Black-bottom carrot cupcakes!

So yesterday I had a bunch of carrots I needed to use. So instead of something healthy, I had an idea of trying to make black bottom cupcakes, but instead of making them with chocolate I thought I would try carrot cake cupcakes with the cream cheese baked in and a little fresh cream cheese frosting on the outside. They turned out super super super delicious! Matt said they're his 3rd favorite cupcake ever! (I of course asked what his first and second favorite are and being the sweet husband that he is said, I can't think of any right now, but I'm sure they're one's you made me.) I left the pecans out of the recipe. This carrot cake recipe in general is really good. Carrot Cake III

Rated: Submitted By: Tammy Elliott Photo By: Allrecipes Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 2 Hours Servings: 18

"I've tried many carrot cakes, and this is my favorite recipe. If you don't like pecans, feel free to leave them out."

Ingredients:

4 eggs 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2.	In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 c sugar

1/8 t salt

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

½ c butter

1 c powdered sugar

(Cream cheese & butter together, add sugar and beat until fluffy & light)

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix cupcakes according above carrot cake directions. It should make 24 cupcakes.

3. Fill 24 paper lined cupcake pan with cupcake mixture. Fill each one about 3/4 full.

4. Beat cream cheese. Then add egg, sugar and salt and mix until creamy.

5. Put 2 t of cream cheese mixture over cupcake batter.

6. Bake for about 20-22 mins or until done (test side of cupcake with a fork).

7. Chill until completely cooled.

8. Top with frosting (since there is already cream cheese in the cupcake you don’t need much)

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

I saw this recipe recently, but I can't remember where! It's beef stroganoff in the crockpot. It's SO easy & delicious!! It says you can put it over rice or pasta. I usually like stroganoff on pasta, but I think this would be better over rice.

The Ultimate Beef Stroganoff

Put in crock pot:

2-3 pounds stew meat

1 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

1 onion, sliced

Mix in a bowl and pour over meat:

¼ tsp. garlic salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ cups beef broth or stock (made up from cubes or granules)

1 tablespoon ketchup

Cook in crock pot on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When cooked make a simple roux by whisking 1/3 cup flour with enough apple juice (about 5-6 tablespoons) to make a thick but still pourable flour mixture. Whisk the roux into the crock pot and add 4 ounces sliced mushrooms.

Cook on high for 15-30 minutes. Then stir in ½ cup sour cream. Serve over pasta, rice or baked potatoes

Bishopric Dinner

My Bishop asked my friend Heather and I to make food for a stake bishopric meeting they were having last night. We had a lot of fun! I included some of the recipes here. Some of the others I will have to get from Heather.

Aunt Kim's mini cheesecakes

1 lb cream cheese (2 pkgs)

1 c sugar

1 t vanilla

1 t flour

2 eggs

24 vanilla wafers

cupcake tins

cherry pie filling (you can use whatever filling you like, blueberry tastes really good!)

Cream all of the ingredients together. Line 24 muffin cups. Put one vanilla wafer in each cup. Pour 2-3 T of the mixture into each cup (distribute evenly). Bake the cakes approx. 15 mins. Cool, then refrigerate the cakes for 2 hours. Top with chilled pie filling.


Chicken Salad

1 rotiserie chicken
8 slices of bacon, cooked & diced
1/2 c diced celery
3 stalks green onion, chopped
1/2 c grape tomatoes quartered
1/2 c chopped pecans
1 c mayo
salt & pepper to taste
1 t paprika

Shred the chicken & combine everything else together.

Peanut Butter Truffles/buckeyes modified

This is one of Matt's favorite things. I just took a recipe for buckeyes and modified it.

1/2 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c peanut butter
4 c powdered sugar

Combine all the ingredients. (I use my hands) Roll the mixture into 1/2 T balls. Refrigerate them for about an hour. Coat them with melted chocolate almond bark and let them set on parchment paper.

Schoen Family Spinach Dip

2 packages, 8 oz cream cheese
1 c mayo
1 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz can water chestnuts (minced)
5 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 green onion chopped
2 t dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and mayo. Stir in the next nine ingredients. Cut at 1 1/2 inch slice off the top of the bread; set aside. Carefully hollow out the bottom of the bread leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Fill the shell with the spinach mixture. Replace top. Wrap in heavy duty tin foil and place on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 1 - 1/1/2 hours or until the dip is heated through.

Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

This is my favorite favorite recipe for salmon. It's a recipe I found a long time ago on allrecipes.com. I forgot to take an after picture, so here's one of Madeline helping me make it.

Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating

Rated: Submitted By: Chris Photo By: EMU3 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 6

"Baked salmon makes an excellent Christmas main course!"

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons butter, melted 5 teaspoons honey 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley 6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon salt and pepper to taste 6 lemon wedges

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
2.	Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.
3.	Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Cranberry Salsa

My sister-in-law Laura shared this recipe with me for Thanksgiving, but halfway through Thanksgiving dinner I realized I forgot to make it! So instead I made it the next week for cooking club. It's so so good. It's really easy, unique and beautiful. I served it with crackers. Laura said they also serve it with Laughing Cow cheese sometimes. Thanks Laura!

Cranberry Salsa

1 (12 oz.) pkg. Ocean Spray Fresh or frozen cranberries

¾ c. sugar

1 medium jalapeno, cut in quarters

1 green onion, cut in quarters

1 tsp. dried cilantro

¼ tsp. cumin

Put all ingredients in food processor. Process until mixture is coarsely chopped. (Or chop with knife or chopper). Store in refrigerator overnight to let ingredients blend. Makes about 3 cups.

Great holiday salsa served with crackers and Laughing Cow cheese. Use as condiment with beef, pork, or poultry.

Melinda's Chicken

t'
This has been a family favorite for a long time. It's really easy to put together and a real crowd pleaser.

Melinda Chicken

1 lb sausage browned
8 chicken breasts
8 pieces of ham
8 pieces of provolone
1-2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce

Put the chicken in a single layer in a 9 x 13 pan. Put a piece of ham on each piece of chicken. Put a piece of cheese on each piece of ham. Sprinkle sausage all over. Pour sauce to cover chicken. Bake at 350 for about 45 mins or until chicken is cooked through. I like to serve with pasta, salad & bread.

Junior League Salad de Maison

My friend Chelsea made this salad for book/cook club a few months ago. The moment I tasted it I thought oh my I must find the person who made this immediately and beg for the recipe. It's such a unique amazing combination. With bacon and cheese can you really go wrong??

Junior League Salad de Maison

juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
¾ c. vegetable oil
¼ lb. bacon, diced
2 heads romaine lettuce, torn small
2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
1 c. grated swiss cheese
2/3 c. slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 c. grated parmesan

Make dressing by combining lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Beating continuously with a fork, slowly add the vegetable oil in a stream. Let stand 3 hours. Sautee diced bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. In a salad bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, swiss cheese, almonds and bacon. Toss with dressing, parmesan, salt and papper to taste. Makes 8 servings.

Sweet Potato Souffle

It's a family tradition in my family to have this on Thanksgiving. I promise if you try it it will become a family tradition of yours too. It's awesome! My Neenie started the tradition for me (It was a recipe from her mother-in-law, Martha Smallwood). Since my Neenie passed away it's an especially special tradition for me.

Sweet Potato Souffle (Martha Smallwood)
2 c mashed sweet potatoes (canned can be used, but fresh is way better)
1/2 stick butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 c evaporated milk
1 c sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
dash nutmeg

Melt butter or margarine. Add sugar, milk & mix. Add other ingredients.

Top with the following:
1 c corn flakes
1/2 c pecans (optional)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 stick butter or margarine
Mix together & put on top of potato mixture.

Bake for 20-30 mins at 400. Fork inserted should come out clean when done.

Aunt Mary's unbeatable queso

We were visiting some close family friends a few years ago & she made this queso. It's been a favorite since then. It's extremely unhealthy, but delicious. Matt's family has a tradition of having snack foods on Thanksgiving before the big feast, so I made this then.

Mary's unbeatable queso

1/2 c butter
1 small onion diced
1 can of Rotel
1 block of Velveta

Saute the onions in the butter until completely softened. Put the velveta and rotel in a microwave safe bowl. Pour the butter and onions over the cheese. Cook in the microwave in 2-3 minute incriments until completely melted. (This past time it was a little too thick, so I added some milk to thin it out & it was great.)

Sinful Oatmeal Cookies

My great friend Tracy brought these cookies into my life & I will forever be grateful! They're seriously the best oatmeal cookies I've EVER had.

Sinful Oatmeal Cookies

1 c butter softened
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 c quick - cooking oats
1 10 oz package cinnamon chips
1 c raisins or craisins (we used craisins)
1/2 c walnuts, toasted & chopped
1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted & chopped
1/2 c pecans, toasted & chopped

Preheat oven to 350
Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla & mix well. Combine soda with flour and mix into butter mixture. Stir in oatmeal, chips, craisins & toasted nuts. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 mins.

Artichoke Dip

I made this artichoke dip from allrecipes.com for my friend Jill's shower about a month ago. It got really good reviews. I'm not usually a huge fan of artichoke dip, but I really liked this one. I took this picture only a few minutes after we started eating and a few minutes after this picture it was gone. A few people said the just ate it plain without crackers, they liked it that much.

Hot Artichoke Dip
Submitted by: Pamela Cresswell
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes
Yields: 32 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke

hearts, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons thinly sliced
green onion
1 tablespoon chopped pimento
peppers (I left this out)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. Blend together the cheese, mayonnaise and whipping cream. Stir in the artichokes, green onions and pimentos. Mix well, and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned.

Fruit Pizza

My friend Heather asked me to make this for a bridal shower she threw a few weeks ago. It's a recipe my mom has been making for a long time. It's a little bit of work, but it's so so good.

Fruit Pizza
Crust: Homemade sugar cookie dough, or store bought
Press into a greased round pizza pan, and bake as directed (I used a large rectangle pan). Cool completely.

Cream Cheese Filling: (Make glaze below before the filling)
8 oz cream cheese
2 t vanilla
1/2 c powdered sugar
Mix together and spread onto cooled cookie dough

Fresh sliced fruit layer: use fruit in season, bananas, apples, peaches, kiwi, mango, grapes, strawberries, cherries, etc. Decorate however you want with the fruit. This time I diced all the fruit and put it in rows so it would be easy to cut.

Glaze: (Make before the cream cheese so it has time to cool)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 c orange juice - not concentrate
2 T cornstarch

Mix all together in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cool before lightly spreading on fruit. This glaze will keep the fruit from getting brown.

Chill and serve with cool whip.

Gingersnaps with white chocolate

I made a few different kinds of cookies and put them in the freezer for when Matt's family came to visit. I got the idea for these cookies when I went to my old wards Super Saturday activity and Jean Boothe made these. It's a gingersnap recipe from allrecipes.com that I just added white chocolate chips to. Yum!

Grandma's Gingersnaps
Submitted by: RAMB

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar for
decoration
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses until well blended. Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir into the molasses mixture to form a dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll the balls in the remaining sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tracy's pasta salad

My friend Tracy invited me over for lunch a few weeks ago. She's a great cook & she made an unbelievable pasta salad. I tried to recreate it that night, but mine was not as good. Here's what she did:

Boil a bag of rotini pasta (spirals)

Roast vegetables (425 degrees) and a couple chicken breasts with a little olive oil, salt and Mrs. Dash herb seasoning. She roasted carrots, summer squash, green beans and bell peppers. She cut the veggies on a diagonal. She said the key is to have a single layer of vegetables, don't let them overlap.

Then she mixed the pasta, roasted vegetables, herb feta cheese and a dressing of the packets of Italian dressing you can buy and make mixed with a little Dijon mustard. It was seriously the best pasta salad I've ever had.

Oops!

Our friend Nic's birthday was a little while ago (I'm way behind on my posting!). They invited us for dinner & I offered to bring Poni Po Po rolls (recipe already on blog). Well that Sunday morning I went to get the Rhodes out of the freezer & this was what I found. A week earlier I went out to the garage freezer and the door was open & some things thawed a little bit. I didn't notice that the Rhodes rolls not only thawed completely, but they rose to fill the bag! It was a hilarious sight, but I was freaking out that I only had 6 other good Rhodes rolls in another bag and that was not enough. Matt came over & said what's the big deal, use them anyway. I chuckled to myself that he had no idea what he was talking about. Boy was I wrong! He cut them into chunks and put them in the pan. Then he said when these are the best ever I better get the credit. While we were at church they rose to fill the pan and they turned out great. Matt saved the day!

Baby Shower Food

I threw a baby shower last Saturday for my friend Anna. I completely forgot to take pictures of the food during the shower, so these pictures are of the leftovers in the fridge. Oops! I made a chocolate chip cheeseball (look at pic from previous post), a quiche recipe from allrecipes.com, a farmers breakfast casserole from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook, fruit salsa with cinnamon chips (salsa pic below) from allrecipes.com, my moms German pancake recipe, the black bottom cupcakes from a previous post and regular spinach dip from the back of the Knorr vegetable soup box. The farmers casserole was completely gone, so no pics of that one. Matt said that was his favorite thing. It was really good. The quiche was really good too. I ended up adding a few more eggs and milk to the mixture and made 3 quiches. There was way too much filling for just 2. The fruit salsa and cinnamon chips is really unique and delicious. The German pancakes are something I grew up eating & have always loved.

Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
Submitted by: Ann Page
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 2127 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 10 servings
"This delicious salsa made with fresh kiwis, apples and berries is a sweet, succulent treat when served on homemade cinnamon tortilla chips. Enjoy it as a summer appetizer or an easy dessert."
INGREDIENTS:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples -
peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 tablespoons fruit preserves,
any flavor

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Clark's Quiche
Submitted by: Clark Hamblen
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 349 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 25 Minutes
Yields: 16 servings
"This recipe is excellent served for breakfast with fruit, or at lunch or dinner with a salad. This recipe makes two 9 inch pies. The reason for this is because if you only make one you will hate yourself the next day when there are no leftovers. Bacon, ham, and spinach and mushrooms are layered with 3 cheeses in this rich delicious egg dish."
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound thick sliced bacon
1 (10 ounce) package frozen
chopped spinach, thawed
1 (8 ounce) container sour
cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms,
finely diced
2 cups finely diced smoked ham
8 ounces Monterey Jack
cheese, shredded
8 ounces Cheddar cheese,
shredded
4 ounces Parmesan cheese,
grated
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Allow to cool, then squeeze dry.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Stir in ham and cooked bacon. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, salt and pepper. Divide, and spread into pie crusts. Layer with bacon mixture. Mix together Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan, and sprinkle over pies. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pies.
4. Place pies on baking sheet, and bake on middle shelf in preheated oven for 40 minutes. The top will be puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.


Farmer's Casserole
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes

Farmer's Casserole
Ingredients

* Nonstick cooking spray
* 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
* 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers or shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces) (I used half jack and half cheddar)
* 1 cup diced cooked ham, cooked breakfast sausage or Canadian-style bacon (I used sausage)
* 1/4 cup sliced green onions (2)
* 4 beaten eggs or 1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
* 1-1/2 cups milk or one 12-ounce can evaporated milk or evaporated fat-free milk (I used regular milk)
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onions.

2. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture in dish.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

4. Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through step 2. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

5. Farmer's Casserole for 12: Prepare as above, except double all ingredients and use a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

German Pancakes
8 eggs
1 1/4 c milk
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 cube butter

Place butter in 11 x 15 pan, or 2 9 x 13 (I prefer this). Place pans in 425 degree oven. Blend the rest of the ingredients together in a blender. After pans are hot, but not burning, pour the batter into the pan(s). Bake 30 mins or so, until golden and firm. Serve with powdered sugar.

Chocolate-Chip Cheeseball

I made this chocolate-chip cheeseball for cooking club this week. It tastes like a cheesecake. It's super easy and really delicious! It's a nice twist on a cheeseball.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter (no substitute), softened
¼ tsp vanilla
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
¾ cup miniature semi sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup pecans, finely chopped

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars, beat until just combined. Stir in chips. Cover & refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap & shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers.

Apple Pie

I have never been able to make a good pie crust, so I usually just buy store bought. I saw this recipe for apple pie on Home Based Mom's website & knew it was a recipe for me. For one thing Matt LOVES apple pie & you don't have to roll this one out or worry if it's too dry. It's incredibly easy & super delicious. Matt said he usually doesn't like pie crust, but he loved this one. Definitely a keeper.

Apple Pie
from Home Based Mom

2 C flour

1 C sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp baking powder

Mix and add.

2 cubes butter, melted

Press 1/2 of dough into a glass pie plate. Being sure you have an even layer on bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. (no holes!)

7-8 apples - sliced, cored and peeled. I prefer a crisp, tart apple.

Afer pressing 1/2 of pie dough into pie plate, pile apples onto crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon (sorry, no exact measurement - I just sprinkle until it looks like enough, probably a Tablespoon or two) and 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar (or more if you like it sweeter!)

Crumble remaining dough on top by breaking it into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes - 1 hour (Time will vary depending on how thick you slice the apples, you want them tender but not mush! I just stick a fork in to see how tender they are.)

"Cafe Rio" like recipes

Cafe Rio is a restaurant in Utah & Arizona (maybe other places too) that's known for good fresh food. I found these recipes online & decided to try them. I didn't have pork, so I made the meat with beef. I made some flour tortillas & served the meat in the tortilla & topped it with the cilantro rice, black beans out of the can (I just warmed them up & put a little of the cooked meat juice in them), cheese, & the creamy cilantro dressing (which is good on any salad). It was really really good. The meat was sweet with a back heat on it. I will definitely make again.

Cafe Rio Recipes
(not for sure that these came from Cafe Rio, but we made them last night and they sure taste awesome!)

Pork
3-5 lb Pork Loin or Pork Roast (I used beef)
1 ½ cans Coke (I've heard you can also use sprite)
1 c. sugar
7oz can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce –provides alot of heat (or plain adobo sauce for sweeter sauce)
1 tsp dry ground mustard (heaping)
1 tsp cumin (heaping)
1 tsp minced garlic

Place the contents of the can of chilies in a bowl and cover with soda to get as much of the adobo sauce off the chilies. Remove the chilies and throw them away, or if you want the meat to be hotter, leave one or two chilies in. Rinse can of adobo sauce with soda to get all the sauce out. Place pork in crock pot and pour sauce over it. Cook for 4-6 on high or 7-9 hours on low. Carefully turn roast over halfway through. Cook in sauce until it pulls apart and then shred. Take pork out and shred. Then put it back in the juice and stir to get all the juice back into the meat.

Rice
1 c. rice
2 c. water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
½ tsp dried onion
1 tbsp oil
1 fresh lime
1/4 bunch cilantro
Cook rice with all ingredients (except lime and cilantro) in pot or rice cooker. Squeeze fresh lime juice over rice and mix in cilantro before serving.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing (for a salad version)
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing
1 c. mayo
1 c. milk
½ bunch cilantro
2 tomatillos
½ serrano peppers with seeds removed

Blend in blender, let sit to thicken.

Poppy Seed Chicken

My friend Anna made this for a party at my house awhile ago & it was so good. I made it this past Sunday & served it over rice. It was creamy, easy & yummy!

Poppyseed Chicken

Cook and cube 1 lb chicken- put into bottom of casserole dish

Mix in small bowl and pour over the cubed chicken:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp soy sauce

Mix in another small bowl and sprinkle over casserole:
1 stick melted butter
1 tube crushed ritz crackers
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Serve over rice

Sugar Cookies

Maddie & I made these sugar cookies for her pre-school class last week & they were a hit! They're crisp & chewy. I think they're the perfect rolled sugar cookie. I found the recipe on my favorite site, allrecipes.com. The frosting we used is my favorite cupcake frosting from a guest on Martha Stewart.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
Submitted by: Jill Saunders

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely


Billy's Vanilla Buttercream

This recipe for Billy's Vanilla Buttercream is courtesy of Billy Reece from Billy's Bakery in New York City.

*
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
*
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
*
1/2 cup milk
*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Black-bottom cupcakes

Our friends Megan & Adam brought us dinner after we had Ty & for dessert they brought these cupcakes from a local cafe. I was in heaven after one bite! The only way I can describe them is black-bottom cupcakes on a whole other level! I decided to duplicate them for a book & cook club I just started going to. They turned out super super super close to the original. Close enough for me to say case closed on this duplication & I think these are my new favorite cupcakes!

Black Bottom Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Devil’s Food Cake Mix + ingredients to make cake

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 c sugar

1/8 t salt

¾ c choco chips

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese

½ c butter

1 c powdered sugar

(Cream cheese & butter together, add sugar and beat until fluffy & light)

Topping:

½ c semi-sweet choco chips

1 t butter

(Melt together on low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time)

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix cupcakes according to package directions.

3. Fill 24 paper lined cupcake pan with cupcake mixture. Fill each one about ½ full.

4. Beat cream cheese. Then add egg, sugar and salt and mix until creamy. Add chocolate chips.

5. Put 1 ½ T of cream cheese mixture over cupcake batter.

6. Bake for about 20-22 mins or until done (test side of cupcake with a fork).

7. Chill until completely cooled.

8. Top with frosting (since there is already cream cheese in the cupcake you don’t need much)

9. Drizzle with chocolate mixture.

Pizza

I decided tonight that I don't make homemade pizza nearly enough! I got 2 pizza stones when I got married & I've only used 1 of them 1 time. I also decided tonight that I need to use more of my kitchen tools (such as my pizza stone) that I don't use very often more often.

I used Tyler Florence's pizza dough & it was awesome & super easy! I topped 1 pizza with regular sauce & cheese & a few roni's (as Maddie calls them) I had left in the fridge. The other pizza I put on some carmelized onions that I just cooked in about a t of butter, & some left over steak we had in the fridge sliced up. For the sauce on that pizza I just made a roux of 1 T butter & 1 T flour, when it was cooked I added 1 c of milk, stirred until thick & added about 1/4 c of parmesan.

Yum pizza! I think this might have to be a family Friday night tradition!

Pizza Dough

Tyler Florence

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups 0f flour, plus more for dusting

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 500 degrees F.

Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.

Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Dust a pizza paddle with flour and slide it under the pizza dough. Brush the crust with a thin layer of olive oil, and top with your favorite flavors. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough.