COOKIE OF THE WEEK: No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies {Recipe}

I love no-bake cookies.  They remind me of my childhood.  My oldest sister used to make them for us.  I love peanut butter, and oats, and crunchy nuts.  I love their fudge-like consistency.  Awhile back I saw a pin for blueberry no-bake cookies.  But when I went to the recipe it was made with healthy ingredients and she said that the cookies were very crumbly and had to be refrigerated.  That didn’t sound too good to me.  So, I read a bunch of other no-bake cookies recipes and came up with this recipe.  I thought these were good and my family seemed to really like them.  I think next time I would add some chopped almonds for some crunch and maybe even a couple spoonfuls of blueberry jam. 

This is a great recipe for people who have a peanut allergy in the family.  It doesn’t call for peanut butter.  It is flavored with pudding mix.  You could use any flavor of pudding mix you want and change up the add-ins.  Banana and walnut would be yummy.  Or chocolate and dried cherries.  I thought blueberry cheesecake sounded good so that is what I went for.  If you’re not using cheesecake flavored pudding then there’s really no reason to add the cream cheese.  Just omit it.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Easy Sunday Dinner: GRAMMY’S SWISS STEAK- Meat Kids Love! {Recipe}

This recipe came from my grandmother.  She was an amazing woman! She has been gone about 12 or 13 years now and I miss her terribly.  As a retired teacher and divorcee, she spent many, many hours in our home helping us and our parents.  Many of my friends thought she lived with us because she was around so much.  She helped cook, clean, do laundry, yard work, drive us around, read to us, and so much more.  I miss her so very, very much.  Guess I already told you that.  I +am so grateful that I got to have her as such a central part of my life for so many years!  Grammy only had 10 grandchildren, but she grand-mothered all the children she came in contact with! She was loved by all who knew her and is fondly remembered by so many!

Grammy used to cook dinner for us several nights a week and this is something she would make quite often.  It is one of my favorite foods and I make it regularly.  Actually, I taught my husband to make it and he often will make it for Sunday dinner along with mashed potatoes, rolls and a vegetable.  Kids love it because the meat is soft enough for them to chew easily.  It is one meal that ALL my kids eat without complaint.  It is great for Sunday because you can make it before church and let it bake while you are gone.  I hope you will give it a try!

Here are the simple steps:

Quinoa Pesto Salad {A Pasta Salad Makeover}

A few years ago I developed a recipe that I call Six P Salad.  It is delicious and super easy.  It is a cold pasta salad made with pasta, pesto, parmesan, peas, pepper, and pine nuts…6 p’s!  I really like it.  It just tastes very fresh and light.

Well, for St. Patrick’s Day I made my Cilantro Pesto Chicken because it is green, it is healthy, and we all love it.  I wanted to make something green to go along with it and I thought of my Six P Salad.  BUT, I was trying to cut back on bad carbs so the idea of eating pasta wasn’t really sitting well.  I had picked up a bag of quinoa at Costco and hadn’t gotten around to trying it.  So, I had the idea to make my salad with quinoa instead of pasta.  I put the quinoa in the rice cooker, added the water, and pressed cook, excited about my idea. {more after the break}

Easy Ravioli Strata Lasagna topped with Crispy Pepperoni {Recipe}

I’ve made baked ravioli many times in the past.  It’s fast and easy.  But I was chatting with my girlfriend on the phone the other day and she told me her sister-in-law had made a lasagna using frozen ravioli.  I hadn’t planned dinner yet and happened to have some frozen ravioli on hand, as well as marinara and shredded mozzarella! I decided to whip up this quick dish for my family that night and it was a big hit! I did end up having to run to the store for another bag of ravioli.  For my family I should have just used an 8x8 pan, in which case I think I could have used just one bag.  But in the 9x13 that I started in I needed two bags to make the three layers I wanted.

It was so quick and easy to put together and I’ll definitely be making it again!…..{Recipe below the break}

Mouthwatering ABC Burgers [Avocado, Bacon, and Cheddar]

We adore homemade burgers.  It’s one meal that everyone in my family will eat.  We go out for burgers, too, but we all like homemade ones better. I love that I can make my patty the size and shape that I like and I can put on the toppings that I love, like red onion, avocado, bacon, and extra sharp cheddar cheese!  

I buy super lean 93/7 ground beef from Zaycon Foods! I LOVE it!  It is high quality fresh beef with no pink slime.  Every few months they come to my area.  I meet them at a predetermined location where they load 40 pounds of ground beef into my car.  Then I come home, divide it (easily) into 2 pound portions, package it with my Food Saver, and freeze it in my garage freezer.  If you have a big family or like to buy in bulk, I highly recommend it!  If you sign up and buy from the link above, I think I get $1 of credit towards their meats, so I’d be super grateful if you use that link to purchase.  Put in my name, Emily Nelson, as your referrer.

They have several other products but I’ve only tried the beef.  If you don’t have tons of freezer space, maybe get a box and split it with a friend or two.  It actually comes in 4 separate packages so it would be easy to share with a friend or family member.  It’s about $3.00 per pound, which is a fantastic price for beef this lean!

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Ok, now for my ABC Burger Recipe!   How delicious does this thing look? (I got a new camera lens and used it for these pictures and I am super excited about it!!!)

Here are the things I put into my meat:  BBQ sauce (use your favorite), liquid smoke (gives it that cooked outdoors taste, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper (lots of it!), Lawry’s seasoned salt, and Worcestershire sauce.  Wow! I spelled it right the first time!!

Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake with THIN MINT Frosting {Recipe @ www.ReMarkableHome.net}

Last night I went to a ladies’ church function where we share recipes and bring the food to be sampled.  Our theme for the night was chocolate, so I knew I needed to make something with chocolate.  I thought it would be a good idea to kill two birds with one stone and make a St. Patrick’s Day dessert.  I have a fantastic chocolate fudge Bundt cake recipe, so I decided to change it up a bit to make it minty and green.  The result was this Thin Mint Chocolate Fudge Cake......

SOUTHWEST CHICKEN CHILI {Recipe}

I’ve been working hard to get my blog updated and whipped into shape.  Today I worked on updating the “Recipes” tab at the top of my blog.  So far, I’ve gotten all my dessert recipes on there.  I hope to have the rest posted by tomorrow!  Now you know where to look when you want to find a recipe you’ve seen posted here.

Last night I made this chili for dinner.  I’ve made this recipe many times.  It is yummy, filling, and healthy.  Last night we were out of tortilla chips, so I whipped up some homemade tortilla chips.  They are one of my favorite snacks, but.....

DELICIOUSLY EASY PUMPKIN MUFFINS {Recipe}

The other day after returning home from our 8 day trip back east, I looked at the calendar and realized I was supposed to bring snacks for my son’s preschool class.  That day was a field trip to a pumpkin farm.  The theme for the week was pumpkins, so I decided I could whip together some of those easy pumpkin muffins that just use canned pumpkin and a cake mix.  I’ve made them before and while they aren’t my favorite I figured they were good enough for a preschool class.

Well, I went into my pantry and saw a carrot cake mix and decided that would be a lot yummier.  As I got started mixing the cake mix and pumpkin together, I decided to doctor up the recipe a bit to give it more flavor and make it yummier.

The result was super moist and really delicious pumpkin muffins!  I will definitely be making these again soon so I wanted to share the recipe with you all.  They are so easy and yummy!  Enjoy!

Recipe: Deliciously Easy Pumpkin Muffins

From the Kitchen of: Emily Nelson

Yield: 12 muffins or about 36 mini muffins

Ingredients:

• One carrot cake mix (just the dry ingredients)
• One 15 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or ½ tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. ginger, pinch of cloves)
• 1/3 c. milk
• ½ c. unsweetened applesauce
• ½ c. dried cranberries
• ½ c chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate chips for this recipe)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Mix first five ingredients together with hand mixer. Stir in cranberries or chocolate chips. Bake in greased or lined muffin tins until the tops spring back when gently pressed with finger, about 18 minutes for mini muffins, 23-25 for regular muffins. No need for butter!!

PERFECT APPLE PIE {Recipe}

I never quite finished posting my pie recipes.  Here is the apple pie recipe I use.  I love this apple pie.  I do NOT like hard apples in my pie.  I slice mine very thin (like 1/8” or less) and cook it long enough for them to get very soft.  In my opinion, the softer and more jam-like, the better. 

Doesn’t it look scrumptious?  Serve it with good vanilla ice cream for the perfect all-American treat!

Classic Apple Pie (based on a recipe by Mrs. Fields)

Yield: 1 pie

Ingredients:

• 2 pie crusts, unbaked
• 6-10 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced.  You need enough to fill your pie dish HIGH! I love to use golden delicious apples.
• 1 c. white sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 c. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• milk and sugar for crust

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Place bottom crust in 9” pie plate. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add apples and toss gently to coat all the apples. Place apples into pie plate and dot with butter pieces. Add top crust. Press crusts together at edge to seal. Trim and flute the edges. Brush top crust with milk, half and half, cream, or a beaten egg. Sprinkle with white sugar. Cut steam slits. ( I actually vent my pie with a fork and THEN I do the milk and sugar.  I think this sort of seals the holes and helps the apples steam inside and makes them softer, which I love)

Place on center rack in oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake another 30 minutes or until filling bubbles in center and crust is nicely browned. Check periodically during bake to make sure crust edge isn’t getting too dark. If it is, cover edge with tin foil and continue baking. When done, remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

 

Here is my crust recipe:

Basic Pie Crust

Yield: 2 crusts

Ingredients:

• 3 c. flour
• 1/2 c. butter flavored shortening (Crisco), cold!
• 1/2 c. butter, cold!
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 9-11 tsps. ice water, drizzled one tsp. at a time

Directions: Combine flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Cut in shortening and butter to make a coarse meal. Sprinkle a tablespoon of the water over the flour mixture. Stir with a fork. Keep adding a tablespoon at a time and stirring in between. Add just enough of the water to form a soft dough. Handle it as little as possible. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Flatten slightly and wrap in plastic. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Roll out the crusts on a lightly floured surface to about ¼” thickness and a diameter 2 “ larger than pie plate on each side.

I would love it if you “pinned” this.  Thanks!

CORN & RICE SALAD {Recipe}

This is a delicious and healthy recipe.  I have made it different ways, but most recently made it with brown rice and it was delicious!  It is very flavorful.  It’s a great lunch or it could be a side dish with grilled chicken, for example.  It would also be good on tacos. 

Another great idea would be to stuff tomatoes or bell pepper with it for a pretty presentation.  You could even do cherry tomatoes for an appetizer to entertain with.

ENJOY!

Recipe: Corn and Rice Salad/ Stuffed Tomatoes

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• `3 ears corn, grilled and cut off cob and cooled
• `1 ½ c. rice, cooked and cooled
• `2 avocados, diced
• `1/2 c. diced red onion
• `2 or 3 sliced green onions
• `1/2 c. diced bell pepper, any combo of colors you choose (red, yellow, orange or green)
• `1/4 c. olive oil
• `3 Tbsps. chopped cilantro
• `3-4 Tbsps. lemon or lime juice or a combo of both
• `1/2 tsp. sea salt
• `1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
• `1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• `6-8 ripe tomatoes for stuffing (or chop a couple to put in the salad)

Directions: Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Chill well.  Enjoy!

I wouldn’t min at all if you “pinned” this!  Thanks:)

SUPER YUMMY MAC & CHEESE

I have no picture of this to show you.  I made this for dinner tonight and it was super yummy.  I thought I would share the recipe.  We all know what Mac and Cheese looks like.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Super Yummy Mac and Cheese

From the Kitchen of: Emily Nelson

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound shell pasta (or I used a 14.5 oz. box of rotini pasta)
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 2 tsps buffalo sauce
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• fresh cracked black pepper (about ½ tsp)
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 10 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 10 oz mozzarella, shredded

Directions: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return it to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat. While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the eggs, milk, buffalo sauce, salt, pepper and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the mozzarella and 2/3 of the cheddar cheese. Over low heat, stir until creamy and cheese is melted. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with Pam. Top with remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and has browned spots.

SO GOOD!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER! {Recipe}

OK, one more Halloween recipe for you.  I have this chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I don’t know where I got it but I think it might have come from a Mrs. Field’s cookbook.

They are actually called Chocolate Chip Treasure cookies.  The recipe does not call for sugar or eggs!  Isn’t that so weird??  You will see why though!  These cookies have a great chewy texture that I just love.

For Halloween, I use half chocolate chips, half Reese’s Pieces.  I LOVE them!  And they are a super cute treat to take to friends in October!

Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies

• 1 1/2 c. crushed graham cracker crumbs (Crush your own with a food processor or rolling pin or use the re-crushed ones.  I recently bought an enormous bag of them at Smart and Final)
• 1/2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 c. softened butter
• 1 1/3 c. shredded coconut
• 2 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. chopped walnuts (optional but soooo delicious!)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 375.  Beat sweetened condensed milk and butter until smooth.  Add vanilla.  Mix in graham crumbs, flour, and baking powder.  Add coconut, choc chips (or Reese’s Pieces) and nuts.  Drop onto lightly greased baking sheet, or use parchment paper.  Bake 9-10 minutes and cool on pan for 2-3 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

Did you know that ovens take MUCH longer to preheat than they say?  Mine beeps to say it is preheated after about 10 minutes and it is no where close to the right temperature.  Pick yourself up an oven thermometer and use it to make sure you are at the right temperature when baking and you will have much greater success!

PUFFY SUGAR COOKIES {Recipe}

I came across a sugar cookie recipe the other day over at Somewhat Simple.  I decided I had to try it out.  Luckily, I needed to make some cookies for a Breast Cancer Awareness night I was helping to organize for the ladies at our church. 

The recipe said to chill, and then roll out and cut into shapes.  But I wanted round cookies.  So, I did not chill them, but simply used my cookie scoop to scoop balls and then rolled them smooth. 

They were really yummy.  VERY similar to the Lofthouse sugar cookies you can buy at the grocery store that are like $5 for 8 or 10 cookies.  But these were yummier and moister.

Here is the recipe which you can also find HERE at Somewhat Simple. 

OLD-FASHIONED SUGAR COOKIES

• 1 c. butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter with sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add sifted dry ingredients alternating with sour cream, mixing after each addition, until smooth.  Blend in vanilla.  Chill until firm enough to roll.  Cut with cookie cutter – place on ungreased sheet. Sprinkle with sugar (if not frosting them). Bake @ 375° for 10-12 min.

This recipe made 3 1/2 dozen cookies that were as big around as a cupcake.

I did make a few changes:

• I used Daisy Light sour cream.  It is the only light sour cream I will buy.  It’s the only regular sour cream I will buy.  There are only like 3 ingredients and they are all natural.  Other sour creams are full of a bunch of weird stuff!  yuck!
• I added an extra 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
• And I would reduce the salt by half next time.
• I also did not add the nutmeg but I think that would be a yummy flavor.  It would not, however, taste like a Lofthouse sugar cookie.
• I baked mine on a parchment lined baking sheet.  I experimented and found out you can use the parchment for one batch, then flip it over and use the other side for another batch!
• Mine took about 10 minutes exactly to bake.  You do not want them browned.

I frosted them with a cream cheese butter cream which I tinted pink.

I guess I should give you a basic cream cheese buttercream recipe, huh?

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 2 cubes butter
• 1 block (8oz.) cream cheese
• 2-3 pounds powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp of liquid (milk, cream, OJ concentrate, lemon juice)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:  Cream together your room temp butter and cream cheese.  Add your liquid and vanilla.  Start adding powdered sugar a cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency. 

For spreadable frosting, it can be very loose and soft.  But if you want to pipe things it needs to be stiffer.  If you use a knife to pull some frosting up to a point about an inch high and it holds its shape after a few minutes, then it is thick enough to pipe and hold its shape. 

Frosting is SO easy to make, yet can be messy.  Keep the mixer on low when combining powdered sugar or you and your kitchen will be wearing it!  Turn it off completely when you put it in, then just turn it on low.

Things frosted with this can sit out for several hours, but I like to refrigerate over night.

I frosted these like roses, which is SUPER easy to do!  Get a pastry bag and a Wilton 1M star tip.  Hold the bag basically straight up and down and start in the center.  Just start piping a swirl from the center out.  So easy!

GHOSTS in the GRAVEYARD {Recipe}

Flickr Tags: dessert,pudding,Halloween,Ghosts in the Graveyard,Pepperidge Farm Milano

This is one of my favorite desserts.  It reminds me of my grandma.  I am not sure what it is she used to make, but when I tasted this with vanilla pudding mixed with Cool Whip, it reminded me of something she used to make.  We call this “Out of This World Pudding Delight” but I have come across similar recipes called Éclair Cake.  To me, it tastes nothing like éclairs though.

To decorate this I added graham cracker crumbs to the top for dirt, leaving some of the chocolate glaze underneath uncovered for the path through the graveyard.  I used some of the filling for the ghosts with mini m&m’s for eyes.  The headstones are Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies, written on with icing.  And there are some Oreo crumbs lining the path.  You can decorate this any way you want, adding candy corn pumpkins or anything else you want. 

Out of This World Pudding Delight

Ingredients:

• 2 large boxes instant vanilla pudding (I only use Jell-O brand)
• 4 cups cold milk
• 12 oz. cool whip
• enough graham crackers for two layers of the pan

glaze:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. cocoa ( I like the Hershey’s Special Dark or Dutch Processed cocoa)
• ¼ c. evaporated milk
• ¼ c. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Lay graham crackers in bottom of pan. Cut some so that it covers the bottom. Mix up the pudding mix and milk, then add the cool whip. Pour over the graham crackers and spread evenly. Place another layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding.

Make the glaze: in a small saucepan, mix the first 3 ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Don’t scrape the sides of the pan, but do stir continually. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Pour glaze over the top and spread evenly. Chill for half a day.

 

P.S.  Putting the headstones on is a little tricky.  Its easier if the graham crackers have had some time to soften up a bit.  You could also leave some little holes where you don’t put a graham cracker for the Milano's.  I used a dollop of pudding mixture to help them stand up.

BUGS & CHEESE {Recipe}

I wish I had more and better pictures of this dish.  Most of the kids wouldn’t eat it because it looked like bugs.  It is just a baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe.

You can use your favorite mac and cheese recipe.  I topped this one with buttered bread crumbs for dirt, but I think my kids disliked that especially.  I thought it was delicious!

For the pasta, I used several different shapes.  I just tried to get ones that I thought would resemble bugs.  I used some penne, some small shells, some really tiny pasta that looked like fat, flat grains of rice, some pieces of fettuccine broken into shorter pieces, and I think some corkscrews.  I boiled each type separately and added food coloring to the cooking water to change the color of the pasta.  Once I had all the pasta cooked in different colored water, I proceeded to make my mac and cheese.

Here is the recipe I used:

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pasta (I like medium shells)
• 3 c. whole milk
• 1 c. cream
• ½ c. butter
• ½ c. flour
• 3 cups shredded Swiss cheese (preferably Gruyere or Jarlsberg) (about 10 ozs)
• 3 cups shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (about 10 ozs)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar for topping
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ¼ tsp dry mustard
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp. course Kosher salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 375.

Put a pot of water on to boil. While you are waiting make a roux by melting the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan, then add the flour. Stir well and cook on medium for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cream. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Cook pasta in salted water according to box directions. While it is cooking, grate your cheese and add it to the white sauce (butter, flour, milk). Stir till cheese is melted. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard. Drain pasta and return it to the pot. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir well to combine. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. (Add buttered bread crumbs if desired) Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. If it is taking too long to brown the cheese put it under the broiler for a few minutes, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Flickr Tags: macaroni and cheese,pasta,Halloween

TROLL EYEBALLS {Recipe}

These tasty little morsels add a nice amount of gruesome to your Halloween meal.  They are simply Oreo truffles, dipped in melted almond bark.  I “forked” mine to make them even spookier.  Metal forks would look even better.

After dipping them I used some red food coloring on a paint brush to make the veins.  I will say it didn’t stick well or dry so next time I would make a little powdered sugar glaze with red food coloring and use that instead.  Or, you could use one of those food writer pens.

The iris is a smashed skittle, stuck on with some melted white chocolate (or use some vanilla frosting in a pastry bag) and then there is dark chocolate frosting piped into the center For the pupil.

Easy, huh???

Oreo Truffles

(yield: about 50 balls)

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. package of Oreos, finely crushed (use food processor if you have one)
• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
• 16 oz. almond bark or white chocolate, melted

Directions:

Mix cream cheese with finely crushed Oreos.  Roll into eyeball sized balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Place in freezer for 30 minutes.  Remove from freezer and stick a fork in each ball.  Immediately dip in melted white chocolate, shaking off excess.  Place back on baking sheet and allow to harden, which should be almost instant due to cold temp of balls. 

Once cooled and hardened, decorate to look like eyeballs.

I used a bucket of wheat to stand mine up in.  Rice would work as well.

ENJOY!

SPIDER CHEESE BALL {Recipe}

This is a super yummy cheese ball recipe.  I make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as any other time I need a yummy appetizer.

For the web, I simply spread some cream cheese on a plate and then used pieces of red pepper to make a web.  The eyes were made with slices of cucumber and then slices of carrot, glued on with cream cheese.  The mouth is another piece of red pepper.  For the legs I took a stalk of celery and split it lengthwise.  Then I cut it about half way through in the middle and then carefully bent it, being careful not to let the stringy fibers break. 

Ranch Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

• `1/2 c. prepared double strength milk recipe ranch (This means mix together 1/4 c. milk, 1/4 c. mayo, and 1 1/2 Tbsps ranch dressing powdered mix)
• `8 oz. finely shredded cheddar cheese (room temp) Be sure to shred your own as it has much more flavor.  I use sharp cheese or extra sharp cheese.
• `8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• `3-5 oz. toasted sliced almonds, or any other nut you like, toasted and chopped.

Directions: Mix salad dressing and cream cheese with mixer. Add cheddar and mix well. Scrape down sides of bowl so mixture is all together in bottom. Cover and freeze 30 minutes. Shape into ball and roll in almonds. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Serve with your favorite crackers. Note: 8 times this recipe will make 10 good-sized cheese balls for Christmas gifts. You could also shape into a log shape.

Serve with crackers.  I added in some veggies for our Halloween dinner to try to get some vegetables in.

OREO CUPCAKES {Recipe}

My oldest son turned 17 last week.  Seventeen!!! I am feeling old!  I cannot believe it.  I was 17 when I had him!  He is a senior in high school and is actually going to a special school this year where he takes college classes and gets dual credit for HS and college!  So, he is seeming very grown up and I am having a mid-life crisis, lol!

Anyway, my brilliant mother had the idea to throw him a surprise party for his b-day.  So, we did!  It was great!  He had no idea!  We had a BBQ and pool party.  I didn’t really know how many kids to expect.  We just put the word out there and invited a bunch of his FB friends and told them to invite his other friends.

So, I decided I better make a bunch of cupcakes for dessert!  I made 6 dozen Oreo Cupcakes the morning of the party.  Amazingly, it only took me about 3 hours, including cleaning up!

Now that’s a lot of cupcakes!

They were very yummy.  Here is what I did:

Cupcakes:

Mix up a white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines) according to package directions, except add 1/2 c. Daisy sour cream (Daisy is the best because it doesn’t have any funky ingredients).

Once it is mixed, add 2 cups Oreo cookie pieces.  I bought mine at Smart and Final.  They come already broken up.  Or you can just break up some Oreos in a zipper bag with a rolling pin.  Stir to combine. 

Use a paring knife to separate the two sides of an Oreo, leaving the crème on one side.  Place the Oreo side with the crème with the crème side up in a cupcake liner in your cupcake pan.  Add your batter on top of the Oreo to 2/3 full.  Bake according to cake mix directions.  The key to good cakes and cupcakes is to not over bake so that they aren’t dry.  Cakes are done when they barely spring back when touched lightly with your finger.  It doesn’t have to spring back completely, just half way.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Here is the frosting recipe I made.  It is HUGE, for about 80 cupcakes, so divide it if you aren’t making cupcakes for an army.

• 1 pound butter, room temp soft
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temp soft
• 2 regular jars marshmallow crème (You could make it without this.  I’m not sure it really added anything but it sounded like a good idea)
• 2 tsps. vanilla
• 2 Tbsps. cream
• 4 pounds powdered sugar
• 2 cups superfine Oreo crumbs without the crème.  They need to be small enough to go through a sieve if you are going to pipe your frosting with a star tip.  They can be a little bigger if you are using a round tip and as big as you want if you are putting the frosting on with a knife.  You can use a food processor to make them small, or just a rolling pin and zipper bag.  Just put them through the sieve to make sure they are small enough.

With the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, and marshmallow crème.  Add the powdered sugar.  Add the cream a little at a time to get to the desired consistency.  If you add too much it will be too thin to pipe and have it hold its shape.  You can test in in the bowl.  Just pull some up into a peak with a knife or the back of a spoon and if it holds its shape pretty well it is thick enough. Add in the Oreo crumbs and mix to combine.

To pipe these ones, I just used my coupler in a pastry bag.  You could also use a large round tip, like 1/2” diameter.  Just hold the bag vertical in the center of the cupcake and start to squeeze.  Move it in small circles to spread it out a bit as you pipe.  You will see.  It is easy.

Garnish with an Oreo, half an Oreo, or mini Oreo.

FRIED EGGS the YUMMY WAY

Well, it seems all I have time for amidst entertaining four kids (my teenager is living with his dad right now) and trying to clean up after the messes they make while they are all home is cooking.  I just can’t seem to get to any crafts.  But, we all have to eat so cooking seems to be happening regularly!

This morning my son asked for fried eggs so I thought I would photograph how I make them.  I know people can be very opinionated about the correct way to cook eggs.  I only like eggs that I cook or my husband cooks for me.  I do not eat eggs at restaurants.  “Why?” you ask.  Because I don’t like slimy eggs!!!

I had to chuckle when I saw a recipe for “Frizzled Eggs” in some magazine awhile back.  They acted like it was some new method of cooking eggs, and yet I have been cooking them this way since childhood!  For those who don’t like eggs, give these a try.  They are seriously so yummy!

STEP 1- Put your stove on HIGH!  That’s right people.  I know chefs say you should cook eggs over a gentle heat.  But doing that gives you slimy super soft eggs.  So crank up the heat girls!

STEP 2- Don’t be afraid of butter.  Butter is your friend.  Butter gives your eggs delicious flavor.  Put a good teaspoon in the pan for two eggs.  Let it got nice and hot and bubbly.

STEP 3- Crack your eggs into the pan.  I like to use this little frying pan for making one or two eggs.  Make sure you use a non-stick pan.  Use the corner of your spatula to break up the thick part of the white around the yolk and spread it out a bit.  The thinner the white is, the better.

STEP 4- Season your eggs with salt and fresh cracked pepper.  Lots of pepper cause it is yummy!  AACHOO!

STEP 5- Cook your eggs till the white is no longer clear and you have some nice browning around the edges.

STEP 6- CAREFULLY turn your eggs over using a large spatula.  Cook them on the other side for just 5-10 seconds if you like a soft yolk, or longer if you like your yolk more well done.  See that brown stuff?  It is yummy!  Don’t listen to chefs who say eggs should never have brown on them.  I wholeheartedly disagree!

STEP 7- Remove the eggs from the pan onto a plate.  Serve with toast if desired.

STEP 8- ENJOY!

BROWNIES with MARSHMALLOW FUDGE FROSTING {Recipe}

Here is a seriously decadent dessert.  You simply make two boxes of your favorite brownie mix in a sheet pan (like you would use for cookies that has sides).

As soon as they come out of the oven, you top them with this frosting.  So yummy and a nice way to dress up plain old brownies. 

Marshmallow Fudge Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter
• 6 Tbsps. milk
• 1/4 c cocoa powder
• 1 pound powdered sugar (1 box)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 10 oz bag big marshmallows
• 1 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter, milk, and cocoa powder together and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, remove from heat and beat in the box of powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add the marshmallows and stir over medium low heat until the marshmallows are about half way melted.  Add the optional nuts.  Spread over brownies.  The unmelted parts of the marshmallow will melt a bit and spread out as you spread it, giving it that swirly effect.  Allow to cool before cutting.