A Nice Night at Home

Last night we decided to keep it low key. We rented a move, had cheese fondue, and made a nice big salad.



The salad I had in mind was one from my friend Nemmie -

Ten Restaurant's Signature Chopped Salad.

I had heard so many good things about this from my friends Jules, Amanda, Leslie, and of course Nemmie but there aren't words to describe the taste. It's fabulous. For the recipe and a picture of the salad please go here.

When my dad and step-mom came up she made an awesome cheese fondue. I need to call her and ask for the recipe. Last night however I searched the internet and found a recipe from allrecipes.com. I combined the original recipe with some suggestions from the reader reviews. This was very good. The only thing is I forgot to buy the Sauvignon Blanc, so we just used a Riesling. I think I used a bit too much Riesling but it was still delicious. We almost devoured the entire bowl.

I didn't measure out the exact amounts, just eyeballed it since there were only 2 of us.

Best Formula Three-Cheese Fondue

1 Cup White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc is suggested)
1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Gruyere cheese - shredded
Sharp Cheddar cheese - shredded
Emmentaler cheese - shredded
1 clove of garlic

Combine the cheese and flour in a bowl.
Rub garlic over inside of fondue pot -or- saute it in the pot
Simmer wine (Since I have an electric fondue pot, I just poured the wine in the pot and let it simmer.)
Add cheese/flour mixture to wine. Stir in a zig-zag motion until cheese is smooth.

We dipped french bread in this but the original recipe also suggest Granny Smith Apples. For the original recipe go here. Just make sure you read through the suggestions if you decide to make this.

THE $250 Cookie....

We've all gotten that email for the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe. I'd never thought much of it until I came across the recipe on line and decided to give them a whirl....

NM Chocolate Cookie



Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips Directions

1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)

2.Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.

3.In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.

4. Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes* or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

*Mine baked for about 15 minutes

The hubster and I loved these! The dough is excellent too. :)

Please meet my new friends

Consuela K and Francine Fondue (or Connie and Frannie).



I must have been a good girl this year because Santa brought them for me! I’ve wanted a KA Mixer for a long time. There was one on our wedding registry but, unfortunately we didn’t get it. I didn’t even know about the fondue pot until a few weeks ago when my dad, step-mom, and crew came to visit and brought theirs up. We had a wonderful fondue dinner and the hubs and I loved it and decided we would buy one after Christmas. Luckily, we don’t have to!

I’ve used the Mixer twice now and the fondue pot once (and it’s only been 5 days since Christmas) and they are awesome! It’s amazing how much easier baking has become with Connie.

'Tis the Season

A couple of weeks ago I made PB cookies that I got off the back of the almond bark package. They were such a hit I knew I wanted to make them for Christmas and make the vanilla version with regular Oreos and candy cane. My friend Julia commented that she made them one time using Mint Oreos. I decided that sounded delicious and I knew I had to make them. They were delicious!



Candy Coated Mint Oreos

1 package vanilla almond bark
1 package mint Oreos
Crushed Candy Canes and Sprinkles

Melt almond bark, dip Oreos and place on wax paper to harden. Add crushed candy canes and/or sprinkles if desired.

Perfect for the Weekend

I’ve wanted to make this coffee cake since before Thanksgiving. I had some family come up and stay with us this weekend, so it was the perfect time to make it. I’m not a big fan of coffee cakes but this was pretty good. Everyone else agreed!

Cinnamon-Walnut Coffee Cake
From …and a cookie for dessert

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated (I omitted this)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1) Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan (I used an 8 inch square).

2) In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed beat together the butter, sour cream, eggs, orange zest, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until smooth.

3) In a bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the cinnamon and walnuts. Spread half of batter evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with half of walnut mixture. Top with the remaining batter, spreading it evenly, and sprinkle with the remaining walnut mixture.

4) Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Another S'more Dessert

Yesterday I was lurking on the nest when someone posted a link to her new blog. The first post had some cookie recipes. One that immediately caught my eye was for S’more cookies. Now, nothing beats the chocolaty, sticky goodness of a S’more but, I was pleasantly surprised with the S’more Cupcakes and knew I had to give these cookies a shot. These weren’t difficult to make, just different due to the marshmallows.

S'more Cookies
From Telly's Tasty Tidbits
My changes in italics



1 Stick butter
1 Stick margarine - I didn’t have margarine so I used 2 sticks of softened butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
½ Cup white sugar
½ Tsp baking soda
2 Eggs
1 Tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup chocolate chunks
1 Cup crumbled graham crackers (leave some chunks at least ½ inch in size) – I used graham cracker crumbs because I had them on hand.
1 Cup mini marshmallows

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees – use ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper.

2) In a large mixing bowl beat butter and margarine with mixer on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, white sugar and baking soda. Beat until mixture is combined, scrapping sides of bowl occasionally.

3) Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer and stir in the rest. Fold in chocolate chunks, marshmallows and graham crackers.

4) Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2-inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

What it should have looked like....

I was on msn earlier and found a bunch of holiday candy recipes. Two of them were from a cookbook I own and have tried to make before.....

This Toffee, should have looked like this:




This Candy, should have looked like this:



Sad how it doesn't quite turn out that way.

A Christmas Must!

My favorite cookies to eat around Christmas are Gooey Butter Cookies. I absolutely lurve them. Every year my aunt makes them and I usually eat almost the entire batch. :) This year I thought, why wait? I'll make 'em now.

Gooey Butter Cookies



1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar


1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2)In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add cake mix, and stir until well blended. Roll into 1inch balls and roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (next time I make these, I'm going to let the dough chill for a couple hours before putting it on the cookie sheet)

3)Bake for 10 to 13 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Simply Tasty

I found this recipe on the back of the Almond Bark package. It is quite tasty, kind of like a Girl Scout Tagalong/PB Pattie (depending on what bakery your GS's get their cookies from). I made a ton so I took some to work and my coworkers just loved them.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies



1 Box Ritz Crackers
1 Jar Peanut Butter
1 Package of Chocolate Almond Bark


Put a generous helping of PB between 2 Ritz crackers. Dip in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper to harden. I also added some sprinkles to mine.


I think next week I'm going to dip Oreos into Vanilla Almond Bark and sprinkle crushed Candy Cane on top. Yum!

Fiesta, Fiesta

Last week I came to the conclusion I'm a huge fan of any dish that has corn and black beans in it. I made this last Thursday, Friday for lunch ordered Vegetarian Black Bean Soup, and for dinner had Southwestern Chicken Wraps that had corn and black beans in them.

This recipe is super easy and delicious. All the ingredients are things I usually have on hand and it makes a lot, so there are leftovers. We had this with a packet of Spanish rice and it was a perfect meal. My changes are in italics.

Chicken and Fiesta Cornbread Casserole
from ... and a cookie for dessert



4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 package taco seasoning (I have a jar of taco seasoning. I used more than a packet's worth)
2 cans black beans drained & rinsed
1 can ro-tel drained
2 cans Mexican corn drained (I used 2 cans of regular corn)
1 package corn bread with ingredients to make it
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup red bell pepper (I used 1 cup)
1/4 cup green pepper
1/8 cup green chilie peppers
Fresh Cilantro to taste


Heat oven to 350 degrees spray 3 quart dish with cooking spray.Heat EVOO in large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken until the middle is no longer pink.

Make cornbread according to instructions, then stir in cheese and peppers, and cilantro.

Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken. Add black beans, Rotel and corn, add more taco seasoning if desired. Mix together then pour into prepared dish. Pour cornbread over the top (Because I added extra peppers, I had to add more milk to the cornbread mixture to thin it out and make it pourable)

Bake for 30 minutes or until the cornbread is golden

Dangerous...

To anyone who is trying to limit their sweets, home alone, bored, or just in the mood to make something super easy and delicious.... Dangerous. I found these while blog-stalking one of my favorite blogs a few weeks ago and I made them for a bake sale at work. They were one of the first things that sold out.... YAY! I also made them yesterday when I was stuck at home due to icy roads. I have a feeling I'll be making these peanut butter bars a lot.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars
from ... and a cookie for dessert




1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used close to 1 1/2 cups)
11 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I think I used about 1 3/4 cup)

Combine graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add melted butter and peanut butter; stir to combine.

Press peanut butter mixture into a 9x13" dish. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth.

Spread melted chocolate over peanut butter mixture. Refrigerate until firm. Remove from refrigerator and let sit 15 minutes before cutting to avoid cracking.

Choc-o-lot

We had a bake sale at work last Thursday and I decided to make these cookies. They are full of chocolaty goodness and sold out very quickly. (woohooo!) They are a healthier cookie and can be gluten free. These will definitely be making an appearance on Christmas Eve.


Choco-gasm Cookies
from Cara's Cravings
(I forgot to take a picture....)

2 1/4 cups (9 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder (I used instant coffee)
1 cup (3 ounces) cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and cocoa. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the egg whites and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites, and mix at low speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes.

The batter will seem dry at first, but will become shiny and smooth as it mixes. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate the batter for 3 hours, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. Drop the dough in ping pong-sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. (The dough is not like your typical cookie dough, but more like the consistency of store-bought cake frosting. It's sticky, you won't be able to roll it with your hands. A scoop would work really well, but if you don't have one, a rounded tablespoon coated with cooking spray works too.)

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, reversing the pans (top to bottom, bottom to top) midway through. Remove them from the oven, and cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Yield: fourteen big (3 1⁄2") cookies.

Eggcellent

A while ago I found a recipe for a Fast ‘N Fresh Frittata in my Pampered Chef It’s Good For You Cookbook. I’ve wanted to make it for a while but the hubs does not like 2 of the main ingredients (asparagus and tomatoes). Last night when I got home from the gym I was really craving an omelet when I remembered the frittata so I based this recipe off the original one. The original recipe calls for a bigger skillet, but I just used an 8in last night.

Easy Frittata
(I didn’t get a picture of it last night. Here is a frittata I found online that looked pretty similar to ours except for the salsa on top)



These are all estimates, I just threw stuff in

1 tbsp Olive Oil
¼ cup chopped red peppers
¼ cup chopped green peppers
¼ cup canned corn
1/8 cup chopped green chilies
¼ cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped Leftover Turkey Day Ham
1 small potato - diced
Shredded Cheese (to taste)
2 eggs and 2 egg whites whisked together
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Garlic Salt to taste (or you could use fresh pressed garlic)


Heat olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add potatoes, veggies, ham, and garlic salt. Cook and stir four minutes, reduce heat to low. Add shredded cheese and salt and pepper to potato mixture. Pour eggs over top potato mixture. Cover; cook on low heat for 14-15 minutes, or until center is set. Remove from heat, sprinkle cheese on top, let stand until melted. Cut into wedges.

This was excellent, we both loved it. It tasted great with a nice cold glass of chocolate milk. Next time I’ll definitely use a larger skillet so we have leftovers.

Eat like a Rockstar

No, for cereal. Eat like a Rockstar. I got this recipe from my friend Rockstar. (Who originally got this recipe from Tastefully Simple) It's the perfect recipe to use up the leftover Shanksgiving Turkey. Before I started making it, I decide to have a few glasses of Shiraz. I was really nervous my wine wasn't going to go with the soup but it did. Soooo good!

Leftover Turkey Day Soup
(... I'm not sure what the real name is!)



2 cans Campbell's Southwest Type Soup (I used a Fiesta Nacho Cheese - that's all they had at the store)
5 c. hot water
1.5 cups shredded turkey
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 c. diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 c. jalapenos, diced (I diced hot green Chile peppers)

Whisk together the soup and water. Add turkey, corn, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Heat about 10 minutes, being careful not to scorch. Serve with Tortillas. I think it would be also good with shredded cheese, green onions, or sour cream.

It's Hip To Be Square

A few weeks ago I received an email from my husband's uncle. It was an invite for Thanksgiving with the extended family. It had a request from everyone to bring a certain dish. Us "kids" were in charge of an appetizer. I knew right away what I would make. My friend Amanda made these in July for a tailgate at the Royals game. I've wanted to make them ever since.


Spinach Artichoke Squares

1 (8 oz.) can refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used the pre-shredded kind in the bag)
8 oz. room temperature cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
10 oz. thawed, frozen chopped spinach, squeezed until dry
14 oz. artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll the crescent dough and place on the bottom of a 13x9" cake pan. Gently press the dough evenly into the pan and 1/2" up the sides to form a crust, paying special attention to seal the roll perforations.

Sprinkle the dough with 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan Cheese and bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven.

While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, sour cream, and remaining Parmesan Cheese - mix until smooth. Fold in the spinach and artichoke hearts and spread the mixture evenly over the crust.

Bake an additional 13-15 minutes, or until the crust is a golden brown and the filling is set.

Can be served hot or cold.

So bad, yet so, so good

I few weeks ago at work I was food-blog stalking and found this marvelous recipe. I got it from Culinary Infatuation who got it from Cara's Cravings who got it from Epicurious. It was very good, super sweet but it really hit the spot.

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick unsalted room temperature butter
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups (about 3 large) mashed very ripe bananas
3 tablespoons buttermilk



Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, room temperature butter, and egg in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and blend well



Spread half of batter (about 2 cups) in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of streusel. Repeat with remaining batter and streusel. Bake coffee cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool coffee cake in pan on rack.

I couldn't find my metal pan, so I used a glass one. Also, the recipe I printed off some how managed not to have the 3 tbsp of buttermilk on it. So I used the whole little container of buttermilk. It turned out good, just had to cook it longer. The cake is super moist. I also added more chocolate chips to the top. That is totally not necessary. It's sweet enough without the extra chocolate.

Hosting My First Turkey Day

It went smoothly enough. I'm not going to blog about everything I made, it was pretty traditional. One thing I do want to blog about is Caramel Apple Salad. I couldn't get a good picture of this to save my life. I even looked on google image for a pic but couldn't find one. I'll admit it looks gross in RL but tastes just like a caramel apple.

Caramel Apple Salad
Recipe from a co-irker

3 cups unpeeled, chopped apples
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 cup mini marshmallows
1- 8 oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
1- 3.5 oz, package instant butterscotch pudding
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed

Mix all ingredients in large bowl, refrigerate for at least 3 hours

Forgetful Jones I

I totally forgot to take pictures and blog about all the dips I made this past weekend! We had the ever so popular rotel, beer dip, buffalo chicken dip, and this delicious homemade salsa! So the next 2 posts are dedicated to the Salsa and Buffalo Dip.

Homemade Salsa
I'm so mad I didn't take a picture. It was so pretty!
Originally from my friend Darcy, I adapted it a bit. My adaptations are in bold italics.

1 can of rotel (don't drain)
1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can of white shoepeg corn (rinsed and drained)
1 red onion - chopped ( I used a white onion)
2 hot green chiles - chopped
1 green pepper - chopped
1 red pepper - chopped
3ish tablespoons of red wine vinegar
Shakes of pepper to taste
Shakes of dried cilantro to taste

Stir it all together, and it's done. It tastes better when it sits in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for a few hours).

I made this 24 hours ahead of time. A few times before the party started I tasted it and added more cilantro and red wine vinegar.

This is absolutely delicious. It is so fresh! Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Forgetful Jones II

I totally forgot to blog about this too...

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I first had this 2 years ago and loved it! I've been making it ever since.

2 cooked chicken breasts - shredded
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch Dressing
1 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce*
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese*


Combine cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch dressing, chicken, and 1/2 of the cheese in sauce pan until well blended.

Pour into crock pot, sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Enjoy with Tostitos and a nice, cold beer!


*I usually use about 14 oz of the 16 oz bottle of red sauce. I always add more shredded cheese too

Feelin' Cheesy

Since work was slow today I spent the day looking at food blogs. When I came across .... and a cookie for dessert , I was so excited. There are a ton of delicious recipes on there. I knew I wanted to make my Tastefully Simple Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix for dinner.



When I found this recipe and I knew it be the perfect accompaniment to my soup. I decided to alter the original recipe and add some cheese to it.

Cheesy Drop Biscuits
(originally from cooking light)



Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1 cup fat-free milk
1-ish cup of shredded cheese (I used a Colby/Monterrey/Cheddar Mix)
Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450º.Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add milk and cheese; stir just until moist.

Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from pan immediately, and place on a wire rack.



These were so good! I don't know if I'll ever buy frozen biscuits again. When I make them with cheese again, I'm going to add more than a cup of cheese. The soup was great too! I added green and red peppers and carrots to give it more flavor, although it would have delicious without it.

Who Needs DQ?

My husband and I LOVE DQ Ice Cream Cake. In fact, we even cut a DQ cake at our wedding......

Last year I got him an ice cream cake for his birthday but, this year I wanted to make one. I searched the internet high and low and found this recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Easy Ice Cream Cake



16 ice cream sandwiches
1 (16 ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping
1 (12 ounce) jar chocolate fudge topping, room temperature
1 (12 ounce) jar of caramel ice cream topping
1 Jar Nut Topping
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy bar, grated

1) Place 8 of the ice cream sandwiches side by side in a 9x13 inch-baking dish.

2) Spread evenly with half of the hot fudge topping, followed by half of the caramel, sprinkle nuts over caramel, and then half of the whipped topping.

3) Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and toppings. Sprinkle with grated chocolate bar, add caramel, nuts, and chocolate.

4) Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep unused portion covered and frozen.

This turned out pretty good. Next time I make it I’m going to use 8 vanilla ice cream sandwiches and 8 chocolate. I’m also going to chop up a heath bar and put it in between the layers.

I used a little less than half of the toppings on the first layer which worked out well because the second layer is a little more difficult since the ice cream is not as frozen. If you go to allrecipes there are a ton of variations for the recipe.

Playing with Pumpkin Part 1

My husband requested these for his party this past weekend. They were a huge hit! Thanks to Sarah for the recipe!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies



1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1) Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg.
2) In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in.
3)Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
4)Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Playing with Pumpkin Part II

I found this recipe from Carrie's Cooking Adventures. She got the recipe from Allrecipes. When I saw these I knew I had to try them. They are pretty good! Perfect for the holiday season.

Pumpkin Cookies



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

3)Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. **I think I baked mine for maybe 10 min

The original recipe calls for an icing over the cookies.

Ingredients for icing:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

A Camp Fire Favorite

Last Saturday in my hungover state I was looking at food blogs. I came across the blog of Sew Darn Cute. She had some phenomenal looking S’mores cupcakes . Now, I HATE making cupcakes but just had to try these.

S'mores Cupcakes



For the cupcake part use your favorite chocolate cake mix or make one from scratch. For the frosting:

2 or 3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. tub of marshmallow cream

Cream the butter on high until it's light and fluffy. Add the confectioner's sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until fluffy each time. Beat in the vanilla until incorporated. Dump in the marshmallow cream and mix it up 'til it's all creamy. Transfer to pastry bag and pipe onto cupcakes. I don't have a pastry bag so I just cut the corner off a Ziploc bag - it worked great.

The tops are dusted with graham cracker crumbs, and each cupcake is topped with a square of Hershey's chocolate.

*For better pictures check out Sew Darn Cute's blog

Last night when I was finished mixing the frosting I tasted it and thought it was too buttery. I added a little more marshmallow and a little more powdered sugar and it was perfect.

I brought these over to my in-laws today and everyone seemed to like them. I had a cup cake last night and it was good but, I think they tasted better today. I could really taste the marshmallow. Yum!

Just like mom used to make

Except, I don't think my mom ever made homemade mac and cheese when I was growing up. I've really been craving some but was trying to find a "healthy" version of it. I was just about to kind of combine 2 recipes, one from Leslie and one from Nemmie, but then in the KC Star I found this.....

Pump It Up Macaroni and Cheese
8 servings





1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 1 percent milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 cups 2 percent shredded cheddar cheese, divided
7 cups firmly cooked elbow macaroni

1) Place cauliflower in microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and cover. Microwave on high power 5 to 7 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender. Carefully drain any liquid from cauliflower and place cauliflower in food processor. Add water a tablespoon at a time and pulse until mixture is smooth; set aside. (Cauliflower puree should be completely smooth.)

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese and stir until melted. Blend in cauliflower mixture. Add cooked pasta and spoon into a 2-quart casserole that has been sprayed with nonstick spray coating. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake 30 minutes

Like I said, I found this recipe in the Star. It was with an article about sneaking veggies into your kids foods. If you want to read the article, click here.

A few changes I made to the recipe:
Instead of cheddar cheese, I used Velveeta. Also, on the top I sprinkled Monterrey Jack Cheese and bread crumbs. Since I used chunks of Velveeta I kept the sauce pan on low heat. Soooooo Good. I can't wait to make this again.

Per serving: 307 calories (24 percent from fat), 8 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 21 milligrams cholesterol, 42 grams carbohydrates, 16 grams protein, 395 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

Recipe developed for The Star by professional home economists Kathryn Moore and Roxanne Wyss.

Even the Husband liked it!

I found this recipe in my Pampered Chef cook book. It was simple and very yummy. Even the husband liked it and he isn't really into meatless dishes.

Vegetarian Black Bean Burgers
Low Fat, Cholesterol, and Calorie



1 can (15oz) black beans,drained, rinsed, and mashed
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup whole kernel corn
1/4 cup thick and chunky salsa
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
4 whole wheat burger buns
Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomato, guacamole

1) Mash beans using nylon masher. Add chopped onion, corn, salsa, garlic, cilantro, salt and black pepper to beans; mix well. Add bread crumbs and egg whites to bean mixture, mix well. Form bean mixture into four round patties.

2) Heat 12 inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Lightly spray pan with nonstick cooking spray; cook patties 6 - 8 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once.

3. Place burgers on buns; serve with toppings if desired.


Like I said, these were really good. The only thing I question is the fact you don't cook them long and it has eggs in it. Hmmmmmm...


Calories: 280, Total Fat: 3.5g , Saturated Fat and Cholesterol: 0g, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein 12g, Sodium 810 mg, Fiber: 6g

THE Go-To Cookies

My husband helped one of his friends move today. He called around dinner time and said he was going to be a little later than planned and asked if I would wait to start dinner. I was starving but of course I said yes. So what's a girl to do when she doesn't want to work on her geometry lesson plan and can't make dinner? BAKE!! I decided to make my go-to cookies with a twist. For the recipe see my Blog Entry from a few months ago.

I added 1 cup of Mini Reeses Pieces along with the chocolate chips.

These are so damn good. I could eat all of them.

Not what I expected....

But, it was still very tasty. I couldn't find one of the ingredients so it kind of changed what we actually ate....


Cheeseburger Hoagie Sandwiches
(minus the hoagies...)
Low Fat, Cholesterol, and Calories


No laughing at my Paper Plates! I'm tired of doing Dishes!

1 package (11 oz) refrigerated French bread dough
4 slices American Cheese (reduced fat), divided
12 oz ground turkey
½ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, pressed
¼ cup ketchup
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
1 plum tomato, sliced

1, Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place bread dough on a cutting board and stretch slightly. Cut dough into 4 equal portions. Cut 3 diagonal slits on top each portion of dough; place a seam side down and 3 inches apart. Bake 20 – 22 min or until golden brown. Set loaves on cooling rack.

2. Cut two slices of cheese into small pieces. In skilled cook and stir beef, onion and garlic over medium heat 8 – 10 min or until meat is no longer pink. Stir in ketchup, mustard and cut up cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Remove skillet from heat

3. Slice each loaf length wise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf; spread open. Fill evenly with beef mixture; place on baking stone. Bake 6 – 8 minutes or until bread is toasted and meat mixture is heated through.

4. Cut remaining cheese slice diagonally in half, top each sandwich with one cheese triangle. Top sandwiches with lettuce and tomato slices.


I could not find the refrigerated french bread dough anywhere at the store. I just ended up picking up some frozen Pilsbury Rolls. That was dumb. The rolls weren't big enough and I couldn't put them back in the oven in step 3 or else they would have burned. The sandwiches still turned out really good, just not as big as I thought. Next time we make this we're just going to buy hot dog buns and toast them. It will be just as good and a little bit easier.

Yield: 4 servings
Calories 370g, Total Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat 4g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Carbohydrates: 45 g, Protein 29g, Sodium 1050 mg, Fiber <1g.

Regrets

I was slightly hungover today which ended up being nice in the fact that I didn't feel like going to the gym (Bad Stacey, Bad!), did some blog updates, painted all day, planned my meals for the week, and had a pretty good dinner tonight. It was a very lazy day. I don't have many of those kind of days. What sucks though is that I didn't go to the gym, didn't do anything school related, and now have to get up early tomorrow and be super productive. Oh well...

For dinner tonight it was grilled steaks, steamed broccoli, carrots, and red peppers with grated Parmesan Cheese, and I wanted to make homemade fries. I perused the net for a while and found 2 recipes. I ended up going with the oven baked rather than fried recipe and kind of regret it. Why did I choose oven baked you ask? Well, it was simpler and that went along with my lazy day theme. The oven baked were good but, just didn't hit the spot. I'll post both of the recipes.

Spicy Country Fries
From http://www.grouprecipes.com/ user: jo_jo_ba


3 medium potatoes
1 egg white
1 tsp each paprika, black pepper and salt



Preheat oven to 500F.
Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Cut potatoes into 36 wedges, place in bowl of cold water.
Whisk egg white, paprika, pepper, and salt in a large bowl until frothy.
Dry potato wedges, add to egg white and toss to coat.
Spread on baking sheet and bake on bottom rack 25 minutes, turning half way through.

Serves: 4

Anddd now for the fries I should have made.....

Homemade Crispy Seasoned French Fries
Found on allrecipes.com

1-1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup water, or as needed
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

1) Slice potatoes into French fries, and place into cold water so they won't turn brown while you prepare the oil.

2) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, sift the flour, garlic salt, onion salt, (regular) salt, and paprika into a large bowl. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mixture can be drizzled from a spoon.

3) Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and place in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Serves: 4

Simply Delicious!

M and I made this meal last Tuesday night and it was delicious. The whole night was great. We cooked together and polished off a couple bottles of wine. It was so much fun. I really wish I could have taken better pictures that expressed how great the food tasted.

Peppered Beef Filets with

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes

Low Cholesterol and Low Calorie

Mashed Potatoes
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tsp 70% vegetable oil spread
1 tsp sugar
1 pond unpeeled red or russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 tbsp snipped fresh parsley (I used dried)
¾ tsp prepared horseradish ½ tsp salt

Beef Filets
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 1 inch think (5 oz each)
1 tsp coarsely ground tri-colored peppercorns or black pepper corns
¼ tsp salt

1. For mashed potatoes, coarsely chop onion. Melt vegetable oil spread in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sure; cook and stir 8 – 10 minutes or until onion is tender and deep golden brown. Remove from skillet; set aside.

2. Place potatoes and enough water to cover in a small saucepan. Cover; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cook 8 – 10 min or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes in small colander; return to saucepan. Using a masher, mash until no lumps remain. Add evaporated milk; stir until well-blended Add cooked onion, parsley, horseradish ands alt; mix well. Cover; keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, for beef filets, press garlic into small bowl. Spread garlic evenly over both sides of steaks. Sprinkle tri-colored pepper and salt evenly over both sides of steaks.

4. Heat same skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until hot. Place steaks in skillet. Cook 10 – 13 min for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally. Serve with mashed potatoes

Yield: 4 Servings
Calories: 360, Total Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol 90 mg, Carbohydrate 28g, Protein 34g, Sodium, 580mg, Fiber 3g

Not my cup of tea

But, some people may like it. This recipe came from my It's Good For You cook book. It's low in fat, calories, cholesterol, and apparently taste.

Chicken Vegetable Cobbler


Chicken & Vegetable Filling
2 cups diced cooked chicken (or turkey)
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups broccoli florets
1 can corn
1 can 98% fat-free reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup 100% fat-free broth
1/2 cup skim milk
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Biscuit Topping
1.25 cups reduced-fat all-purpose baking mix
1/2 cup skim like
1 egg white

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For chicken and vegetable filling, cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut carrots into 1/3 inch slices and chop onion. Steam carrots, broccoli, and onion in the microwave for 2 - 3 min or until crisp-tender.

2. In bowl combine soup, broth, milk, garlic, thyme and black pepper; whisk until blended. Stir in chicken, corn, and vegetable mixture; mix well. Pour in to deep dish baking pan.

3. In small bowl, combine baking mix, milk and egg white; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture forms a soft dough. Drop six scoops of dough over filling. Bake 30 - 35 min or until topping is golden brown.

So, like I said, this wasn't my cup of tea. My husband didn't like it either. Not enough flavor for us. If I ever make it again I'll add more spices and maybe some more flavorful veggies.




Yields: 6 Servings.
Calories: 270, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 50 mg, Carbohydrate 30g, Protein 23g, Sodium, 640mg, Fiber 2g.

Long Time No See

Well, my life is starting to slow down. 2 of my classes are over, so I can get back to doing some things I love.... cooking and working out to name a few. This is the first week in a long time that I've planned meals. I decided to pick the meals out of a Pampered Chef: It's Good For You cookbook I bought 2 years ago but have never used. The recipes are all healthy and all look so delicious.

Lean 'N Green Chili
Low Fat, Low Cholesterol, Low Calorie




Ingredients

8 6 inch corn tortillas, divided
2 tsp vegetable oil, dived
1 cup chopped Poblano Chile peppers or green bell peppers
½ cup chopped onion
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾ inch pieces
1 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) 99% fat free chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1.25 cups salsa verde or 1 can green Chile enchilada sauce
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro (I used dried)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut four of the tortillas in half and stack them one on top of another. Cut the tortillas into ½ inch strips. Place in bowl and toss with 1 tsp of the oil. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan. Bake 10 – 12 min or until crisp, stirring once. Remove from oven.

2) Chop Chile peppers and onion. Cut chicken into ¾ inch pieces; toss with cumin in small bowl. Fold one tortilla to fit into a food processor coarsely grate. Repeat with remaining 3 tortillas. Set aside

3) Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in large pot over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 min. Remove chicken from casserole; and Chile peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir 3 min. Stir in chicken, broth, beans, salsa and grated tortillas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15 min.

4) Stir cilantro into chili. Ladle soup into bowls; top with baked tortilla strips.


Serving size: 1.25 cups, Calories 260, Total Fat 3.5 G, Saturated Fat 0.5 grams, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrates 32g, Protein 25g, Sodium 850 mg, Fiber 5 g.

Of course I made a few mistakes with this recipe..... I grabbed whole grain tortillas instead of corn tortillas. I don't think it made much of a difference. It still tasted delicious. Next time I make this I don't think I'll grate up 4 tortillas, I'd like the chili a little less thick. I also had green tomatoes on hand, so I chopped up 3 and threw 'em in. I served this with Jiffy Corn Bread. Delicious!

Simply Tasty, meet Tastefully Simple

My friend Tiff is a Tastefully Simple rep. They have really yummy dips, well actually everything they have is really yummy. A while ago I ordered the Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix and finally made it today. Instead of making muffins, I made Snickerdoodle cookies. They are sooooo good!


TS Snickerdoodle Cookies


1 Package of Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix
6 TBSP of melted butter
1 Egg

1)Combine Butter, Muffin Mixture, and Egg in bowl until dough forms.
2)Pour packet of Cinnamon in shallow bowl.
2) Roll in 1in balls and then roll in the cinnamon mixture

Cook for 11 - 13 minutes at 400 degrees.

I switched this recipe up a bit. After my dough was formed I poured the majority of the cinnamon mixture in the dough and mixed it up. I just left a little bit of cinnamon in the shallow bowl for the coating. These cookies are moist and gooey and delicious.

A little bit of this, A little bit of that

I don't have class at all this week. YAY! I hope to do a few blog updates. Last night I was at the gym and saw a commercial for a casserole and deicded it looked delicious. I got home and looked through the freezer and pantry made myself a meal.

Veggie Casserole
(I have a picture.. it's just not uploaded!)

1 bag frozen mixed veggies (mine had potatoes, green beans, squash, and carrots)
2 cups frozen snap peas
1/2 box angel hair pasta - cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 empty soup can full of water
French Fried Onions to taste
Parmesan Cheese to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

1) Combine all veggies, pasta, soup, water, and salt and pepper. Bake at 425 until mixture is golden brown and slightly boiling

2) Stir in parmesan cheese. Top with french fried onions and parmesean cheese Bake for 10 more minutes.

3) Devour!

This was super easy and delicious. Next time I might add chicken and a box of corn muffin mix to the ingredients.

Maybe I should rename my blog?

Instead of Simply Tasty, it should be named "Misadventures in Cooking". I'm always making mistakes when I cook. I think it has something to do with the fact that I skim over recipes rather than really reading them.


I've been craving No-Bake Cookies for a few weeks, as soon as we got home Monday night, I decided to make them. I realized my sticks of butter are all frozen, so I take one out to melt a bit . I then looked at the recipe and realized, man, this calls for 2 cups of butter. Now, I think that amount sounds odd, but didn't check it again. So I melt my butter and start adding the other ingredients when I realized that the recipe only called for 1/2 cup of butter. DOH! Well needless to say my cookies didn't exactly turn out. I kept adding more oatmeal, PB, coconut, and coco to the mix but they just aren't setting. Don't get me wrong, they are delicious, but I have to keep them in the fridge.... Here is the correct, incredibly easy, recipe!

No Bake Cookies
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
½ cup coconut
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cook oatmeal

Combine the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa powder in a large saucepan. Cook over high heat until it comes to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for 1 minute, take off the stove, and mix in vanilla, peanut butter, coconut, and oats. Quickly drop in heaping tablespoon size amounts onto a sheet of tin foil or wax paper and place in fridge to let harden.

Here is a pic I stole from the net:

And I Suck

Sorry for being such a bad blogger. I'm going back to school to get my graduate teaching certificate right now so, life is hectic. Working 40 hours a week, sitting in class 11 hours a week, homework, observations, RBing, family stuff, almost being homowners (we close Sept. 28!), and I can't even think what else leaves very little free time. Cooking has def. been on the back burner.

It's been almost 2 weeks since the husbantor or myself have cooked a meal. ACK! I'm gonna try much harder on the weekends to make things and update this. It may take another week or so, but I promise I'll get back in the swing of things.

One Dish Meal

One of the showers I had before the wedding was a recipe shower. This recipe is from that. It's one of M's favorite things to eat. I think it's alright, just not my favorite. It's kind of bland so to spice it up I added some fresh green chili's.

Black Bean and Corn Skillet


1lb ground beef or turkey
1box 8oz Black Beans and Rice (I use 7oz Zatarain's)
1 can Rotel
3/4 bag corn
1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 cup chopped green chilis
Cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, other toppings

Cook beef - drain. Stir in Rice and beans, Rotel, corn, cilantro, and 2.5 cups of water. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 min or until water has been absorbed.

M loves to eat this with chips. I like to eat it like a burrito. I had left overs the next day and was out of salsa so I cubed some Velveeta, added some onion, cilantro, and taco seasoning and melted it in the microwave. I added it to the mixture and it was so good. I highly recommend that.

Not Food Related

My husband's grandma passed away this morning. If you're a praying person and wouldn't mind saying a prayer for her and the family, that would be nice. Gma Dinks was such an amazing person and she'll be missed very much. It's good to know she's now in heaven and not in any pain.

http://familyelwell.com/

A Delicious Disaster

Friday night M went to a Wii Party (I guess boys never grow up....) so I had the entire evening to myself! I was so excited. I used the evening to cook and bake. We had to go to a BBQ at my brother in law's on Saturday so I decided to bring my Taco Salad and make Easy Candy-Bar Teats. The recipe seemed simple enough and I had all night.

I got everything prepared and realized that I didn't have the correct size pan. I mean come on, who has a 9x9x2 inch or 11x7x1.5 inch pan. Not me said the flea. I'm not sure what size pan I used (it was smaller than the recipe called for) but, I think it was the demise of my treats.

Easy Candy-Bar Treats
Prep: 10min Cook: 7 and 3/4ths minutes Chill: 2 hours



½ cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup cold milk
3.5 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
30 vanilla caramels, unwrapped*
1-tablespoon water
2 cups unsalted peanuts*
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips*
½ cup milk chocolate chips*

1) Line a 9x9x2 inch or 11x7x1.5 inch-baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Butter the foil; set aside.

2) In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter, uncovered on 100 percent power for 1 – 1.5 minutes or until melted. Stir in cocoa powder, brown sugar, and milk. Microwave, uncovered on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil, stirring once. Stir again; microwave for 30 seconds more. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture in prepared pan.

3) In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine caramels and water. Microwave, uncovered, on 50 percent power (medium) for 2.5 to 3 minutes or until caramels are melted, stirring once. Stir in peanuts. Microwave, uncovered on medium for 45 to 60 seconds more or until mixture is softened. Gently and quickly spread peanut mixture over fudge layer in pan.

4) In a 2-cup microwave-safe glass measure, combine semisweet and milk chocolate pieces. Microwave, uncovered, on 50 percent power for 2-3 minutes or until melted, stirring once or twice. Spread over peanut layer, Score into pieces while warm. Cover and chill for 2 – 3 hours or until bottom is firm. Use foil to lift candy out of pan. Cut into pieces. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

**I used 3 cups peanuts, 43 caramels, 1.25 cups milk chocolate chips, and 1.25 cups semi sweet chocolate chips**


So everything sounds simple enough, right? My picture up above looks decent, right? So here is....

The Story of A Delicious Disaster

It all started with the fact my pan wasn't the right size. I'm pretty sure it was too deep. I made my bottom later and all was good. I started on my peanut layer and all was good until I went to spread it in the pan. There wasn't enough mixture! I melted a little more caramel and add some peanuts and all was good. Before I mixed my chocolate chips I added about 1/4 cup more of each kind of chocolate chip since I had to add more peanut mixture.

So I made the candy and stuck it in the fridge. I let it sit there all night, thinking that it would be firm in the morning. When I finally pulled the dish out, I lifted the candy out of the foil and this is what I see......


The damn fudge didn't set! So I was a little upset about it and I decided to put it back in the dish (without the foil). I had M cut it for me. As soon as he stuck the knife in there and fudge part started gushing up the sides. :( He cut it anyway and we stuck it in the freezer. It tasted delicious, it was just super messy since the fudge layer didn't set. Here is a good shot of all 3 layers and you can see the fudge layer oozing around the bottom.

Here is a shot after about 1/2 the candy was devoured. You had to scape up the fudge layer. Not that that was a bad thing, it just wasn't what I expected. I'm pretty sure, the bottom layer was too thick to set. It may not have boiled enough either.



So all in all, it didn't turn out like I thought it would, but it was still good. It tastes very similar to a snickers bar. I will definitely be trying this again.... next time I'll use the correct pan!

What My Mother In Law Does Best....

Makes these awesome PB Rice Krispie Treats! In college she would make me some and all my roommates loved them. I've never met anyone who didn't like these bad boys. It was even what my husband wanted for his grooms cake at our wedding reception.

Foxy Roxy's Fabulous Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups Rice Krispies

1pkg milk chocolate chips

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a pan. Bring to boil. Add peanut butter until melted. Stir in Rice Krispies. Press into greased 9x13 pan. Top with melted chocolate chips.

The photo below is from our reception. The football in the rice krispie cake his mom made.

And here's a close up:

Doesn't this look good

It was my dinner Friday night (before the ginger soy sauce).

OK, that is all... carry on.