TWD: Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes

This weeks recipe was chosen by Clara of I Heart Food 4 Thought. It was easy to follow. I can't wait to sink my teeth into them! I let them bake a little less than what the recipe called for since others were complaining about the dryness. I added a buttercream filling to the middle of mine which was suggested by Tami's Kitchen Table Talk. I even iced a couple with the buttercream.

I honestly haven't tried them yet. I started them last night, but was running a low grade fever so put the cupcakes away to frost today. I made the icing today while making dinner (meatloaf, yum) and then had to rush my son to Boy Scouts. I will try tonight!

10/29/08 - 9:20 a.m.: I had put these in Tupperware in the fridge last night. After scouts, Jimmy and I tried them. They were delicious!

Buttercream Icing:

1 stick of butter, softened

1 T vanilla

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/8 cup whipping cream

Whip butter until fluffy. Mix in vanilla. Alternate mixing in powdered sugar and whipping cream until the icing is fluffy and smooth - this could take several minutes. Use an icing bag top pipe icing into cupcakes.

Creamy Chicken Pockets

I found this recipe on someone's blog and printed it. I can't remember whose blog it was, though. The recipe had an error in it, so I googled it and found it correct on Pennies on a Platter. It was easy and really delicious. I left out the onions since my son doesn't care for them, but it would be really good with it. My son liked it so well, he ate almost two servings! The crescent rolls make it real flaky.

Creamy Chicken Pockets
(Make 4 pockets - 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
4 small chicken breasts, diced
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons milk
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Brown chicken with onions and garlic.

3. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine until smooth. Add the chicken, kosher salt, seasoned salt, pepper, and milk. Mix well.

4. Separate crescent dough into eight rectangles, firmly pressing perforations of two triangles to seal into rectangle. Spoon 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto the center of four rectangles. Top with remaining rectangles and seal edges.

5. Place pockets on an ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone. Brush tops of pockets with melted butter; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheddar Potato Strips

I was looking through some old Taste of Home magazines and came across some recipes I wanted to make, this being one of them (October/November 2000). I decided to make Manwiches since I hadn't had them in while. I made them with ground Jennie-O turkey and it was quite tasty. Probably since I had not had them in a while.

The cheddar potato strips were really easy to make and delicious. I could've ate a ton of them! I added more cheese than the recipe called for just because I love cheese.

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch strips

1/2 cup milk

1 T butter or margarine

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 T minced fresh parsely (I omitted)

Directions:

In a greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish, arrange potatoes in a single layer. Pour milk over potatoes. Dot with butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 425 degrees for 30 mintues or until the potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and parsely. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 4 servings

Creamy Turkey Sausage Alfredo

This recipe is actually to be made with chicken breasts, but Jimmy and I discovered it was delicious with hot Italian turkey sausage. I omitted the minced onion since I didn't care for it the first time we made it. I added some garlic salt to it and didn't bake it. Just let the sausage simmer in the sauce for a while. We served it over a tri-color pasta and had garlic bread made from hot dog buns and a caesar salad.

I'm giving you the true recipe. It is from some cards I got in the mail from Easy to Bake Easy to Make.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (about 4 oz each)

1/2 tsp salt

2 T plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T minced onion

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 T coarsely chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place flour in a shallow dish or pie plate. Sprinkle chicken with salt; coat with flour. heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook, turning once, until golden, 2-4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet; place in a 13" x 9" baking dish.

2. Heat remaining olive oil in same skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and onion; cook until garlic is fragrant and onion is tender, 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add whipping cream, parmesan and pepper. Cook until sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken in dish.

3. Bake chicken until an instant read thermometer inserted in center of chidken registers 180 degrees, 8-12 mintues. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 6 serviings

Cookie Carnival: Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

This month's Cookie Carnival recipe was mini pumpkin whoopie pies. I remember whoopie pies from when I was younger. These cookies were absolutely delicious! The recipe was easy to follow and not very time consuming at all. My son thought they were the best! I doubled the recipe so I would have plenty to bring to work and to my mom's.

For the cookies:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 T unsalted butter, softened

1/3 c. vegetable shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the filling:

4 oz cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

1. Prepare cookies. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Place butter, shortening, and sugars into bowl. Mix on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in half the flour mixture, then the milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining flour mixture.

3. Drop about 2 tsp dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies spring back when lightly touched, 12-14 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets and tranfer to wire racks using a spatula. Let cool completely.

4. Prepare filling. In bowl, whip together cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, butter and nutmeg; whip until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

5. Pipe or spoon about 2 tsp filling on the flat side of half the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, keeping the flat sides down.

TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was Pumpkin Muffins, page 13, chosen by Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp. I wasn't in the mood for raisins, so I omitted them and the sunflower seeds. I found the muffins wonderful tasting, especially slightly heated with some butter! I made these Saturday night and took some to the Dolphins game the next morning (yes, the Dolphins lost to the Ravens. Sniff!)

I would definitely make these again, but maybe closer to Thanksgiving time. Thanks, Kelly!

Golden Chicken Cordon Bleu

I got this recipe off the Taste of Home website. It's from one of the Cooking for 2 magazines. I wanted to make homemade chicken cordon bleu for last night's dinner. I found this recipe and it was delicious. I would definitely make it again. It was a hit! I served it with mashed potatoes, gravy and caesar salad. I doubled the recipe since I had more than 2 breasts. I will never serve frozen chicken cordon bleu out of a box again!

The recipe was not time consuming at all, especially since I started with the filets that were thin to begin with so I didn't have to bang them out. It looks like it was fussed over. Next time will fry a couple at a time since some started to get too brown since I was trying to bread and fry at the same time! Otherwise, perfect meal!

CATEGORY: Main Dish

METHOD: Baked

TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz each)
• 2 slices deli ham (3/4 ounce each)
• 2 slices Swiss cheese (3/4 ounce each)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness; top each with a slice of ham and cheese. Roll up and tuck in ends; secure with toothpicks.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, paprika and pepper. In another bowl, whisk egg and milk. Place bread crumbs in a third bowl. Dip chicken in flour mixture, then egg mixture; roll in crumbs.

In a small skillet, brown chicken in oil on all sides. Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Discard toothpicks; drizzle with butter. Yield: 2 servings.

TWD: Lenox Almond Biscotti

This week's recipe on pages 141-143 was chosen by Gretchen of Canela & Comino. I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for Biscotti, but I have to say these tasted pretty darn good. I even liked them when I tasted the ends after the first baking. The recipe was simple and not too many ingredients. Good choice, Gretchen!

I didn't modify the recipe any. The unmodified version I find is light and delicious.

Crescent-Topped Cheeseburger Casserole

I had bought a can of the new Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated flaky dough sheet about a month ago. I decided I wanted to make it so I went onto the Pillsbury website and found this recipe. Not only did it seem easy, but something Jimmy would like.

It was very good. The dough tastes just like a crescent roll. Jimmy did the mixing of the ingredients and finished browning the meat. I don't think you should have to cut the dough into 6 squares, but instead just lay the dough on top of the meat in one sheet.

While I was putting this together, I thought of ways to change the recipe - different cheese, make it Italian or Mexican. I will definitely make this again and experiment!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T yellow mustard
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese (6 oz)
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1 egg, beaten
1 T sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in pickles, water, ketchup, mustard and pepper.

2. Spoon beef mixture into 11/7 inch (2 quart) glass baking dish (I used metal). Sprinkle with cheese.

3. Unroll dough; press into 12x8 inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares; place on top of cheese. Brush with egg; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown.

Yield: 6 servings

Quick Cheese Biscuits

I got this recipe from the Great American Home Baking cards in the mail. I made them to have with the Jerk Pork my boyfriend is making. I was a little skeptical at first since they seemed runny. But they taste delicious. Quite simple. Mine only made 7 biscuits tho. Next time I will double the recipe. I used colby jack cheese since I did not have any cheddar.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 t. butter
2/3 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well. Stir in the cheese.

3. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives (or a fork) until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the milk into the flour mixture just until a soft dough forms.

4. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits are firm to the touch, about 15 minutes.

Yield: 10

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake with Instant Fudge Frosting

After noticing my friend, Michele, joined another baking blog, I decided to check it out. It was The Cake Slice! This is a new blog and I just signed up. As usual, we are having dinner at my parents on Thursday night so I decided to bring a dessert. I thought I would try the cake on one of the blog creators, Gigi. As you can see, mine is not a triple layer cake like the recipe called for. First, I thought my mom would die if I brought a triple layer cake over instead of the traditional two layer, and second, I was out of parchment paper and had to only butter the bottom and sides of the pans. Well.....one cake kinda stuck. I frosted it and will take to work. They don't care what it looks like. This isn't the first cake of the new blog, but I had most of these ingredients.

So, anyway.....I tried the bits of cake that fell off the disaster layer and the frosting. I must say YUMMY! I can't wait to have it after dinner!

The recipe is from the book Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes By Alsia Huntsman and Peter Wynne.

For the cake:
4 whole large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup of buttermilk
3 cups of cake flour
2 cups of sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
8 ounces of butter at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of three 8-inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Place the eggs and the yolks in a medium bowl. Add the vanilla and 1/4 cup of buttermilk and whisk all the ingredients well. Set Aside.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer; whisk to blend. Add the remaining buttermilk and butter to the dry ingredients and with the mixer on low speed, blend together. Raise the mixer to medium speed and beat until light fluffy; 2minutes.

Add the egg mixture in three additions, scrapping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Divide the batter among all the pans.

Bake the cake layers for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out the cakes onto a wire rack and remove the paper from the bottoms. Cool completely.

Fudge Frosting:
6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate melted and cooled
4 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar (1 16 oz bag)
12 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons of half and half
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to blend together. Then pulse until the frosting is smooth.


The disaster layer!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I like to call these PMS cookies. they have three different kinds of chocolate in it! I received this recipe in the mail last week in an advertisement for Great American Home Baking.

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 pkg (11 1/2 oz) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside. combine the butter, sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time; stir in the vanilla.

2. Gradually add the flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in all the chocolate chips and the walnuts.

3. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets (or lined with parchment paper). Flatten the dough slightly with the back of a fork. Bake the cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: 5 dozen

I made some smaller, but I like the ones I made bigger since they were a little more soft.

I made the dough up the night before and baked the next day. Still excellent!

TWD: Snickery Squares

Yes, I know I'm late again! I decided not to do the creme brulee. I had spotted the Snickery Squares recipe on page 120-121 and thought it looked luscious. This was chosen by Erin of Dinner & Dessert for March 4th. I made it for dinner at my parents' (every Thursday night). It was a hit! I loved it, but it was soooo rich. Needed big glass of milk! I had never caramelized peanuts before. Delicious! Jimmy and I could have just ate the peanuts.
before baking the shortbread bottom


the caramelized peanuts


the peanuts on top the dulce de leche