Gooey Chocolate Chip Caramel Peanut Butter Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (16 oz.) packages of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough 
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• 60 whole caramels (unwrapped)
• ½ cup peanut butter (melted-you can melt it in microwave)
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 375° F and grease 9 x 13-inch jelly-roll pan (baking sheet or pan with rims).
• Spread one package of cookie dough into prepared pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 
• Remove pan from oven and set aside.
• In a double boiler (a metal bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with ½ cup evaporated milk.
• When melted and combined, add ½ cup melted peanut butter and pour over cookie base. 
• Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.
• With the second package of cookie dough, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls evenly onto caramel and chocolate chips mixture; press down lightly.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and edges are set. 
• Cool in pan on wire rack.

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! T.

Snowball Cookies / Russian Tea Biscuits

Snowball Cookies / Russian Tea Biscuits 

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups - All purpose flour
2 Cups - Finely chopped pecans
1/4 Cup - Sugar
1 Cup - Butter (Softened)
1 tsp - Vanilla
Powdered sugar


DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 325°F. 
• Combine all ingredients except powdered sugar in bowl. 
• Beat at low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well mixed. 
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. 
• Place 1 inch apart onto un-greased cookie sheets. 
• Bake 18-25 minutes or until very lightly browned. 
• Cool 5 minutes
• Roll in powdered sugar while still warm and again when cool.

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! T.

Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback Potatoes 

INGREDIENTS:

4 large Russet potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem
3 tablespoons parmesan, grated.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry. Slice 1/8 off of the bottom of the potato. Cut slits, ¼ inch apart in the potatoes, stopping two-thirds of the way down. This will leave the bottom intact. 

Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish. Brush the potatoes all over with olive oil, including the bottoms. Sprinkle the potatoes generously with salt and pepper. Add garlic slices randomly in the slits of the potato. Sprinkle with thyme. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes. If slits are sticking, gently pull them apart.

Bake until the potatoes are crispy on the edges and easily pieced in the middles with a paring knife. Remove from oven, drizzle with butter and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve.

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! T.

Cheesy Pull-Apart Pesto Bread

Cheesy Pull-Apart Pesto Bread

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 loaf baked French or Italian bread
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup basil pesto (Can use store bought)
• 1 1/2 cup cheese (Mozzarella, parmesan, and asiago)

***Use your favorite grated cheese and flavored fillings to personalize your pull-apart bread.

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 375 °F

• Place the bread on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, make 1" diagonal cuts through the bread, leaving the bottom crust intact. Turn the bread and make diagonal cuts in the opposite direction, creating a crosshatch pattern.

• Meanwhile, pour the melted butter into the cuts of the bread. Then, drip the pesto into the cuts of the bread. Finally, stuff the shredded cheese into the cuts of the bread.
• Wrap the bread in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Then, open the foil to expose the top of the bread and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again!
T.

Mini Fruit Pie

Mini Fruit Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Pie Crust Dough (store bought refrigerated or homemade)

Filling (Fruit/pie filling - Cherry, Apple, etc.) 

    DIRECTIONS:

• Use a biscuit cutter to create mini pie crusts  (circles)
• Press the dough into muffin tins
• Fill with pie filling.
• Top with Lattice, Full, crumble or no crust
• Pinch the edges to seal the crust
• Bake at 375°F for 12-17 min, or until the filling is bubbly

***Cover with tin foil if they get too brown. Let cool and serve.***

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! T.

BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM MINI-CHEESECAKES

Photo courtesy

BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM MINI-CHEESECAKES

Ingredients:

For the crust:
16 whole Oreo, finely ground in food processor
3 tablespoons melted butter

For the filling:
16 oz (2-8-oz pkg) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

For the ganache glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

1. Combine the ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined. Spoon into 24 mini cheesecake cups. Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat. If you have a small cup or container small enough, that works well. Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.

2. In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in sour cream, Bailey's, and vanilla.

3. Pour or spoon batter into cheesecake pan cups to fill to a little less than half of the cup. Then add the melted chocolate to the rest of the batter. Fill the cups to about 3/4 full.

4. Bake for 25-28 minutes until cheesecake is cooked through. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

5. Once the cheesecakes have cooled, loosen the edges with a plastic knife and remove them from the pan by pushing up on the removable bottoms. Arrange them on a piece of waxed paper and make the glaze.

Yields: 24

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! T.

Mini Cheesecakes

Photo from: http://www.shutterstock.com

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST ~
1 1/3   cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4      cup white sugar
1/4      cup margarine (Melted)


CHEESECAKE ~
32       oz packaged cream cheese (Softened at room temperature)
1         cup white sugar
2         tbsp lemon juice
2         tsp  grated lemon zest
1         tsp  vanilla extract
4         eggs
1        can cherry or blueberry pie filling OR
          raspberries, strawberries or blueberries OR
          chocolate syrup



DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Grease 4 - 6 cup muffin pans. 
3. Mix together crust ingredients with a fork, until combined.
4. Spoon into the bottom of each muffin cup and press firmly.
5. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove and cool.
6. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla until  fluffy.
7. Mix in eggs.
8. Mixture should be smooth and silky.
9. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
10. Bake for 25 minutes.
11. Cool completely before removing.
12. Refrigerate until ready to sere.
13. Top with fruit or fruit filling. 

Yields 24


Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! 
~T.

Sunny Anderson's Baklava Cups

Photo from: http://www.dailyelf.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/21/RE0510_Baklava-Cups_s4x3_lg.jpg

INGREDIENTS:
1/2  cup  pistachios
1/2  cup  walnuts
1/2  cup  almonds
1/4  cup  sugar
3     tbsp sugar
2     tbsp butter (melted)
1     tsp   ground cinnamon
1/2  tsp   salt
1/4  tsp   vanilla extract
2     boxes pre-made mini phyllo (filo) shells
1/2  cup water
1/4  cup honey
The zest of 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Arrange pistachios, walnuts and almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet.
2. Toast the nuts in the oven at 350 F, until golden and fragrant. (Apx. 8 min.)
3. Let nuts cool slightly.
4. Add nuts, lemon zest, 3 tbsp sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract to a food processor and pulse to combine.
5. Place mini phyllo (filo) shells in the wells of two mini cupcake pans.
6. Add 1 tsp of the nut mixture into each shell.
7. Bake at 350 F, until filling is hot. (APX. 10 min.)
8. Add water, 1/4 cup sugar and honey to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
9. Reduce heat to a simmer & cook until reduced and slightly thickened to syrup consistency. (APX. 8-10 min.)
10. Pour 1 tsp of the syrup into each cup and allow it to soak in, then repeat.
11. Refrigerate 5 hours - overnight, then serve.

YIELDS: 30 cups.

This recipe by Sunny Anderson is easy and delicious.


Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! 
~ T.

Christmas snowflake cut out cookies Pope's Valentine Cookies

Photo from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/SnowFlake1sm.jpg

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ pounds butter (softened)
• 7 ½ cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 °F.
2. Mix butter in a mixer until light.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Knead until velvety. 
5. Roll one-half of the dough at a time to about 1/4 inch thickness, using the smallest amount of flour possible.
6. Cut out and bake on a lightly greased pan for 12 minutes. Cookies will be almost white when cooked.
7. Decorate with sugar or icing.

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! 
~T.

Ginger Snaps

 

Photo from: http://c0421832.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/album/932/520.jpg

INGREDIENTS: 

• • 1½  cups butter (softened)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • Additional Sugar 

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. 
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
3. Beat in molasses. 
4. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
5. Roll into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar. 
6. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. 
7. Bake at 350 °F for 8-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before moving to wire racks.

Yields: 5 Dozen

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again! T.

Birthday Cupcake

If you don't already have all of these items in your pantry, here is an approximate cost:

box of cake mix APX $2.50

eggs  $2.00

& oil $4.00

1-(12) muffin pans (reusable)   $6.00

& baking cups $1.00

chocolate frosting  $2.00

squeeze frosting (in a tube) $3.00

tips for the tube (reusable) $2.00

total APX $22.00

Follow cake mix box instructions. Pour into muffin pans and bake.  Cool cupcakes, frost & decorate. Arrange on plate and serve.

Yields 20-24 cupcakes

Here's a hint you'll need 13 cupcakes to spell out Happy Birthday.

The end result....OK so it isn't the prettiest picture, but you get the idea & it was umm, umm goooooood!

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again!
T.

$20 or less: Strawberry short-cake

I stumbled across this and thought I'd share the recipe here:

1 can of buttermilk biscuits or Hostess brand sponge cake shells- APX 1.60 = 1.60

2 lbs of fresh strawberry's - APX$4.99/lb = 9.98

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime - APX .59c each = 0.59

1/4-1/2 cup sugar - APX $2.00    = 2.00

1 can whipped cream - APX $3.50 = 3.50

GRAND TOTAL =$17.67

Slice strawberry's and combine in airtight bowl with sugar (to taste) & lemon juice.

Place in the fridge for 1HR - overnight 

Bake biscuits as directed 

Place 1/2 biscuit on plate

Place strawberry mixture over biscuit just prior to serving.

Add whipped cream as desired.

***Juice is not absolutely necessary to enjoy this.  Of course you can always make your own biscuits from scratch.***

Serves 6

APX: 190 Calories each

Fat: 2g

Until next time, when we can chit-chat again!
T.