Chicken Bryan

I have a confession about Pinterest. I'm a little embarrassed about it actually.  I kind of view it like a catalog.  I like to browse and look at all the fun stuff, but I rarely make the stuff.  I mean I'd love to.  If I had unlimited amounts of money and time, it would be fantastic.  I've heard about many flops people have had.  And I don't think I've had a Pinterest flop yet.  Because I almost never make them.  BUT I have.  And I've enjoyed them.  But it's not very often.  Every once in a while I find a Pinterest recipe that I really MUST make.  And this is one.  This is supposedly the recipe of my FAVORITE dish at Carrabbas.  Oh yum.  I am jumping up and down with excitement.  THIS ONE...will be made.  But not today.  New Years Eve we do fondue!

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
olive oil
4 ounces goat cheese
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 -4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
4 teaspoons onions, minced
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
8 tablespoons butter, divided
6 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon's worth)

Directions:

1
Brush chicken on both sides with olive oil, season to taste with Kosher salt and cracked pepper.
2
Grill chicken until done (internal temp of 165F) - prepare lemon butter sauce while chicken is grilling.
3
Sautee onion and garlic in 2 Tbps butter until soft and fragrant.
4
Add white wine and lemon juice, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes to reduce.
5
Add remaining 6 Tbsp butter, a little at a time, until it melts and mixture is emulsified.
6
Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil, heat until hot (but do not overheat or sauce may break).
7
Top nearly-done chicken breasts with 2 oz each of the goat cheese until cheese warms and softens.
8
To serve, spoon lemon butter sauce over chicken breasts.
9
Enjoy! I serve this dish with pasta tossed in butter or olive oil (the delicious lemon butter sauce will perfect it), garlic mashed potatoes and a green salad -- yummmm!

Pecan Puffs

This is a Heritage Recipe from my Grandma Olson.  It's a family tradition!

1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sifted flour
1 cup chopped nuts
2 Tbsp. water

--Cream sugar and butter.  Add vanilla, flour, nuts and water.  You may need a little more flour, but the dough should be quite stiff.  Roll a butterball size of dough in the palm of your hand.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Roll hot cookies in powdered sugar.

Melt Away Cookies

By popular request, Cliss's Melt Away Cookie Recipe from the Cookie Exchange!

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

1/2 lb. butter
3/4 cup corn starch
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Frosting:
3 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

--Mix smooth then place a small ball on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Cool completely then frost.

Soft Caramel Popcorn

Another Cliss recipe!

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup

--Boil all of the above on medium heat until sugar dissolves.

Then add:
1 can sweetened condensed milk

--Pour over popped corn.

Atticus's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend Cliss's husband (that's a mouthful) makes the best cookie.  They are like heaven.  When I had these he had put white chocolate and craisins in them, rather then chocolate chips.  Yum doesn't even begin to describe Neal's cookies.  (The family calls him Atticus.)

Mix in a Bowl:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

In the mixer first mix:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
Then add: 1 cup (2 sticks) butter (soft)
Then add: 1 egg & 1 teaspoon vanilla

Then slowly add: the flour mixture that was in the first bowl.

Last: add 2 cups chocolate.
(I will have to ask him, but I think I would put a cup of white chocolate chips AND a cup of craisins in.  At least until further notice I'm going to go with that.)
Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours and then cook for 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees.

Also, here's a list of tips he wrote down:
-make sure butter is soft
-don't use too much butter or sugar
-don't over beat butter
-chilling dough=prevents spreading (He told me this was the most important step.)
-higher temperature+shorter time=soft cookies

Vanilla Pecan Thumb Print Cookies

My friend Cliss made these for her daughters wedding.  I now dream about eating these all night.  So I thought it might be good to get the recipe.

2 cubes butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks (reserve whites)

--Cream sugar and butter until smooth, then add egg yolks.

Add:
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt

--Mix together.  Roll in a small ball (use scoop to make ball).  Roll ball in slightly beaten egg whites, then roll in chopped pecans (about 1 1/2 cups).  Place on parchments lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Cool slightly and press into ball with your thumb or a small spoon to make a dent in the middle of the cookie.  Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 Tbsp. water

--Mix ingredients well then pour into pastry bag.  Put dots of frosting into dent in the center of each cookie.

Pinwheel Cookies

Cook for 2 or 3 minutes and set aside to cool:
Filling:

1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup water

For crust:
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup shortening (margarine)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (heaping)

Cream together the shortening and the brown sugar. Add the eggs and mix until light. Add dry ingredients together. Roll the cookie dough out between sheets of parchment paper and spread with the date-nut mixture to about withing an inch of the edge. Dough may be divided into parts before rolling out for easier handling, if desired. Roll up like a jelly roll on parchment paper and put in refrigerator or freezer. Slice off cookies when ready to bake. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or less on greased cookie sheet.

Thanksgiving Turkey

It occurred to me I had never written down all my mom's tips and tricks for cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey.  So here it goes.  This is going to include stuffing and gravy. 

Step 1:  Stuffing

2-3 loaves of cheap white bread
2 onions
1 -2 sticks of butter
poultry seasoning
season salt
olive oil

Purchase either 2 loaves for a small turkey or 3 loaves for a large turkey, cheap white bread.  The nice stuff turns into a soggy mess. Cut bread into about one-inch cubes, but don't use the ends of the bread.  Coat the bread in poultry seasoning, until it is thoroughly coated light and evenly.  Next melt butter and brown onion in the butter until thoroughly cooked.  If you add a little bit of olive oil, the butter won't burn.  Once onions are soft, slowly mix the butter and onions over the coated bread, a little at a time until the bread is moistened.  Adding a little milk will help moisten the bread. 

Step 2: Turkey

Make sure turkey is defrosted.  This takes several days in the fridge.  Clean out inside cavities in the front and the back of the bird.  Take out the innards.  Do what you want to with them because they are gross and we don't use them.  Rinse out the cavity and stuff both front and back with dressing mixture.  Place an onion over the ends, directly under the skin to ensure the stuffing won't burn in the oven.  Using meat pins, seal the skin over the stuffing.  Rub bird with olive oil to assist with browning.

Place bird in an oven bag.  Breast up or breast down?  It depends.  Breast up will give you more juice drippings and will brown the bird.  Breast down gives you moister meat.  Also place in the bag about a Tbsp. of flour and 2 pinches of Thyme.  Seal the bag.

Cook bird at 350 degrees in the bag.  (It's 325 without it.)  Sorry, the length of time depends on the size of bird.  You need to do math here.  Sorry.  You really did need it.  It wasn't a waste.

When bird is cooked thoroughly, take out of oven and let it cool for a bit.

Step 3: Gravy

Get the drippings and place in a pan.  Make with flour and chicken broth for extra flavor. Season how you like. 

Step 4: The stuffing

Sometimes the stuffing needs extra cooking. Especially if you cooking it breast down.  Place in a baking dish and cook at 350 degrees until heated through.

Cheeksecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps

We recently went to Cheesecake Factory and there were two things we REALLY enjoyed.  And so I found the recipes! Matt loved this one in particular.

Ingredients:
    6-8 butter lettuce leaves
    thai chicken satays (recipe below)
    julienne carrots
    sesame bean sprouts (recipe below)
    thai coconut curry noodles (recipe below)
    thai marinaded cucumbers (recipe below)
    1 tablespoon roasted peanuts – chopped
    tamarind cashew dipping sauce (recipe below)
    thai peanut sauce (recipe below)
    sweet red chili sauce (recipe below)

Directions:
Remove the hard stems from the bottom of each leaf of lettuce.
Wash and dry the leaves and arrange in a group on a larger platter.
Remove 2 red cabbage leaves, wash and dry and slice in half vertically.
Arrange on the serving platter and fill with each one of the fillings (chicken, bean sprouts, thai coconut curry noodles and marinated cucumbers).
Let your friends or family create their own lettuce wraps by choosing a filling or fillings and placing it on a leaf along with a choice of sauce.
Fold the leaf in half and enjoy!

Here are the individual recipes:

Thai Chicken Satays
Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
4 green onions – cut into 1? pieces
8 Bamboo skewers (10-12 inches)

Directions:

Cut chicken into 3/4-inch strips
Place in a shallow glass dish
Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
Add water and mix thoroughly.
Pour over chicken.
Toss to coat all of the chicken pieces.
Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Soak bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to keep them from burning.
Drain the chicken and reserve the marinade.
Weave the chicken strips onto each skewers, alternation with green onion pieces. You may need to use several pieces to cover each skewer.
Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade.
Grill the skewers on an uncovered grill over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through the grilling.

Bean Sprouts
Ingredients:

1½ cups bean sprouts
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat the oil in a frying pan
Add the bean sprouts along with the other ingredients.
Cook over a medium-high heat until the bean sprouts are tender
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
Ingredients:

12 oz fresh egg noodles
1 tbsp minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp curry powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

Place the noodles in hot water, separating with a fork.
Let the noodles soak until tender or according to the directions on the package.
Drain and keep warm.
In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste.
When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients.
Continue to simmer for approximately 2 minutes.
Stir in the noodles and serve.

Thai Marinated Cucumbers
Ingredients:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 large cucumber – seeded

Directions:

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt in a small pan.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring until it boils and the sugar is dissolved.
Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Peel the cucumber and cut lengthwise into quarters and again crosswise into 1/8? slices.
Place in a serving bowl and pour marinade over cucumbers, stirring to blend.
Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Tamarind Cashew Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 medium garlic cloves – minced
2 green onions – chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tsp honey
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp
1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Combine cashews, hoisin sauce, garlic, green onion, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.
In a small sauce pan add oil, honey, rice wine vinegar and tamarind pulp.
Heat at medium for 1 minute.
Stir until the tamarind pulp is completely dissolved.
Add this to the cashew mixture and process until smooth
Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp water
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp chili oil

Directions:

Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan.
Stir mixture over a medium heat until it begins to bubble.
Cover the pan and remove from the heat.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tbsp sugar
1 lime – juiced
1 tsp garlic – minced
1 tsp red chili paste

Directions:

Combine the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and chili paste in a blender.
Puree until smooth.
Pour into bowls and serve.

Holiday Meatballs

This is a favorite of ours!


1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce
1 can of whole cranberries
1 package of frozen meatballs

--Place meatballs in a crockpot.  Mix chili sauce and whole cranberries together and pour over meatballs.  Cook meatballs on low for 2-3 hours.  Allow more time if you double the recipe.

Poppy Seed Bread

Ally went to a friends baptism a few months ago and fell in love with Poppy Seed Bread.  she requested it for her own baptism right before she went to bed the night before.  I kind of laughed at her and told her I don't think so.  It's too late, I'm making raspberry muffins.  Then she looked at me and said, "It's okay if you can't do it.  I will understand."

Crap.

Now I felt like I had to make it.  So I ran to the store to buy a loaf at 11:30 at night.  Turns out Poppy Seed Bread isn't so popular.  I couldn't find a loaf to save my life.  So then I thought, okay, I'll just make it.  But I couldn't find Poppy Seeds anywhere.  Just when I was about to give up hope, I found a muffin mix for Almond Poppy Seed.  Yay!  Even better.  But now I want to make it for Christmas.  And I found a recipe I would try.  It's from Taste of Home.  I generally have good luck with Taste of Home. So here you go.

• Prep: 20 min. Bake: 55 min. + cooling
• Yield: 32 Servings

20 55 75

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (I omit)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
• GLAZE:
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice  (I omit)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, poppy seeds, lemon juice and extracts; beat until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beating just until moistened.
• Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Combine glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over warm loaves. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Easy Vegetable Pizza

This is one of my favorite recipes.  I think it is a Pampered Chef recipe.  When I served it last night there was some discussion how my recipe was a little different.  I use dill to season it and a couple of the others used a ranch dressing packet.  I really love the taste of dip (in the right food) and would consider this a superior option, but that's just one persons opinion.  I also have a dill hamburger roll recipe that is to die for. Love them.  (Those two recipes are the reason I buy dill.  Oh  and I recently learned to put it on cooked carrots with butter.  Oh yum.)

2 (8-oz.) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. dill weed
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2  cup small fresh broccoli florets
1/3 cup cucumber slices, seeded and quartered
1/4 cup shredded carrot

--Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll both cans of dough into 4 long rectangles.  Place in ungreased jelly roll pan; press over bottom and up sides to form crust.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled.  In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder; blend until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.  Top with vegetables.  Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.  Cut into squares.

Artichoke Nibbles

This is one new thing I served at Sit n chat last night.  All the others were already on here.  :)  I also served Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars, a fruit tart and Veggie Pizza. 

2 jars (6-oz.) marinated artichokes
1 small onion
1 clove garlic, mashed
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. Tabasco
1-lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup bread crumbs

--Drain juice from 1 artichoke jar into frying pan, add onion and garlic, and saute until onion is limp (5 minutes).  Chop all artichokes and set aside.  In a bowl beat eggs with fork; add crumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, and Tabasco.  Stir in cheese, artichokes and onion mixture.  Pour into greased 9x9 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool in pan slightly.  Cut in 1-inch squares.

Note:  Prepare ahead and store in refridgerator and bake it when you are ready to serve or freeze unbaked 2 months.

MY note:  I actually ended up treating this like any dip.  My brain did not want to eat this without chips, so I served it with chips and let people spoon it out.  It was pretty tasty how I served it.  I'm not sure about the other way.  Someone will have to let me know.  :)

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

I had my dinner group over for my birthday.  We divyed out the food and I ended up with sides.  So I wanted to make mashed red potatoes but needed a fairly simple recipe.  I found this one from Taste of Home.  They were great!

Ingredients

• 8 medium red potatoes, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk, warmed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
• Drain well. Add the butter, milk and salt; mash. Stir in cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

The Best Cornbread

If I'm going to share this, I'd better make sure it is actually up here. :)

1 cup melted butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups flour

(Substitute for buttermilk: 1 cup=1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar plus milk to make one cup. Let stand for 5 minutes.  Or Dissolve 1 tsp. baking soda in 2 cups milk.)

Melt butter and stir in sugar.  Beat in eggs.  Mix baking soda in buttermilk, and then add in with remaining ingredients.  Bake in a well greased 9 x 13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (until fork inserted in middle comes out clean.)

Sometimes I make them in to muffins or mini loaves and adjust the baking time accordingly.

Tomato and Garlic Pasta

This is a great one that Matt found.  I loved it.  It reminded me of restaurant food.  It met with mixed results with the kids.

Ingredients:
1 (8-oz.) pkg. angel hair pasta
2 lbs. tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. tomato paste (we preferred it without the tomato paste)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Place tomatoes in a kettle, and cover with cold water.  Bring just to a boil.  Pour off water and cover again with cold water.  Peel.  Cut into small pieces.
2.  Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
3. In a large skillet or saute pan, saute the garlic in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  The garlic should just become opaque, not brown.  Stir in the tomato paste.  Immediately stir i nthe tomatoes, and salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, and simmer until the pasta is ready; add the basil.
4. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse in cold water.  Toss with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and then mix into the sauce.  Reduce the heat as low as possible.  Keep warm, uncovered, for about 10 minutes when it is ready to serve.  Garnish generously with fresh Parmesan cheese.
5. VARIATIONS: Saute fresh quartered mushrooms with the garlic, or add shoestring zucchini along with the tomato.

YIELDS 4 servings.

Pizza Margherita/Cinnamon Sticks

Crust:
5 tsp. yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp. salt

Topping:
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh basil
6 tomatoes diced
salt and pepper
1 lb. mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes).  Add sugar, oil, flour and salt.  Knead dough on low speed until dough is elastic, about 8-10 minutes.  Add up to 1 cup of flour until dough pulls away from bowl.  Remove from bowl and form into a ball and transfer into greased bowl.  Cover and let stand in a draft free spot until dough doubles in size (1 1/2 to 2 hours).  Cut dough in half and let stand for 10 minutes.  Roll out dough on cookie sheet and sprinkle half the Parmesan cheese, basil, tomatoes and mozzarella over dough.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over top.  Drizzle the pizza evenly with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and cook @ 500 degrees for 10 -15 minutes.

Makes two pizzas.

Or you can make Cinnamon Sticks with the other pizza dough:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp. whipping cream (or milk)
1 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Roll out dough on a cookie sheet.  Spread butter over the top and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the butter.  Cook at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes or until the sugar starts to bubble.  Then drizzle icing over the top.

Blueberry Muffins

Muffins:

2 cups (or less) fresh blueberries (raspberries are great too in this!)
1 1/8 cups plus 1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. water
2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter melted and cooled
1/4 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Bring 1 cup blueberries, water and 1 tsp. sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, mashing the blueberries with potato masher or fork.  Frequently stirring until blueberries are broken down and mixture is thick and reduced by halfway.  Transfer to smaller bowl, cool to room temperature.  Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in large bowl.  Whisk remaining sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and combined well.  Slowly mix in butter and oil until combined whisk in buttermilk and vanilla.  Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup of blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened (batter will be very lumby with few spots of dry flour, do not overmix.)

Using a cookie scoop or spoon to divide batter equally among the tins (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly.)  Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter.  Using a chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter (figure 8 motion).  Sprinkle lemon sugar topping or struesel topping over muffins.

Bake until golden brown and firm, 17 to 19 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack for five minutes.

Lemon Sugar Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

Combine.

Struesel Topping:
3 Tbsp. white sugat
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
5 Tbsp. melted butter

Combine.

Breakfast Rolls

These are seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten.  Very addicting!

1 Tbsp. yeast or 1 package of yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 - 5 cups flour (usually about 4 1/2 cups)
3 Tbsp. oil
1 egg

Mix yeast and water in a bowl and let sit about five minutes or until doubled.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, and sugar.

Add oil and egg in the bowl with the yeast.  Then add dry ingredients to the yeast bowl.

Let dough rise until double in size.  (Note:  You can turn an oven on to 100 degrees and set dough in for a fast rise time.  Turn oven off when you put dough in oven.)  Doubling generally takes about 45 minutes.

After dough has doubles roll dough into a large rectangle and about 1/3 to 1/4 inch thickness.   Then you can stuff the dough like cinnamon rolls.

Spread softened butter on the top layer, then garlic spread (availiable at Costco), and then a meat layer of either ham, sausage or ham.  Last layer is either cut up string cheese or shredded mozzerella. 

Roll dough and then cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices with dental floss.    Place each slice in a muffin tin (paper liner not needed) and pinch the top of the roll closed so the stuffing doesn't come out while baking.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 loaf Texas Toast bread
1 recipe Syrup Butter
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

In a small saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium, heat until smooth, stirring occasionally.  Pour mixture onto large greased 18 x 13 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.  Spread to cover surface.  Place 12 slices of Texas Toast bread in a single layer to cover pan.  Mix together eggs, cream, salt and vanilla.  Spoon mixture over each piece of bread.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees, for about 30 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve.  If not serving immediately turn each slice of bread over (this will prevent bread from sticking to the bottom of the pan.) Makes 12 servings.

Syrup Butter
Melt together 1 1/2 cups butter and 3 cups maple syrup.

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf bread, cut into 1 inch-cubes (10 cups)
8 eggs
4 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
2 Tbsp.  butter, cubbed
3 Tbsp. sugar, mixed with 2 tsp. cinnamon

Bake bread in greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Beat remaining ingredients.  Pour over bread and cover.  Put in fridge overnight.  Remove 30 minutes before baking.  Dot with butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.  Serve with syrup.

Cinnamon Syrup
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp.  cinnamon

Stir constantly.  Boil 2 minutes over medium heat.  Add 1/2 cup evaporated milk.  Cool for 30 minutes.  (Will be hot.)

Egg Casserole

We are going to do a brunch for Ally's baptism.  So I am collecting recipes for that as well.

18 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cheese
2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream or cottage cheese
1/4 cup green onions
1 cup ham, sausage or bacon, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients.  Bake in 9 x 13 inch pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Top with more grated cheese; cook until melted.  Cook for 50 to 55 minutes.

Peach Cobbler Cupcakes

I'm posting this because I think it sounds good.  :)

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 lb. sliced peaches
2 Tbsp. sugar

Mix together cake mix, eggs, butter, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Place sliced peaches in a large bowl and sprinkle sugar on top.  Toss gently and set aside.

Pour about 2 Tablespoon batter in the bottom of each paper liner.  Place equal amount of peaches on top of each batter-filled paper liner.  Fill the remaining paper liner 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 -20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Angel Food Toasted Coconut

One more cupcake recipe for the wedding luncheon.  It is this week!  All these cupcake recipes are from 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 minutes by Wendy Paul.

1 box angel food cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups toasted coconut flakes
1 recipe vanilla buttercream frosting

Mix together cake mix and water on low until moistened.  Slowly increase speed until batter is fluffy and light.  Pour batter into paper liners.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 -25 minutes or until cake is light and golden in color.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, place coconut flakes on a cookie sheet, spreading out in a single layer.  Bake at 400 degrees, checking every minute.  It will only take about 2 - 4 minutes.  The coconut will become fragrant and brown very easily.  Set aside to cool.

Frost cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and top with toasted coconut.

Buttercream Frosting

8 Tbsp. (1 stick butter, room temperature)
3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3-4 Tbsp. milk or cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Change of plan for the wedding luncheon I'm helping with!  Cupcakes instead of sheetcakes!

1 box white cake mix

1/3 cup pink lemonade concentrate

½ cup buttermilk

3 eggs

2-3 drops red food coloring

Mix together all ingredients until smooth.

Pour batter into paper liners and fill ¾ full.

Bake 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Cool completely before frosting.

Pink Lemonade Cream

8 Tbsp. (1 stick butter, room temperature

3 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted

3-4 Tbsp. Milk or cream

1-2 drops red food coloring

2 tsp. lemon extract

--Place butter in a large mixing bowl.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.  Stop the mixer before adding the sugar to avoid a large mess.

Add sugar, 3 Tbsp. milk or cream, food coloring, and lemon extract.  Beat frosting starting on slow speed and increasing your speed until frosting is nice and creamy.  Add up to 1 more Tbsp of milk or cream if frosting is too thick.

Root Beer Float Cupcakes

1 white cake mix

1 cup of you favorite root beer

1 recipe vanilla Buttercream

1 tsp. root beer flavoring

--Mix together root beer and cake mix.  Pour into paper liners and fill ¾ full.

Bake at 350 degree for 15-18 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

In a separate bowl, mix buttercream frosting and root beer flavoring.  Frost cooled cupcakes.

Rootbeer Buttercream

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted

3-4 Tbsp. milk or cream

1 tsp. vanilla flavoring

Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.  Stop the mixer before adding sugar to avoid a large mess.

Add sugar, 3 tbsp. milk or cream, and root beer flavoring. 

Beat frosting, starting on slow and increasing your speed until frosting is nice and creamy.  Add up to 1 more Tbsp. of milk or cream if frosting is too thick.

Cookie and Cream Dream Cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

18-24 whole chocolate sandwich cookie, crumbled

1 recipe vanilla buttercream frosting

--Mix together cake mix, sour cream, eggs,and vanilla . Place a spoonful of batter on the bottom of each paper liner.  Place a whole cookie on the bottom lying flat.  Cover with remaining batter until ¾ full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-28 minutes.  Allow cupcakes to cool on a rack completely.

Add crumbled cookies to buttercream frosting.  Be generous and frost cupcakes nice and high.

Vanilla Buttercream

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted

3-4 Tbsp. milk or cream

2 tsp. vanilla

Place butter in a large mixing bowl.  Beat until light and fluffly, about 30 seconds.  Stop beating before adding sugar to avoid a large mess.

Add sugar, 3 Tbsp. milk or cream, and vanilla extract.  Beat frosting starting on slow, increasing your speed until frosting is nice and creamy.  Add up to 1 more Tbsp milk or cream if frosting is too thick.

Root Beer Float Cookies

Root Beer Float Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen large cookies or 4 dozen medium cookies (depending how big you like 'em!)


Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. root beer extract or concentrate

4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Frosting Ingredients:

4 cups powdered sugar (or icing sugar)

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. root beer extract or concentrate

 
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in buttermilk and root beer extract. 

Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. 

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375º for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. 

In a mixing bowl, combine all frosting ingredients. Beat until smooth. 

Frost cooled cookies.

Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Frosting

This is from the Daily Herald.  Jan made it for her book party. 

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

• 1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
• 1 box (5.9 ounces) chocolate pudding
• 1 cup sour cream (I use low fat)
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all of the above ingredients with a mixer. This batter will be quite thick, much thicker than typical cake batter. Use two paper-lined muffin tins to make 24 cupcakes.
Unwrap mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and push one into the center of each cupcake. Bake for 18 minutes. (I don't bake them a minute longer than that. At 18 minutes they are just barely done. I like them very soft and moist. If yours don't appear done, let them go a minute or two longer.)

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup butter, softened                                                                
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 teaspoons milk 

Beat above ingredients together with an electric mixer. I usually just use a Ziploc bag to pipe the frosting on because I like to be able to throw it away when I am done. Fill the bag, snip a corner off, and pipe.
I also melted some chocolate chips, threw in some butter and then drizzled a little chocolate on top. Put a mini Reese's cup on top of the cupcake for extra flair.

Banana Cake

This recipe is different from the Nana-Sour Cream Bars.  I also got this from Cliss.

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups (3) ripe mashed bananas
1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt

Mix first five (wet) ingredients together.  Then mix in the last few dry ingredients.  Pour into a jellyroll pan (15 x 10 x 1) and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Until it is brown on top.

Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1 package cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients.  Frost cake while it is still warm but not hot so it can cool smoothly on the cake.

Texas Sheet Cake

 I got this recipe from Cliss. 

In a small saucepan melt:
2 cubes margarine or butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla

In a mixing bowl, mix:
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 milk and 1 tsp. vinegar)
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda

Add saucepan mix, then add:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt

Pour into greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 25 minutes.

Frosting

1 cube butter or margarine
3 Tbsp. cocoa
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 4 cups)

Mix and frost while cake is warm, but not hot, so the frosting cools down as a smooth glaze.

Strawberry Sheet Cake

I have been collecting sheet cake recipes for a wedding luncheon.  There are three different cake recipes.

--Prepare a white or yellow cake mix as directed on the box. It can be
prepared in a 13x9" pan or in a jelly roll pan. (We usually do the jelly
roll pan so that it will serve more people). Once the cake has cooled
completely, mix the following:

3 cups powdered sugar
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (softened)

Mix these two together until smooth, then add one 8 oz. carton of Cool
Whip. Spread out evenly on the cake, then try to build up a small ridge
around the edge of the cake to help hold on the strawberries.

Mix up 1 package of Strawberry Danish Dessert and add fresh strawberries.
Spread carefully on top of the cream cheese layer and refrigerate.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

I got this from the Our Best Bites cookbook.  I was a little afraid to try it because I honestly am not a huge fan of peppers.  But I really loved it.  It was spicy because of the pepper jack cheese, but that was just fine with me.  I did not find it overly spicy at all.  So tasty.

1 (7-oz.) jar roasted red peppers (about 1 cup diced)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
12 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  If using bottled peppers, remove them from the jar and blot the excess water with paper towels--a lot of excess moisture will affect the texture of the dip.  Dice the peppers and set aside.
3.  Combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese, onion, garlic and Dijon mustard.  Add in the shredded cheese and the diced peppers.  Place in an 8 x 8- inch (or similar size) dish like a pie plate.  At this point, you can cover it and refrigerate the uncooked dip for 2-3 days.
Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes.  Baking time depends on the size of the dish used/  Remove from the oven when the dip is golden and bubbly on top.  Serve immediately.

THE Party Punch

This was very good.  I made it exactly as they said to here.  It was tasty and not overly sweet.  But I didn't think it would be awful with regular 7-up.  It probably depends on what you are used to.  But it was definitely a hit.  Thank you Pinterest.  I think I may try this with Club Soda some time.  It is tasty, but I don't like using sugar-free drinks.

1 can frozen piña colada concentrate, thawed (Bacardi makes a good one)
1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
4 liters of diet lemon-lime soda (That’s two 2-liters for the mathematically challenged.)
1 bag of pebble ice (You can buy it at Sonic Drive-In or at most grocery stores in the deli or meat departments.)
1 bag of frozen raspberries
Directions:
Pour the thawed concentrates into your punchbowl and stir.
Use one of the empty cans and fill it with water four times and add it to the mixture. Stir.
Add your diet soda to the mixture. (You can use regular sugar-filled soda if you want, but I think it gets too sweet and you will also feel guilty when you fill your glass for the sixteenth time. Which you WILL.)
Next, add about half your bag of pebble ice.
**Please do not insult The Punch by using crappy ice cubes from your freezer. The Punch will hate you forever.
*** Please do not screw up the order and add the ice before the soda. You will get an ugly foam at the top of your punch bowl.
Add your frozen raspberries to the top.

Spumoni Cake

How many of you have been to a nice Italian restaurant and loved the Spumoni?  Well I have.  I love Spumoni. One of my very favorites (along with Creme Brulee).  Oh yum.

My Aunt Emmie made this for us.  It was delicious.  It is adapted from a Pistachio Cake recipe.

Cake:
1 white cake mix
1 pkg. pistachio pudding mix (3.4 oz.)
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 can 7-up (12-oz.)
1 bottle of maraschino cherries, cherries cut in half

Frosting:
1 pkg. pistachio instant pudding mix (3.4 oz.)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 container whipped topping

1.)  Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 nine-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2.)  In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil and 7-up in a large bowl for 4 minutes on medium speed.
3.)  Divide batter in the two pans, place cherries gently on each pan of cake batter (until the top surface is covered) and cook at 350 for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean, when tested.
4.) Let cake cool in pans for 15 minutes and then put on wire racks to completely cool.
5.)  When cool, mix frosting by mixing pudding and milk in a large bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes.
6.)  Fold in the whipped topping.
7.) Frost cooled cake, with frosting in the middle and on the top and sides.
8.) Serve with chocolate ice cream and enjoy!

Luau Recipes

No, I've never been to Hawaii.  Not that I don't want to go, it just hasn't happened yet.  But I love the food.

I have a few other luau recipes on here already.  And I needed more.  Because....I've been trying to find more ideas for big group meals.

In the past, when I wanted to have a bunch of people over for dinner (30+ people), I have used the following ideas:

Soup and Sandwiches
Mexican (Enchiladas, refried beans, salsa, chips, guacamole, etc.)
Cafe Rio Salads
Barbecue (Shredded Chicken, Shredded Pork or Beef Brisket, with Potato Salad, Baked Beans, etc.)

I could always do Italian food, Asian and stuff like that,

But I wanted to expand my horizons.  And my kids food palates.

So I've been surfing the web for more Luau recipes.  I've found a couple of sites I want to start from:

Go Hawaii

And the recipes on Go Hawaii.

I plan on asking this amazing cook in our ward as well.  Let's see how far I get before my next big event, Ally's Baptism.  So anyone want to come to our Luau in November.  :)

Rice Krispie Treats

I know.

This is an old standard.

But every time I've made it recently it was so hard and unpleasant.  The ones that are in the little blue packages taste funny.  They have a slightly bitter taste that is SCREAMING preservatives.  These are really not hard to make.  I used to make them all the time and they were awesome.  But what had I done?  How could I make them as awesome as I remember them being?

So I looked up the recipe.

And someone had nicely done an experiment on the best way to make Rice Krispie Treats and posted the results.

Awesome.

The full results are HERE.

But I'm going to tell you what I got out of it.  Add extra marshmallows.  (Which I kind of assumed, but I wasn't sure the of the amount.)

So here is the recipe as far as I am concerned:

               4 tbsp. butter
               5 cups mini-marshmallows
               5 3/4 cups Rice Krispies

--Over very low heat, melt butter in a pot.  Once melted, add marshmallows, melt thoroughly and cook for one more minute.  Turn off heat and stir in the cereal.  Transfer into a pan, cover with wax paper and press down.  Allow 20 minutes to cool and cut up and eat.  Best if eaten fresh.

Variation:  Add 1/2 cup of peanut butter to the marshmallow mixture.  Make the same way after that, but drizzle chocolate on top.

One of my favorite things are regular Rice Krispies dipped in chocolate.  So good.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Another one from "100 Days of Real Food."

• 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup oil (I used coconut oil)
• ½ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup chopped tree nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients (from the flour down to the salt).
3. Make a well (hole) in the center and throw in the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla. Stir together thoroughly with a fork, but do not overmix.
4. Fold in the pumpkin puree and nuts (if using).
5. Generously grease a large loaf pan or put muffin liners in a muffin pan and then pour in the batter.
6. For a loaf bake for approximately 30 – 40 minutes and for muffins bake for approximately 18 – 22 minutes. Check for doneness by making sure a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Zucchini Bread

I've been trying to collect recipes that are more "whole food recipes."  I don't mind cooking things from scratch, but I never know what to cook.  Where do you start?  Well, I learned how to do it.  You start with one thing at a time.  Matt makes salsa, spaghetti, red beans and rice, and a few other things he is really good at.  And I make Alfredo sauce, and I am a pretty good baker.  We've been trying to make our food choices more and more healthy.   My sister showed me a website called "100 Days of Real Food".  So I'm going to start with a couple that look great.


INGREDIENTS:

3 cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
¾ cup oil (I used coconut oil)
¾ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped nuts (optional – I have tried both pecans and almonds, although walnuts would be good too)
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F for small loaf pans or 325 degrees F for large loaf pan or muffins.
Blend the dry ingredients.
Make a well (or hole) in the center and pour in the eggs, oil, honey and vanilla. Stir just until mixed – do not overmix.
Fold in the grated zucchini and chopped nuts if using. Pour batter into greased loaf pan(s) or muffin holders and bake until a toothpick comes clean in the top/center of the loaf or muffin.
If using smaller pans bake for 30 – 40 minutes. I was able to fill four of my small loaf pans.
For one larger loaf pan bake for 50 – 60 minutes.
For muffins bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
Enjoy and don’t forget to freeze the leftovers!

Boston Market Chicken

I love, LOVE, going out to eat. It is my weakness. My favorites are Cafe Rio, Kneaders, Magelby's Fresh, Rubio's and El Pollo Loco. Which I can all find locally. Yay me!

My VERY favorite I can't find here anymore. It went out while I was in college. Boston Market is the BEST. It way beats out KFC in taste and yumminess. And it's better for you as well. Many years ago I tracked down the recipe for Boston Market Chicken. I huffed a little when I saw the recipe because it called for Chicken BREASTS. What? Anyone, who is ANYONE, knows they keep the skin on their chicken. So I used a whole, cut up chicken. It worked fairly well, even though it wasn't rotisserie.

1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1/4 tsp. paprika

4 chicken breast halves, washed and patted dry

--Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Ina small bowl, combine canola oil, honey, lime juice and paprika. Place chicken, skin side up, in a 7x11 inch baking dish. Apply mixture to chicken pieces in a single layer. Bake in over for 35-40 minutes, basting every 8-10 minutes, until well browned and juices run clear when you cut into the thickest part of the chicken. Remove from oven. Cover with foil for 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Fingers

These remind me of the school lunch peanut butter fingers. Yum!

--Cream together the following:

1/2 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cup peanut butter

--Add the mixed remaining ingredients:

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup oatmeal

3/4 tsp. soda

1/3 tsp. salt

--Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool. Spread thin layer of peanut butter when still warm. Top with chocolate frosting. This was made in a jellyroll pan when I had it. It can also be made in a 9 x13 pan.

Chocolate Frosting:

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cube butter

6 Tbsp. milk

--Bring to a boil. Add:

4 cups powdered sugar

4 tsp. vanilla

1 cup nuts (walnuts)

--Mix together thoroughly, then pour over Peanut Butter Fingers while they are still warm, but not hot!

Sausage and Lentil Soup

My friend Kerri posted a couple of soup recipes. I haven't tried them but all my friends loved them. It came from kalynskitchen.com.

Spicy Sausage, Lentil, and Tomato Soup
(Makes about 6-8 servings, recipe adapted from Sausage and Lentil Soup at The Joy of Soup.)

2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (or more, depending on your pan)
1 onion, chopped small
1 cup finely diced celery
1 T minced garlic (or less, but I like a lot of garlic in this)
1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried Greek or Turkish oregano (or regular oregano will work, but don't use Mexican oregano)
1 tsp. ground fennel seed (optional, but this really adds to the flavor)
5 links (19.5 oz.) hot turkey Italian Sausage (check the label to find turkey Italian sausage with less than 10% fat for South Beach Diet)
8 cups chicken stock (or use 5 cans chicken broth; 14.5 oz. can, and freeze the extra 8 oz.)
3 cans petite dice tomatoes with juice (14.5 oz. can)
1 1/2 cups dried brown lentils
2 dried bay leaves
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil, add chopped onion and celery and saute until it's just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 1 minute more, then add red pepper flakes, dried thyme, dried oregano, and ground fennel seed and saute 1 minute more. Put onion mixture into large soup pot.

Add 2 tsp. more olive oil, squeeze turkey sausage out of casings and saute until the sausage is nicely browned, breaking it apart with a metal turner as it cooks. (You may need a bit more olive oil if you don't use a non-stick pan.) Add browned sausage to soup pot, then deglaze the pan with 2 cups of the chicken stock, scraping the browned sausage bits off the bottom of the pan, and add that to soup pot.

Add the rest of the chicken stock, diced tomatoes and juice, dried lentils, and bay leaves to the soup pot. Heat soup until it's barely boiling, then reduce heat and simmer on low for about 1 hour or until lentils are soft when you bite into one.

When lentils are soft, remove about 1/3 of soup mixture and use an immersion blender, food processor, or blender to puree the mixture until it's very smooth, about 2 minutes. (Be very careful with the hot soup if you use a food processor or blender.)

Add pureed mixture back into the soup left in the pot, stir to combine, and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes more, until soup is as thick as you'd like it. (The longer you cook it the thicker it will get.) Taste soup, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley if desired.

This soup freezes well, so you might want to make a double batch and freeze some for lunches to take to work.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1 cup Spinach; rinsed and chopped
14 oz Artichoke hearts; drained and chopped
8 oz Cream Cheese
¼ cup Sour Cream
¼ cup Mayonnaise
½ cup Parmesan cheese; grated
½ cup Mozzarella cheese; grated
½ tsp Red Pepper flakes
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Garlic powder

Heat Cream Cheese in microwave until hot and soft. Stir in the rest of ingredients and place in oven safe dish, sprinkle cheese on top and heat in oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and dip is warmed all the way through.

Raspberry Bread Pudding

Raspberry Bread Pudding Recipe

1 1/2 loaves aged, white bread

1 qt. heavy cream

3 C. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

5 C. raspberries, fresh or frozen (hers were fresh)

1 C. sugar

1/2 C. apple juice

In a large bowl mix the cream, sugar, egg and vanilla.

Cut bread into 1 1/2 inch cubes and add to cream mixture,

coating the bread well. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring every

5 minutes to allow cream to absorb.

Mix the raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring

until sugar is dissolved.

Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan 3/4 full with the bread mix

and pour fruit filling over the bread mix, spreading evenly.

Top with the remaining bread. Bake 40 minutes at 375.

Serve warm topped with vanilla cream sauce.

(If you want it to cut into nice squares you can chill

it and then cut it into squares, then microwave it

for 20-25 seconds per piece and top with sauce.)

Vanilla Cream Sauce

1 1/3 C. butter

5 T. flour

3 C. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp vanilla

2/3 C. sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan and add flour. Stir

10 minutes until it has a nutty aroma, do not brown. Add

salt, cream and sugar until mix is thick. Remove from heat

and stir in vanilla. Serve warm over the pudding.