German Chocolate Cheesecake

Yes you read that right, German Chocolate Cheesecake! OOOHHH so rich and delicious! I found this recipe on Bake or Break's blog a long time ago and have been waiting to try it. It's awesome! I put parchment paper in my springform pan to make the cheesecake easier to get out.

German Chocolate Cheesecake
October 15th, 2009 · No Comments

Read and see more at Bake or Break. Recipe from Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook: 50 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake.
Cheesecake

* 24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1 & 1/3 cups granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons corn starch
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 2 large eggs
* 2/3 cup heavy cream



Preheat oven to 350°. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside and the sides of the pan with aluminum foil.

Using a mixer on low speed, beat 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch until creamy (about 3 minutes). Add remaining cream cheese, 8 ounces at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each. On medium speed, beat in remaining 1 cup of sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in cream just until blended. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into the springform pan. Place pan in a large shallow pan of hot water. Water should come about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake about 1 & 1/4 hours, unitl the edges are light golden brown and the top is slightly golden tan.

Remove pan from water bath and transfer to a wire rack. cool in pan for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 4 hours. Place in freezer overnight until ready to assemble the cake.
German chocolate cake

* 1 & 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 ounces German sweet chocolate
* 1/3 cup water
* 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 3 large eggs, separated
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar



Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of both pans with parchment paper.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Melt chocolate in water in the microwave and set aside to cool. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed of an electric mixer. The mixture should be light yellow and creamy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in melted chocolate and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, blending well after each.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold about a third of the whites into the chocolate batter, then the remaining whites.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a moist crumb. Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn onto a cooling rack and peel off paper liners. Let cakes cool completely, about 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
Coconut frosting

* 1 & 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds
* 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
* 4 cups flaked coconut, plus extra for sprinkling
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup milk
* 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract



Preheat oven to 350°. Spread nuts on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toast until golden, about 5 minutes, tossing a couple of times. Set aside to cool.

Toast 1/4 cup of coconut in the same way. Set aside.

Mix sugar and flour in a large saucepan. Add cream, milk, butter, and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in toasted nuts and untoasted coconut. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, until thick enough to spread.
Cake assembly

Remove the cheesecake from freezer and let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

Place one chocolate cake layer, top side down, on a cake plate. Spread with some of the frosting. Remove the springform ring from the cheesecake. Place cheesecake top side down on the forsted cake layer. Spread with frosting. Top with remaining chocolate cake layer, top sie up, and frost the top of the cake and the sides of only the top cake layer with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle top with toasted coconut. Refrigerate at least two hours until ready to serve. Cut cake with a sharp straight-edge knife, not a serrated knife.

Leftover cake can be covered and refrigerated, or wrapped and frozen for up to a month.

More bread!

You seriously must try this bread!! http://kerstinskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/incredible-no-knead-bread.html

I just made some carrot/currant and apple bread using this same technique. You just substitute carrot juice or apple juice for the water and add currants or apples depending on which bread you're making. & I'm making more pizza and attempting a pizza bread as I type this!

Mexican French Toast

This is my mom's recipe and it a family favorite. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome these are. Just try them! I cut these into strips for a brunch, but we usually have them for breakfast or dinner whole. I usually plan on 2 per person.

Mexican French Toast
Diana Morris

1 dozen flour tortillas
1 dozen eggs
2 dozen strips of bacon cooked
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 c green onions, chopped
4 c cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream
salsa
guacamole (I make it with just avocados, a little salsa, garlic powder and fiesta fajita seasoning)

Beat the eggs in a pie pan. Cook each tortilla individually by dipping it in the egg mixture on both sides and then cooking it in a saute pan or on a flat griddle. Once you've turned the tortilla over in the pan, on the cooked side put 2 strips of bacon a little bit of green onion & cheese. Then fold the sides in and set aside. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, eggs, onions & cheese until all done. Serve with salsa, guac, tomatoes & sour cream.

Coq au Creme

I made this for dinner this past Sunday. It was SO good. It's a little bit of work, but worth it. My friends and I made this dish for a murder mystery dinner when we were in the singles ward. It was one of the first times Matt and I hung out. When he was eating this on Sunday he said he knew he was in love when he tried this that night. Very sweet. I haven't made it since that murder mystery dinner & I have no idea why, it's super good. Instead of adding the flour and water mixture I just let it simmer uncovered until it thickened.

Coq au Creme
www.allrecipes.com

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
4 skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves
salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 (4.5 ounce) cans sliced
mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (16 ounce) container sour
cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions
1 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion
and garlic and saute until slightly clear, then reduce
heat to medium low (careful not to burn, but browning is okay).
2 Meanwhile, melt butter or margarine in another large
skillet over medium high heat. Rinse chicken breasts and pat
dry; season with salt and pepper to taste and brown on both
sides, about 2 minutes each side.
3 Drain and add browned chicken breasts to onion/garlic
mixture, then add rosemary, mushrooms and chicken broth. Stir
to mix together, making sure chicken breasts are evenly
spaced in the skillet. Reduce heat to simmer, cover skillet
tightly and cook for 30 minutes.
4 Add sour cream and stir well, breaking up any clumps
with a spoon. Cover skillet again and allow to heat through
for 10 minutes.
5 Strain about 3/4 cup of the liquid from the skillet
into a small bowl; add flour and mix well with a fork to
break up any clumps. Pour mixture into the chicken mixture,
stir well and cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 more
minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve hot.

Crustless Quiche

Matt really likes quiche, but he doesn't like the crust (weird, I know), so when I found this recipe on allrecipes.com I knew I had to try it. It was super good and very easy. I used fresh baby spinach that I sauteed with the onions instead of frozen.

Crustless Spinach Quiche


www.allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and drained

5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Bluberry Muffins

I made these muffins from Sister's Cafe last week for a brunch. They were really good.

Grandma's Blueberry Lemon Muffins
submitted by Brittany

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening (or butter*)
1 cup frozen blueberries

Topping (this makes extra - you can try cutting it down if you want):
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat eggs, milk and shortening. Stir in blueberries. Add dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Combine butter and lemon juice. While the muffins are still warm, dip the tops in the butter and lemon juice, then dip in sugar. Makes 12 muffins. *I substitute butter because I love the taste! It works great either way.

Bread everywhere!

I've turned my kitchen into a bakery!! Seriously, I've always wanted to learn how to make bread and this book Matt got me by Jim Lahey has changed my life!! I blogged about it a few posts ago. In the past week I've made 4 regular round loaves of bread, a kalamata olive loaf, baguettes and a pizza bread! Really he teaches you how to let the bread make it self, you just mix for about 20 second and give it a lot of time to rise and do it's thing. I'm seriously so amazed.

The recipe I posted previously is one I saw online, but it's a little different than his in the book, so I will repost the correct recipe soon. If anyone is interested in learning his technique please let me know. I'm happy to share this new found joy!!

Almost Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies

I'm learning to adjust being a mom to 3 kids, but some days are just nuts! Madeline wanted to make cookies a few days ago, so I decided to try this peanut butter sandwich cookie from Our Best Bites blog that I've been wanting to try for a long time. I started making them at 11 am & by 6 pm I finally had all the cookies baked and the filling was not even started. It was a crazy day of going from one crying child to the next. So I decided to nix the filling. The cookies were delicious as is. Someday I will try again and make the filling!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Click to print text only

1 C butter flavored Crisco
1 C creamy peanut butter (preferably the kind without salmonella)
1 C sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
1 t vanilla
3 eggs
3 C flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

filling:
1 C creamy peanut butter
1/2 c real butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
5-6 T milk

For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add in vanilla, and eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt and add to dough. Mix to combine. The dough will be very soft- that's normal!

You know the drill. Roll into balls, roll in sugar, place on cookie sheet (no need to grease it) and do the little forky criss-cross thing.

Okay, so pop the cookies into the oven and bake for 6-7 minutes. You want them to say super soft, so don't let them get brown. In my oven, and for the size of cookies I do, 6 minutes exactly is perfect. Remove them from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

Crockpot peppercorn steak

I tried this steak recipe from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. It was easy and delicious. I'm starting to really appreciate what you can make in a crockpot!

Peppercorn Steak

--4 to 6 steaks (use whatever is on sale, it's going to tenderize nicely in the crock; don't buy expensive meat.)
--1 cup tomato sauce
--1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (Lea Perrins is GF)
--1/4 cup of water
--2 chopped bell peppers (I used one yellow, one green)
--1 chopped yellow onion
--8 oz sliced mushrooms
--1 T Italian seasoning
--1/4 t black pepper

The Directions.

Put the meat in the crockpot; mine was still frozen solid. Cover with the chopped vegetables. Pour in the tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and water. Add the Italian seasoning and black pepper.

No need to stir.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6.

Asian Noodle Salad

I saw this recipe on a bunch of blogs a long time ago and finally got around to trying it. It's a really light, refreshing and delicious salad. From what I can see it looks like it was originally Pioneer Woman's recipe and a lot of people have adapted her recipe (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/03/my_most_favorite_salad_ever_ever_ever_ever/). Every recipe I've tried of hers has been amazing. I didn't have all the veggies she suggested, so I left out the sprouts and all the colors of bell peppers. I just used green ones. I didn't have cashews so I substituted almonds. I didn't have jalapenos so I didn't add those either.

Asian Noodle Salad

Added by Ree Drummond on July 11, 2009 in Pasta Salads, Salads
Prep Time 30 Minutes
Cook Time 10 Minutes Servings 6 Difficulty Easy
Ingredients

* SALAD INGREDIENTS:
* 1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
* ½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
* ½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
* ½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
* 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
* 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
* 1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
* 1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
* Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
* 3 whole Scallions, Sliced
* 3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced
* 1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet
* _____
* FOR THE DRESSING:
* 1 whole Lime, Juiced
* 8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
* 2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
* ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
* 3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
* 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
* 2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapeno's, Chopped
* Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

INCREDIBLE NO KNEAD BREAD

Matt got me a book for Christmas called, My bread, the revolutionary no-work, no-knead method by Jim Lahey. The idea of bread that you don't have to knead that is also no work is VERY appealing to me. This bread is seriously AMAZING! Crusty crust and moist chewy center. The only thing is you have to plan ahead! It rises twice. The first time for 12-18 hours and the second time for 1-2 hours. You must try this method! I cooked the bread in a dutch oven.

No-Knead Bread
Jim Lahey at the Sullivan Street Bakery via Mark Bittman at New York Times

Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon rapid rise, instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 c cool water
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and stir until blended; dough will be sticky. Add a little more water if you need to make it sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature, out of sunlight, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles and it's a little bit darker of a color. Use lightly floured hands to pull the dough off the edges of the bowl and tuck the edges in to make it a round ball. Make sure there is a light coating of flour all over the ball of dough, not too much, just enough so you can pick it up without the dough sticking to your hands.

3. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Fold towel over to cover dough and put it in a draft free place to rise. Let it rise for 1-2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. A half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 475°. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes (I ended up only baking mine 10 minutes extra), until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Brown Sugar Chicken

There is a new blog that I LOVE, it's http://crockpot365.blogspot.com. That woman can do some incredible things with a crockpot! I'm really getting into crockpot cooking now that I have 3 kids. This is the first recipe of hers that I've tried. It was really easy and really good. It's not something I would make all the time since it has so much sugar, but in a pinch it was great. I served it with rice, veggies and fruit.

Brown Sugar Chicken

--12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless, skinless breast halves
--1 cup brown sugar (it's okay. you can brush your teeth after.)
--1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (stay with me...)
--2/3 cup vinegar (I used white wine, but think regular white would be fine)
--3 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--2 T soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are GF)
--1 tsp ground black pepper

The Directions.

Use a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe.

Plop the chicken into your crockpot. Cover with the brown sugar, pepper, chopped garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the soda. It will bubble!

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. The chicken is done when it is cooked through and has reached desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will be.

Serve over a bowl of white rice with a ladle full of the broth.

Blueberry Almond Pound Cake

My friend Diane made this SUPER delicious cake for a cooking club we were a part of awhile ago. I had a bunch of frozen blueberries I needed to use and remembered how delicious this cake was so I made it. It was as good as I remembered it! I didn't have a cake mix that called for butter, so I used a regular yellow cake mix that calls for oil. I also don't have a tube pan, so I used a bundt pan and it turned out great!


Blueberry Almond Pound Cake

Made by: Diane Larsen

1 package butter-flavored cake mix

8 oz cream cheese

½ c vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 t almond extract

2 c frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Combine cake mix, cream cheese, oil, eggs and almond extract. Beat until very smooth. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon into prepared tube pan and bake for about 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Remove from oven, let cool about 5 mins, then invert onto a serving plate. Glaze (if desired) while still warm, but not hot.

Optional glaze:

Mix 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar with cold water, adding 1 T water at a time until a thin but not runny consistency. Add ½ t almond extract. Stir well until all powdered sugar is blended smoothly. Sprinkle top of cake with sliced almonds, then drizzle the glaze all over the almonds and cake.

Tortilla Soup and Taquitos

I LOVE tortilla soup. It's one of my favorite things to get at Mexican restaurants. I've been on a quest to learn to make good tortilla soup. For my first try this turned out really good. I used my friend Tracy's recipe. She's a great cook. I ended up adding probably double or triple the amount of chilies she calls for, so you can do that to your taste, and I added a can of stewed tomatoes to the blender with the chilies. I also didn't add the tortillas to the broth while it was cooking.

I saw the taquitos made on Paula Dean's show. They were really good.

Tracy's Tortilla soup:

Puree 2 (seeded/soaked) ancho chiles, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes and 2 cloves of garlic in a blender. Fry in 2T oil for 4-5 minutes (until garlic is fragrant). In soup pot, bring 6 cups (can increase depending on servings intended) to a boil. Add 4 torn corn tortillas (again, increase if you are upping the liquid), rotisserie chicken (shredded) and 1/2 cup cilantro, simmer until tortillas break up and thicken soup. Add in chile mixture. Add salt to taste. Garnish with crisp tortilla strips, mexican cheese, avacado slices, cilantro and lime wedges.

Crispy Fried Tacos

Recipe courtesy Patricia Jinich

Prep Time:
45 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
1 hr 20 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
10 servings

Ingredients

* 4 pounds chicken breasts, with skin and bones
* 5 garlic cloves, smashed
* 2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 2 pounds Roma tomatoes, skinned
* 2 whole cloves (I didn't add)
* 8 black peppercorns
* 1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion
* 2 tablespoons corn or safflower oil, plus canola oil, for frying
* 2 bay leaves
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I didn't add)
* 10 corn tortillas, heated
* Wooden toothpicks
* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
* Salsa Verde Pueblera, recipe follows, for dipping

Directions

Rinse chicken breast in cold water and add to a large pot. Cover with water and add 4 smashed garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Shred the chicken when it is cool enough to handle. Set aside 4 cups of chicken.

Put the tomatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until cooked through and soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes to a blender along with the remaining tablespoon of salt, whole cloves, peppercorns, white onion and remaining garlic clove. Puree until smooth.

Add 2 tablespoons of corn oil to a large pan, over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the tomato puree, bay leaves and the shredded chicken and stir. Simmer until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and bread crumbs and simmer until mixture has thickened again, about 4 to 5 more minutes. Mixture will be moist but not too wet, which will be perfect for filling the tacos.

Preheat the canola oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Heat the tortillas on a hot comal or dry skillet over medium heat for a minute. This will prevent them from breaking when rolling into a taco. Put 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling on each tortilla and roll.

You can insert wooden toothpicks through 2 tacos at a time, so they will fry evenly and hold their shape. Once the oil is hot, dip the taco pairs in the hot oil. Fry until the tacos have crisped and gained a golden color, about 2 to 3 minutes. You may want to flip for another minute to the other side. Remove from the oil and put on a plate or tray covered with paper towels. Arrange the tacos on a serving platter and garnish with cilantro.

Serve alongside Salsa Verde Pueblera.

Cook's Note: If you don't want to fry the tacos, roll them, and toast them over a hot comal or dry skillet. Toast and turn until they are crisp enough to your liking. It will take about 5 minutes per side.

A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.

Angel Whispers

These cookies are a little time consuming, but so so good. They're light and flaky with a creamy lemon filling.

Angel Whispers
Submitted by: Julie
www.allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt


1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and confectioners' sugar until light. Stir in the lemon peel, flour and salt. Cover bowl, and chill for about 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3. Flatten teaspoons of dough onto cookie sheets, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on racks.
4. To make the filling, combine the beaten egg, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter in the top of a double boiler. Stir until thick. Sandwich cookies with 1 teaspoon of filling.

Hummus

Homemade Hummus...YUM!

Hummus III

www.allrecipes.com

Ready In: 10 Minutes
Servings: 16
"As a spread, dip or garlicky pita filling, classic hummus is both delicious and satisfying. Best of all, it's whipped up in seconds in a blender or food processor."
Ingredients:
2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch paprika
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Directions:
1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Apple Crisp

I made this apple crisp from allrecipes.com for dessert last night. It was really really good.

Apple Crisp II


recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: Diane Kester
Photo By: [jessica]
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Servings: 12
"This large 9x13-inch crisp is made hearty with cooking oats mixed into its sweet crumbly topping. Underneath are all the lovely things that compliment apples -cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. Serve warm with rum raisin ice cream or a big dollop of freshly whipped cream."
Ingredients:
10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored
and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water


1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Cheesy Potatoes and Rolls

My husbands family has a tradition of having ham, cheesy potatoes and rolls for Christmas dinner. Now it's our tradition too. These recipes are my mother-in-laws and they are delicious!

60 Minute Rolls (makes 2 dozen)

3 ½ to 4 ½ c. flour

3 T. sugar

1 t. salt

2 pkgs. Yeast (or 2 tablespoons)

1 c. milk

½ c. water

¼ c. margarine or butter

In a large bowl thoroughly mix 1 ½ c. flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast. Combine milk, water, and margarine or butter in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees F.). Margarine does not need to melt. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add ½ c. flour and beat at high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; place bowl in pan of water at about 98 degrees F. Let rise 15 minutes. (If you are not in a hurry, you can skip this step and just let it rise about 45 minutes or so on its own). Turn dough out onto floured board. Divide in half and shape into whatever shapes you want and put on greased pans. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft about 15 minutes. Bake at 400 about 12 minutes or until done. Brush with melted butter, remove from baking sheets, and cool on wire racks.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Boil 6-8 medium potatoes—cool, peel and cube.

Mix together the following:

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

¼ c. chives or finely minced onion tops (optional)

1 cube margarine or butter

1 pint sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Heat until cheese melts and fold into potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until bubbly.

(Sometimes I cut the margarine in half and use real sour cream (not low fat or non-fat)) I think the real sour cream is better for this recipe.

Sausage Egg Casserole

I made this casserole for Christmas breakfast. It was SO good. I wish I would have made it the night before like the recipe suggests, because it took a little bit of time to put together, but it was so worth it! Next time I will make it the night before. I also made the Country breakfast casserole and Jalapeno cheese grits which are oldies but goodies. The 2 casseroles are from allrecipes.com and the grits are from Bobby Flay's wife on the Food Network.

Sausage Egg Casserole


recipe image
Rated: rating
Submitted By: KNITWIT
Photo By: Sheri O.
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

Ready In: 9 Hours 40 Minutes
Servings: 12
"Assemble the ingredients the night before, and bake this casserole in the morning. Stand back and wait for the compliments. I've made it with fat free cottage cheese, egg substitute, and reduced fat sausage; the taste is still wonderful!"
Ingredients:
3/4 pound ground pork sausage
1 tablespoon butter
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
10 eggs, beaten
1 (16 ounce) container low-fat cottage
cheese
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers,
drained

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
Directions:
1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside. Melt butter in skillet, and cook and stir the green onions and mushrooms until tender.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, cottage cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and chiles. Stir in the sausage, green onions, and mushrooms. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the melted butter. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
5. Bake 40 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Country Breakfast Casserole
Submitted by: Kristin
Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 15 MinutesYields: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package
breakfast sausage
1 chopped green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar
cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten (I usually add 2-3 extra eggs)
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 (2.64 ounce) package
country gravy mix
6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch
cubes (I used shredded frozen hashbrowns instead of bread)
2 tablespoons melted butter
(optional)
paprika to taste (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 (I use 9 x 13) inch baking dish.
2.
Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
3.
Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
4.
Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

Jalapeno Cheese Grits

Recipe courtesy Stephanie March (Bobby Flay's wife)





Ingredients

* 2 cups quick-cooking grits
* 2 1/2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar
* 1 stick unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
* 3 large eggs, well beaten
* 2 jalapenos, finely diced
* 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles
* Garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the grits according to the directions on the back of the package. Remove from the heat and add next 6 ingredients (Cheddar through chilies). Stir well and season with garlic salt, to taste. Pour into a buttered 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Creamed corn with bacon

We had this as a side dish for Christmas Eve. It's my family tradition to have tamales and green chili soup on Christmas Eve. Matt and I were watching the Food Network and saw this recipe & Matt said wow, that looks good, so I surprised him and made it to go along with our tamales. This corn was really good. Next time I will cut back on the lime and cilantro though. It was a little over powering. I still think nothing beats the Rudy's like cream corn in a previous post, but if you were making Mexican food this corn would be a perfect addition to the menu.

Creamed Corn with Bacon

Recipe courtesy Michael Symon

Prep Time:
25 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
55 min


Serves:
4 to 6 servings as a side dish

Ingredients
Corncob stock:

* 5 shucked ears corn (kernels removed and reserved*)
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1/2 onion peeled and quartered
* 1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 quarts water

Corn saute:

* 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 pound thick-cut bacon cut into lardoons
* 1 cup diced yellow onion
* 1 clove garlic minced
* *Reserved corn kernels
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups reserved corncob stock
* 1/2 cup creme fraiche
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
* 1 lime, zested

For the stock:
Directions

Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a lively simmer and cook to reduce liquid to 2 cups, approximately 30 minutes. Strain and reserve, keeping stock warm.
To finish the corn:

Begin heating a large saucepan, and glaze bottom with the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the lardons and cook over medium heat, rendering the fat and browning the pieces, stirring as needed. Add the onion and sweat, about 45 seconds. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, another 30 seconds. Add the corn and salt, continuing to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the reserved corncob stock and bring to a simmer, cooking until the liquid reduces to approximately 2/3 cup. Add the creme fraiche and simmer 3 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the butter and stir. Remove pan from heat; stir in cilantro and lime zest. Check for seasoning and serve.

Kristin's Pretzel Hugs

My friend Kristin brought these delicious little bites to a party last week. I had to make them immediately! They were a big hit at the party. Everyone kept asking how she made them. They looks like they've been dipped in chocolate and then drizzled. Then Kristin said she used Hershey's Hugs to make them!

You just lay out the pretzels on wax paper. Put a hug on each pretzel. Put it in the oven for a VERY short time, just until they start melting and then take them out and drop 2 M&M's on top and press it down gently and then stick them in the freezer for about 5 mins. SOO good, so fast and so easy! Thanks Kristin!

Chili & Soup

We had some friends over for a Gingerbread house making party on Saturday night. I made some chili and soup to eat while we built the houses. I made the simple chili I usually make and then my friend Tracy's SUPER yummy potato corn chowder.

Kerstin's super easy chili

Brown 2 lbs of ground beef with 1 large diced onion. Add 3 cans of chili style tomatoes, 1 can drained black beans, 1 can drained kidney beans, 3 large cans ranch style beans, 4-6 T of Fiesta brand easy chili seasoning mix. Let simmer for about 30 mins.

Tracy & Bryan Glatt's Corn Chowder

Large soup pot

Canola Oil

Thick slice of salt pork (or 5 slices of thick bacon)

1 large onion –chopped

3 cans of cream style corn

6 large potatoes – cooked and cut to bite-size (Tracy doesn't cook them beforehand and neither do I. Just dice them and let them slowly cook in the soup.)

5 ½ cups of canned milk – (2 cans of Carnation evaporated milk) measure each can in a 2 cup measuring cup - fill with water to make each can measures 2 cups, the last cup & ½ is water.

5# Hormel ham – cut to bite size pieces (you can reheat so ham is hot when you add to the chowder)

Salt & Pepper to taste





First prepare potatoes, cook until tender. While potatoes are cooking, I start the chowder - Cook salt pork, canola oil and onions in soup size pot, on med-high heat, cook till onions are lightly browned (do not cook too high or onions will burn). Remove salt pork or bacon, leaving drippings. Add creamed corn, heating until bubbly. Add milk. Add potatoes. Add ham, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil then let simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes. Serve with crescent rolls, corn bread or jalapeño bread.

1-50 point Choco Chip Muffins!

I finally got around to cooking our enormous Halloween pumpkin, so I decided to make pumpkin muffins. I make 2 different recipes. 1 my mother-in-law sent me from Our Best Bites that she tried when my sister-in-law Laura made them when she was visiting her and another one I always love to make from the Lion House Pumpkin bread recipe. I just added chocolate chips to the Lion House recipe and cut down the cooking time. The one from Our Best Bites is suppose to be 1 weight watchers point per muffin without the choco chips. I'm guessing the Lion House recipe is about 50 points per muffin!

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Our Best Bites

2 spice cake mixes (Duncan Hines, although not pictured, is the best for this recipe)
1 30-oz. can pumpkin
1 12-oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Okay, super-tricky here. Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mixes and pumpkin. Add in chocolate chips.


Spoon mixture into lined muffin tins. This can make as many as 48 muffins or as few as 36, just depending on how full the tins are filled. These really don't rise very much, so you can fill the tins pretty full. If aesthetics are a concern, keep in mind that how they look going into the oven is very much what they will look like coming out of the oven. So a cookie scoop works great to keep things on the prettier side.
Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.

Lion House Pumpkin Bread
1 1/3 C Veg oil
5 eggs
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 pkg (6 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 C nuts

Grease pans. Mix well oil, eggs, pumpkin, beat well. Seperate bowl: sift flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in pudding and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Makes two loaves.

Ribs & more

Matt has some co-workers over for dinner on Thursday, so I decided to attempt ribs for the first time. Very risky, because bad ribs are...bad! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. They were SOO easy and SOOOO good. The only thing I changed in the recipe is that I marinated the ribs in the foil with a dry rub on them for 8 hours and then the bbq sauce on them for 4 hours before baking them for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. Then I opened the foil and put more bbq sauce on them and cooked them uncovered for 10 minutes at 450 degrees to carmelize some sauce on the top of them. I served the ribs with baked beans, macaroni & cheese, cream corn, Pioneer Woman's famous texas sheet cake and my families favorite poppy seed cake. It was all very tasty!

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake
Combine in a mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, melt:
2 sticks butter
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa. Stir together.
Add 1 cup boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In measuring cup, pour 1/2 cup buttermilk.
Add:
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make icing:
Chop 1/2 cup pecans finely.
Melt 1 3/4 sticks butter in a saucepan.
Add 4 heaping tablespoons cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat.
Add:
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb minus 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Stir together.
Add pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.


Pat's Baked Beans (I used black beans, kidney beans, great northern beans, pinto beans and baked beans)

6 slices bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (16 ounce) can great Northern beans,
drained
1 (16 ounce) can baked beans
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings, crumble and set aside in a large bowl. Cook the onion and garlic in the reserved drippings until onion is tender; drain excess grease and transfer to the bowl with the bacon.
3. To the bacon and onions add pinto beans, northern beans, baked beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans. Stir in ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and black pepper. Mix well and transfer to a 9x12 inch casserole dish.
4. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.

Macaroni & Cheese
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup cottage cheese (not lowfat)
2 cups milk (not skim)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ pound elbow pasta, uncooked.
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use 1 tablespoon butter to butter a 9-inch round or square baking pan.2. In a blender, purée cottage cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve ¼ cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. 3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.Yield: 6 to 8 servings.


Cream Corn Like No Other
Submitted by: DIANA YOCKEY
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 260 members Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 15 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen
corn kernels, thawed
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, cream, salt, sugar, pepper and butter. Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir into the corn mixture. Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Remove from heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.

BBQ ribs

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds pork baby back ribs (make sure to remove the silver skin, kind of a thin layer of skin against the bone side of the ribs)
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays original bbq sauce)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to enclose each portion of ribs. Spray each piece of foil with vegetable cooking spray. Rub the ribs with the rub mixture (see below). Put them in the fridge overnight. First thing in the morning brush the ribs liberally with barbeque sauce and wrap them back up and put them back in the fridge until you're ready to cook them.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Bake ribs wrapped tightly in the foil at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil and add more sauce, if desired.

This is what I used for the rub: 1/4c. brown sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp. paprika, 1 Tbsp. salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder.

POPPY SEED CAKE

1 pkg. yellow cake 1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1/2 c water 1/2 c orange juice

1/2 c oil 5 eggs

2 t poppy seeds 1 T almond extract

Mix 5 min at medium speed. Bake in a sugar and cinnamon coated bunt pan. Bake 45 min at 350. Cool and drizzle with a mixture of powdered sugar, butter, and almond extract.

Adam's Spankin' good chili!

I named this chili myself. My friend Adam (more commonly known as Spanky) gave me this recipe for chili that he won the Rackspace chili contest with. It's delicious!!

I adjusted things a little to lower the heat level, so here's what Adam did followed by the little adjustments I made:

Adam's Spankin' good chili!

1/2 pound Peppered bacon-Dice it up along with a whole white/yellow onion (your choice, I did white), about 5-6 big cloves of garlic and three good sized Serrano peppers seeded. Cook bacon about half way and then add onion, garlic, peppers diced and a couple of bay leaves. Sauté till onion is clear in color. Add the beef. I did 3 lbs. I did 2 lbs of 80/20 and 1 lb of 70/30. I then added 9 T (that's right, table!) of Fiesta Quick Chili seasoning and about 1 T of crushed red pepper seeds. Cooked till all was brown and let simmer for about 30 minutes. I then added 1 can of tomato paste, 1 can rotel, 1 can diced tomato and 1 can of kidney beans rinsed. Then 2 cans of ranch style beans. You know the ones with the black label. MMMMMM! I then let that simmer for about an hour on low. Serve it with cheese and red onion diced! BAM! The next thing you know, 1st place. I didn't drain any grease. You can.

My adjustments:

I did the peppered bacon (it gives the chili a very smoky peppery flavor), white onion, 6 big cloves of garlic minced, 1 good sized serrano pepper seeded and diced (instead of 3), the 3 lbs of meat Adam suggested, 9 T of Fiesta brand chili seasoning, 1 small can of tomato paste, 2 cans mild rotel, 1 can diced tomato, 2 cans rinsed kidney beans, 2 cans ranch style beans. I cooked everything just as he outlined. YUM!

Pound Cake

I made this pound cake from allrecipes.com last night for dessert. It was really good. I did 2 loaf pans instead of 1 big pan. It still took about 90 mins to cook. I served it with vanilla pudding, whipped cream & mixed strawberries and peaches on top.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake



Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened

6 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and cream cheese. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing. Cake ages and freezes well.

Cheese Bread

My sister-in-law Laura has passed along many many awesome recipes and this is another awesome one she sent me this week. I made it for dinner tonight. SOOO good. & I love a good recipe that I don't have to let rise! I will be making this many more times. Laura said she freezes it in slices so she can just reheat a couple slices at a time. She found the recipe on My Kitchen Cafe, one of my favorite cooking blogs.

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2009/03/simple-and-delicious-cheese-bread.html

Simple and Delicious Cheese Bread
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

**If the toothpick comes out with what looks like uncooked batter after testing the bread for doneness, try again in a different spot since the toothpick may have hit a pocket of cheese the first time. You definitely don't want to overbake the bread or it will be dry. According to the original recipe, the texture of the bread improves as it cools, so if you can, resist the urge to slice the bread while it is still very hot. I can attest that this leftover cheese bread makes excellent toast. Use a toaster oven or baking sheet in a 425-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes (a conventional toaster can be messy because the pockets of cheese will melt and burn).**

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded on large holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4-5 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 1/4 cups whole milk (2% milk may be substituted but don't use skim milk)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 5 by 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese evenly in bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula, mix in cheddar cheese cubes, breaking up clumps, until cheese is coated with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter, egg, and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined (the batter will be heavy and thick). Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; spread to sides of pan and level surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over surface.

Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 5 minutes; invert loaf from pan and continue to cool until warm, about 45 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

NOTE: I suggest putting a sheet pan under the loaf of bread. The cheese oozed out of mine while cooking & got on the bottom of my oven.

Chicken a la Sheena

I made this last week for my friend Trenda's baby shower & got some requests for the recipe, so here it is! I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture.

This has been a favorite recipe in my family for several years since my mom got it from a friend. It's a super easy, really tasty dish that serves a lot of people.

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM ALA SHEENA JOYCE


(British Friend in Maryland and changed by Torie)

This is a recipe you change and develop as you go along.


In bottom of crock place:

2 ½ pound of raw chicken tenders

2 cans sliced or mushroom pieces (Or fresh sautéed)

In a bowl mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.

3 jars Classico Tomato Alfredo sauce

2 cups sour cream

1 cup milk

fresh garlic several cloves (I used about 5 cloves) and salt a pepper (3 packages of linguini)

Four snipped sun dried tomatoes (Kerstin used ½ a bag-too much if cooked all day

She cooked it seven hours, 4-5 hours is how the recipe reads, but they sauté the chicken first.

Peanut Butter Everywhere!

My sister-in-law Heather and I were asked to help with a primary activity next month where they're going to be making FHE packets. They asked us to come up with a little recipe book of FHE treats and to demonstrate how to make one of the treats. I saw the Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls on My Kitchen Cafe's blog awhile ago and had it tagged to try. I thought they would be a good option since we don't have any peanut allergies in our ward. Then I also remember my sister-in-law Holley telling me about some peanut butter balls she makes for her friends all the time when I was in Seattle last. Holley's a great great cook. I decided to try both of them yesterday. They were both really really really good. & they're both good food storage recipes. Holley's are definitely much less labor intensive.

Holley's Peanut Butter Balls (the chocolate covered ones)

1 c of Peanut Butter
1 c of powdered sugar
1 c rice krispies
1 T of butter
1 t vanilla
Mix all together (I add a little more powdered sugar if it seems too wet to roll into balls)
roll into balls...fairly small ones but you can do them whatever size
Melt Chocolate chips in a double boiler? not sure what that's called but I just put a metal bowl on top of a pot of simmering water.
I usually use about 2 cups of ch chips and then add 1 t of vegetable oil (I used chocolate almond bark coating) and dip the balls in to coat and then put on wax paper on a plate and put in the freezer or fridge. they are so yummy!

Peanut Butter Crunch Snack Balls
adapted from Michelle N.

Makes about 120 balls.

2 cups honey
6 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) (I used half & half)
3 cups rice krispies
1½ cups grape nuts
3/4 cup applesauce
2 cups coconut
3 cups crushed cereal (I used crushed corn flakes)
1½ cups chocolate or butterscotch chips - or substitute dried fruit, like raisins (I did some chocolate and some craisins)
5-8 tablespoons powdered milk
4 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal

Mix all but last two ingredients and mix until well combined. Add powdered milk, like flour, to make a soft, cookie-like dough. Form into 1” ball and roll in crushed mini-wheats. A scoop works very well for this. Refrigerate or freeze.

Banana-Cream Cheesecake

I saw this recipe in the Kraft recipe magazine that comes free in the mail occasionally. I tried it a couple of Sunday's ago. It was really easy and tasty. I didn't have a white cake mix, so I used a lemon one. It just made it a little extra lemony.

Banana-Cream Cheesecake
- kraft.com
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/banana-cream-cheesecake-111264.aspx


1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix, divided
4 eggs, divided
3 Tbsp. oil
2/3 cup packed brown sugar, divided
2 bananas, sliced
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 cups milk
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

HEAT oven to 300ºF. Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix. Mix remaining cake mix with 1 egg, oil and 1/3 cup sugar with mixer. (Mixture will be crumbly.) Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of greased 13x9-inch baking pan; top with bananas.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer. Add reserved cake mix, remaining eggs and lemon juice; beat 1 min. Blend in milk. (Batter will be very thin.) Pour into crust.

BAKE 45 to 50 to min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with COOL WHIP. Refrigerate leftovers.

Caramel Bars & Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I took these to my young women's class for 2 birthdays last week. I got the idea for the peanut butter cup cookies from a woman in my ward that made them a couple of weeks ago. For those you just use your favorite peanut butter cookie dough and put a heaping tablespoon of the dough in a mini cupcake pan. Then cook them according to cookie directions and when they come out of the oven and are still hot put a peanut butter cup in the middle. They're really good.

I found the caramel bars on allrecipes.com. They are seriously good good & easy.

Caramel Bars

- allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 32 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
* 5 tablespoons heavy cream
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup butter, melted
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press Half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Reserve the rest.
3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything.
4. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly toasted. Cut into squares while it is still warm.

Penne Rustica

I took dinner to a family last week and decided to try this recipe from yourhomebasedmom (see my side bar). It was very tasty. Not a healthy dish by any means, but good. I saved some of it in my fridge to reheat for my family later on in the week. I don't think this is a great make ahead dinner because it's cream based, so when you reheat it it makes it a little too oily. The flavor is great though. Just needs to be eaten right when it's made.

Penne Rustica
Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream.Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces.Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese.

Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes. If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Honey Lime Enchiladas

My sister-in-law Laura sent me this recipe a long long time ago to try & then I kept seeing it on various blogs with everyone saying how amazing it is. I finally got around to trying this last Sunday. I loved them. You have to like sweet/heat combo to like them though. Matt is not so big on the sweet/heat combo, so he said he would like them better with a lot less honey. Next time I will cut the honey by at least half. They were really really good though. & super easy!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
from Brittany at The Sisters' Cafe

http://mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/2008/03/honey-lime-enchiladas.html

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, I have substituted sour cream with good results)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

I LOVE Lion House's pumpkin bread recipe. It's SO SO good. I was at my friend Cristina's a few weeks ago and she was making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins from a recipe she just got from a friend. The muffins were really good & I wondered how close the recipe was to the Lion House bread recipe. Well...they're the EXACT same recipe except the muffins have choco chips in them. Bread or cupcakes, they're both SOOO good.

Lion House Pumpkin Bread
1 1/3 C Veg oil
5 eggs
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 pkg (6 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 C nuts (I don't add)

Grease pans. Mix well oil, eggs, pumpkin, beat well. Seperate bowl: sift flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Stir in pudding and nuts. Pour into pans. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Makes two loaves.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

I tried this for dinner last week. It was simple and really tasty. Not the most amazing casserole I've ever had, but good & I will make it again.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake
Submitted by Melanie @ allrecipes.com

2 Packages reduced sodium Stuffing mix
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 lb sliced deli ham, cut into 1 inch stips
1 cup swiss cheese shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
2 cups cooked chicken ( I used shredded--but I think cubed would be better)

Prepare stuffing mixes according to directions on box. Meanwhile in a bowl, combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Layer with ham, swiss cheese and 1 cups of cheddar cheese, soup mixture ans stuffing. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. At this point you can freeze. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer