Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

For Christmas Eve dessert with Jason's parents and brother I made the most delectable pie for dessert. I combined a recipe from the Birthday Girl and The Pioneer Woman to make this pie (used The Pioneer Woman's crust recipe and the Birthday Girl's filling recipe). It was so good! BUT, it is super rich so you don't need to cut big slices!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:
25 whole Oreos
4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
Filling:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 (8-ounce) package softened cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 can condensed milk
8 ounces Cool Whip
Preparation:
Crust:
Crush the Oreos until they’re fine crumbs. Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
Filling:
Beat the peanut butter, condensed milk, powdered sugar and cream cheese in a mixer until smooth.
Add in the whipped cream and beat until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
Pour filling into crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula.
Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Million Dollar Cookies

If you've ever wanted a fantastic, to die for Chocolate Chip cookie recipe this is the recipe for you! It is so good that I could eat these cookies all the time! I recently made them for our neighbors and I hope they were as big of a hit at their houses as they are at ours! The recipe is from my parents next door neighbor, Talitha, and they are really really good. They do have oatmeal in them (a lot of oatmeal) so if you don't like oatmeal I would stay away. But I feel like the oatmeal gives them the perfect taste and besides, I figure, with oatmeal in them, they could almost be considered healthy! :) The cookie batter also gets really thick so I would use a stand mixer if you have one and if not, be prepared for an arm workout! It's a workout just mixing in the chocolate so I can't imagine how much energy it would take to hold a hand mixer to mix the whole batter.

Million Dollar Cookies
Makes 5-6 dozen
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 1/2 c oatmeal (instant Quakers)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 12 oz pkg chocolate chips (Hershey)
3 Hershey candy bars (broken)
1 1/2 c chopped nuts (optional)
Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, oats, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add chips, candy, and nuts(optional).
Bake 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
*I made a little over 4 dozen. I scooped my cookies with the medium sized scoop from Pampered Chef.
*I also don't add nuts. I'm against nuts in sweets! :)

The Pioneer Woman's BBQ Meatballs

This week the recipe that I'm featuring is one of The Pioneer Woman's. If you don't read The Pioneer Woman you should probably start. She is hilarious with the most down to eart, funny tales about life on the ranch in Oklahoma. She is also an amazing cook who comes up with the best recipes! A lot of them have a lot of steps but every one that I've made so far has been so worth it! Ree has a cookbook that has come out that I'm hoping I'm getting for Christmas!


Two weeks ago I got on a cooking kick and made a few recipes, one of which was The Pioneer Woman's BBQ Meatballs which she calls the "ultimate comfort food." I was surprised at the lack of elaborate steps in the recipe but I was glad that Jason was home to help me when we got to the part about dredging the meatballs in flour and then cooking them in oil on the stove. It just helped to have two sets of hands but I'm sure you could do that step by yourself if you were a little more organized about it than I was. Another thing that I loved about this recipe was that I ate the leftovers for lunch the next two days and the meatballs were still fantastic even two days later! I also served these over egg noodles but I'm sure mashed potatoes would be great also.

Go and check out Ree's post for step by step pictures and instructions or to print the recipe to the size that you need for your recipe box. But if you just want the bare bones recipe it is below.

BBQ Meatballs

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6

Ingredients

FOR MEATBALLS
1-½ pound Ground Beef
¾ cups Oats
1 cup Milk
3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
1-½ teaspoon Salt
Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper (to Taste)
_____

FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
1 cup All-Purpose Flour (coating For Frozen Meatballs)
Canola Oil
_____
FOR SAUCE
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
4 Tablespoons (to 6 Tablespoons) Onion
1 dash(es) Tabasco

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread.

Shells with Chicken and Mozzarella

I don't remember where I found this recipe so I can't give credit but if you run across it in a recipe search let me know. I made this last week and it was soooo yummy! Jason and I both thoroughly enjoyed it! And it was really easy too!

Shells with Grilled Chicken and Mozzarella
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for grates
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets (Note: I used two packages of pre-cooked grilled chicken breast and it was great!)
8 ounces medium pasta shells
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons butter

1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. Meanwhile, heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill, and cut into thin strips, halving if long.
2.Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add chicken, tomatoes, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, and butter. Toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a sauce that coats shells (you may not need all the water). Serve with more Parmesan.

It is a lot easier and quicker if you use the pre-cooked chicken. Two packages put plenty of chicken into the mix. The way the cheeses melted and blended with everything else was just so good! I want to go back and remake this recipe already!

Sausage and Potato Soup

Since it's gotten so cold outside I have been wanting any kind of soup that I can find. I keep a recipe folder in my email box and whenever I get an email I tag it for that folder and archive it. So on Sunday I started going through some of those emails to see if I could find something to cook this week that was new and I ran across this recipe from one of my Mom's co-workers. It was good as she gave it but I've tweaked it just a little more to our liking. That's the beauty of simple recipes -- you can change them up to just how you like them and you can be pretty sure that they'll still taste great! And this recipe makes a lot of soup so you might want to half it if there are just two of you.
Sausage and Potato Soup

32 oz bag of frozen diced hash browns (or about 3 lbs of peeled and diced potatoes) (the more potatoes the better)
1 1/2 to 2 lbs sausage browned (can be hot or mild)
2 chopped onions
4 cups of water
4 cups of milk
28 oz of chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of celery soup

Mix everything and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve with cheese -- pepper jack or parmesan go especially well.

Black Bean Salsa

This is not very Thanksgiving-y but if you're making an appetizer this is always a crowd pleaser! This Paula Deen recipe is one of my very favorites. It's made with all fresh ingredients so it tastes fantastic and the best part is that it is SUPPOSED to be made the day before!


Black Bean Salsa
Two 15 oz cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained
One 17 oz package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/8 to ¼ c Chopped Fresh Cilantro
3 to 4 T Lime Juice
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Taste and add salt, pepper, or more lime juice as necessary. Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or with grilled chicken breast as a meal.

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

This is another Southern Living recipe that I made last week. It was very good!


Pizza Spaghetti Casserole
Makes 1 9x13 casserole

12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1-lb package mild ground pork sausage
2 ounces turkey pepperoni slices (about 30), cut in half
1 26 ounce jard tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 8 ounce package shredded Italian three-cheese blend

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions in water with salt. Drain well and placed in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
2. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Add pepperoni, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until slightly crisp.
3. Top spaghetti in baking dish with sausage; pour pasta sauce over sausage. Arrange half of pepperoni slices evenly over pasta sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses. Arrange remaining half of pepperoni slices evenly over cheese. Cover with nonstick or lightly greased aluminum foil.
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

Onion Topped Sausage 'n Mashed Potato Casserole

I found this recipe in a Southern Living Casserole email that I got last week and I made if for Jason last Wednesday. My version is a little different than the original Southern Living recipe because I couldn't find all of the requested ingredients in the grocery store. But the modified version was yummy and so I know the original would be too! And pretty easy and quick! It's a good fall/winter meal because it's hearty and warm. It made a full 9x13 dish so it would also be easy to split in two and freeze half. Here's my version:

Onion Topped Sausage 'n Mashed Potato Casserole


1 package sweet Sausage links (pre-cooked kind)
2 14.5 oz cans Diced Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
1 teaspoon Garlic and Herb Seasoning (Mrs. Dash's)
1 pkg Steam and Mash potatoes (frozen section)
1 8 oz package Italian five cheese blend
1/4 teaspoon Dried Italian Seasoning
1 cup French Fried Onions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut sausage into small slices. Warm slices in skillet 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes, basil, and Garlic and Herb Seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Transfer sausage to a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
4. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in microwave as directed. Only microwave, don't mash.
5. Stir together mashed potatoes, cheese, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. (Mixture will be dry.) Spread potato mixture over sausage mixture in baking dish.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Top with fried onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Mustard and Brown Sugar Chicken

This recipe is from the Birmingham Junior League cookbook, Tables of Content. Like I mentioned earlier, I love Junior League cook books and this one has some great recipes. From my notes in the margins I made this recipe first back in February of 2007 but then I forgot about it until now. I hate that I forgot about it because it is really good!!

Mustard and Brown Sugar Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

6 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tablespoons coarse grain mustard (like Maile mustard)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Hot cooked Rice (or I served this with the Smashed Potatoes!)

Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix the brown sugar, olive oil, vinegar, coarse grain mustard, lime juice, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl and pour over the chicken, turning to coat. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken in the marinade for 40 minutes. Spoon the hot cooked rice onto a serving platter and top with the chicken. Drizzle with the hot marinade.

Shrimp with Rice

Wild Rice and Shrimp has long been a favorite of mine. It's pretty easy to make and includes my favorite ingredients like shrimp and mushrooms. However, my sweet husband isn't such a mushroom fan and while he likes the dish he usually picks the mushrooms out. So as a compromise I found this recipe from The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. It was really good and just as easy to make. I did make a little bit of a modification since Charlotte isn't liking when I eat cheese. I'll include the original and my modification. Enjoy!

Shrimp with Rice
Two 6 ounce boxes Uncle Ben's long-grain and wild rice
2 pounds shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined
1 onion, diced and sauteed in 2 tablespoons butter
1 bell pepper, chopped
Two 10 3/4 ounce cans condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
16 ounces Grated Cheddar Cheese; reserve 1/2 cup for top
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Remove seasoning mix from rice; do not use. Cook rice as directed on box. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix rice with remaining ingredients in a baking dish and sprinkle reserved cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

My Modified Recipe:
Omit the cheese
Add Bread crumbs

Remove seasoning mix from rice; do not use. Cook rice as directed on box. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix rice with remaining ingredients in a baking dish and sprinkle bread crumbs on top to cover dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

Smashed Potatoes with Stir Ins

Yummy! This picture makes me hungry all over again! I had never tried making any form of mashed/smashed potatoes until I tried this recipe but now that I know it's so easy I will definitely be making it again and soon! I got this recipe from an "Easy Meals" magazine from Woman's Day. I couldn't find the recipe on their website though so I can't link to it. Anyway, it was really good and a really great side dish. You can change out what you put in the potatoes to make them go with any meal!

Smashed Potatoes with Stir Ins
Serves 6 (2/3 c servings)

2 pounds (4 cups) medium red potatoes, washed, cut into quarters
1 teaspoon salt
Water
1 cup Half and Half
1/4 cup Butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1/2 teaspoon Salt
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Place potatoes and 1 teaspoon salt in a 3 quart saucepan; cover with water. Cook over high heat until water comes to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook until potatoes are tender (15 to 20 minutes). Drain potatoes, return to saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, heat half and half in 1 quart saucepan just until warm.
3. Add butter to potatoes; mash potatoes until about two thirds are mashed and one third remain lumpy. Gradually add half and half to potato mixture; mix well. Stir in sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper (if desired), and bacon. Serve immediately.

Variations:
- Ranch Smashed Potatoes: Omit 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in 2 tablespoons dry ranch salad dressing mix and 1/4 cup chopped green onions with sour cream.
- Chipoltle, Green Chili, and Cheddar Smashed Potatoes: Stir in 1 teaspoon chopped chipotle chili in adobo sauce, 1 (4 ounce) can well drained diced green chilis and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Note:
I didn't use all of the liquid with the potatoes because mine were getting soupy quickly. Just keep mixing until you get a consistency that you like.

Also, make sure you don't get too many of the potatoes smashed before you start adding liquid. The stirring with the liquid smashes the potatoes quickly.

Slow Cooker Barbecue

With fall and cooler weather upon us I'm searching for any and every warm, slow cooker meal that I can find. And what defines fall more than barbecue!?!? Nothing! To me that just screams football season! I found a really great slow cooker barbecue recipe in our local hospital foundation's cookbook. I was a little unsure because I've never cooked that much pork before but it turned out so tender and really good!

Slow Cooker Barbecue
2 to 3 pounds boneless pork
1/3 cup Ketchup
1/3 cup Vinegar
1/3 cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons pepper sauce
2 (4 ounce) jars baby food peaches

Trim excess fat from pork. Pack tightly into slow cooker. Combine ketchup, vinegar, pineapple juice, brown sugar, pepper sauce, and peaches in blender container. Process until smooth. Pour sauce over pork. Chill, covered, overnight. Cook on High for 8 to 10 hours or until pork is cooked through.

*Note: I cooked this on high in my slow cooker for 8 hours and it was perfect!

Sesame Salmon and Hunan Noodles

A few years ago my parents went to Colorado and my Mom brought me back Colorado Collage which is the cookbook from the Junior League of Denver. I LOVE collecting Junior League cookbooks from around the country because their recipes are always so good! This cookbook has intimidated me though because all of the recipes sound so sophisticated and are so different than the staples that we make in the South. But a few weeks ago I endeavored to try something. For the past month or so I've been working at finding new recipes in the myriad of cookbooks that I own and so I found this recipe in the Colorado cookbook. Let me tell you, it was a good recipe! There are a few things that I would change the next time I made it (which I'll note at the bottom) but all together a very good (and pretty healthy!) meal!

Sesame Salmon and Hunan Noodles
Serves 4

6-8 ounces dried oriental-style noodles
4 T Sesame Oil, divided
1/2 c Soy Sauce, divided
2 T Rice Wine Vinegar
1 T Sugar
1 T Hot Chili Oil
1 T plus 1 t peeled, minced fresh ginger root, divided
2 T sliced Green Onions
1/3 c Fresh Peas, cut into thirds
1/3 c Shredded Carrots
1/3 c Sliced Fresh Mushrooms
1/3 c Thinly Sliced Red Bell Pepper
3-4 T Fresh Lemon Juice
Freshly Ground Pepper
4 4-ounce Salmon Filet's

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well, place in a large bowl and toss with 2 T of the Sesame oil. In a small bow, combine 1/4 c of the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, hot chili oil, and 1 t of the ginger. Stir until well blended and add to noodles. Toss to blend. Add green onions, peas, carrots, mushrooms, and bell pepper. Toss and chill 2 hours.

In a shallow glass dish, combine lemon juice, remaining 1/4 c soy sauce, remaining 2 T sesame oil, remaining 1 T ginger and pepper to taste. Add salmon and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill 2 hours. Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill salmon, discarding marinade, 4-5 minutes per side. Serve salmon on noodle mixture. Serve immediately or chill and serve cold.

*Note: I couldn't find 'Rice' Wine vinegar in the grocery store and so I used the 'Wine Vinegar' that was with all of the oriental fixings.
*Note: I couldn't find Hot Chili Oil and so I substituted 1/2 teaspoon of Chili Sauce with Garlic
*Note: I decided to saute the vegetables in olive oil before putting in the pasta, but that's just a personal preference.
*Note: Jason preferred the pasta to be served immediately while still warm. It was ok with the pasta cold but I agree that it would probably be better all hot. And we definitely served it while the salmon was fresh off of the grill!

Baked Corn with Sour Cream

This is one of my absolute favorite side dishes. It is so good and fairly easy to make! It is always a big hit when I take it to gathering's and Jason always gets excited when I say that I'm making it! The only thing is that it doesn't make a ton so if you're planning on taking this for a pot luck or for a lot of people I'd double the recipe. The recipe says that is yields 8 servings but in my experience people take really large servings because it's so good! This is another recipe from Cotton Country.

Baked Corn with Sour Cream
Yields 8 servings

6 strips Bacon
2 T Chopped Onion
2 T Butter
2 T Flour
1/2 t Salt
1 c Sour Cream
2 12-ounce cans Shoe Peg Corn
1 T chopped parsley (optional)

1. Cook and crumble bacon.
2. Cook onion in butter, blend in flour and salt.
3. Add sour cream gradually, stirring to keep smooth.
4. Bring just to a boil and add corn. Cook until heated through.
5. Fold in half of bacon and pour in greased baking dish.
6. Garnish with parsley and remaining bacon.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Burgundy Pork Tenderloin

This is another guest post by my friend Brittanie! She sends me the yummiest recipes! Enjoy!

Burgundy Pork Tenderloin

2 lbs Pork Tenderloin (a pkg usually comes with two 1 lb tenderloins)
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Ground Black Pepper
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Mushrooms, whatever kind you like, cut up how ever you like
2 cups Red Wine
1 (maybe 2 depending on if it thickens or not) packets dry Brown Gravy Mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place pork in a 9x13 inch baking dish, and sprinkle meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Top with onion and mushroom, and pour wine over all.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.
4. When done baking, remove meat from baking dish and place on a serving platter. Pour gravy mix into baking dish with wine and cooking juices, and stir until thickened. Slice meat. And cover with gravy.

** Notes: When the meat was done I took it out of the baking dish and put it in some aluminum foil while I mixed the gravy. Then I cut up the meat and put it back in the baking dish. Also, I used two packets of gravy mix and it never thickened, I might not have done it right, but it was still really good!

Chicken Aloha

I'm actually using Cotton Country consistently for the first time in my married life instead of just making the recipes that my Mom has always made so this is another one from that great cookbook! Even though I'm not a big pineapple fan this was a good recipe that was also easy to bake. Just make sure and factor in the cook time! All of these one hour cook times leave us eating dinner rather late!

Chicken Aloha

1 Chicken Breast for each person

1 small bottle Ketchup

1 can Tomato Soup (or Tomato Paste)

1 Bell Pepper, chopped

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Dry Mustard

1 can Pineapple Chunks and Juice (I got a regular sized can since it just said "1 can")

1. Place chicken breasts in baking dish.

2. Mix remaining ingredients into sauce and pour over chicken.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour covered. (In my gas over I only let it cook for 45 minutes covered)

4. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

5. Serve over rice.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

This is another recipe from Cotton Country. It was SO EASY to make and it was SO GOOD!

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

6 Pork Chops
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 slices Lemon
6 teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 cup Ketchup
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1. Place pork chops in deep baking pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. On each pork chop place a slice of lemon and a teaspoon of brown sugar.
3. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops.
4. Cover baking pan with foil. Seal to make airtight.
5. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour.

Wild Rice and Shrimp

It's back! After a maternity leave I've started Recipe Wednesday again. This is where I'll share some of my favorite recipe's with you. Today, I'm sharing one of my go-to recipes. It's pretty easy to put together (when you use frozen shrimp), makes a ton of food, and tastes great! If you have Cotton Country you can find the recipe in there but for those of you who don't have that cook book here it is.

Wild Rice and Shrimp
Serves 10-12 (One 9x12 casserole or two square pans)

1 1/2 pounds cooked Shrimp
1/2 cup Margarine
1/2 large Chopped Onion
1/2 large chopped Bell Pepper
1 large can sliced Mushrooms (I only use about half of this due to Jason's distaste of mushrooms)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
6 drops Tabasco
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 tablespoons Cream
Buttered Bread Crumbs
1 small box Wild Rice cooked as directed

1. Saute onion, pepper, and mushrooms in margarine.
2. Add shrimp, Worcestershire, and Tabasco.
3. Heat soup with cream.
4. Fold all together with cooked rice.
5. Pour in greased casserole.
6. Cover with bread crumbs.
7. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Eclair Cake

Éclair Cake
Makes 12 servings

1 box honey graham crackers
2 (3.4-ounce) packages Vanilla or French Vanilla instant pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 container ready-to-spread chocolate frosting

Preparation
Line bottom of an ungreased 13- x 9-inch baking dish with honey graham crackers. Whisk together pudding mix and milk. Let it set for 5 mins in refrigerator. Fold in whipped topping. Spread half of pudding mixture over graham crackers. Repeat layers with graham crackers and remaining pudding mixture. Top with remaining graham crackers. Heat frosting in microwave for 30-35 seconds. Pour chocolate frosting over graham crackers. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Note: To lighten, use reduced-fat graham crackers, sugar-free pudding mix, fat-free milk, and fat-free frozen whipped topping.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Hi! My name is Jenni, and I came to know Jennifer when I helped her host a baby shower for Kelly. After that she brought me a few meals while I was on best rest waiting for my little girl to be born. How nice was that...we hardly knew each other at the time and she was sweet enough to bring us some wonderful food! So, I was more than happy to return the favor when Charlotte was born.This is a recipe for the cookies I took her for dessert. They resemble those old fashioned peanut butter cookies you probably made when you were little...but better!! At least I think so because I love chocolate and peanut butter together!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
1 pkg devils food cake mix
4 oz. cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all four ingredients on low speed x 2 min and then on medium for 2 min. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and put on non stick cookie sheet. Dip fork into granulated sugar and make "criss-cross" shape on top. Bake for 7-8 minutes.

My hints:
**I felt the batter was a little too dry. So I added a little water (maybe a TBLS or two). It still was really grainy and I didn't think it would work, but they came out great!
**Be prepared...the mixing is a mess. Use a big bowl!
**It makes a lot of cookies and you don't have to space them to far apart on the cookies sheet (they don't really spread).
**You can make then 1-2 weeks ahead and freeze after baked. Then take out as needed.

Spinach Dip

Hi everybody! My name is April and I am going to be sharing a quick and easy Spinach Dip recipe with you today. This is a dish that I made for the office baby shower I helped throw for Jennifer and she must have liked it because she invited me here today. :) I immediately accepted her invitation and am thrilled that I can help out during this busy time and allow her more time to just snuggle up with baby Charlotte.

So on to the good stuff! I got this recipe from a friend of mine and it is a favorite snack around my house. The good news is… it only requires three ingredients, three steps and no actual cooking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

You will need the following:

16 oz. container of sour cream

Knorr’s dry vegetable soup mix

Chopped spinach -- I generally use a 14 oz. package

The first step is to thaw and drain your spinach. Then put all three ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and serve! I usually pair mine with Wheat Thins but you can use whatever you like.

Honey Bun Cake

No pictures with this one because I haven't made this cake in a while but it is truly heavenly and since I haven't shared a dessert with you in a while and because I'm rarely feeling up to cooking much less trying new recipes these days, I thought I'd share an oldie but goodie . Our first experience with this cake was right after we had bought our house. We had closed and spent the first weekend mooching off of our parents good natures by having them help us paint, pretty much the entire inside of the house. What troopers they were! :) And one day while we were there Jason's grandparents brought us lunch and with it this fantastic cake. It's super easy and oh so yummy! So enjoy!

Honey Bun Cake

Cake:
1 box Yellow Cake Mix (the kind with pudding in it)
4 eggs
2/3 c Vegetable Oil
1/3 c Water
1 8 oz carton Sour Cream
1/2 c Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 t Ground Cinnamon
2/3 c Chopped Pecans (optional, I don't use them because I'm not a huge fan of nuts in my sweets)

Glaze:
1 c Sifted Powdered Sugar
2 T Milk
1/2 t Vanilla Extract

1. Combine first five ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Set aside.
2. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans; set aside. Pour half of batter in a greased and floured 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over batter. Repeat procedure. Gently swirl batter with knife.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven.
   
4. Combine all ingredients for the glaze. Beat at a medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
   
5. Drizzle glaze over cake, and cool. Cut in to squares.
   

Yields 15 to 18 servings

As most of you know we are planning on having Charlotte via a c-section on Friday. Therefore, I will be taking a few weeks off of Recipe Wednesday as I adjust to life as a new mother. A few friends have offered to pitch in and help and I have plans to set some posts up that will link you to some of my favorite recipes on the blogs that I read, but we probably won't have any recipes that I'm just trying for the first time for a while. :)

Cheesy Pork Chop Casserole

I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com and it is so good.  I would guess that this would be just as good with chicken as it is with pork.  It's a very easy recipe!  Enjoy!

Cheesy Pork Chop Casserole

Serves 4

4 potatoes, peeled and sliced

4 thick cut boneless pork chops

1 10.75 oz can condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup

1 10.5 can condensed French Onion soup

1 8 oz package shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with sliced potatoes.  Arrange the pork chops on top of the potatoes.
3. In a bowl, stir together the cheddar cheese and French Onion soups. Pour the soup over the pork chops. 
4. Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees.
5. Sprinkle pork chops with Monterrey Jack cheese and serve.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Sausage

I had never really thought of this as a recipe until I was thinking this week about some new things I could try or talk about in the weeks leading up to Charlotte's birth.  It was then that I realized that just because I kind of throw it together doesn't necessarily mean that y'all wouldn't enjoy my haphazard attempt at cooking!  So, here goes!  This is super easy and is something that is different every time I make it.  It is really good and you can make as much or as little as you want since you're controlling what you put into the sauce and how much pasta to make.  You can also control how spicy or seasoned to make the sauce.  This is something that you need to just experiment with to see how you like it best but I'll give you a general recipe.  

So you start by finding your favorite type of sausage.  Lately we've been using the packs of four sausage links that are "natural".  With this recipe I used the Sweet Italian Sausage but you can use the Sun Dried Tomato sausage or Spicy sausage or whatever you prefer.  Before I found these packs of sausage links I would use the Hillshire Farms sausage.  Just find whatever kind of pre-cooked sausage you prefer and cut it up into slices.  Like I said, it's precooked so you just have to make sure and get it warm enough but you don't have to worry about truly cooking cooking it.  

While you're cutting up the sausage go ahead and put the pasta on to cook.  Again, whatever you favorite type of noodles are will be fine.  This time we used bowties.  And cook it to whatever texture you prefer.

As the pasta starts to boil put the cut up sausage pieces into a skillet with some olive oil and start to cook them.  At that point add at least one 14 1/2 oz can of tomatoes.  You can get the diced tomatoes, crushed, whole....again, this is all about what you want!  If you like your sauce chunkier then get bigger tomato pieces.  Pour the whole can (juice and all) in with the sausage.  Then add about 1 1/2 cans of Tomato Paste.  This is going to make the sauce thicker.  So if you like it thicker add both full cans.  If you like it thinner either add the tomato paste and then add water or just don't add as much tomato paste.  Stir around and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Now this is the fun part.  When I'm buying tomatoes just to make this pasta I buy them with some spices already built in.  Same with the tomato paste.  But sometimes I make this spur of the moment and in those cases the tomatoes and tomato paste don't have anything in them.  Regardless, the sauce is going to need more seasoning.  And that's where your imagination comes in!  Here's what I added tonight: garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, and ground black pepper.  Probably 1/2 teaspoon each of the garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper and 1 teaspoon each of the basil and oregano.  Rosemary is also really good in the sauce as is anything else you want to throw in!  Add some spices, stir it up and then taste the sauce and see what you think.  The sauce is pretty thick so you aren't really going to overseason unless you dump in tablespoons at a time of the seasoning.

Once the pasta gets done you drain it.  Make sure the sauce has had at least a minute or two to simmer with your final spice combination.  And then serve up the sauce over the pasta!  Like I said, VERY simple and something that you can make up your own recipe to the sauce.  It's a pretty straightforward recipe but here are some highlights.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Sausage

Your favorite type of pasta (amount depends on number of servings you want)

Your favorite type of fully cooked sausage (Sweet Italian, Sun Dried Tomato, Hickory Smoked...)

14 1/2 oz can of Diced Tomatoes

2 small cans of Tomato Paste

1/2 t Garlic Powder

1/2 t Onion Powder

1 t Basil

1 t Oregano

1/2 t Ground Black Pepper

Water to bring sauce to your preferred consistency

1. Boil pasta.

2. Cut up sausage into small pieces.  Saute shortly in olive oil.

3. Add tomatoes and tomato paste to sausage and olive oil.  Bring to a simmer.

4. Add spices as desired and water if needed to bring about desired consistency.  Simmer.

5. Serve pasta with sauce on top.

Creamy Shrimp with Corn and Bacon

This recipe is in the April 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine -- which is one of my favorite magazine's!  I made this on Sunday night and Jason and I both really loved it.  It was very easy and didn't take long at all.  It also made a lot of shrimp mixture and I didn't even use as much shrimp as they said to.  I would recommend making more rice though.  1 cup of uncooked rice is typically two servings of rice and this recipe is supposed to serve four, so I would make enough rice for four based on what the box of rice says is a serving for four.  Also, I used Minute Brown Rice instead of Long Grain White like the recipe in the magazine says and it was just as good.  Enjoy!

Creamy Shrimp with Corn and Bacon

Serves 4

1 c Rice

4 slices Bacon

1 T Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1/2 c Dry White Wine

3/4 c Heavy Cream

1 1/4 lbs Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 10 oz package Frozen Corn

1/4 teaspoon each Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

1. Cook rice according to directions
   
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over M/H heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel, let cool, then break into pieces.  Wipe out the skillet.  (Ok, confession, I also used the boxed bacon and cooked it in the microwave.  Probably not as good as skillet fried bacon but MUCH easier and still tasty!)
   
3. Heat the oil over M/H heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the cream and bring to a boil.  Stir in the shrimp, corn, and salt and pepper. Simmer until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes.  Stir in the bacon and serve over rice.

As we started last week, if you are posting a recipe this Wednesday link your post with Mr. Linky below!

Empanada Grande

This recipe is from an old friend from high school.  Brittanie Temple sent this yummy recipe to me and I just had to share it!  It looks so good!

Empanada Grande (Mexican Pizza)

Makes 8 servings

 

Ingredients:

1 package refrigerated pie crust (the ones in a can...should have 2 in one can)

1 lb ground beef

1/3 cup of chopped onion

3 tblsp snipped cilantro

1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese (I used a little more...you can never have too much cheese!)

1 packet of Taco seasoning

1 tblsp minced garlic

1/3 cup chunky salsa

1 egg, lightly beaten

 

Steps:

1. Brown meat and in a large bowl combine meat, onions, cilantro, cheese, taco seasoning, garlic, and salsa.

2. Layout one pie crust out on cooking sheet (cookie sheet). Brush the crust with some of the egg.

3. lay the mixture out on the pie crust, leaving about 1 inch around the edge.

4. Lay the other pie crust on top of the mixture and press edges together to seal with a fork. Brush more egg on top of pie crust.

5. Cut 4 slits in the top.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until crust is golden.

7. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

If you're anything like me you love PF Chang's.  One of my favorite parts of eating at PF Chang's are the lettuce wraps before the meal.  I found a recipe on AllRecipes that makes great lettuce wraps.  The recipe calls for making it with beef, which I did.  They were great with beef but next time I'll try making it with chicken; I bet that they'll be just as good and taste almost exactly like the lettuce wraps at PF Chang's!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

16 Boston Bibb or Butter Lettuce leaves

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 T Cooking Oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 T Soy sauce

1/4 c Hoisin sauce

2 t Minced Pickled Ginger (I couldn't find this so I left it out -- they were still great!)

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

Asian Chile Pepper Sauce (optional -- I used maybe a teaspoon of this)

1 8 oz can Water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 t Asian (dark) Sesame Oil

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not to tear them.  Set aside.

2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground been in 1 T of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary.  Drain, and set aside to cool.

3. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions and stir.  Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about two minutes.

4. Combine the beef with the onion mixture.  Spoon onto individual lettuce leaves and roll like a burrito to eat.

Jason and I created our own PF Chang's sauce to go with the lettuce wraps.  We each created our own but started with a base of soy sauce and then added chile pepper sauce.  We then added white vinegar to cut the spice and get the sauce to the right temperature.  It was a delicious meal!

Spicy Chicken Pasta

This recipe from our local hospital foundation's cookbook is great!  My mom used to make it when we were little and I always loved it.  No that I'm older I know that it's pretty easy to make and makes a lot of pasta!  However, it is spicy so if you are looking for something to make for someone who just had a baby or is sick this probably isn't the dish the take.  But, for something like my friend Leigh's shower a few weeks ago, it was the perfect pasta with chicken dish.  Please note that the picture above is from Leigh's shower and this was about 2/3's of the recipe.  I also filled a disposable round cake pan full of pasta and Jason and I ate that for dinner one night.  I'm not kidding when I say that it makes a lot!

Spicy Chicken Pasta

4 to 6 chicken breasts

12 oz Vermicelli Noodles

1 small Onion, chopped

1/2 c Melted Margarine (you can use about half of this amount and it still be great)

1 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

2 cans Tomatoes with Green Chilies (aka Rotel)

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 t Garlic Powder

1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

Parmesan Cheese

Rinse chicken.  Boil chicken in water until tender.  Remove skin, if needed, and chop.

Cook noodles using package directions.

Saute onion in margarine in sillet.

Combine soup, tomatoes with chiles, Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic Powder, and Velveeta Cheese in bowl.  Add chicken and onions to soup mixture.  Layer pasta and soup mixture in a 9x12 glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Creamy Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

Kelly gave me  this recipe and I made it as one of the three pasta's that I offered at my friend Leigh's shower a few weeks ago and it was great! It's pretty simple to make and the thing that I loved (and was looking for) was a white sauce pasta that baked so that I could have it in the oven with the guests arrived and just pull it out and put it on the table ready to eat.  This recipe was perfect for that.  It rounded out my offerings as a meat-less pasta to go with Baked Ziti and Spicy Chicken Pasta (coming up next week).  

Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

1 lb Fettuccine Pasta

2 cups Grated Asiago Cheese, plus 1/4 cup

2 8 oz containers Creme Fraiche (we used Sour Cream since we couldn't find this)

1 cup Grated Parmesan

1 1/2 T fresh Chopped Thyme Leaves

1/2 t Salt

1/2 t Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups Asiago cheese, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.

Creamy Rotini and Salmon

Here's another great recipe from Family Circle. This one is pretty good for you to with the salmon, enriched pasta, and fat-free half and half! It's pretty easy too!

Creamy Rotini and Salmon

Makes 6 servings

1/2 pound Salmon Fillet (1 piece)

1 box (14 1/2 oz) omega-3-enriched Rotini Pasta

2 c Fat-Free Half and Half

2 t Cornstarch

1/4 t Salt

1/4 t Ground Nutmeg

1/8 t Cayenne Pepper

1 box (10 oz) Frozen Peas, thawed

1/2 c Parmesan Cheese

1/3 c Toasted Walnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a small baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add salmon to pan and bake at 450 for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta following package directions. Drain and return to pot.

3. While pasta is cooking, whisk together half-and-half, cornstarch, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne. Place in medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 1 minute until sauce thickens.

4. Add peas and simmer for an additional minute, until peas are heated through. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 c of the Parmesan cheese

5. Stir sauce into drained pasta.

6. Remove skin from salmon and discard. Flake salmon into bite-size pieces and gently stir into pasta. Top with remaining 1/4 c cheese and the nuts and serve.

Beef Fajitas

This recipe from Family Circle makes a lot and is pretty easy. I served the Fajita's with Spanish Rice and it was a really good meal!

Beef Fajitas

1 pound Flank Steak

3 t Fajita Seasoning Mix (in with regular spices)

1 T Canola Oil

1 medium-sized sweet Red Pepper, Seeded and Thinly Sliced (there were no red peppers at the grocery store so I got a green one instead)

1 medium-sized yellow Pepper, seeded and Thinly sliced

1 large Onion, thinly sliced

1 T lime juice

8 fajita-size flour tortillas, warmed

1. Cut steak across the grain into 1/4 inch wide strips; toss with seasoning.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add steak and cook 5 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in lime juice.

4. Serve in tortillas.

Pork Marinade

This is a super easy and great marinade for pork.  My aunt Carrie passed this along when I got married as a Pork Tenderloin marinade but I used it for Pork Chops recently and they turned out splendidly!

Pork Marinade

1/2 c Oil

3/4 c Soy Sauce

1/2 c Worcestershire

2 T Mustard

3 t Salt

1 T Pepper

1 1/2 T Dry Parsley

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 c Lemon Juice

This makes a lot of marinade so, per Carrie's intsructions, I halved the recipe and it made plenty to marinate the pork chops in.

Enjoy!

Jason's Birthday Cake

And now, here is the cake.  It took almost four hours to make yesterday but I think we all agreed last night that it was worth it.  I got the recipe from this post of Bakerella's.  I used the 12 layer cake recipe that she used.  I also chose to frost the cake a second time with the dark chocolate buttercream icing.  I'm just so glad that I passed my glucose test last week and don't have gestational diabetes so that I could partake of the cake! :)

Teriyaki Chicken

This is a great, EASY recipe that I got from Stephanie at Happily Ever After.  This recipe is a Crock-Pot recipe so all you really have to do is cut up the chicken.  I served this over brown rice and it was really yummy!  It's working to satisfy my "ethnic" food craving during my pregnancy!  Stephanie puts the chicken over a special rice that she makes and is in her original post.  I didn't take the time to make the rice this time but next time I'm going to try that too!

Teriyaki Chicken

1 pkg Chicken Breasts

1/2 bottle KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki Marinade

1 large can Pineapple Chunks, drained

Dash of ginger

1. Place chicken in bottom of crock pot.  Pour drained pineapple chunks over chicken.  Pour in 1/2 bottle of marinade.

2. Turn on crock pot and cook until done.  This took me about 2 hours on high.

Go and check out Stephanie's post for more pictures and more detailed instructions.  She and her husband, Travis, are expecting a little girl, Ava, in April so also give her some encouragement as she goes through the last few weeks of her pregnancy!

Skillet Grilled Burritos

So I have no pictures for this recipe but I've had it at my parent's and I've made it once at home and it's really really good!  The recipe is from the most recent Southern Living if you want to see more about it.  It is super easy and makes a lot of food!  Enjoy!

Skillet Grilled Burritos

Makes 8 servings

2 c Chopped Cooked Chicken Breast

1 15 oz can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

1 11 oz can Yellow Corn with red and green peppers, drained

1 c (4 oz) Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 c Creamy Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce (recipe below)

8 8 inch soft Whole Wheat Tortillas

1. Toss together chicken, beans, corn, cheese, and 1/2 c of sauce.  
2. Spread chicken mixture just below center of each tortilla.  Fold in sides.  Roll up burrito.  Coat with cooking spray or olive oil.
3. Cooking option 1 (from original recipe): Cook in batches on medium/high heat in skillet pressing gently with spatula 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
4. Cooking option 2 (my preferred method):  Cook in batches in panini press until golden brown and cheese is melted.
5. Serve with salsa and remaining Cilantro-Jalapeno sauce.

Creamy Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce

1 c Light Sour Cream

1/2 c Loosely packed fresh Cilantro, chopped

2 T Diced Pickled Jalapeno peppers

2 t chopped Yellow Onion

2 t Dijon Mustard

1 t Lime Zest

1. Stir all together.  Chill 30 minutes before serving.  Store up to two days in airtight container in refrigerator.

Coffee Cup Chocolate Cake and Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day!

In honor of this day of love I wanted to share two recipes that I found this week that are the perfect treat to end a Valentine's Day.

The first I got was through an email from my Mom.  The email referred to it as "the most dangerous cake recipe in the world" but I prefer to refer to it as Coffee Cup Chocolate Cake due to the much less...sinister...connotations!  But sinister it is!  The fact that making the entire concoction takes roughly 5 minutes and can be made with things that are most likely already in your pantry makes this recipe something to only pull out when you really need a chocolate fix!  Also, don't let your eyes get bigger than your tummy!  Due to my ever expanding pregnant belly Jason and I thought that we would make two but we probably, together, ate one if that! The picture below is one cake served with Cool Whip due to the fact that we didn't have any ice cream but I bet ice cream would only make this dessert even better!  So, here's the recipe!

Coffee Cup Chocolate Cake

4 T Flour

4 T Sugar

2 T Cocoa

1 Egg

3 T Milk

3 T Oil

3 T Chocolate Chips (optional)

Small splash Vanilla Extract

1 large Coffee Mug

1. Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.
2. Add egg and mix thoroughly.
3. Pour in oil and milk and mix well.
4. Add chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla and mix.
5. Put in microwave and microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts
6. Don't worry, it's OK if it rises over the top of the mug!
7. Tip onto a plate and enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream!

The second recipe is one I saw on Bakerella's blog this week.  To see her post with this recipe gohere.  Most of Bakerella's treats intimidate me but I knew that I had a Red Velvet cake mix and cream cheese frosting in my pantry (due to a different recipe that I've been meaning to try for a while) so I thought I'd give this a try.  Making this didn't take 5 minutes but from start (getting out ingredients) to finish (having the sandwiches iced and in a container) it only took one hour!  Still pretty good for a fun dessert in my book!  To be honest I cheated and used canned cream cheese frosting intsead of making my own though so if you're making the icing like Bakerellainstructs then it will take longer.  But these babies are yummy and well worth it!  The funny thing is that a girl from work sent an email out to the office saying that SHE made these last night and had brought them to work!  I told her that emails talking about treats in the break room usually make me sad since I work from  home but that today I had those exact same treats in my kitchen! :)  

So either use my amended/cheater version or go and see the real recipe from Bakerella's blog! 

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix

1/2 c Butter, softened

2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix until mix, butter, and eggs are combined
3. Drop spoonfuls onto baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart
4. Bake 10 - 12 minutes
5. Cool
6. Assemble with store-bought icing in the middle or Bakerella's Cream Cheese Filling

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Tortilla Chip Bake

This is another recipe out of the cookbook that Jason's grandmother gave me at one of our wedding showers.  It is a really great cookbook that has one of my all-time favorite desserts in it, Butter Squares.  Next time I make them (and I think it's going to be soon!) I'll post that recipe because they are divine!

This recipe was also really good and so simple that my only picture is of the ingredients.  Everything else is basic!  Enjoy!

Tortilla Chip Bake

8 servings

Ingredients:

2 lbs Ground Beef

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 10 oz can chopped tomatoes with green chilies (aka Rotel)

2 16 oz cans Chili Beans

1 10 oz can Cream of Mushroom soup

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 12 oz pkg Tortilla chips, crushed

8 oz shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Brown beef with onion in skillet, stirring until crumbly.  Drain well.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, soup, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.
3. Layer tortilla chips and beef mixture in a 9x13 baking dish.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until cheese melts.

This was a really great recipe!  We enjoyed it with salads and more chips and salsa but you could also serve it with Mexican rice. The beauty of this recipe is that the prep is really quick and it makes a lot (I froze half of this recipe).  It's also filling and has lots of good stuff in it!

Jambalaya

I don't know about you but Jason and I love pretty much anything seafood.  A while ago I was flipping through a cookbook that Jason's grandmother gave me as a wedding shower gift and I found a great Jambalaya recipe.  I've made it before but I made it again this weekend to get some pictures for you.  I was reminded again of how good the recipe and HOW MUCH it makes!  Unless you are having guests over always make a half of a recipe because it makes a ton of food!

So, here's the recipe for Jambalaya!

Jambalaya

2 cans French Onion Soup

2 cans Cream of Celery Soup

1 Large Jar Sliced Mushrooms

1 can Rotel

1 cup Chopped Onion

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

3 Green Onions, chopped (I omitted these this time because I forgot them)

2 lbs Smoked Sausage, Chopped

2 lbs Peeled, raw Shrimp

2 cups Uncooked Rice

Combine all ingredients in large dish and cover tightly with foil.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until hot all the way through and rice is cooked.

Serves 10 - 12 

Remember, I made a HALF recipe and it filled the oval baking dish that I was cooking in to the brim!

Enjoy!