rocky road Brownies

Another easy recipe- only 4 ingredients :)  Made these for a 49er party, hence the "Touchdown" plate.

1 box of fudge brownie mix

2 cups mini marshmallows (in my case I didn't have minis so I just cut large ones into small pieces)

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Make the brownies according to the box and add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips
• Bake according to the box and when they are done, pull them out and immediately put the marshmallows on top.
• Follow by adding the chocolate chips and walnuts
• The marshmallows will melt slightly onto the brownies.
• It is best to leave them at least 2 hours before cutting to allow the marshmallows to harden.
• Yummy!!

Cake Batter Cookies

Light and fluffy, these cookies are SUPER easy... only 5 ingredients! I bet these cookies would be great with chocolate cake mix and white chocolate chips too.. yummoooo

1 box of cake mix (I used yellow)

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup milk chocolate chips (can use cranberries, or anything you like!)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix cake mix and baking powder together, then add the eggs and oil
• Once incorporated, add the chocolate chips or your favorite addition and place rounded spoon fulls on a baking sheet
• Bake for approximately 12 minutes
• Let cool a few minutes before moving to a plate to cool completely

My Pasta Pomodoro

This might be one of my favorite recipes I make- it is fresh, delicious and so easy!

Cut up a ton of tomatoes,
garlic and basil

Sautee the garlic in about 1/2 cup of
olive oil for about 5 minutes- careful
not to let the garlic burn

Add the tomatoes and let cook about
5 minutes, then add the basil and
on very low heat cook for about 15
minutes. Then add 1/4 cup of
white wine!

Cook your noodles- thin
spaghetti or angel hair
is the best. When the noodles
are done, add them to the
tomatoes

Christmas Crack

Tastes a lot like a salty toffee...

1 sleeve of Saltine Crackers + a couple more to fill in spaces

1 cup butter (must use butter not margarine)

1 cup brown sugar

1 package of milk chocolate chips

1 cup of almonds, chopped

Directions:

• Lay Saltine crackers in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet
• In a small saucepan, mix brown sugar and butter until melted. Once the mix comes to a roiling boil, set timer and let cook for 3 minutes exactly
• Pour carefully over saltine crackers
• Put crackers into preheated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes
• Pull out of oven and sprinkle choc chips right away. As soon as they start to melt, carefully spread across the crackers to make sure it is fully covered in chocolate
• Sprinkle almonds evenly over the chocolate.
• Let the Christmas Crack sit for a few minutes and put into the fridge to set up. After it is nice and cool you can cut the dessert!

Strawberry Salad

I recently had this delicious Strawberry Salad at a birthday party (Thank you Mona Purkey!) Of course, I had to recreate it. This recipe deviates a little from the original, mainly because I used a couple ingredients I already had.

1 package of feta cheese

2 pints strawberries, sliced

1 cup caramel walnuts (original used candied pecans)

1 cup Craisins

1-2 packages of mixed lettuce

Strawberry dressing (I used a strawberry poppy seed I found in the chilled dressing section)

Mix it all together!

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Ok really- these are AMAZING!! You must try them. I even think they would be a really great cookie without being rolled in the oreo.

Dough in the mixer!

Ready to head into the oven

Final product!

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup Oreo cookies, crunched up

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and well-combined.

3. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix until the ingredients are well-combined. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
4. Place the Oreo cookie crumbs in a small bowl. Scoop the cookies into about 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls. (the dough will be soft, don't worry if it doesn't scoop into a well-formed ball, the crumbs will help hold it together) and then roll in the cookie crumbs. Place the cookie balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

5. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Website I got the recipe from, click here. 

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Seagram's Vodka, Bourbon Vanilla
Beans and 8 oz syrup bottles.

2 beans, split in 1/2 in each bottle.

Fill with 8 oz vodka

After sitting one day. 





Cauliflower Crust Pizza

So when I saw this I was really excited about trying a pizza with no bread. After showing Stephen what I would be making, I must admit he was extremely skeptical, but believe me, this pizza was SO good! Naturally gluten free and full of deliciousness :)

Ingredients for the crust:

1 cup riced cauliflower

1 cup mozzarella cheese

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

To "Rice" the Cauliflower

• Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
• One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Just the crust about to go into the oven.

The final creation!

Webite I got the recipe from can be seen here!