Chocolate Suprise Cookies

So you know the peanut butter suprise cookies I posted awhile back from Coleen's recipes? Well she also posted this recipe with a chocolate cookie dough and I knew that I had to give these a whirl also. Coleen used peanut butter cups but I thought Caramel cups and caramel Hershey kisses would be great with a chocolate dough so that is what I used and then I drizzled them with caramel. These would be a great addition to your holiday cookie plates. You could also drizzle them with white chocolate and that would look great!!!

Chocolate Suprise Cookies
1 1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Miniature Reeses peanut butter cups, caramel cups or Hershey's caramel kisses or even those candy cane kisses would be great in these if you like mint and chocolate!!

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Add the flour, cocoa, soda and salt and mix well. Let the dough sit for about 15 minutes. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place in and ungreased mini or regular muffin pan. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Immediately press your desired cup or kiss into each cookie, pressing them down as far as they will go. Let cool in the tin for about 10 minutes then remove to cooling racks.


I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!! This will be my last post until after the new year because our little family is moving the day after Christmas clear across the country and I haven't even started packing my house yet!! Anyway, thank you all for reading and for making such nice comments. And thank you to those other food blog people who have shared there wonderful recipes with us that I have used. May you all feel the true spirit of Christmas this year!! With love until the next year!!
Jessie

White Bean Chicken Chili/Soup

I found this yummy soup/chili recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe. Melanie over at Kitchen cafe called it Chili but I already have a chicken chili recipe that we love that is oh so not that good for you with cream and sour cream in it so this to me is more of a soup than a chili because it is healthier for you. I tweeked the recipe a little I will write it as I made it but if you would like the original recipe go here for it. Give this soup a try it is really easy and fast to make!!! Plus go Check out My Kitchen Cafe. She has some really great recipes and the ones I have tried are always yummy!!!

White Bean Chicken/Turkey Soup adapted from My Kitchen Cafe
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery chopped
1-2 T. minced garlic
2 (14.5 oz each) cans great Northern beans, undrained
2 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken or turkey
4-6 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa (I used red salsa but I think I will try green salsa next time)
2 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp celery salt or just plain salt if you add the fresh celery
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat, Add the onions, celery and garlic and cook until tender. Add all the remainder of the ingredients except the corn and cheese, and bring to a boil and simmer for how ever long you like. I let mine simmer for a half and hour but that is not necessary if you are short ontime. Then add the corn and continute to simmer until corn is heated through. Then add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring to let each addition melt before adding the next. Serve immediately after all the cheese is melted.

Snickers Peanut Butter Cookies

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Ours was great and I am back to share a great cookies recipe with you. I found this recipe at Barbara Bakes and I had a ton of snickers left from Halloween so I decided to whip these up. They were so great!!!

Snickers Peanut Butter Cookies adapted from Barbara bakes
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanute butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 bag mini or fun size snickers(I used fun size and cut them in half)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter, sugars, and peanut butter till creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour and soda and mix well. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Roll dough into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Press a snickers into the top of each cookie. or you can place the snickers in the center of a ball of dough. Flatten the ball of dough with hand or fork and bake for 10 minutes.


j

Fried Potatoes with Ham

So do you ever wonder what to do with leftover baked potatoes? I always seem to make more than we eat so this is a easy recipe to use up those extra potatoes. I guess it is more of a method than a recipe. It doesn't require you to be a great cook to make these either. Simple and yummy. You really can add any meat (sausage, bacon, ham) you like or any veggies such as onions, peppers, or garlic to it as well. I usually add the onions, garlic, and peppers but I was in a hurry last night so I just used what I had on hand to make it fast.

Fried Potatoes with Ham

1-2 T. olive oil
4-5 baked potatoes,skin removed and diced
1/2 -1lb diced ham, sausage, or bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
diced onion, bell peppers, and garlic if desired
1/2 -1 cup shredded cheese

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high to high heat. Add the desiered meat and cook until browned and cooked through if using bacon or sausage. Add the onion or pepper if using them and cook until tender. add the cooked potatoes, salt and pepper and cook until potatoes begin to brown. Sprinkle with cheese and let the cheese melt. Then serve and enjoy!! We eat them with salsa or hot sauce and the kids like ketchup on theirs. These are good for breakfast as well. Just make them your own!!!

Hope all of you have great weekend!!!

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

So I know most of you probably have a recipe for these but I wanted to post them anyway. My family and I love these and they are so easy and they are great if you need to take something for a party. You can make a big batch in a cookie sheet or half a batch for a 9x13 inch pan. They are great for putting in your kids' lunches as well.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats(for a large cookie sheet)Half the recipe for 9x13
2 cups sugar
2 cups karo syrup
2 cups peanut butter
13-14 cups rice krispies
1 pkg milk chocolate chips
1 pkg butterscotch chips

In a saucepan, bring the sugar and karo syrup to a boil over meduim heat. As soon as it starts to boil remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth. In a large bowl combine the rice krispies and the peanut butter mixture until well combined. Spread into a greased large cookie sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips over the rice krispies and place under the broiler in the oven until the chips are glossy. Take out and spread all over with a knife. YOu can always add more chips if you want more chocolate on top. I do that sometimes. Remember to watch them closely while under the broiler you don't want the chips to burn just get glossy and melted looking. Should only take a minute or so. Let them cool then cut and enjoy!!!

Banana Toffee Cupcakes

Do you need a different way to use up those old bananas and you are sick of plain old banana bread? Then you should give these a whirl. They were really good. They are not that great for you but you can substitute no sugar all natural applesauce in place of the water and oil. I think next time I am going to do this but if you want a sweet treat with the calories then leave in the oil. These were so easy to throw together. My kids loved them.


Banana Toffee Cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 cup water(or applesauce)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce)
1 tsp almond extract
3 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas(2 medium)
1-1 1/2 cups toffee bits

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper baking cup in a muffin tin and spray them with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, water, oil, almond extract, and eggs with a mixer on low speed 30 seconds then beat on hig for 2 minutes. Add bananas and beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup toffee bits. Divide batter evenly into lined muffin tins. Sprinkle top of each muffin with additional toffee bits. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove immediately from pan so they can cool.

Note: I baked my at 320 for about 16-17 minutes. My oven runs warmer than most so adjust yours to how you oven cooks.

Mad

So the stupid blogspot did my post all backward and I don't know how to change it so start with the Enchilada part first then come back to the top of step by step instructions!!

Enchilada Sauce

This a process but I will take you through it step by step. First you need a bunch of dried red chilies. YOu can buy them at any grocery store in the Mexican food section. They come in a plastic package next to the corn husks you can buy for making tamales. They are dark red in color. YOu want to wash them, take the stems off and shake out as much of the seeds as you can. Then place them in a large pot with the onion and garlic. Bring it to a boil and boil for 30 minutes or until the chilies are tender like this:


As you boil them they lighten in color. Drain all the water off of them. Then place them in a blender in batches adding fresh warm water from the tap until it is smooth and the desired consistency you want. Here are some chilies in the blender with water before blending them up:

I don't measure the water because I just add more until it is the consistency that I want. I usually almost cover the chilies with water. Sometimes I have to add more. Blend really well. Then if you have a mesh strainer(it works better than a regular plastic one) dump the pureed chilies into the strainer that has a pot under it to catch the sauce like so:

Stir around with the spoon till most of the sauce goes through the strainer into the pot. Straining it gets the rest of the seeds out of the sauce and some of the hard skins that don't blend well. You will have leftover mushy stuff that won't go through the strainer and throw that away. Continues this process until all the chilies are pureed and have been strained. The sauce in the pot should look like this when you are done straining it:

Place on the stove add 3 tsp chicken bouillon and salt to taste. It usually takes a lot of salt you will just have to taste until you have the right saltyness for your taste buds. bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Then use the sauce however you like. For enchiladas or to have a smothered burrito.

Believe me it is worth the effort!!!

Enchiladas

For those of you who don't know my husband grew up in Mexico. So we all love authentic mexican food and you cannot get anything like it at a restaurant if you ask me. We always make it at home. My husband, his mother and their little mexican maid taught me how to make all the mexican food I make. It is a process to make homemade enchilada sauce from scratch but it is so worth it!! I always make a really big batch of it and then freeze it so I have it on hand later on to use when I am in a hurry and don't have time to make sauce.There are many ways you can actually put the enchiladas together. Depending on my mood determine which way I do it. You can layer the corn tortillas one on top of each other and pour sauce and cheese over each layer, you can roll a tortilla up with shredded pork chicken, or beef and put them in a pan then pour the sauce and cheese over the top and bake them till bubbly and cheese is melted or you can do it like the picture below and cut the tortillas in squares and mix them with sauce and cheese and put more cheese on top and bake in the oven until bubbly and warm. Serve with a side of beans and spanish rice. I have a recipe here for those.

Enchilada Sauce

Dried red chilies~however many you want depending on how much sauce you want to make but I reccomend at least three packages.

Half of and onion~chopped coarsely

1 T minced garlic

Water

3 tsp Chicken boullion

Salt to taste

Now who wouldn't want a big plate of that!!!

Toffe Chip Cheesecake Bars

I love anything cheesecake and when I saw these over at Coleen's Recipes I knew I had to try them out. These were so easy but so yummy and they taste like you spent more time than you actually did on them. If you like cheesecake give these a whirl plus it is way easier to make cheesecake bars than an actually cheesecake.

Toffee Chip Cheesecake Bars

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup cold butter
1 (8 oz) pkg softened cream cheese
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups toffee bits

Combine flour, powdered sugar, baking cocoa, and baking soda. Cut in butter until it is crumbly. Press firmly in the bottom of and ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Then add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of toffee bits and pour this mixture over the hot crust. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until set and the very edges just start to turn golden. Cool 10 minutes and then sprinke remaining toffee bits on top. Cool completely and refrigerate until cold. Store in the Fridge.

Note: I also drizzled caramel over it when I ate a piece and let me tell you amazing!! Just for a little added topping!!!

Sorry for so many sweet treats. I will be back with a main dish to share in a few days!!!

Fudge

Who doesn't like fudge? I have never actually made fudge before because my mom or my mother in law always do for the Holidays. I have made lots of other candy but I thought I would give it a try. It turned out so good. I happened to have the recipe my Mother in Law uses so I used that. I guess it is the See's Fudge recipe and it was really straight forward and easy. I think anyone could make it. So if you are a fudge lover give this recipe a try.

Fudge
4 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk(normal size can)

Bring to a boil and boil for 6 minutes stirring constantly. Dump in:
1 (12 oz) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (12 oz) pkg. milk chocolate chips
2 sticks REAL butter
1 T. vanilla
Chopped nuts if desired

Mix well or until the chocolate is melted and well combined. Pour into a tin foil lined or well greased 9x13 inch pan and refrigerate until set. For Peanut butter fudge. Follow the recipe above but omit 1 stick of butter and add 2 cups of creamy peanut butter.


My pictures aren't the greatest but believe me this is just as yummy as any over priced fudge you can get at a candy store. Actually I think it is better to tell you the truth!!

Beef Tacos

So I am one of those people who has always use a taco seasoing packet to make taco meat. Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe posted, about a week ago, a recipe for taco meat not using a sodium loaded taco seasoning packet and I knew that I had to try it out. Can I tell you that they were fantastic and so much better than a taco packet I think from here on out I will never make another taco recipe. My family loved it as well.

Ground Beef Tacos adapted from My kitchen Cafe

1 pound ground beef

1 onion chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (don't worry this won't make it too hot don't forget to use it it adds to the flavor)

2 tsp minced garlic (2-3 cloves)

1 T. chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp corriander (this is optional Melanie said but I used it and it was so good)

1/2-3/4 tsp salt

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Cook the beef, onion, jalapeno, and garlic until meat it no longer pink. Add the chili powder, cumin, corriander and salt and cook for a minute or two then add the can of tomato sauce. Let simmer gently for 10-20 minutes. Serve in hard or soft tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

Pumpkin Spice Magic Bars

I found this recipe over at Picky Palate. She made these in little mini muffin tins but I decided I didn't want to have to divide all the different layers of batter in each one so I did it in a 9x13 inch pan and they turned out great. This was a great Idea on Jenny's part. I am so amazed with all the good ideas and recipes people come up with on their own. Thanks to Jenny and to all for sharing them with us. You must try these they were so great!!!

Pumpkin Spice Magic Bars adapted from Picky Palate

1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs(about 9 whole graham crackers crushed)
2 T. brown sugar
4 oz softened cream cheese
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
6 T. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
Melted caramel and chocolate for drizzling on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the butter, graham crackers, and brown sugar in a bowl and mix well. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 8 minutes then remove from the oven. In a bowl beat the cream cheese, pumpkin, egg, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour evenly over the crust in the pan. Next dump the chocolate chips over pumpkin layer then the pecans then the coconute and then pour the sweetened condensed milk all over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove and let cool. Drizzle with Melted chocolate and caramel. Cut and enjoy. Store leftovers in the fridge!!

Doesn't that look yummy!! Believe me they are so tasty!!!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I found this great recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe. I saw it and knew I had to try it. It was so good and just nice to have a change from the normal red or white pasta sauce. We love Mexican and Italian food and you combine these and the result was fantastic. It was a quick and easy recipe as well.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
2 T. olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 red pepper, chopped (optional) I used one because I had one but I don't think you need to if you don't have one plus they can be pretty pricey
4 oz can diced green chilies
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 large can (28 oz) green enchilada sauce
1 small can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cheese (I used half sharp cheddar and half monterey jack)
1 lb box penne pasta
Black olive for garnish

Cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot. Meanwhile, Saute the onion, red pepper, and garlic in the olive oil. Add the shredded chicken,green chilies, salt, chili powder, cumin, and enchilada sauces. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-20 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese melts but DO NOT BOIL!!! If you boil it it will seperate. dump the cooked noodles in with the sauce and mix until well combined. Garnish with olives.

Note:you could use low fat sour cream if you like
Note: you could also use whole wheat pasta
Note: I used medium and mild enchilada sauces and it was not spicey at all and I mean my kids ate it and one of my kids does not do heat at all and it wasn't one bit spicey for her. If you want it more spicey use hot enchilada sauce. You can find enchilada sauce on the mexican isle of any grocery store!!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

I had some leftover pumpkin from something else and I was in the mood to bake something so I thought I would make mini cheesecakes since I didn't want to go to all the work of making a big one. I just threw things together and made this up and they turned out really good. I think they would be even better with real whipped cream on the top of each one!!! If you love cheesecake and pumpkin give these babies a try they are super easy!!!

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes (make 12 regular muffin size cheesecakes)

4oz softened cream cheese
6 T. sugar

Mix these together until fluffy and then add:

1 cup Pumpkin puree

Mix well then add:
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix just untiled combined. Set this mixture aside.

Crust: 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 stick of butter, melted

1 T. brown sugar

Mix and put a spoonful in the bottom of a greased paper lined regular muffin tin. Then put a couple of spoonfuls of the pumpkin cheesecake mixture in each cup. If desired sprinkle with Chocolate chips and then place in a 325 degree oven and back for 25-30 minutes or until set. Take out and let cool to room temp then store in the refrigerator.
Doesn't that look tasty?

Note: You can easily double this recipe or even triple it for a bigger crowd. Next time I make these I am going to make a bigger batch.
Note: YOu can drizzle them with melted caramel as well. It was a great addition on top:

Minestrone

Fall is in the air and nothing is better to eat on a cool fall day then soup. I love homemade soup it taste so much better than that canned stuff. This is a soup you can throw all the ingredients in the crockpot, forget about it and you have a nice warm supper done in a few hours time. This made a large crockpot full of soup but you can easily cut the ingredients in half and make a smaller batch if you need to.

Minestrone

2 (14.5-15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 T. garlic
1 onion, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3(15 oz) cans great northern beans (use whatever beans you like)Drained&rinsed 1 T. Parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1-2 T. chicken boullion or beef
6 cups chicken or beef stock
1 1/2 tsp basil
2 tsp Oregano
2 bay leaves
1-2 cups cooked ditalini pasta or macaroni

Dump all ingredients in the crockpot except the pasta and cook on high for 6 hours. about 15 minutes before serving dump in the desired amount of cooked pasta. Serve with warm homemade rolls.

Note: Cook the noodles first then they won't soak up quite so much of the soup's broth and don't add them till the end so they won't soak up the liquid either and become too mushy!!!


Doesn't that pot full of soup just scream fall!!! We love soup season in our house!!!

Pizza Joes

I saw this recipe over at Recipe Shoebox and knew I had to try it. I changed a few little things just because I like to. These were so easy to make and they tasted really good. It was nice to have a change from you regular old sloppy Joe. My kids loved them!! We served them with Fresh veggie(carrots,broccoli,and cauliflower) and tater tots. If you want a quick simple dinner that you know your kids will eat give this one a try. Thanks Lara for sharing it with us!!


Pizza Joes adapeted from Recipe Shoebox
1/2 lb ground beef (you may also use ground turkey or chicken to make it healthier)
1/2 lb sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 T. minced garlic
Optional:chopped red, green, yellow or orange bell peppers. I had a half of three of these that i needed to use so I did.
1(14 oz) jar pizza sauce
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1 cup chopped pepperoni
Cheddar, Mozzarella, or pepper jack cheese
6 buns~I used a french bread bun and they were great but what ever you have would work just fine

Brown the beef and sausage with the garlic, onion, and peppers until meat is no longer pink. Add the pepperoni and saute for about 5 minutes more. Add the pizza sauce, oregano and basil and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-20 minutes. Serve on the hot toasted buns topped with cheese.
Doesn't that look tasty!! It is like pizza on a bun with a lot less work!! don't get me wrong pizza is still better but for a quick dinner this is great!! What can I say we love cheese!!!


Note: I think if you like mushrooms or other veggies on your pizzas they would work great in this recipe. Make it your own to what your family and you like on pizza!!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My family and I love Chinese food and you can say that it is hard to find a recipe that turns out just like it tastes at a chinese restaurant. Well I finally found one!! this tasted so good. I found this recipe at My Kitchen Cafe. I will be adding this to our dinner rotation. Mine does not look as good as hers but hey it tasted good and maybe with a little practice it will look better next time plus I was in a little rush when making it. If you love Chinese you must try this!!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

3-4 chicken breast, cubed
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch or flour
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup oil

Salt and pepper the chicken. Beat the eggs in a bowl and dump in the chicken pieces mix till all coated. In another shallow dish place the constarch(or flour) and coat the egg washed chicken pieces till well coated.Fry in the oil until browned all over but not cooked clear through. Place in a single layer in a 9x13 inch pan.
Then mix the sauce ingredients all together well.
Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 T. ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar~i used red wine but white vinegar would work also
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic(use 1 tsp garlic salt for extra sauce)

Pour this mixture over the browned chicken and Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Turn the chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced~about ten minutes. Pour extra sauce over rice and cooked chicken.

Note:do not put more sauce on the chicken while it cooks or it will not come out crispy it will be soggy. I made extra sauce and put it over the chicken and rice on our plates and it was great.
Note: for the sauce on the chicken in the oven I used fresh garlic but for the extra sauce I used garlic salt like the original recipe said.

Chicken Taco Soup

I made this chicken soup the other night and the kids and I really liked. It was simple to make because you throw everything in and cook it in a crockpot. If you are short on time and need to fix a meal and forget about it this is perfect~especially with cold weather on its way!!!

Chicken Taco Soup

1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (16 oz) jar any salsa
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 T. dried parsley
1 T. chili powder
1 pkt. Taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 T-2T. minced, garlic
3-4 chopped chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot, except the corn. Cook for 5-6 hours on high. 30 minutes before you eat. dump the bag of corn in and cook till corn is heated through. Serve with cheese, avocados, limes, and tortilla strips!!!
I make my own tortilla chips/strips by frying cut up corn tortillas in oil till browned~they are so much better than store bought chips!!

What a great fall supper!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Duos

I found this recipe over at Picky Palate. YOu can say that I love cookies. I love to bake them and make all different kinds. So sorry if you are all sick of cookie recipes. If you like Peanut butter and choclate these are a must try. They were so Yummy!! Thanks to Jenny over at Picky Palate for creating them. I added the peanut butter chips to the peanut butter batter because I thought it was a great addition!!

Chocolate Peanut butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookie adapted From Picky Palate
1 cup peanut butter
1 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup peanut butter chips

Mix ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. set aside

Chocolate Chocolate chip cookie adapeted from Picky Palate
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup baking cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter with the sugars until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix in all the dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Take a Tablespoon of Peanut butter dough and a Tablespoon of Choco Chocolate chip dough and gently press together to form a not so perfect ball of dough. Don't press and roll too much just stick them together and place on a greased cooked sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on the cookies sheet for 5 minutes before removing!!

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

This recipe is so easy and yummy!! There are 7 ingredients in it and you dump it all in a crockpot and let it cook all day!! Here is a recipe for those of you who like to fix it and forget it!! May kids ate this up quick!!

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts(thawed or Frozen)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup lemon lime soda but I only had an apple soda in the fridge so that is what I used(I don't think it matters what kind other than don't use grape/mountain dew or orange
2-3 T. minced garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper

Place chicken in the crockpot. Mix all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and dump over chicken in crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours. About 10 minutes before serving it. I thickened the sauce with cornstarch because we like a little thicker sauce. I cooked mine with frozen chicken breast on high for about 5 hours. I shredded the chicken a little bit with a fork also. You can leave it whole if you like big chunks of chicken. I cooked my rice with a can of coconut milk in it. I replaced some of the water used to cook the rice with the coconut milk. It gave the rice a good flavor. I also added Sriracha sauce (hot chili sauce)on top of my chicken and rice because I like it spicy. If I didn't need to serve it to my kids I would have added it to the crock pot.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These were so yummy especially if you love peanut butter and chocolate!!! I got this recipe from Coleen's recipes. I adapted it a little bit. I am sure they are great the original way but I love butter in my cookies and she used crisco so I changed that and they still turned out wonderful. These are so easy to make but yet so yummy!! They are a great bake sale item or a great cookie to put in your child's school lunch!!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies adapted from Coleen's Recipes

1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 -3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
36-48 peanut butter cups or caramel cups(I used both and I prefer the caramel cups)

Preheat oven to 350.Cream the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour and baking soda and mix well. Pat the dough into a regular size muffin tin till each cup is half full with dough. Bake for 10- 11 minutes. Take out and immediately press a peanut butter cup or a caramel cup in to each cookie. Let cool in the muffin tin for about 3- 5 minutes. Wait to eat them until the cup sets back up or eat them my favorite way:

When the chocolate is still gooey!! I think that this idea would be good also if you made a chocolate dough and then put mint cups in the middle or even the caramel ones!!!

Cheesy Garlic Swirls

Now don't those look so yummy!! Well let me tell you they were so good. They are so so bad for you but oh so tasty. I found these over at Our Best Bites and let me tell you they did not disappoint!!! I made these as a main dish one Friday night for family movie night and we ate fresh veggies and fruit with them but I think they would be great along side your favorite soup or pasta dish!!

Cheesy Garlic Swirls

dough:
1 T. instant yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 T. sugar
1 tsp salt
4-5 cups flour
3 T. vegetable oil
1 egg yolk
2 T. cold water

Combine yeast with one cup flour and set aside. Combine the water, sugar, salt, oil, and egg yolk(save egg white for later) in a bowl and mix until combined. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add the yeast flour mixture and mix for 2 minutes or until well combined. Continue to add the reast of the flour until forms a soft dough that barely sticks to your fingers. Knead for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1 hour.

Garlic butter
1 stick butter, no substitutions
1 1/2 T. garlic bread seasoning
Mix together until well combined.

Mozzarella Cheese, diced pepperoni, ham or veggies of your choice

Garlic bread seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp kosher salt
2 T. garlic powder~not salt
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp basil
2 tsp parsley
Mix all together and store in a spice jar or ziploc bag in the fridge. Use to sprinkle on breadsticks or french bread as well.

After you bread has risen, take it out of the bowl and roll it out on a surface dusted with flour or sprayed with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle that is about 18-20 inches by 6 inches. Smear the garlic butter over the dough. Then sprinkle with the cheese. The original recipe just used cheese but I thought adding diced pepperoni would be good so I sprinkled that on top of the cheese. I think it would be equally good with a few diced peppers or onions as well. Just make it like you would your favorite pizza just don't get too many toppings on there. Keep it simple. Then roll up the dough like you would when you make cinnamon rolls. Then use dental floss or a knife to cut into 12 equal slices. Place each slice in a muffin tin. Cover with a clean cloth and let raise while the oven is preheating to 350 degrees. When the oven is ready, bake for about 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on them because during the last ten minutes you may need to lay a piece of tin foil over the top of them so the cheese doesn't burn. I had too. Pull them out and eat them warm. Serve them with ranch dressing or marinara sauce!!


You must try these they are so yum especially if you are cheese and bread lover like me!!!

Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta

I found this great recipe from Here. I wanted something light and healthy last week on one of our warm summer days. This hit the spot. I adapted it slightly by adding a spoonful of pesto to it. If you want something light for dinner try this!!!

Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta
2 large ripe, firm tomatoes, diced (2 cups)
1 T fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 oz your favorite kind of pasta
Parmesan chees
Optional~ spoonful of pesto for each serving (a must have for me)

Mix together the diced tomatoes, chopped basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let marinate on the counter for 30 minutes. Cook past al dente. Drain and toss with the tomato mixture and the pesto. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Enjoy!!!

Gooey Butter Cookies

I have seen this recipe for these cookies all over the blogging world and decided that I had better try them out. These were so easy to make and they were so yummy. My kids and my bro-in law and little nephew loved them. Next time I think I will make them with a chocolate cake mix and see how they turn out. I think they would be good with any kind of cake mix not just yellow. If you want a fast easy cookie you must try these out.

Gooey Butter Cookies
1 (8 0z) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 box yellow cake mix (or any cake mix you like. I think chocolate or a lemon one would be excellent)
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in egg and vanilla. Add the cake mix and stir until well blended. Powder sugar your hand well and Roll the dough into 1-2 inch balls and roll balls thoroughly in powdered sugar. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Take out of oven and leave on cookies sheet for 3 minutes or more before removing from the pan. They are perfectly crispy on outside and gooey on the inside!!!

Before putting them in the oven. I let my kids help so they smashed the balls before I noticed so the cookies were a little bit flatter when the came out of the oven than I wanted but they still tasted great.

Taco Pizzza Bake

I found this recipe from Kraft foods but I tweeked it a little bit because I don't like using store bought premade things very often. I prefer to make things from scratch. This recipe was good. Not a jaw dropper but a good easy meal that doesn't take long to make and comes together fast for those nights when you are in a hurry. All the toppings on top make this dish!!

Taco Pizza Bake

1 lb ground beef
1(15 oz) can black beans
1 onion chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 pkg taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1(10 3/4 oz)can tomato soup
1 can Buttermilk biscuits but I used homemade biscuits*(recipe follows)Homemade tast way better than those canned ones but use whatever you prefer
2 cups cheddar cheese,shredded
Lettuce, tomatoes, olives, salsa, avocadoes, sour cream, pico de gallo or anything you like on your tacos

Brown the beef with the onion and garlic until no longer pink. Drain the grease. Add the black beans, taco seasoning, water, and soup;heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Prepare you biscuit dough or use the store bought kind, Cut dough into chunks. Gently stir the biscuit pieces into beef mixture. Spoon mixture into ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes until sauce is bubbly and biscuite golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes longer until cheese is bubbly. Cut pizza into squares and serve each piece with your choice of toppings!!!

Biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
2/3 cup buttermilk

Mix flour and sugar. Cut in the butter or shortening until resembles coarse crumbs. Add the butter milkand stir until combined. Roll out on floured surface and cut into biscuits or into pieces for the above recipe. If just making biscuits. place them on a ungreased baking sheet and bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Soft Wrap Bread

I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe. I knew I had to try it. I am glad that I did although mine did not turn out as pretty as hers. I am sure I just need practice. I really do reccomend trying this recipe. It was way better than eating a store bought dry pita bread.

Soft Wrap Bread
*makes about 8-9 breads

3-3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup potato flour or 1/2 cup potato bud or flakes(I used potato flakes)
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 T. vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp instant yeast

Place 2 cups flour into a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl and set mixture aside for 30 minutes. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the potato flour or flakes and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes(by hand, mixer, or bread machine)to form a soft dough.The dough should form a ball but should remain somewhat sticky(the dough is fairly stiff so don't be worried) Add additional flour only if necessary, if kneading by hand. keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled or sprayed with cooking spray so dough won't stick. Place dough in bowl, cover and let raise for 1 hour(I let mine rise up to two hours)Divide the dough into 8 pieces, cover and let rest 15-20 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7-8 inch circle and dry-fry them(without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side until they are puffed up and flecked with brown spots. Serve immediately or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

Note:this recipe works best with instant yeast so please use it and not the active dry yeast!!!

Here is the bread filled with grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, avocadoes and cheese. This was so yummy but you can fill this with any sanwich fixings you like.

White Chocolate Molasses Cookies

I got this recipe from my Husband's aunt!! They are so yummy especially with vanilla ice cream. She makes them with out the white chocolate chips and I have made them both ways and they are so good either way. I have also made them with wheat flour and you can't even tell. Don't mind the picture it is bad and I was in a hurry so I didn't chill the dough. the cookies raise better and aren't so flat if you chill the dough first.

White Chocolate Molasses Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 pkg. white chocolate chips(optional)

Cream the butter and sugar together until well combined. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix. Add all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips if desired. Chill the dough for 2 hours. Roll into balls and roll in granulated sugar. Put on a greased cookie sheet and Bake at 320 for about 10 minutes or until done. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes than take them off the pan. Enjoy!!!

Sticky Coconut Chicken

So I saw this recipe over at MmmCafe, and I decided that I had to try it. It looked so yummy. She got the recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. Both of these ladies have some great recipes so you should go check their blogs out. This turned out really good and my kids devoured(sp) it fast. I will definitely be making this chicken again.

Sticky Coconut Chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders(I cut my breast into tender size pieces)
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 T. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes(i used half of that because my kids don't like spicy but my husband and I do but I wanted the kids to eat it)

Marinade chicken in the coconut milk, ginger, pepper, and red pepper flakes for at least 4 hours but I would reccomend all day or even overnight.(I did mine for the 4 hours because that is was the original recipe called for but I wanted a stronger coconut flavor so next time I will marinade overnight.) After marinading, grill on the Barbeque or the George foreman grill.

Glaze:
1 1/2 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
6 T. soy sauce
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes or 1/2 tsp Sriracha hot chili sauce~you can find this at any grocery store on the asian or chinese food isle~i used the chili sauce

While the chicken is grilling, bring the above ingredients to a boil and simmer and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Mine never thickened enough for me by boiling so I added 2 T. of cornstarch mixed in water to the above mixture and it thickened it just right. Immediately take the mixture off the heat once it reaches your desired thickness. With a pastry brush glaze both sides of the chicken the last few minutes of grilling. Serve over rice. Top the rice and Chicken with more glaze. Don't leave the glaze out it makes the dish.
My husband and I also added a little bit more Sriracha sauce to our rice and chicken once it was dished up. I didn't want to make it too spicy for the kids but my husband and I like spicy.


This was one of my kids plates. I cut up the chicken for them before serving it and we had it with steamed broccoli and zucchini(not pictured because my kids only wanted broccoli) This dish goes so well with steamed veggies!!!

Peanut Butter Bars

Growing up our school lunch lady made these wonderful No bake peanut butter bars. They are oh so bad for you but oh so good especially if you are a peanut butter lover. I have been wanting the recipe and finally found one that tastes just like I remember them. Gives these babies a try you will not regret it plus they are really fast and simple to put together.

Peanut Butter Bars

1 18 oz. jar(or about 2 cups)Creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups rice krispies
1 bag of milk chocolate chips

Mix the first 3 ingredients until smooth. Then add the rice krispies and mix well. Press into a, greased with cooking spray, 9x13 pan. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double broiler and spread on top of the peanut butter bars. Refrigerate for about 1 hour or until chocolate is set. Cut and enjoy!!!


Doesn't that looks so yummy!!!

Rainbow Cake

I made this Rainbow cake for my sister in laws birthday! I was so happy with the bright colors and the way it turned out. I made it with a white cake mix and frosted it with Cream cheese frosting. It was so simple and tasty. Give it a try your kids will love it!!

Rainbow Cake

2 boxes white cake mix
Gel food coloring~must use this kind if you want the bright colors
Cream cheese frosting

Mix the cake mixes according to the package directions. Then divide the batter between 5 bowls. Mix a diferent color of food coloring into each bowl like so:

Spray 2 round cake pans with cooking spray. Dump about 1/2 -1 cup of each color on top of each other in the pans. Do not spread out just let it spread out on its own. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool and frost!! You can also make cupcakes like this:

Happy Baking!!!