Fruitcake in the Kitchen

Peanut Butter Waffles

2012-02-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm on vacation. But I haven't gone anywhere. So what this means, for my children anyway, is that instead of having a stale granola bar thrown at them on the way out of the door in the morning, I might actually get out of bed and lovingly make them a real live breakfast. And for the past two days that's been waffles.

it's blurry, but just pretend you're just getting up to eat waffles and your eyes aren't quite awake yet

Last night I was thinking of my ongoing love of peanut butter, and then a thought of waffles, so the logical next step was peanut butter waffles. With bananas and chocolate syrup of course.

The recipe is from Martha Stewart. It makes a light textured waffle that's a bit crispy on the outside...just like I like it. The little darlings had better enjoy, next week it's back to slinging granola bars at their heads.

- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) umm, sure Martha
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing waffle iron
- 6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 3 bananas, sliced, for serving
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup, for serving OR Chocolate, perhaps

Directions

Heat waffle iron and preheat oven to 275 degrees; set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a blender, blend butter and peanut butter until smooth, 1 minute. Add buttermilk and eggs and blend until combined, 1 minute. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir just until batter is combined.
Brush waffle iron with butter and pour in 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Close iron and cook until waffles are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm; repeat with remaining batter. Serve with bananas and maple syrup.

Cranberry Bliss Bars

2012-02-05T21:35:00.000-08:00

It's the much lauded Cranberry Bliss Bar made famous by Starbucks, as I understand. I've aspired to make them quite some time now, thinking their sophistication would launch me into the upper echelon of people who eat mature desserts.

So, am I there? Is this what it's like? Feels...kinda the same as before. While they were pretty yummy, I'm more of an un-sophisticated chocolate- covered, messy, gooey dessert person. I guess what I'm saying is they're good, but I didn't feel the bliss.

If you think it's something that might bring you bliss, here's the recipe:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.
2. Prepare the blondie layer: In a medium bowl, melt butter for one minute in the microwave or until melted; stir in brown sugar. Pour the butter and sugar into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to beat in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick).
3. Spread the blondie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool completely on a wire rack.
4. Prepare the frosting: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with chopped cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Let the frosting set then cut into bars- square or triangle-shaped. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

2012-01-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

There's nothing not to love about this delicious side dish. It's easy and wonderful...go make some. Now! (I don't know why I'm feeling so bossy today, sorry)

Recipe (from Epicurious)

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup quinoa

1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium tomatoes, diced

4 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes. *I didn't do all this, I just cooked the quinoa according to package directions*

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

I was wondering if there might be some way to decrease the butter/oil content of the dressing. Any ideas?

Raspberry Icebox Cake

2012-01-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

It's time for me to confess to anyone reading this that I have an addiction. I'm addicted to downloading free books for my Kindle. I just can't stop. I have more books on there than I will ever read in my lifetime...not even sure if any of them are worth reading. But one of the books I downloaded is called "30 Delicious Refrigerator Cake Recipes". I like when a title just says what it means :)

Anyway, this book is comprised of desserts that are put together quickly then set in the refrigerator to meld together and do delicious things. Some of them have a cookie base, or graham crackers. Some of them require you to bake a cake or buy some type of cake and use it to soak up other good things. I was drawn to this one because it has raspberries and marshmallows, both things that my son enjoys.

sorry for such cruddy pics, took them at 9pm

Basically it's a graham cracker crust on bottom, topped with raspberries combined with jello, and a whipped cream/marshmallow topping. I had a little trouble with the proportions. When they say "24 graham crackers" I think they mean the squares, not the rectangles, as I had way too much cracker crumbs. And I think in the jello part I would have used a little more water to bulk up the amount of filling it makes up. But otherwise it was quite delicious, and not as labor intensive as it sounds. My daughter how usually doesn't care for any berries even liked it.

Here's the recipe:

24 graham crackers, crushed

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 pkg raspberry gelatin (6 oz)

1 cup boiling water

15 oz frozen raspberries

20 large marshmallows

1/3 cup milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter, brown sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Reserve 1/4 cup for the topping. Use the remainder to create a crust by pressing it into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

2. Bake at 350 for 10 mins then set aside to cool.

3. Dissolve raspberry gelatin in boiling water. Add the frozen raspberries and stir until melted. Chill until partially set, then spread the mixture over the crust.

4. Place the milk and marshmallow into a pan. Slowly heat until marshmallows melt. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. When cool fold into the whipped cream and spread on top of raspberry mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs.

5. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

Speaking of berries, I was recently the winner of a whole pantload of Driscoll berry coupons from Emily at Sugar Plum! Can't wait to load up on all kinds of berries to make more yummy things :)

Food That I Didn't Make

2012-01-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you know this about me but I LOVE Mexican food! And I'm fortunate enough to live in the mecca of fine Mexican cuisine (that'd be Arizona, not Mexico). One of my favorite places is just around the corner, and their salsa is just the absolute best. I could eat it with a spoon. But I'd hate to make the chips feel bad by leaving them out. We recently realized they do brunch on the weekend and I met this beautiful dish...

I think it's beautiful, anyway. It's an omelet stuffed with spinach and bacon and covered with some sort of cheesy goodness. It's heaven on a plate my friends.

I haven't been cooking too many interesting things lately, hence the lack of blogging. However, we just bought a juicer last week and we're having tons of fun with that. I saw a documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and was really inspired to get more fruits and veggies in my diet by juicing.

The guy in the movie did a complete juice fast (doctor supervised) for maybe 2 or 3 months and lost a ton of weight. I'm thinking upwards of 90, can't remember for sure. I don't think I could ever completely give up eating but I do think I can replace some of the processed fried meals I eat with juice now and then. Today I had a combo of apple, orange, spinach, carrot, beet, and green pepper! Watch the documentary if you get a chance, it's really interesting. It's on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

In other news, a couple of weeks ago I was the happy winner a very snazzy apron from Shabby Apple courtesy of Monica from Lick the Bowl Good. I haven't had a chance to snap a picture but you can go here to see it. Thanks Monica :)

Prayers Needed

2012-01-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging much but have still been visiting other's sites, and just read that one of my favorite bloggers (ok, you're all my favorites) has a crisis in her family. Lara of Recipe Shoebox has a son who has been recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I know any prayers and words of kindness will be appreciated. Thanks!

Christmas Food

2011-12-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or is the day after Christmas just kind of....blah? I guess so much anticipation and preparation, and then it's over. But at least it left behind wrapping paper bits here and there and dishes that I still don't want to clean. Oh well...I will reminisce about the food....

I made a cranberry cake I had seen several months back at Real Mom Kitchen. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to make it for Christmas.

She mentions in her comments the cake was just a little dry, so I just increased the amounts of oil and sour cream by a bit and didn't find it dry at all. The butter cream sauce really makes it special. Here's the recipe...

Cake:

3 Cups Flour

1 ½ Cups Sugar

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

¼ teaspoon Salt

1 Cup Milk

2 Eggs

¼ Cup Oil

½ teaspoon Almond Flavoring

½ Cup Sour Cream

3 Cups Fresh Cranberries

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; sift together.
In a separate bowl combine milk, eggs, oil, almond flavoring and sour cream; whisk together.
Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir together.(this batter will be very thick) When liquid and dry ingredients are completely incorporated together, stir in cranberries.
Pour cake batter into a well-greased Bundt cake pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes; until toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in Bundt pan, remove cake from pan and place on serving plate.
Allow cake to cool completely on serving plate. Cut into slices and serve slice topped with sauce recipe below.

Butter Cream Sauce:

½ Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
¾ Cup Half & Half

Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium-low heat.
Mix in sugar until well combined, then mix in the half & half and bring heat up to medium-high heat.
Wisk continually until mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat.
Drizzle butter cream sauce over each individual slice of cranberry pudding cake and ENJOY!

We also had Green Bean Bundles, which I had always wanted to try. Pretty yummy, of course can't go wrong with bacon!.

We also had this Chocolate Wafer Cookie Cake that I've been wanting to try for some time. Although I did mine more as a trifle than a cake, just figured it would be easier.

This is over the top delicious! I loved the crushed candy canes sprinkled on top, give it just a little bit of mint. Those wafers can be a little hard to find, but it's worth the effort.

So I hope none of you are feeling as ho-hum as I am. I'm sure I'll be back to my chipper self in no time!

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

2011-12-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

I think we can all agree that Paula Deen really is trying to kill us. When I saw these on Food Network, I drank the kool-aid and walked right into the light. And what delicious kool-aid it was.

Take a somewhat healthy food like boneless, skinless chicken breasts and wrap it in bacon, apply a massive coating of brown sugar, and this is what you get. With just a hint of spice from chili powder. Seriously, these are delicious. Please make some today.

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar and chili powder. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

Cocoa Crinkles

2011-12-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

Oh I know you've all seen this one, it's an oldie but goodie. I had never made

them before and had no idea how delicious they were, not to mention easy!

They have a very fudge-y flavor with a light texture. I'm wishing we hadn't eaten them all up!

Here is the recipe for you (from allrecipes)

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas celebrating with family and friends!

Candy Cane Snowballs

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

Today was the big cookie exchange party...what a fun time! And I'm so full. But it was worth it.

I really enjoyed these peppermint-y cookies. Very tender and delicious with just a little crunch of crushed up candy canes.

Here is the recipe found at Cooking During Stolen Moments.

3 c. powdered sugar, divided
1 1/4 c butter, softened
2 t. vanilla (or if you’d prefer a stronger peppermint flavor, you can replace 1 t. of vanilla with a teaspoon of peppermint extract)
1 egg
3 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. finely crushed candy canes, divided
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2-3 T. milk

1. In a mixing bowl, beat 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg and beat until combined.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Slowly add to mixing bowl, beating until combined, about 1 minute. Stir 1/2 cup finely crushed candy canes in by hand.

3. Roll dough into small balls using just under a teaspoon of dough. Rolls balls through granulated sugar to coat and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool.

4. While cookies bake, stir together remaining 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar with 2-3 T. of milk. Add just enough milk to form a thick glaze. Drizzle over cooled cookies and top with remaining crushed candy canes immediately.

Eggnog Pancakes

2011-12-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it's almost Christmas!? Holy cow! I'm not stressing about needing to shop or anything, I just can't believe how fast the time goes. Man!

Anyway....I had a hankering to try making some pancakes with eggnog, so that's what I did.

Crummy pictures, but delicious breakfast.

I ate mine just with melted butter flavored with cinnamon and sugar...yummm :)

Here's the recipe from AllRecipes.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups eggnog*
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg if desired. In another bowl, beat eggs, eggnog and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown.

So do you have your Christmas menu nailed down? I'd love to hear what you're having! Let me know. Otherwise I'll just peek in your window while you and your family is eating. This way is easier!

Lasagna Soup

2011-12-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

I've been looking forward to making this soup for days now, or actually eating this soup. And it did not disappoint.

It's kinda nippy here, even in the desert. It's been raining on and off for two days....crazy! I don't need cold weather to have soup, but it just makes it that much better.

To me, this literally tasted like lasagna in soup form. I couldn't stop sampling it before dinner! I left out the basil accidentally, so it could have been even just a little bit better, but I'm not sure I could have stood it !

Here's the recipe that I found from A Farm Girl's Dabbles. Hope you like it.

for the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 T. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 c. chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli pasta (I used broken lasagna noodles)
1/2 c. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces, and brown for about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheesy yum. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl, sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

Servings: 8

I'm planning to make some Candy Cane Snowball cookies for a cookie exchange this weekend. I'll post them either Sunday night or Monday morning...see ya then!

Lemon Ricotta Blackberry Muffins

2011-12-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

My boy and I found some blackberries on sale a few days ago. Since he's a berry lover I bought them and promised I'd make something for him, so he gets muffins. I'm hoping he will share.

I found this recipe at Two Peas & Their Pod, which is always chock full of delicious looking things. I love the addition of ricotta...it's adds a wonderful moistness and richness. This is a great basic muffin recipe for anything you'd want to add. The lemon is not overpowering at all, it adds just the right amount of awesomeness.

The dough seems pretty thick, but don't worry, it turns out just perfect. I hope you'll make them if you get the chance.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup ricotta cheese (whole or low-fat is fine)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blackberries
Turbinado sugar-for sprinkling on muffin tops

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar and lemon zest mixture together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the ricotta cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

3. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Add three blackberries to each muffin cup. Top the muffins with remaining batter so blackberries are covered. Generously sprinkle turbinado sugar over each muffin top.

4. Bake muffins for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown. Let muffins cool for five minutes and serve.

I was super excited to learn a couple of weeks ago that I had won a giveaway at Coleen's Recipes. I was the recipient of this awesome giftpack from Yoplait, containing a neck pillow, lavender eye mask, a giant smoothie cup and a coupon to receive a free package of Yoplait Chocolate Banana Smoothie.

Thanks a million Coleen :)

Beer Braised Beef Back Ribs

2011-12-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

I was wanting to make short ribs today, then I realized they're a little difficult to find (after going to 5 stores) and a little pricey when they do get found. So in the middle of my local Walmarts I pulled out my phone of moderate intelligence and tried to see what I could do with beef back ribs. This is what I came up with.

I found more of a method than a recipe at FoodPhilosophy. It's a wonderful way to take a cheaper cut and make it delicious and tender. I loved it served over buttered egg noodles with a little swiss chard on the side, and am looking forward to having it for lunch tomorrow at work.

Here's the rundown:

Ingredients

About 4 pounds of beef back ribs

3-4 tbsp olive oil

Giant can of Fosters

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can beef broth

dried rosemary

salt and pepper

1. Cut ribs into individual pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil to med-high in an ovenproof dutch oven or large skillet. Add ribs in small batches if necessary and caramelized about 10 minutes on each side. Try to not move the ribs around in the pan too much. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Add chopped onion and let it sweat about 5 minutes, then add garlic. Pour in the giant can of Fosters, the beef broth, and a little water to make the liquid just slightly over the ribs. Mix together and scrape the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle in the dried rosemary.

3. Put a lid on and put it all in the oven for about 3 hours. Check the liquid level periodically and add more if needed. When it's done, remove the meat from the bones, shred it up a bit, and serve over starchy item of your choice.

I actually made this the night before and just put in the oven at 300 to reheat before dinner today. I love make-ahead meals!

Apple Fritters

2011-12-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

After getting the little darlings off to school this morning, I decided to embark upon some fritter making activities. Seemed like a fine way to spend a Thursday morning.

I had a hard time regulating between burning them and not getting them done in the middle. But otherwise, they are pretty darned easy, and quite delicious.

Here's the recipe from No Fear Entertaining if you feel like giving it a try...

Fritter:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup chopped apple

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Directions: Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon. Stir in milk and egg until just combined. Fold in apple. Pour oil into skillet so that it is approximately 1 1/2 deep. Heat oil on high. (on my stove, high was too high, just above medium worked best for me.) Oil is ready when dough floats to top. Carefully add dough to oil in heaping teaspoons. Cook until brown, about 2 minutes, then flip. Cook another 1-2 minutes, until both sides are browned. Transfer briefly to paper towels to absorb excess oil, then transfer to cooling rack. Make glaze by stirring milk and powdered sugar together in a small bowl. Drizzle over apple fritters. Wait approximately 3 minutes for glaze to harden, then flip fritters and drizzle glaze over the other side. Best served warm.

apple-y good inside shot

Chocolate Kahlua Cake

2011-11-23T09:06:00.000-08:00

I love Kahlua, and I love desserts made with Kahlua. When I saw this post at one of my favorite blogs, Lick The Bowl Good, several months back, I knew I wanted this cake to be mine. It turned out moist and delicious! We almost ate the whole thing in one day.

This might be nice to serve for Thanksgiving, if you've got somebody who doesn't care for pumpkin. Me, I'll be working. (Time and a half, baby!)

Here's Monica's recipe:

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
2 tsp. instant espresso powder
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee or water
1/2 cup Kahlua
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place cake mix, pudding mix and instant espresso powder and mix together with a whisk.

In a large measuring cup, mix the remaining wet ingredients together and blend til well mixed.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well combined with an electric hand mixer or a large whisk. Mix until well combined and lump free.

Pour cake mix into prepared Bundt pan and bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, top with glaze (recipe below).

Kahlua Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 Tbsp. Kahlua
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients til smooth and pourable. If too thick and a few drops of water. If too thin, add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

Pour or spoon glaze over the entire cake. Garnish with mini chocolate chips if desired. (I didn't have any so I used pecans). Allow glaze to set before slicing into cake.

Caramel Cream Cheese Apple Dip

2011-11-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a low-stress Thanksgiving week. I have to work that day, but will be celebrating a bit on Wednesday since it's also my son's birthday. Went to a fun baby shower today and brought this dip along.

This dip is kinda the best of both worlds if you like caramel dip and cream cheese dip. Just put them together and it's all kinds of yum! Here's the recipe I found from Jane Deere.

2 8-oz pkgs Cream Cheese, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

1 16 oz carton Old Fashioned caramel apple dip

1 cup Heath Bits ‘O Brickle Toffee Bits

4 large Granny Smith Apples, sliced thick

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread mixture evenly onto a platter. Spread caramel apple dip on top of the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle top generously with toffee bits. Serve with thick slices of Granny Smith apples.

I also recently made this Black Bean Burrito Bake that I found at Sidewalk Shoes sometime back. I personally thought it was wonderful and easy. Some children didn't care for it too much.

I couldn't get a decent picture to save my life. And don't get me started on that broccoli. I've been making it the Ina Garten way lately and just can't get enough of it!

Here's the black bean recipe for ya:

1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (full fat yogurt – whatever floats your boat)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup bottled salsa
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine sour cream (or yogurt) and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.

Place half of beans in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add chopped beans, remaining beans, and corn to sour cream mixture.

Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread salsa over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 4

Greetings & Some Chicken

2011-07-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings to you all....this is my first post on my new blog. If you've stopped by, you may or may not know me from some other blog. I doubt this one will be much different, but I just felt like a new location, so here we are! I'm not really sure how this is going to work out, but new things are always fun. Usually? Well, here goes....

I tried a new Rachael Ray recipe a few days ago...I actually found 3 of her books at a thrift store for $2 each and brought them all home with me. I know she's not everyone's favorite, but she makes some nice stuff now and then.

She calls this one "Rummy Chicken" and I chose it because I had bought some rum, and used just a little and just couldn't find time to drink the rest ;)

4 bone-in chicken breasts
4 bone-in chicken legs and thighs
(we had some leg quarters in the freezer so I just used those)
2 tbsp grill seasoning
1 cup light rum
zest and juice of one orange
1 cup fresh basil, shredded

Place the chicken in a shallow dish. Season the meat liberally on both sides with grill seasoning. Add the rum, orange zest, juice, and basil to the dish; turn the chicken to coat and combine. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Grill the chicken for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally, until the juices run clear.

It was good, no complaints here. But I can't say the rum added anything major. I ended up just baking it in the oven rather than grilling it since it was rather stinkin' hot outside.

So, I wish I had come up with something really amazing to post for the new blog, but I didn't....hopefully you'll come back anyway!