Molten Chocolate Cake

Okay, so have you ever eaten a molten chocolate cake at a restaurant and feel like you were in the middle of a dream it was so good? And have you ever though how amazing the dessert chef must be to whip up something THIS delicious? Well...you can now be that dessert chef sending your guests into their own little chocolate heaven...and it is SOOOO easy! I know you may not believe me, but just read the recipe below, it is a piece of cake! I want this every day of my life...but I am afraid that would bring on some very unwanted pounds.

Molten Chocolate Cake

Printable Version

4 pieces semi sweet baking chocolate (4 oz. total)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbs. flour

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Spray 4 custard cups with Pam and place on cookie sheet. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, or until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is also melted. Stir in powdered sugar until well blended. WHisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour. Divide evenly between cups. Bake for 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand one minute. Invert cakes onto dishes (I had to run a knife between the cake and dish on the edges to loosen it.) and top with ice cream and/or whipped cream.

Serves 4.

Recipe from The PioneerWoman

Chicken Stuffed Shells

Mmm MMM good! These were perfectly creamy, flavorful, and of course, cheesy! I love pasta. I love pasta way too much...and these hit the spot. There was just enough chicken in the shells to fake me out and make me feel like MAYBE I was eating something healthy! I decided to put a pink sauce on top rather than the traditional red sauce, and what a good decision that was! Give these a shot...they are bomb.

Chicken Stuffed Shells
Printable Version

Shells
12 jumbo uncooked pasta shells
1 heaping tsp. garlic cloves (minced)
1 chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
1/8 cup Italian breadcrumbs
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ teaspoons dried parsley
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. basil
1/8 cup heavy cream
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Sauce
2 heaping tsp. minced garlic
4 oz tomato sauce
4 oz tomato paste
7 oz stewed or diced tomatoes
2 tsp. dried oregano
½ Tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. cornstarch
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup milk

Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Rinse with cold water, separate and set aside.
Combine garlic, chicken, ricotta cheese, bread crumbs, cream, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, parmesan, and half of the mozzarella.
For sauce, put tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Combine all ingredients in a separate bowl and add tomatoes to create a pink pasta sauce.(you may substitute this sauce with red or white sauce, if you prefer.)
Pour half of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. Stuff shells 1 by 1 with the chicken/cheese mixture and place in rows into the baking dish on top of the sauce. Top the shells with shredded mozzarella and pour the over half of the sauce over the top of shells. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serves 3.

Rice Crispie Cookies

Yes, rice crispies COOKIES, and yes, this is the 3rd batch of cookies I have made this week! We have had quite the sweet tooth at our house lately...we better calm it down or we will put on quite a bit of weight! Mom wonderful momma introduced me to these delicious little gems. They are basically just a chocolate chip cookie dough, but instead of chocolate chips, you add rice crispies. They have the perfect 'crunch' that makes you go back for more...careful, they are hard to put down!

Rice Crispie Cookies
Printable Version

1 cup butter
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups white flour
2 cups wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups oatmeal, coarsly ground
2 1/2 cups rice crispie cereal

Beat butter, applesauce, and oil together. Add sugars, eggs, vanilla and salt. Combine flours, soda, ground oatmeal in a differnet bowl then add to sugar mixture. Mix to combine. Add rice crispies and stir to combine. Using two spoons, drop dough in small balls onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Makes about 60 cookies.

Recipe from: Mom

Peanut Butter Cinnamon Cookies

These are not your plain old Peanut Butter Cookies...they are better! A neighbor of mine brought me these cookies as a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift, and now we are great friends! (Both because of the cookies and I like her personality!) Seriously, I could not figure out what would be so good about her plain old Peanut Butter Cookies, and then she told me that there was Cinnamon in them....delish. They kind of have a fall flavor, so there is no better timing than now to make them!

Peanut Butter Cinnamon Cookies

Printable Version

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

milk chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars, peanut butter, egg and vanilla. Blend in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir in chocolate chips if desired. (I topped mine with chocolate chips and stirred some in...they were way better stirred in!) Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

Makes about 40 cookies.

Recipe from: Jaime

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This is hands-down the best cranberry sauce. I never liked cranberry sauce until this year I decided to make it myself for Thanksgiving...it was deathly! I still have a tupperware of it and I am sneaking spoonfuls each day-I just can't stay away!

Cranberry Sauce

Printable Version

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

3 Tbs. 100% Orange juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Dissolve sugar in water and orange juice while bringing to a boil. Add cranberries and reduce to simmering. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until all cranberries have popped. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Enjoy!

Chippers

Chippers, chippers, O how long I have tried to master you for. Today was the day! I believe that I got as close to making the Paradise Chipper cookies today as I ever have...and I will stick with this recipe! It was to die for. At my first bite I screamed to my hubby..."They taste like chippers! They TASTE LIKE CHIPPERS!" Now, this is both positive and negative. Positive because, well, they are delicious. Negative because I haven't stopped eating them all evening. You won't be disappointed. Not to mention that they are 100% whole wheat flour, so some of the guilt is taken away!!

Chippers

Printable Version

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups wheat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 cups oat flour(whole oats ground to a flour consistency, 1 1/2 cups whole oats=1 cup oat flour)

Scant 1/2 cup coarse oats (whole oats coarsely ground)

1/3 cup ground coconut

1/3 cup coarsely ground rice crispies

3/4 bag milk chocolate chips

Cream butter, shortening and sugars. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats. Mix until combined. Add in coconut, rice crispies and chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Using hands, roll into smaller than ping-pong ball size balls. Bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes.

Makes about 60 cookies.

Grilled Chimichiladas

Grilled Chimichiladas

Printable Version

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice from 1 lime
2 tablespoons sour cream

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 cups shredded cheese

1 tablespoon salsa

4 oz green chilies

1/4 large onion

4 whole wheat flour tortillas

Mix the mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream a in a large bowl.

Puree salsa, green chilies, and onion until smooth, then add to mayonnaise mixture. Add chicken and cheese and toss to combine.

Arrange chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. If the tortilla will not stay closed on its own, use a toothpick to secure ends. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

Serves 4.

Adapted from: Melanie

Hasselback Potatoes

These are killer! Seriously, killer! My hubbs is now requesting these with every meal that can have potatoes served with it. This was such a fun way to mix it up from the regular baked potato. I can't wait to have them again!

Hasselback Potatoes

Printable Version

4 medium baking potatoes
4 tsp. minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the potato on a cutting board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, making thin slices.

Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet. Melt butter and stir in minced garlic. Spread between the slits. Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground black pepper over the potoates.

Bake the potatoes for about one hour or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

Recipe From: Melanie

Blonde Brookie

You know that you're in trouble when something tastes just as good the second day as the first. I usually count on the fact that with sweets, it just isn't the same the next day. This dessert did not pull through for me that way! They are delicious straight out of the oven AND the next day; still just as moist with a perfect crunch on the top and edges. I couldn't decide if this was a cookie or a brownie, it is the perfect mixture of each! (that's why it's a "Brookie")!

Blonde Brookie

Printable Version

2 ¼ c. flour

3 eggs

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. salt

1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

1 ¾ c. packed brown sugar

¾ c. butter or margarine

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into 15x10 inch jelly roll pan for thin brownies or a 9x13 cake pan for thick. Bake 20 min(thin)-30 min(thick) at 350 degrees.

Recipe From: The Bennion Cookbook

Chicken Tikka Masala

I have really been into Indian food lately, haven't I? Well, I guess I will just have to blame it on all of the other food bloggers out there...this recipe has been circulating its way across food blogs for a while, and I kept avoiding it. Avoiding it for two reasons. (1)There were two different spices, Turmeric and Garam Masala, that I had never heard or wanted to search for in a store. (2)The recipe wanted me to broil my chicken to cook it. This may sound crazy, but I was nervous! I thought it would get dry, just burn the outside, just not work period! (O how wrong I was...I can't wait to broil my chicken in the winter instead of baking it...much quicker and sooooo moist!) However, after having the recipe pop out at me on way too many blogs, I had to suck it up and make it. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID! It was an A+ delicious meal, totally flavorful, and totally easy. Try it, don't be stupid like me and wait to see it on 18 other blogs. Enough said.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Printable Version

3-4 chicken breasts

1/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. coriander

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

14 oz. can diced tomatoes (pureed if preferred)

3 Tbs. butter (divided)

1/2 onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 heaping tsp. ginger spice

1 1/2 Tbs. Garam Masala
1/2 Tbs. sugar

1 c Basmati rice

1/2 Tbs. Turmeric

1/2 cup frozen peas(optional)

Cook 1 cup rice with 2 Tb butter, 1/2 Tb ground turmeric and 2 c water. (The turmeric adds a subtle flavor - it's more about the vibrant yellow color it creates.)

Mix 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 Tbs. cumin, and 1 Tbs. coriander. Season the chicken breasts with the mixture, using a fork to press seasoning into breasts. Coat both sides of chicken with yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined cookie sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes on each side. It should have a few black spots, which remove easily when dicing. Remove from oven and dice.

While chicken in broiling, dice or puree the onion and saute with 1 Tb butter over med-high heat until slightly browned. In a separate bowl mix garlic ginger, 1/2 Tbs. salt, Garam Masala, sugar, diced tomatoes.

Add to onion in saute pan and allow sauce to simmer for 5 minutes.

After sauce has simmered, add in 3/4 cup heavy cream and stir to combine. Add chicken to sauce.

Serve the rice with the Chicken Masala over the top and an option is to cook the frozen peas, drain, and top dish. They really added a nice crunch as well as more color to this bright meal!

Serves 4.

Recipe Adapted from: The Sisters Cafe