Back Pocket Creations

Andes Creme De Menthe Cookies

2011-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

So do you love Andes mints as much as me? Do you look forward to them at the end of you meal when you eat at the Olive Garden? Then this is a cookie for you. These are a soft cookie on the inside with a firm outside. The mint chocolate explosion in your mouth when you take a bite of these is to die for. They are one of my favorite cookies.

Andes Creme De Menthe Cookies

From: Andes

Yields: about 40+ cookies

Print Recipe

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 packages (4.67 oz. each) Andes Mint Thins chopped or the much easier 1 package (10 oz) Andes baking chips (see picture below, I always find them at Wal-mart next to the chocolate chips)

2 2/3 cup flour

Blend butter and sugars together until throughly combined. Add baking soda, powder, vanilla and eggs and mix well.

Stir in Andes candies and then flour. Chill approximately one hour or longer in the fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Measure out approximately 1 oz of dough and form a ball and slightly flatten. Place on non-stick baking pans and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing.

The ever easy baking chips!

Oatmeal Pancakes

2011-11-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

I have already shared with you my love for waffles, my favorite breakfast item. However, my husband prefers pancakes. Pancakes are just okay, I like them enough, but I have never loved them, that is until now. These pancakes are the best I have ever had by far. You have to try these delicious babies!

Oatmeal Pancakes
From: Smitten Kitchen
Yields: About 18 pancakes
Print Recipe

3/4 cup oat flour (you can make this by pulsing oats in a food processor until finely ground; I cup of oats yields 3/4 cup flour)
1 cup flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus extra for the pan)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 cup cooked oatmeal *
1 Tablespoon honey
2 large eggs

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the butter, milk, cooked oatmeal, honey and eggs together until throughly combined. Gently fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a light hand is important for tender pancakes, the batter should be slightly thick with a holey surface.

Heat a 10 inch skillet or griddle over medium heat until water sizzles when splashed onto the pan. Lower to medium-low. Rub the pan generously with butter, this is the key to crisp buttery edges. Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan, once bubbles have begun to form on the top side, flip the pancake and cook until the bottom is a golden brown.

Serve the pancakes hot straight from the skillet or keep warm in a low oven. These are great as leftovers too, heat in a low oven or even in the microwave.

*Cook Oatmeal; mix 1 cup water, 1 cup rolled oats, and a pinch of salt in a small microwave safe bowl. Cook in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.

Oreo Caramel Brownies

2011-11-11T03:00:00.001-08:00

These claim a spot on my top five dessert list. Which is a tough list to get on. They are so simple, require very few ingredients and come together in a flash, but they taste so gourmet. I have made these several times in the short few months that I have had this recipe and they are a hit with everyone that has tried them. I think that you will love them just as much as I do, give them a try!

Oreo Caramel Brownies

From: Picky Palate

Yields: 9x13 pan

Time: 10 minutes prep+ 20 minutes bake time

Print Recipe

1 devils food cake mix

1 stick butter softened

1 large egg

14 Oreo cookies, broken into bite sized pieces

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips ( I prefer milk chocolate)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil sprayed with cooking spray.

Place cake mix, butter, and egg into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Use your hands, it works much quicker. Press into the prepared baking pan. Top with cookies, pour milk over the cookies and top the milk with chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through, do not over bake.

Let cool completely, remove foil from pan and cut into squares.

Chicken Fried Rice

2011-11-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this is one of my all time favorite recipes. It is so good! My kids all love it too. This makes a ton of food, so I just serve it as a main dish, but you could scale it down for a side dish or use it as a side dish to feed a crowd. This will not disappoint and as a bonus it taste great as leftovers.

Chicken Fried Rice

Adapted from: Real Mom Kitchen

Time: marinate overnight + 30 minutes prep + 30 minutes cook time

Serves: 6-8 as a main dish or 10-12 as a side dish

Print Recipe

1 to 2 frozen chicken breast

1/4 cup soy sauce

5 cups white rice, cooked

2 carrots finely crated

1/2 a white onion finely chopped

1 cup frozen peas

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Place the frozen chicken breast(s) in a ziploc bag pour in the soy sauce and allow to marinate for 8 hours or over night. In a very large frying pan cook chicken in a little bit of olive oil, add carrots and onions and saute until clear. Add frozen peas and cook until soft. Then add the rice to the mixture. In another pan, scramble eggs, chop finely and add to the rice mixture. Then add butter and garlic powder and stir until butter is melted. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake

2011-11-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Do I need to say more. . . okay, I will, this is absolutely heavenly. The best cheesecake I have ever had, hands down. Forget pumpkin pie, this creamy, slightly spiced pumpkin cheesecake will be the new standard at Thanksgiving desserts everywhere. Once you try it you will be sold!

The great thing about this cheesecake as it only gets better with age, so make it a head of time, how great is that when you are planning for Thanksgiving? One less thing to worry about on Thanksgiving day. Just keep it in the fridge for up to four days and forget about it until you are ready to eat. I made this three days in advance and it was perfect.

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake

Adapted from: Our Best Bites Cookbook

Yields: 12 slices

Time: 20 minutes prep + 1 hour bake time + 12 hours or more in the fridge

Print Recipe

Crust:

2 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs (about 45-50 small cookies)

1/2 cup ground pecans

8 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

Filling:

6 ounces white chocolate ( or 1 cup chocolate chips)

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (softened)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Topping:

Whipped Topping (I used cool whip)

Caramel sauce (I used heresy's ice cream topping)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

To make crust, crush the gingersnaps using a food processor or you can place them in a sealed bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Combine all the crust ingredients well. Evenly place the crumbs on the bottom and about 1-2 inches up the side of a lightly greased 9 inch spring-form pan. Place the crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and spices and mix well.

Melt you white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30-second intervals, stirring between, until smooth.

While the mixer is running in your pumpkin mixture slowly drizzle the white chocolate in a steady stream. Pour mixture into the pie crust.

Place the cheesecake on the top rack of your oven. Place a 9 X 13 pan filled with two cups hot water on the bottom rack. This will give it a nice steam bath as it cooks.

Bake for 60-75 minutes or until set. The center will be slightly jiggly and the top should be golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a rack until completely cool. Then refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to four days.

When ready to serve pour caramel over the middle of the cheesecake, spreading to the edges. Then pipe on your whipped topping and serve. Yummy!

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin (slow cooker)

2011-11-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

So I must admit, after posting all the fun Halloween and fall recipes in October, I wasn't very excited about posting anything for November until I had this amazing pork last week. Oh my, it is so good. I couldn't get enough of it. My whole family gobbled it up too.The pork taste delicious on its own, but then you add the sweet tasting glaze and you are in heaven. So. Good.

Even though the pork loin can be a little pricey this is definitely going into the regular rounds at my house. I love it so much! My new favorite meal! To make it even more wonderful, it is so very, very simple to make.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Serves: 6-8

Time: 5 minutes prep+ 6-8 hours in slow cooker + 10 minutes to make sauce

Print Recipe

Pork:

2-3 pound boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets

2 teaspoons ground sage

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 cup water

Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

In a small bowl, combine the sage, garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub spices all over the roast. Place the roast in a slow cooker and pour in the 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Near the end of the cooking time combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, place on a plate or platter and shred, drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

2011-10-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know sugar cookies are a lot of work. And if you want them rolled and shaped into something there is no way around the work. If you want sugar cookies and don't care to use cookie cutters Brit's sugar cookie bars are the way to go. However, if you want to shape your cookies, these are the way to go. I have tried countless sugar cookie recipes and this is now the only one I use. It is the best! Trust me on this, you will not regret making this recipe. They taste like the Granny B's sugar cookies with the pink frosting that you can get at the gas station. Yummy!

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies
Adapted from: Real Mom Kitchen
Yields: 20-30 three inch diameter cookies
Print Recipe

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg *
1/2 cup sour cream

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in a medium bowl, set aside.

Cream your butter in with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-4 minutes. Add sugar and mix for another 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix well, add 1/3 of the sour cream, mix well. Continue that two more times. Your dough will be very soft. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours. If you leave it longer than that, you may have to let it sit at room temperature for a while before it is workable.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out your dough on a well floured surface with a well floured rolling pin to about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Cut with well floured cookie cutters, place shapes on a cookie sheet with at least an inch spacing between each cookie and bake for 6-10 minutes just until the edges barely brown. Allow to cool a few minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

You will definitely want to frost these as they are not super sweet.

*I add the nutmeg when I am making these in the fall they add just a hint of a festive fall flavor. It is very subtle, but so good. I love it. You can skip the nutmeg all together if you want. Enjoy!

Chicken Chili

2011-10-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of chili, I love it, when it is good that is. I won't just eat any old chili. I have tasted a few great beef chili's in my time, most of them have been at restaurants. My sisters makes a pretty good ones as well, but as far as chicken chili goes this is hands down the best recipe out there. I love it! I first had it at a chili cook-off the my church was having and I was sold. I had to have the recipe and I have been making it regularly for the past several years. It is pretty quick and easy as far as chili goes. This would be a great meal to make before you send your kids off trick or treating. Maybe make some of this cornbread to go with it! Yummy!

Chicken Chili
From: The Christensen Family
Yields: About 6-8 servings
Time: About 90 minutes
Print Recipe

2-3 chicken breasts

1 T. Olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 (4oz.) can diced green chilies (I like mild)

1 T. cumin

1 T. oregano

¼ t. cayenne pepper

2 cans (16oz.) white beans (navy or great northerns are fine)

7 C. water

4 chicken bullion cubes

2 C. shredded monterey jack cheese

In a large pan or stock pot, boil chicken breasts in about 10 cups water until cooked, about 20-30 minutes. Shred or chop chicken, set aside. Reduce the water in pan to 7 cups and reserve in pan for later.

In a medium frying pan saute onion in oil until onions turn translucent. Add green chilis and spices and sauté an additional 2 minutes.

Bring the reserved water in your stock pot to a simmer and then dissolve the chicken bullion cubes. Add the onion mixture and chopped chicken. Put beans into a colander and drain and rinse with cold water. Add beans to soup. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to med-low and cook for about 30 min or longer, stirring occasionally. When ready to serve, turn the heat up to med-high and add cheese in small increments, stirring after each addition until melted.

Cooking tip: This is a fairly mild chili, if you like your chili hotter, just add extra cayenne pepper or use medium or hot green chilies instead of mild. Enjoy.

Halloween Cupcakes (Spiders & Bats)

2011-10-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

This cupcakes are so cute and so easy to put together. I was not blessed with the ability to pipe frosting and decorate cakes, so trust me, when I say: "If I can do it, you can do it." You actually can probably do it even better. Very simple and the kids and adults LOVE it! I made these for my 4-year olds birthday party last night and they were a hit!

I just use a regular cake mix and follow the directions for cupcakes. I did chocolate flavor for the bats and fun-fetti for the spiders. Then I used store bought chocolate frosting and store bought vanilla frosting, dyed with orange food coloring. (on the food coloring, my orange always turns out peach, I even use the gels and the neon colors to no avail, any tips?) So make your cupcakes according to package directions, once cool, frost with frosting. Nothing fancy, just use a knife and smooth it on. Then on to decorating.

What you will need:

Bats:
24 Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies (extra for accidental breakage)
24 Hershey kisses
1 tube red gel

Cut each cookie in half using a large non serrated knife, like this one.

Place each half of the cookie on the cupcake like so:

You can chose to have the stripes showing or not, I happen to prefer the stripes it breaks up all the dark brown.

Place the kiss in between the cookie halves like this:

Repeat with all the cupcakes. Then get out your red gel and place two dots on the kisses for eyes. All finished, that is it, easy peasy, and your kids will love you!

Spiders:
24 mini oreo cookies (extra for snacking!)
1 small tube black frosting
1 small tube red gel

Place the oreo in the center of each cupcake.

Then pipe on your red eyes using the red gel.

Then using the black frosting pipe on four spider legs on each side of the oreo.

I told you I have no talent when it comes to piping, so I am sure you can all do a better job with the spider legs. That is it, all done!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

2011-10-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here is another great pumpkin recipe. Let me tell you that I love Pumpkin cookies, but every-time I have tried to make them they are always under cooked. I don't know why. I am usually a pretty good cookie maker and kind of a dessert snob. I won't eat any desserts that are store bought. It just isn't worth the calories to me. However, I have been reduced to eating the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from the store, because I can't get them right at home. So while I haven't had success with the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, I did have success with these cream cheese glazed ones. These are really good. I am thinking I could probably add some chocolate chips to the batter and forgo the frosting and they would probably be delicious, but I haven't tried yet. So if any of you try, let me know how they turn out, or give me your pumpkin chocolate chip recipe if you have a good one and I will try them out!

Glazed Pumpkin Cookies
Adapted from: All Recipes
Time: About 40 minutes
Yields: 40 + cookies
Print Recipe

2 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose or whole wheat or a mixture)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 teaspoons milk (as needed)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients with a wire whisk and set aside

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, applesauce and sugars until well blended. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cool flat surface. While the cookies cool, make the glaze.

Combine powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla and beat well with a electric mixer. Add milk a little at a time to achieve drizzling consistency. Then drizzle over cookies and enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake Bars

2011-10-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here is yet another delicious pumpkin recipe. This recipe makes a whole jelly roll pan, so it is plenty enough to feed a crowd. You can either put chocolate chips on these or cream cheese frosting. Me, I split them up half and half and while my kids and hubby preferred the chocolate chip side, I preferred the cream cheese side.

Pumpkin Cake Bars
From: Real Mom Kitchen
Yields: 24 servings, at least
Time: About 40 minutes
Print Recipe

6 eggs
1 1/2 cup oil
3 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin
3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1-2 cups chocolate chips, if desired

Mix together the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin. Fold in dry ingredients and pour into a lightly greased jelly roll pan (13 x18). At this point, if you want chocolate, sprinkle on your chocolate chips, 1 cup for half the pan, 2 cups for the whole pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not over bake. Let cool. Frost with cream cheese frosting if you desire.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 2-4 minutes. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until sugar is completely blended, about 4 minutes. Add tiny bits of milk if frosting is too thick.

*This frosting will cover about half the cake, if you want to cover the whole cake, double the recipe

Jack 'O Lantern Cake

2011-10-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

This cake is so fun and sure to light up any party. It looks like you went to a lot of work, but it is fairly simple. If I can do it, you can too! Trust me.

Jack 'O Lantern Cake

From: Family Fun

Serves: 24

Print Recipe

You can use this recipe below for the cake & frosting or you can make it really simple and just use two cake mixes of any flavor you choose and two or three containers of store bought frosting.

Cake:

5 1/2 cups flour

4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

Frosting:

2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

9 cups powdered sugar

Decor:

12 large yellow gumdrops

12 large white gumdrops

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Edible glitter

One green ice cream cone

Green curling ribbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour two 10-inch bundt pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients, set aside

In a medium bowl stir together the milk, pumpkin, and vanilla until smooth.

In another large bowl beat the butter and oil together with an electric mixer. Next, beat in the sugar. Then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Alternately beat in the milk/pumpkin mixture and the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes, then turn upside down onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For Frosting:

In a large bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Then beat in powdered sugar gradually until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. Color about 1 cup of the frosting green and the rest orange.

Assemble the Cake:

Trim the bottoms of the cakes so they can lie flat against each other. Frost the flat surface of the bottom cake and place the other cake on top. Frost the entire cake orange. When the frosting dries add green frosting leaves and top with an ice cream cone for a stem. I also added green curling ribbon.

Decorate Cake:

Sprinkle sugar over your work surface and use a rolling pin to flatten 12 large yellow and white gumdrops together into a pancake about 1/4 inch thick. Use a knife to cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. Microwave 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips for about 60 seconds. Dip the left side and bottom of the facial features in the melted chocolate, allow to set. Dab a small amount of water onto the top surface of each feature, sprinkle the edible glitter on top, then press the facial features onto the cake. There is a video tutorial here.

Enjoy!

The Best Taco Soup

2011-10-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

I am sure most of you have had taco soup at some point in your life and probably most of you have a recipe. They all pretty much have the same basic ingredients, but this one I am happy to say is the best I have tried. So get out your slow cookers and can openers and make a batch for dinner tonight, isn't the weather perfect for it?

The Best Taco Soup

From: My sister Britney (ya know the one who used to do this blog with me? That one!)

Yields: 8-10 servings

Time: 20 minutes hands on and 4-6 hours in the slow cooker

Print Recipe

1 pound lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 packet taco seasoning

1 (28 oz) jar spaghetti sauce (plain; not garlic, four cheese, mushroom, etc)

16 oz salsa

1 (4 oz) can chopped chillies

1 (15 oz) can corn

2 (15 oz) can beans (kidney, chili, or black, or a mixture)

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 small can olives (optional)

Brown you beef along with the onion in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once the beef is cooked through and the onion is translucent add the taco seasoning and the water according to packet directions. Mix well.

Add beef and all other ingredients into your slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for about 4 hours, but you can leave it in there for up to 6 or 7.

Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Waffles

2011-10-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

So if you all aren't aware of my love for waffles see here and here. These ones take the cake though, they are sooo good. To be honest with you, I am not a pumpkin pie fan, I do like other pumpkin flavored treats, but not pie, so I was skeptical of these waffles, but these are fabulous! The first time I made them, I think I may have eaten ~~eight~~ four, they were that good! All my kids love them as well. I would like to tell you that they are good for you, which they are, but I don't want to ruin them for you, because they don't taste "good for you" at all. They are heavenly! We have a tradition at my house of eating these on Halloween before we head out trick or treating, but I usually make them Thanksgiving morning as well and several other times through out the year.

Pumpkin Pie Waffles

Adapted from: All Recipes

Yields: About 15 waffles

Time: 35 minutes

Print Recipe

1 C whole wheat flour

1/4 C wheat germ

1/3 C sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 C milk

1/2 C pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 C unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

1 egg white

Preheat your waffle iron.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine, set aside

Beat together all the wet ingredients in another large bowl until well combined, stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir just until combined, do not over mix.

Ladle the batter onto the preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and slightly crisp, about 5-8 minutes. Note: These waffles take a little longer to cook than most other waffles. Serve with whip cream and chopped pecans if desired. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Corn Bread

2011-10-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing says fall to me more than a piece of cornbread and a bowl of chili. I love cornbread and I am so excited that fall is here so that I can start making it again, for some reason it seems wrong to make corn bread in the summer. . . So back to my love of corn bread, I love it plain, I love it with homemade jam and I especially love it slathered with a bunch of honey butter. I have tried several different recipes, healthy ones and not so healthy ones and they are all good, but this one is hands down the best one.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Adapted from: All Recipes

Yields: 8x8 pan

Time: 55 minutes

Print Recipe

1 stick butter

2/3 C sugar

2 eggs

1 C buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 C cornmeal

1 C flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, lightly grease an 8x8 pan

Melt butter in a large skillet*. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in skillet. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and a few lumps remain. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

*Melting the butter in the skillet is important, using the microwave to save time will not give you an equal result, trust me on this!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Disney Land!

2011-09-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

So have you ever eaten at the Carnation Cafe in Disney Land? Well, I have, several times, in fact, every-time we go to Disney Land, it is our favorite place to eat in the Park. It is this cute little cafe on Main street where you sit outside on umbrella covered tables and you get someone to wait on you while you sit back and enjoy the scenery. The first time we ate there I was drawn to the baked potato soup on the menu. I quickly ordered it and officially declared it as the best soup ever. Even better than homemade, which is pretty tough in my book. And every-time since I have ordered it. The last time we were there, a cute little man wearing chef attire came out and talked to us. He asked me how I liked the soup. I told him all about my love affair with it. He left our table and returned promptly with the recipe!! I was so excited and thanked him graciously. Well, it turns out after looking over the recipe, that it isn't a quick and easy one, so be prepared to have this take some time, but it is well worth it. So good! This recipe makes a lot so I froze at least half of it. I totally forgot about it for like 6 months. I pulled it out of the freezer one day and let it thaw wondering if it would still be good and to my utter astonishment, it was, just as good as the day I made it, six months ago! I wouldn't recommend freezing it much longer than that. But, just so you know, it does freeze well.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup from Disney Land
From: Carnation Cafe in Disney Land courtesy of chef Joven Tolentino
Yields: 12 servings, at least
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Print Recipe

4 large russet potatoes (peeled and diced small)
4 medium red potatoes (diced small)
2 large stalk celery (diced small)
1 large or 2 small carrots (diced small)
1 medium yellow onion (diced small)
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound bacon chopped (tip: place in freezer for 20-30 min to make it easier to cut)
16 oz chicken or vegetable stock
32 oz heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt & pepper to taste

Garnish with chives, bacon bits, sour cream and/or cheese

Place a stock pot over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil, butter, and bacon. Start cooking the bacon, stirring occasionally, do not allow it to burn. This will take a while, so while the bacon is cooking, cut up your veggies.

Once bacon gets crispy, remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon, place on a paper towel.

Add onion, carrots, and celery to the bacon fat and cook until onions turn translucent. Add the potatoes and cook for 4 minutes.

Add the flour to make a roux. Cook roux until blonde in color, about 5-7 minutes, while stirring constantly. Add chicken or vegetable stock and about 3/4 of the bacon, reserve the rest for garnish. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn the heat to medium-high and bring soup to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add whipping cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Garnish with bacon and other desired toppings. Serve in bread bowls.

Bread Bowls

2011-09-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

So fall is officially here and while it is still warm in my neck of the woods, it is still fall, and that means a whole new way of cooking and baking. Instead of grilling and cold desserts, which I love, it is time to bring on the soup, the breads, the pumpkin flavored desserts and a whole bunch of other fall favorites. I have one child born on Halloween and the another just a few days before Halloween, so I have got lots of fun festive recipes I am excited to share with you in the coming month.

Today I have a great recipe that is really simple to make, don't be afraid because it calls for yeast. I too used to be afraid of yeast, but just try it once or twice and you will be hooked. Nothing beats fresh baked bread, rolls, etc. These bread bowls are so good and so much cheaper than buying them at the grocery store. Every-time I make these for dinner my kids get so excited. They love it. This is just the recipe for the bowls, come back Friday and I will share the delicious soup recipe.

Bread Bowls

From: All Recipes

Yields: 8 bowls

Time: Prep: 30 minutes Rise: 1 hour 30 minutes Bake: 20 minutes

Print Recipe

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk (warm in the microwave for about 30 seconds)

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 to 3 cups whole wheat flour

cornmeal

In a mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water, about 5-7 minutes. Add the milk, shortening, sugar, eggs, salt, and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once so all sides are greased. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly greased surface. Divide into 8 equal pieces; shape each into a ball. Grease two baking sheets and sprinkle with cornmeal (don't skip this step, the cornmeal makes the bread bowl so much better) Place four balls on each sheet about 3 inches apart. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Cut a thin slice off the top of each owl and hollow out, leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Fill with your favorite soup and use the top and the inside for dipping! Enjoy.

Braided Sandwich Loaf

2011-09-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

This delight of a sandwich is so good and will please everyone in your family, it is fairly simple to throw together and pretty healthy to boot. Enjoy!

Braided Sandwich Loaf

Adapted From: Jamie Cooks it Up!

Serves: 12

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Print Recipe

Dough:

1 T shortening

2 T sugar

1 T salt

1 C boiling water

1 C cold water

1/3 C lukewarm water

1 T yeast

5-6 C flour ( I usually do a mixture of whole wheat & all-purpose)

1 egg

Filling:

Deli Ham or Turkey or a mixture of both (probably about a pound or more)

Sliced or grated cheddar, swiss, provolone, etc. (about 8 slices or 2 cups grated)

Topping:

Parmesan cheese OR sesame seeds OR poppy seeds

To make the dough dissolve 1 yeast in 1/3 C luke warn water. While that is dissolving add te shortening, sugar and salt into your mixing bowl and smash together with a fork until well combined. Pour the boiling water, the cold water and the yeast mixture over the sugar mixture. Add the flour one cup at a time while mixing, you know you have enough flour when the dough pulls away from the sides oh the bowl. When you have enough flour knead for 7*8 minutes, then let the dough rest for 2 minutes in the bowl.

Divide the dough into two equal parts and let them rest on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray for about 5 minutes.

Spray cooking spray on to your counter and working with one half at a time roll you dough out into a large rectangle, using a pizza cutter, cut 11-12 one inch wide strips along both sides of the rectangle, make sure to leave about 5 inches down the middle.

Place half your meat and half your cheese down the center.

Over lap the dough strips in the center, over the top of your filling. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.

Beat you egg in a small bowl until frothy. Brush the egg all over both sandwiches and top with a topping of your choice, I like parmesan cheese.

Turn you oven on to 170 and place both cookie sheets inside, one on the tip rack and one on a lower rack. Let the dough rise for about 20 minutes. Then turn up the heat to 375, once it gets to 375 cook for about 15 minutes (leaving the dough in while the temp rises). Then switch the lower loaf to the top and the top loaf to the lower rack and cook an additional 5 minutes. Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

2011-09-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

When you first see this little treat you are confused it looks like a regular cheese ball from the outside and you wonder why there is chocolate graham crackers & vanilla waffers surrounding it instead of the salty crackers you are accustomed to, on closer inspection you find that there is chocolate in the cheese ball, apprehensively you take a cracker and spread some cheesy delight on top of it, you take one bite and you are sold. Addicted to this thing they call the chocolate chip cheese ball! Try it. Love it. Crave it. Can't get enough!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

From: My mom

Time: 15 minutes hands on 3 hours to chill

Yields: 1 cheese ball

Print Recipe

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (no substitutions), softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 TBS brown sugar
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy.

Gradually add sugars; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large

piece of plastic wrap; shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers, nilla wafers, etc.

Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas

2011-09-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

These are so good. You must give them a try. I got the recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. She is always coming up with ways to make sauces from scratch and they are usually so good and this one is no exception. It is more work then opening a bottle, but not much more. I didn't ever feel like it was too much work and the results are well worth any work I put in to it times 10. You have got to make this, you will not be disappointed!

Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Time: about an hour

Yields: 10 Enchiladas

Print Recipe

Filling:

2-3 chicken breast, chopped (you'll want about 2 cups cooked)

1 can black beans

1 (4 oz) can of diced green chilies

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

Sauce:

2 T butter

1/2 C chopped onion

2 T flour

2/3 C chicken broth

1/3 C milk

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 (7 oz) can salsa verde

1/2 C sour cream (reduced fat is fine)

8 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded

10 flour tortillas

handful of dried or fresh cilantro

In a medium bowl combine green chilies and cream cheese, mix well.

In a large frying pan, cook chicken in a small amount of oil. When chicken is about half way done, add the black beans and continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Add the chicken and beans to the cream cheese mixture and mix well. Set aside

Wipe the frying pan clean with a paper towel and melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute while stirring. Slowly add the broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbly and thickened. Add salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat and stir in salsa verde and sour cream.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Spread about 1/3 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the chicken filling. Top with a small handful of cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Once you have rolled all enchiladas, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top then pour the remaining sauce over the cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Healthy Banana Oat Muffins

2011-09-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

These little babies are easy to make, so good for you and taste delicious. I dreamt these up a couple years ago when searching for a healthy snack for my kids, I wanted something I could keep in the freezer to pop out whenever a quick snack was needed or something to go in school lunches. The great thing about these is you take a few out in the morning to put into a lunch and by lunch time they are thawed and ready to eat.

I just made a batch of these and decided to calculate the calories, fat and fiber. When you make them into mini muffins, which I always do, considering four of them is a serving size, I came up with 128 calories, less than 1 gram of fat and 4 grams of fiber, for 4 mini muffins! I figured that a regular size muffin is about two to three of the small ones. So really this is a great little snack that leaves absolutely no guilt. Give them a try! You kids and your waistline will thank you for it!

Healthy Banana Oat Muffins

From: Meg @ Back Pocket Creations

Time: 25 minutes

Servings: About 55 mini muffins or 22 regular muffins

Print Recipe

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour

1 C rolled quick oats

1/2 C sugar

1 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 t Baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 egg

3/4 C skim milk

1/3 C apple sauce

1 t vanilla extract

1 c mashed banana (about 3 medium sized)

Pre-heat oven to 375. Coat muffin tin with cooking spray ( recommend the baking kind, but the regular kind will work too) or line with muffin liners

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the egg slightly, then add the rest of the ingredients and combine throughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture just until combined, using a cookie scoop for mini muffins or an ice cream scoop for regular muffins, gently scoop the batter out and pour into each individual cup.

Bake for 9-12 minutes for mini muffins and 17-20 for regular muffins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then remove to cool completely. Enjoy now or toss into a freezer bag and freeze for a quick, healthy, delicious snack that your kids are going to love!

Chili Lime Drumsticks

2011-09-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

I used to not be a lover of dark meat chicken. It was a chicken breast or nothing for me and my husband, but one night while having dinner at my mom's house she made drumsticks and my kids were hooked on the idea of eating chicken legs ( should I be worried?) They thought it was so awesome and to my surprise they were really tasty. So I have branched out to different cuts of chicken and stubbled across this recipe. This is so simple to throw together and taste so good. Kids and adults love it at my house.

Chili Lime Drumsticks
From: All You
Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yields: 8 servings
Print Recipe

8 Chicken drumsticks (skin removed)
4 T butter, melted and cooled
1/4 C fresh lime juice
1 T chili powder
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 t sugar

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken in a large baking pan lined with foil that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

Mix remaining ingredients. Pour over drumsticks, turn them to coat. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and turn drumsticks; bake until cooked through about 25-30 minutes, basting often with pan juices. Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve hot; or let cool, cover and refrigerate and serve cold.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Do I need to say more. . ? Okay I will these cookies are to die for. Seriously, so good. They are pretty simple to put together and make a great presentation. From the outside they look like a giant chocolate chip cookie, but when someone takes the first bite they are pleasantly suprsied by American's favoirte cookie tucked nicely inside!

Now a word of advice on these; most cookies are best right out of the oven, my husband rarely eats any cookie unless it is still warm, but these get better with age, trust me on this. If you eat them within the first few hours after having been baked, you loose the taste of the Oreo. It is still delicious, but you can't make a distinction between the chocolate chip cookie and the Oreo. I was kind of disappointed when I first made these, they were good, but didn't taste much different than a regular chocolate chip cookie and I wondered what I was doing with these extra calories that didn't change the flavor. However, when I opened the cookie jar the next morning for breakfast : ) I was pleasantly surprised to find out the cookies tasted way better the next day and you could definitely taste the Oreo, yummy! So do yourself a favor and bake these ahead of time!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Picky Palate

Time: 30 minutes-give or take

Yields: 2 dozen large cookies

Print Recipe

1 C softened butter

3/4 C packed brown sugar

1 C sugar

2 large eggs

1 T vanilla extract

3 1/2 C flour

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

10 oz bag chocolate chips

1 package Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugar until well combined (about 4 minutes). Add in eggs and vanilla until combined.

In a separate bowl whisk the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take two scoops of cookie dough placing one on either side of the oreo cookie.

Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo is enclosed with dough.

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake cookies for 9-13 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cool flat surface. Remember, they taste best the next day!

Krispie Chicken Skewers

2011-09-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

You kids will flip for these. They are so fun and way better than I expected them to be. I thought this was going to be a fun dinner for the kids, but instead turned out to be something my husband and I really enjoyed as well and is now a family favorite. Try these tonight, they will not disappoint!

Krispie Chicken Skewers
Adapted from: Kellogs.com
Time: 55 minutes
Serves: 8
Print Recipe

1 1/2 cups Kellogs Rice Krispies cereal (crushed to 3/4 cup)
2 T flour
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 c grated parmesan
1/4 C vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast tenders
wooden skewers (soaked in water)

In a large re-sealable plastic bag combine cereal, flour, spices and cheese combine well. Pour oil into a shallow dish.

Dip chicken pieces in oil, letting excess drip off. Place 2 -3 chicken tenders at a time into the plastic bag, seal and shake until the chicken is coated. Carefully thread chicken onto skewers. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil and coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pick. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Easy Peasy S'more Bars

2011-08-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

You have to make these right now! They are so unbelievably delicious and so easy, start to finish with cleanup and everything takes about 30 minutes. I was so surprised how quick and easy they came together that I was sure they would be lacking in taste. Not true, probably the best s'more dessert around. Now you would think that this dessert would only taste good hot, but you would be wrong, it does taste divine when hot, but even a day or two later this dessert still holds up. I made this Saturday night after a grueling 23 mile run as my reward and my kids polished off the rest as an after-school snack on Monday and it was still so good.

Easy Peasy S'more Bars
Adapted from: Betty Crocker
Time: 30 minutes!
Yields: 9x13 pan
Print Recipe

1 pouch (1lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1 C graham cracker crumbs crushed
1 C melted butter
1 bag (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 bag (10.5 oz) miniature marshmallows (I used big marshmallows cut in half because it was what I had on hand)

Heat oven to 375 and line a 13x9 pan with foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray

In a large bowl melt butter using the microwave, then add cookie mix and graham crackers, stir until a soft dough forms.

Press the dough evenly into your 9x13 pan

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the top, let stand for a few minutes until the chocolate begins to melt. Spread the chocolate evenly over the crust.

Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over chocolate and put back in the oven until the marshmallows are puffed and very slightly toasted, about 3-5 minutes. Watch closely because the marshmallows can burn quickly. Cool for 5-7 minutes, remove the bars using the foil and cut in to squares. Be prepared to swoon!