Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies for Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!! These cookies are amazing! They are delicious on a cold winter night with a nice cup of Hot Chocolate! The melted Andes mints on top of the cookie give the perfect minty Christmas taste. All you need is a Devil's Food Cake Mix and Andes Mints. These cookies are very easy...and that really appeals to me right now. We are having a great holiday season filled with family, parties, snow and of course... yummy food!!! We are planning a fancy Christmas dinner with my family that will be so festive and delicious. I will save pictures to post for next year to blog about. Maybe I will have things in order by then! Until then, give these cookies a try. I will be making another batch this weekend for a Christmas party for my church. These are great to involve the kids by letting them open the Andes Mint candies and placing them on the cookies.

Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies

From: www.sugardoodle.net

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Oil

1 Andes Mint Per Cookie (36 pieces)

Makes 3 Dozen Cookies

Combine cake mix, eggs and oil until combined. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly pat each cookie with the back of a spoon to get the air out. Place one Andes mint on each cookie and return to the oven for 1 more minute. Remove from oven and use spatula to gently move the mint around on each cookie until completely smeared over the top of the cookie. Cool completely.

These make great neighbor's gifts, whether you bake them up, or just give them a box of mints with the recipe. These are delicious cookies and perfect for Christmas goodies.

Warm & Yummy Christmas Wishes To You All!!!

from, your friends at My Sisters' Cucina

Gingerbread Cheesecake Dessert

Here's a recipe to sort of kick off the holidays! At this time of year, I love gingerbread! I was so excited when I found a Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix at the grocery store. I had every intention of using it to make gingerbread cookies with my kids, but I found this recipe on the back and just had to try it out. It was absolutely delicious. My six year old had 2 1/2 servings of it and still wanted more. It was easy to make and ended up being a big hit. You could use any recipe you have for gingerbread cookies or pick up one of these cookies mixes at your grocery store.

Gingerbread Cheesecake Dessert
1 pouch Betty Crocker gingerbread cookie mix
butter, water and egg called for on cookie mix pouch
1 can (14 oz) sweetened & condensed milk
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Make cookie dough as directed. Shape dough into 5 (1 inch) balls. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Press remaing dough into greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake 8-10 minutes. Mix sweetened & condensed milk, cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cooled cookie base. Crumble 5 baked cookies and sprinkle on top. Cover & refrigerate about 1 hour. (I did have to bake my cookies and cookie base for longer than it called for).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Hope you are all having a fun October! Here is a picture of the Jack-O-Lantern's we carved this week. My kids are so excited to go Trick or Treating. My boys are dressing up as little cowboys. They are the cutest little cowboys I've ever seen! I will be dressing up as Dolly Parton, my husband is a Gold Miner and our little girl is his Gold Nugget. We went with a Western theme this year. We are all excited for Halloween. Our food menu for the day will be Pumpkin Pancakes for breakfast, Mummy Dogs and Apple Peanut Butter monster mouths for lunch, and Chili and Cornbread for dinner. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and we have been celebrating all month between our sicknesses. Yes, we were victims of the Swine Flu! We had it... it was an awful week... but now we are done with it! Here is a great last minute Halloween treat idea. It is so simple. They are super kid friendly...especially with the sucker stick.


All you have to do is make Rice Krispie treats by following the recipe on the box. Spread into a buttered cookie sheet. To make spreading a lot easier use a fork and dip your fork in cold water as you spread. Sprinkle with Halloween colored sprinkles. Let them cool completely before cutting out with your favorite Halloween cookie cutters. Add mini chocolate chips for eyes if desired. Stick your sucker stick in and you've got a treat! You can wrap them up as party favors, class treats, or just to throw into your kids' lunch box. I don't know a kid who doesn't like rice krispie treats. They are always a big hit!

Enjoy, and have a happy and safe Halloween! We carved this pumpkin today with a stencil I found online. My kids were just tickled to have a Mickey pumpkin. Tomorrow I am going to make some Haunted Gingerbread Houses. I will just use Graham Crackers, chocolate and orange frosting and Halloween candies. If they turnout, I will post them next year.

HAVE A SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN!

Melt in your mouth muffins & Halloween Muddy Buddies

These muffins are my all time favorite! My little boy could hardly wait to get his hands on these. My mom used to make them regularly when I was growing up. I remember we gave this mix out for Christmas one year. We spent hours together as a family making the mix and delivering it to our neighbors. They are so yummy and yes, they do melt in your mouth! This recipe come from a book called: Make-a-Mix Cookery. It is filled with master mixes that you can put together and have ready to pull out for almost anything. Here's the one for this recipe.

Master Mix
8 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup baking powder
1 Tbsp salt

Mix all ingredients and store in a large airtight container. Us within 10-12 weeks. It's so nice to have this sitting in my cupboard.

Melt in your Mouth Muffins
2 1/3 cups muffin mix (master mix - recipe above)
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp oil

Combine all ingredients. Stuir until mix is just moistened; batter should be lumpy. Fill greased muffin pan 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Makes 12 muffins.

Melt 1 cube butter. Make a mixture of cinnamon & sugar. Roll muffins in butter and then cinnamon/sugar mixture. Enjoy!

I know that just about everyone LOVES muddy buddies. This is a favorite at my house. We decided to spice up our muddy buddies with candy corn and halloween M&M's. They were a hit. I thought this would make a cute gift for a teacher or friend. I used the recipe found right on the Rice Chex Cereal box. I then added the M&M's & candy corn. I posted this recipe last year at Christmas time with Christmas M&M's. You can search under Christmas for that recipe.

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!

AMAZING Cornbread

Yes, I am still alive! I haven't posted for forever, and I am sorry. I think that we are all at different times and seasons of our lives, and I am in a busy one!!! I do have good intentions for posting, because I take pictures of my food all the time. I just can't hit the next step of actually posting it. Maybe next year! For now, I am just going to do what I can. I am posting this yummy cornbread recipe because it has been so highly requested. I got it from the talented Melanie at http://www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/ . She has got an amazing blog and this cornbread is triple amazing! You will want to throw away all of those packaged cornbread mixes. This cornbread will blow you away. I served it at our annual family Halloween party over the weekend and got many compliments. So thank you to Melanie for sharing this recipe. It is moist, sweet, and delicious! You do not want to miss out on this cornbread. I had to make it again yesterday so that we could have some leftovers. LOVE IT!!!

Cornbread
From: Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe

½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny - don't be alarmed!). Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

***I like to drizzle honey all over the cornbread after baking. You know this is a good cornbread, because the honey seeps right into the bread and doesn't just drizzle off the sides like the packaged cornbread mixes.

I like to make my dry ingredients and store in a ziploc so that I have it on hand and all ready to just add my wet ingredients.

Heavenly Peach Dessert

This peach dessert is to die for. It is so yummy! I found the recipe on the Cooking Divas site. I just moved into the neighborhood that does this blog. I'm not sure if I've met the person whose recipe this is, but I can't wait to thank her for it. I want to run out and get more peaches just so I can make it again. It is delicious. A definite must try. Here's the link to it: http://thecookingdivaideas.blogspot.com/2009/09/shannons-famous-fresh-peach-dessert.html

I did double the crust and saved some to sprinkle on top. Other than that, I followed the recipe. My family gobbled this up. I'm glad that I have just a little bit waiting for me in the refrigerator. Can't wait for my alone time tonight when the kids are in bed.

FYI

Me & a friend are selling these fun corn stalks! I will have more information to come, but if any of you live in the Layton, Bountiful or Salt Lake areas and are interested, leave me a comment and I will keep you posted as to when we will be selling them.

Super easy crowd pleaser...bruschetta

If any of you are like me, you have tomatoes coming out your ears right now. This is one dish that has been a huge hit at my house. I first had Bruschetta while serving a mission in Italy. Aside from the gelato and pizza it was my most favorite dish. When I got home from my mission I made it for almost every get together. It was always one of the first things to disappear from the plate. It is still one of my favorite things and I always order it when I have the chance at my favorite Italian restaraunts. So, with some of your extra tomatoes, try this out.

Bruschetta
6-8 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Fresh Basil, washed and finely chopped
Ciabatta bread
Olive oil
salt, to taste

Slice bread into 3/4 inch slices. Brush with olive oil and broil on high until lightly toasted. Meanwhile, place chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and a little olive oil in a bowl. Top toasted bread with tomatoes. Buon Apettito!

Hopefully I am back to blogging. I am finally feeling better and we're getting settled in our new house. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things very soon. Hopefully we'll have some great ideas for fall and halloween coming up soon.

Bowtie Grilled Chicken Spinich Salad to Feed Your Next Crowd

This here is a favorite! For some reason this is what we always make for bridal showers and baby showers, but rarely for our weeknight dinner. It is so popular, and so many people have asked for the recipe, so here we are posting it to the blog in hopes that we can get more people to our blog when we say...

"you can get the recipe at www.mysisterscucina.blogspot.com!"

So now you can do the same when you whip this up for your next shower, party, dinner, whatever ... lead them to our blog! This salad is so versatile. You can mix and match this with whatever you want. However you dress it, it is delicious! The chicken is so tender and juicy when you marinate it the night before. The noodles are also marinated in a special sauce that makes them so flavorful. The only problem is that you HAVE to have GrillMates Teriyaki Sauce for this. I have had trouble finding it, but I know you can always get it at Target. This recipe takes planning. You want to cook the noodles the night before and have it marinating in the dressing over night. You also need to marinate your chicken over night. It is well worth it! this recipe will feed about 24 people as the main dish served with other sides.

Bowtie Grilled Chicken Spinich Salad

6-7 Chicken Breasts marinated in Italian Dressing the night before & grilled and cut into 1-inch pieces a few hours before serving.

3-4 boxes or bags of bowtie pasta cooked & marinated in the following dressing the night before

Dressing:

1 cup oil

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup GrillMates Teriyaki Sauce

6 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients in blender and combine with pasta in an air-tight container and refridgerate over night.

Mix-In:

2 bags baby spinich leaves

red or green onions

craisins

mandarin oranges

sliced mushrooms

slivered almonds

cherry or grape tomatoes

Directions:

When assembling the salad, always add the spinich at the end, and only make the amount needed as to keep the spinich from going limp. You want to have the same amount of spinich to noodles. Add grilled chicken as needed. Add your mix-ins to your liking and serve!

***My very favorite combo is mandarin oranges, craisins and slivered almonds. Experiment and see what you like! I love the spinich mixed with the noodles. It really is delicious! Enjoy!!!

Best Ever... Baked Oatmeal

We are back!!! Sorry for the month long break we took from blogging. I had a healthy, beautiful baby girl in mid July, and my sister is back on her feet after another awful first trimester of pregnancy for #4. Hopefully we will get back on schedule with the blogging. I have been taking pictures...just not posting. Life is getting back to normal...at least I hope we are heading that way.

This recipe is absolutely delish! I am already deciding when I am going to make it this week. We love it so much. I make the whole batch and store the rest in the fridge for our breakfast for 2 more days. I even eat it for a mid-morning, or mid-afternoon snack. I'm hooked! It is amazing with fresh cut strawberries and milk. I can't wait to try other fruits on top. I bet it will be fantastic with peaches on top. I found this recipe at www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com . I have loved this blog. She has got awesome pictures, and wonderful recipes. She got this recipe from a friend. I just can't get enough of this breakfast. We call it our Breakfast cake. It seems to make my kids excited to eat it. They love it! I don't think I will buy Instant Oatmeal ever again. It just will never compare to this tasty baked oatmeal.

Baked Oatmeal

From: My Kitchen Cafe

6 cups oatmeal (you can use quick or rolled - quick gives it a smoother texture)

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup oil

2 cups milk

4 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9X13-inch baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm with milk and fruit... or not.

I have halved the recipe and it works great, but I do suggest making the whole pan...it is great for days!

Enjoy!

Picky Palate's Quick Weeknight Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

We have an over abundance of lettuce in our garden right now, so we try and have a salad either for the main course or side at just about every meal. This meal was definitely a winner! I don't usually cook with Ground Turkey, so this was new for our family. Because of all the lettuce we have I have been racking my brain for recipes to try. I remembered these lettuce wraps I had seen on Picky Palate's site and was excited to try them. Jenny is a very talented cook. She always amazes me with her inventions. Check out her site at www.picky-palate.com . These are delicious! If you have ever had lettuce wraps, you eat like ten of them before you are full. They are a great way to use lettuce. We have romaine lettuce, which worked out great. The meat mixture is a little spicy, crunchy, and so good. Try it out...they won't dissapoint you! My boys devoured them. I will be back with another lettuce wrap recipe soon...that is if I don't have my baby!

Quick Weeknight Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
From: Jenny at Picky Palate

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Cup finely chopped onion
1 lb ground turkey breast
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 12 oz bag of Broccoli Slaw
1 small can drained water chestnuts
½ Cup Yoshida’s Teriyaki Sauce (I used Kikkomen)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Approximately 15 Butter Lettuce leaves (you can also use iceberg lettuce leaves)

1. Place oil into a large 5 qt skillet or other large pan over medium heat. When hot, add onion and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add ground turkey, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Brown and crumble until cooked through.
2. When turkey is cooked, stir in broccoli slaw, water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and sesame oil. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Reduce heat to low until ready to serve. Serve spoonfuls inside lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

Triple-Layer Banana Cream Pie Bars

We have a favorite ice cream place that makes the best Banana Cream Pie Shakes. We love a good shake, and I love the Banana Cream Pie shake because it is light and honestly...I can eat it all and not feel so bad as opposed to the Hot Fudge shake, with extra hot fudge. Anyhow this post is not a Banana Cream Pie shake, but Banana Cream Pie Bars that taste so close to the yummy shake that I love. It is so tasty, light, and delicious for a summer dessert! It is definitely a favorite at our house. I found this recipe in another Kraft Food & Family Magazine.

***Sorry for the lack of posting. I am 3 weeks away from having a baby, and have this huge desire to clean, organize, remodel, and do the things that would have been a lot easier 1 year ago when I didn't have a basketball in my tummy and could move a lot quicker without so much pain. My sister on the other hand is now pregnant, and sicker than ever. She doesn't even want to think about food, let alone look at our blog. We will do our best to keep up on the posts... in the meantime hang in there with us...please!!!

Triple-Layer Banana Cream Pie Bars
Kraft Food & Family - Jeff DeLong

1 1/2 cups crushed Nilla Wafers (about 60 wafers)
1/2 cup Planters Chopped Pecans
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 bananas, sliced
3 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
2 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix wafer crumbs, pecans and butter in 13X9-inch baking dish; press firmly onto bottom of dish. Bake 8 min. Cool 10 min.

Top crust with banana slices. Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Spoon 2 cups of the pudding over banana layer.

Gently stir 1 cup of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spoon over pie. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups whipped topping. Refrigerate 3 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Quick Chicken Fettucinne Cacciatore & Speedy Summer Fruit Salad

This Pasta dish is one of my family's favorites. It is packed with veggies, chicken marinated in Italian dressing, tossed with fettucinne noodles, and seasoned with fresh basil & cheese! It has the perfect zing, and is great for a quick summer dish. I found this recipe in the Kraft Food & Family magazine years ago, and have been making it for my family ever since. The breadsticks on the side will have to be posted another day...but I will tell you that they were delicious!

Quicke Fettucinne Cacciatore

1/2 lb. fettuccine, uncooked
2 tsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup each: green pepper strips and sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Italian* Mozzarella-Parmesan Cheese Blend
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil


COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink. Add peppers and mushrooms; cook 3 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes and dressing; simmer on medium-low heat 5 min. or until chicken is done.
DRAIN pasta. Toss with chicken mixture; sprinkle with cheese and basil.

***I like to marinate my Chicken with about 1/2 cup Italian Dressing prior to cooking the chicken. It adds a bit more flavor to the cooked chicken.

We have been enjoying strawberries for a good month now, and I found a way to whip up a fast fruit salad with whatever fruit you have on hand. We eat a lot of fruit, and probably serve it at every meal so this was perfect for us. At the end of the day I usually have a half eaten banana and an apple with a few bites in it that need to be used. I cut them up and combine them with whatever berries I have. My boys also love yogurt, and would eat it all day if I let them. This is a perfect combo, and it took just minutes to have a fabulous, healthy fruit salad.

Speedy Summer Fruit Salad

1/2 cup each of bite size fruit (strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries with bananas, & apples)
Vanilla Yogurt

Combine fruit and enough yogurt to coat the fruit & serve!

***I make just enough for the family to eat at that meal. That way the bananas won't go brown. We always eat it all up! You could try different flavors of yogurt. Strawberry or Lemon would be wonderful!

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

These little beauties are absolutely delicious. They are light and moist with a sweet lemony taste that just melts in your mouth. They are made with a white cake mix and a few more additions that make these little cakes just luscious! I got this recipe from Kraft Food & Family magazine. It was on the cover of their spring magazine last year, and we have made them several times since then. They really are divine! The cream cheese frosting is so tasty, and I love to lick out the bowl. I have even put extra frosting between graham crackers and it was amazing! These are always a hit. For this particular occasion we took some to a neighbor who was kind enough to give us eggs so that we could make them. We assured them that they would be rewarded for their kindness. I also gave a few to my friend who was about to have her baby for a little pregnant sweet treat, and she loved them. They are so soft and fluffy. The frosting just tops it off, and the more frosting the merrier! We load it on. These cupcakes are perfect for spring but are fabulous served anytime, and anywhere!

Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Kraft Food & Family

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

1 cup water

4 egg whites

2 Tbsp. oil

1 pkg. powdered sugar (16 oz.)

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, egg whites and oil in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.

Bake 21-24 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, beat sugar, cream cheese, butter and juice with electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Frost cupcakes.

Jazz it up: Stir 1 tsp. grated lemon peel into frosting mixture. Garnish with additional grated lemon peel. ( I always jazz them up with the lemon peel. I use a real lemon for the juice, and use the peel for the frosting. It gives it a much more zippy taste from the real lemon.)

*** I like to make my cupcakes in the aluminum foil cupcake liners. That way I can cook them all at the same time on a cookie sheet and I don't have to use my cupcake pans. If you haven't used these before they are fabulous, as long as you don't put too much batter in them... then they become a little distorted.

Enjoy!!!

Chipotle-Honey Pork & Strawberry Delight

Alright, I haven't posted in a LONG time. Thanks to my great sister for keeping up on this blog. She's truly a lifesaver. This recipe came from another one of those books I found while standing in line at the grocery store. It was absolutely amazing! I'm making it again this weekend. I cooked it for the exact time called for and it turned out perfect. The sauce added just the right spice to it.

Chipotle-Honey Pork
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (from 7 oz can), drained, finely chopped
1 tsp adobo sauce (from can of chiles, these are the cheapest at Walmart)
2 pork tenderloins (3/4 lb each, I got mine at Costco)
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Cooking spray

Heat grill. In saucepan, mix honey, lime juice, chiles & adobo sauce. Sprinkle pork tenderloins with salt & pepper; lightly spray with cooking spray. Place pork on grill over medium heat; cover grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally & brushing with honey mixture during last 10 minutes of cooking time, until pork has slight blush of pink in center. Heat any remaining honey mixture to rolling boil; boil 1 minute. Cup pork into slices; serve with honey mixture.

I don't know what else to call this except for Strawberry Delight. Years ago we were at my grandparents house and this is what they served us for dessert. I couldn't imagine dipping strawberries in sour cream. It was so good and I can remember that we just couldn't stop eating them. I had forgotten about this until my sister brought it to Arches last month. Again, we couldn't stop eating it. It's so yummy and I hope that you'll all give it a try.

Strawberry Delight

Strawberries

Sour Cream

Brown Sugar

Dip strawberries in sour cream and then in brown sugar. Enjoy!

Carmelized Salmon with Mango Salsa & Cilantro Rice

My husband and I have a favorite restaurant called the Copper Mill. Years ago we went out to eat on a saturday night and they featured a special called Caramelized Salmon with Mango Salsa. I ordered it, loved it, and we have never been able to order it there since. Shortly after I searched for a recipe, but over the years I had forgotten about that yummy meal...except for when we ate at the Coppermill restaurant and I would search for that dish on their menu. My wonderful husband surprised me for Mother's day with this for lunch. He made it all by himself. It was amazing!!! He really is a good cook, and he could easily take over the cooking at our house. He found the recipe on BellaOnline's Quick cooking Site from Karen Hancock. It can be done in 30 minutes... however, for our first time making it, it took us a little bit longer.This caramelized salmon is so tasty! The caramelizing around the salmon is sweet, a little crunchy around the edges, and so tender. The mango salsa gives the salmon a perfect zing! It's a little spicy, but sweet from the mango. The cilantro rice tops it off. I love eating rice on the side of salmon. This meal was absolutely delicious! We served it with a yummy smoothie. If you love salmon you have got to try this recipe. You will love it!!!

Go here for the recipe for 30 Minute Caramelized Salmon Dinner:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art60794.asp

Enjoy!!!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

This cheesecake is amazing!!! It is so delicious, and different. It has a crispy, sweet and chewy crust on the top and bottom, and an amazing creamy, cream cheese filling. My husband and I absolutely loved this, and gobbled it up. I did share it with my friend, and she fell in love with it too. I think it is restaurant worthy! The fresh cut strawberries added a perfect spring taste. I found this recipe on Real Mom Kitchen. I love Laura's blog, and check it daily. I can always find a great recipe on her blog. Check out her blog at www.realmomkitchen.blogspot.com .

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent rolls
2-8oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 stick butter (1/2 cup real butter not margarine)

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Unroll and press 1 can crescent rolls into the bottom of your baking dish press the seams together. In a separate bowl blend the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Spread over top of dough. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and place on top of the cream cheese mixture pressing seams together again. Melt butter and pour over top layer of crescents. Mix the reaming 1/2 cup of sugar & cinnamon together. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture generously over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly and bottom crust is slightly brown. Cool, slice and enjoy!

Oven Ranch Chicken

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted. Thanks to my sister for covering for me. Life just seems to be getting busier all the time. Our family went camping in Arches National Park this last weekend. We had a wonderful time. We had some good meals too! Next time we go camping we'll remember to take pictures of our food. My boys were great explorers. Our big hike was to Delicate Arch. It was tough, but they all made it. It was a beautiful sight that I don't think I'll ever get tired of. It amazes me more each time that I see it. Now, on to the food! This is one of our favorites! I haven't made if for a while but will be making it much more now that I know my boys will gobble it right up (including my pickiest eater). It came from one of those recipe books you see while you're waiting at the checkstand. It's super easy and has so much flavor. Enjoy!

Oven Ranch Chicken
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix (buttermilk)
1/3 cup sour cream
4 chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)

Mix bread crumbs & dressing mix. Coat chicken with sour cream & dip in bread crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet & bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes

Serve with: corn on the cob, red potatoes, broccoli & cheese.

EGGS GOLDEN ROD

I hope everyone had a fun Easter! I'm sure you are all sick of eggs and candy by now. We are definitely sugar-ed out at our house. Here is a great way to use up all of those hard-boiled easter eggs that you dyed for easter. I have grown up eating this yummy dish, but introducing it to my husband has not been accepted... yet! He just can't put it all together. This recipe comes from my Grandma & Grandpa. Growing up whenever I would sleep over at their house, they would often serve Eggs Golden Rod for breakfast. Grandpa would always tell us that the grated yolk part would make us grow hair on our chest. I remember really believing him for some time. Because we don't make this dish very often, it is a real treat when we do. I will be making it this afternoon with some very colorful dyed Easter Eggs. I will try it out on my kids this time. I've got to start breaking them into it now! My husband...it will take a while! It is a very filling meal, and could definitely be served for dinner. I usually make it for lunch when I'm just cooking for myself and my kids. It's delicious for breakfast with a glass of Orange Juice! Give it a try!

Eggs Golden Rod

5 hard boiled eggs, peeled

4 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

Bread

Salt & Pepper to season

White Sauce: Melt butter in medium saucepan at medium heat. Add flour and whisk until combined. Add milk and whisk until thick & bubbling.

Cut egg white in half and pop out the yoke. Dice egg white into small bite-sized pieces and add to white sauce. Grate egg yokes and combine in bowl.

Toast your bread and break up into bite-size pieces. (For a large serving I would do 2 pieces of toast.) Spoon white sauce with egg whites over broken pieces of toast. Sprinkle with grated egg yolk. Season with salt & pepper to your liking. Enjoy!!!

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a great tradition!

Easter Candy Shopping!

I don't know about any of you, but I will be going Easter Candy shopping this week. We will have 3 family Easter Egg hunts this weekend. For our first hunt we decorate and dye hard boiled eggs. We all just love this tradition. (I will be back next week with a family favorite dish to use up some of those hard boiled easter eggs!) Our second hunt we all bring enough candy/bubbles/playdoh...whatever for the kids who are hunting, then hide them in bunches so that each person gets the same amount of loot. Our third hunt we stuff candy in the plastic eggs with one special Money Egg for the lucky hunter. By the end of our Easter Weekend we are fully stocked with candy for the next few months!

I wanted to share what is on my list for candy this year! These Jelly Beans are amazing!!! Whoever started changing up the old fashioned jelly beans are awesome. I have never been a fan of the old jelly bean taste, but when starburst and lifesaver came out with jelly beans, I was immediately changed. Now I am in love this year! Sweet Tarts has come out with Jelly Beans and they are Mmmm....good!!! They are so sweet and chewy, and full of the yummy flavor of the sweet tarts candy. They are a great new twist to the Jelly Bean. Give them a try!

These Reese's White Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs were introduced to me by my husband when we got married. These are his favorite. We love the Reese's Eggs, and Trees. They have more peanut butter than chocolate, and that is what we love. The White Chocolate eggs are delicious. Give them a try!

My last one is nothing new...I'm sure all of you love the classic Milk Chocolate Eggs! We just love peanut butter at our house, so the Easter bunny usually leaves us a great assortment of Reese's Eggs! We always have Reese's Eggs lying around for at least the next week! They go really fast!

Happy Easter Candy Shopping!!!

Cheesy Baked Mexi-Rigatoni from Picky Palate

My picture of this fabulous dish does not give it justice. Maybe just hop on over to Picky Palate for a much more appetizing picture! I have loved every recipe that I have tried from Jenny at Picky Palate. She is very creative and invents amazing recipes. Her desserts are always winners at my house! Check her out at http://www.picky-palate.com/ . This is one of my favorite casseroles. It is so full of flavor with a little bit of spice. We love it at our house. It is a great way to use up some hamburger meat for us. I am always looking for yummy dishes with hamburger, one because it is a cheaper meat, and 2 because my family will eat it. I love the fire roasted tomatoes in this. They are so tasty and juicy. I used Cheddar Cheese because I didn't have the mexican blend. The other thing I love about this recipe is that there are always leftovers...and they are the leftovers that always gets gobbled up and don't sit in your fridge.

Cheesy Baked Mexi-Rigatoni
From Jenny at http://www.picky-palate.com/

1 lb dry Rigatoni pasta or any other pasta of choice
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 Anaheim green chili’s finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt
1 can cheddar cheese soup
½ Cup milk or half and half
1 Cup sour cream
2 15 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes
Heaping ½ Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves (add more if you love cilantro)
2 Cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions, making sure it’s not overcooked. Drain and set aside.
2. Place olive oil into a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Saute onions and chilies until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef, salt, pepper and garlic salt; cook and crumble until browned. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream and tomatoes. Stir until well combined. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cilantro and cooked pasta.
3. Pour mixture into a large 9 x 13 inch baking dish or individual size baking dishes of choice, see my link above. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.

I hope there aren't too many more cold wintery spring days left, but anyhow...before you breakout the BBQ and get grilling, try out this hearty mexican casserole. It is sure to please your family and warm them right up!

The Ultimate Vanishing Breakfast Rolls

This recipe goes way back to the good old junior high days in Home Ec. I had forgotten about these little sticky pieces of heaven you can just pop in your mouth. I used to make them all the time when I lived at home. They were a real treat for breakfast, but I would make them for a dessert now. We had playgroup last week and we took these with us. We didn't leave with a single one. They were devoured! They are called vanishing breakfast rolls not only because they are gone in a snap, but because you bite into them and there is nothing inside! The yummy filling of marshmallow rolled in butter and cinnamon and sugar has vanished and melted all over the biscuit, making them sticky and delicious! These are so easy to make. I made them in 30 minutes and was out the door! So, if you are looking for a quick treat try these Vanishing Breakfast Rolls for breakfast or dessert and "wow" your family and friends!


Vanishing Breakfast Rolls

2 pkgs Refridgerated Biscuits (10 rolls per pack)
Marshmallows, Big or Mini
3 Tbsp Butter, melted
Cinnamon & Sugar mix (1/2 cup sugar to 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

Seperate biscuits and smash down with the palm of your hand. If you have big marshmallows you are ready to roll marshmallow in butter, then into cinnamon & sugar. If you have mini marshmallows take a handful and roll them into a ball with your hands, then roll in butter and cinnamon & sugar. Place one buttery, cinnamon & sugar marshmallow on each flattened biscuit and wrap biscuit around and pinch to seal. Place in sprayed cupcake pan seam side down and bake at the degrees according to biscuit package directions. Mine were 400 degrees. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown on top. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and serve. Yumm!!!

***In Home Ec we were taught to bake them on a cookie sheet pan, but I have found that they work best in muffin pans. That way your marshmallow filling melts right around your biscuit instead of all over the cookie sheet making a big mess and losing all your filling.

We are having some lovely snowy spring weather here where I live, so if you are like me you are going to need a warm comfort food. Pop these into the oven and enjoy a warm treat!

Happy Spring!!!

German Pancakes with Vanilla Syrup & Buzz Lightyear

These two recipes came from a good friend of mine. They are both very easy and very good. The vanilla syrup is delicious. I keep it in the fridge and put it on my belgian waffles. It's such a treat.

German Pancakes
2 Tbsp butter
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. In a bowl mix eggs, milk, flour & salt. Pour into buttered baking dish. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes until lightly brown.

Vanilla Syrup
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium pan. Cook on low until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Don't boil. Beat until desired consistency. (I didn't have whipping cream when I made it, but I used whole milk. It tasted just fine, just a little runny). You can also use almond extract. I ran out of vanilla and used a little almond and it added a little kick to it.

My little boy turned 2 last week. He loves Buzz Lightyear and wanted to have a Buzz cake. This is what I came up with. I think it turned out great! I will never forget the look on his face when he saw it. I used a boxed cake mix and baked it in a glass bowl. I made homemade marshmallow fondant that I colored orange to cover my planet. This was my first experience using fondant and it went pretty good. I found a great website that walked me through it. If any of you are have any questions about what I did, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Here are a few ideas for St. Patrick's day. For breakfast, I will be making green pancakes and green milk. In the afternoon we will make green playdough and make shamrock cookies. For dinner we'll be having lots of green and for dessert, mint chocolate chip ice cream. I will be hiding green shamrocks throughout the house and whoever finds the most, will recieve a lucky charm. I'm sure many of you have good ideas too! Feel free to share them in your comments.

Tea Party Time with Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Strawberry Lemonade

Last night we had such a fun Tea Party (without the tea) at an annual celebration for the ladies in my church. Everyone showed up with a Tea Party hat that was decorated to spotlight themselves. We had a great time getting to know one another better, and of course enjoyed yummy food. We ate Chicken Salad Sandwiches, pastas, veggies, fruit salads, and of course dessert! I made these delicious Chocolate Covered Strawberries. They were amazing. They were so easy too! I am a lover of Symphony's Milk Chocolate, so I knew that it wouldn't let me down. I love the chocolate/strawberry combo. I love to bite into the smooth milk chocolate and the juicy strawberry. The Symphony Chocolate was perfect! I obviously was making these for a large group, but you can definitely adjust for a smaller batch.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

60 Strawberries
7 King Size Symphony Milk Chocolate Bars
1 1/2 cups White Chocolate morsels (optional)

Wash and dry strawberries. Melt your chocolate either in the microwave stirring after 1 minute incriments, or in a double boiler. I did mine in the microwave and it was perfect. I also did 4 bars to start with. I didn't want to burn the chocolate by having too much, and I wanted to be sure to get my strawberries dipped before it set up. (If you do it in the double boiler, you won't have to worry about that, and you will be able to melt all of the chocolate at the same time). When your chocolate is melted hold your strawberry by the stem and dip in chocolate so it covers almost all of the red. I like a little bit of red showing. Twirl to get excess chocolate to roll off of the strawberry. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Dip remaining strawberries. When the chocolate has set, you can drizzle with white chocolate if you want your strawberries to look a little more fancy. Melt chocolate either in microwave or double boiler and spoon into ziploc bag. Release all the air and cut a small hole in one of the corners. Squeeze white chocolate and decorate strawberries as desired. I just did the lines strait across.

I was also in charge of the drink. We did Strawberry Lemonade, and wow, was it good. It was also really easy, and it turned out just beautiful! The juice from the strawberries gave it a perfect strawberry kick to the lemonade.

Strawberry Lemonade

2- 2 Liter bottles Lemonade (yellow)
1- 24 oz. tub sliced, with sugar Strawberries (found in the frozen dept.)
Ice

Allow your strawberries time to fully defrost. I placed mine in the fridge the night before. Combine lemonade, strawberries, and ice (to your liking). Serve!

This was our lovely display of desserts. I love these tiered racks. They are perfect for entertaining. I don't have one of my own, but my mother-in-law has been kind to let me borrow hers for a few occasions. They really make a beautiful setting. We also had some mini sugar cookies and cream puffs drizzled with chocolate syrup. Perfect Tea Party foods!

Delicious Poppy Seed Bread with Orange Almond Glaze!

I absolutely love Poppy Seed Breads & Cakes! This is my all time favorite Poppy Seed bread recipe. It just melts in your mouth, and I love the taste of the almond and orange juice flavor that just soaks into the bread. This recipe comes from the Lion House Desserts Cook Book. I love making this bread for neighbors or friends who have just moved into a new home, welcomed a new baby, someone who is ill, or just because! It always gets great reviews.

Janell's Poppy Seed Bread
Lion House Desserts Cook Book

1/4 cup butter, melted
3 1/3 Tbsp oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp poppy seeds

Orange almond Glaze
1 Tbsp orange juice
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour an 8X4-inch loaf pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter, oil, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and poppy seeds. Add this mixture to the first and mix until well blended, but do not overmix. (Overmixing causes tunnels and a coarse texture.) Pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. Serve plain or, while bread is still hot, brush with several coats of Orange Almond Glaze (made by mixing all ingredients together in small bowl.) Makes 1 loaf.

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I can't believe that this is the last week in February! I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to spring. We had some beautiful weather the end of last week and we spent hours playing at the park soaking up the sun. Here is another freezer meal recipe for all of you. It is super easy and so yummy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
2 can refried beans
2 cans black beans, drained
2 cans corn with juice
2 cans chicken broth
Mix in pot. Bring to a boil and add:
4 chicken breasts, cooked & chopped
2 cups salsa
Tomato, spice mixture:
In a blender, combine and add to soup:
28 oz. diced tomatoes
3 tomatillos
1 jalapeno - seeds out
1/2 white onion
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 bunch cilantro

Cool & place in 3 freezer bags. Thaw and heat through. Top with cheese, sour cream & tortilla chips.

To answer a couple questions about the Symphony Pie, yes, you can use 2 of the smaller Symphony bars. If you use Resees, you can really use how ever many you want. It depends on how peanut buttery you want it. My sister used 8 of the big cups for hers. If you have any other questions regarding any of our recipes, feel free to leave us a comment and we will try to respond quickly!

Marbled Cheesecake Hearts

Last week we went to a ward activity and signed up to bring a dessert. I wanted to do something a little different than cookies or brownies. In my search for a new dessert, I found this in The Essential Mormon Cookbook. I loved it! My husband LOVES cheesecake, but I never make it. This recipe was pretty easy and oh so yummy! I started out using a small heart cookie cutter, but it took a little while to get it out without messing it up, so I cut them into small squares. There weren't any left on the plate at the end of the night.

Marbled Cheesecake Hearts
Chocolate Cookie Crust
2 cups finely crushed Oreo cookies
3 Tablespoons butter or margarine melted

Line a 9x13 baking pan with heavy foil. Grease foil. Combine crumbs and butter. Press firmly into pan (I love the crust so I used about 3 cups crushed cookies and 3 1/2 Tbsp butter).

Filling
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate melted

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Pour 3/4 of batter evenly over chocolate crust. Stir melted chocolate into remaining batter. Place spoonfuls of chocolate batter over the vanilla batter. Take a butter knife and swirl chocolate batter through vanilla batter gently to give marbleized look. Bake at 300 for 45 - 50 minutes or until set (I cooked mine for 40 minutes). Cool. Chill for several hours until firm. Use foil to lift out of pan. Use a heart cookie cutter to make heart shapes or simply cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator.


You can get The Essential Mormon Cookbook at many bookstores including Deseret Book and Seagul Book & Tape. It is filled with wonderful recipes for all seasons.

Mom's FANTASTIC Chicken Enchiladas!!!

I absolutely LOVE this recipe for Chicken Enchilada's. It is super simple and oh, so tasty! These are the only type of Enchiladas that I remember my mom making. Now that I am married I have been introduced to several favorite Enchilada recipes, but this one is special, because it takes me back to home. I remember helping my mom several times to assemble these yummy enchiladas. My mom is a great cook, and makes wonderful meals. Thanks mom for sharing some great recipes with me. My mom probably won't see this, because she doesn't really get into the computer stuff, but anyhow... I love you Mom!

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb. cooked and cubed chicken / or 1 can canned chicken

1 large can red enchilada sauce (I always go with the mild for the kids)

1 small can diced green chilis

shredded cheddar cheese

8 medium tortillas

Combine chicken, and green chilis in medium bowl. (I only use about half of a can of green chilis, but you know what spice you can handle.) Add enchilada sauce just until it is a good consistency. You don't want your filling to be too runny, but not too chunky. (I usually use 1/4- 1/2 of the can.) Ladle about 2 spoon-fuls of the enchilada sauce in a 9X13 greased pan and spread evenly. To assemble the enchiladas fill your tortilla with about 1/2 cup filling and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tightly and place in pan. Fill the remaining tortillas. When enchiladas are assembled cover with remaining sauce. I like to get sauce between each enchilada. I love them really saucy! Sprinkle the top with cheese to your liking. Cover with foil and cook at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through and sauce is bubbling around the edges. Serve garnished with sour cream and lettuce. I love eating my freezer corn with this meal. It makes for a great combo! Enjoy, and thanks Mom!