The Pampered Jes

Snickers and Mars bars

2013-04-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

Here's to the mighty Snickers bar, and here's to making it (sort of) by yourself (sort of) at home (sort of)!!

I know I've talked about this recipe once before, but I found myself making two batches this month, one with peanuts (like a Snickers) and one without (like a Mars Bar).

So, if you ever really wanted to know what's involved in making your own, here's the (less than) skinny on the process.

(And maybe this will be my last set of parentheses!)

Bottom Layer Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Nougat Layer Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel Layer Ingredients:
1 14-ounce bag of caramels
1/4 cup whipping cream

Top Layer Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

It's really not a lot, this process just TAKES TIME since every layer needs to cool enough to hold its own before you add another one on top of it. I'd plan on at least an hour per layer, even if you use the fridge, because you really want that pretty set of layers to come out evenly when you're down.

Directions (Bottom Layer):
1. Buy a 9x13 disposable pan and spray it with a non-stick cooking spray. You really want disposable and you really want to grease it up. Trust me on both. It makes the final steps the easiest.
2. In a microwave safe dish/measuring cup, melt together the bottom layer ingredients over 90 seconds, stopping every 30 seconds to stir, or until completely melted and combined.
3. Spread out melted PB chocolate goo into prepped disposable container, set in fridge to solidify.

Directions (Nougat Layer):
1. Melt butter in your pan over medium heat, then add your sugar and milk and bring to a boil. Stir well so everything dissolves nicely.
2. Cook for about five minutes, still stirring from time to time.
3. Add fluff, PB, and vanilla - keep stirring! Make it smooth.

4. Turn off the heat and fold in the peanuts (for Snickers), or don't (for Mars bar)
5. Pour and spread over cooled and set bottom chocolate layer. Stick that puppy back in the fridge for another hour.

Directions (Caramel Layer):
1. Combine caramels and cream in saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth (10+ minutes).
2. Pour over nougat and return to fridge for another hour.

Directions (Top Layer):
1. In a microwave safe dish/measuring cup, melt together the bottom layer ingredients over 90 seconds, stopping every 30 seconds to stir, or until completely melted and combined.
3. Spread melted PB chocolate goo on top of other three set layers. Put back in fridge to solidify one final time.

Directions to Serve:
This is the part where you're really thankful I told you to use a disposable pan...

First, peel back the edges if your pan. You'll see how nicely the layers have set, making it super simple for you to take them out of the pan.

I just flip it upside down and peel off the bottom. The flexibility of the disposable pan helps. If you're super-anti-disposable pan, then try to use a silicon one or something with equal amounts of flex.

Next, take your nicely sharpened knife and cut it up. You can make bars, squares, or whatever your heart desires. I'd store them in the fridge because the chocolate will go soft if you leave it out too long.

When I make a double batch (two 9x13" pans), I can keep them in the fridge for about two weeks and they still taste amazing. I can't vouch for longer than that because they really won't ever last once people have tasted them.

Try it. You'll never want to go back to your standard Snickers/Mars bar again. I promise.

{Fake} King (Cup) Cakes!

2013-03-31T05:08:00.000-07:00

Did you ever just have one of those recipes that made you go crazy? You follow along, you make sure you're doing everything exactly the way it's been written, and then it flops just the same??

This is not that recipe. Well, okay, it started out that way, but I just ditched all pretense of following along after a certain point and I just started to wing it. Yes, I "wung" it.

While I'd normally say that that's a bad idea for me to follow through with, this time it actually worked out okay, and in the long run this is a much more simple way to make individual king cakes. Not exactly a win-win, but a better than lose-lose for sure! The original recipe can be found over with the Foodie Bride, but the dough on that liquified at some point. I won't get into it, but the following is my "no-fail" recipe!

Ingredients (dough):
2 cans of crescent roll dough
4 T melted butter
Ingredients (cream cheese filling):
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 C + 2T sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Ingredients (glaze):
3/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3-4 tsp water
yellow, green, and purple decorating sugar

Directions:
1. Mix up cream cheese filling ingredients.
2. Roll out cresent dough into two long rectangles per can of dough (1 rectangle for each segment of 4 crescent rolls - 4 total)
3. Brush each with 1 T of melted butter, leaving the top 1" dry.
4. Divide cream cheese filling in fourths, and spread evenly over each rectangle of dough, leaving top 1" dry.
5. Starting with the long side of dough closest to you, roll jelly-roll syle. Pinch the last inch of dough onto the roll and place it seam side down on your counter.
6. Lightly roll/pat/pull the roll so the diameter is even in its length.
7. Slice into 1" thick rolls (each rolled rectangle should make 6 sliced rolls - 24 total).
8. Place each roll into a paper lined cupcake tin.
9. Bake about 15 minutes at 375, or until lightly browned

As the cakes are cooking, whisk together the glaze ingredients. Slowly add water until you get a smooth and thick, but scoopable glaze.

Spoon glaze over the cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle them with the colors of Mardi Gras. Try to make them within a day or two of eating them.

If you're really making these for Mardi Gras, and not just for fun, make sure to hide a king in one, or at least a little red bean - just make sure to warn everyone who may be unsuspecting. You don't want a cracked tooth!

I loved these little King Cakes. They definitely help to set the mood, and while they didn't turn out ANYTHING like I had expected, I think the crescent dough really helped to save them (and my sanity) in the process. Not bad for a "faker" recipe, not bad at all!

(Oh, and for those of you celebrating that king today, Happy Easter!)

Cajun Pork Sandwiches

2013-03-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

This recipe is amazing for two reasons: the pork AND the sandwiches. The pork tenderloins come out so juicy and amazing, I would just happily serve them as a main dish hot from the oven. But, when you add them to the other ingredients to make a sandwich, they're still phenomenal. It was hard to remember to stop eating these before the event!

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each, trimmed
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 T paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
36 French bread slices or mini buns
Butter, softened
Mixed greens
Thin slivers of sweet peppers

Directions:
1. Rub each tenderloin with 1 tsp of vegetable oil, then combine the spices in a small bowl. Pat mixture over tenderloins, then cover and refrigerate over night.
2. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermomether reads 160. Let stand for 10 minutes, then thinly slice.
3. Slice french bread and spread butter over each slice.
4. Top each butter bread slice with mixed greens, pork slice, and sweet peppers.

Now, if it were up to me, there would be another sauce drizzled on top to keep the moisture and to make these open faced sandwiches look even cuter. I'm not sure what I'd choose, but it's something I'd like to keep in mind for next time (provided I'm making sandwiches again).

Herb and Cheese Sweet Peppers

2013-03-26T04:23:00.000-07:00

Here's something that won't take too long, but it'll be gone rather quickly. It's a new item for our traditional crudite platters that start to bore me after a while...

You'll need a bag of 30 (or so) mini sweet peppers. These are easily found at Costco for $3.99, or you can grab a bag at most grocery stores.

You'll also need 18 oz. of semi-soft chevre (goat cheese), 1/4 C snipped chives, freshly ground black pepper, and some basil to garnish.

And then, the easy part? Mix up the cheese, chives, and pepper to taste. Clean and cut the peppers in half, lengthwise, and stuff the cheese mixture inside. Garnish and serve.

So simple, but at least it changes up the look of your platter, and they taste great, even for those less than fans of goat cheese!

See? They're in the middle back of my platter! You have to hide them otherwise they're gone ASAP!

Cheesy Shrimp Dip

2013-03-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

This dip was a HUGE crowd pleaser. I multiplied this recipe by five (5!!) for 60 people and they could've kept eating it all night if I hadn't run out.

The recipe originally comes from the Crock Pot Girl. I didn't modify it too much, but here's how it went...

Ingredients:
2 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
3 medium onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 jumbo shrimp, peeled/deveined (I used pre-cooked as well)
1 large Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
3 C Monterey jack cheese shreds (I used a Mexican 4 cheese mix)
1/4+ tsp cayenne pepper
4-8 drops Tabasco sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste
* Serve with chips or crackers of choice

Directions:
1. Cook bacon until crisp, drain, and crumble.
2. Saute onion and garlic in bacon drippings, drain.
3. Coarsely chop shirmp
4. Transfer all dip ingredients to crock pot
5. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour, occasionally stirring, until cheese is melted.

* If need be, you can thin out the dip with a little milk.

Cajun Crab Dip

2013-03-20T05:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a super simple appetizer that you can make in advance and then just bake up when your company arrives.

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T sliced green onion
1 T milk
1 T Tabasco sauce (+++)
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp salt
6 1/2 oz crab meat (drained, flaked, cartilage removed)
Slivered almonds for topping (optional)
* serve with your favorite crackers (I loved the cracked pepper water crackers)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together all ingredients except the crab. Once everything else is well combined, gently stir in the crab meat.
2. Spread in a lightly greased pie plate. Sprinkle with almonds if desired.
3. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until heated through.

I don't eat seafood, so I know I'm not the best judge at some of these recipes, but I can tell you that I received many compliments on this "dip." Mine appeared almost like more of a spread than an easily dippable material, but it was still great.

Bourbon Brownies

2013-03-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

Let's start this day off right, shall we? Let's celebrate a day of revelries with two of my favorite ingredients: chocolate and booze!

In addition to celebrating St. Patrick's Day, let's also celebrate my triumphant return, with a little piece of love, originally called the Bourbon-Brownie Petit Four by Better Home and Garden magazine's test kitchen. They say you can cut out about 64 brownies from this recipe (being that they're petit fours), but I doubled the recipe and struggled to get that since you don't want them to crumble away to nothing. Let's say one recipe easily makes 2 dozen, and then you can be pleasantly surprised at anything above and beyond that!

Ingredients (brownie):
1/2 C butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 C bourbon
3 T instant coffee granules (I always use a bold roast)
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
Ingredients (glaze and frosting):
1 C whipping cream
6 oz milk chocolate chips
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, melt and stir the butter and unsweetened chocolate until smooth. Remove and cool.
2. Preheat your oven to 350. Line an 8"x8" pan with foil that hangs over the edge for easy brownie removal. Grease the foil and then set it aside. In a small cup/bowl, combine the bourbon and coffee granules and set aside as well.
3. Stir sugar into your chocolate mixture. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined. Then, stir in your vanilla and the coffee bourbon mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together flour and baking soda. Add to the chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined. Spread batter evenly into your prepped pan.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Lift brownies out of the pan. You can cut off the edges at this point, or leave them if you'd prefer. I cut mine off (as recommended), but the edges weren't so crusty that I think they would've ruined my squares.
6. Cut brownies into 1" or 1 1/2" squares. Coat with Semisweet chocolate glaze (see following recipe).
7. Top each glazed brownie with piped Milk Chocolate Frosting rosette (see following recipe).

Glaze and Frosting Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring whipping cream just to boiling over medium high heat. Remove.
2. For Milk Chocolate Frosting, transfer 1/2 C of the cream to a small bowl and add milk chocolate chips - DO NOT STIR. Let stand for five minutes, and then stir until smooth. Cover loosely, then chill for about 2 hours, beat with an electric mixer until fluffy, then bag and pipe.
3. For Semisweet Chocolate Glaze, take warm cream and stir semisweet chips in until smooth (helps if you're doing this in the hot saucepan, then glaze over cut brownies.

For whatever reason, I was super annoyed with the frosting and chose not to use it. The brownies were still amazing and no one would've ever guessed you needed frosting to enjoy these. So rich and decadent, and while you could detect the hint of bourbon, it wasn't overwhelming. More people noticed the hint of coffee than the liquor in the brownie.

Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

2013-03-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time.

It started off as the craziness of the holidays.

It escalated to being out of town for the better part of three weeks.

Then it became everything else, all at once, all at the same time.

But I'm back, I'm apologetic, and for those of you still out there (and I know that you are), I want to thank you for your patience. I'm back... with more recipes, more flops, and more successes to share. I have some great items lined up, and I hope to be back at a regular pace relatively soon.

In the mean time, thank you for your patience. YOU ROCK!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

2012-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Holy AMAZING, Batman!

If you're looking for a simple dessert that is both sweet and salty, I've found your kryptonite. Or your salvation. I guess it depends on which comic we're reading because now I'm confused! ;)

Ingredients:
2 C creamy peanut butter, divided
3/4 C butter, softened
2 C powdered sugar, divided
4 C broken pretzel twists, divided,
2 C semi sweet chocolate chips, divided
Directions:
1. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with foil and a little overlay. Lightly spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
2. Beat 1 1/4 C peanut butter in and butter in a large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in 1 C powdered sugar.
3. Stir in remaining 1 C of powdered sugar, 3 C of pretzel pieces, and 1/2 C of chocolate chips. Press evenly into prepared baking pan.

4. Microwave remaining 1 1/2 C chocolate chips and 3/4 C peanut butter on medium, uncovered, in a microwave safe bowl for 45 seconds. Stir. If necessary, return for 10-15 second intervals until completely melted.
5. Spread chocolate peanut butter evenly over pb/pretzel/powdered sugar layer.
6. Top with remaining pretzel pieces, pressing down gently into the chocolate layer.
7. Refrigerate at least three hours, or until firm. Lift out of pan and peel off foil, then cut and serve.

French Onion Mac & Cheese Bites

2012-11-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe has me so excited. I LOVE mac and cheese in ways that probably shouldn't be considered normal.

(But, if you haven't noticed how 'not normal' I am by now, is this really going to burst that bubble for you?? Probably not...)

I love the idea of individual serving sizes and cups, it keeps people from getting too grabby. I might have overcooked some of these, so don't mind the dark hues, just note that the taste is fabulous and take it from there!

Ingredients:
1 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 C cold milk
3/4 C shredded Gruyere
2 T diced onions, lightly sauteed
1 C macaroni
freshly ground black pepper to taste
chives for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the macaroni until al dente and drain.
2. Heat butter over medium low heat in a sauce pan. When bubbly, whisk in flour and combine into a thick paste. Turn heat to low and continue to whisk until roux is cooked, not brown.
3. When the roux looks slightly grainy, add the cold milk and whisk. As the milk heats up, any lumps will disappear. Continue to stir over medium low heat until sauce is bubbly and thick.
4. Stir in 1/2 C of shredded Gruyere and onions, then season with pepper to taste.
5. Fold in macaroni into the cheese sauce. Spoon into lightly greased mini muffin pan and compress to help maintain muffin shape. Top with remaining gruyere and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until tops are nicely browned.
6. Let muffins cool before removing. Garnish with snips of chives and enjoy!

Two Easy Apps

2012-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here are two quick appetizer ideas that I worked with for our last party...

1. Hummus served on bell peppers.

I used both plain and sun dried tomato hummus, and piped them onto chopped pepper pieces.

Great for presentation and made my buffet line move quickly since people could just grab and go.

2. Beeting Heart Skewers

This was nice because it was easy to make and I love using beets for the color they give.

Ingredients:
8 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
8 oz baby beets, peeled and steamed, divided into 36 pieces
14 oz whole hearts of palm
36, 4" skewers

Directions:
1. Mix together the cheese, rosemary, and pepper. Roll into 36 balls, approximately 3/4" big
2. Place goat cheese, beet piece, and heart of palm on each skewer
3. Arrange/serve as desired.

Hot Caprese Dip

2012-11-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

The best part about making a hot Caprese dip is that it's so easy, and it combines everything you like about a Caprese salad in a nice, warm dip.

The problem? Tomatoes are so juicy and it's just not a terribly pretty dish. Also? It's so cheesy (not necessarily always a bad thing) that it's difficult to serve without making a mess.

It is still super flavorful, though, and it's a nice change. I might still prefer doing the skewers, though, just because it serves up more neatly.

Ingredients:
10 oz fresh mozzarella, chopped into cubes
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and juiced
3 T freshly chopped basil, plus more for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat over tne 375
2. Combine all ingredients into your dish
3. Bake for 14 minutes, then broil for 3 to make a nice bubbly golden top.
4. Serve immediately with crostini or toast

Sausage Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

2012-11-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

I LOVE jalapeno poppers. The problem? I don't have a lot of patience to make them. There's something about washing the cut peppers and the capsaicin fumes that try to choke me out that just makes it not so much fun. So I try to find other ways to make poppers.

And then, my gorgeous cousin made these poppers for me and I knew that there was no going back.

EVER.

Seriously. They're that amazing!

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground sausage (any you prefer)
8 oz of cream cheese (softened)
2 C shredded four cheese blend, divided (I used the Mexican mix)
1 lb of jalapenos, halved and seeded
1 green onion, finely chopped

Now the prep work on this takes longer than I would normally like, but know that it is completely worth it and definitely worth the try.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Brown sausage in a skillet. Drain and cool (slightly)
3. Mix cream cheese, 1 C of cheese shreds, green onions, and sausage in a bowl. The heat of the sausage helps to melt the cheesey goodness together.

*At this point, I paused. I put everything in a zip lock bag and stored it over night. I had already prepped the peppers and put them in their own bag as well.*

The best part about pausing a bit here, is that the cream cheese re-solidifies as it cools, which makes it easier to work with. You can slice it and dice it which makes it easier to form in the peppers. You can work straight through at this point, I just had a lot to prep so this was a convenient place for me to stop. (and no, I didn't leave the oven on all night!)

4. Place your stuffing into your halved jalapeno pieces.

5. Place stuffed jalapenos on a lined cookie sheet (save yourself the clean up later). Sprinkle with remaining 1 C of cheese shreds.

6. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly.

Serve immediately. Seriously, you might need to double up on this recipe. It's best to make more than you think you'd need. People will graze on these as long as they exist so be prepared.

Even people who don't like 'spicy' food will be attracted to this because the cream cheese helps to balance out the little heat from the jalapenos.

** Extra tip: Wear gloves through the cutting, cleaning, and stuffing process, even if this seems overkill. Save yourself the embarrassment later when you wipe your eyes or something else and cause ridiculous burning sensations. **

Fall Munch Mix

2012-11-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

Cause, you know, for kids!! I found a similar recipe on Pinterest, but when I went shopping, I just became inspired by all of my choices. Turns out you can really throw most anything in here and it'll probably taste okay. I made two ginormous cauldrons of this mix, but here is the recipe for just one large cauldron...

Ingredients:
1/2 box of Kellogg's Krave cereal
1/2 box of Cinnamon Life cereal
1 large bag of caramel corn
1 large bag of kettle corn
1/2 bag pretzel sticks
1/2 bag mini pretzel twists
2 bags of 'autumn mix' candy pumpkins and candy corns
1 box of chocolate Teddy Grahams
2 king sized bags of M&Ms (plain)
2 king sized bags of Reese's Pieces (optional, dependent on allergies)

Directions: Mix together and serve!

Everyone (adults and kids) adored this mix. It was the right combo of salty and sweet, and it saved me from serving other kid-friendly desserts and sweets (even though I did mini cupcake it up, per usual).

Fall Brie En Croute

2012-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a super easy way to make a Brie en Croute that adds in all the goodies of our fall season. It takes about 5 minutes to prep.

Ingredients:
1 can of crescent roll dough
8 oz wheel of Brie
1/3 C chopped pecans
1 T butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C dried cranberries
1/4 C brown sugar
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Soak cranberries in water for a minute or two to take the edge off, then drain and pat dry.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter. Stir in pecans and cinnamon, toasting for 3 minutes.
4. Roll out crescent dough on a cookie sheet. Place Brie, toasted pecans, cranberries, and brown sugar on top. Wrap crescent dough around the goodness.
5. Brush top and sides of dough with beaten egg.
6. Bake for 15-20, or until nicely baked and browned.

Apple Cider Caramels

2012-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

I made these at 6:30 in the morning. It's amazing how reducing apple cider that early in your day can accomplish two things...
1. Make your kitchen smell AMAZING.
2. Hypnotize you back to sleep.

Seriously? Don't look directly into the pot in the beginning stages of this recipe. You'll be lulled into a false sense of security and then BAM! You need to actually pay attention and work.

Apple Cider Caramels are completely worth it, though! (Just use a bigger pot than I did. It got a little too close for comfort and I needed an actual pot. Should've planned ahead!)

Ingredients:
2 C (high quality) apple cider
1 C heavy cream/whipping cream, divided
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 1/2 C sugar
1/3 C light corn syrup
1/2 C real butter, cubed

Directions:
1. Pour cider into a medium saucepan and boil on high for about 20 minutes, or until the cider reduces to 1/3 C. Set aside to cool.
2. Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper, leaving at least 1" hanging over the edges for easy removal. Coat with a little bit of vegetable oil and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine 2/3 C cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and reduced apple cider, then set aside.

4. In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/3 C whipping cream + enough water to reacy the 1/2 C line on the measuring cup, and corn syrup.
5. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Insert a candy thermometer and simmer until the syrup reraches 234 degrees.
6. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Add the cubed butter and stir in until the cream and butter are fully incorporated. Return the pan to heat and re-insert the candy thermometer.
7. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature reaches 248 degrees.

8. Remove from heat and pour the caramel intot he prepared pan. Let the mixture cool completely at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
9. Cover loosely until ready to cut.
10. Cut into 1/2" squares and wrap in wax paper and store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

* My thermometer runs a little high, so my caramels were more firm than chewy, but you can gauge pretty quickly when they're about ready by the color they are turning.

* Even as such, everyone loved them, and I'll definitely be making these again!

Sweet Potato Sausage Skewers with Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise

2012-11-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a great skewered appetizer that's tasty and easy!

First: The Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise...
Ingredients:
1 C mayonnaise
2 T chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp lemon zest
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together.
*Can store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Skewers' Ingredients:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 32, 1" cubes
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb smoked sausage* cut into 32, 1/2" pieces
32 wooden picks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450. Place sweet potato cubes on lightly greased pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
2. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, turning cubes twice.
3. Cook sausage over medium/high heat 3-4 minutes to brown. Drain on paper towels.
4. Place 1 sasauge slice on 1 sweet potato cube on a wooden pick Serve with Lemon Garlic Mayo.

* For the sausage, I used one I found at Costco. It was an herbed mozzarella herb chicken sausage. Amazing!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

2012-11-13T05:00:00.001-08:00

It's that pumpkin season that everyone so adores. To celebrate? Other than our favorite ermahgerd girl??

How about some pumpkin cheesecake bites? Now, if you're like me, you might not be a huge cheesecake person, but give these a chance. They are AMAZE BALLS. F'realz.

Ingredients:
15 oz canned pumpking (not pie, just pumpkin)
3 eggs
1/2 C brown sugar
2 T cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 lbs cream cheese (room temp)
Ingredients (crust):
2 sleeves of graham crackers (18 crackers)
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 C sugar
* whipped cream to top

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, crush the graham crackers (or process them to make it easier). Add sugar and melted butter and mix well. Press into a parchment lined pan and bake for 5 minutes until toasty.
3. Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees.
4. Mix together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla in a large bowl.
5. In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and ginger. Beat until light and fluffy.
6. Slowly pour in pumpkin mixture. Continue beating until smooth and no lumps remain.
7. Pour batter onto cooked crust and bake for 50 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from the side of the pan.
8. Cool completely before removing from pan, then cut into small squares and top with whipped cream.

Cookie Dough(n't You Want Some) Frosting?!

2012-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

For my BFFL's birthday, there had to be dessert. He's not a cake person (my friend? NO!!), but he likes cookies and is tolerant of brownies. My compromise? Triple Chocolate Ghiradelli Brownies (made into individual cupcakes with an egg-free) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting.
Ingredients:
3 sticks unsalted butter (1.5 C) at room temp
3/4 C light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 C confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
1 C flour
3/4 tsp salt

3T milk

3 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 C mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Beat together brown suagr and butter until creamy.
2. Mix in confectioner's sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in flour and salt until smooth.
4. Mix in vanilla and milk until well blended.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Chill to make more firm, but just heap it on your cupcakes. There's no need to be pretty about it!
I think these are best a little chilled, but room temp isn't bad, either, they just get excessively gooey! :)

Why yes, that is Scary Spice popping out of his cupcake frosting. Why do you ask?

PS - if you take these to a bar, everyone will be your friend if you share!!

Fortune Cookies

2012-11-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

My husband LOVES a good Chinese buffet. Shoot, he loves a bad Chinese buffet, if it has at least one dish he loves. Me? Meh. I like sweet and sour sauce and that's about it. The rest I tolerate out of love. However? The best part about "Chinese" food for me is the fortune cookie that you get with the bill!

I know, fortune cookies aren't Chinese. However, I think we've associated the two together for enough years (much the way we believe our pizza comes from Italy and our fries come from France) that it's just kind of tolerated in that, "you're a big dumb American" kind of way.

I've always wanted to try to make them, so when I found this recipe I knew I was in it to win it. For the record, though, these are very soft and doughy, not crispy/crunchy. (You've been forewarned.)
Ingredients:

3 egg whites

3/4 C white sugar

1/2 C butter, melted and cooled

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 C flour

2 T water

Directions:

1. Write out your fortunes and cut them on small strips. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Separate the eggs

3. Whip egg whites and sugar until frothy.
4. Stir in butter, vanilla, almond, water, and flour. It should turn into a pancake batter like consistency.
5. Grease a cookie sheet (lined for ease)
6. Spoon batter into circles on the sheet, about 3 inches across.
7. Bake until the edges only begin to brown (about 4-5 minutes)
8. Immediately remove from oven, place the fortune in the middle. Fold in half to make a half circle. Then, pull the two edges together, making the straight edge of your half circle meet at it's 'corners'.

9. Place the finished product in a muffin tin to help retain the shape while they cool. Give them a good hour+.

Please note - you have to work as soon as they come out of the oven. You have to work quickly to not burn your fingertips or to crack the dough. It's a quick process, so I didn't cook more than 6 at a time, and I had someone to help me. I'd take 6 out, put 6 in, and that way we were constantly moving. It's not easy, but it's certainly fun, and I'd recommend it for any small, special occasion.

Queso Fundido

2012-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the short break. It's been crazy hectic and I hadn't had a chance to get my photos off my phone to start posting again. Completely lame? For sure! But now I'm back and I'm ready to swing into that holiday season with all of you. First off, a dish I made for Labor day that got lost in the shuffle, some how... :)

I love queso fundido! There's something about the creamy deliciousness that I can't ignore. Just the right amount of meat and cheese and tortilla. If someone is having a Mexican get together, it's my go to for sure.

Ingredients (I doubled these for my dish):

1/2 lb chorizo

1/4 onion, diced

1 bell pepper (or hot pepper, depending on your preference), diced

2 C of cheese (I like a nice white cheese, but anything that melts well works fine)

12 small corn (or flour) tortillas, warmed

Directions:

1. Saute your onion until translucent, add pepper.

2. Once cooked, add the chorizo.

3. Cook all, drain off the excess oil.

* The problem with chorizo is it doesn't really every change color or consistency. Just give it a good 10+ minutes. Use your best judgement. *

4. Press meat mixture into a lightly greased 8x8 dish.

5. Top with cheese

6. Bake at 350 until melted and bubbly
7. Spoon into warmed tortillas and enjoy. ( I didn't get a final picture because it was devoured too quickly. Sorry!!)

Also, I prepped this the day before and did the final baking the day of. My "final" picture below is what I covered and saved for the cookout the next day. Much easier that way then trying to reheat this dish after it's been baked. It's best served immediately.

200th Post of Love: Salted Caramel Nutella Fudge!!

2012-10-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

Picked up the original recipe over at Doughmesstic, and it's worth every second!

This recipe makes one 9x9 pan, with as many pieces as you want (up to 50 if you plan accordingly!)

Bottom Layer

1 cup Semi Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Nutella

1. Melt the chips in the microwave, stir every 30 seconds until smooth, then add the Nutella.

2. Spread in the bottom of a parchment paper lined and greased 9x9 pan.

Salted Caramel Layer

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream

1. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and the salt. Simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and corn syrup carefully. They will not combine well until the sugar begins to melt. Cook over high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes. Just pull the sugar off the heat when it is a medium goldish brown – it will continue to cook in the heat of the pan. Remove from the heat and let cool for one minute.

3. Add the cream mixture and the vanilla to the sugar mixture. Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temp

Middle Layer

4 Tbsp. Butter
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Evaporated Milk
1 7 oz. Jar Marshmallow Creme
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup Chopped Hazelnuts

1. Top caramel with chopped nuts.

2. In a medium pan, melt butter. Add the sugar and evaporated milk. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and marshmallow creme. Pour mixture evenly over the previous layers.

Top Layer

1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Semi Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Nutella

1. Repeat process for bottom layer, and pour evenly over the top of the previous layers.

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, until firm. Cut into bite sized pieces. Caramel layer will be gooey, keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

* Make sure you refrigerate between layers so there is a better distinction between each one when you cut into it. *

It's funny how the first 100 took the longest. This second set of 100 posts went by in a blink. Here's to many, many more.

Enjoy!

Warm Pockets of Love, AKA: Nutella Puffs

2012-10-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

Today, I dedicate this 199th post of my blog to my best friend in the whole world - Heidi. We met one fateful day back in December of 1993, right before taking the high school freshman entrance exam at our high school. She was going to move into the neighborhood, and while my mind is fuzzy, I believe we carpooled that early morning to the test.

Since then, we have (arguably) grown up: we've learned how to drive together, gone to away to different colleges, gotten married, she's had kids and cats, I've had gardens and dogs, and I've managed to move 2000 miles away.

However? When I pick up the phone, or am lucky enough to visit home? It's like I never left. She is one constant in my life that I hope never changes. I'm lucky to have such an amazing friend, and if I could send her warm pockets of love today, I absolutely would. She deserves only the best. Happy 32nd birthday, girl! Here's to the next 19 years!!

On a side note - these other warm pockets of love (and Nutella) are super easy to make and take very little time or effort on your part, but everyone will love them.

What you'll need...
1 pkg crescent dough (I used the sheets)
1/2-1 C of Nutella
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Combine cinnamon and sugar and place in a bowl/shallow plate.
2. Unroll crescent dough - smooth out with fingers or a roller.

3. Using a rotary pizza cutter, cut the dough into 12, roughly equal, rectangles.
4. Drop Nutella into the middle of each rectangle. You can use as much or as little as you want, just stay away from the edges.
5. Pinch all edges together (like a ravioli), then coat both sides in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
6. Place on a lined cookie sheet (for easy clean up)
7. Follow the instructions on the crescent roll package. Just watch for the pockets to turn a nice golden color.

8. Serve warm and enjoy.

This is absolutely perfect as it is (To Bridget Jones!), but it would also be nice with ice cream. (But, what wouldn't be?)

I served two to my husband, then he ate my second one, then he ate two more off the platter before I had even noticed he'd left the room.

Seriously addicting, like an awesome friend who's just waiting for you to come home. Love you, Heid!

Caramelized Pecan Brie

2012-10-12T05:59:00.000-07:00

I love a good baked brie. Here's a way to dress up your brie and still have an amazing dish...

Ingredients:
6" round Brie
1/2 C lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 C corn syrup
1/4 C unsalted butter
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C pecan halves (chopped, if you prefer)

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup and butter over medium heat. Stir until boil, then boil gently (NO STIRRING) for a minute.
2. Remove from heat, and quickly whisk in baking soda. Then, stir in salt and pecans. Let set for about 30 seconds.
3. Finally, mound warm nut mixture (hehe...) on top of Brie, enabling the caramel to artfully cascade down the sides. I served it in a borl to make it easier to serve, but I'm sure I'd fine a pretty cascading picture if I looked online. Too lazy, peeps, sorry!

Red Velvet Poke Cake

2012-10-09T05:55:00.000-07:00

This recipe is so light and fluffy, it's worth all three seconds that it takes to make it... PROMISE!

What you'll need...
Red velvet box mix (plus necessary ingredients)
2 boxes of cheesecake flavored instant pudding
4 C of milk
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
1/2 pkg Oreos, crushed

Directions:
1. Make and bake the cake, as directed, in a 9"x13" pan.
2. Using the round handle of a kitchen utensil (about 1/2" diameter), pole holes in the cake down to the bottom of the pan.
3. Mix the pudding mix and milk, then immediately pour/spread evenly over the cake, filling in the holes as much as possible.
4. Let everything firm up in the fridge for an hour or so.
5. Spread thawed, whipped topping over top of cake, then top with crushed Oreos.
6. Cut and serve.

This is so good that people thought I bought it at a store and re-plattered it. FALSE. Sure, I made it with a box mix, but I could've dug out my food coloring as much as the next girl.