Brownie Pudding

This is like a melting (molten) cake, only easier.  It's in the oven right now, but I couldn't wait to share the recipe!  A video is available at the link below.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup good cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (or substitute vanilla extract.  I just realized I skipped this step completely!)
• 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

(The next step is to bake the casserole dish in a pan of water in the oven.  I think next time I will skip this step, because I'm not sure how necessary it is and it takes a lot longer.  I'm just not sure how long to tell you to bake it for if you skip it.)  Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe found HERE

Stuffed Lasagna Rolls

Made this last night.  It was Delicious!

Stuffed Lasagna Rolls
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes
Yield: 5 to 6 servings

Ingredients
12 no-cook lasagna noodles
2 to 3 hot Italian sausages
1 ½ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used F. Rinaldi pasta sauce, the sauce makes the difference!)
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions
In a large pan of boiling, salted water cook the lasagna noodles for 3 to 3 minutes or until they are just soft (don’t overcook them). Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain on paper towels.
Remove the casings from the sausages. Crumble the meat into a nonstick skillet. Cook over high heat about 5 to 6 minutes or until browned, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon. Remove from the pan and set aside, In a bowl mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil, salt, and pepper until combined. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a 13x9x2-inch lasagna pan evenly spread half of the tomatoes.
To assemble the lasagna rolls, place a lasagna noodle on a work surface with the short side toward you. Put 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on the bottom half of the noodle; add 1 tablespoon of the cooked sausage. Roll noodle starting at the bottom and place in the lasagna pan. Prepare the remaining noodles in the same way, lining them up in the pan. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the rolls and top with the mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.

Snowmen on a Stick

Ingredients

• Bananas
• Grapes
• Carrot
• Apple

• Bamboo skewers
• Mini chocolate chips
• Pretzel sticks

Instructions

1. For each snowman, you will need three thick slices of banana, a grape, a sliver of carrot, and a triangular piece of apple. (Tip: Poke a hole in the apple piece with a bamboo skewer first to make assembly easier.)
2. Have your kids slide the fruit onto the skewer, then use the carrot slivers for noses, mini chocolate chips for eyes and buttons, and pretzel sticks for arms.
   
   
   Found HERE

Cherry Bars

2 cubes margarine
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
21 oz cherry pie filling

Mix all the ingredients (except pie filling). Spread 1/2 of the batter in a jelly roll pan or small cookie sheet. Spread the fruit filling over the batter. Spoon the rest of the batter over the top, but not completely so the red cherry filling shows through. Bake 350 degrees, 35 minutes.

Glaze when warm:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons milk
1 tsp. almond extract

Apple Strusel Cheesecake Bars

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup firm butter or margarine
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Place cookie mix in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and coarse. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining crumbs in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over partially baked crust. In medium bowl, mix pie filling and cinnamon. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over top. Sprinkle with walnuts.
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate to chill, about 2 hours.

Recipe found HERE

Lawrey's Potatoes

5-6 medium sized potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cube of butter, sliced

Add potatoes with skin still on, onions and seasonings of your choice (I used Lawry's Season Salt, garlic powder, black pepper and dried parsley flakes) to 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle liberally with seasonings and hand toss to make sure the seasonings coat all the potatoes. Add slices of butter in between potatoes. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour, stirring halfway through.

*sometimes the potatoes may take longer to bake, just keep checking!*

Recipe found HERE

Artichoke Bread

Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
2 green onions (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mozzarella (grated)
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)
1 loaf Italian bread (sliced in half lengthwise)

Directions:
1. Mix the artichoke hearts, green onions, garlic, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano reserving some of the cheese.
2. Hollow 1/2 an inch out of the center of both halves of the bread.
3. Spread the mixture into the hole in the bread slices and top with the reserved cheese.
4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven covered in foil for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Recipe Found HERE

Frito Pie

 Oven-Baked Frito Pie
source:  What's For Dinner?

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (16 oz) chili beans
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 envelope low sodium taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2% fat kind)
3 1/2 cups corn chips (Frito's)
1 1/4 cup fat free sour cream

Directions:
Cook ground beef until meat is browned; drain. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, taco seasoning mix and 1/4 c. of cheese. Sprinkle 1 cup corn chips in bottom of 8x8 baking dish or 9x13 dish. Cover with chili. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Spread sour cream over chili. Top with remaining corn chips and cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer.

Makes 6 to 8 servings


Recipe found HERE

Pretzel Rolls

Pretzel Rolls
The Dough
6 - 7 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups milk, slightly warmed
1 cup water, slightly warmed

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

The "Bath"
7 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons baking soda

In a small container, mix yeast with warmed milk and let rest for 10 minutes.Whisk 5 3/4 cups of flour and teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. 

Add canola oil and warmed water to yeast mixture. Pour into bowl with flour and salt. Knead in the bowl until dough is mostly smooth. Only add more flour if your dough cannot be easily handled. The dough will be somewhat stiff. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and put in a warm place to rise for one hour.

Punch down dough and knead in bowl for one minute. Cut dough into 15 pieces. (Cut more pieces if you would like smaller size rolls.) Form balls by pulling the dough under. Place on a well-greased surface. Let the dough balls rise for 15 minutes.

While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and get the pretzel "bath" ready. In a large pot, bring water, salt, and baking soda to a rolling boil. Plunge three dough balls into the water and let them "poach" for 1 minute on each side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a well-greased baking sheet. With a serrated knife, cut 2-3 lines across each roll and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until pretzels are a rich brown.  These are best eaten the same day they are made.


This recipe found HERE

Raspberry Colada Punch

Ingredients:
1 can frozen pina colada concentrate, thawed (Bacardi makes a good one)
1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
4 liters of diet lemon-lime soda (That’s two 2-Liters for the mathematically challenged.)
1 bag of pebble ice (You can buy it at Sonic Drive-In or at most grocery stores in the deli or meat departments.)
1 bag of frozen raspberries

And now for the directions:
*Pour the thawed concentrates into your punchbowl and stir.
*Use one of the empty cans and fill it with water four times and add it to the mixture. Stir.
*Add your diet soda to the mixture. (You can use regular sugar-filled soda if you want, but I think it gets too sweet and you will also feel guilty when you fill your glass for the sixteenth time. Which you WILL.)
*Next, add about half your bag of pebble ice.
(NOTE: Pebble ice is best.) (ANOTHER NOTE: Please make sure you add the ice after the soda or you will get an ugly foam at the top of your punch bowl.)
*Add your frozen raspberries to the top.

Viola! You have just created the Mona Lisa of Punch!

Your punch should be a lovely dark yellow at the bottom of your punch bowl, light lemony yellow in middle, almost white on the top, and then bright magenta on the very, very top! So pretty!

And then, when you start serving the punch with a ladle, it all mixes together and becomes this dreamy pink color.

Recipe found HERE

Buckeye Brownies

Buckeye Brownies, 


19-1/2 oz. pkg. brownie mix 
2 c. powdered sugar 
1/2 c. plus 6 T. butter, softened and divided 
8-oz. jar creamy peanut butter 
6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips 


Prepare and bake brownie mix in a greased 13"x9" baking pan according to package directions. Let cool. Mix powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and peanut butter. Mix well and spread over cooled brownies. Chill for one hour. Melt together chocolate chips and remaining butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Spread over brownies. Let cool; cut into squares. Makes 2 to 3 dozen. 


Recipe found HERE

Gourmet Raspberries

What a neat twist on raspberries.  Put a chocolate or white chocolate chip in them and you have a fancy treat!

Pumpkin Muffins

source

There's only two ingredients. That's right, just the cake mix and the pumpkin (15 oz.). No oil, no eggs, no water, nothing else. The end result is an amazing, incredibly moist muffin/cupcake with a hint of pumpkin flavor. 

It felt kind of strange not to add any liquids to the mix but it came together nicely into a thick batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

Try with Spice cake or chocolate cake mix!

Recipe found HERE

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Buffalo Chicken Bites

recipe adapted from Gourmet

1 cup finely diced cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup hot sauce (Frank's brand is what I used)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise dry yeast

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup warm milk ( I used 2%)

2 1/2 cups of flour

To make the buffalo chicken mixture, in a small bowl, combine the chicken, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, softened butter and hot sauce; set aside.

In a 1 cup measuring cup, heat the milk and then add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar; stir into warm milk until dissolved; place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast to the stand mixer and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, adding up to 1/2 cup additional flour, a little at a time, if necessary. Allow the dough to knead in the stand mixer for 5-7 minutes. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Place dough into a clean bowl that's been lightly oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and bubbles appear on surface, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal pieces. Lightly dust your hands with flour, then gently roll and stretch 1 piece of dough to form a 12-inch-long rope. Flatten dough and arrange so a long side is nearest you, then roll out to a roughly 12- by 4-inch rectangle with a lightly floured rolling pin. Gently press one fourth of buffalo chicken mixture into lower third of rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border along bottom edge. Stretch bottom edge of dough up over filling and press tightly to seal, then roll up as tightly as possible to form a rope. Cut rope into 12 pieces and transfer to a sheet pan. Make 3 more ropes with remaining dough, filling and cut into pieces, transferring to sheet pans. Let rest at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes (dough will rise slightly).

Bake buffalo chicken bites in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven (some cheese may have melted out.) and brush tops with melted butter before serving (optional).

Recipe found HERE

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture

*Makes 6 wraps*

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
Sour cream (optional)

6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: on some of the wraps, I dotted the cheese with about 1-2 tablespoons of reduced fat sour cream before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it made the wraps delightfully creamy.) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

Recipe found HERE

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 22 Oreos: 16 left whole, and 6 coarsely chopped
• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature (Neufchatel is fine)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275 F.
2. Line 12 standard muffin tins and 4 ramekins (or 16 muffin tins, if you have them) with paper liners.
3. Place 1 whole Oreo in the bottom of each lined cup.
4. Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
5. Pour in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
6. Beat in the sour cream and salt.
7. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling each almost to the top.
9. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, 22-25 minutes.
10. Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, on a wire rack, then transfer to a plate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Recipe found HERE

Reese's Cheesecake Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Prepare a 19.5-oz. box of chocolate fudge brownie mix according to package directions. Spread the batter in the pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat one 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese with a hand-held mixer until fluffy.

Add:

One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Beat until smooth.

Stir in a 12-ounce package of Reese's Pieces candies.

Spoon the mixture over the brownie batter and spread evenly.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the cheesecake layer is set and the edges are golden brown. Cool for 30 minutes and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Add the following ingredients to a small microwaveable bowl:

One 12-ounce bag milk chocolate chips

3 tablespoons whipping cream

Microwave on high for 1 minute, or until the chips are melted. Stir until smooth. Spread over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle 12 large Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (chopped) over the top. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Recipe found HERE