One Cheeky Chica

Mini-Donuts!

2013-01-16T23:57:00.001-05:00

I purchased a Bella cake pop/donut hole maker months ago and for some reason put it away. Out of sight, out of mind! Well, I came across the box the other day and had to make some donuts!

All I needed was a box of yellow cake mix and followed the directions for the mix. I lightly greased the wells of the non-stick surface of my goodie maker and plugged it in.

I filled each well with 1/2 tablespoon of the cake mix and closed the lid. I let it sit for 5 minutes and opened up to golden goodness! I let them sit for about 30 seconds before removing them. I used a toothpick inserted in the side of each donut hole and placed them in a deep, round Tupperware bowl.

I added powdered sugar to the bowl and swirled the donuts around so they were completely covered. I transferred them to a plastic holiday-themed bucket with a lid.

I think I will try making rum balls since this was so easy to do!! =)

French Toast Casserole

2012-09-06T08:38:00.002-04:00

French Toast Casserole

Pampered Chef makes it easy :-)

I was geeked on trying this recipe out. Why? Because it was so darn easy!! I had to prep it the night before BUT it was so worth the wait!! It supposedly yields 12 servings but if you eat anything like me you may get 4 or 5 servings outta of it. SMILE

Ok, your ingrediant list:

1 loaf french bread (10oz or more), cut into 1" pieces

8 eggs

3 cups milk

4 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1. Place bread pieces in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Dot with butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over top.

3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve with syrup!

Sunday morning goodness

Cuban Picadillo

2012-09-04T12:26:00.001-04:00

So my daughter had a craving for some picadillo last week and printed out the recipe. I figured why not, it would be a fabulous meal! I had most of the ingrediants needed other than the ground beef so a quick run was made to the store and before you know it the kids were in business. Yep, thats right! I let the kids handle the kitchen this go-round! Check it out!

FYI: if you don't want a lot of leftovers, halve the recipe.

Ingrediants:

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green paper, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds ground beef
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3-4 dried bay leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 8oz can diced tomatos
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 cup Spanish olives
4 oz pimentos, chopped
2 tablespoon capers
1 packet GOYA Sazon seasoning (Culantro and Annato)

Add olive oil to a large cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat. Add peppers and onion; saute 2-3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and stir for another 30 seconds; add ground beef, cooking until fully done, about 6-10 minutes. Add salt, cumin, black pepper, and bay leaves. Stir until combined well.

Add dry white wine and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add diced tomatos, and tomato sauce. Stir well. Add olives, capers, and Sazon seasoning; combine well. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20-30 minutes (stirring occasionally.)

Serve over rice.

Mocha Rum Brownies

2012-03-16T15:26:00.001-04:00

Now I"m not a big brownie eater but I do love chocolate! And rum!! I ran across this recipe and and thought maybe the rum couls sell me on eating more brownies.... what do you think?? Check it out!

Mocha Rum Brownies

1 box brownie mix
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup brewed expresso or strong coffee
1/2 cup dark rum
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan.

Combine all brownie ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased pan and bake 40-45 minutes. Let brownies cool completely. Cut into squares.

Mocha Rum Frosting
1 stick butter, melted
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp dark rum

Stir together butter and coca. In seperate bowl, beat confectioners sugar and milk in three alternating segments. Add milk mixture to the butter and cocoa mixture. Add vanilla and rum, stirring until smooth and creamy.

Top brownies with frosting. You can use raspberries or cherries on top of frosting! ENJOY!

Gorilla Bread

2011-12-12T16:08:00.001-05:00

Super Sweet!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 package cream cheese
2 cans refridgereated biscuits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

I sprayed my bundt pan with a baking cooking spray (PAM.)

1. Mix the white sugar and cinnamon.

2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together over low heat, stir well.

3. Cut the cream cheese into 16-20small squares. You will need one square per biscuit.

4. Once the biscuits are out of the tube, press them out a bit and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of cinnamon sugar mixture.

5. Place a cream cheese square inthe middle of the biscuit.

6. Wrap the dough around the cream cheese into a ball. Place half of the prepared biscuits into the pan.

7. Sprinkle more of the cinnamon sugar on top; then add 1/2 of the melted butter and brown sugar topping.

8. Layer remaining half of prepared biscuits on top; add remainder of cinnamon sugar then top with remainder of melted butter and brown sugar mixture.

9. Bake for 30 minutes.

10. Let cool for several minutes, then pop out of bundt pan.

Bella and the Mini-Pie's

2011-12-06T13:05:00.001-05:00

Warm strawberry mini-pie with vanilla ice cream

I purchased my BELLA mini-pie maker online through Macy's. I can't pass up a sale so I bought the Cake Pop maker as well. I'll demo that at another time. My sweet tooth can only take so much sugary goodness at one time!!

The pie maker was very easy to use! Just plug in and wait for the appliance to heat up, when the light turns green (approx 10 minutes) you are good to go.

The products I used were pretty basic: (no product pics at this time)

pie crusts from the refridgerated section of your grocery store

any filling you would like - I used a strawberry pie filling.

flour, to keep the pastry shell from sticking to my hands, rolling pin and flat surface.

When I uncurled the pastry shell, i used my floured rolling pin to stretch it out a bit. The BELLA pie maker came with a round cut-out which made it very easy for me. The larger side was for the bottom, the smaller side was for the top. EASY!

Once I had my bottom rounds, I placed them in the heated pie maker. Don't burn yourself! BELLA also enclosed this handy-dandy pie mold that helps push the shell into the appliance. Again, EASY!

Once the shells are in place, I added my filling. MMMMM, strawberries! It askes for about 1/3 cup per pie.

I even got fancy with my second set, just for kicks!

I closed the top and let it go to town on my pies, about 12 minutes. Aint she pretty?

This is me peeking in at about 9-10 minutes.

YUM! YUM! YUM!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T13:09:00.001-05:00

GOOEY CAKE!!

We smoked the ham...

hot buttered rolls

deep-fried Turkey...

sweet potatos with marshmallows...

Who'd like a beer?.....

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

2011-11-18T13:52:00.001-05:00

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small squares

Filling:
16oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tsp
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into small squares
1 cup flour
10-15 soft caramel candies
1-2 tbsp heavy cream

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

To make crust:
Combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add butter cubes and mix together well. I used my hands...
Press dough evenly into a 9x13 pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.

To make the filling:
Beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
In small bowl combine apples, cinnamon and 2 tsp of sugar. Fold mixture into cream cheese.
Pour batter into crust.

To make the topping:
Combine the oats, flour and brown sugar. Add butter into mixture until it is chrumbly.
Top the batter with an even layer of the topping.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until topping is a golden brown.

CARAMEL TOPPING:
Combine caramel candies with heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat/melt in 20-30 seconds increments so you don't burn it. Stir it really well!! Drizzle the caramel over the baked topping.

Halloween Cookies!

2011-11-03T13:18:00.000-04:00

So I had to answer the call of the spooky season and bake some down right chilling cookies. LOL! This was actually more detailed than I expected though still yummy for this mummy's tummy. All I needed was a tub of cokie dough, yeah, a tub..... and I was off baking!

Needed:
tub (or tube) of cookie dough
flour - for my hands
Jolly Rancher candies
parchment paper

Preheat oven as per directions. I patted out a dough ball one at a time, then pressed them onto the parchmdent paper. NOTE: I did this ON the cookie sheet I found it much easier to just cut away the excess dough from the cookie and leaving the actual cookie ON the baking sheet. Trust me, it will you time and an aching back.... :-) I did some detailing by cleaning up the edges around the skull and in the eyes before they went into the oven.

Pull cookies out a few minutes before they are completely done. WARNING: The cookies puffed up and skulls looked like they had a bad case of water retention in the face. :-o When I pulled them from the oven I STILL had to cut the eyes out. Otherwise, they had closed up faster than a boxers eye on the end of Pacquiao's gloved fist.

For the candied coloered eyes: I used my coffee grinder and ground down a few of the cherry red Jolly Ranchers into a powder form. Once I had cut open the eyes, I spooned some of the powedered JR into each eye socket. Place sheet back into the oven to finish baking.

Let them sit on the parchment paper for a few minutes as the candied eyes will not have hardened as yet. Don't want to pop out any eyeballs do you??

I added some sprinkles afterwards though they just look dirty now. I still ate them. I used green apple Jolly Ranchers for the pumpkins eyes. :-)

Can't go wrong with all of this on hand!!

Purchased from Target...they get all my money :-/

making eyes....

creepy...... !!!!

not bad for my first (and only) bone-headed batch

they all have the POX!!!

A Lil Decorating...

2011-10-14T15:20:00.003-04:00

Peachy Crunch Cake

2011-10-14T13:52:00.002-04:00

I found this to be very sweet.... like somethings wrong with that! LOL! Not at all. This can be served warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

**Sidenote: I will always use a substitute when a recipe calls for peanuts/tree nuts or nut oils.
We are a peanut/tree nut free family.**

What you need:

1 large can of sliced peaches in syrup
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, sliced into 12-16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granola or walnuts **FYI, I used granola**

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Layer ingrediants, in the order above, in a 13x9 dish. Make sure the cake mix is mixed well with the peach syrup for a clean bake.
3. Bake for approx 40-50 minutes.
4. Let cool a bit, the serve!

Peaches and cake mix...

sliced pats of butter on top...

look at all that brown sugar...

granola for some crunchy goodness...

TA DAAA!! Wait, where's the ice cream???

New York Mets vs Washington Nationals 9.2.11

2011-09-09T11:48:00.000-04:00

my view

Jason Werth

What they whispering about down there??

Jose Reyes!!

Mets end up winning 7-3

Sing-a-along: Take me out to the baaalll game...!!

Watch the Presidents run...

a visit from Thomas Jefferson

Pina Colada Cake

2011-08-22T14:29:00.001-04:00

Nothing like getting your eat and drink on at the same time. OH YEAH!! This baby here has a half cup of Bacardi in it... HOLLA!!

1 box yellow cake mix
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can Coco Lopez cream of coconut
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp Bacardi light
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 can crushed pineapple, drained well - I used a cheesecloth to squeeze excess moisture out

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In large bowl, combine cake and pudding mix, 1/2 cup cream of cocnut, 1/2 cup rum, oil and eggs. Beat on medium until mixed well.
3. Stir in pineapple.
4. Pour batter into a greased/floured pan.
5. Bake for about 55 minutes.

6. Let cool. Poke holes throughout cake-top.

7. Combine the remaining cream of coconut and 2 tbsp rum; pour over cake.

Chicken Enchiladas

2011-08-17T11:56:00.001-04:00

My son told me I made the best enchiladas last night so you know this one is a winner! I must say that I would add extra cheese when I am melting the monteray and cream cheese in the skillet but I do like my dishes to be super cheesy. Check it out!

What you need:

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (4oz) can diced green chile peppers, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8oz) box cream cheese
1/2 cup water
2 cups monterey jack shredded cheese
1 cup heavy cream
8 flour tortillas

1. Boil chicken breasts in saucepan for about 20 minutes. Once done, remove from saucepan and set aside to cool down. Once they have cooled, shred chicken.

2. Preheat oven 375.

3. In large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add green chilis and garlic. Saute and stir for few minutes, then add cream cheese and 1 cup monterey jack cheese. (If you want this to be really cheesy, add more cheese!)

4. As cheese begins to melt, slowly stir in the water. Follow with the shredded chicken. Mix everything well!

5. Spoon the mixture into the tortillas; roll up and place seam side down in a rectangular baking dish.Sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) of monterey jack cheese, then pour heavy cream over top.

6. Bake approx 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Ocean City, MD July 2011

2011-08-12T11:42:00.001-04:00

I had a fabulous time with my mom, sister and cousin at the beach and it was well needed. Hit the boardwalk for some greasy pizza and some funnel cake (thanks mom!) We baked on the hot sand Saturday afternoon, running to the ocean water to cool off. My sister and I collected seashells from the surf while my mom snuck in some candid pictures of us. We eventually moved from the hot sandy beach to the cool pool of our motel. We met some very nice people and had a great time while bobbing around the water.

I'll have to upload pix another time. I realize that I downloaded them to a thumbdrive which I dont have with me at the moment. :( However I do have one cropped picture of me when we all went to de Lazy Lizard for dinner Saturday night, They are located on 1st and Bay. Wonderful spot right on the water!! Food was delicious, band was great and the staff were wonderful. I highly recommend them!

Night out for dinner!

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

2011-08-08T10:11:00.006-04:00

4oz cream cheese, softened
10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
6-8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
2 cup marinara sauce

1. Heat oven to 375.

2. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese; blend well.

3. Spread mixture onto lasagna noodles.

4. Roll noodles up tightly and place seam side down in a baking dish.

5. Top with marinara sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake 30-40 minutes until done.

Washington Nationals vs Florida Marlins 7.28.11

2011-08-04T11:52:00.000-04:00

Took my son out the ball game in Washington DC to see the Nationals play. This was our first time in thier new stadium and I was quite excited. Not so excited that I wore Nats gear, I made sure I had a NY Mets cap to wear. :-)

Go Mets!! Oh, thats another game day? My bad!

Can you believe $6 for one beer???? Highway robbery!!!

Now don't ever go to a ballgame hungry or thirsty. These folks know how to make money off you. $6 for a beer and $8 for a hot dog. Say whut in my Stewie voice....

GO! GO! GO!

I love watching the Presidents Run! I honestly don't know how these guys managed to don these bobble-headed costumes and made a mad dash around the outfield inner rim in that %^&* heat that day. There must be a hazard-pay clause in thier contract!!

Our seats were in the right outfield (section 140) and the view was great! The only downside was the lack of a big-screen tv facing you on the other side of the stadium. Now there were smaller flat-screens up high on the posts behind me but what a pain to turn and look up at a small screen. Oh well.

Jason! Jason! Jaaaasooon! I think he's ignoring me...

The only player I know by name, Jason Werth, who didn't do squat in todays game. His stance says it all...

SMH

Well, the Nats lost today. We had a great time, the fans were fun and I hope to get back soon!

Balsamic Bean Dip

2011-07-25T13:11:00.000-04:00

This was a quick and easy recipe that I found online.

what you need:

1 15oz can cannellini white beans
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar plus a little extra for drizzling at end
salt and pepper
pita bread cut into wedges

1. Puree drained beans, oilive oil and balsamic vinegar in a processor until smooth.
2. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer to serving bowl: drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Chilled Chocolate-Covered Bananas

2011-05-24T12:57:00.000-04:00

This treat was pretty easy to make.

4 large ripe bananas, peeled and cut into thirds
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup shredded coconut
popsicle sticks
parchment or wax paper

1. Melt chocolate chips in microwave, 30 seconds at a time.
2.Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

3. Insert a popsicle stick into end of each banana.

4. Using a small rubber spatula or spoon, coat banana with melted chocolate.
REHEAT CHOCOLATE AS NEEDED TO KEEP IT MELTED.

5. Roll some in coconut shavings
6. Place lined sheet with bananas in refridgerator; chill.
7. Serve!

Rainbow Cake

2011-05-24T12:48:00.000-04:00

Since my daughter, Sierra, is home for the summer from college (WVU!) I decided she could make the Rainbow Cake... She has made rainbow cupcakes but we thought we would do it a little different this time. It is a bit time-consuming due to prepping the different colrs but it is sooo worth it!! Check it out!

What you need:
2 boxs white cake mix
2- 12oz cans of Sprite
GEL food coloring - the gel coloring gives more vibrancy to the colors than regular food coloring.
2 cake pans

**No eggs, no oil, no water**

1. Mix the cake mix with the soda.
2. For the colors, divide batter into 6 bowls. Add about 1 cup per bowl.

3. Stir in color into each bowl.

4. For the first color into the pan, measure out as close to the midlle of the pan.

5. Use three colors for each pan. (or however many you want.)
6. Bake the cakes following the instructions on the box plus an additional 10-15 minutes. The soda makes the cake a bit denser so you will need some more baking time. Use a toothpick to make sure they are done. Keep an eye on them!

7. Once done, let them cool completely.
8. Frost....EAT!

Chcolate Chip and Cherry Cobbler

2011-05-24T12:27:00.000-04:00

Oh my!! My second recipe of the day without any pictures!! I'll have to redeem myself by making these dishes again! LOL This dessert went quickly at a party I held over the weekend. Add some ice cream for a yummy summer treat!

What you need:
a 1 1/2 -quart microwave/baking dish
1 21oz can cherry pie filling
2 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven 350.
2. In Mix pie filling, orange juice and vanilla extract in bowl.
3. Microwave uncovered about 4 minutes or until bubbly around edge; stir.
4. In a bowl, mix remaining ingrediants until dough forms.
5. Drop dough onto warm pie filling.
6. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad (or is it Salsa?)

2011-05-24T12:18:00.000-04:00

Now I love me some black-eyes peas and this was right up my alley. Sorry to say that I don't have any pictures to go with this blog entry (boring, I know!) but trust and beleive it was a tasty treat!

What you need:
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
2 large tomatos, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 15oz can black-eyes peas, drained
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)
1 bad of Tostitos Scoops

1. Combine salt and garlic in a medium bowl; mash together.
2. Add rice wine vinegar, olive oil and cumin, mixing well.
3. Add tomatos, cilantro, black-eyes peas and jalapeno pepper; toss well.
4. Serve with Scoops and Enjoy!

Pinecone Bird Feeder

2011-05-03T11:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, now the birds are out singing thier spring songs, I thought why not give them something for all their hard, singsongy work? I found this craft to be very easy!

What you need:
a bag of bird seed
CRISCO shortening
twine/string
pinecones

1. I tied some twine around my pinecone. I figured that would be easier first instead of doing it after it was greasy and covered in seeds.

2. I poured some bird seed into a bowl.

3. I use a spoon and spread, best I can, shortening all over the pinecone. Make sure to get it into the spaces!

4. I proceed to pat/roll the greased up pinecone in the bowl of bird seed.

My neighbors tree has overhanging branches in my backyard so I hung two feeders on the branches.

Funnel Cake

2011-05-02T12:37:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year where the carnivals start setting up thier tents and kiddie rides. A time for candied apples, snocones, wispy cotton candy and funnel cakes. So I decided to try to make a funnel cake at home. I tried to use my funnel but the batter waswn't cooperating and did more of a drop-drop-drop into the fryer. I then poured straight from the bowl which was a bit better. I just think I need to practice more with my pour method. The end product was yummy!

You can use a deep-fryer set at 375 or a skillet to make this. I opted to use my cast-iron skillet on the stove-top.

What you need:

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
oil for deep frying
powdered sugar, to shake over funnel cake

1. Combine the eggs, milk, and brown sugar; combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Mix everything together until smooth.

3. Using a funnel (use finger to cover spout), hold several inches above the oil, move finger to release batter. Move funnel in circle or whatever fancy design yu wish. :-)
4. Fry each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

5. Dust with powdered sugar.

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

2011-05-02T12:20:00.000-04:00

Not that I needed any more dessert in my kitchen but this cake was fairly simple to make. Plus I'm not big into lemon cake -so why make it? Because I can scratch it off my been there-done that list. Who says I'm not well-rounded? ????

ok, so here's what you need:

CAKE:
2 1/2 cups Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp grated lemon peel or lemon juice (I used lemon juice)

GLAZE:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Heat your oven to 325. I sprayed my bundt pan with baking spray w/ flour.

2. Beat all the cake ingrediants except the lemon peel (or juice) with a mixer on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
3. Stir the lemon.

4. Pour into pan
5. Bake approx 45-50 minutes or use toothpick method; insert toothpick, if it comes out clean - you are done!
6. Remove cake from pan and place on cooling rack. Cool for 1 hour.
7. In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice.

8. Drizzle glaze over cake.