Hi Everyone! Does it seem like spring might be in the air? For the first time in months we're anticipating 40 and 50 degree days this week.We are beyond excited here in West Lafayette! Hopefully the snow will melt and we're done with that until at December! Fingers are crossed! :)
My dad visited this weekend- the boys are working to finish the basement-so I decided to make some of his favorite cookies for dessert. Mom spoiled us all and sent dinner with him so I didn't have to do any other cooking- Thanks Mom! :) These cookies turned out really well so I thought I'd share them with you.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
What you need for the cookies:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorative sugar
To make the cookies:
1. Mix all your dry ingredients together in a bowl; sift.
2. Cream the butter and peanut butter together in a bowl.
3. Add the sugars, egg, vanilla and cream. Beat until well combined.
4. Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat until combined. I added the mixture 1/3 at a time.
5. Refrigerate cookie dough for at least an hour (it's a little sticky at first and I think this helps firm it up).
6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll into one inch balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets.
7. Using a fork, create a criss-cross pattern on the top of the dough; sprinkle with sugar.
8. Bake in over for 10-12 minutes. Pull them out when they're slightly golden on the edges.
ENJOY!
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful evening with your valentine's. Tonight Danny and I shared these red velvet cookie bars as our dessert. They're not only festive (hence the red coloring) but also extremely decadent and delicious. Not to mention- really easy to mix up. You can have these ready to go in under an hour!
What you need for the cookie bars:
1 roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, room temperature*
1 box red velvet cake mix
2 eggs, room temperature*
2/3 cup melted butter (about 10 and a 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tub vanilla frosting or powdered sugar (optional)
*I took my cookie dough and eggs out about an hour before I was ready to make this.
To make the cookie bars:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Using your fingers, press cookie dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish.
3. Bake the cookie dough for 10 minutes.
4. Remove cookie crust from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
5. While cookie crust cools down a bit, prepare your cake mix by combining red velvet cake mix with melted butter and eggs. I used a whisk and mixed for about a minute until the cake mix is fully incorporated and batter is thick. (It will be thick.)
6. Spread cake batter on top of semi-baked cookie and place back in the oven for another 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Once the bars have cooled completely, frost with vanilla frost or dust with powdered sugar. Cut into squares and share with your favorite valentine! :)
ENJOY!
This next recipe is a hit as an appetizer, late night snack or even a full blown meal. I've made this recipe several times and have always been asked how to make them. The original recipe actually calls for ham, but those of you that know me, know I don't eat that so we switched it up to use honey turkey and I've never gotten a complaint. You could easily do the recipe all ham though, or a little bit of both. This recipe just calls for turkey but switch it up however you like. One more disclaimer, the recipe below is for a full recipe but the pictures are only for half since we didn't need 12 sandwiches for just the two of us. If you want to make only six, just halve the written recipe below.
What you need for the sliders:
1 package of 12 Hawaiian rolls
1 pound of honey turkey (or 1/2lb turkey, 1/2lb ham)
10 slices of swiss cheese
1 stick of butter
1/2 of an onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
To make the sandwiches:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. First, I like to make the sauce that goes on top of the sandwiches. Melt one stick of butter, add the onion, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until bubbly and hot.
3. Slice your Hawaiian rolls in half the long way. Place the bottoms of the rolls in a 9x13 pan. Put a little of the butter/onion sauce (maybe about a 1/3) on the rolls.
4. Arrange meat and cheese on top. Place tops of rolls over the meat and cheese. Top with the remaining butter mixture.
5. Bake in oven for about 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and sandwiches are warmed through.
ENJOY!!
Happy Winter Everyone! I know I haven't blogged in forever but I'm ready to get back on track. I have a late Christmas post for you here...these are honestly a huge hit with everyone- they're light and airy but sweet and crispy, too. Plus, since they're 'no bake' they are super easy to put together. The ingredients may sound funny but trust me, they're SO good! I used white chocolate and red and green sprinkles to make them festive but you could definitely use milk chocolate for the coating. You can honestly whip these up in a matter of minutes so it's easy to bring to your next get together.
What you need for the Bon Bons:
1 and 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 and 1/4 cup peanut butter (I always use creamy)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I use the Keebler brand)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 package almond bark (white or milk chocolate) +2 tablespoons Crisco
Sprinkles (as desired)
To make the Bon Bons:
1. Mix the first four ingredients together in a bowl. It's going to seem impossible at first but just keep stirring, it will all come together. At the end, I use my hands to get all the ingredients fully incorporated.
2. Once the mixture has fully pulled together, roll out 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. I usually get about 30-40 balls out of this.
3. Set the cookie sheet in the fridge or outside to harden up while you melt your chocolate.
4. Cut your almond bark into small pieces. I use the microwave to melt mine. I place the chocolate pieces in a large microwavable bowl with 2 tablespoons of Crisco and microwave on a low setting, stirring every 30 seconds.
5. Once chocolate is fully melted, bring your bon bons back out and dip them, using a spoon, until they're fully covered in chocolate. Then lay them back on the wax paper. If you're going to use sprinkles, I use them after I've dipped 4-5...the chocolate still needs to be a little wet in order for the sprinkles to adhere so if you wait too long they won't stick.
6. After all the bon bons have been dipped, put them back in the fridge to fully harden.
ENJOY!!
Happy (almost) Halloween!! With the holiday only being a couple weeks away, I thought I'd post a fun and festive treat for you all to try. I first found this recipe on pinterest but I altered it a little to make it my own. You can mix up the ingredients however you like but I thought this version tasted good and also looked pretty (or scary, depending on your perspective!) This would be a great treat for a Halloween party or office snack.
What you need to make the bark:
1-1lb package of white almond bark (add 1 tablespoon of Crisco)
1 cup stick pretzels, broken up into pieces (but not crumbs)
1 cup salted peanuts
12-14 Halloween Oreo's, crushed and broken into small pieces
1 1/2 cup candy corns
2-4 tablespoons Halloween sprinkles (eyeballs or other fun Halloween shapes)
To make the bark:
1. First, break up your pretzels and cookies. I put the pretzels into a ziploc bag and used a rolling pin to break them up. I also put the Oreo's in a baggie but used my hands to break them up so they were more chunky (as opposed to cookie crumbs).
2. Next, I chopped up the almond bark and started melting it with the Crisco in a sauce pan over low heat.
3. Line a large jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper. I layered all the pretzels, peanuts and then half the candy corns and half the Oreo chunks on the parchment paper. The next time I do this, I would probably pour the melted chocolate down first and then push the toppings into it.
4. When the chocolate is melted, pour it on top of the parchment paper (with or without the toppings) and spread it around. Push remaining toppings into the chocolate so that when it sets you can break it apart without them popping out or falling off. Use the Halloween sprinkles sporadically around the bark.
5. Let cool outside or in the fridge for about an hour or two and then use your hands to break the bark into smaller pieces.
TRICK OR TREAT!
Hi Everyone! Hope you're all well and enjoying fall. It's been so great to light some pumpkin candles, turn on the oven to bake and make some good old comfort foods! Today I've got a macaroni salad for you. We made this as a side to a grilled meal but you could use it any time. It's really easy to whip together and goes with just about any protein. Feel free to use whatever veggies you like...this was just my rendition for today and I'll probably switch it up often!
What you need for the macaroni salad:
1 1pound box of elbow macaroni
6 green onions, sliced thin
3 stalks of celery, cut into small chunks
1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1/2 of a seedless cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
**One thing Danny suggested after the fact was that cubed up pepperjack cheese would have been a good addition...I may go ahead and add this later today as I have a block in the fridge!
For the sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
To make the macaroni salad:
1. I started by bringing a large pot of water to a boil with a little oil and salt. Cook the box of macaroni until al dente- about 12 minutes.
2. While the pasta is cooking, chop up your veggies. This is easy but time consuming so just bear with it. I put all the veggies in a very large mixing bowl that I could easily add the macaroni and sauce too when it's ready.
3. Next, I mixed up the sauce by combining all the ingredients listed above.
4. Drain your pasta when ready and rinse with cold water while in a colander.
5. Mix the macaroni in with your veggies and then add the mayonnaise sauce. Stir to combine and place in the fridge for an hour or so to get it nice and cold.
ENJOY!!
This recipe was a real treat a couple weekends ago! Our new niece was baptized so I made this cake as our celebration sweet for the party. It uses yogurt in the cake- which you don't necessarily taste but it definitely adds moisture. And the frosting is awesome! It takes a little time to assemble but you can easily prep your ingredients in advance so it shouldn't be difficult or extremely time consuming. It's an impressive looking cake that doesn't require as much as it looks like! I was also excited to give my new Kitchen Aid mixer a try! This was a joint birthday/anniversary gift from the hubby and I was itching to put it to work!
CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE
What you need for the cake:
1 box chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 container strawberry Greek yogurt
3 eggs
Frosting and Decorations:
1 container of fluffy white frosting (it's the whipped kind)
1 container of frozen whipped topping (thawed)
mini chocolate chips
1 container of fresh strawberries, rinsed and dried
To make the cake:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 (325 for dark pans). Grease and flour two 9-in round cake pans (or use parchment paper rounds).
2. Mix all the cake ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. (Check out my new mixer!!)
3. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake in the oven according to package directions (probably about 25-30 minutes).
4. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes; then remove from pans to a wire rack until you're ready to assemble the cake.
5.To make the frosting, add the fluffy white frosting to a bowl and fold in the whipped topping.
6. Cut about 10 strawberries into 1/4 inch slices.
7. When ready to assemble the cake, place one cake (rounded side down) on a serving plate. Spread 1/3 of frosting mixture to the edges of the cake.
8. Arrange strawberry slices evenly over this cake. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.
9. Place second round cake on top of the strawberries, this time rounded side up. Use the rest of the frosting to frost the top and edges of cake.
10. Decorate the top of the cake with more strawberry slices and rim the edge of the cake with mini chocolate chips.
Slice and ENJOY!
Bonus picture of Betty- who likes to be anywhere there is frosting!
*Be sure to store leftovers in the refrigerator.*
This recipe was adapted from: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chocolate-strawberry-cake-with-fluffy-frosting/f3186840-6879-406a-ab3a-84e9be12d89a
