Cooking

Cooking, Peanut Butter Truffles

I am a big fan for chocolate and peanut butter... Who isn't?  Really, it is kind of hard to mess up these two when they are put together.  I am also a fan of minimum ingredients. 4-5 ingredients are some of my favorite recipes. Here is one to add to the books: PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLES. 

Ingredents:

Room temp 16 oz Peanut Butter

1/4 cup room temp butter

2 and 1/4 cup Confectioner  sugar 

1 lb Melted chocolate

Directions:  Add the peanut butter and butter into a mixing bowl.  Cook it in the microwave for 30 sec.  Mix and add the Confectioner Sugar half cup at a time. 

It will end up having a dough constancy like like this: 

Roll the dough with clean hands into 30 even balls. (give or take) I put them into the freezer for 30 minutes so they would harden. 

I like to do this next part 1/3 at a time.  Take 1/3 of a lb of melted chocolate.  Put in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir.  Take 10 peanut butter balls out of the freezer.  Drop the ball into the chocolate mixture.  Take a toothpick and paint strips on the top or wiggle it like a wand over the ball. I also dipped some completely in chocolate.  Do this step separately two more times. 

Put them in the fridge for an hour and they are done!  Here is pictures of the two finale products:

Cooking, Cream Cheese Squares

I made Cream Cheese Squares  for my husband and my brother.  They loved them.  Really they are soooo easy and soooo yummy.  I had to put a lid on them so I would stop nibbling. Haha....Here are the instructions: 

Ingredients:

8oz room temp cream cheese

1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls

1 TBSP cinnamon 

1/2 cup white sugar 

1/8 cup melted butter

2 TBSP of white sugar

2 TSP cinnamon 

First, Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open the can of crescent rolls and take out four.  Lay the flat rolls next to each other in a 8X8 pan. Press together flat.  Next, Mix the room temp cream cheese and 1/2 cup white sugar together.  Spread the mixture on top of the crescent base. Sprinkle the 1 TBSP cinnamon on top.  It should look something like this: 

Next, take the other half of the refrigerated crescents (four) and press them together on a clean surface. You should make a square (8X8) to lay on top.  Do not press the bottom and top layers together.  Just lay it on top. 

Finally, pour 1/8 cup melted butter, 2 TBSP of white sugar, and 2 TSP cinnamon on top evenly.  It should look like this:

Lastly, Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brown.  I had to leave mine in for an extra five minutes.  Enjoy! 

Cooking, Pizza Balls

My hubby loved these. The recipe made ten total. He ate five (half), but I would also serve this with a side salad.  I would also warm up spaghetti sauce for dipping. 

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Open a can of ten dinner rolls.  Flatten the rolls with your hand. Cut a sausage link and cheese into ten equal parts.  The cheese should be an inch square.  Place the cheese down on the dough and then the piece of sausage on top.  

Next, fold the dough around the cheese and sausage. Roll it into a ball. Spray the pan and then place the pizza balls on the pan equally apart. I sprinkled garlic and Italian seasonings on my rolls. 

Lastly, bake for 20 minutes. Remember to heat up the sauce for dipping! 

This recipe is so easy I am kind of embarrassed to put it up.  But every loves them.  My husband and others told me, "These are the best cupcakes I have ever had."  So here we go....

Preheat the oven and follow the directions on the chocolate cake box. Add whatever ingredients the box requires in the mixing bowl. Next, Place the Oreos in the cupcake holders in a muffin pan. It should look like this: 

Add your cake batter on top of the Oreos.  You want it to be a little over half way full.  Follow baking instructions on the box. TIP: I always add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips to the cake batter.  This is not a requirement.  

Once they are done let them cool and add the chocolate frosting.  Save 14 Oreos for toppings.  I used my blender to chop them.  I also mixed in some chocolate chips on top of the of cupcakes.  

I only need one bag of Oreos for this recipe.  I had left over batter, but I just made four plain chocolate cupcakes for those who don't like Oreos (which is no one) lol 

Cooking, Oreo Balls

WARNING:  These are messy to make, irresistible to eat. 

My mother-in-law gave me the recipe for Oreo Balls.  THANKS MOM! :) All you need are three ingredients: Bag of Oreos, 8oz cream cheese room temperature, and one pound of dark melted chocolate.

The front three Oreo balls are the end result.  The back ones still need to be  chocolate covered.

Crush the whole bag of Oreos with a soup can or rolling pin in a bag.  You want the texture to be crumbs NOT dust.  Take room temperature cream cheese and mix/mold it together.  I always have to use my hands so wash them before doing this.    

Once you have your mixture, roll it into golf size (or smaller) balls.  Put them on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer for 20 minutes. 

I put 1/3 of a lb of chocolate in the microwave for one minute. Mix it, and when you need more chocolate only do 1/3 of a pound at a time.  This keeps it from over cooking. 

Use a skewer and a spoon to apply the melted chocolate. Set them back on the cookie sheet and let them turn hard in the fridge for ten minutes.  I always store the Oreo balls in Tupperware in the fridge to keep them fresh.  

Cooking, Mandoline food slicer

I love my Mandoline food slicer!  I make perfect french fries, potato chips, apple chips, and sliced veggies.  To use simply attach the fruit/veggie to the safety cap and move in a up and down motion over the blade. I cut my finger on the sharp blade because I didn't use the safety cover.  My husband also cut his finger while washing it, so be careful!  There are different options and slicers.  I did some research and the one I picked was not the cheapest, but it was the cheapest one with the highest rating.  It even got higher ratings than expensive ones.  Here is the Amazon link.   It will cost around $20.00.  I hope this was a help!

I don't cry anymore when I cut onions.  My eyes are sensitive to them. 

Apple chips!  

Fresh veggies for a salad. 

This is the thinnest cut. 

Making some sweet potato fries.  This is the thicker cut of the two french fry options.

Amazon.com Product Description:

"The folding mandoline from Progressive International allows one to slice, julienne, and garnish fruit and vegetables with one tool. It includes 3 double-sided cutting blades for 6 different cutting options: thin slice, flip for super thin julienne; medium slice, flip for thin julienne; thick slice, flip for thick julienne. The tool is ideal for making French fries or shoestring potatoes as well as thinly sliced carrots, onions, peppers, potatoes, firm tomatoes, kiwi, apples, and more.

Designed for use over a cutting surface or bowl (with its integrated grooves), the mandoline features a comfort grip handle, finger guard for safety, and non-skid base and ridges for stability. Cutting plates conveniently store underneath the unit when not in use. The set also includes a storage box. Cleanup is easy since the set is dishwasher safe. It measures 4-1/2 by 13 by 6-1/4 inches."  

Cooking, Box Baking

It is OK to use a box baking product to cook.  I do make homemade brownies, cakes, and cookies from scratch. However, sometimes it is cheaper for me to use a box because of coupons.  It definitely has a convenient factor to it. Anyways, homemade always tastes better, but these products are a close second.  

 Brownies are probably my number one choice for baking in a box.  I usually get fudge or ones with chocolate chips in them.  I don't go with a store brand when it comes to these babies.  This is one of the few products I am willing to spend an extra $.50 on because I can tell a difference.  You really can't go wrong with Betty Crocker on this one.  In fact, she is sitting in my cupboard right now.  

I don't like box cookies.  They don't come out as moist and fresh tasting. Every chocolate chip cookie mix I used has hardly any chocolate chips in it.  I end up putting my own ingredients in it anyways. ugh! They never turn out right.  Plus when I make homemade I get over 45 cookies in a batch.  Duncan Hines gives me 16.  Tell me if you know of a good baking boxed cookie. 

I love Betty Crocker and Pillsbury when it comes to cakes.  These brands make great cupcakes as well. The only complaint I have with Pillsbury is he never shows up when I am cooking.  It has been a dream of mine to poke his tummy since I was a kid.  Anyways, I always add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to my chocolate cake batter.  It really gives it moisture and everyone loves it. It really is not a must though. Just a tip. ;) 

This is my first time trying muffins from a box.  I used Betty Crocker's help on this one.  RIGHT when I opened the bag I thought, "These so called berries are NOT going to do it." The "berries" were so small and were more candy looking then fruit.  I opened my fridge and added blueberries.  Only a handful.  I would not rely on the box alone on this one.  They turned out great, but with some help.  Kevin LOVED them.  

The box said six, but I easily made seven!

Cooking, rosemary and roasted garlic chicken

This new product is called "Fresh Take".  It is like shake 'n bake only with cheese.  You can find it in the cheese refrigerated section.  It has a crunch, but does not make the chicken dry. 

I used two large chicken breasts, but I had some Fresh Take left over.  The serving size is for six. 

1. Cut the chicken into 6 parts and pound away. Be sure to cut off fat as well. 

2. The packaging comes into two separate parts (bread crumbs and cheese).  Simply peel open the seal and the lining will separate. 

3. Mix the two ingredients together and add a piece of chicken. Seal, shake, repeat! 

4. Spray pan and bake!  Mine took about 35 minutes on 375.  The packaging also gives cooking instructions. Ignore the chicken in the left corner.  That was for me. :) 

VOILA!  I tried a bite and it was delicious.  It made the house smell amazing!  My hubby gave it a 8 out of a ten.  Which is pretty good considering only chocolate items get a ten.  lol