Oreo Layer Dessert

Oreo Layer Dessert

1 pkg of regular Oreos

1/2 c. of butter

1 lg box of instant chocolate pudding

2-8 oz cool whips

8 oz. of cream cheese, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

Crush the whole package of cookies either with a food processor, or in a bag and a rolling pin.  Save a 1/2 c. to sprinkle on top of dessert when it's done.  Pour remaining crumbs in a 13x9 pan.  Melt butter and pour into crumb mix.  Stir it up good and press crumbs in bottom of pan to make a crust.  Make chocolate pudding according to package directions and let it setup in the fridge.  In a mixing bowl blend cream cheese until nice and smooth and then add powdered sugar, mix.  Then fold in 1-8 oz thing of cool whip.  Top oreo layer with cream cheese mix, then pudding, then your last 8 oz thing of cool whip, and then sprinkle remaining Oreo's on top.  Cover and refridgerate until ready to serve. 

Recipe found HERE

CAKE BATTER PUDDING COOKIES

CAKE BATTER PUDDING COOKIES

• 1 1/2 sticks (or 3/4 cup) butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 3/4 cup yellow cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together.

Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat until well blended.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated.

Mix in sprinkles sprinkles.

Roll into 1" balls and place on greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.

Recipe found HERE

Frozen Bananas

I loved these as a kid!


The recipe provided for this was quite complex.  My version:

Melt some chocolate chips, dip the bananas into the chocolate, put on a tray lined with wax paper and freeze!  Enjoy!!

White Queso

Queso Blanco Dip (White Cheese Dip)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 30 fluid ounces

• 1 1/4 lb block White American Cheese (Land O'Lakes brand preferred), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup diced green chiles
• 2 pickled jalapenos, chopped
• 1 ounce pickled jalapeno juice
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup cold water
• pinch of cumin (optional)

Toss all ingredients into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, stopping to stir after every minute. The mixture might seem watery during the first few stirs, but should come together as a nice runny dip after all the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately as a dip with tortilla chips or as a sauce over your favorite Mexican dish.

*Recipe Note: White American cheese is found at most deli counters in your local grocery store.

*Reheat Instructions: Store any leftover cheese dip in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until creamy and hot.

Source: Pennies on a Platter

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Recipe found HERE

Ingredients

• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 (16.5-ounce) rolls refrigerator chocolate chip cookie dough

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    
2. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until well mixed; set aside.
    
3. Slice cookie dough rolls into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices from one roll on bottom of a greased 9- x 13-inch glass baking dish; press together so there are no holes in dough. Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over dough; top with remaining slices of cookie dough.
    
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden and center is slightly firm.
    
5. Remove from oven, let cool, then refrigerate. Cut into slices when well chilled.

Individual Seven-Layer Dips

Individual Seven-Layer Dips

Makes about 8 individual dips

Recipe found HERE

*Note: All measurements are approximate. Depending on whether you want thicker or thinner layers you will need more or less.
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning

1 cup guacamole or make homemade guacamole

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 cup chunky salsa or pico de gallo; or make homemade pico de gallo

1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 bunch of green onions, sliced

1 (2.25 ounce) can of sliced olives, drained

9 ounce plastic tumblers

tortilla chips

Directions:

In a small bowl mix taco seasoning with refried beans. Some people prefer to mix their taco seasoning with the sour cream layer but I wanted a bright white layer so I did it with the beans.

Here's how the layers are assembled:

Layer 1: beans and taco seasoning

Layer 2: sour cream

Layer 3: guacamole

Layer 4: salsa or pico de gallo

Layer 5: cheese

Layer 6: tomatoes

Layer 7: green onions and olives

In each plastic glass, layer about 2 Tablespoons of the beans, followed by 2 Tablespoons of sour cream, 2 Tablespoons of guacamole, 2 Tablespoons of salsa or pico de gallo, and 2 Tablespoons of cheese. Make sure you drain your salsa or pico to get the excess liquid out before you pour it on. Then top with about 1-2 teaspoons of tomatoes, olives, and green onion.

Garnish with one tortilla chip. Store in the refrigerator until serving and serve with chips. Makes around 8 individual dips.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded {or shredded rotisserie chicken…I used the breasts}

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese {I used colby & monterrey jack}

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta

Optional toppings

Avocado

Green Onions

Black Olives

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Cook chicken, drain, and shred {or shred your rotisserie}.  Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies.  The most time consuming part of this recipe is the time spent chopping the veggies. 

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes. 

Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces.  Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through.  Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil!  Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle.  Gross.  Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

Drain pasta & return to pot.  Pour sauce over pasta and mix well.  Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.

Recipe found HERE

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

 These cookies are best enjoyed slightly warm, either from sitting atop your tea mug or microwaved for a few seconds. My favorite method? My tea mug of course. (I even used a pair of chopsticks this morning to suspend my cookie, since it was smaller than my big mug.) The warmth of the rising steam from the tea makes the caramel melt ever-so-slightly into a gooey center, surrounded by a crispy sweet-tart apple flavored cookie. Now tell me you can resist that!

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Recipe found HERE

recipe very slightly adapted from The Cooking Photographer

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)
• In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
• With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
• Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)
• When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. 
• Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
• Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
• Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.
• Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Fruit Salsa with Baked Cinnamon Chips

found HERE

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 (16 oz) carton of strawberries, diced
2 tablespoons white sugar (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon brown sugar (more or less to taste)
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor (I used strawberry)

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon sugar:
1 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

3.Coat one side of each flour tortilla with melted butter or butter flavored cooking spray. Sprinkle tortillas with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spray again with cooking spray (not necessary if using melted butter). 

4.Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. This salsa can also be serve with cinnamon graham grackers or cinnamon pita chips. Best when made and eaten the same day otherwise the fruit gives off so too much juice and it gets runny.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowls

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 325° F. Grease twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups.

Prepare your favorite Cookie Dough recipe.  Grease muffin pan, or it has been suggested to use cupcake liners to make it easier to get out.  Fill muffin pans 1/2 to 3/4 full. I haven't made these yet, but supposedly the middle will indent.  However, to make bigger bowls, I imagine you can press it up the side or even flip your cupcake pan upside down and form them over the outside of the cups and cook them.  If you try this, you could also try putting a cupcake liner over the outside of the pan before you form the cookie dough to make it easy to get it off.   You may also have to adjust cooking time accordingly.  It probably won't take as long that way.

BAKE for 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack*. Center of cups will indent slightly upon cooling. With tip of butter knife, remove cookie cups from muffin pan.

FILL cookie cups as desired.

Yogurt & Fruit Cookie Cups: Top each with a spoonful of yogurt and cut-up fresh fruit of choice.

Ice Cream Cookie Cups: Top each with a small scoop of Ice Cream (any flavor). Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

* Rocky Road Cookie Cups: Immediately after cookie cups come out of the oven, top with a mixture of  Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, mini marshmallows and chopped nuts. 

This recipe was found HERE

Andes Mint Cookies

This is my go-to cookie whenever I need to bring cookies to something or take cookies to a neighbor. They are AMAZING! (And very rich . . . warning- you WILL need a glass a milk to go with them!)

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't cook any longer than that! You don't want them to be overdone!
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.
These are so yummy when they are warm and gooey!! They are also delicious when they set-up for a little while . . . who am I kidding? They are divine no matter their temperature . . .



Recipe Found HERE

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

Servings: approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened, but still cool

1 cup powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons maraschino cherry “juice”

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped

Granulated sugar, for sprinkling the cookies

36 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and slowly add the powdered sugar and salt.

4. Add the cherry juice and the almond extract until combined.

5. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

6. Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the cherries.

7. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and place the balls on a baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.

8.  Using your thumb, gently press each cookie in its center until the cookie is about 1/2-inch thick.

9.  Sprinkle each cookie with a little granulated sugar.

10.  Bake the cookies until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes.

11. Once removed from the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center.

12.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

 Recipe Found HERE