Hash Brown Casserole

It's probably no secret that Saturday morning breakfasts are one of my favorite meals. So for this Saturday I ended up trying this copy cat recipe for The Cracker Barrel's Hash Brown Casserole. This is probably the third recipe I've tried that has attempted to figure out the actual recipe, and although, this recipe is probably the closest to the real thing that I have tried so for, it was still lacking when it came to the original. It was still really good though. I almost feel like on top of the the 2 cups of Colby cheese, there should be an additional 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. It just kind of seemed like it needed a little extra something, so maybe that would solve it. Don't get me wrong though. This recipe is really yummy, the only downfall really is that it takes about an hour and a half from start to finish. So, it's not a quick fix, which is usually what I like to look for in a breakfast recipe. But still yummy none the less. Enjoy!!

Estimated Cooking Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 26-ounce bag frozen country-style hash browns
• 2 cups shredded Colby cheese
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup beef stock or canned broth
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Dash garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the frozen hash browns, cheese, and onion in a large bowl. Combine the milk, beef stock, half the melted butter, the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in another bowl. Mix until well blended, then pour mixture over the hash browns and mix well.

Heat the remaining butter in a large, ovenproof skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, spoon in the hash brown mixture. Cook the hash browns, stirring occasionally, until hot and ll of the cheese has melted (about 7 minutes). Put the skillet into the oven and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until surface of the hash browns is dark brown.

{If your skillet isn't ovenproof (because it has a plastic handle, for example), you can also spoon the potatoes into a glass 9x9-inch baking dish after cooking in the skillet. Also, if you can't find Colby cheese, you can also use cheddar cheese for this recipe. Colby, however, is preferred.}

Recipe from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes

Butterbeer Blondies with Butterbeer Ice Cream

Since it was my birthday Tuesday, everyone has been asking me if I was making my own cake or if someone was making one for me... I always replied that I was making one for myself, but what I left out was I wasn't making cake. Why, you might ask... Well, ready for my confession? I don't really like cake. I wouldn't say I dislike it... but there are just so many other desserts I would much rather have then cake. I shouldn't say all cakes, I love lava cake and angel food cake. But normal white cake with frosting just doesn't make sense to me, or cupcakes for that matter. Honestly, I don't see what the fuss is about. If I'm gonna have a dessert, give me something decadent with tons of flavor. Something that gives me the urge to lick it off my plate. But, since it was my birthday, I didn't want to make something to pain-stakingly tiresome like creme brulee. One of my favorites, btw!! So I decided to make something a little easier. Not that home made ice cream is easy, but it is one of my favorites, so in the end this is what I made as my birthday cake.

I have been curious about the flavor of butterbeer since I saw it on Harry Potter, and I don't know if the cream soda was suppose to be the flavor of butterbeer or if it was the butterscotch, but all I have to say about this dessert is wow!! It's basically a butterscotch blondie with vanilla cream soda ice cream and butterscotch ganache. Huh!! It is so good! The ice cream is what takes the longest because you need to give it time to cool, and then freeze it. So this dessert takes about 2 days cause of that, but the blondie and ganache are actually really simple, and everything is to die for!! So yummy!


Butterbeer Ice Cream
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cream soda
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 egg yolks

In a small bowl, gently beat the egg yolks; set aside. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stir together the cream soda, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and butter flavoring. Heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, then allow the mixture to bubble for one minute (stir frequently as the carbonation will cause extra bubbling). Stir in 1/2 cup of cream until mixed thoroughly; remove from heat. Temper the egg yolks, then add to mixture slowly while whisking constantly.

Add the remaining cream and buttermilk and whisk until combined. Allow to cool then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight. Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions until it reaches "soft-serve" consistency. Transfer ice cream to a one- or two-quart lidded plastic container; cover surface with plastic wrap and seal with lid. For best results, ice cream should ripen in the freezer for at least 2 hours of overnight. Serve over blondies and with butterscotch ganache (recipes below).

Butterbeer Blondies
Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons cream soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray on 8x11" baking dish cooking spray (you can use a 9x13" pan; just reduce the baking time by about 10 minutes or so). In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Add in the egg and beat for one minute. Beat in the cream soda and vanilla, and then gradually beat in the dry ingredients just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the butterscotch chips.

Spoon the batter into the dish on spread evenly. Bake 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean (the inside will still be very gooey, and the top is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Ganache

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat the butterscotch and heavy cream over a double boiler until the chips just start to melt. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Allow to cool slightly before drizzling over ice cream.

Butterbeer Blondies recipe from Sugar Crafter and Butterbeer Ice Cream and Ganache recipes from The Spiffy Cookie.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

First, I would like to say congratulations to Brenda and Amy, the giveaway winners. So excited for you guys!! Also, thank you to everyone that participated. You are all awesome! Now onto the recipe for today, which is also amazing I might add ;)

I love this recipe!! One, because you don't deep fry the chicken, so it is at least somewhat healthy. Two, because unlike most sweet and sour recipes, you don't have all of the extras {pineapple, peppers, etc}. Which all tend to just get left on my plate anyways. And three because it is the best home made sweet and sour sauce recipe I've ever tried. It might actually be the best sauce I have ever tried, period. The chicken also has such an awesome flavor. I don't know why they fry it at all after trying this recipe. It's not crispy on the outside, but it's super juicy and tender, and it gets this smoky flavor that I am now addicted to. So yummy and really super easy. Whenever I see that you have to make your own sauce in a recipe, I always think it's going to be this huge task, and a lot of the time it is. But not in this case. Super easy and quick, and so worth it!! Enjoy :)

Estimated Cooking Time: 35 to 40 minutes

Ingredients

• white rice, cooked
• 3-4 chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sauce

• clove of garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

First prepare sauce by sauteing garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium sauce pan. Add water, vinegar, sugar, and ketchup. Stir till sugar is dissolved. Next mix cornstarch with a small amount of water, to make a consistency of soup. While still cooking, add small amounts of watered cornstarch mixture to thicken. You want sauce to be just thinner then pudding consistency for sauce. Only add enough cornstarch mixture to make this consistency. When thick enough, remove sauce from heat and set aside.

Cut up chicken breasts into bite size squares. Season with salt and pepper, then roll in bread crumbs. Heat small amount of oil in a frying pan. Cook chicken over medium-high heat, stirring till browned.

Pour half of the sauce over chicken and saute for about a minute. Remove from heat and serve over cooked rice. Top with sesame seeds if desired.

Beignets

I posted this recipe a while back, but it was one of the first recipes I put on my blog, so I badly needed to update the picture.

Here is my first picture that I took with my little digital camera. I know :/ It's a wonder anyone started following my blog at all. But that is part of learning and improving on things, right? Plus the camera really does make all the difference. I remember telling my husband, in an attempt to persuade him to let me buy my camera, that you are only as good as the equipment you are using, and it is totally true. There is some technique involved, and photoshopping is an awesome tool, but if you don't have good equipment there is only so much you can manipulate a shot. But I also wanted to repost this recipe because it is awesome. 

I first wanted to try these after I saw beignets on the movie The Princess And The Frog, and they are amazing!! Kind of a southern twist on sopapillas, and like a donut without the donut hole. Almost crispy on the outside, and light and fluffy on the inside. The beignets themselves aren't very sweet, like how sopapillas would taste, but then you add the honey and powdered sugar and they are heavenly. They are also amazing if you put cinnamon and sugar over the honey. And lastly, something good to know, you have to serve them hot. They are ok if you make them in advanced, but they are only amazing right after cooking. So serve them hot, drizzle with warm honey, and cover with powdered sugar. I promise you they wont last long. So yummy!! Enjoy!!!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/ 45 degrees C)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shortening (I used butter flavored shortening to make them taste better)
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. Mix in 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Add the shortening, and then the remaining 3 cups of flour. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours {I chill for only about 2 hours, just to make the dough a little easier to role out}.

Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2 inch squares.

Fry in 369 degree F (180 degree C) hot oil until dough becomes golden brown and flip. If beignets do not pop up, oil is not hot enough. Once the other size is golden, remove from oil and place on paper towels.

Drizzle honey and shake confectioners' sugar over hot beignets. Serve warm.

Altered recipe from allrecipes.com

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This week I came down with Strep Throat, so I haven't been cooking much. I know, right. Who gets Strep in the middle of summer? But now that I am feeling better, I wanted to quickly post a dinner recipe. My mom has made this recipe for as long as I can remember and it is one of the best chicken enchilada recipes I've ever had. The nice thing is it's so simple. I usually just get a rotisserie chicken when I'm at the grocery store and pull all the meat off of that. Then all there is left to do in mix some ingredients together and bake it. Literally takes like 5 to 10 minutes of prep and then you cook it for 30 minutes. So yummy!! Enjoy :)

Ingredients

• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups green enchilada sauce
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cut or pulled into chunks
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 small can black olives, diced
• flour tortillas
• white jalapeno cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl combine sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and green enchilada sauce. In a separate medium bowl combine chicken, onions, and 1/2 the can of black olives. Add half of sour cream mixture to the chicken and mix well. Butter a 9 x 13" baking dish. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture, top with a small amount of cheese and roll. Place rolled tortilla's side by side in baking dish and cover with remaining sour cream mixture. Top with remaining olives, additional green onions, and grated cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.

Peanut Buttercup Cheesecake

First, thanks to everyone that voted on what desserts they wanted me to post next. I'm actually really excited this recipe won. I figured anything combining chocolate, peanut butter, cheesecake, and Reese's peanut butter candies had to be fabulous, and it didn't disappoint. I always photograph my food before tasting, and my first intent was to just have a bite and then start posting. Then one bite led to two, and before I knew it, the whole slice was gone. So just be warned, this cheesecake is addicting. And like all cheesecakes, it takes a good amount of time to make, so be prepared for a fair amount of prep before starting. Also, this needs to be done the day before you actually need it since it takes about 6 to 8 hours in the fridge to completely set.

The cheesecake itself is actually super easy to make, just a little time consuming cause you have to make the crust then let it cool. Bake the cake then let it cool. Finally add the fudge and the peanut butter candy and then refrigerate. So there are just a bunch of steps, but overall the recipe is not complicated. And the cheesecake itself is awesome, tastes just like a peanut buttercup with a creamier consistency. It really is to die for!! The perfect balance of peanut butter, chocolate, and cheesecake. Enjoy!!


Ingredients

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup Oreo chocolate cookie crumbs (3 cookies with filling removed)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (not chunky)
• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
• 1 cup fudge topping
• 4 chilled regular-size Reese's peanut butter cups (not bite-size)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, chocolate cookie crumbs, and melted butter.

Press the crumbs firmly over just the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.

When the crust is cool, spread the peanut butter in a circle in the center of the crust. (You may soften the peanut butter for 30 seconds in the microwave to make it easier to spread.) You don't need to spread the peanut butter to the edge, leave about an inch margin all around.

You'll need two separate bowls for the two fillings, one larger than the other. In the larger bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Remove 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture and pour it into the smaller bowl. Add the chocolate syrup to this mixture and combine. Pour the large bowl of filling into the pan and spread it evenly over the crust. Pour the chocolate filling onto the other filling and spread it out.

Using the tip of a knife, swirl the chocolate into the white filling beneath it. A couple of passes should be enough. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake the cheesecake for 70 to 80 minutes or until it becomes firm in the center. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

When the cheesecake is completely cool, soften the fudge topping in a double boiler or the microwave for about 45 seconds, then spread it out evenly over the cheesecake. Be sure to cover the entire surface of the filling. Unwrap the peanut butter cups and chop them into small chunks. Sprinkle the peanut butter cup pieces and any crumbs over the top of the cheesecake. Chill. Slice the cake 5 times through the middle to make 10 slices.

Recipe from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Someone wrote me an e-mail a couple weeks ago and requested a yummy Lemon Curd Cupcake recipe, but I am totally ashamed to say that I have been so busy and haven't gotten a chance to actually make one, but I tried this recipe a couple of days ago and am happy to say that it is way good!! I have never tried a Lemon Curd Cupcake until this point, but have always been curious about what it would taste like. If you like lemon in your desserts, you will not be disappointed with this. Even my husband, who does not like fruity desserts, downed at least 2 of these, including whatever leftovers the kids left on their plates. This recipe is a really light lemon cake, with a tart lemon curd filling that tastes a lot like the lemon part of a lemon meringue pie, and then the sweet vanilla frosting to balance out the tart flavor of the curd. It is so good!! There are a lot of different components to these cupcakes, so it's going to take you just a little bit longer to make them, but they are so worth it. A definite must try recipe :) {Recipe makes about 12 cupcakes}

Estimated Cooking Time: About 60 minutes + chilling


Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Batter

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup buttermilk

Frosting

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons milk

For lemon curd, in a heavy saucepan, cook and stir the sugar, lemon juice and butter until smooth. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg; return all to the pan. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly; cook 2 minutes longer or until thickened. Stir in lemon peel. Cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; cover and chill for 1 1/2 hours or until thickened.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until lightly fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and lemon peel. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or resealable plastic bag; insert a small round pastry tip. Fill bag with lemon curd. Insert tip 1 inch into center of each cupcake; fill with curd just until top of cupcake begins to crack.

For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, vanilla, salt, confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes. Store in the refrigerator. Garnish with lemon zest and lemon slice if desired.

Recipe from The Taste of Home Cookbook

Giveaway!!

{Closed}

So it's my birthday this month on the 26th. Yay!! So to celebrate I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway. I was trying to come up with some things to give away, and I though aprons would be befitting of the occasion and the subject of my blog. Plus, I don't know about anyone else, but an apron is something that I wouldn't really buy for myself. Even though I totally rely on mine, cause lets just be honest, if I'm not wearing one while I am baking I am absolutely covered with flour amongst many other ingredients. Here are the aprons we will be giving away!!

So how to enter? To enter yourself in this giveaway there are 4 things you can do: 1) You must leave a comment under this post {Please include what apron would be your first choice and an e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win. Also, I can't guarantee that you will get the apron of you choice. The first person drawn will get their first choice and then the second will get the other}. 2) Follow my blog. 3) "Like" my Foodsnots Facebook page. And 4) Follow me on Twitter. Please only leave one comment under this post as well. Leaving multiple will not enter you more then once :)

We will be drawing the names on my birthday, July 26th. So you have ten days to enter. I'm so super excited!! Good Luck :) Oh, one last thing. If you already follow my blog, or if you already like it on Facebook or Twitter, then when you leave your comment just mention that you already follow me on twitter, or Facebook, or whatever. That way I can put you in for those too. Thanks!!

{This giveaway is not being sponsored by any company. So products have been purchased and will be shipped by me.}

Mint Oreo Brownies

I made these for the benefit over the weekend and just had to post it. After selling all day Friday we were running out of desserts to sell, so I was trying to figure out something quick and simple that I could make in bulk, that would also taste super delish. I thought of this when I was getting more ingredients for the S'mores Stuffed Brownies. Personally, I love mint and chocolate together. It's one of the best classic combinations I can think of. Well right next to peanut butter and chocolate at least :) I decided to dress things up a little bit with the mint flavored white chocolated piped over the top. All by itself, you can taste the subtle hint of the mint flavor, but I felt like it needed a little extra umph to finish things off. Also when you are picking out your brownie mix make sure you get a mix that make a 9x13 pans worth. There will be some that are specific for 8x8 or others that will be for 9x13's, get the 9x13. Other then that, this recipe is pretty much fool proof. So easy, and yet so yummy!! Enjoy :)

Ingredients

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix
• 1 package of Cool Mint Oreo's
• 1 cup White Mint Flavored Candy Wafers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Crush all 3 sleeves of Oreo's in a large zip lock bag using a rolling pin. You don't want the Oreo's to be in super small pieces. Keep then a little chunkier.

Mix into the prepared brownie mix until frosting is no longer noticeable {use a spoon to get out any pieces of cookie or frosting stuck to the bag}. Spray baking pan generously with cooking spray.

Pour brownie Oreo mixture into baking pan and using a spatula sprayed with cooking spray smooth out batter into pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes of until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

When cooled cut the brownies into 12 squares and remove from pan. Melt wafers in a heatproof bowl by using a double boiler or place in the microwave for about 1 minute. When chocolate is cool enough to handle, pour into a piping bag {or I just use a small zip lock bag}. Cut a small portion of the corner away and pipe over each square individually. You can also pipe the chocolate over the entire 9x13 sheet of brownies, but I just think it looks prettier over each square. Allow chocolate to set then serve.

A Food Snots Original

Pepper-Jack Chicken with Succotash

I think it's about time for some savory recipes. We tried this recipe last night for dinner, and it was good. Not great but good. The chicken had really good flavor with the Cajun seasoning and I loved it with the pepper-jack cheese. The one thing that kind of threw me off was the arugula. It leaves a bitter aftertaste which was kind of unpleasant. Personally, I think if you left the arugula out all together the chicken would be awesome!! So I would just stuff it with spliced pepper-jack cheese. The other thing I didn't like about this recipe was the succotash. I didn't actually know that succotash was a side. The only time I had ever heard of it was on Looney Tunes when Sylvester says, "Suffering Succotash." And that statement completely describes the experience of eating it, suffering!! I actually should have known better because I hate lima beans, and that is all you can taste in the succotash. So unless you love lima beans, don't make the it. It really was awful!! But if you make the changes to the chicken portion of the recipe I think it would be awesome. Also please remember to vote on what dessert you would like to see next {to vote click here}. Enjoy :)


Ingredients

• 4 ounces pepper-jack cheese, shredded
• 4 cups baby arugula, roughly chopped
• 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (12 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Cajun spice blend
• 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, diced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• Juice of 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the cheese and 2 cups arugula in a bowl. Cut a deep 2-inch-wide pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast with a paring knife. Stuff with the arugula mixture. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and the Cajun spice blend.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Cook the chicken until blackened on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook until blackened on the other side, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 155 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board.

Wipe out the skillet and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the lima beans and squash, season with salt and cook until the squash is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 cups arugula and the lime juice. Slice the chicken and serve with the succotash.

Recipe from Food Network's Great Easy Meals

What Should I Make Next??

Since this past week I was literally baking none stop, over the weekend I took some very needed relaxation time {or in other words a brake from cooking}. So I haven't been able to post as often as I would like to, but now I'm feeling refreshed and ready to get into my normal routine. So back to business!! I don't know about everyone else, but I thought this was a lot of fun! I loved getting feedback from you all, and since I got a pretty good response, I'll probably keep it going here and there. You can vote right on the site, and if you would like to see something that is not listed above feel free to leave me a comment. I'm gonna leave the voting open for a week before I post the recipe just so everyone has an idea of when to look for what they voted for, but I will post some yummy recipes between then and now. Thanks for voting :)

poll by twiigs.com

Basic Sugar Cookies

I wasn't going to post this recipe until later when I've practiced decorating a little bit, but I had a friend that asked if I had a good sugar cookie recipe, and this one is awesome!! Super yummy and easy, and I love this recipe because you don't have to refrigerate the dough before you role it out. I've been wanting to figure out how do decorate cookies with royal icing, so that will be a project I am undertaking these next couple of weeks. Also, when I was at the benefit/bake sale this weekend, a girl from my church donated some super cute aprons. I don't know why, but know I am dying to make one. So that is something else that's in the mix. Will post pictures when all is said and done. But I'm super excited to say that the benefit for Lana went awesome between the car wash, bakes sale, craft table, hair station, and dental work we ended up raising over $15,000. Hopefully that will help Lana with her long road to recovering. If you still wanna donate, you can go to loveforlana.blogspot.com. Thanks to everyone that attended the benefit and, as always, Enjoy ;)

Ingredients

• 1 cup {two sticks} of real unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 egg
• 2-3 teaspoon flavoring {pick what you like, I prefer almond}
• 2 1/2-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cream together softened butter and confectioner's sugar. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the flavoring. I use emulsions, but extract also works well. Add that to the butter sugar mixture and mix until the egg is thoroughly incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add little by little to the mixture.

You can tell the dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle. When you touch it, it should have a little give, but does not stick to your fingers.

Roll out on parchment to about 1/4 an inch thick, use flour for dusting as necessary. Then, cut and bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes. This version makes 2-2 1/2 dozen, doubled, it makes 4-5 dozen. When they are cool, they are ready to decorate.

Printable Recipe

Recipe from sweetsugarbelle.com

S'mores Stuffed Brownies

I have so many things on my agenda before I'm ready for tomorrows bake sale, but I'm super bummed that I haven't had a chance to post more in the last week, so I wanted to quickly post this recipe. Thank you to everyone who voted, and this recipe won by far!! It's from a friend's blog, Picky-Palate, and I love how simple this is.

You just mix your favorite brownie mix and layer it with some graham crackers, Hersey's chocolate, and marshmallows, and it tastes so yummy. I thought about substituting the brownie mix for a home made brownie recipe, but with this charity event, if I can make something quicker that's what I needed right now. Plus I thought it was cool that you only needed a few ingredients to make something so yummy. Just a quick note, this recipe only makes an 8x8 size pan, so I doubled it to make 9x13's and so that's what all my pictures will be, but just know that if you want a 9x13 size serving then you need to double the recipe. Enjoy!! And I will be posting again on Monday since all day Friday and Saturday I will be selling goodies :) Hope you can make it!!

Ingredients

• 1 box of your favorite brownie mix
• 4 1/2 full Graham Crackers
• 3 1/2 full size Hershey's Bars
• 16 large marshmallows (I substituted half of a bag of mini marshmallows cause that what I had)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Line foil into a 8x8 inch baking pan and spray generously with cooking spray. Pour half the brownie batter into lined pan. Layer graham crackers over brownies following Hershey Bars and marshmallows. Pour remaining brownie batter over marshmallows (I found it useful to spray a spatula with cooking spray and use it to smooth the batter over any exposed marshmallows). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Carefully remove foil and brownies from pan. Peel any foil from away from edges and cut into squares.

Recipe from Picky-Palate.com

Love for Lana Benefit/Charity Event

July 8-9, 2011 7 am - 5 pm

Corner of Val Vista & Baseline 3651 E. Baseline Rd. | Gilbert, Arizona

Some of you might have heard about the bear attack in Pinetop Arizona. The victim, Lana Hollingsworth, is one of the sweetest most generous people I've ever met. I know her through church and I can honestly say, that she is one of those people that makes you wanna be a better person just by being around her. She was attacked next to her condo when taking her dogs out. She is stable now, but has a long road of surgeries and recovery ahead of her. To help raise money for medical expenses I'm participating in this event. I'll be making all kinds of goodies, including Root Beer Float Cupcakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, my Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Orange Cake, 5 Extract Pound Cake, and S'mores Stuffed Brownies.

The Event is going to be this coming up weekend July 8-9, 2011 from 7am to 5pm on the corner of Val Vista & Baseline in Gilbert. The address is 3651 E. Baseline Rd. Gilbert, Arizona. Including the Bake Sale, there will also be a car wash, raffle, knock off jean, purses, boutique items, massages, hair cuts, eyelash extensions, and Lakeside Cosmetic and Family Dentistry has offered to do cleanings, exams, x-rays, and whitening on a first come first serve basis. So there will be a ton going on if you wanna come and purchase something or just come and donate. Also if you are out of state want to donate you can go to LoveforLana.blogspot.com.

Ooey-Gooey Rice Krispie Treats

I thought this would be a fun easy way to celebrate the 4th of July. I love rice krispie treats and I feel like they are so easy and perfect for barbecues or large get togethers. I've altered the recipe from the normal rice krispie treats because I really don't feel like it calls for enough marshmallows. Plus I hate when you make rice krispie treats and the next day they are hard as a rock. So in this recipe there is a little extra butter and marshmallows and I add karo syrup to keep the treats from hardening. They still will if you don't put into an air tight container, but it will take a couple of days for them to harden instead of a couple of hours. Not to mention all the extras make these treats so gooey and yummy!! Then I just piped some white chocolate and chocolate with peanut butter over the top to dress things up. You can also use cookie cutters to cut your treats into shapes. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 tablespoons light karo syrup
• 1 (10 ounces) package plus 1 cup regular marshmallows (mini marshmallows are the best)
• 6 cups Rice Krispies
• red, white, and blue chocolate wafers, or 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter

Prepare a 9 x 13 inch pan by coating with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add karo syrup and marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

Spread into the 9 x 13 and let cool. Melt red, white, and blue chocolate in glass bowl. The easiest way is to place in the microwave for 1 minute, or you can melt in a double broiler. Or melt semi-sweet chocolate and peanut butter.

Pipe over cooled rice krispies treats. For instructions on how to pipe chocolate easily click here. I like to cut the sheet of treats before I pipe the chocolate, just to make it easier, but either way works. Store in air tight container.

A Food Snots Original