Pizza Bites December 18, 2009

Here’s a quick appetizer that I bet your family will enjoy.  I used a store-bought pizza dough to make it easier on me this time, but I would love to try a homemade dough sometime. 

Pizza Bites

2 cans refrigerated classic pizza crust

8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 48 cubes

48 slices pepperoni (3 oz)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 jar or homemade batch pizza sauce

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray two 9-inch pie plates or one 9×13 pan with cooking spray.  Remove dough from both cans.  Unroll dough; starting at center, press out each dough rectangle with hands to form 12×8-inch rectangle.  Cut each rectangle into 24 squares. 

Top each square with a cheese cube and pepperoni slice.  Wrap dough around filling to completely cover; firmly press edges to seal.  Place seam side down with sides touching in sprayed pie pans.  Brush oil over dough and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 16-22 minutes or until brown.  Serve warm pizza bites with warm pizza sauce.

Recipe from Pillsbury

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies December 16, 2009

This time of year can’t go by until the Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies are baked and enjoyed.  This cookie is one of those that will show up at least once or twice throughout the Christmas parties I go to, whether I bake and share them or another guest does.  These are very easy cookies to put together.  Thanks to my handy-dandy cookie scoop, this recipe is easily completed in less than an hour!  I think I did it in more like 30 minutes.  If you don’t have a cookie scoop yet, put it on your Christmas list, besides the baking mats, it’s a necessity if you want to make cookies in a flash!   

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Sugar

48 (1 8-8.5 oz bag) Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg; mix with electric mixer on low speed until stiff dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet topped with a baking matt. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately top each cookie with 1 milk chocolate kiss candy, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge.  Remove from cookie sheet to cool.

Recipe from Pillsbury

 

Peppermint Meltaways December 14, 2009

The first time I made meltaways, I fell in love with them.  I think it’s because of they way they just melt in your mouth as you eat them.  When I saw this recipe on Taste of Home, I immediately went through the ingredient list to see if I had everything in the house to make them, and sure enough I did!  They are a bit time consuming, maybe a half hour more than your normal chocolate chip cookie, mainly because of the frosting, but they were very easy to make and turned out great! 

Peppermint Meltaways

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

Frosting:

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbsp milk

1/2 cup Andes mint chips

In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in extract.  Combine flour and cornstarch; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Shape into 1 inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a small bowl, beat butter until fluffy.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and milk; beat until smooth.  Spread over cooled cookies; sprinkle with crushed candies.  Store in an airtight container. 

Recipe adopted from Taste of Home

Vanilla Chai Tea December 11, 2009

I’ve recently come to really enjoy my Chai Tea.  Maybe it’s the cold weather or possibly the pregnancy…but I love a mug of the warm and delicious beverage with the wonderful flavors of spices around mid-morning.  It’s just enough to get me by until lunch and (along with my space heater) takes the chill off the bones in this beautiful 7 degree weather we’re getting in Chicago.  (If I were in Florida with my parents this week, I’d probably whip up a glass of the mix with ice for an Iced Chai Tea, but…I’m not.)

I used the recipe from Amy’s blog, The Motherload, with a few minor changes that I will specify below.  

There is something about making things like this homemade, having to by all the ingredients and mixing them together when it would save a lot of time (but probably not much money) just buying a mix from the grocery store.  This is the one thing I really enjoy about baking and blogging.  Enjoying the homemade results!  

Homemade Vanilla Chai Tea Mix

1 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

1 cup French vanilla powdered non-dairy creamer

2 ½ cups white sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups)

1 ½ cups unsweetened instant tea

2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cardamom (I omitted)

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

¼ tsp white pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor/blender and blend until it is a fine powder.  This may need to be done in two or three separate batches.  Add two-three tablespoons of mix to 8 ounces of hot water or milk.  Enjoy!

Recipe from Amy at The Motherload

Sweet Noodle Salad December 10, 2009

This is the first time I’ve made this salad — at my mom’s request for my sister’s baby shower/open house.  To be honest, I can’t remember ever eating it before but it turned out great!  As you can tell by the name, this salad has a slightly sweet flavor due to the sweetened condensed milk and sugar.  This recipe makes a large batch but could easily be cut in half.

Sweet Noodle Salad

2 (8oz) boxes colored rotini noodles, cooked & drained

3 grated carrots

1 green pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped onion

8 oz colby cheese, cubed

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups mayo

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

Mix all ingrediants except the cubed cheese together while the noodles are still hot.  Refrigerate for four hours or over night.  Mix in the cubed cheese and serve.

Recipe from the Protestant Reformed Cookbook

Caramel Cheerio Squares December 9, 2009

Are you looking for a treat for your kids that will fit in your budget and that has some kind of health benefit?  I think you came to the right place.  I made these and decided that they would be a perfect after school snack.

I’ll be honest and tell you they do contain sugar — what snack doesn’t?  But the main ingredient is Cheerios.  Do you know of all the health benefits of Cheerios?  Check them out for yourself:  Cheerios.   Although, then I ran across this link.  I guess everything in moderation.

As for budget-friendly.  You won’t be able to run to the store today and get everything at a reasonable price (unless you’re lucky) but if you think ahead and watch for sales, you’d be surprised how much you can save.  For more info on that check out Mummy Deals. 

I bought my caramels after Halloween for 75% off, my marshmallows somewhere for less than $1 and my Cheerios super cheap during some sale probably with some coupons (I stocked up on those!).

When I would make these bars again, I would probably eliminate the chocolate drizzle and chocolate coated candies.  I didn’t have the minis, so I chopped up the normal-size M&Ms.  I don’t think the bars really need that added sugar :)

Do you have a budget-friendly recipe that is geared toward getting some health benefits into your family?  Let me know about them!

 Caramel Crisp Bars

 6 cups Cheerios® cereal

 1 bag (14 oz) caramels

3 tablespoons water

2 cups miniature marshmallows

¼ cup miniature semisweet candy-coated chocolate candies for baking

Glaze:

1/4 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips

2 teaspoons shortening

Butter 13×9-inch pan. Into large bowl, measure cereal. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and water uncovered on High 2 1/2 to 4 minutes, stirring after each minute, until smooth. Pour over cereal; gently stir until well coated. Add marshmallows; gently stir. Press evenly in pan, using buttered back of spoon

In small microwavable bowl, microwave glaze ingredients uncovered on Medium (50%) about 1 minute or until mixture can be stirred smooth; drizzle over bars.

Sprinkle bars with candies. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until bars are firm and glaze is set. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store loosely covered.

Serving: Calories 90 (Calories from Fat 20); Total Fat 2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 65mg; Total Carbohydrate 16g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 8g); Protein 1g

Recipe from Cheerios.com

M&M Cookies December 8, 2009

I had M&Ms leftover from Halloween, and since they are not the original m&m colors, I decided to use them up instead of hold on to them till next year.  (don’t worry, I would never do that!)

I found a recipe on For the Love of Cooking that looked really good.  They had M&Ms and Reeses in them.  I decided to skip the Reeses and load them with M&Ms.  The cookies turn out to be chewy in the center and had a slight crunch around the outside.  I also liked the addition of whole wheat flour in them–anything to make them healthier!  I would for sure make this recipe again, probably with no adjustments.  Make them for yourself and see what you think!

M&M Cookies

1/2 cup of butter, softened

3/4 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

M & M’s

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with a silpat baking mat.

In a large bowl, mix the butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy and smooth.  Slowly beat in the eggs.  In another bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt together thoroughly.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixtures until well blended.  Add M&M’s and mix carefully.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheets.  Press the remaining M&M’s to the top of the cookies.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool before moving them to a wire rack.

Recipe adopted from For the Love of Cooking

Pumpkin Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting December 7, 2009

 

These cupcakes were delicious.  The pumpkin flavor in the cupcake along with the cream cheese frosting is a great combo.  I used the cupcake recipe from Sarah’s Cucina Bella.  And the cream cheese frosting from  Smitten Kitchen.  

I really hope I can impress you with my posting this month.  I realize I have been slackin’ lately.  I think the only way I get through this cold wintery season (I really enjoy the warm weather) is being able to bake as much as I want, so I’m hoping to make Christmas cookies galore along with some other side dish/appetizer recipes in the upcoming weeks!  Check back soon!  

Pumpkin Cupcakes
yields 18 cupcakes 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 cupcake cups with cupcake liners (I use a 6-cup cupcake/muffin tin and a 12-cup cupcake/muffin tin). 

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt. Set aside. 

In a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract and pumpkin puree until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture a little at a time until fully incorporated. 

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cups, filling them about 3/4 full. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes and then transfer the cupcakes to a metal rack to cool completely. Then frost the cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows). 

Recipe from Sara’s Cucina Bella 

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting 

Two (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (I omitted) 

In a stand mixer beat all the ingredients on medium until fluffy. Chill the frosting for 10 to 20 minutes, until it has set up enough to spread smoothly. 

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Chocolate-Cinnamon Bundt Cake w/ Mocha Icing November 23, 2009

I saw this recipe in one of the last Bon Appétit magazines that I received and I knew I would love it, with the combination of the unique flavors in a chocolate cake.  Sure enough, it was delicious! 

If you’re looking for a fun unique dessert, give this one a try!

Chocolate-Cinnamon Bundt Cake w/ Mocha Icing

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder, divided
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously brush 12-to 15-cup nonstick Bundt pan with oil. Whisk 1 cup boiling water, cocoa powder, and 2 teaspoons espresso powder in 2-cup glass measure. Whisk 2 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla in large bowl to blend. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds longer. Beat in half of flour mixture, then cocoa mixture. Add remaining flour mixture; beat to blend. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool the cake 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; cool 15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, stir remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, and 2 tablespoons water in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts. Remove from heat. Add butter and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips; stir until butter and chocolate melt. Cool slightly. Using spoon, drizzle icing over cake. Cool cake completely, slice, and serve.

Recipe from Bon Appétit

Easy Veggie Pizza November 15, 2009

Easy Veggie Pizza

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls or crescent refrigerated seamless dough sheets

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp dried dill weed

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup small fresh broccoli florets

1/3 cup quartered cucumber slices

1 plum tomato, seeded, chopped

1/4 cup shredded carrot

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Unroll both cans of crescent rolls/sheets and place in an ungreased 15×10x1 pan pressing the dough on the bottom and up the sides to form the crust. 

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In small  bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth.  Spread over cooled crust.  Top with veggies.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.  Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows.

Recipe from Pillsbury