Thursday, March 7, 2013

Cookie Dough Brownies!

And, so without further ado, here is a long anticipated and often requested recipe!  Cookie Dough Brownies became an addiction in college.  My grandma would give me her old Taste of Home magazines and cookbooks.  One day we stumbled upon Cookie Dough Brownies!  Crystal and I totally thought they would be divine.  The original recipe calls for a brownie layer, cookie dough layer and chocolate layer.  We did make it that way once!  But then Crystal thought, "Forget the chocolate layer.  Let's speed things up and just dump chocolate chips into the cookie dough layer"  She is a pure and utter genius!  I have tweaked my version a little and I use mini chips.  They just look better!   And I am still on the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe.  But until that time.  You can use your favorite recipe or, horror of horrors, buy a boxed recipe.  Just make sure it is for a 9x13 pan! 

Bake brownies according to recipe directions.  Let cool completely!

For the cookie dough layer:

1/2 c butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c sugar
2 T milk
1 t vanilla extract
1 c all purpose flour
mini chocolate chips...As many as you want!

Cream butter and sugars.  Add milk and vanilla and mix well.  Beat in flour.  Make sure you really get this mixed up good, or it may be a little grainly until the sugars dissolve completely!  Stir in your mini chips.  Spread onto the brownies.  Don't worry if a little brownie crust gets mixed in.  It looks like mini chips!  We like to keep our cool, but you don't have to.  Enjoy!  And be prepared to be asked for the recipe!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Baked Parmesan Paprika Chicken

Thought it was time to take a break from the desserts!  I mean, I am still going to eat them, but this blog does need variety!  I pinned a recipe for Baked Parmesan Paprika Chicken about a month ago.  Maybe a little less..time just seems to be flying by.  Must be because I am having so much fun!  We are getting our house ready to go on the market, so I have been painting.  I have been trying to potty train my youngest!  While that is going well, we have had quite a few battles!  He is sooooo strong willed!  Anyway, I digress!  About the food.  I love dishes where I don't have to do too much and it turns out yummy!  And I really, really loved the fact that my coating stayed on the chicken.  Usually, when I dredge something, the coating eventually slides off!  Not this time.  They were so pretty when they came out of the oven!  And they were so yummy! 

Baked Parmesan Paprika Chicken

1/4 c flour
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
2 t paprika
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 T milk
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 c butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine flour, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.  Dip the chicken in the milk mixture and then dredge in the flour/cheese mixture.  Place in the shallow baking dish.  Pour melted butter over the chicken breasts.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes in the preheated oven (Mine started smelling and looking done after 30 minutes, so I turned the heat down to 300 degrees and baked the rest of the time)  until the cheese is brown and the chicken has cooked.



Original recipe is from allrecipes.com

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

S'mores Cookie Bars

So apparently I haven't blogged in a while.  Hmm, I guess I have been busy.  I have been baking up a storm, so the lack or recipes isn't the reason I haven't blogged.  Just super, super busy!  Anyway, we just finished up a round of Parent/Teacher Conferences (my two school aged kids got good reports!!!) and I chose to supply dessert for the TLC meal that we provide for our awesome staff and teachers at MCE!  I have been on a s'mores kick for, oh, about the last year or so!  Who can resist the ooey, gooey goodness that is a s'more.  Honestly, I think I would probably eat them without the ooey and gooey because it has chocolate!  Yummy!  Anyway, I posted on Facebook what I had made and got a request for the recipe.  So I thought I would share it with you all!  No campfire necessary!  Enjoy!!!

S'mores Cookie Bars

2 c flour
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
1 1/2 c packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 c marshmallow cream
2 c milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, leaving a 2" overhang on 2 sides.  (I just spray the pan with non-stick spray).  Spray foil with non-stick spray.  In a bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; mix well.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes.  Beat in eggs until well combined.  Reduce speed to low and slowly beat in flour mixture into butter mixture  Divide dough in half.  Press half into pan until dough is uniform and flat.  Spread with marthmallow cream and sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Scatter remaining dough over in clumps.  Do not worry about covering the top; marshmallow and chocolate chips should show through.  Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool completely. 



Recipe comes from All You magazine.   Picture is actually mine!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

Ok, so I found this recipe on Pinterest and it looked too easy and too good to be true.  But never one to shy away from trying something new, I took the plunge.  Holy Cow, it was soooo good!  You have 5 ingredients and you could really tailor it to your family's tastes if you wanted to!  Are you in suspense?  The 5 ingredients are chicken, green beans, potatoes, Italian salad dressing packet and butter.  Of course, anything with butter is a good bet in my book!  (But I didn't actually use butter, I used some of my stick margarine.  Still turned out yummy!)  You can also substitute other veggies for the green beans.  I for one think it would be amazing with carrots or broccoli, but my family would beg to differ!

Chicken Dinner

4-6 chicken breast (about 1 1/2 lbs)
green beans ( I  used frozen)
potatoes, cubed ( I only used 2 but you can do more)
1 packet of dry Italian dressing mix
1 stick of butter or margarine, melted

Place chicken in a greased 9x13 pan.  Arrange green beans on one side and potatoes on the other.  Sprinkle dressing mix over all.  Pour melted butter over all.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 

Pinned Image

Originally from savings-makes-cents.com

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Dorito Taco Salad

Ok, so I saw someone on Pinterest pinned a Dortio Taco Salad recipe.  I was curious because I have a favorite recipe and I wanted to see if it was the same.  It wasn't!  So, that got me to thinking that I haven't shared our recipe (our being my college roommate, Crystal's recipe that I stole from her!).  Let's just say that we started eating this Taco salad in the summer of 2005.  How do I remember this?  Well, I was pregnant with number 2 and wasn't able to keep anything down, but boy I had like 3 or 4 helpings of this and it stayed down!  Score!  All of you that have been pregnant and had morning sickness know that when you find a food that not only tastes great but stays put, you have a winner!  So we started having this salad every summer!  Why only the summers, you ask?  Well, because my bestest friend and roommate all 4 years of college (quite a feat!  She is a real saint!) lost her heart to a guy from Maui.  And they moved out there!  I am still a little confused on why one would want to leave Kansas and live in Hawaii.  Oh, well, to each his own!  (In case you missed it, that would be sarcasm!  I totally get it!  Hubby lived there for 4 years and we have talked about living there when our kiddos are adults!)  Anywho, she comes back to Kansas each summer and somehow we just started eating this each summer!  Of course, now I can't remember if we had it this past summer or not...If we didn't, then we will have to have to have it twice this summer!  Oh, I am starving just thinking about it!   It is so yummy! 

Dorito Taco Salad

20 oz ground turkey (you may need to double, I am not kidding it is awesome!)
garlic clove, minced (you may want less or more depending on your love of garlic)
Doritos
Kidney beans, rinsed and drained (you do not cook these! and you can use black beans as well)
lettuce (any variety, really yor personal preference here!)
shredded cheese (again your preference!)
Sour Cream
Salsa
any other toppings you wish to make this yummy to you (diced tomatoes, olives, etc....)
catalina salad dressing

Brown the turkey on the stovetop; add garlic while browning. 

Now the fun begins!  Start with a layer of chips, then a layer of lettuce, add the meat and beans.  Now you make it your own!  Sprinkle with cheese and anything else that sounds good!  But you cannot forget the catalina dressing!  It totally takes this to a whole other level! 

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!  Makes me miss you, Crystal!  Funny how beans and chips will do that to a girl!!!

(I don't have a pic, but I will try to add one later!  I am making this next week!)

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Dinner and a Dessert!

So it has been a while!  Christmas has come and gone and now it is a new year.  Guess that means I better do two recipes!  I was a busy bee yesterday!  I spent New Years Day painting a bedroom and I went to Zumba.  Then I came home and baked!  Yup, what else would one do on a cold day? 

Well I decided we were seriously lacking in the sweet department at this house, so I went to pinterest and pulled up my recipe for Monster Cookie Bars!  They were super easy and super delish!  I don't know that I will ever make the actual cookies again! I may or may not have even been eating on them this morning!  Hey, they do have oatmeal and peanut butter!  Those are good for you, right?  Anyway, once those babies popped out of the oven it was time for dinner to get started.

 Last night we had ultimate comfort food!  Creamy Chicken and Biscuits!  Three out of five of us had seconds.  And the other two are seriously lacking in taste!  What else could be the reason for not wanting seconds.  Anyway, I did add to the recipe, but that was after I saw that the original recipe had been added to!  It was so yummy.  I will post the original then you can all get crazy and experiment!  The changes I made were to use half mayo and half light sour cream.  Hubby doesn't like mayo and he was a little skeptical at first, but he was one that ended up going back for seconds...In fact, he cleaned out the remainder of the pan and took the leftovers for lunch today!  I also added frozen peas and frozen corn.  Ahhh, no need for sides.  Now everything is in the casserole!  I eyeballed the amounts so maybe 1 c of each.  Do as little or as much as you like.  I think carrots would be good in it too.  Then it becomes an awesome chicken pot pie! 

For your eating enjoyment, here are the recipes!

Monster Cookie Bars

1 stick butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
4 1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 12 oz package chocolate chips
1 12 oz bag M&Ms

Combine butter and sugars and mix well.  Add in eggs and baking soda and beat.  Mix in peanut butter and blend until smooth and creamy.  Now add one cup of oatmeal and stir by hand.  Repeat!  Add in chocolate chips and M&Ms.  Mix well.  Spread into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Be sure to not overbake.  You want them to be soft! 



Original recipe from domesticatedduchess.blogspot.com


Creamy Chicken and Biscuits

1 sm onion (I used minced onions)
1 1/2 t. butter
2 lbs chopped, cooked chicken breast or thighs
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c mayo (or half mayo and sour cream)
1 c milk
1/2 c chopped pimento
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
Refrigerated biscuits (I used the 10 count)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 11x7 baking dish.  Melt butter in small skillet.  Chop the onion and add to melted butter.  Saute until tender.  ( I skipped part entirely when I used minced onions and omitted the butter all together)  In a large bowl, mix together the soup, mayo, milk, pimento, cooked chicken and onion.  Pour into greased dish.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle 1 c cheese over the mixture.  Arrange biscuits over the cheese.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 20 minutes longer or until biscuits are golden brown. 

Potsie's Creamed Chicken and Biscuits Casserole. Photo by Pot Scrubber

Original from www.food.com