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.