Garlic Cheesy Bread

I love it when I can find or come up with a recipe that we normally would have to go out and get. Take these cheese sticks here, there is a well known pizza joint that sells cheese sticks similar, but now I can make a version that we like just as well. If you use my favorite pizza crust you can make it ahead of time and freeze the dough, so its ready when you are!



Garlic Cheesy Bread
Source: Me

1 batch of pizza dough (homemade is better, but you can use store bought if you like)
2 1/2 tbsp of butter
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese blend
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 450°F. If you are cooking on a pizza stone (which I highly recommend) make sure that you heat it in the oven for at least 30 minutes before you bake.

Place the butter in a small skillet or sauce pan and melt on low heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and dried herbs to the mix. Let the butter mixture cook for about 10 minutes or so, the garlic should be very fragrant. While that is cooking, shape your pizza dough. Once the butter mixture is very fragrant, remove the cloves and discard. Spread the butter over the dough and top with the cheeses.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbly and the crust browns.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Muffins

I really enjoyed these muffins. I love cinnamon, especially in the morning (hello, cinnamon rolls!) and these hit the spot! They were easy to put together, although they don't use the normal muffin method, but the creaming method in the recipe. This resulted in a light, fluffy texture, almost like a cake. The only thing I would change is the amounts that they have listed for the cinnamon/sugar topping. It is way too much, I think cutting it back by 1/2 would be just fine.




Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Williams-Sonoma

For the muffins
7 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I didn't have nutmeg so I used cinnamon here)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping
2/3 cup sugar
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
6 TBSP (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted


Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.

To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving. Makes 9 muffins.

Honey Yeast Rolls

This was my first time attempting homemade rolls. The actual recipe was pretty easy, but it takes a long time to actually make the rolls. I guess this comes as no surprise since they do contain yeast, and yeast = time. I really enjoyed these rolls, but next time I will try to make them smaller.

Source: Annie's Eats, originally from A Cookie a Day

2¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115˚ F)
¼ cup honey
3 tbsp. canola oil
1¼ tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups bread flour
Vegetable cooking spray
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. honey


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast and warm water. Add the honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Switch to the dough hook and, with the mixer on low speed, incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Continue kneading on low speed for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch the dough down and divide into 10-12 equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place into a round, lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the rolls are baked through. Let cool slightly before serving.

Pioneer Woman's Potatoes au Gratin

This is the first Pioneer Woman recipe that I've tried. I don't know why I waited so long! I've read her blog many times, and found so many things that look so super yummy, plus she has a knack for writing, which makes it very enjoyable. This recipe was very easy to throw together and tasted great! The garlic cream sauce is excellent. My only complaint would be that the potatoes were a little undercooked. Next time I will par boil the potatoes before baking to make them more tender.

Potatoes au Gratin
Source: Pioneer Woman

4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Heavy Cream
½ cups Whole Milk
2 Tablespoons Flour
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish.

Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.

Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful.

Triple Chocolate Brownies

I had never made brownies from scratch before. I don't know why, or what I was afraid of, because they are very easy. I guess it was just me being lazy, using a box mix instead. Well those days are over! I will definitely be making these again, and probably looking for any excuse to do so! They are rich, chocolaty, fudgy everything that a good brownie should be. I've read on many food blogs about the search for the perfect brownie, well I think I've found mine on the first try! Make these, you will not be sorry!

Triple Chocolate Brownies
Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated

5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1¼ cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth (I put my butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heated in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until everything was melted). Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt; whisk until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture until incorporated. Then stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until just combined. (It took me a while to get the flour evenly incorporated and I was worried it would affect the texture of the brownies, but they turned out fabulously – no need to worry.) Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a spatula to make an even layer. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares as desired. Store in an air-tight container.

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

Oh man, these are some amazing cookies! The texture is so great, very chewy and thick. I wish I knew a little more about food science, so I could know what exactly what it is that makes these cookies so chewy. The addition of honey to the recipe makes it perfectly sweet! I will definitely make this my go to PB cookie recipe. I contemplated putting chocolate chips in these, but I'm glad that I didn't. They are a classic!

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
Source: Annie's Eats, originally from Taste of Home

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 large eggs
Sugar, for rolling the cookies


In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the shortening, butter, peanut butter and honey. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, and roll each dough ball in sugar. Place the dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet, a couple inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Today was a miserable, cold, icy day....and of course my day off this week! I was stuck inside with a clean apartment, so what better to do than bake? :) I hadn't had these cookies in SO long and when I saw them on a blog that I frequent, I knew that I had to make them!

I had made these cookies for Christmas, but we were in such a hurry that day, that I totally spaced taking a picture. So today when I made them again, I remembered to take one. I love this recipe, these cookies are so incredibly easy and quick!

Peanut Butter Blossoms
Source: The Novice Chef, adapted from Hershey Kitchens

48 hershey kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
granulated sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges.

Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Enchiladas

I saw this recipe on The Novice Chef and thought it looked awesome...and they were! My main complaint with homemade enchiladas is that they get too dry. This is not the case here since you coat the tortillas in sauce and then add more sauce to the tops. I did make some changes though, and since my husband is a picky eater, I make two separate batches of filling for the two of us. I will list the recipe as I make it and with everything in it. I make these at least once a month, maybe twice if Jeremy has a say!




Enchiladas

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium red onion chopped
1 bell pepper finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 15oz can of Old El Paso Enchilada sauce
8-10 8 inch tortillas
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet heat the vegetable oil and then cook the onion and bell pepper for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Next, add the meat to the pan and brown. If the meat is too greasy then drain and return to the pan.

Pour 1/2 of the can of sauce onto a plate. Dip each tortilla into the sauce and coat on both sides. Spoon 1/4 cup of the meat mixture onto each tortilla and add cheese and then roll the tortilla around the filling. Place in an ungreased baking dish. Repeat until you've used all of the filling.

Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and then top with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese and sauce is bubbly.

Breakfast Casserole

I was looking for something easy to make for dinner tonight. I knew that I had eggs, cheese, and sausage at home, but the regular scrambled eggs and sausage didn't sound that great to me. I then thought that I could make a breakfast casserole. I didn't use a certain recipe, just what I knew about the ingredients to make this. It turned out pretty good although next time I will use more salt and pepper and cheese.



Ingredients

1 1/2 -2 cups of shredded potatoes (hashbrowns)
6 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 lb sausage
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350°. Spray your 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with a non stick spray. Add the potatoes in the bottom. Cook your sausage and drain then add to the top of your potatoes. In a small bowl beat your eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and half of the cheese. Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!

Easy Asian Porkchops

I got a new slow cooker for Christmas! It has a retractable cord, lock in lid, digital display and non stick interior! Here it is:



I was pretty excited to try it out, so I've been looking for slow cooker recipes here lately. My parents had given Jeremy and I some pork loins and chops, so I figured I would look for a recipe to use up some of those. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and thought that I'd give it a try. I made a few changes to the original recipe and I will list the modified recipe that I used. I LOVED this pork. It was so tender, it almost melted in your mouth! The sauce is a little sweet, but definitely savory too. This will definitely be put into our regular rotation and since its a slow cooker recipe it is soooo easy!




Easy Asian Porkchops

Ingredients
4 boneless pork chops (I put mine in frozen)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup honey
pepper to taste


Add your chops to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to a bowl and wisk together. Pour the ketchup mixture over the chops and cook on low for 5-6 hours, until the pork is falling apart. Tear the chops apart with two forks into large chunks. Serve pork and sauce over rice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

It's been awhile since my last post, sorry everyone! For those of you who are still reading, I hope you enjoy this new recipe, I know we did! I've tried to find recipes for dinners that we would normally go out and pay for, so that we can save some money and make them at home. This recipe seemed to be a bit of a pain, since you have to turn the chicken every 15 minutes, but it really wasn't that bad. We followed the recommendations on the original post and made extra sauce to put over the rice too, but to tell the truth I thought that we had enough left over from the baking, that i wasn't really needed. We will definitely be making this again!




Sweet and Sour chicken
Source: My Kitchen Cafe


Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

Baked Ziti

Garlic. Tomato Sauce. Pasta. Crusty bread. Italian food rocks! Its probably my favorite type of food, which in a way kind of stinks since Jeremy doesn't care for tomatoes or tomato sauce (but he loves ketchup..go figure!). He will amuse me every once in awhile though and eat spaghetti or lasagna. When I asked him if he thought he would like this baked ziti from Cook like a Champion and he said, "Sure, go ahead and make it!" I was thrilled! I think the only reason why is because its full of cheese too, which he loves. Anyway, this ziti is awesome! Its so super simple, but full of flavor. We served it with garlic Texas toast for a very filling meal!



Original Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces ziti rigate (ridged) or other short pasta
1 cup part-skim ricotta
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1 jar (24 to 26 ounces) best-quality tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

*note: I also add about 1-2 tsp of dried parsley to the cheese/egg mixture*

Preheat oven to 450°.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain and reserve. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and half the mozzarella; season with salt and pepper. In the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole dish, spread half the tomato sauce. Top with ziti, then ricotta mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and remaining mozzarella. Place casserole on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

It's beginning to feel a lot like fall!

Last weekend was pretty chilly here and it got me into a fall mood. I love the fall, it most definitely my favorite season. Not only is the air cooler and crisp, but fall brings football (woohoo!!), bonfires, the smell of burning leaves, the smells of apple pie, and pumpkin! I had seen a recipe back at the beginning of summer on Cook like a Champion for a pumpkin bread and now I really wanted to try it! I was kind of curious about the use of pumpkin and chocolate together. I had never had that combination before. It works wonderfully together! This bread is so incredibly moist and not too bad for you either, since it's orginally from Cooking Light. It's a win, win!

**NOTE**I made this bread again, but I didn't have chocolate chips or pure canned pumpkin. I used Libby's pumpkin pie mix in place of the pure pumpkin and left out the chocolate...it was awesome as well!!



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding (or fat-free vanilla yogurt)
4 large egg whites (or 2 eggs)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (you could also use walnuts or pecans)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips and Mac & Cheese

Let me first start off by saying that I love the Food Network! One of my favorite shows is called Good Eats. Alton Brown is the host of the show and a genius if you ask me! His shows are full of great recipes, but he also tells you the science behind why you do things a certain way to make your recipe work.



Yes, I guess you could say that I'm a food geek! Anyway, back to my post. I found this recipe by Alton Brown for homemade mac & cheese awhile back. Ive made it many, many times and never been disappointed. I do, however, make some changes. I will post his original recipe, but put my changes in parentheses ().

Source:Food Network

Ingredients

1/2 pound of elbow macaroni
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp powdered mustard
3 cups of milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced (I leave this out, since Jeremy doesnt like onions)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, grated (I use a bit less than 1/2 pound of velveeta in the actual dish, I like the way it melts better. I use shredded cheddar on the top instead of the bread crumbs)
1 tsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

topping
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup of panko break crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes to make the sauce thicker and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.



To go along with this fabulous mac & cheese, I need an equally fabulous main dish. I searched through some food blogs and found this recipe by Bridget from The Way the Cookie Crumbles. Who doesnt love chicken strips, especially with mac & cheese? I loved the way that these are baked, not friend, but they still have that crunch to them when you bite in! The brine really does give a lot of flavor to the actual chicken.

1/4 cup table salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips (I used chicken breast tenderloins)
1/4 cup flour
6 Tbsp (1/2 stick butter), melted
2 cups finely crushed corn flakes cereal

Dissolve the salt in 1 quart cold water. Add the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove the cutlets from the brine and pat dry.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400F. Place an oven-safe baking rack in a baking sheet.

Place the flour and butter in separate small bowls. Add the crushed cereal to a medium-sized bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the flour, then the butter, then the cereal. Place the coated chicken strips on the baking rack in the baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Serve.

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Who doesn't love the peanut butter/chocolate combo? I know I do! I didn't have any dark chocolate, so I used semi-sweet for the icing too, but I think they turned out great! *Note: I didn't have an 8x8 pan, so I used one slightly bigger, therefore my bars were as thick, but still delicious!*



Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

For the crispy crust:
1 ¾ cups crisped rice cereal
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
3 tbsp. butter, melted

For the chocolate peanut butter layer:
5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the chocolate icing:
3 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ tsp. light corn syrup
4 tbsp. butter


Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and use it to rub the bottom and sides of an 8×8” square baking pan.

To make the crispy crust, pour the cereal into a large bowl and set aside. Pour the water into a small saucepan. Gently add the sugar and the corn syrup (do not let any sugar or corn syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined. Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235° F.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal. Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, then pour it into the prepared pan. Using your hands or a silicone spatula, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides). Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.

To make the chocolate peanut butter layer, in a glass bowl set over a pot of boiling water, combine the chocolate and peanut butter. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.

To make the chocolate icing, in a glass bowl set over boiling water, combine the chocolate, corn syrup and butter. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled chocolate peanut butter layer and spread carefully into an even layer. Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the topping hardens.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

Im always looking for new recipes for chicken. Its such a versatile protein, but can get old quickly with no new ways to cook it. I saw this recipe on The Novice Chef and thought it looked delicious! I was very intrigued about the use of garlic and brown sugar together. I told my husband about the recipe and he kinda of turned up his nose (hes a VERY picky eater). I tried it anyway, cutting back on some of the brown sugar, and he LOVED it! This will definitely be made again! **Note: I used a non-stick skillet and this made for very easy clean up, since some of the sugar does get into the pan**



Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless chicken tender cut breast meat
Salt (I used kosher)
Fresh Ground Pepper
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar ( I used about 4 TBSP)

Melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has completely melted and has started to bubble add your garlic. Allow the garlic to start to cook and become fragrant and then add your chicken tenders and season with the salt and pepper liberally. Cook thoroughly, internal temp should be around 160°, then add your brown sugar on the tops of each piece of meat. Let the brown sugar melt onto each piece, about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Pizza Crust

I usually make a homemade pizza every other Wednesday on my day off, but I usually just buy a pre-packaged pizza crust mix, add my hot water and be done with it. I found this recipe while reading through food blogs and it looked so good that I had to try it myself. Im trying to cook a little more adventurously, and since Ive never actually made a dough from scratch or used yeast before, I saw this as a challenge. I was worried, however, because most dough recipes I see all call for a stand mixer. I do not have one (although I want one SOOOO BADLY!) and thought that I would have to knead by hand. Not this time! This recipe has a stand mixer version, a by hand version, and a food processor version. So I dusted off my food processor (I think Ive used it like 3 times!) and got to work. This recipe is VERY easy and yeilds a deliciously crunchy exterior while still keeping the inside soft and chewy. I will never buy another pre-packaged pizza crust mix again!




Pizza Dough
Source: Brown Eyed Baker, orginally from Baking Illustrated, pages 153-155

Makes enough for 3 medium pizzas or 2 large pizzas.

We find the food processor is the best tool for making pizza dough. However, only a food processor with a capacity of at least 11 cups can handle this much dough. You can also knead this dough by hand or in a standing mixer (see the variations that follow). Unbleached all-purpose flour can be used in a pinch, but the resulting crust will be less crisp. If you want to make pizza dough in the morning and let it rise on the counter all day, decrease the yeast to 1/2 teaspoon and let the covered dough rise at cool room temperature (about 68 degrees) until doubled in size, about 8 hours. You can prolong the rising time even further by refrigerating the covered dough for up to 16 hours and then letting it rise on the counter until doubled in size, which will take 6 to 8 hours.

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting work surface and hands
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for oiling the bowl

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Process the flour and salt in a large food processor, pulsing to combine. Continue pulsing while pouring the liquid ingredients (holding back a few tablespoons) through the feed tube. If the dough does not readily form into a ball, add the remaining liquid and continue to pulse until a ball forms. Process until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 30 seconds longer.

3. The dough will be a bit tacky, so use a rubber spatula to turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by h and for a few strokes to form a smooth, round ball. Put the dough into a deep oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.

Pizza Dough Kneaded by Hand
Follow the recipe for Pizza Dough through step 1. Omit step 2 and instead combine the salt and half the flour in a deep bowl. Add the liquid ingredients and use a wooden spoon to combine. Add the remaining flour, stirring until a cohesive mass forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic 7 to 8 minutes, using as little dusting flour as possible while kneading. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proceed with the recipe.

Pizza Dough Kneaded in a Standing Mixer
Follow the recipe for Pizza Dough through step 1. Omit step 2 and instead place the flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and proceed with the recipe.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice

My Mom always made delicious meals for us on a budget. This is one of her meals that I loved growing up. Its a complete meal that you can serve to entertain, even when you're watching your pennies! Enjoy!



Cheesy Chicken & Rice

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 TBSP olive oil
2 cans of Campbells broccoli cheddar soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 bag of frozen broccoli
instant rice
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat your olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Cube your chicken breasts and add to the hot oil, seasoning with the salt and pepper liberally. Cook the chicken until no longer pink in the middle, about 7-10 minutes. Drain off any excess oil from the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Add the soup and milk to the skillet of cooked chicken, stir to combine. Bring your soup mixture up to a simmer. Prepare your instant rice according to package directions, cover and set aside. Punch a few fork holes into your bag of frozen broccoli and heat on high setting in your microwave for 4 minutes. Once the broccoli is done, add to your skillet of chicken and combine to cover with the sauce. Serve over the prepared rice.

The way the cookie crumbles

I love sweets. I love chocolate. What better way to satisfy these cravings than with chocolate chip cookies? I used to always just make the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag, and I was OK with the cookies. After looking through many food blogs, I came across cookie recipes that promised big, soft, chewy cookies, and I knew I had to try them. The result was exactly as promised! I never really knew that homemade cookies could be so awesome!



Walnut Chocolate Chips Cookies
Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325° F (165° C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper or silicone mat.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a pan on low heat, toast 1 cup chopped walnuts. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: about 16 cookies

Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Cheesecake Cups

I looooove cheesecake. So when I saw this recipe, I knew that it was a must make. I halved this original recipe from recipezaar, added a graham cracker crust instead of using cookies, and added sour cream for a bit of tang. These little cups are such a great size (so you don't eat the whole cake!) and are creamy and rich.




Cheesecake Cups
Source: adapted from Recipezaar

The Crust:

3 graham crackers
2 Tbsp butter, melted

The Filling:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 Tbsp sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your muffin tin with 12 paper cups. Take your graham crackers and add to a zip top bag. Close the bag and finely crush the crackers. Add the crushed crackers to your bowl with your melted butter and stir to combine. Divide the crackers into each of the 12 paper cups and gently press down into the bottom of the cup. Bake the crusts for 5 mins and then remove and let cool. While the crusts are in the oven, combine the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Add in the egg and mix until it is all incorporated. Spoon your filling into each cup (and spread down if needed) making sure to divide it evenly between the 12 crusts. Bake for 15 minutes or until the center is almost set. Cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.