Sweet Beer Bread

this is the easiest, tastiest, bestest bread you can make. i mean, super simple and oh, so good!


Sweet Beer Bread

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
12 ounces beer

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

Heat the oven to 350º
Coat non-stick loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

Pour in the beer and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. (i used Sam Adams Winter Ale- you can use whatever beer you want!)

The dough will be sticky. Press the dough into the loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
Pour melted butter over the top of the loaf, then bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.

i won't lie to you- you will cut into this bread & probably eat it all...by yourself. it's terrible.

cut a nice thick piece, slather it with butter & go to town. omg. bad bad bad.

p.s. you can do alot with this bread. throw in some garlic, sage- etc and bam- herbed beer bread. or mix it up with some numeg, cinnamon- and bam, sweeter beer bread. mix up the beers for different flavors- the opportunities are endless!

Basil-Ricotta stuffed Chicken Breast

this picture is courtesy of google (ie: NOT MINE) - my husband ate the chicken before i had a chance to get a good picture.


Basil-Ricotta stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ pound basil pesto
½ pound ricotta
1 cup panko
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup flour
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
Sea salt and cracked pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 350°

Combine flour and seasonings. Separately mix pesto, ricotta, panko and lemon juice; set aside.
Lay one breast on a clean cutting board. Use a paring knife inserting it gently into the thickest tip of the breast. Make a horizontal incision in the breast, be careful to not cut through to the sides. Use your fingers to deepen the cavity made by the incision. Repeat process with remaining breasts.

Fill a pastry or Ziploc-style bag with basil-ricotta mixture. Trim tip of bag then insert it into the the cut side of the chicken breasts squeezing in an even amount of filling into each. Dredge stuffed breasts in flour mixture, evenly coating each side.

Heat olive oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium. Lay each breast top side down in the oil, brown for approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Gently turn chicken over then place skillet on middle rack of oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.


these came out AWESOME! i couldn't eat them (thanks to ny lovely child's dairly allergies) but i had one small bite & i was pleased!
i served it with angel hair & pesto- nom nom!




and see- this is the only shot of the chicken i could get. the husband is fast- like a fox.

God Bless!

Chocolate-Marshmallow Pillows

Chocolate Marshmallow Pillow Cookies

Cookies:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® double chocolate chunk cookie mix (i used regular choc chip cookie mix)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1 egg
2/3 cup chopped pecans (i left these out)
12 large marshmallows, cut in half

Frosting:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1. Heat oven to 350°. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water, egg and pecans until soft dough forms.
2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven; immediately press marshmallow half lightly, cut side down, on top of cookie. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or just until marshmallows begin to soften. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in 1-quart nonstick saucepan, melt chocolate chips over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Add whipping cream, butter and vanilla; blend well. Stir in powdered sugar until smooth.
5. Spread frosting over each cooled cookie, covering marshmallow. Let stand until frosting is set.

Tres Leches Cake

today is the husban'd 30th b-day so i wanted to make something specia.
well- here it is. this cake is insanely good- and surprisingly simple to make- more props to the Pioneer Woman for this one:


Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅓ cups Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Separate eggs. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over flour mixture and stir very gently until combined. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer on, pour in 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold egg white mixture into other mixture very gently until just combined.


Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out surface. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter (i didn't have one but my cake holder worked just fine) and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and 1/2 cup heavy cream in a small pitcher.


When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. Whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable. Spread over the surface of the cake.


Sprinkle the cake with cinnamon (she used cherries but we're not big on those in this house)



Cut into squares and serve.

aaaand try not to eat it all- seriously, so freaking good! moist, sweet, spongy,milky- aaaaah!

God Bless

Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana Bites

i love chocolate & i love bananas- so yeah.

You Need:

Bananas ( i used 5 & got 51 "chunks")

Toothpicks

4 cups semi sweet choc chips (melted in a double boiler)

toppings- i used oreos, toasted hazelnuts, Andes baking bits, mini choc chips & melted peanut butter (just throw some in a bowl & in the micro for about 20 seconds)

slice the banana into 2/4-1 inch slices. place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet & freeze for at least 1 hour.

once frozen you can get to work.

melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or the micro)

have your toppings of choice ready for dipping/rolling

working quickly- dip the frozen bananas into the chocolate (one at a time) & then roll/dip in you topping (or drizzle like in the case of the peanut buter)

place them back on the cookie sheet & pull out the toothpick.

place the bananas back in the freezer for at least 3 hours

remove about 20 min before eating (if you want them a little softer) and enjoy!

God Bless!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Aunt Mary’s Banana-Chocolate Chip Bread (allrecipes)

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-3 bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon of cinnamon*
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg*
1/2 teaspoon allspice*
2 tablespoons raw sugar*

In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, vanilla, spices and bananas until thoroughly blended.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon into a greased 9-in.x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan (my loaf dishes are slightly smaller- but they still work) Sprinkle the tops with the raw sugar & bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until the bread tests done with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*i added these spices- i like my bread to have some spice.

i also did 2 batches- 1 with choc chips & 1 without.

Enjoy & God Bless.

Tiramisu

this turned out AWESOME & myself & the inlaws enjoyed it immensely!

Tiramisu

You Need:
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup grandulated sugar
3 cups mascarpone cheese (this is an Italian cream cheese)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 – 24 lady fingers
1/4 cup cold espresso
1/4 cup Kahlua coffee liqueur
2 teaspoons cocoa powder

You Need To:
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring it to a boil over medium/high heat, then reduce heat so that the water is simmering. Whisk egg yolks, milk and sugar together in a medium metal bowl, then place the bowl on top of the saucepan (you can also use a double boiler for this step). Stir the mixture often for ten minutes. After the sugar dissolves the mixture should begin to thicken and turn light yellow. Remove it from the heat to cool.

Use an electric mixer to combine mascarpone, cream cheese and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix until mostly creamy, but with a few small chunks remaining.
Add egg yolk mixture to the cheese mixture and mix just until well-combined.

Combine espresso and Kahlua in a small bowl. Pour this mixture onto a dinner plate. One-by-one touch the bottom of each lady finger in the espresso. The lady finger will quickly soak up the espresso/Kahlua mixture, but you don’t want the lady finger soaked — just a dab will do ya. The top half of each lady finger should still be dry. Arrange the soaked lady fingers side-by-side on the bottom of an 8×8 inch serving dish or baking pan.

Spoon about half of the cheese mixture over the lady fingers, then add another layer of soaked lady fingers on top of the cheese mixture.

Spoon the remaining cheese mixture over the second layer of lady fingers and spread it evenly.

Put two teaspoons of cocoa powder in a tight-mesh strainer and gently tap the side of the strainer to add an even dusting of cocoa powder over the top of the dessert.
Cover and chill for several hours.


Enjoy & God Bless!

Apple Pie

Apple Pie

You Need:
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (store bought works)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water MINUS 1 tblsp
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 apples - peeled, cored and sliced & spritzed with lemon juice
1 tblsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1 egg white

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt the butter in a saucepan & whisk in the flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Then add the vanilla, cinn, nutmeg, cloves, allspice & apple pie spice- reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan (9in glass pie pan works best) & brush with the egg white. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Pour the above mixture over the apples (reserving about 1/4 cup to brush over the top crust). Brush the top crust (lattice or full) with a little more egg white & the reserved syrup mix.

Bake on middle rack for about 50-55 min

Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Pasta with Capers

Lemon Pepper Parmesean Pasta with Capers

6 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tblsp lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup parmesean cheese
1/4 cup capers
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 ounces dried pasta
1 cup broccoli (steamed)
1 cup chicken (cooked & cut into bite sized pieces.)

1. Cook the garlic and lemon zest in the butter and oil, watch it to keep it from browning.
2. When the garlic is soft, add the broth and turn the heat to high; simmer until reduced by half & then add the cream, parmesean cheese and capers. Turn the heat back to medium and simmer until thickened.
3. Cook the pasta according to directions (i use corkscrew pasta- nom) and drain. Toss the pasta with the broccoli, chicken & lemon caper sauce.

Serves 5-6

Enjoy!!!

Chewy Apple Cookies

thanks to my overzealous apple picking adventures the other day, i have an ABUNDANCE of Cortland apple- just sitting here...begging to be cooked.

sooooo, cookie! and not cakey cookies either, chewy, COOKIE cookies! :)


Chewy Apple Cookies
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter softened
2 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
2 cups chopped apples + 4 tbls butter & 2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.
Peel and chop the apples- saute in butter & cinnamon until soft (about 5-7 min) let cool.

Cream together the shortening, butter & brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time & then the milk. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, apple pie spice, ground cinnamon, allspice & ground nutmeg. Add to the wet mixture & then stir in apples.

Using a small ice cream scoop; drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 8-10 min. Remove from oven, let sit on the cookie sheet for abot 2 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

The Best Apple Crisp

The Best Apple Crisp:

5-6 apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces (I used Cortland)
3 tbsp. sugar (i used 1-2 tblsp Turbinado sugar as well)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/3 c. flour
1 1/3 c. light brown sugar
1/3 c. old-fashioned oats
2/3 c. chopped pecans (optional- i left them out)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Apple Pie Spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 stick of melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Peel and slice the apples then toss them with the granulated sugar and teaspoon of cinnamon. Set that aside.

Toss all the dry ingredients together until they're well mixed, and then add the melted butter. Mix until the crisp topping looks like crumbs- big crumbs.

Toss a few of spoonfuls of the topping mixture into the apples and mix them together. Heap the apples into a buttered 9x9 dish (or bowl) and press the crisp topping on top. Bake forabout 50-55 min until the topping is brown and the apples are bubbly.

Serve with vanilla ice cream (or whipped cream or cool whip- etc etc) and enjoy.

FYI: it's ADDICTIVE! i sent the bowl wo work with the husband & he said it was gone in 4 minutes! dangerous.

God Bless

Jewish Apple Cake

Jewish Apple Cake:

5-6 apples (i use a mix of cortland, macintosh & granny smith)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional- i leave out)

Preheat oven to 350
Grease a tube pan (i use Bakers Joy)

Peel, core and chop apples into small chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. With a stand mixer (or hand mixer) mix together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla.
Mix wet & dry ingredients, then add the eggs, one at a time.
Make sure to scrape the bowl.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan & spread half of the apples over it.




Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top.


Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean.

Enjoy!

God Bless!

strawberry shortcake

You Need:

1 pint strawberries
1/4- 1/2 cup sugar
Cool Whip
Bisquick & ingredients for making bisquits- on box

You Need To:

Follow the instructions on the Bisqick box for making the strawberry shortcakes bisquits.
Cut up the strawberries & mix with the sugar (to taste) and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 min.

Once the bisquits are done, cut on half and layer on the strawberries & Cool Whip.

Yummmm. God Bless.

PUMPKIN OATMEAL COOKIES

my good friend megan wanted a recipe for pumpkin cookies, so i gave her the iced pumpkin cookie recipe that i always use; however she deemed these too "cakey" for her liking. so she set off on quest to find a pumpkin cookie recipe that actually produced "cookies" and not little pumpkin cakes.

it pleases me to announce that she found that recipe! and it's good! i made these for a cookout on Sun. (and threw my frosting recipe on top) and they were a huge hit.

her recipe includes raisins & nuts and as we all know, those are NOT allowed in my cooking- so i did half the recipe with nada & half with chocolate chips. i also added 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice-nom!

many thanks to friend megan:

PUMPKIN-OATMEAL COOKIES:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (eeew)
3/4 cup raisins (double eeew)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 350°. Lightly grease baking sheets (or i line them with non-stick foil. that stuff is freaking great!)

COMBINE flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in medium bowl.
Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well.
Optional: Stir in nuts and raisins (or chocolate chips).
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets (i use a mini ice cream scoop)
BAKE for 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting: (i used my fool proof frosting recipe & added a little kick! i also HALVED the recipe but if you want more frosting then by all means...!)

1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 cup butter- softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/4-1/2 cup milk
4-4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (kick)

Cream together the Crisco & butter- alternate adding the sugar & milk until desired consistancy. Add the vanilla & PPS
Mix well & spread or pipe onto cooled cookies.

This frosting is best when you let it harden a bit- so i would actually make these the night before you need them and let the frosting set. it sets within 30 min or so anyway, but i always find that it's better the next day. same goes with these cookies- the pumpkin flavor really comes out the next day!

Enjoy!

Quick Pumpkin Pankcakes

i needed to use up the remaining 1/2 cup pumpkin that i had so i whipped up some quick pancakes. and i say "quick" because i used the wonderful Biquick! i have another recipe for some "homemade" pancakes, but this one is great for on the go!

Bisquick Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups of Bisquick pancake mix
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp clove

Combine all dry ingredients until well blended. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla & pumpkin into dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly (there will be some lumps).

Add some butter or oil to your pan or griddle and ladle away. Once bubbles form & start to pop, flip the pancakes over & cook for an addtl. min or two.

Enjoy!

Apple Dumplings

thanks to The Pioneer Woman i gained about 5lbs last night- ugh. these things are so freaking good it's wrong. just wrong.

see? how can you resist?

Apple Dumplings (i halved this recipe since there are only 2 of us who are eating it- i was also fine with a smaller pan with the recipe cut in half)

2 Granny Smith apples
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small can Mountain Dew
cinnamon

Peel and core apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

then go to the gym, because you'll feeeel yourself getting fatter. omg.

Enjoy & God Bless (your soul!)