Thursday, March 26, 2015

Mini Cheesecakes

The other night I attended the Doaktown Pentecostal Church's Ladies Night. I had a great time. We each had to bring some sort of appetizer or snack. I thought I would make these they looked so good. I couldn't wait to try them and they turned out great!



You will need:

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt

1 package of cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
whatever topping you would like I had cherries


mIX graham crumbs, brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt and butter; press onto bottoms of muffin cups.
BEAT cream cheese and granulated sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add egg; beat just until blended. Spoon into muffin cups, adding about 1 Tbsp. to each.
BAKE  at 375 for 15 min. or until centers of cheesecakes are almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 1 hour.

after they are cooled then take off muffin wrapper and then add toppings

yeild: 12

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

BBQ Cups



Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tbsp. dry minced onion
1 (12oz.) tube refrigerated biscuits
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large pan, brown and crumble ground beef.
Turn off heat and drain excess grease from ground beef.


Put ground beef back in pan and add in BBQ sauce and dried minced onion.
Stir well.


Separate biscuits and place into greased muffin tins.
Press dough up and along the sides.


Divide meat mixture between muffins (you may have just a small amount leftover).


Sprinkle each one with shredded cheddar cheese.


Bake for 10-12 minutes until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Serve with a fresh garden salad or fries.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Ice Cream Sundae Cookies




  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1⅓ cups flour
  • 2 cups coarsely crushed waffle cones, or Butter Crisp Cookies
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • ¾ cup M&M candies
  • *optional ~ 1 cup semi sweet chips for drizzle
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
  3. In mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
  4. Add in egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
  5. Turn speed to low and add in salt, baking soda and flour until dough forms.
  6. Fold in ice cream cones, white chocolate chips and M&Ms
  7. Using a spoon or cookie scoop drop dough onto lined pan. Flatten dough a little bit, as these cookies don't spread too much when baking.
  8. Bake for 8-9 minutes until edges slightly golden.
  9. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
  10. If desired, place semi-sweet chip in a zip-top bag and microwave in 30 second increments until melted. Snip off the corn of the bag and drizzle melted chocolate on top of cookies.



Carrot Cake Cupcakes



CAKE:
  • 2 cup Flour
  • 2 cup Sugar
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 4 cups shredded Carrots
ICING:
  • 1 cup softened Butter
  • 16 oz softened Cream Cheese
  • 8 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Milk
What to do:
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Put cupcake liners in muffin tin.
  3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda in a bowl and mix well.
  4. In large bowl, beat eggs and slowly add oil while continuing to beat.
  5. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well.
  6. Fold in carrots.  
  7. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.
  8. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan 10 minutes then move to cooling rack to finish cooling.
  9. Beat butter and cream cheese in large bowl until light and fluffy.
  10. Add in powdered sugar and milk and beat on high until smooth.
  11. Ice cupcakes with icing.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Easy Parmesan Chicken



Ingredients:
1 frozen garlic bread loaf or 1 box (8 slices) Garlic Texas Toast
1/2 cup canned pizza sauce
6 deli fried chicken strips (or about 10 fried chicken nuggets)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


Directions
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Arrange garlic bread (butter side up) on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.


Bake frozen garlic toast for about 3-4 minutes until bread is no longer frozen and just starting to brown on the edges.  If using a full loaf of garlic bread you'll want to cook it for about 8-9 minutes.


While, the bread is toasting, start dicing up your chicken.
Cut them up into 1/2-inch pieces.


When bread is ready, spread sauce on each slice of garlic toast (or loaf, if using)
Then evenly layer diced chicken on top of sauce.


Bake for about 6-8 minutes just to get that chicken warmed back up.
Then take out and top each slice with some shredded mozzarella.

And pop it back into the oven for another 3-4 minutes just until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Cherry Pie Bites



Ingredients:
1 (21 oz.) can Cherry Pie Filling (note I have used different pie filling apple and blueberry are our favorites)
2 tubes crescent roll dough
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Spray regular muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
Unroll individual crescent roll dough pieces and lay them in individual tins.  Put the widest bit of the dough in the bottom.  You may have to do this in two batches if you only have the one muffin tin.


Scoop pie filling into each crescent roll dough piece.  Be generous with the pie filling.
It's okay if a little seeps out during baking. I actually like when you can see the bit of pie filling bubbling out while baking. It also lets folks see what they are gonna be eating before then even bite into it. You want to bite into these and get a nice taste of the cherry filling. Because remember, the dough is really gonna puff up around these.  A good 3 to 4 heaping tablespoons should work. I'm guessing about 6 or so cherries in each one.


Start folding the dough around the filling as best you can. You should have three corners to pull in.
Again, leaving small open gaps are totally okay here. The filling doesn't have to be totally covered.  


Bake for about 13-14 minutes.


Note: Make sure the rolls are cooked all the way. You don't want to bite into these and still have some of the crescent roll be doughy and not totally baked. They should be fairly firm to the touch and have nice, tan-brown tops. 14 Minutes was just about right in my oven. They appeared done at the 12 minute mark but I let them go just a bit longer to make sure they were totally done.


Now for the glaze.  In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until it is smooth reaches a desired consistency (I like mine a bit more on the thick side).

With a spoon, drizzle glaze over the warm bites.

Chicken Alfredo Roll ups

  1. 8 lasagna noodles
  2. 2 cups Alfredo sauce
  3. 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
  4. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  5. 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  6. 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

note: I added mushrooms and cut up broccolli

  1. Spray an 9x13 baking pan with non-stick spray. Pour ½ cup Alfredo sauce in the bottom of the pan.
  2. Boil lasagna noodles in a large pot of water according to package directions. Drain water. Carefully, lay out cooked lasagna noodles onto parchment paper to let cool.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, garlic powder and oregano. Stir.
  4. Spread 2 Tablespoons Alfredo sauce over each noodle. Top sauce with shredded chicken, and spread it evenly over each noodle. Top with a little Mozzarella cheese.
  5. To roll up, start at one end and roll the noodle over the toppings. Place the roll-ups in the pan, one by one, seam-side down. Pour the remaining Alfredo sauce over the top of each roll-up. Top with remaining cheese.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F° for 30 minutes, uncovered, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes



Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. sugar
1 box (8 slices) frozen garlic Texas toast
1 cup (or more) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Brown and crumble ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Drain excess grease.

Return meat to skillet and add in diced tomatoes, ketchup, barbecue sauce,
worcestershire sauce and sugar.

Note: The added sugar is optional in this.  I think it helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.  But if you are using a very sweet barbecue sauce then you may not feel the added sugar is necessary.  Just go by taste here.

Give it all a good stir until combined then cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.  While this is cooking, prepare your garlic Texas toast according to package directions.

When bread is ready, spoon filling on top of bread and then sprinkle with shredded cheese.

creamy chicken casserole


  • 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 6 strips of quality bacon – cooked and crumbled
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • 1 box (16 ounces) dried spiral pasta
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
  1. Cook and crumble bacon. While bacon is cooking, cut chicken into bite-sized chunks.
  2. Set cooked bacon aside for later use.
  3. In the same pan, cook chicken in bacon drippings.
  4. Add garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. While chicken is cooking, prepare pasta according to directions.
  6. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  7. Drain pasta, return to pot.
  8. Add chicken, both cans of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of cheese – stir to mix well.
  9. Pour into prepared baking dish.
  10. Top with crumbled bacon.
  11. Top with remaining cup of  cheese.
  12. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, just until cheese is melted and beginning to brown on top.

Butter Tarts



For the Pastry
  • 2 ¼ cups flour (pastry flour is best to use but all-purpose will do)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup shortening (Very cold and cut in cubes)
  • ½ cup butter (Very cold and cut in cubes)
  • 6 tbsp ice water (approximately, enough to bring the dough together)
For the Filling
  • ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • ½ cup corn syrup
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup raisins ( substituting, pecans, walnuts or chocolate chips also make good variations)
Instructions
To prepare the pastry
  1. Pulse the cold butter and shortening into the flour sugar and salt using a food processor until the shortening or butter is reduced to pea sized pieces.
  2. Sprinkle the water over the surface and toss with a fork until the water is just incorporated into the dough. Do not over work the dough; handle it only enough so that the dough stays together.
  3. Form the dough into two rounds about an inch thick.
  4. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for about a half hour.
  5. Roll out on lightly floured surface. Cut into rounds with 4 inch cutter. Fit into muffin cups. Chill in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the filling. Cold pastry heading into a hot oven will always be flakier.
To make the filling
  1. Combine all filling ingredients except raisins.
  2. Mix well.
  3. Sprinkle raisins in a single layer in the bottom of the pastry lined muffin cups.
  4. Fill ⅔ full with syrup mixture.
  5. Bake on bottom shelf of oven at 425 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes.
  6. Cool completely on a wire rack and remove tarts from from pans.

Friday, March 13, 2015

breakfast rolls ups



Ingredients
  • 1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls (8 count)
  • 5 eggs
  • 4 strips of bacon
  • 16 tator tots
  • cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salsa
Instructions
  1. Cook the bacon and tator tots and scramble the eggs. Crumble the bacon and set these three ingredients aside.
  2. Remove crescent rolls from the fridge and take out of the can. Press rolls onto a cookie sheet and flatten.
  3. Place 1 1/2 Tbsp egg on large end of crescent roll. Break two tator tots in half and place over the egg. Sprinkle with bacon crumbles and cheese.
  4. Bring the corners of the large end the crescent roll over the breakfast ingredients. Roll crescent roll and pinch dough together so the ingredients are covered. Repeat with other crescent rolls.
  5. Bake according to directions on the can. Serve with salsa.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Lasagna Roll Ups

these were really good and I found them pretty easy. The only thing is I didn't make the ricotta mixture because I am not a big fan of ricotta. I did make the sauce and ground beef. then used shredded cheese and Parmesan. just no ricotta!




8 lasagna noodles
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 egg
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 T fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 T fresh oregano, chopped
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat.  When it reaches a boil, salt liberally and drop noodles.  Stir occasionally and cook to just al dente.  You want to leave them slightly more firm since you'll be baking the pasta.  Drain noodles and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add ground beef  and brown.  When almost cooked through, add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add 1/2 the basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg.  Add ricotta, Parmesan and remaining basil and oregano and stir together.  Spray pan lightly with cooking spray.  Add enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.  To assemble, on a drained noodle, add a spoonful of ricotta mixture.  Top with a spoonful of meat sauce and roll up.  Place seam side down in pan.  Continue until you've used all the noodles.  Top each with a little more meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining crushed red pepper flakes.  Bake approximately 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

15 minute lasagna



15 Minute Lasagna
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 cups diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz (about 10) lasagna noodles, broken into 1/4ths
1 (10 oz) can regular diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon each
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions
1. In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until browned. Drain excess grease if necessary. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant.
2. Evenly add lasagna pieces, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water over the skillet. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine.
3. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes over medium to medium-low heat. Shake the skillet occasionally to evenly distribute the noodles as they soften. Remove from heat  top with mozzarella  and broil for 3-4 minutes until golden and bubbly.