Chocolate Covered Treats

One of the prettiest and easiest treats you can give someone are simply dipped in chocolate.  Who can resist a chocolate covered strawberry or chocolate covered pretzels?  Of course one of my favorites is chocolate covered oreo cookies too!  You can also try marshmallows, nuts, dried fruits, really anything you want.  Just be creative!

All you do is melt some chocolate or white candy coating in a bowl, dip your treats, place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet, and pop them in the refrigerator so set up.  If you want to make them even fancier, drizzle them with another color of chocolate over the top or put sprinkles or nuts on them while they are still wet.

Here's some pretzels and strawberries my sister did a few days ago.

Peanut Butter Cups

This is a great, no-bake recipe that everyone loves!  I couldn't find my candy molds for them this time so I just used a mini-muffin pan instead but i was out of liners for that too...maybe I should have made sure I had everything I needed :o) 

Peanut Butter Cups:

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 package milk chocolate chips

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix peanut butter, sugar, and butter until well blended.
In a separate microwave-safe bowl, cook the chocolate chips on high for 30 seconds at a time; stirring after each time; until melted and smooth.
Line a mini-muffin pan with paper liners or you can use a candy mold.  Cover the bottom and half-way up the sides with chocolate.  Add a spoonful of peanut butter mixture.  Cover with remaining chocolate and refrigerate until set.  If you want them to look really pretty, make sure the top is smooth and flat.  Enjoy!

See they look better when you use a liner and smooth them out, but they taste the same either way!

Chocolate Caramel Shortbread

Here is a very tasty treat!  The shortbread melts in your mouth and balances out the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate perfectly.  You can add any type of nuts you want to on top, or you could even add some chopped nuts to the caramel mixture too.  I used hazelnuts on some, pecans on some, and almonds on some.   Yum!


Chocolate Caramel Shortbread:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 powdered sugar
2 tbsp evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
FILLING:
28 caramels, unwrapped
6 tbsp evaporated milk
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
ICING:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp evaporated milk
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Nuts of your choice, whole, chopped, or sliced, whatever you prefer!

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Gradually add flour and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut into 1 x 2 inch strips.  Place 1-inch apart on baking sheets.
3.  Bake at 325 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks to cool.
4.  For the filling, combine caramels and milk in a large saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium-low heat until caramels are melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and sugar.  Cool for 5 minutes.  Spread 1 tsp over each cookie.
5.  For icing, melt the chocolate chips and milk in the microwave for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Stir in the butter, vanilla, and sugar.  Cool for 5 minutes.  Spread 1 tsp icing on each cookie.  Top each cookie with nuts of your choice.  Let stand until set. 

Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie Treats are my hubby's favorite dessert EVER!  I'm not sure what the huge appeal is, but they are definitely a favorite at my house.  He has been begging me to make some for a few weeks, so here they are.  We decided to dye the marshmallow green to make them more festive for Christmas!

Rice Krispie Treats:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 bag (10 oz.) marshmallows (about 40 large or 4 cups miniature)
6 cups rice krispies

Directions:
In a large pot melt the butter over low-medium heat.  Add marshmallows and heat, stirring frequently, until melted.  Remove from heat and quickly stir in the rice krispies until evenly coated.  Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan and let cool.  Enjoy :o)

I prefer my rice krispie treats to be soft and chewy so I usually add either extra marshmallow or a little less cereal and I never press it down into the pan.  I just dump it in and gently spread it out with a wooden spoon sprayed with cooking spray. 

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

This is one of the best cheesecake recipes I have ever tried.  If you love cheesecake, you HAVE to try this recipe!  Some tips to remember when making cheesecake:
1.  Don't over mix!  If you beat the eggs too much your cheesecake will crack so be careful how much you mix it after you add the eggs!
2.  Make sure your cream cheese and eggs are at room-temperature before you start.
3.  Spray the bottom and SIDES of your springform pan with cooking spray before you start.  If your cheesecake sticks to the side of the pan when it cools it will crack because it shrinks as it cools.  You can run a sharp knife along the edge when you take it out of the oven to help prevent this as well.
4.  Cook your cheesecake in a water bath.  Wrap your springform pan in a couple layers of foil before you put it in the oven.  Place it in a large roasting pan and fill the pan about 1-2 inches with near-boiling water.  This will create moist heat in the oven so your cheesecake is much less likely to crack.  When it's done take the cheesecake out of the water to cool.
5.  And last, don't overcook your cheesecake or it will be dry and crack.  When it's done it won't look done.  If you gently shake it the middle 1-2 inches will still be a little wobbly, but not soupy.  It will continue to cook after you take it out.  Good luck!


White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake:

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs or graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tsp water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. 
2. Mix jam and water in a microwave-safe cup or bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds and stir.  This will make it easier to swirl in the cheesecake batter.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with cream, stirring occasionally until smooth. 
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. 
5. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon half of the raspberry  over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and spoon remaining raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. 

Sour Cream Cookies

These are an old family recipe and one of my dad's favorites!  They're soft and chewy and not too sweet.  Yum!

Sour Cream Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
5-3/4 cups flour
cinnamon sugar

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix until well blended.  Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until barely showing any golden color.  Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Cream Cheese Filled Cupcakes

Here's another chocolate treat for all those chocaholics!  Simple and delicious!  I frosted these with a rich chocolate frosting but if you don't want death by chocolate then frost them with cream cheese frosting.  Both are delicious!

Cream Cheese Filled Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup semisweet miniature chocolate chips
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used chocolate fudge)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare chocolate cake mix according to package directions in a large bowl. 
2. In separate bowl cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well blended; stir in miniature chocolate chips.
3. Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers. Fill 1/4 full with chocolate cake batter. Add 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture to the center, and top with more cake batter so they are about 2/3 full.
4. Bake according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool and frost with chocolate or cream cheese frosting.

 PS:  Here are the cupcakes I made for my girls' dance recital :o)

10 Minute Peanut Brittle

Do you ever have to throw a treat together in just a few minutes but you want it to look like you slaved over the hot stove all day?  Try this peanut brittle recipe that is done in the microwave.  No stirring for what seems like eternity and no candy thermometer!  Could it get any easier than that?  Now, keep in mind that these times work perfectly for my 1000-watt microwave but they might need a little tweaking for your microwave so you'll want to do a practice run before you make it for anyone.

10 Minute Peanut Brittle:

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup raw peanuts
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp baking soda

Directions:
In a large, microwave-safe glass bowl, combine the sugar and corn syrup.  Microwave on high for 4 minutes.  Stir in the peanuts and microwave another 3-1/2 minutes.  Stir in the butter and vanilla and microwave for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from microwave and stir in the baking soda.  Spread out onto baking sheet and let cool.  When it is completely cool break it into smaller pieces and serve. 

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Cookies

Here is another delightful holiday treat.  These look amazing and they are simple to make, which makes them perfect for this time of year.  If you like peppermint, give these a try!

Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies or peppermint baking chips
1 package chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Directions:
Cream butter and sugars.  Add eggs, vanilla, and peppermint.  Combine the dry ingredients and gradually add to the creamed mixture.  Stir in crushed candies.  Drop by small cookie scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes until edges begin to brown.  Cool on wire racks.

Pour chocolate chips into microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 1 minute and stir.  Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds until melted and smooth.  Dip half of each cookie into chocolate and place on wax-paper lined cookie sheets.  Sprinkle with additional crushed candies and let set.

Hazelnut Brownie Cookies!!

I think I just went to chocolate heaven!  These cookies are so chocolatey and chewy and the hazelnut chocolate ganache is the perfect topping!  SO GOOD!!!

Hazelnut Brownie Cookies

COOKIES
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp water
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate-Hazelnut ganache (recipe below)
1 cup toasted hazelnuts (bake at 350 degrees for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally)

Directions:
In a large glass bowl combine butter, sugars, and water.  Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir.  Microwave for another minute and mix well.  Add chocolate chips and microwave for 1 more minute.  Stir until chocolate chips are completely melted and mixed in.  Let stand for about 10 minutes to cool slightly.
With electric hand mixer or by hand, beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating until well blended.  Chill dough in refrigerator for about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll dough into balls (or use small cookie scooper) and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm.  Remove to wire racks to cool before icing.  Ice with chocolate-hazelnut ganache and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts, or you could make cookie sandwiches with a ganache center and roll them in toasted hazelnuts.  Either way is delicious!


CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT GANACHE

Ingredients:
12 oz. good quality semi-sweet chocolate
1 13 oz. jar Nutella
1 1/2 c sour cream, room temperature
1tbsp vanilla


Directions:
Fill a sauce pot with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over low heat.  Finely chop the chocolate and put in a heat-safe bowl over the sauce pan.  Stir the chocolate until melted.  (Or you could microwave the chocolate for 1 minute at a time on 50% power, stirring after each minute until melted but be careful not to over cook!)
When the chocolate is melted , take it off the heat and whisk in the Nutella until smooth.  Stir in the sour cream and vanilla, mix until smooth and glossy.  (If the sour cream is too cold it won't mix smooth because it gets too cold too fast so just put the whole thing in the microwave for 30 seconds and then it will mix nice and smooth.)  You can use it immediately as a cake glaze or chill for 30 minutes to make it a more spreadable consistency.  Chill for 4-24 hours to use as truffle centers. 
For the cookies I chilled the ganache for 30-45 minutes.

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes and Simple Baked Chicken

Want a good dinner to cook on a cold winter day?  Try baked chicken and roasted red potatoes.  YUM!  Incredibly simple too!

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 lbs washed small red potatoes
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp chives
1/2 tsp thyme

Directions:
Peel a strip around the middle of each potato.  Place in a 9x13 baking dish.  Combine butter, oil, and spices.  Drizzle over potatoes.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove foil, turn potatoes, and bake for an additional 30 min or until soft.

Simple Baked Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 c Italian flavored bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
Line a 9x13 pan with foil.  Mix eggs and milk until well blended.  Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs, coating completely.  Place in baking pan.  When all the chicken breasts are coated and in the pan, drizzle them with the melted butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.  It may take longer or shorter depending on how thick your chicken is.




**Try sprinkling a little Parmesan cheese on the potatoes and/or the chicken.  Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your family's tastes!**

Chocolate Carrot Cake

Yes, you read that right.  Chocolate carrot cake...who would have thought you could combine those, right?  I got this recipe from a Taste of Home Fall Baking book.  It's actually a very good cake and I love the chocolate cream-cheese icing that goes with it.  Give it a try!  It's a little more guilt-free since it has veggies in it :o)

Chocolate Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1-1/4 cups oil
3 cups finely shredded carrots
FROSTING:
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3-3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1/4 cups chocolate chips, optional

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9-in. round baking pans. 
2.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Add the eggs, oil, and carrots; beat until combined.  Pour into prepared pans.
3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. 

4.  For frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar, cocoa, and vanilla until smooth. 
5.  Place bottom layer on a serving plate.  Top with half of the frosting.  Repeat with remaining cake layer.  Sprinkle with walnuts and chocolate chips, if desired. 

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

I LOVE Mexican food!  It is definitely one of my all-time faves!  Chimichangas are absolutely delicious but they are a little more fattening than I would like since they are fried in oil.  This recipe is for chicken chimichangas that you bake in the oven instead of frying in oil and they are incredibly good!  They don't take very long to put together either, so you should give them a try.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c drained and rinsed black beans
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
3/4 chunky salsa (your favorite brand)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or monterey jack or pepper jack, whatever you like)
8 taco-size flour tortillas

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl combine the chicken, spices, onions, black beans, and cilantro.  Add salsa and cheese and mix well.
2.  Wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave for 30 seconds to soften.  Remove one tortilla at a time, keeping the others wrapped so they stay warm.
3.  Add a heaping 1/3 cup of filling in the center of each tortilla.  Fold in the sides and roll up like a burrito.  Place the chimichangas in a greased 9x13 in pan or cookie sheet.
4.  Brush the tops and sides of the tortillas with oil or spray with cooking spray.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls!

I think saw a similar recipe to this in a Taste of Home magazine a while back.  I thought it looked like it would be a good Thanksgiving-time treat or even good for breakfast Thanksgiving day.  These rolls are very soft with just the slightest hint of pumpkin flavor.  Maybe next time I'll try adding a little more pumpkin.  Feel free to experiment with these!  You could try adding your favorite nuts too!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water
2 eggs
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c warm milk (110-115 degrees)
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c instant vanilla or butterscotch pudding mix (or I've done 1/3 c applesauce with 1 tsp vanilla)
1 tsp salt
3-1/2 to 4 c flour
FILLING:
3 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
ICING:
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 c softened butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 c powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk

Directions:
1.  Place dough ingredients in bread machine according to manufacturer's directions and select the dough cycle.  If you don't have a bread machine dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add eggs, butter, pumpkin, milk, sugars, pudding, salt, and 2 cups flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). 
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
2.  Punch dough down.  Roll into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle.  Brush with melted butter.  Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice, if desired.  Sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges.
3.  Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side.  Pinch seams to seal.  Cut into 12 slices.  Place cut side down in a greased 9 x 13-in. pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately invert onto cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes then turn right-side up.
5.  To make icing beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add vanilla, milk, and enough powdered sugar for desired consistency.  Mix well.  Spread on warm rolls.

Halloween Cupcakes!!!

I just finished making a bunch of Halloween cupcakes for my girls' dance classes today.  I think they turned out super cute!  I thought I would put some pics on here just in case anyone is looking for some Halloween cupcake ideas :o)  Happy Halloween!

Easiest Caramel Corn EVER!!

I love caramel corn but I don't love having to cook it in the oven for an hour and having to remember to stir it every few minutes.  Total pain!!  That's why I don't do it anymore.  Here is a recipe for caramel corn that you make in a brown paper bag in the microwave that tastes as good as the traditional method but it takes a quarter of the time!  The cooking times given are what works for my microwave so you may need to do a trial run to see how it comes out with your microwave.  You can adjust the time if you like it chewier or crunchier too.  Just cook it for a minute shorter or a minute longer.  Simple!

Easiest Caramel Corn Ever:

Ingredients:
3 quarts popped popcorn (I prefer mine to be plain with no salt or butter)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted peanuts, optional
1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions:
Put popcorn in a brown paper bag you get from the grocery store; set aside.  Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt, and nuts in a 2-quart microwave safe glass bowl.  Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, stirring after each minutes, until it comes to a full boil.  Microwave 1-1/2 minutes more.  Stir in baking soda and pour into paper bag over the popcorn.  Close bag and shake well.  Microwave for 1 minute.  Shake well.  Microwave for 1 minute again and shake well, making sure the popcorn is evenly coated.  Pour onto foil sheets and spread out with a wooden spoon to cool.  Enjoy!

***By the way, if you want your caramel corn to taste like Cracker Jack you replace about 1/3 of the corn syrup with molasses.***

Hi Hat Cupcakes

I saw these on bakerella.com, who got them from marthastewart.com, who got them from the Cupcakes! book.  I thought they looked like a lot of fun so I wanted to give them a try.  Basically it's a chocolate cupcake with homemade marshmallow cream icing dipped in chocolate like a Dairy Queen ice cream cone.  YUM!  Does it get much more fattening than that???  They turned out okay for a first try but not as good as I would have liked so I will definitely be trying them again in the future to see if I can get them to come out better.  I had some problems with the icing part.  I mixed it for almost 20 minutes and it still wasn't forming stiff peaks but I was sick of beating it so I just gave it a shot as-is.  So they're not quite as tall as they should be because it was still a little soft but they still dipped fine and they taste the same so it wasn't a big deal.  These are so incredibly sweet and rich that I don't think I could handle more icing on them anyways!  Next time I might actually make little ones instead.

Hi Hat Cupcakes

Ingredients:

12 chocolate cupcakes

FOR THE ICING:
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract  (optional)   


FOR THE CHOCOLATE COATING:

2 cups chopped (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate 

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Directions:

  

1.  In a large heatproof bowl, combine sugar, 1/4 cup water, egg whites, and cream of tartar. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until frosting forms stiff peaks, about 12 minutes; frosting should register 160 degrees.on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and almond extracts, and beat for 2 minutes more until frosting thickens.

2.  Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain pastry tip. Leaving a 1/8-inch border on each cupcake, pipe a spiral of frosting into a 2-inch-high cone shape, using about 1/2 cup of frosting per cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet, and refrigerate while preparing the chocolate coating.  

3.  To prepare the chocolate coating: Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and let cool about 15 minutes.  

4.  Holding each cupcake by its bottom, dip cupcake in the chocolate to coat frosting, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Spoon more coating around edge of cupcake and any exposed frosting; none of the frosting should show. Let cupcakes stand at room temperature 15 minutes.  

5. Place cupcakes on a serving platter, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let coating set. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours more. Serve cold. Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Hi-Hat Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes

  

 ***I used a bag of chocolate chips instead of chopped semisweet chocolate for the chocolate coating and I melted it in the microwave.  Also, make sure that the icing gets to the right temperature so the sugar will dissolve.  Otherwise it will be grainy but it will still taste good so don't freak out if it comes out grainy.  It happens all the time!***   Good luck!

Sweet Braided Bread

 
This recipe is similar to Challah (Jewish egg bread).  It is a deliciously sweet bread that is absolutely beautiful.  My kids like a little cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top before baking.  These loaves are great for gifts or to serve to company. 

Sweet Braided Bread

Ingredients:

1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 c warm water
1 c milk
1/4 c honey
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c butter, softened
1 tsp salt
1/4 c water
3 eggs
5-1/2 to 6 cups flour

1 egg
1 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds, or cinnamon sugar (optional)

Directions:

1.  Combine yeast and warm water and let sit for a few minutes to proof. 
2.  Heat milk to almost boiling.  Combine milk, honey, sugar, butter, salt, and water.  Add eggs and mix well.
3.  Add yeast mixture and 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth.  Gradually add remaining flour.   
4.  Knead dough for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with dough hook on electric mixer until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is too sticky.
5.  Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl.  Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch dough down and turn over.  Let rise another 30 minutes. 
6.  Divide dough into 2 equal balls.  Divide each ball into 3 pieces and roll each piece into a rope about 15 inches long.  Lay 3 ropes side by side on greased cookie sheet and braid together.  Pinch the ends and turn under.  Repeat with the remaining 3 ropes. 
7.  Cover the loaves with a towel and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes. 

8.  Beat remaining egg and brush over the loaves.  Sprinkle with seeds or cinnamon sugar, if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and it sounds hollow when you tap the top. 

Speedy Skillet Taco Rice!

I am always looking for new ways to use ground beef.  We use a lot of ground beef because my in-laws have a dairy farm and raise their own beef, which they then share with us.  This recipe is tasty, easy, and quite tasty!  It only takes about 30 minutes total to make this dinner for your family.


Speedy Skillet Taco Rice

 Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup of your favorite salsa
1 cup corn (canned or frozen)
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or mexican-blend)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 can sliced olives
Sour cream, if desired

Directions:

1.  In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until completely browned.  Drain.
2.  Stir in taco seasoning mix, water, salsa, and corn.  Heat to boiling and stir in rice.  Boil for 1 minute then remove from heat.  Cover and let stand 8 minutes.
3.  Fluff rice mixture with a fork.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.  Cover and let stand 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Sprinkle lettuce around outside edge of skillet, sprinkle tomato inside the lettuce, and olives inside the tomato.  Serve with sour cream.

LEGO Birthday Cake

Just on a quick side note, I have been a little busy this last week getting things ready for my son's birthday party this weekend so I haven't done any fun recipes this week.  However, I did make him a LEGO cake for his birthday party that was really fairly easy to put together and he absolutely loved it!  I just made it out of a cake I baked an 11x15 pan.  I cut it into thirds and then cut a couple inches off the end and put all the pieces together to make the cake I wanted.  I used big marshmallows cut in half for the little bumpy things on top, which worked really well.  It was a lot of fun!  I also made a LEGO pinata out of a cardboard box and plastic cups, and LEGO-shaped candies too.  Everything turned out great!  If you want to do a LEGO party for your kiddo I'd be happy to share some ideas with you :o)

Veggie-licious Focaccia

Here is a yummy bread recipe that you can get creative with!  It's easy to customize it just how you want it and you can just add whatever veggies you have on hand.  It's easy and delicious!  Turns out great every time!

Veggie-licious Focaccia:

Ingredients:
BREAD:
1 c lukewarm water
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
3-1/4 c flour
1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
TOPPING:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried basil
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 c fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1.  Place the first 8 ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer.  Select the dough cycle.  Check dough after about 5 minutes to see if it needs an additional 1-2 tbsp of water or flour.

2.  When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Punch dough down.  Roll into a 13 x 9 inch rectangle and transfer to a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

3.  Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with basil.  Layer the tomatoes, onion, and mushrooms on top of the dough.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 30 minutes. 



4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted. 

***Don't like mushrooms?  You can easily add chopped broccoli, chopped spinach, sliced chicken breast, or crumbled bacon.  Be creative and use whatever you like!***

Cheesy Prosciutto Chicken

Here is a recipe that I think is pretty good.  It's nice to have something different once in a while and this is pretty easy to throw together.  Plus, it looks wonderful so it's sure to impress guests. 

Cheesy Prosciutto Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c all-purpose flour
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
4 thin slices prosciutto or ham
4 slices mozzarella cheese (or provolone or swiss)
1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves (optional)

Directions:

In a shallow dish, mix flour, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.  Dip chicken in flour mixture and shake off excess flour.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook about 8 minutes or until no longer pink in the center, turning every few minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.  Place 1 slice of prosciutto or ham and 1 slice of mozzarella cheese on each chicken breast.   Cover skillet and cook another 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.  If desired, sprinkle with fresh sage before serving.  

**Prosciutto is an Italian ham that is seasoned, salt-cured and air-dried.  You can replace it with thinly sliced deli ham if desired.  Feel free to use any kind of cheese you like.**

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

Mmm...coconut cream pie!  This is a recipe for made-from-scratch pie that is so incredibly creamy it's divine!  It's really not that difficult and it is definitely worth the effort!  If you like coconut cream pie I suggest you give this a try. 

Coconut Cream Pie:


Ingredients:

1 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups coconut milk

2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup flaked or shredded coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked

Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1/4 cup flaked or shredded coconut, toasted

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, cream, eggs, sugar, flour, and salt.  Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.  It will thicken as it cooks.  Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and vanilla extract.  Pour into pie shell and chill 2-4 hours or until firm. 
For the topping, whip cream on med-high speed until soft peaks form.  Add sugar and coconut extract and beat until stiff peaks form.  Spread over cooled pie and sprinkle toasted coconut over the top.

Notes:

1.  You can make this in the microwave if you combine all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave, stirring after every minute or two, until it comes to a full boil and is a pudding-like consistency when you stir it.  It can be easy to over-cook it this way so be careful!
2.  To toast the coconut, put it on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
3.  If you don't have coconut milk you can use regular milk and just add 1/2 tsp of coconut extract to it.

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Super Easy Manicotti!

First of all, I forgot to take a picture of this when I made it so the picture is of the leftovers the next day so it may not look quite as good as it did the day before but it was still delicious!  I love Italian food and I absolutely love manicotti but it can be such a pain to try to stuff floppy noodles with spoonful after spoonful of cheese.  Well, not anymore!  Here is a much simpler way to do it where you pipe the cheese into the uncooked pasta and it still comes out perfect.  It's simply tasty!

Super Easy Manicotti

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup finely chopped spinach (fresh or frozen) - optional
1 package uncooked manicotti tubes
1 jar traditional style spaghetti sauce
1-1/2 cups water

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. 
2.  Combine all four cheeses, eggs, salt, pepper, garlic, and spinach in a large bowl.  Mix well. 
3.  Pour mixture into a gallon-sized baggie and snip off one corner.  Squeeze cheese mixture into the uncooked manicotti tubes, filling each completely, and place in the 9x13 pan.
4.  Pour the whole jar of spaghetti sauce over the top and then pour the water on top of that.
5.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Take the foil off, sprinkle with additional mozzarella cheese if desired, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Peanut Butter Brownies

These made-from-scratch brownies are perfectly chocolate with a delicious peanut butter cream cheese layer that gives a nice balance of flavor.  Next time you are needing a chocolate fix you should give these a shot!

Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients:

Chocolate brownie:
3 eggs
1 c butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c sugar
1-1/4 c flour
3/4 c baking cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
Peanut Butter Filling:
2 pkg (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk

Directions:

1.  For the chocolate batter, mix eggs, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture.  Mix well.  Gently stir in the chocolate chips.  Set aside 1 cup for topping.  Spread remaining batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
2.  In a small bowl beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar until smooth.  Add egg and milk on low speed until just combined.  Carefully spread over chocolate batter in pan.  Drop reserved chocolate batter by spoonfuls over filling.  Cut through batter with a knife to swirl layers together.
3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack before cutting. 

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1.03.01

Sloppy Joes!

For some reason I can never say "sloppy joes" without instantly thinking of Adam Sandler singing the sloppy joe song while Chris Farley dances around in a hair net.  If you want to see the famous Lunch Lady Land skit, here it is:  Lunch Lady Land
Anyways, the other day a friend of mine told me that she has NEVER had a sloppy joe that didn't come out of a can.  REALLY???  I decided to put an end to that one, fast!  Sloppy joes are really very simple to make from scratch and it tastes a million times better than something you plop out of a can onto a bun.  Go ahead and give my grandmother's recipe a try.  You might actually like sloppy joes :o)

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
3 cans tomato soup
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown meat in large skillet.  Add bell pepper and onion; let simmer for a few minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until peppers are soft and it has thickened up a bit.  Serve over hamburger buns and top with shredded cheese.  Enjoy!

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