Cup Cake Wars!!

I bought a new cookbook (Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, by Sara Wells and Kate Jones) the other day and this is the effect so far!!!  I just used Devil's Food cake mixes and made them fun with the frosting!!!

The first ones really do taste like a Reese's peanut butter cup as a cupcake, SO YUMMY.  I didn't know that peanut butter frosting would be so tasty or so easy!  Pretty much my cream cheese recipe just minus the cream cheese and substitute 1 cup peanut butter!

The S'more Cupcake was a little more work.  You make a Graham cracker crust first in each cup, then add batter and top with marshmallow frosting!  Again, so tasty and exactly what I would imagine a s'more to taste like if it were a cupcake!  

If I were you, I would try a new and fancy cupcake today. . .oh wait, I did!!!  

You Gotta Love the Amish: Amish Dinner Rolls

I have never made rolls that work. EVER!  I don't know what I do wrong but they are always heavy and super dense.  I swear I let them rise!  It's the same with bread as well, I just mess it up.  However, I do have one bread recipe for Amish bread that works out perfect every time.  So I made a roast for Sunday dinner and really wanted homemade rolls and I got the great idea to look for an Amish recipe since the bread one I had worked so well.  The results were what you see, DELICIOUSLY YUM!  They weren't totally light and fluffy, but they were better than I have ever made.  The Amish know what they are doing!!  I got this recipe from this website, but here it is for you now just in time for those Christmas dinners!  

Amish potato rolls
2 eggs
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) unseasoned mashed potatoes, lightly packed*
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
3/4 cup water (potato water, if possible)
4 1/4 cups (18 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

*1 medium-to-large baking potato will yield 8 ounces of mashed potato.

Manual/Mixer Method: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, and mix until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased or floured surface, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and shiny. Or knead it in a mixer, using the dough hook. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl or rising bucket, turn to coat, cover the container with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise till it's doubled in bulk, about 90 minutes.

Bread Machine Method: Place all the ingredients into the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (usually, liquids first, yeast last). Program the machine for dough or manual, and press Start. Check the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle and adjust its consistency as necessary by adding additional water or flour to form a soft, smooth ball. Allow the machine to complete its cycle, then allow the dough to remain in the machine till it's doubled in bulk, perhaps an additional 30 minutes or so.

Shaping: To make stand-alone rolls, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. If you want to make soft-sided, pull-apart rolls, divide the dough into 15 pieces. This isn't as challenging as it sounds: first, divide the dough into three equal pieces (about 375g, 14 ounces, each). Pinch off one piece, about the size of a racquetball or handball (75g, 2 3/4 ounces), off each of the three pieces, setting the pinched-off pieces aside; then simply divide what's left of the three pieces into four pieces each. Presto! Fifteen balls of dough. Gently roll the dough balls under your cupped fingers till they're nice and round.

Place the 16 dough balls onto a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet or sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them. Or place the 15 dough balls into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan, spacing them evenly in five rolls of three balls each. Cover the pan(s) with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the rolls to rise for about 2 hours, till they're quite puffy; the rolls in the 9 x 13-inch pan should be touching (or almost touching) one another.

Baking: Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, till they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, carefully turn them out of the pan -- the pull-apart rolls will come out all in one piece -- and brush them with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 15 or 16 rolls.

Nutrition information per serving (1 pull-apart roll, 74g): 200 cal, 6g fat, 5g protein, 28g complex carbohydrates, 4g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 41mg cholesterol, 223mg sodium, 117mg potassium, 58RE vitamin A, 2mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 6mg calcium, 58mg phosphorus

Melted Snowmen Cupcakes

Will had a little party this week that he had to take a treat to share.  This is what we came up with.  I thought they turned out cute.  Will pretty much made these on his own, I thought he did a great job!

Pillsbury Biscuit Donuts

We made these this morning and I think this will be a new favorite in our home as there is not one little drop left over and kids were asking for more!  I found this recipe in several places on line and maybe everyone already knows about it, but it was new to me.  Next time I know to buy several more packages of the biscuits!

Donut Ingredients:
1 package (or at least 2 if you have kids devour like mine did!) of Pillsbury Biscuits
Oil

Directions:
Place dough on cookie sheet (or counter if you don't mind a mess), press down and then cut little holes from center.  I didn't have a cookie cutter small enough so my brilliant husband thought to use one of my large frosting  tips and it worked perfectly.  Save those little baby holes for extra treats!
Heat oil in deep pan or pot to 375 degrees (if you have a candy thermometer it will say "donuts" at the proper level). Cook donuts and holes until golden brown on both sides. Cover with yummy glaze.

Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cube unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
vanilla to taste (I use about 2 tsp.)
about 1/4 cup milk (can also use water or evaporated milk for slightly different flavors) I didn't measure, I just put in what I wanted to get the consistency that I wanted.

Directions:
Make sure butter is soft (not melted, just soft) and combine ingredients and beat with beater.  EASY!

I definitely had more glaze than I needed so you could cover at least 2 packages of biscuits with this.
Yummy, Yummy, Yummy and Yummy!

Chicken Salad with a Caesar Twist!

I found this through my friend Marisa Wall's blog.  It's chicken salad sandwiches but it's made with Caesar dressing.  It was a tasty new way to make chicken salad.  I just cooked my chicken in the slow cooker with water, salt and pepper.  Then I shredded the chicken (ok Dennis was home so he did it!).  Then, we mixed in the Caesar Dressing and shredded Parmesan cheese.  You can add salt, pepper, parsley to taste.  I served on slider buns with fresh greens.  YUM!

For every 2lbs. chicken, the recipe calls for 1/2 to 1 cup dressing and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan.  This will fill 12 slider buns or 4-6 hamburger size buns.  ENJOY!

Halloween Cupcakes

Yay, I didn't go a whole year between posts!!!  Wow, it's been a long time!  Anyway, my kids and I (well Cadey and I) made these fun little treats that were so easy for a Halloween Party we went to.  I got the idea from a Family Fun Halloween cookbook I found at Target for $1!  You just make cupcakes and frost (I was in a bit of a rush so cupcakes were from a mix and base frosting was from a tub!) For the bats you cut corners of Andes mints, and halve bites size peppermint patties.  We used mini M&Ms for eyes and I piped my homemade cream cheese frosting for the fangs.  The skeletons were even easier!  Just put down a mini marshmallow and piped the body.  We used a black gel to paint faces and dot eyes.  Simple, fun and cute, my kind of treat!!!

Pumpkin Bars (More like Pumpkin Cake!)
From Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
4 eggs
1 15oz. can pumpkin
1 cup cooking oil

Directions:
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Stir in eggs, pumpkin and oil. Spread into ungreased cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cook completely and frost. I always use my standard cream cheese frosting recipe.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
From Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
Chocolate kisses

Directions:
Beat shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars, baking powder and soda. Beat until mixed. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Beat in flour.
Shape into 1 inch balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Place chocolate kiss in center immediately after removing from oven. Cool.

Holiday Treats

This year we decided to make cookies for the Air Force Base Cookie Drive. It provides treats for all the military that are in the dorms and away from thier families over the holidays. We had fun all picking our favorite treats and making them for the service men and women. On the menu were:


Santa Surprises
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Pumpkin Bars
Sugar Cookies


All the recipes except the Santa Surprises came from the Better Homes and Gardens Red and White Cookbook that is my standby cookbook. The Santa Surprises were one I found in a magazine a long time ago. I apologize for not giving credit for these delicious little babies!

SO YUMMY!!!

Recipe for Santa Surprises:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

package of mini snicker bars

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Beat butter and sugars until combined. Add all other ingredients except snickers and chocolate chips and mix with beater. Shape dough into 1 inch balls (I use a pampered chef scooper that works perfect). Press in and wrap dough around the mini snicker. Bake @ 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes (until golden brown).

Melt chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave. Cool a bit then put in plastic baggie, snip corner of bag with scissors and pipe chocolate onto tops of cookies.

These are so so so yum. I only make them at Christmas just because I could seriously eat a whole batch in one sitting!! Make with caution will ruin any diet you are on!!!

Stay tuned for the other cookie recipes!

Quinoa Garden Salad

I got this recipe off the internet the same time I found the avacado wraps but I can't remember where I found this one. . .sorry to whoever did this one, it's definately yum and a keeper.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup canned garbanzo beans (which I didn't add either but next time I plan to)

chopped peppers (yellow, green, orange, red. . .whatever you have, I used green and red-half of each)

tomatoes diced

chopped green onions

2 Tbs. parsley

2 Tbs. mint (I didn't have any so mine didn't have this in it)

Lemon juice

salt

pepper

3 cheese italian dressing (I added this for some flavor)

Directions:

I made the quinoa as directed, pretty much just like rice. Combine the water and the quinoa, bring to boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. I didn't really measure my mix ins. I just cut and chopped what looked good and tossed it in to my cooled quinoa. I cut a lemon and sqeezed in the juice salt and peppered and then tossed with the salad dressing (of which Dennis added more to his personal serving later, but I think less is sometimes more!) Then chilled it for about 2 hours. You can add whatever veggies you like and whatever you have on hand for this one. It's a great way to add some flare to your veggies and some protien too, especially if you're like me and don't eat a lot of meat protiens it's nice to add it this way! YUM and more YUM!! Light and fresh, perfect for summer.

Creamy Avacado and White Bean Wrap

I got this recipe from eatingwell.com the other day while looking for yummy healthy, easy and cool summer dishes. This one is totally yummy and I will most likely be adding white beans to my guacamole from now on. I loved the texture and substance it added. I used regular coleslaw mix instead of shredded cabbage and carrot and I used regular cheddar cheese. Turned out so yummy I could easily eat this every week.

Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 4 8- to 10-inch whole-wheat wraps, or tortillas

Preparation
1. Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle chile and salt in a medium bowl. Add cabbage, carrot and cilantro; toss to combine.
2. Mash beans and avocado in another medium bowl with a potato masher or fork. Stir in cheese and onion.
3. To assemble the wraps, spread about 1/2 cup of the bean-avocado mixture onto a wrap (or tortilla) and top with about 2/3 cup of the cabbage-carrot slaw. Roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut the wraps in half to serve, if desired.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

This is a SUPER EASY and really yummy meal for summer. You don't use the oven at all and it's a complete and satisfying dish.

Pulled Chicken

Ingredients:

boneless skinless chicken breasts (as many as your family needs I do 3 to 4 and it provides left overs for the week - I have essentially 3 eaters)

b-b-q sauce any kind (I like the hickory smoked brown sugar kind)

Directions:

Pop ingredients in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours and switch to low for 1 hour.

Shread chicken and top on sandwich roll.

We just use mayo and more bbq sauce but you could get creative with your toppings, some people might add cheese or tomatoes or something that might be tasty too.

I served with fresh sliced fruit and pretzels but you could do potato salad and beans as a side or anything you like.

By the way, if you LOVE diet soda and dry flavors and want to try to drink less like I do, sparkling water is a yummy alternative.

Grandma Krause's Peanut Brittle

My Grandma used to make this every Christmas and was always one of my favorite treats. When I was twenty something I asked her to teach me how to make it. I will never forget that day cooking with my little grandma (literally, she is really a tiny person) as she told me the written directions but adding how she knew when the candy was ready by the smell and the color. I won't forget laughing with her and I will always think of her in her kitchen blessing me with her cooking knowledge and much advice she would always give me as we cooked together in her kitchen.

Recently I taught a lesson on heritage and made up batch of brittle to hand out. I figured I would add the recipe to the blog even though it isn't Christmas time, still it's coming soon and peanut brittle I found is good anytime of year!

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

4 Tbs. butter

2 1/2 cups raw peanuts

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix sugar, corn syrup, water, salt and butter in a large sauce pan. Cover and bring to boiling point. Remove cover and cook to soft ball stage on candy thermometer. Add peanuts. Cook to crack stage stirring frequently (my grandma says the candy will turn the color of a brown paper bag and smell will change). Remove quickly stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour onto prepared buttered baking sheets and spread as thin as possible. Cool completely and enjoy!! Yum Yummy!

Chicken Mango Salad

This recipe came from my friend Marissa Wall when we live on Guam. It is easily one of my favorites!! I have made this recipe for a family food contest and won, it is a perfect summer dish you just can go wrong with! LOVE it, so so yummy!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber peeled and diced

1/2 green pepper peeled and diced

1/2 red pepper peeled and diced

1 can white corn drained

4 chicken breasts cooked and diced (I cook mine in italian dressing marinade)

2 tomatoes diced

1 avacado diced

1 can of black beans drained

1-2 mangos peeled and diced

Directions:

Pour oil and vinegar over chopped ingredients and toss. Serve over Fritos and top with dressing.

Mac and Cheese for Grown Ups!

My kids love Mac and Cheese and honestly I do too. We have this for lunch at least once a week. However, I don't think it's all that exciting sometimes and so to make it more "grown up" so to speak I like to add crumbled bacon and diced tomatoes. Just dresses it up a bit don't you think? Yum!

Carrot Cake

It was Dennis' birthday this week and since I didn't have time to make his #1 favorite (cheesecake) I had to go with #2; Carrot Cake. I think he likes the frosting more than the cake but I love them both. I don't like raisins in cake so my carrot cake is always raisins free. I use my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook as always. . .I did try to make it a bit more fancy adding the nuts around the edges and my filling is always just more FROSTING!

Ingredients:
4 beaten eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cups cooking oil
chopped pecans and almonds

Directions:
Grease and flour 2 round pans (or one regular cake pan if you aren't doing layers). Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Set aside. In another bowl combine eggs, carrots and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. Pour into pans.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

If you are doing layers, the cooling completely is neccessary. I frost a little on my cake plate to hold the cake in place and then add the frosting filling and then stack with 2nd layer and coat completely with frosting.
To get the nuts on, I don't know if there is an easier way, put I just palmed the nuts and pressed around the edges.
I ate about 1/4 of the cake my-self! Yum and more yum!

Cheese Burger Flat Breads

These were soo yummy!! I found the recipe on the site Kevin and Amanda. I rarely eat red meat so instead of ground beef I used 1 package of Morning Star Farms Veggie Meat and I didn't really measure but added 1 package onion soup mix, ketchup, mustard, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar (approx 1/4 cup) and water (approx. 1/4 cup) to the meat and simmered. While that cooked I rolled out Pillsbury pizza dough and cut into six pieces and toasted each side on my pancake pan until golden brown.

Simply top your flat bread with meat and grated cheddar cheese and YUMMY YUM YUM!! This is a definite repeat recipe. Fast, easy and good!



I served it with a Strawberry, Spinach and Almond Salad.



For this I just had spinach leaves, sliced strawberries, and sprinkled with slivered almonds and tossed with sweet dressing. Most use a poppy seed dressing but I didn't have any so I found another dressing recipe online:

Dressing:

From Kayln's Kitchen, I adapted just a little.
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. finely minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper
1-2 tsp. squirt of mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Roasted Veggie Pasta

I got this recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook. I added my recent attempts at roasted veggies. This was sliced zucchini, cherry tomatoes, red onions, yellow squash, and mushrooms but you could do whatever sounded good or was in season.
In a jelly roll pan lay out veggies drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic or garlic powder and 1/4 cup cooking wine.
Roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
I also added steamed peas after the other veggies were roasted.
Then top over cooked penne pasta (I used a whole wheat pasta).

Dennis said he liked it but would have liked the veggies mixed into a regular red sauce, but I liked it this way just fine. It was light and felt healthy so I enjoyed it. Yum.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

These were another try from another blog I visit and really like. I added 1 Tbs. wheat germ and 1 Tbs. flax which made them very hearty and filling. Yummy, yummy!!

Chocolate Banana Muffins:
Recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a muffin pan with cooking spray. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl.
Combine the oil, sugars, egg, and mashed banana and mix until creamy. Slowly add the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until just combined.
Spoon the muffin batter into the prepared muffin pan.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Strawberry Shortcake

My grandma used to make this on occasion and it is something I start craving in spring time. I use the recipe from my old standby the Red Checked Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book!

Ingredients:
whipped topping
6 cups sliced strawberries (although I never measure, I just cut up what I want)
1/2 cup sugar divided (1/4 cup for bread, 1/4 cup for strawberries)
Splash of vanilla (I added this little bit and it's pretty tasty)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup milk

Directions:
Stir 1/4 cup sugar and vanilla into cut strawberries and set aside. Stir together remaining sugar, flour and baking powder. Cut in butter until crumbly. Combine eggs and milk then add to flour mixture until moistened. Spread in greased round pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool, cut, split and top!!!