Cranberry Bliss Bars

Original recipe found here.

In case you were wondering, yes, these are like the bars from Starbucks!  For some reason I thought about these bars the other morning on my way to work and looked online to see if I could find the recipe.  You have to love the internet....there it was, the complete recipe!  I could not wait to make these for the Holidays.  These bars are delicious!

Ingredients:

Bars

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks, melted and cooled)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons orange extract or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, I used vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup craisins
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Frosting:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract or vanilla 
• 1 teaspoon milk 

Topping:

• 1/3 cup craisins, chopped
• 1 -2 tablespoon grated orange rind
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, 325 if it is a glass pan.  Spray a 10x15" pan or line with parchment paper.  Mine turned out a little thicker because I used a 9x13" pan.

For the bars, melt the butter and cool slightly.  With an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars, until light. Gently blend in eggs and extract.  Add the flour, baking powder, and ginger, beat briefly.  Add the cranberries and chips, stirring just until mixed throughout.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes, until firm.  Let it cool completely.

For the frosting, blend the cream cheese and butter, until fluffy.  Add extract and powder sugar.  Once combined, add milk.  Spread over bars evenly.

For the topping, use a zester to remove rind from orange, sprinkle over frosted bars.  Chop up the craisins and chocolate chips coarsely; sprinkle over frosted bars.

Chicken Artichoke Casserole

I threw this together the other night after look at another recipe that was comparable, I just didn't have all the ingredients!    Go ahead and add and remove whatever you would like.  I love artichoke hearts, so I had to add a lot of them! 

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup milk
1/2 package of frozen spinach, defrosted and strained
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut up
1 tablespoon pesto (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, save 2 tablespoons to the side
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package pasta,cooked al dente I used Rotini

Topping:
1/2 cup bread crumps
2 tablespoons cheese from above

Cook pasta as directed for al dente.  Combine all ingredients and put into a greased 9x13 pan.  Mix ingredients of topping together and add to casserole.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until browned.

Peppermint Brownie Bites

Original recipe found here.

Thanksgiving is over!  Now on to my favorite Holiday, Christmas.  Here is the first baking recipe.  I hope you like it.  Peppermint and chocolate is my favorite combination!  I wanted to try something new, so I decided on these.  Gets me away from the peppermint bark!  I ended up freezing these, and they taste the best as they are defrosting.  This is an easy, great tasting Christmas baking recipe that you will love!  Feel free to just make a pan of brownies with icing as well.

Ingredients:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares
1/3 cup butter 
2 eggs, beaten 
3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract 
1/3 cup flour 
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powder sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan and slowly add sugar stirring constantly until blended.  Add beaten eggs and stir in peppermint extract.  Remove from heat and add flour and salt.  Use a small ice cream scooper with a wiper  and fill a mini cupcake pan with one scoop each.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until each bite is firm when touched. Top with peppermint butter cream frosting.

Beat butter and extracts.  Add in powder and combine.  Add in milk. 

Makes about 36 brownie bites.

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This is my favorite breakfast and french toast recipe.  I had received it from my mother in law about a year and a half ago.  I make it every chance I get!  The other night we had it for dinner.  Enjoy this recipe.  Make it ahead the night before to allow the bread to soak up the egg.  If you like french toast, you HAVE to try this!

Ingredients:
1 loaf of white bread, cut into cubes
1 package of cream cheese, cut into cubes
1/3 cup syrup
10 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

Grease a 9x13" pan and cover with half of the bread cubes.  The spread out the blueberries and cream cheese, distributing evenly.  Top with the remaining bread cubes.  Mix together syrup, eggs and milk.  Pour over the top.  Let this sit overnight in the fridge to allow the bread to absorb the egg mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until browned and bubbling slightly.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Steak Stroganoff

Original recipe from Comfort Food.

I love beef Stroganoff and had come across this recipe.  It is pretty good, the dill gives it a lot of flavor.  I haven't had the chance to use dill a lot in different recipes, so I can't decide if I like that flavor.  In the future, I will post my own beef stroganoff recipe that I just throw together every now and then.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound beef sirloin steak
Salt & Pepper
3/4 lb egg noodles
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sour cream at room temperature
1 tablespoon dill minced, plus more for garnish

Cut the steak across the grain into slices about 1/4 inch thick and two inches long.  Season with salt and pepper.
Boil water for the egg noodles and cook according to directions to al dente.
While cooking the noodles, brown the steak.  Heat the oil over medium high heat in a frying pan, add the steak in batches and cooked until lightly brown and still rare.  Add more oil as needed for batches.  Transfer to a plate.
After steak is cooked, add the mushrooms and 2 tablespoons of butter to the frying pan and cook over medium high heat.  Stir frequently until the mushrooms are browned.Remove from heat and stir int eh steak, sour cream and dill.  Return to medium heat and allow to simmer, stir constantly until the sour cream is heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.
When noodles are ready, drain and return to pot.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and toss to coat.  Divide noodles on plate and top with sauce.

Serves 4.

Chicken and Dumplings

Original recipe from Comfort Food.

 

I had never been a really big fan of chicken and dumpling soup.  However, I happened to come across a recipe with a photo that made it look pretty good.  I decided to give it a try, and it ended up tasting pretty good.  It was easy very easy to make, and great to have on a cold day!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cans chicken broth
4 cups shredded chicken
Salt & Pepper
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons, fresh sage
3/4 cup whole milk

Heat oil over medium heat in a soup pot.  Add onion, carrots, and celery, cook until vegetables become softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, reduce to medium heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender.  After about 20 minutes, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper.

For dumplings, whisk flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.  Stir in sage and add milk.  Stir to soften the dough.  Use a tablespoon and drop in equal balls of dough into soup.  Cook and cover until the dumplings are firm, about 15 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Thanksgiving Turkey

So this is my second year at attempting to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving.  Last year I jumped the gun a little bit and my turkey was undercooked in the middle.  So this year I am trying to get everything right.

First thing is figuring out when to take the turkey out for defrosting.  After reading online, I have found that you should allow 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 5 lbs of turkey.  Another thing I will do the last day or two, depending on how frozen the turkey is by Tuesday, is put the turkey in cold water Wednesday in my sink.  I'll let it sit until I get home from work and then can immediately clean and stuff the bird.

That's when we come to a whole different topic....cleaning out the turkey.  Make sure you remove everything from the inside.  They really have it packed in there!

Remove the giblets and bring to a boil with 2-3 cans of chicken broth, a couple stalks or celery and cut up some onion.  The flavor is amazing and adds a lot to your stuffing!  I cannot bring myself to add the giblets to my stuffing, so I discard everything except for the broth.

Now back to cleaning the turkey.  Make sure you buy a one of those long neck lighters that are for the BBQ.  It will save your thumb a lot of work.  Go over the entire bird, at least 2 times.  I try to do mine 3 times or so, just to make sure I got everything!

All I use for the skin is butter, flour, salt and pepper.  Salt and pepper your turkey thoroughly, don't forgot the inside cavity.   Make sure to add some bacon strips on top!  They taste great and you can snack on them while you are cooking.

Good luck and have a great Thanksgiving!

Start Thinking About Christmas!!

One of my friends has introduced me to some great sites for saving money or getting GREAT deals.  Last night I was going from site to site and came across Rue La La.  Check it out!  They have a lot of great designer things at excellent prices.  Start thinking about Christmas gifts.  Some of these savings are BETTER than Black Friday deals.  Let me know what you think or if you found anything!

Click Here to visit.

Polynesian Stir Fry

I found this recipe online one day and made my own adjustments.  Its a simple stir fry, with excellent flavor.  I prefer making my own sauce to the stir fry sauce at the store.  There is a lot more flavor and you have a little more control if you want a certain flavor to stand out, like the spicy mustard, or adding a little more ginger.  Feel free to add whatever you want!  That's the best part about a stir fry, all vegetables are welcome.

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can pineapple chunks
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 medium onion, chopped 
1 medium yellow or red pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
2 cups hot cooked rice

Partially freeze meat. Thinly slice across grain into bite-size strips. In a medium bowl stir together meat, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, dry mustard, ginger, and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain meat, reserving marinade. Set aside. 

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. For sauce, in a small bowl stir together reserved pineapple juice, reserved marinade, and cornstarch. Set aside. 

Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry onion in hot oil for 2 minutes. Add zucchini and sweet pepper; stir-fry about 1-1/2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from the wok. 

Add meat mixture to the hot wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Push meat from the center of the wok. 

Stir sauce. Add sauce to the center of the wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return cooked vegetables to the wok. Add pineapple. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole

Adapted from this recipe.

This casserole is a must try!  I absolutely loved it and it was very easy to make.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
chopped jalapeno, I used a whole one
1 small carton sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 6-inch corn tortillas, I used 4 of the large size flour toritillas
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet cook the ground beef, onion, chili powder, and cumin until onion is tender and meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir pinto beans and undrained chili peppers into meat mixture; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl stir together sour cream, flour, and garlic powder until combined; set aside.

Place half of the tortillas in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x13" baking pan. Top with half of the meat mixture, half of the sour cream mixture, and half of the enchilada sauce. Repeat layers. Cover dish with plastic wrap; chill in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

To serve: Preheat oven to 350F. Remove plastic wrap.  Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Slow Cooker Apple Pork Chops

Original recipe found here.

This was an easy slow cooker recipe.  I get everything in the slow cooker the night before and just plug it in on my way out the door.  Slow cooked meals are excellent in the fall/winter months!  They definitely aren't the prettiest looking meals, but they always taste great.  You can experiment by throwing various items in your slow cooker to produce a great tasting meal!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil
6 bone in pork chops
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 granny smith apples, cored and sliced

Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and brown outsides of the pork chops thoroughly, about 5 minutes per side. 
Mix together the apple juice, cider vinegar, chicken broth, brown sugar, meat tenderizer, garlic powder, nutmeg, ginger, and black pepper in a slow cooker, stirring until the brown sugar has dissolved. Place the pork chops into the liquid. Top the chops with apple, onion, and cabbage. Set the cooker on Low; cook 4 to 5 hours, turning the chops over in the sauce once or twice.

Fudge Filled Squares

This is my favorite dessert!  I love chocolate and this is perfect!  The fudge filled squares are a little rich, make them small when you cut up the pan.  I would also suggest Ghirardelli chocolate chips.  It makes the middle a little more rich tasting and has a lot better flavor.

Ingredients:
Crust:

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cup quick oats

Filling:
1 package chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all crust ingredients. Press 1/2 of crust mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan. Melt filling ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat. Spread on top of crust, then crumble remaining dough on top and press gently. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 325° oven.

Turkey Sweet Potato Casserole

Original recipe found here.

This is a great fall recipe with all of the Thanksgiving/fall flavors!  I made a couple changes to the recipe to cut down on the sweetness of the potatoes.  I did not have them at the time, but the Turkey Sweet Potato Casserole would be excellent with cranberries! Enjoy this meal.  It is pretty simple to make and doesn't have a lot of ingredients.  I had made it the night before and put in the fridge for 24 hours before baking. 

Ingredients:  
2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/3 cup evaporated milk 
1/4 cup Chicken Stock 
1 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup) 
1 can Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (I used 98% fat free)
3 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken
3 tablespoons water 
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 
Chopped fresh parsley 

Mash the sweet potatoes and add in cinnamon, nutmeg and milk.  Salt and pepper if needed.  Form mashed potatoes around the edge of a 10 inch greased pie plate, leaving a hole in the middle.  Combine meat cubes, chicken stock, cream of chicken and water.  Add into the middle of the pie plate, where you left a hole.  Bake at 350 degrees until chicken mixture bubbles.  Top with fresh parsley and walnuts.

Stuffed Green Peppers

 This was originally my moms recipe.  My sister and I have added some extra's to the recipe.

Ingredients:
4 green peppers, cut hole in the top, rinse and remove seeds
1 lb ground turkey or hamburger
2 cups of rice
1 small can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 egg
1 can tomato sauce
Tabasco

Cook meat until all pink is gone.  Remove from heat.  Add in diced tomatoes, corn, egg and rice.  Combine and scoop into green peppers.  Put peppers in a pan and add tomato sauce and a teaspoon or so of Tabasco (I like spicy, so I add a lot).  Fill with water until peppers are about 3/4 under water.  Place on stove at medium heat with lid.  Every 15 to 20 minutes, base the peppers with the tomato/water mixture.  Cooks for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Serve with Parmesan cheese grated on top.

Ricotta Stuffed Butternut Squash

Original recipe found here.

This recipe serves 4.  The squash and ricotta cheese were a good pairing.  I would suggest adding 1/2 cup crumbled bacon.

Ingredients:
2 butternut squash
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 of a 10 oz frozen package of spinach
1 egg
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesean Cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
ground pepper
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Trim off ends of squash; cut squash in half (lengthwise). With a teaspoon scoop out seeds and part of the pulp leaving shells about 1/2 inch thick. Bake squash, inside down, in a water bath for 30 minutes. Plunge into cold water, drain well and set aside.  In a small frying pan over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of the butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until they are done. Squeeze the spinach to remove extra moisture and add to the garlic and onion and cook until thoroughly heated.  In a medium size mixing bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and spinach mixture. Fill the squash halves with this mixture, about three tablespoons per shell and place squash in a shallow baking dish. Melt the remaining butter and brush over the squash shells.  Bake for 20 minutes. If desired, serve with tomato sauce.