Black Bottom Cupcakes

Ingredients:

8 ounces package of cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1⁄2 tsp. salt

1 package of chocolate chips

1 1⁄2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1⁄4 cup cocoa

1⁄2 tsp. salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

1 Tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup of sugar, salt and chocolate chips together and set aside. Mix the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking soda, cocoa, salt, water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat well and then fill cupcake liners 1/3rd full. Top each with a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

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Bistro Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:
1 box pasta, bowtie or penne
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup fresh basil, cut into strips
1/3 red onion, chopped
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (not in oil)
3 to 4 grilled chicken breasts, cut up or rotisserie chicken, cut up
Bernstein’s Italian dressing

Directions:
Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least an hour before serving. Pin It

White Bean and Chicken Soup (NEW!!!)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
or use the equivalent amount of rotisserie chicken
1 - 9 oz package frozen white corn
2 - 15 oz cans white kidney beans, undrained
1 (7 oz) can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp oregano
3 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp lime juice

Topping:
cheese, sour cream, avacados, tortilla strips!


Directions:

In a large pot saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add in remaining ingredients and simmer for a few hours.

Or...

Add all ingredients to a crockpot and cook on low 4 to 6 hours.
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Chicken Salad in Crescent Rolls

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

4 cups chicken, cooked and cut up

1 cup celery, cut up

1/3 cup green onion, chopped

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ cup sliced almonds, roasted

1 cup seedless green grapes, cut in half

¾ cup Mayonnaise

12 crescent rolls

Directions:

Brown the almonds at 250 degrees in the oven until golden. In a medium bowl, pour lemon juice over the chicken. Add celery, onion, salt, pepper, almonds and mayonnaise. Use enough mayonnaise to make a good texture. Toss, cover and chill.

Right before you are about to serve the dish add in the grapes. Spoon chicken mixture into the crescent rolls and sprinkle with paprika.

This is also excellent served in melon rings instead of rolls.

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White Bean Soup (NEW!)

This is a great recipe for Sundays!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 package Lawry's Chili Seasoning mix
1 - 15 ounce can kidney beans
2 - 15 ounce cans pinto beans
2 - 15 ounce cans white beans
1 small can diced Ortega Chili's
2 - 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes

Directions:

Brown the ground turkey in a skillet. Add in the Chili Seasoning Mix. Pour into a crock pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook in the crock pot on low for 3 or 4 hours. When serving you can add shredded cheese, avocado and sour cream.

What yummy comfort food and all my grand kids love it! Pin It

Chicken Bundles

Ingredients:

1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
5 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. milk
3 cups chicken, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp. green onion
2 - 8 ounce packages crescent rolls
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

Directions:

Cook chicken and cut up into small pieces. Blend the cream cheese, milk and butter. Then add the rest of the ingredients except the croutons and crescent roll dough. Separate the dough into rectangles; use 2 triangles to make one rectangle. Put 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture on each rectangle and pull the corners to seal. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with crushed croutons. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes on a cookie sheet.

Makes 8 squares Pin It

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas (1o inch)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced - remove the seeds and ribs if you don't want it too spicy
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper
1 - 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups water
1 - 10 ounce pkg frozen corn
1 small can Ortega chiles
4 green onions, thinly sliced - plus extra for garnish
2 1/2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If necessary, trim the tortillas to fit a 9-inch spring form pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, onion, jalapeno, Ortega chiles, garlic, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the beans and water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the corn and green onions and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the spring form pan; layer with one quarter of the beans and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat three more times. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and the cheese is melted. Take the pie out of the mold. Sprinkle with green onions. Slice into wedges and serve immediately.

I made two pies, but only had one spring form pan... I just trimmed the tortillas down to fit into another cake pan. So even if you don't have a spring form pan you can still make this fabulous recipe.

I found this recipe over at Tastebuds, but added the can of Ortega chiles to the recipe.
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Pavlova

*READ ENTIRE RECIPE BEFORE STARTING*

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
½ tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. white vinegar
Whipped cream
Fruit of choice - Examples: strawberries, kiwi, bananas, canned passion fruit…

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg whites until stiff soft peaks form. Continue beating; gradually add sugar, vinegar and vanilla, until you get a thick consistency. Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between you thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. Beat until smooth. Lightly fold in cornstarch with spatula. Cover a large baking pan with parchment paper. You can also use foil, buttered lightly or use non-stick cooking spray.

Pile the meringue mixture into a circular shape or make mini ones. Smooth edges and make sure they are slightly higher than the center. You want a slight well in the center to place the whipped cream and fruit.

Turn oven down to 225 to 250 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool.

Cut up fruit into bite size pieces. Spread whipped cream in the center and top with fruit. If using bananas, put them on first and then add the whipped cream followed by the rest of the fruit. This helps keep the bananas from turning brown.

Drizzle with passion fruit syrup if available.


*Sometimes I have found this in British stores in cans or you could use fresh passion fruit juice, but it does get a little pricey. Pin It

Raspberry Biscuits (NEW!!!)

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
2 Tbsp. Sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup milk
Raspberry Jam (or your favorite flavor)

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. warm water
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450° and line muffin tins with paper liners. Mix together the Bisquick, sugar, and butter. Add the milk and beat 15 strokes. Place 1 tablespoon dough in each cup. Top with 1 teaspoon jam. Drop more dough on top. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Mix together glaze ingredients and spread over the muffins.

Yield: One Dozen


We have tried raspberry, strawberry and boysenberry jam. They are all absolutely delicious!



Thanks to Savvy Girl for this recipe Pin It

Chocolate Covered Peanuts

Ingredients:
Peanuts, redskin
Milk Chocolate

Directions:

Gradually melt the chocolate. Use either a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each cooking period. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Once the chocolate is smooth then it is candy making time. Place some of the peanuts in a small bowl and pour the melted chocolate over the top until they are coated. Spoon out clusters of peanuts onto waxed paper. Continue until you have made your desired amount or run out of treat making supplies. Let cool and enjoy.

Try this out with any kind of nut. So YUMMY and simple! Pin It

Glazed Toffee Bon Bons (NEW!)

Cookie Ingredients:

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 - 1.4 ounce bars of chocolate covered toffee (Skor candy bars), crushed

Glaze Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 to 3 Tbsp. milk
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine together the dry ingredients and set aside. Beat the first four cookie ingredients together on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients. Reserve 1/3 of candy bar pieces for topping the cookies and pour the rest of the candy bar pieces into the dough. Shape dough into one-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, one inch apart. Bake for 10 or 11 minutes. This is a drier cookie so do not over bake them. Immediately remove to a cooling rack.

For the glaze:
In a saucepan heat the butter, brown sugar and milk over med-low heat; stirring frequently until the mixture just comes to a boil and sugar is dissolved. Stir in the powdered sugar. Beat with a wire whisk to remove lumps. Immediately dip the tops of cookies in the glaze (cookies do not need to be completely cooled, just firm and set). Be careful the glaze is very hot. Place back on the rack and let stand about 10 minutes until the glaze is set. (If glaze starts to thicken or set in the pan just reheat it over med-low heat and stir with a whisk.)

Place milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in separate bowls and heat 15 to 30 seconds in microwave to melt, stir frequently. Place melted chocolate in plastic bags and snip a little bit off of the corner (or use a spoon) and drizzle over cookies. Top with remaining candy pieces.


Recipe from Taste and Tell

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