Toasted Goodness Brownies

Toasted Goodness Brownies

2 1/2 c.  coconut
2 1/2 c. marshmallow
1/2 c. peanut
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1 c. flour
14 oz. sweet and condensed milk

your favorite brownie recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make brownies according to your directions.  Spread into a greased 9x12 pan.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the above ingredients into a large bowl.  After the 15 minutes, remove the brownies from the oven and spread coconut mixture over top.  Continue to bake until brownies are cooked through.  Ab out 10 to 15 minutes more.

Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies

2 c. oats, 
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. butter, soften
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 c. peanut butter
3/4 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. butterscotch chips
3/4 c. m&m's
3/4 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium bowl mix together  oats, flour and baking soda.  Set a side. In an electric mixer or with a hand held mixture, mix butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.  Next add eggs until well incorporated and then add honey and vanilla. Once this is well mixed add in the bananas and then the peanut butter.  Slowly add in oat mixture until well blended.  With a wooden spoon add in chips and raisins.  I made big cookies with this recipe, so I took a 1/4 measuring cup and scooped out 5 cookie balls per baking sheet and then baked then for 10-13  minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from baking sheets and let cool or a wire rack. 

Almond Toffee Bites

My least favorite so far.  I didn't have almonds so maybe that's it or I just made them wrong.  Don't get me wrong.  They're good but not great.

Almond Toffee Bites
http://www.shugarysweets.com/2012/12/almond-toffee-bites

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

This one was a last minute addition to my list.  I had some left over pumpkin in the fridge that needed to be used.  So I found a recipe and went with it.  Another keeper!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/09/pumpkin-snickerdoodles/

Ritz Crackers Candy

This one was a lot of fun to make but I made a few changes to the original recipe.  I felt that the portion sides were off so instead of half cups I used full cups.  ie: 1 c. chocolate chip, 1 c. walnuts, 1 c. white chips and then instead of peanut butter chips I used 1 c. butterscotch chips.

Ritz Crackers Candy

http://www.southernbellesimple.com/2012/11/anti-recipes-ritz-cracker-candy.html?m=1

Georgia Pralines

Need I say more.  I love these little guys!

Georgia Pralines
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/georgia-pralines/

Kookie Cookies

The name is perfect for these guys.  Another confusing treat: fritos and peanut butter.  You decide.

Kookie Cookies
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2011/05/19/peanut-butter-and-corn-chip-no-bake-cookies/

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I made these last year and they were a fan favorite.  I didn't have enough chocolate however, so I used butterscotch chips to deep the rest of the pretzel bites in.  I also had enough butterscotch left over to drizzle over all of the bites.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites
http://twotinykitchens.com/2011/02/23/peanut-butter-pretzel-bites/

Chocolate Cherry Marshmallow Crunch Bars

I don't know what to say about this one.  It's tasty but confusing at the same time.  The different layers are so different.

Chocolate Cherry Marshmallow Crunch Bars
http://www.momontimeout.com/2013/02/chocolate-cherry-marshmallow-crunch-bars/

Annalise's 4th Birthday Party

We had a ton of fun this past weekend celebrating my daughter's 4th birthday.  It was Hello Kitty and winter themed.  Oh, and did I mention everything had to be pink! The candy, the cake, the decor....lets just say it was a pink nightmare.  But for my girl, anything goes.  Hope you enjoy and maybe you'll get some ideas for your pink lover.

Christmas Cookie Extraviganza...Coffee Cake Cookies

Every year my mom and I make as few as 40 different kinds of cookies and then put together cookie boxes for our friends and family.   This year is no different however, I decided to post the cookies I'm making and the websites from which them came.  I'll post one each day until all are complete.  Enjoy!

Coffee Cake Cookies
http://www.ohbiteit.com/2013/01/coffee-cake-cookies.html


These cookies were super easy and the Hubby really enjoyed them.

Twice Baked Meat Lovers Potato Pizza!

This ones a mouth full, not only to say but they are hard to put down.  Be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen because this recipe is a bit time consuming but it's worth it.  Enjoy!

Twice Baked Meat Lovers Potato Pizza!

10 russet potatoes
1/2 lb. chorizo or Italian sausage
1 c. finely chopped honey ham
1 c. finely chopped pepperoni
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. butter
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. mozzarella
2-3 c. pizza sauce
10 slices provolone

Preheat oven to 350.  Wash potatoes and poke holes in them with a fork.  Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour or until potato skins start to crinkle.  Meanwhile, ground and brown sausage until completely cooked.  Once the potatoes are finished, let cook for 5-10 minutes.  Cut them in half and scoop out potato into a large bowl.  Place skins back onto the baking sheet.  Melt butter and garlic pour over potatoes.  Then add whipping cream and sour cream.  Beat on low speed until well incorporated.  Mix in sausage, ham, pepperoni and mozzarella.  Fill up the potato skins with potato mixture.  Top off with pizza sauce.  Cut provolone slices in half and place them on top of sauce.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese in completely mielted.

Beer Cheese Soup

I took a bit of a vacation from blogging but now I'm back!  It is currently snowing and starting to stick.  That means it's soup tonight. I made beer cheese soup tonight and then gathered some more ingredients to thicken it up a bit. But I'll give you the base of the soup.

Beer Cheese Soup 

2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. sharp cheddar
12 oz. beer (I used Sam Adams Winter Lager)
3 c. chicken broth
paprika, salt and pepper for taste.

optional:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground sausage
1 c. spinach, finely chopped
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

Bring 2 c. heavy whipping cream to a boil in a large pot.  Stir in cheddar until completely melted.  Add broth and beer. Stir in paprika, salt and pepper for taste.  Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Now if you would like to add a little more, saute'onions and garlic with the sausage until  meat is fully cooked.  Add mixture to cheese soup, as well as spinach and tomatoes.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

I'm going back to my roots on this one.  I loved soups growing up and my family always made homemade soups and grilled sandwiches during the cold weather season.  Let me tell you, it's 45 degrees here and dang it, I want my comfort food.  Yummy cheddar broccoli soup, paired with a tuna melt.  Enjoy!

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

2 Tbs olive oil
1 bunch on broccoli, cooked and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. heavy cream
2 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
3 c. vegetable or chicken broth
dash of pepper, sea salt and paprika for taste.

In a saute pan, saute olive oil broccoli, onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Meanwhile, in a large pot bring the heavy cream to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add cheddar cheese.  Stir until completely melted.  Add in broccoli mixture, broth, and seasonings.  Cover and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Caramel Apple Cake

Caramel Apple Cake

1 c. sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. apple cider
1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 and spread a 10 inch round cake pan with non-stick spray. Using an electric mixer combined sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Next beat in vanilla.  Once that is combined add baking soda, cinnamon and flour, until well incorporated.  On lowest speed beat in cider and milk.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

Caramel Frosting

1 c. butter, softened
4 c. powder sugar
9 oz. caramel, melted

Cream butter with an electric mixer.  Add powder sugar one cup at a time until well incorporated.  Add cooled caramel and beat until well blended.  Last, add creamer.  Once the cake has cooled, spread frosting over top.  I added some melted chocolate and chopped peanuts for added yumminess.


I had to make 3 cakes this past weekend.  These are the other two.

Monte Cristo PB&J Sandwiches

When ever I would go to my grandmothers house for lunch, I would salivate.  She made the most simple meals but they always tasted so darn good.  One of my personal favorites was the grilled PB&J.  I now make them all the time for my family and friends.  (Got to carry on the tradition, you know!)  Anyway, I have know idea where it came from but I was think, why not make the traditional PB&J that I love so much and go all Monte Cristo style on it.  Enjoy!

Monte Cristo PB&J Sandwiches

Bread, I used cinnamon raisin bread (Yummy!)
Peanut Butter
Strawberry Jelly
1 1/2 c flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 1/3 c water
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
vegetable oil
powder sugar

makes about 6

Heat up vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to 350.  Prepare the batter.   In a large bowl mix flour and baking powder.  In a separate bowl mix water, egg, and vanilla.  Add egg mixture to flour.  Stir until thick and gooey. Prepare PB&J sandwiches as you would any other.  Place sandwiches into batter and coat evenly.  Fry the sandwiches in heated oil until golden brown on both sides.  Let access oil drain on a paper towel and then dust with powder sugar.  Serve immediately.  We enjoyed our sandwiches with breakfast sausages. The perfect combo.

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup..Brussels Sprout Bruschetta and Cheesy Garlic Bread

I am all for comfort food and for me fall is all about comfort.  I went to our local farmers market this past weekend and while there we also stopped in to the indoor market.  Anyway, while I was there I came upon a soup that was Pumpkin and Sweet Potatoes.  I thought to myself, Delicious!  Of course, then I thought, I can make that.  So seems how today is a good day for comfort food I decided to try my hand at a new type of soup.  This is what I came up with. 

P.S.  You can't have soup without bread! So I decided to make a brussels sprout bruschetta and cheesy garlic bread, (that ones for my daughter. :) 

Enjoy!

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. chopped onion

2 Tbs. brown sugar

2 c. pumpkin puree

2 c. sweet potato puree

6 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp.  cinnamon

1/4  tsp. nutmeg

pinch of sea salt for taste

In a large pot saute' oil, garlic, onion and brown sugar for a couple minutes or until sugar has dissolved.  Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.  Puree the soup a couple of cups at a time and then continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.  Serve right away or move soup to a crock pot to keep warm until ready to eat.  I garnished mine with bacon and mozzarella.  

Brussel Sprout Bruschetta

12 oz. cooked brussel sprouts, finely chopped

1 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

1/3 c. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

french bread, thinly sliced

mozzarella, optional

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Spray each side of bread with cooking spray.  Lay then out on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until crispy.  In a frying pan, saute' brussels, bacon, garlic, and onion for about 8 minutes.  Evenly distribute the brussels mixture over the bread and top off with cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

I've used the brussels sprout recipe before only I made egg rolls out of them.  I thought they would be good as a bruschetta too....I was right. ;)

Cheesy Garlic Bread

1/3 c. butter

3 cloves garlic, crushed

mozzarella 

french bread

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Spray each side of bread with cooking spray.  Lay then out on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until crispy.  In a small sauce pan melt butter with garlic.  Brush garlic sauce over bread, top off with cheese and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

Pumpkin Breakfast Bars

2 c oats

1 c wheat flour

1/2 c wheat germ

1/2 c brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c canola oil

2 egg whites

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 c peanut butter

3/4 c honey

1 c fresh pumpkin

1 c dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large bowl stir together oats, flour, wheat germ, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Next, add in the canola oil, egg whites, and vanilla.  Stir until completely incorporated.  Then, add peanut butter, honey and pumpkin, stir until well blended.  Finally, sir in the cranberries.   Now, spread the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for 24-28 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Let the  bars cool completely before cutting them into slices and removing from the pan.

Apple Cider Donuts and Pumpkin Donuts

I love fall, best time of the year and in my opinion the best food.  At our house we started making our own donuts and I wanted to make some for the weekend.  I had apple cider and fresh cooked pumpkin laying around and decided to play around with a recipe that I often use.

Go to this web site for the main recipe:  http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/homemade-doughnuts/  Now before you add the flour to the mixture split it in half and place in separate bowls.  In one bowl add 1/2 c. cider and in the other add 1/2 c pumpkin.  One bowl at a time put cider mixture back into the electric mixer and add 3 1/2 c. flour and 1 tsp. cinnamon.  Repeat process to the pumpkin mixture.  Follow directions of the original recipe to complete the dough.

Stacey's Junkyard Dog

In our home town we have a hog dog place that my family frequents called The Dog Pit.  They have a hot dog called the Junkyard Dog and it's my favorite.  So when we do hot dogs bars at our house I do it up my way, my version of a Junkyard Dog.  Enjoy!

2 hot dogs
2 hot dog buns
chili
cheese
caramelized jalapenos and onions
sour kraut
relish
spicy mustard
splash of hot sauce

This stuff will fill you up!

Teigan's Birthday Cake (Oreo Sponge Cake)

My niece just celebrated her third birthday and of all the cakes that she would request, it would have to be a purple, worm, dirt cake.  Her more was taken aback a bit and wasn't sure what she she do.  So, of course I stepped up, because I love making cakes and of course my niece, and volunteered.  So this is what I had to work with, purple, dirt and worms.  Well, Teigan is a huge fan of oreos, thanks to her father, I thought why not make a oreo cake and then throw in some dirt pudding as well.  Enjoy!

So I used this recipe for my sponge cake: http://www.cakeboss.com/CakeBossSpongeCake.aspx and then added crushed oreos to it.

For the filling I took :
-2 pkg. instant chocolate pudding ( follow package instruction to make)
- 1 tub of cool whip.
   - Mix the two together. You're only going to be using a little bit so I made dirt cup with the rest.  If you're   going to do this make sure you have two packages or Oreos, one for the cake one for the dirt cups.

For the frosting I used my famous butter cream recipe and added purple food coloring.

1 c butter, soften
4 c powder sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3  Tbs creamer 


In an electric mixer, cream butter.  Add in powder sugar at a half cup at a time until well blended.  Beat in vanilla and creamer until well blended.

Portabella Burgers

Portabella Burgers

2 portabella mushrooms
2 pretzel bread buns
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tb. olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced
2 Tbs. brown sugar
pesto
mayonnaise
tomato, sliced
spinach
smoked gouda, sliced

In a frying pan, add 2 Tbs of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and mushrooms.  Saute' mushroom, both sides, for 5-8 minutes or until mushrooms are juicy.  In another frying pan, add 2 Tbs. of olive oil, s cloves of minced garlic, onion and brown sugar.  Saute' for 5-8 minutes or until onions are translucent.  On both sides of the pretzel bun, add a generous amount of mayonnaise and pesto, spreading evenly.  Then, add mushroom to the bottom bun, followed by two slices of cheese, onion, tomato, and spinach.  Top off with bun top and enjoy!

Omelet Stuffed Pepper and Good ole Fashion Fries

Don't you just love breakfast for dinner? I know that I do. I'm not a big breakfast person but when if comes to eating it for dinner, I don't know, there is just something about it that I can't resist! This recipe is quite tasty but the hubby and I both agree that it is tastier with out the pepper.  The pepper takes away from the omelet just a little bit.  So, I'll let you be the judge.  Enjoy!

Omelet Stuffed Pepper

3 Chivalatte Italian Sausage Links, taken out of it's casing
2-3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, Crushed
1 c. Spinach, Chopped
1 c. Mushrooms, Lightly Chopped
2 tsp. Brown Sugar
1 c. Tomatoes, Chopped
8 Eggs
3/4 c Milk
1/2 c. Smoked Cheddar, Shredded
1/2 c. Mozzarella, Shredded
6-8 Bell Peppers, sliced in half

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a frying pan, ground and brown the sausage, set aside.  In another frying pan, saute' olive oil, onion, garlic, spinach, mushrooms and brown sugar for about 5 minutes.  In a large bowl whisk eggs and milk until completely beaten.   Stir in sausage, veggies and cheese.  Fill each pepper half with egg and place into a baking dish.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

Good ole Fashion Fries

8 Red Skin Potatoes
Canola Oil
Sea Salt

This recipe is thanks to the magazine Bon Appetite.  I was skimming through the magazine and saw this and thought, sure why not!  Cut potatoes Julian style.  Put about an inch of oil into a large pot.  Heat up the oil for about 8-10 minutes on the stove, then carefully add potatoes, only two layers deep.  Continue cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove fries with a slotted spoon and let excess oil drain a paper towel lined plate.  Season a with sea salt.