiday M&M's, ect.

Minty Christmas Tree

1/2 bag Jumbo Marshmallows
2 tbls tub margarine
1/2 box Rice Krispies
12oz bag Dark Chocolate and Mint Chips
1 tbls shortening
Mini Mints for garnish

Melt the marshmallows and the margarine in the microwave, stirring often so you don't overheat it. In a separate bowl, melt 6oz of the chocolate and mint chips in the microwave. When the chips are melted and smooth add them to the melted marshmallows. Mix in the cereal.

Pour the cereal mixture out onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Form it into a rough Christmas tree shape. Using a piece of waxed paper to keep the mixture from sticking to your hand, press the mixture together more firmly and finish shaping it.

Melt the remaining 6oz of dark chocolate and mint chips and shortening in the microwave. Spoon the chocolate over the tree and spread it around to get a nice coating. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour to set. Remove from fridge and decorate. You can use some of the leftover chocolate (or melt some extra) to pipe garland ropes...though don't pipe it as narrowly as I did since it blended right in. Attach your mini mints using a little dab of melted chocolate on the back of the pieces to hold them in place. Chill for another 30 minutes to set and then nosh.

A few more pics....

With this treat you don't really have to worry about a smooth coat of chocolate....the rough look suits it quite nicely. ;) If you decide to pass on piping on any melted chocolate garland you could probably skip the step where you let this chocolate coating set up in the fridge. The chocolate top will hold the pieces in place and you won't have to dip your decorations in a little bit of melted chocolate. The only drawback to doing it this way is trying to place any decorations on the sides of the tree...you could get some slippage. When you are working with a chilled coating and using dabs of melted chocolate as glue you pretty much get insta bond and your pieces will be locked into place.

A little post shaping picture....it's super easy to give it a nice tree shape. Compacting the cereal mixture down will also give you an easier surface to work with when you cover it in chocolate. Instead of one large tree, you could actually do a series of mini trees....which would be quite cute and you wouldn't need to cut servings.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

2010-12-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

I dub it the all purpose cilantro pesto. It makes a quick and delicious sauce for a pizza. I just realized I should have used some cheddar or jack cheese instead of mozzarella...oh well....next time. It's so easy to try out different toppings on pizza....really the sky is the limit. This was something of a leftover pizza for me...leftover pesto and Mexican shredded chicken. Normally I'd even have the crusts ready to go in the freezer, but I happened to be out. So nice when everything is already cooked and you just have to spread the toppings on. ;)

You can use ready made crust or dough from the store instead of making it yourself if you are in a time crunch, but it's really simple to make your own. Honestly, pizza crust is one of the easiest yeast breads to try out.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Mexican Shredded Chicken
Pizza Crust
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Cilantro Pesto
Goat Cheese

Top baked pizza crust with pesto and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Spread chicken across cheese. Sprinkle on a bit of goat cheese. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes until cheese is nicely melted. Nom!

Another picture of the yummies...

Mmmm....pizza....so delicious and yet so easy to throw together. I almost always do the individual sized pizzas, but then I generally customize the toppings to who's eating it.

Cilantro Pesto

2010-12-09T04:07:00.000-08:00

It's sooooo greeen. I adore the color of this pesto. Adore it! It turned out a bit thick though, but it's easy enough to thin out to the consistency you are looking for. I've always wanted to try out a pesto with cilantro and it is quite delicious. Oddly enough the hubby says it tastes like our hummus....I'm still boggling over that one. ;)

Cilantro Pesto

2 cups cilantro
1 sweet onion
1 banana pepper, seeded
1 tbls diced garlic
2 tbls olive oil (spicy if you have it)
1 tbls unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
1 tbls lightly salted cashews
1/4 cup goat cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp coarse salt

Slice the banana pepper in half and place on a cookie sheet or foil. Cut the onion into slice and add to the pepper. Broil in the oven for about ten minutes, at 425 degrees. Throw the roasted vegetables, and everything else into a food processor and chop until smooth. Add to pasta, pizza, ect.

Peanut Praline Squares 1.0

2010-12-08T02:45:00.000-08:00

I should have cut these squares in half...they were really, really rich. They are packed with a ton of delicious peanut butter and chocolate. If you have a craving these will take care of it for you. After I assembled everything I realized I wanted to go in a different direction for the next version of the recipe. The squares taste wonderful as is, but I want a firmer texture for the center layer. The cream cheese has more of a mousse like texture at the moment. I want to change how I assemble the layers as well. Version 2.0 will look quite a bit different. ;)

I garnished with mini peanut butter balls and chocolate covered pralines. If you decide you want to make some mini peanut butter balls...just hold out a small portion of the peanut butter crust mixture to roll into balls.

Peanut Praline Squares 1.0

Crust:
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 Tbls tub margarine
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix together the peanut butter and margarine. Heat in the microwave for about a minute, until the mixture is melted together and smooth. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Press into the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Chill in the fridge.

Fudge Sauce/Peanut Praline Layer:
14 oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
6 oz milk chocolate chips
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup roughly chopped peanut pralines

In a bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Heat in the microwave, stirring at 30 second intervals. You should only need about a minute or so for your chocolate to melt. Stir in marshmallows and mix until they melt into your chocolate. You may need to heat just a bit more in the microwave to get the marshmallows fully melted...be careful not to overheat.

Pour 1 cup of the fudge sauce over the peanut butter crust. Sprinkle chopped peanuts pralines over top of the chocolate. Press nuts gently down.

Cream Cheese Layer:
2 - 8oz blocks of 1/3 fat cream cheese
14 oz non fat sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
6oz milk chocolate chips
6oz peanut butter chips

Blend together cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and peanut butter. Melt milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips together in the microwave until smooth. Blend melted chocolate mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Spread over top of peanut praline layer.

Topping:
3oz milk chocolate chips
1/2 tbls shortening

Melt together chocolate chips and shortening. Spread over cream cheese layer. Put pan in fridge until chocolate is set before slicing into squares.

If you decide to garnish with peanut butter balls or chocolate covered pralines...melt a little extra chocolate to dip your garnish pieces in. You could also use the remaining fudge sauce instead of straight chocolate if you wish for the top glaze.

Another picture of the squares....

The broken up peanut pralines actually look quite pretty....I think I will switch them to the top layer of the squares rather than right above the crust next time.

Peanut Pralines

2010-12-06T02:41:00.000-08:00

I found this praline recipe in an old Wilton candy book and thought it would be neat to try out with peanuts. I probably eat an unnatural amount of peanuts and peanut butter to be honest....but it's the good fats! Pecan pralines I can take or leave really. I don't mind pecans, but I don't crave them either. Peanut pralines, however, are like crack for me. Crack! Seriously, I found excuses to go to the kitchen to sneak nibbles. ;) I had to decide if it was safe to store the extras in the freezer for future desserts....or would I hear them calling to me....demanding I nosh.

This recipe is super easy to whip together and it doesn't take much time. The only thing special you need really is a candy thermometer.

Peanut Pralines

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup non fat evaporated milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 cups unsalted dry roasted peanuts

Combine the sugars and the milk in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture reaches 236 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peanuts. Continue to stir for a minute or so. Spread mixture out on a cookie sheet. Cool before breaking apart.

Another picture of my new addiction...

If you stir your peanuts too long or the mixture cools too far while you are dropping spoonfuls on your cookie sheet...the mixture can lock up and solidify. As you can tell...that happened to me...ehehehe. It's not that big a deal just scrape everything out of your pan onto the cookie sheet and break it apart. It won't look as pretty, but it will taste just fine. ;)

Mexican Chicken Dip

2010-12-03T02:44:00.000-08:00

I ran across the idea for this dip on the Taste of Home website. I love dips that are a little unusual and this one fit the bill nicely. I used some thin pizza crust as dippers here, but tortilla chips work just as well. You can serve this dip hot or cold....which is quite nice when it has to travel.

Mexican Chicken Dip

8oz reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
1/2 cup taco cheese
3 tbls hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing
mexican shredded chicken
1 tsp bacon salt

Mix together all the ingredients until well combined. Heat in the microwave for about a minute to melt the cheeses together. Serve.

Sweet Potato Bars

2010-12-01T03:46:00.000-08:00

I ran across this delicious recipe at Sweet Pea's Kitchen....she creates so many wonderful goodies. These bars are moist and incredibly tasty. Great dessert that whips together quick and easy. The only change I would make would be to add a little more powdered sugar to the icing to give it a firmer texture. I have so been craving sweet potato dishes lately and this hit the spot. Nom, Nom!

Sweet Potato Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
1 3/4 cups mashed sweet potatoes*
2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
1/2 cup Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bowl mix together the eggs, sugar, oil and sweet potato until well combined. Add in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda until just combined. Spread the batter into greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool.

For frosting mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla mixing until combined. Spread on cooled sweet potato bars. Cut into bars and chill until ready to serve.

*Mashed Sweet Potatoes - I peeled, then boiled two sweet potatoes before mashing.

Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls

2010-11-29T04:13:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to give sweet potato yeast rolls a whirl. I have this unending sweet potato craving in progress. The dough is quite sticky so it's a bit of a pain to knead it before the first rise, but the slight annoyance is worth it. The rolls turned out quite lovely, crusty on the outside and tender on the inside. I think they would be perfect with a little honey or butter...I'm leaning towards honey. ;)

Sweet Potato Yeast Rolls

1 package active dry yeast
2 cups spelt flour
3 to 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato*
3 tbls vital wheat gluten
1 cup skim milk
2 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water...warm water from the tap works just fine. Heat milk in the microwave until warm and add to the yeast. Stir in the oil, honey, and salt. Mix in the spelt flour and vital wheat gluten. Mix in the mashed, sweet potato. Gradually mix in the flour until the dough gets too difficult to work in the bowl. Turn out onto your work surface and continue to knead in flour. The dough is going to be quite sticky to work with. Knead the dough for several minutes. Place in a clean bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for an hour. Dough should be doubled in size.

Grease two cookie sheets. Turn dough back out onto floured work surface. Using a knife, cut off a small bun sized portions of dough. Work it in your hand to give it a nice round shape. Generally I rotate the dough in one hand and turn the edges under with the other, adding flour as needed....this gives you a pretty little round. Place your roll on the cookie sheet and repeat the shaping process with the remainder of the dough. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Makes about 18 rolls.

*I peeled, sliced, and boiled my sweet potatoes on the stove before mashing.

A couple more pics of the rolls...

The sweet potato gave these rolls such a pretty gold color. They just cry out to be nibbled on. The spelt flour is not a must of course...if you prefer wheat or all white flour that would work out fine as well. Mmmm...some ground oatmeal would probably taste heavenly with the sweet potato actually.

A little insider view....lookit that pretty crust! Rawrrr. Ahem. ;)

Tropical Granola Bars

2010-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to post this since it's just a slight variation of my usual granola but I was tickled with the fruit mix of pineapple, mango, and papaya. I wasn't sure I would like it, but it's quite yummy. It is hard to go wrong with granola though...ehehehe.

Tropical Granola Bars

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tbls tub margarine
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup dried, diced pineapple, papaya, and mango

Pour your peanuts in a 9x13 pan. Crush them up a bit with the bottom of a cup, or whatever you have handy for crushing purposes. Add wheat germ, oats, and sunflower seeds and mix everything together. Pop pan into the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees for a quick toast. Stir the ingredients in the pan a couple times just to make sure nothing gets overdone. When the 10 minutes are up turn off oven and pour the toasted mixture into a mixing bowl. Stir in the diced fruit. Set aside.

In a saucepan mix together the honey, margarine, and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and then continue to cook for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over the mixture you just set aside. Mix until everything is well combined. Spray a 9x13 pan and pour the granola spreading it out evenly. With a piece of wax paper protecting your hand press down firmly to compact the granola. Toss the wax paper when your done. Let cool before turning out granola on a board for cutting. Makes 20 pieces.

Another pic of the granola....

Mental note....do not pile granola up on a plate without some dividers. ;) I was a little pressed for space though at the time so I didn't consider I'd have to pry my granola apart a bit later. Happily though granola is sturdy.