via Sweet Basil

JRoc was never a fan of peanut butter… which was a little disappointing for this peanut butter addicted mommy. However, thanks to some divine intervention, my child has suddenly become a peanut butter fan… overnight! And to celebrate this most joyous day, this is what we’re making together…

Reese’s Kirspies

Ingredients:

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Corn Syrup
1 1/3 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
4 1/4 Cup Rice Krispes
1 Pinch of Salt
4 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
1 Handful Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter until smooth and evenly combined.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Quickly add the salt and cereal and stir to combine thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips and stir again. Wait about 1 min and add the candy, quickly folding the mixture together so as to not smash up the candy.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop rounded tablespoons onto the sheet. Let cool and devour!

Enjoy ♥

And of course, my child just HAD TO try some… since he so kindly reminded me that the last time he had it was before we welcomed him to the outside (the poor, deprived thing).

Ingredients

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 package (8oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
About 12 jalapeno peppers, seeded and halved
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 cups oil

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Spoon this mixture into the jalapeno pepper halves.
2. Put the milk and flour into two separate small bowls. Dip the stuffed jalapenos first into the milk then into the flour, making sure they are well coated with each. Allow the coated jalapenos to dry for about 10 minutes.
3. Dip the jalapenos in milk again and roll them through the breadcrumbs. Allow them to dry, then repeat to ensure the entire surface of the jalapeno is coated.
4. In a medium skillet, heat the oil to 365 degrees F ( 180 degrees C). Deep fry the coated jalapenos for about 2 minutes each until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel.

I serve these with JRoc’s favorite mayo/ketchup special sauce.

Enjoy!

via The Sweets Life

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries… just 5 ingredients & oh, so simple to make!

Ingredients:

1 lb large strawberries
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (can use 1/3 less fat)
3-4 tbsp powdered sugar (4 tbsp for a sweeter filling)
1 tsp vanilla extract
graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of the strawberry. Remove the top and clean out with a paring knife, if necessary. Set strawberries aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Add cream cheese mix to a piping bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off. Fill strawberries with cheesecake mixture. Once strawberries are filled, dip the top in graham cracker crumbs.

If not serving immediately, refrigerate until serving… Enjoy!

Photos updated: 03.30.12

via Kirbie’s Cravings

“A flourless Nutella mug cake. It sounds as good as the name. It’s super easy to put together. Just five ingredients. A little stir. Microwave for less than 2 minutes. And you’re treated to a decadent, moist, flourless Nutella cake.”

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of Nutella
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp heavy cream
1 large egg

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients into a mug. Make sure you thoroughly scrape 2 tbsp of Nutella into your mug. A lot of times, much of it sticks to the measuring spoon and it can throw off the recipe and make it taste too eggy.
2. Stir with a small whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly blended in the batter, especially the Nutella.
3. Microwave for about 1 min 15 seconds. Check on the cake. The top of the cake may look wet and moist but see if the inside section is set and cooked. If it is, you are done. But if you are worried that the wet part might still have raw egg, remove the thin top layer and flip over so that the wet part is sitting inside and no longer facing the top and microwave for about another 20 seconds so that the wet section cooks. Careful not to overcook or else batter gets too dry. Total cook time should be around 1 ½ minutes, and no more than 2.
4. Wait for the batter to cool before eating, about 10-20 minutes. I don’t recommend eating this straight out of the microwave because it sometimes has a little bit of an eggy taste which goes away if you let the cake cool and set.

Grab this and more Mug-Cake recipes from Kirbie’s Cravings!

Enjoy ♥

Layers of rich chocolate cake and sweet buttercream icing… no longer being served at Olive Garden, but you can still enjoy it at home!

INGREDIENTS:

Cake…

6 cups cake flour
5 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups baking cocoa
2 tablespoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup butter
12 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Butter Cream…

2/3 cup water
4 tablespoons meringue powder
12 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 1/4 cup shortening
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon clear almond extract
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1 teaspoon colorless butter flavoring

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 10-inch springform pans.

Cake:

In mixing bowl, stir together sifted cake flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda. Add butter and mix well. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Pour about 5 cups of the cake batter into each prepared pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before you remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Butter Cream:

Combine water and meringue powder; whip at high speed until peaks form. Add 4 cups of sugar, one cup at a time, beating after each addition at low speed. Alternately add shortening and remainder of sugar. Add salt and flavorings; beat at low speed until smooth. Thin out 1/2 of the frosting with a little extra water. The thinned frosting is used as the filling between layers.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Place one 10 inch cake on a large round plate or a large round cake platter. Spread 1/2 of the thinned frosting on top. (Only frost the top of the cake) Sprinkle very lightly with semi-sweet chocolate chips. (There are very few chips on this layer, usually only 1 or 2 per wedge, so sprinkle very very lightly).

Place the second cake on top of the first. Frost the top with the remaining thinned frosting. Sprinkle with semi-sweet chocolate chips. (You can be a bit more generous with this layer).

Place the third layer on top of the second. Frost the top with all of the Butter Cream that was not thinned. This is a thick layer of frosting so pile it on. Try to get the top as smooth as you can. Sprinkle with semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Cut the cake into wedges, as you would cut a pizza. Using chocolate syrup, create a design on your dessert plate. Place the wedge of chocolate lasagna at the 11 o’clock position on your dessert plate with the point facing down. (So that you can see some of the syrup design).

Enjoy! ♥

Ingredients:

1 pound cake

2 boxes strawberries

White chocolate

Kabob sticks

I cut the pound cake into squares and sliced off the strawberry tops… then slid them on to the kabob sticks… alternating between pound cake and strawberries.

Then I melted the white chocolate by boiling a pot of water and putting the chocolate into a bowl that is safe to use on the top of the boiling water (I added a little oil to thin it out).

After the chocolate was melted it, I poured it all into a plastic bag, cut off the corner of the bag, and squeezed the chocolate all over the kabobs (omg yummmm!).

Put in the fridge for about 30 minutes and the chocolate will harden and be ready for serving!

via WhipperBerry

Nutella Strawberry Shortcake
Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of strawberries
1 T. Sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 small box of chocolate instant pudding
1 carton of Cool Whip
1/4 c. of Nutella
1 angel food cake

Instructions:

Clean and hull strawberries and cut into bite size chunks. Sprinkle with sugar, toss and chill for one hour.

In a large bowl whisk together milk and pudding until smooth. Add Nutella and whisk again until smooth. Combine with Cool Whip and chill for about an hour.

Cut angel food cake into bite size pieces. Layer cake, strawberries, and Nutella cream in a small bowl and drizzle with some Nutella.

♥

via The Italian Dish

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
Makes 4 large parfaits or 6 smaller ones

This recipe is flexible – e.g., if you just love the graham cracker “crust” then double the amount and make more.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of strawberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 12 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons Amaretto
• 1 cup heavy cream
• mint springs, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Slice the strawberries into a bowl and sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar.  Toss and set aside.

2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and one tablespoon of sugar.
3. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.  Add the sour cream, confectioners’ sugar and Amaretto and beat until combined.
4. In another bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form.  Fold into the cream cheese mixture.

Assemble Parfaits:

Place about a tablespoon of the graham cracker “crust” in the bottom of your glasses.  Layer some of the cheesecake filling in the glasses, then some of the strawberry topping and sprinkle some more of the graham cracker on top. (Amounts will vary according to how many parfaits you are making, so just adjust accordingly). Repeat layers and top with mint.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

“So… make your own!” you say? That’s exactly what I did… and my first try at it turned out pretty darn good.

Ingredients

• 1 package refrigerated cheese ravioli
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

1. Pour enough oil (I used vegetable oil) into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. While the oil is heating, lightly beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.  Put the bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl.
3. Dip ravioli in egg and coat completely. Allow the excess to drip back into the bowl.
4. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.
5. When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.
6. Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warm marinara sauce!

Mmmmm… YUMMMMA! 

After “investing” a bit into the… ummmm… Bank of Blackjack, we decided it was time to have dinner, and chose the Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant…

So, I guess I was hungrier than I thought because I failed to take pictures of our appetizer (Bruschetta Calda: Grilled Il Fornaio ciabatta bread rubbed with garlic, warm chopped tomatoes, basil and kalamata olives… deeeelicious!!) and the big-guy’s main dish, which I cannot recall… gah!

I had the Red Snapper.. which seems to be no longer on their menu (what a shame!! ). Good thing I snapped a picture of it It was el yumma!!

The place was so good, we went back the next morning for breakfast But, again, I only took a picture of what *I* ordered… because you know, it’s all about me and what I eat. Pffft….

I ordered the Tosto Francese (French toast, mascarpone cheese,
pure New England maple syrup)… Ohhhh-Emmmm-Geeee! It was so incredibly deeelish, I’m gonna have to find the recipe…

We enjoyed our delightful dinner & breakfast at…

Il Fornaio Italian Restaurant