Cherry Chocolate Chippies

I made these cookies yesterday!! SO YUMMY!!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup Crisco Butter Shortening

OR 3/4 stick Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (6 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup well-drained maraschino cherries, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Combine brown sugar, shortening, vanilla and almond extracts in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well blended.

Add egg; beat well.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda in medium bowl.

Add to shortening mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and cherries.

Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies.

Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

ENJOY!!

Cherry Almond Cake

If your a cherry lover like me you MUST try this yummy cake!! It is wonderful!! It turned out perfect!!

INGREDIENTS:

Crisco Spray

1 (10 oz.) jar maraschino cherries, juice reserved

3/4 cup Crisco Butter Shortening

OR 3/4 cup Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening Sticks

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

3 cups All Purpose Flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

2 tsp almond extract

FROSTING

1 cup powdered sugar

1 TBSP cherry juice, reserved from maraschino cherries

1 TBSP milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan heavily with flour no-stick cooking spray.

Drain maraschino cherries, reserving juice. Measure 1 tablespoon juice for frosting. Measure 1/2 cup juice for cake (add water if necessary to equal 1/2 cup liquid). Reserve 4 whole cherries. Chop remaining cherries into small pieces.

Beat shortening, sugar and eggs with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add chopped cherries, 1/2 cup reserved cherry juice, flour, baking powder, milk and almond extract. Beat at low speed until blended, scraping bowl constantly. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and center springs back when lightly touched. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto serving dish. Cool completely.

FROSTING

Blend powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon reserved cherry juice, milk and almond extract in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. Cut reserved cherries in half. Decorate cake with cherry halves and sliced almonds.

**TIP-If the inside of your pan is black or dark-colored, reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake as directed above.

ENJOY!!

Twice Baked Potatoes

DELICIOUS!! I think that I could eat these EVERYDAY!! These turned out soooo good!! I will be making these ALOT more often!!

Ingredients

4-6 large russet potatoes, about a pound each
Olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 TBSP milk (you may use more or less, use your own judgement depending on texture of potatoes)
2 TBSP butter, softened
Grated cheddar cheese
real bacon bits
Parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub the potatoes clean under running water. Poke each potato in several places with a fork.

Rub the potatoes all over with a little olive oil. Place directly on the middle or top rack of the oven.

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. They should give a little when pressed.

Allow the potatoes to cool to touch. Slice the top third lengthwise off the potato.

Use a spoon to scoop out the insides, forming a potato "canoe", leaving about 1/4 inch of potato on the skin.

Place the scooped out potato insides, sour cream, milk, cream, and butter into a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher.

If you want a creamy texture, beat with an electric beater until desired consistency but do not over-beat potatoes, they can turn glue-y.

Mix in the some shredded cheese and bacon with the potatoes. Reserve some of the extras to sprinkle on the tops of the potatoes. Spoon fillings into the potato shells. Sprinkle the potatoes with cheddar cheese, parsley and bacon.

Heat oven to 350°F. Place potatoes on a roasting pan and bake 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.

ENJOY!!



Taco Casserole

This dish was FABULOUS!!! It was easy to put together and was sooooo good!!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning

1 (15 ounce) can refried beans

2 cups Monterey jack cheese, divided (or mixed cheddar, jack etc.)

1 cup salsa 

medium onion, finely chopped

1 (2 1/3 ounce) can sliced black olives

1 tomato, chopped

2 cups corn chips, coarsely crushed or chopped

Directions:

Brown ground beef and drain.

 

Add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions, adding proper amount of water. 

Put corn chips on bottom of 8x8" dish.

Cook refried beans on stove until hot.

Add 1 cup cheese and 1 cup salsa. Stir until combined.

Pour beans over corn chips in dish.

Add beef to top of beans.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. 

Sprinkle green onions and black olives over cheese.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is sufficiently melted. 

Take out of oven and sprinkle chopped tomatoes on top.

Wait 1-2 minutes and then serve.

ENJOY!!

Home Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Super easy and yummy side dish! A way to spice up your mac and cheese!

Ingredients: 

1 pkg (14 oz.) Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner

1 cup   Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)

6 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/4 cup)

1 TBSP  butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F.

Prepare Dinner as directed on package.

Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese, sour cream and pepper; spoon into greased 1-1/2-qt. casserole. Top with remaining shredded cheese.

Mix cracker crumbs and butter; sprinkle over ingredients in casserole.

Bake 20 min. or until heated through.

ENJOY!!

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

I made this chicken last night and it was wonderful! If you like garlic you will love this chicken!! The pictures do not do it justice. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

5-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.

In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano,
pepper, and salt.

Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture.

Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

ENJOY!!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette dressing

I just threw this together the other night when I had NO IDEA what to cook and to my surprise this turned out really good.  My husband and brother both agreed that it was really good even my 1 year old  loved it! It was so quick and easy.

Ingredients:

1 package of Elbow macaroni 14.5 oz I user Barilla Plus ( I used all but about 1/4 of the box)
1 package of frozen Tyson grilled chicken breasts strips
1/2 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
1 medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook macaroni as directed on package.  Drain.  Do not rinse

Cook chicken in skillet with olive oil until browned. Add Onion. Add garlic and oregano to coat chicken. You may add more or less depending on your taste.  Chop up chicken into bite size pieces.

Add chicken to pasta.  Sprinkle pasta with parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.  Add bottle of sun dried tomato vinaigrette dressing and toss to coat pasta and chicken.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!!

Country Apple Dumplings

Oh my!! These are sooooooo good!! I could not stop eating them!! The picture does not even do it justice! I served them warm right out of the oven with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream! Incredible!!! YOU MUST TRY THIS RECIPE!! :)

Ingredients

2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside.

Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.

Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Pour over the apple dumplings.

Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

**I served ours with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!! YUM!!

ENJOY!!

Crockpot Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I made this Crockpot BBQ today and it was GREAT! I have never made my own BBQ before and this turned out perfect!! I will definitely be doing this one again soon!!

Ingredients

1 pork shoudler roast (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 bottle (14 ounces) barbecue sauce
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 tsp brown sugar
1 medium onion, chopped


Directions

Place roast in crock pot; cover

Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours

Remove roast from crock pot

Discard cooking liquid.

Shred pork with 2 forks and return pork to crock pot. 
Add barbeque sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and onion. 

Cover;cook on low for 2 hours or on high for 1 hour. 

Serve on Hamburger buns or hard rolls.

ENJOY!!

Snowswirl Fudge

I made this fudge to go along with all of the other goodies I made to give away at Christmas.  This fudge turned out really well and was REALLY good! And the best part....you can do it all in the MICROWAVE!

Ingredients

2 cups miniature marshmallows

2 TBSP butter or margarine

2 cups Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Dash of salt

1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

Line a 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil

Place marshmallows and butter in medium microwave-safe bowl; set aside

Place chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt in large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on HIGH (100%) 1 minute; stir. 

 If necessary, microwave on HIGH an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. 

Stir in nuts and spread evenly in prepared pan.

Microwave marshmallows and butter on HIGH 30 seconds; stir.

If necessary, microwave on HIGH an additional 30 seconds or until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.

Immediately spoon onto fudge.  With table knife or metal spatula, swirl through fudge.

Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. 

Remove fudge from pan; peel off foil.

Cut into squares using wet knife. 

Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Tip: Fudge will cut even easier if you refrigerate overnight.

ENJOY!!

Crockpot Chili

In our family, we love CHILI! I wanted to try something different and mix it up a little so I just made up this recipe and put it all together in the crockpot and it turned out WONDERFUL! My husband has always loved my chili before I changed it up a bit and he said that this one was the best!

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cans of chili beans
1 can of Rotel

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 medium onions, chopped

I pkg of Chili seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.


Transfer to a slow cooker.


Add the next eight ingredients.


Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4 hours.


Garnish individual servings with cheese if desired.

ENJOY!!

Baked Mostaccioli

This is another quick and easy dish that is DELICIOUS!! We loved it!

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked mostaccioli

1-1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (28 ounces) Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes ( I used the diced tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano) 

1 can (8 ounces) Hunt’s Tomato Sauce

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1/2 cup water

1 to 1-1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp pepper

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook mostaccioli according to package directions; drain and set aside.


In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink.


Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain.


Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, mushrooms, water, salt, sugar, basil, and pepper. Bring to a boil.


Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 


Stir in mostaccioli. Spoon half into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.


Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; layer with remaining meat mixture.


Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Cover and bake at 350 ° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.


Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. 

This is the first dinner that I made using my new Wolfgang Puck Bistro Elite Collection Pots and Pans I received for Christmas from my dad.  I LOVE this collection and I would HIGHLY recommend them!! Thanks Dad!

Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

I made these YUMMY cupcakes to take to my moms on Christmas Eve.  I made them from scratch and they were delicious! I had never made homemade red velvet cupcakes before but I must say they were excellent!! A must try!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature

2 eggs, room temperature

2 1/3 cups of cake flour

2 TBSP of cocoa powder

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup of buttermilk

1 1/2 TBSP of red food coloring

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of distilled white vinegar

Frosting ingredients

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature

8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

The cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring.

Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.

Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.

Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Frosting

Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

 Add the vanilla extract and mix.

Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness.

Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

ENJOY!!

Cake Balls

Oh my goodness! These were to DIE for! I will definitely have these on my list for my last meal! :) They turned out perfect and were DELICIOUS!! Just use your favorite cake mix and icing to create these yummy cake balls! I made two because I gave these away at Christmastime as well.  I used Chocolate Cake mix with Chocolate fudge icing and Cherry Chip cake with Cherry icing.  The CHERRY was by far my FAVORITE!!  I then covered the Chocolate cake balls in White Chocolate bark and the Cherry Chip cake in Milk Chocolate Bark! DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package of your favorite cake mix

1 (16 ounce) container prepared cake frosting

Chocolate flavored confectioners coating disks or bar (available in white chocolate, dark or milk)

Directions

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box.

When cake is finished baking allow to cool for 30 minutes.

Crumble the cake into a large bowl using a stand mixer or a hand mixer.

Add the frosting and mix until well combined. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.


Line a baking tray with wax paper.

Use a melon baller as a scooper to form balls with the cake mixture. Place on wax paper.

Once you have used all of the cake mixture, place the baking tray in the freezer for 1 hour.

Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl of the microwave, stirring every 5-10 seconds until smooth. 


Remove the balls from the freezer. Using one toothpick, pick up the balls one at a time and dip in the chocolate. Use a second toothpick to slide the ball off the first toothpick onto the wax paper lined baking tray.


NOTE: I found that Wilton sells a candy dipper that reminds me of an old Easter egg dipper and that works great as well. If the balls fall off the toothpick into the chocolate, they are not firm enough to work with and you'll need to place them back in the freezer for additional time

Once you have covered all the balls in chocolate coating place the tray in the refrigerator until the chocolate coating is set. At this point you can drizzle other chocolate on the balls for decoration.

ENJOY!!