A Delicious Start to a New Tradition

Every now and then one of our local grocery stores prints up cards with employee provided recipes and gives them out to the customers. Sometimes those recipe cards are part of a "sample our products" type day and others are just lying around the store hoping to be picked up and treasured by someone. Far be it from me to let any recipe go unnoticed! On my way out of the store one evening after having taught a cooking class, I found a few of these cards. I happily brought them home and added them to my "try this someday" pile. (Incidentally, my "try this" piles are huge...and growing. They are about to undergo a MASSIVE clean out in the next week or so.)

Mr. C and I started a fun tradition a few months back. With Sunday being our day for dessert (usually because we have company), I asked him to choose something for me to make. Mr. C decided to choose something new from my huge pile of "try this" dessert recipes. That practice stuck and he's chosen something new for us to try almost every Sunday since. The recipe he chose that day was from a recipe card I'd picked up a local grocery store...Sheet Cake Cream Puff.

Since I can't say remember ever meeting a cream puff I didn't like, I thought it was a perfect choice! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's always fun to try something new.

Please pardon the bluish "sunlight" fluorescent light of my kitchen, but check out the beautiful base of this cake!


I was truly giddy when I opened up the oven and saw the gorgeous peaks and valleys of the base. I mean, honestly, is this not the coolest dessert base ever! Those pastry crevices were just screaming to be filled with something delectable.


I immediately grabbed my camera and called for Mr. C to come and see!


I've made cream puffs once before, so I should have expected the cake's light and fluffy batter to bake up like this. But, I didn't. For some reason I thought it would be just a regular baked cake. Don't you just love it when something you make is visually delicious?!

Next came what would typically be inside a cream puff, but in this instance it got slathered on top instead. Holy yum! The "filling" layer is a smooth combination of cream cheese and vanilla pudding.


The peaks and the valleys of the base made for lots of places for the cream mixture to gather and be happy. The cream mixture got even happier when I covered it with a layer of whipped topping!

The final touch was my personal favorite ingredient...CHOCOLATE! The recipe calls for "chocolate shavings or syrup." There was no question in my mind. I opted for shavings.

In anticipation of making chocolate mousse, I'd picked up a large bar of Belgian chocolate at the grocery store the week before. I had plenty of extra, so I used a knife and started shaving from the corners of the blocks.


As you can see, my shavings were very, very fine. If you make yours as fine as I did, beware the static electricity. Mine were zipping all over the place (as you can see from the edges of my plate.) You can certainly make them a lot thicker if you prefer.

As a side note, if you can find this Hageland brand of Belgian chocolate, it is fantastic. The chocolate is creamy, it's a great bar for cooking, and it's cheap! WOO HOO! The bar is about $4.50 at Walmart and weighs almost a pound. (I have not been able to find it at all Walmarts though.) It also comes in milk chocolate if you prefer.

The chocolate shavings were the crowning glory of the dessert!

I'd made more shavings that I really needed, so I really loaded up the top. I figured why not. A little extra chocolate never hurts, right!

Here is the long, side view of the finished product. I swear, this picture makes it look like the dessert is 10 feet long...and no one would have complained if it had been!

We loved this dessert...and so did our company. More than one person went back for seconds. It's super easy to make and overall, quite inexpensive too. You've got to love something that's both tasty and cheap!

Sheet Cake Cream Puffs from Laura the Grocery Supervisor
1/2 c butter
1 c water
1 c flour
5 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 lg box vanilla instant pudding
8 oz frozen whipped topping
chocolate shavings or syrup
Boil water and margarine. Add flour to the pot, mix well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Spread on to a greased sheet pan. (I used my largest sheet pan that measures 12" x 17".) Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool. While the base is cooling, prepare the instant pudding as directed on the package. Mix together with softened cream cheese. Spread mixture over cooled crust. Top with whipped topping and chocolate. Refrigerate.

Sadly, I wouldn't say this dessert has a long shelf life. The longer the filling sits on the light and fluffy base, the soggier it gets. But, it won't go bad immediately. We ate it again the next day and it was fine. You'll probably find around day 3 that your dessert is sneaking past it's prime.

I'd say Mr. C's dessert choice that day was a winner for sure. Plus, it helped spawn something fun and new for us. His dessert choice is something we can both look forward to. (In fact, just 2 hours ago he said, "I need to pick our dessert for tomorrow.") Good job honey! We've started a great new tradition together and our recipe file has a delicious new permanent resident.

MMMMM...Mango

I can only assume it's because of Cinco de Mayo, but mangoes seems to be on sale all over. With most fruit still being on the expensive side, cheap mangoes stood out to me at the grocery store a couple weeks ago. I thought they'd make for a cheap side dish with dinner. Plus, in trying to incorporate more seafood in to our meals, shrimp tacos were on the horizon for dinner. Mr. C has fond memories of some shrimp tacos with mango salsa he had at a local restaurant. Since mangoes were cheap, I thought I could try and recreate what he'd had and not have it cost me too much if it was a miserable failure.

I've never made mango salsa before, so I needed a starting point. I found a recipe for pineapple salsa in a magazine and also did a couple searches on the internet. Most fruit salsas seem to have similar ingredients, so I grabbed my favorite knife and went to work.

Look what I came up with:

Isn't it pretty! I just love the colors and chunky texture.

We ate this salsa two ways--with chips and on our shrimp tacos. I absolutely loved it with chips--Mr. C, not so much. He does not share my deep love of onions. (I've often heard cooks say that red onions are more mild and sweet than yellow, but I must respectfully disagree. I think they are exactly the opposite.) While I found the salsa to be a nice blend of flavors, all Mr. C could taste was onion. I said, "What about the sweetness of the mango or the crunch of the cucumbers?" All he would say is, "All I can taste is onions." I personally think it was a mental block created as soon as he tasted his first onion. He loved it on the tacos though. For some reason, as a part of the whole cabbage/shrimp/taco combo, the salsa was perfect for him.

Since Mr. C didn't love it on chips, there was plenty left for me to have for lunch the next day. Delicioso!

Mango Salsa
2 large mangoes, chopped
1 c cucumber, seeded and chopped
2-3 T lime juice (I used fresh squeezed)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
3 chopped and seeded jalapeno peppers
1 t minced garlic
1 t sugar
chopped cilantro
1/4-1/2 t salt (start small and add more to taste)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve chilled or room temperature.

I know what you're thinking, "3 jalapeno peppers!" Don't worry, as long as you take the seeds and veins out, you won't scorch your mouth. They add a nice amount of flavor without a lot of heat. (Try not to splash yourself with jalapeno juice, twice, like I did.) At first I only chopped up one, but I couldn't taste the peppers enough so I added more. The cucumbers provide a nice cool compliment to the peppers. And, if you're wondering why I don't have a measurement on the cilantro it's because I sadly found mine to be all slimy when I opened up my vegetable crisper. It was rotten and I had to throw it away. I hate that! (This is just one of the reasons I want to plant my own herb garden!) I wasn't able to add it this time, but next time I will for sure. I'll probably add a couple chopped tablespoons and adjust from there.

I bet this would be yummy on lovely piece of fish too. Tilapia fillets, here I come!

Berry Berry Yummy

A couple weeks ago I was perusing my recently delivered copy of Simple and Delicious--my favorite cooking magazine. I was planning out my next 2 week meal plan (yes, I only shop once every 2 weeks) and choosing new recipes to try. Inside each issue are contest recipes submitted by readers based on an ingredient or cooking style. Just in time for summer, the newest issue highlights "berry bonanza" winners. The grand prize recipe is a delectable looking blueberry bread pudding.

Let me just interject here and say that I have a long-standing love of bread pudding. That love deepened last year after making Paula Deen's recipe from her first Lady and Sons cookbook. We've made Paula's recipe countless times for special Sunday desserts and visiting friends. In fact, we've had it so much over the past year I was on a small bread pudding boycott.

I have also been obsessed with blueberries lately. After sampling dried blueberries at Costco a few weeks ago (is it possible that anyone loves sample time at Costco as much as we do?), and finally digging up 7.99 to buy a bag, I've gone blueberry crazy. (I used the dried blueberries in lemon blueberry scones last week. YUM!)

Knowing we always have a special dessert after Sunday dinner, I decided it was time to end the boycott and try this prize-winning recipe. I reluctantly forked out 8.99 to Costco for a clam shell of plump little blueberries. (I also added grilled chicken blueberry salad to my menu. Without more than one recipe to use the berries for, 8.99 is too expensive for my grocery budget.) I also bought a loaf of Mr. C's favorite french bread from Walmart and a bag of white chocolate chips. I knew we were in for something tasty.

Oh boy--were we ever!

Then again, with 4 cups of heavy cream and 2 cups of sugar in the recipe, how bad could it be?

Be prepared, this bread pudding is sweet. I mean, SUH-WEET! If you don't have a blood sugar problem before eating it, you will after.

Aside from tasting great, this is a pretty dessert. I mean, just look at the colors and textures! Golden bread chunks, gorgeous berries, highlights of white chips--it's a feast for your eyes.

With summertime and fruit season approaching, and berry prices hopefully dropping, you'll want to add this one to your "make this" list.

Oh yeah, and if you try it with the sauce, let me know how it is!

Over-the-Top Blueberry Bread Pudding
3 eggs
4 c heavy whipping cream
2 c sugar
3 t vanilla
2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1 pkg (10-12 oz) white baking chips
1 loaf (1 lb) french bread, cut in to 1" cubes
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in blueberries and baking chips. Stir in bread cubes; let stand for 15 minutes or until bread is softened. Transfer to a greased 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Sauce:
1 pkg (10-12 oz) white baking chips
1 c heavy whipping cream
Place baking chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over baking chips; whisk until smooth. Serve with bread pudding.

Basil Cream Pasta

Warning: The pictures and recipe you are about to see are not for the low carb, no sodium, non-fat, low cal eaters. The pictures and recipe you are about to view could easily raise your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose level, white blood cell count, kidney output, credit card limit, taxes, fertility, and credit score. You have been warned.

I'm obsessed with this dish. And while it is not the healthiest of choices--you will hardly find it in the Hungry Girl cookbook, possibly not even in the Paula Dean cookbook--we only average this dish about 2 times a month. It's delicious and not too expensive to make. It's simple and only requires a few ingredients that are easily found and changed out if you prefer something else. Let me tell you how my first--and only--original recipe came to be.

I have a gigantic stack of cookbooks. I love them. I love their pictures and ideas. And this past Christmas my wonderful sister, Jackie, gifted me The Pioneer Woman Cookbook. As I turned each page and found a reason to kiss every single pictured recipe I realized this was a cookbook I actually wanted to use, not like those other 30 cookbooks I liked to have around but never use. So, I decided to start a "Recipe Jar". I went through all my cookbooks and wrote down the recipes I actually wanted to try to make. I threw them all in a jar and once a week I pull out one or two to try. Well, I have a bunch of recipes saved on my Google Reader and by bunch I mean enough to make a whole entire cookbook out of. I had a recipe saved that was about Basil Cream Chicken. One night I read through the ingredients and the first couple instructions and started. As it turned out, I made the entire recipe totally wrong but what I got was a delicious recipe instead. In fact, it was the first thing Mr. E ever gave me a 10 for. (We do a numerical rating system when it comes to my cooking. I rarely get a 10 for reason I find pretty darn weird, but that's another story.)

So, I've made this a dozen times since! And it's delicious! Mr. E claims he can tell when I make it with anything besides the mixed cheese but I can't. He must jsut have a distinctive palate. I typically don't measure out the ingredients because it just tastes better when you add things based on taste, so my recipe is just a basic guideline. The amount I make always leaves enough for leftovers which are DELICIOUS! Just be aware that when you open up the sauce the next day the oil will separate from the cream. Just stir it back together and heat. Oh my goodness, it's heavenly.

Don't tell anyone, but I just had my third bowl.

Basil Cream Pasta

Ingredients:

• Pasta of your choice (I recommend something tubular, it's always nice when you have something sauce can get trapped in! Also, just make however much you want. I usually make enough for three servings so Mr. E can have some the next day. Sometimes, I just make a whole box so we can both have some the next day.
• 1 cup heavy cream (I promise this is something you can go a little less on. The whole sauce is based around how much cream you use so you may have to adjust the rest of the recipes based on how much cream you use.)
• 8 oz. of shredded Italian Six-Cheese blend (This blend has mozzarella, provolone, asiago, parmesan, romano, and fontina. If you run out of the six-cheese blend, help yourself to whatever kind of Italian cheese you have lying around. But don't tell your husband, he'll be able to tell on his own later.)
• 1-2 pinches of salt, this is based on taste. I usually put a little bit more in but I'm a salty person. Remember I mentioned this recipe not being for no/low sodium people?
• 1/2-1 T. of dried basil leaves (I usually put a bit more in for this because I love the taste of dried basil)

Start making your pasta. I'm assuming you all out there know how to make pasta. If not, the instructions are on the side of the box. Start there. Just make sure you listen to Giada and REALLY salt the water. Remember, pasta has no taste so salt the water to bring flavor.

Pour cream into a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the cream is warm, not HOT, but warm (I just test with my finger, are you disgusted?) pour in your cheese and stir it slowly to move the cheese around as it melts. Once the cheese is melted, add the salt and basil. I think you should add it here because the basil taste really is able to soak into the cheese and sauce mix.

Once the pasta is finished cooking to your liking, drain and scoop the desired amount into your bowl. The sauce will thicken the longer you leave it on the heat so just leave until you are comfortable. Then pour over your pasta and ENJOY!

And don't email/text/facebook/comment/twitter me if you have a heart attack/stroke/pulmonary embolism/blood clot/constipation/diarrhea etc. While I don't expect any of these things to happen, I do expect extreme happiness after consuming.

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It's a Miracle...Pancake

Mr. C is a delightful man. He's sweet, giving, and my perfect hubby. When it comes to cooking, he is always excited to eat whatever I've decided to make. He's pretty much game for anything (even my current attempt to feed him a 50% vegetarian meal plan). Well, almost anything. He hates pancakes. I mean absolutely despises them. He NEVER eats them. He complains that they are heavy and sit in his stomach for hours.

Imagine his surprise when he woke up one cold morning in January and I announced that we were having pancakes for breakfast. I told him I'd been looking through The Pioneer Woman's cookbook and found an ol' cowboy recipe for sour cream pancakes that I really wanted to try.

I asked him to give me one shot at the recipe. If he didn't like them, I'd never make them ever again. He nervously agreed.

The recipe is super simple and comes together very quickly. The batter is very light and fluffy. It's made with a full cup of sour cream and very little flour. PW says to cook the pancakes on a buttered griddle. I'm always a non-stick spray type of girl, but I decided to throw cholesterol to the wind on this one and butter the griddle right up.

PW also says to cook the pancakes over med-low heat. If you do nothing else according to the recipe, obey this direction. The pancakes cook SUPER fast, only 60-90 seconds per side, at the low heat.

If you attempt to cook them on a higher heat, like I did with my first batch, they will burn. Like I said, if you do nothing else, obey the heat advisory.

Look how fluffy those little beauties are!

I served Mr. C a small stack with some syrup.

He ate one bite...then another...and another. We had a pancake miracle!

He loved them. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED them!

Since Mr. C's brave venture in to pancake land back in January, we've had sour cream pancakes almost every weekend since. He even takes the leftovers to work for breakfast...if there are any left. I also served them to my mom and sis when they were visiting. They both loved them too--and my mom is not a breakfast eater. There is no other way to say it, these pancakes are just plain light, fluffy, and yummy.

I suggest you try them for breakfast as soon as possible.

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes
1 c sour cream
7 T flour
1 T sugar
1 t baking soda
1/2 salt
2 large eggs
1/2 t vanilla (although I use more)
butter
Place an iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. You want to get it nice and hot. Place the sour cream in a medium bowl. Dump in the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir together very, very gently. Stop short of totally combining the mixture. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the sour cream/flour mixture. Stir together gently. Don't worry about the mixture being totally combined, a little white and yellow swirl is fine. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet, 1/4 c. at a time. Cooke for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then flip. Cook for another 45 seconds and remove to a plate. Makes about 12 4-inch pancakes.

My side note: I have found that 1/4 c. of batter per pancake is WAY too much. Because these pancakes are so light and fluffy, they can be tough to flip. I measure my pancakes using a 2 T. measuring spoon. This makes a perfect size pancake and makes flipping more manageable...although they are still tougher to flip than a regular pancake. I get 12 pancakes exactly using the 2 T. measurement. Also, I always use fat free sour cream and it works great.

To say that we are buying sour cream in massive amounts is an understatement. When it goes on sale for 77 cents for a 16 ounce container, I buy at least 4 or 5. Next time I'm in the dairy aisle, I'll look for you. Once you try this recipe, you'll be there as often as I am!

I'm Finally Posting My First Recipe!

I have a confession to make. I set up this blog over a year ago. Oh, I had good intentions mind you. I was going to cook and blog...and blog and cook...all the while sharing my tasty finds with the world. Sadly, over a year later, no treasured recipes had made it to the blog. A couple of months ago my sister suggested that we share the blog and actually post on it. ACTUALLY POST ON MY BLOG? What a novel idea! Since I'm in Utah and she's in California, the blog is a great way for us to easily share recipes--and entice each other with photos. I've decided to get with the program and get cooking...and blogging. Actually, I've been cooking all along. I just need to work on the blogging part! Since this is my first post (all the others before this are courtesy of my very talented sister) I thought I'd start off with something over-the-top delicious!

I give you...drum roll please...DOUBLE BROWNIES!

Both Mr. C and I found these to be outrageously delicious! If you are a brown sugar fan like I am, you'll ESPECIALLY love them. I had a hard time not eating them--as you can see from the photo below. They had to be rapidly farmed out to the neighbors or Mr. C and I would have gobbled them all up. (Fortunately our neighbors, bishopric, and Mr. C's co-workers have willingly accepted the responsibility of eating my baked goods whenever called upon!) The recipe is from the Taste of Home Baking Book. I was looking for something I could make with supplies I already had on hand. This brownie ended up being a perfect choice.

The layers are delicious together. And the caramel frosting, OH THE FROSTING! It has an almost maple taste to it without having any maple extract in it. (Good thing too since Mr. C doesn't care for maple.)

I highly recommend you make a pan of these brownies right away. You won't be sorry! Oh, and please bring me one when you're done. I'd love a bite...or two...or six.

Double Brownies
Bottom layer:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chopped walnuts
Middle layer:
1/2 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c flour
1/4 c baking cocoa
1/8 t salt
1/2 chopped walnuts (I use pecans)
Caramel Icing:
6 T butter
3/4 c packed brown sugar
4-6 T milk
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into a greased 9 X 13 baking pan; set aside. For middle layer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Combine the flour, cocoa, and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Add nuts. Spread over bottom layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. For icing, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cool just until warm; beat in powdered sugar until the icing achieves spreading consistency. Spread over brownies. Let stand until set. Cut into 24 bars.

One side note: Mr. C and I did keep a few of these tasty treats for his lunches. We found that after about 3 days they were stale and rather flavorless. I kept them in a covered container, but I'd say they have a lifespan of about 2-3 days.

P.S. Welcome to everyone who attends my classes at the Little Theater!

Paula Deen Raspberry Limeade Cake

I made this incredible cake for Mother's Day and it was a hit! I loved it and so did everyone else! I may have even eaten the leftovers for breakfast yesterday! When I first thought of making the cake I thought it looked too advanced but in reality it is just a basic cake and filling recipe. The filling was amazing and I loved the idea of using limeade concentrate and lime zest in the cake batter, however, I didn't find the finished cake to be very moist. (The actual cake layers, I mean.) They weren't too dry but just not as moist as I would have liked. I think you could probably use a basic yellow or white cake mix from a box and exchange out the water for limeade. This particular cake recipe called for buttermilk but I don't think a buttermilk cake is necessary. One tip I would really give is to make sure your cake is completely cooled before you remove it from your pan. You cook three cakes in three round cake pans but I only had two, so I had to hurry and remove a warm one to cook my last cake. Removing the cake before it is completely cool can cause more of the cake to fall apart so let the cake cool completely. The one cake I let cool all the way was the most beautiful layer! So, either let everything cool or invest in three cake pans.

Also, I made this cake over two days but you could easily make it in one day. If you plan on doing that, I would make the filling first, because it needs time to cool in the fridge. Then make your cakes. If you are going to cook all your cakes at once, make sure you rotate them in the oven to ensure even baking. Then, after they are cool, put the filling on and then make your icing. Oh, the icing...it's delicious. I could have eaten it straight out of the bowl. It does come out a little thick and hard so I might let it sit on the counter for a short time, maybe 5 minutes, before frosting.

And last but not least, DO A CRUMB LAYER! I was surprised that my husband and Mom didn't know what a crumb layer was, but DO IT! A crumb layer is the first layer of frosting you put on. Take a huge chunk of frosting and slap it on your cake. Don't go back in to the main frosting bowl for more. If you need to, put the frosting for your crumb layer in a separate bowl. Then, start your crumb layer. Put a thin lining of frosting on, not as thick as the final project will be. This crumb layer will look slightly messy. It will have crumbs and filling all mixed in. (Although, I have to admit, some of the red frosting mixed in looked pretty.) Then, put it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. This allows that portion of the frosting to harden, sealing in the crumbs so the final product is clean on the outside. Once, the time is up, frost the rest of the cake and garnish with lime slices and raspberries.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbs lime zest
• 3/4 c. limeade concentrate
• 5 large eggs
• 3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. whole buttermilk
• raspberry filling (see below)
• cream cheese icing (see below)
• garnish of lime slices and whole raspberries

Instructions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees F, spray three 9 inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and lime zest at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add limeade concentrate, beating until combined (mixture will look curdled). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a medium bowl combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add to butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just enough to combine after each addition.

Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 17-20 minutes until wooden skewer comes out clean from center. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes once finished baking and then remove cakes from pans. Allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Once cooled, spread raspberry filling evenly between layers and ice with cream cheese frosting. Garnish as desired.

Raspberry Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 oz.) package of frozen raspberries
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c. butter cut in pieces

Instructions:

Blend raspberries until smooth in a food processor. Strain mixture and discard solids.

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add raspberry puree, egg yolks, and lemon juice, whisking to combine.

Cook over medium heat whisking constantly, for 7 to 8 minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat, whisk in butter gradually until melted.

Cool mixture slightly then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cream Cheese-Limeade Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 3 tbs limeade concentrate
• 1 tbs lime zest
• 5 c. confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add limeade concentrate and lime zest, beating at low speed until combined. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.

Rocky Road Chocolate Muffins

I'm a sucker for chocolate. And Rocky Road is my favorite ice cream flavor so these muffins were right up my alley. I was a bit disappointed though. I found them to be not as flavorful or chocolately as I would have liked. I think next time I will just use a chocolate cake mix or muffin mix and put the white chocolate chips and marshmallows in. I also think this muffin would be great to pull out of the oven put a large marshmallow on top and put back in the oven for 5 minutes to melt--marshmallow frosting! Delicious!

If you have the 1 Mix, 100 Muffins cookbook, this recipe can be found on page 129.

Rocky Road Chocolate Muffins

Makes 12 (though mine made a little bit more)

Oil for greasing

heaping 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 T. baking powder

1/8 t. salt

heaping 1/2 cup superfine sugar

heaping 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (i'm not a white chocolate fan, but these were good)

1/2 cup white mini marshmallows, cut in half (I used scissors)

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

6 T. sunflower oil or melted, cooled butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into a larger bowl. Stir in the sugar, chocolate chips, and marshmallows.

Beat the effs in a larger pitcher or a bowl, then beat in the eggs and oil or butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid in. Mix until just combined. Just so you know, it is going to look like fecal matter. Just ignore it.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake in a preheated oven for about 12 minutes, until the muffins are firm.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, resist eating. Then serve warm and transfer to a wire rack and let them cool.

Potato Leek Pizza

There are a few things I have always wanted to cook with and leeks are one of them. So, when I saw the Potato Leek Pizza in the Pioneer Woman cookbook I was so excited to try it. My opinions on leeks? Delicious. My husbands? Not so much. Leeks are from the onion family and I am an onion person, he isn't so much. But it was still good.

What is really essential in this recipe is a mandolin. If you don't have one, go get one. It is an essential kitchen gadget and will save you so much time in the kitchen. Use it on the potatoes and leeks in this recipe.

Pioneer Woman provides her pizza dough recipe to use for this. I tried it and compared to the (one) other pizza dough I've made from scratch, it was great. But I like my pizza dough sweeter so I'm going to try a different one next time. I don't see any reason why you couldn't use a store-bought one. Also, I used cooked bacon instead of cooking it myself. What can I say? I have a baby and will find any excuse to cut down on some time.

For those of you with the Pioneer Woman Cookbook this recipe can be found on page 110.

Potato Leek Pizza

Makes 1 Pizza

1 Pizza Crust

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

6 slices thick-cut bacon cut into 1-inch pieces (I used already cooked bacon)

3 Leeks, rinsed well to remove dirt, thinly sliced (I used the mandolin, and when it calls for 3 leeks--USE 3! You sautee them a little in this recipe and they really reduce down!)

5 small red or yukon gold potatoes, sliced paper thin (MANDOLIN TIME! I used red and they were delicious)

1 pound fresh mozzarella (I didn't use the whole pound, but leftover mozzarella? Who's complaining?)

4 oz. goat cheese crumbled (Now, I learned the goat cheese is expensive. 4 oz. cost me $5. I found the goat cheese to be good in this recipe but more or less inconsequential. If you don't want to stand the cost, go ahead and leave it off.)

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Prepare your pizza crust, whichever you choose, and brush on some olive oil. Then sprinkle some salt on. I was rather generous with the salt, but I like salt. Fry the cut bacon over medium heat until it is cooked but not crisp, or do like I did and use already prepared bacon. Take the bacon out of the pan and set it aside. Pour off some of the grease from the bacon, but not all, and turn the heat to medium low. (If you use already prepared bacon, just get out a fry pan and put about 1-2 T. olive oil in the bottom and let it heat up to medium-low.) Add the leeks and sautee. Enjoy the delicious fragrance. Let them go for about 3 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning, and then remove. Notice that the leeks really reduced down and be happy you listened and cut three leeks down.

USing a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the potatoes very thinly. Pioneer woman recommends doing this right before you are going to use them because potatoes go brown but I cut mine about 2 hours before cooking and they were fine. Arrange the potatoes on a single layer on the pizza crust, I let some of the edges overlap. Sprinkle the potatoes with some salt AND some herbs. Pioneer Woman does not have you do this but I found the pizza was a little bland without some kicking up. Some garlic or basil might be nice. Then lay slices of mozzarella on top. On top of the mozzarella sprinkle the leeks. The bacon goes on top of that, then the goat cheese. Oh deliciousness. Sprinkle some parmesan and pepper on top and pop that sucker in the oven.

Bake for 8 to 11 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Welcome!

Welcome to Give Me Something Good to Eat! We are two sisters (and the best of friends) who love to cook and bake. We want to share our recipes with each other and with anyone else who will listen.

Enjoy!

Jackie and Amanda