Reindeer Feed

Christmas time is here! It has snowed in Utah and Portland is... sunny? I'm not complaining :) This recipe was found on Pinterest and it is yummy for Christmas! Who doesn't love a good Chex mix treat?

Reindeer Feed

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6 cups Rice Chex or Chocolate Chex cereal
1 bag (12 oz.) white vanilla baking chips (or white almond bark/candy coating)
⅓ cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes

Line cookie sheet with foil or waxed paper.

Place cereal in large bowl.

In microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla baking chips uncovered on high about 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips can be stirred smooth. Stir in half the crushed peppermint candy.

Pour over cereal; toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture in single layer on cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with remaining candy. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes. Gently break up coated cereal. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

My recipe of the week is not a main dish, though these are so addicting that they can become the main dish if you're not careful. I just whipped up a mint batch of these for my Relief Society cookie exchange going on tonight and I know they'll be a hit.

Because it's the holidays (and because I think I like it better than the regular version), I have included the mint variation. Happy holiday baking!

Oreo Truffles

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1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 (16 oz) package Oreo cookies
12 oz. chocolate of your choice (white candy chocolate recommended)

Finely crush Oreo cookies and reserve ¼ cup.

Mix cream cheese and crushed Oreo cookies until well blended. Let mixture sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Shape mixture into small balls and put back in fridge for 1 hour or freezer for ½ hour. Can keep in fridge or freezer longer if desired. (I’ll let mine sit in the freezer overnight)

Coat balls in melted chocolate and sprinkle with reserved ¼ cup crumbs to garnish. Refrigerate until firm. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Mint Oreo Truffle variation:
Because the Mint Oreo cookies have more creme filling than regular Oreos, either use less cream cheese (6 oz. or so), or remove the creme filling from 10 cookies when finely crushing. Dip in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips with a little oil to make the chocolate smoother. Garnish by drizzling with melted green mint chips.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Photo from The Non Pareil Baker, whom I originally found the recipe pinned to :)

Here's a recipe I found on Pinterest. After all my Thanksgiving pumpkin foods I made last week, I had just enough pumpkin for this muffin recipe. I just have to say that when I made these, I was STARVING, and starving people don't always make rational decisions or wait patiently. This recipe calls for the cream cheese goodness to be in the freezer for 2 hours. Like I was gonna wait 2 hours to alleviate starvation. So I did what any starving irrational person would do and I stuck the whole bowl of the stuff in the freezer (no spreading it out nicely to make a cream cheese log), and it was only in there there for as long as it took me to make the muffin and crumb topping mixture. And it turned out JUST FINE. I have no idea why you'd need to freeze it for that long. And since I didn't roll it out into a log formation, I just used 2 spoons to top the muffin batter with it, like scooping cookie dough with 2 spoons type scooping action.

I think theses turned out fantastic and I would make them the same way I did when I was starving, only double the cream cheese amount. I was hoping they would be like pumpkin cake roll and they kinda were, but not very cream cheesy and I like cream cheesy :) Try it out for yourself, let me know if you freeze the cream cheese part and if there are any perks to doing it that way :)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

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Muffins:
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Crumb topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Make the filling by combining the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stirring until smooth. Scrape the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap at least 12 inches long. Form the mixture into a 12-inch log, wrap tightly, and freeze for at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Make the crumb topping by using a fork to combine the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and melted butter in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine the sugar, canned pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a spatula just until completely combined.

Remove the cream cheese filling from the freezer and cut it into 12 one-inch pieces. Divide the muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups. Press one piece of the cream cheese filling into the center of each muffin, then sprinkle each muffin with about one tablespoon of the crumb topping. Gently press the topping into the batter to ensure that it sticks.

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center muffin comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for about five minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 12 muffins.

Enjoy!

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

These are the rolls I made for Thanksgiving dinner and they were a hit! Everyone loved them! It made about 3 dozen rolls, Parkerhouse style.

Texas Roadhouse Copycat Rolls

from Eat Cake for Dinner

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4 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
1/2 c. sugar
3 Tbl. of melted butter, slightly cooled
2 whole eggs
2 tsp. salt
2 quarts all purpose flour (7-8 cups), divided

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar. Add yeast, milk, sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter. Beat thoroughly. Let stand until light and foamy. Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well.

Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto counter and let dough rest. Meanwhile, grease a large bowl. Knead dough until smooth and satiny and put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top. (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen-Aid to knead this for about 4-5 minutes, but then hand mixed for a few minutes as well as the dough was pretty sticky and I felt like it wasn’t getting a good knead in the Kitchen-Aid). Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down. Turn out onto a floured board. Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes. Shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Baste immediately with butter.

Enjoy!

ROTW- Chicken Marsala

Image from SweetSavoryLife.com

This recipe originally came from sweetsavorylife.com found via Pinterest, but as I was making it, I made some adaptations to make it my own and it was AWESOME. Guys, this is monumental. This is my FIRST ever recipe adaptation of my own! And I couldn't be happier to share it with you!

Chicken Marsala

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Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or 4-6 chicken tenders
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup all purpose flour or corn starch for gluten-free
up to 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
8 ounces container of mushroom, sliced and cleaned
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/4 cup water plus 1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Garnish with chopped parsley or oregano

Directions:
If using chicken breasts, split each chicken breast through the middle to make 2 pieces. If using tenders, keep whole. Place plastic wrap over chicken and pound each one flat using a meat tenderizer/mallet until they are about a quarter inch thick.

Place some flour on a plate and add salt, pepper, and oregano, and dredge each piece of chicken in it.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat and when the oil is hot fry each piece of chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown.

Remove chicken and place them on your serving platter covering them with foil.

Reduce the heat to medium and add butter and mushrooms. Saute mushrooms for 4-5 minutes making sure to season them with salt and pepper lightly. Add marsala wine, sherry (or white wine), and cream, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly – approx. 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp flour to water to make a roux, add to the sauce, and cook another 3 minutes, or until mixture thickens to desired consistency. Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve.

Enjoy!

Recipe of the Week Club

Okay, all you followers, it's time to REALLY join the club. This here is the start of the Recipe of the Week Club (ROTW). What does this club do, you ask? Why, they get awesome new recipes to try each week, and get the chance to feature THEIR favorite recipes as well!

All you have to do is follow this blog (cookingwiththecreers.blogspot.com), and send me your email address by posting a comment on this post or sending it to me at briannecreer@gmail.com so I can send you the weekly recipes to your email!

And you're in! I will be posting WEEKLY recipes of things I have made and love and that you will love too!

I'd also love to feature your recipes as well! Please send any recipe feature requests to my email address listed above.

Happy cooking!

Enjoy!

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Pie season is quickly approaching as November starts on Tuesday! This recipe works great with my freaking amazing cheesecake recipe you can find here.

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted margarine.

Melt butter. Stir in remaining ingredients. Press into 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for a glass pan, 325 for a metal pan, for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Meatball Skewers

I know it's not really BBQ-ing season anymore, but these kabobs are good for any time! Easy to make and yummy to eat! You can try adding other things on like onion, zucchini, or pineapple!

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Sweet and Sour Meatball Skewers

Recipe from Kraft Foods

31 (1 inch) frozen fully-cooked meatballs (1 lb), thawed

1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch squares

¼ cup apricot jam

¼ cup BBQ sauce

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

Thread meatballs and peppers alternately onto 8 skewers.

Microwave jam in small microwaveable bowl on High 15 seconds. Stir in BBQ sauce; brush half onto kabobs.

Grill 8-10 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, turning occasionally and brushing with remaining jam mixture for the last 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Rosemary Garlic Chicken with Red Potatoes

I love how easy and delicious this dish is! Rosemary and garlic are some of my favorite flavors and together, they are magic!

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Rosemary Garlic Chicken with Red Potatoes

recipe from McCormick

2 tsp Paprika
1 ½ tsp Rosemary Leaves
1 tsp Minced Garlic
½ tsp Coarse Ground Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
6 chicken tenders
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

Put chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Add oil and all spices; toss to coat well. Arrange chicken and potatoes in a single layer on foil-lined baking pan. Drizzle an additional 1 Tbsp olive oil over chicken and potatoes.
Roast, uncovered, in preheated 425 degree oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

I found these delights at the luncheon from Dustin's cousin's baptism just a few weeks ago. A-maz-ing. I hunted down the maker of these treats to get the recipe and was so happy I did! The recipe calls for Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough (it's from the Pillsbury Cookbook 2007), but I used my own favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and they turned out fantastic! Hit me up with an email (briannecreer@gmail.com) if you need that recipe too if I don't get it on the blog before you need it :) While making these, I also discovered that this makes a LOT of the chocolate topping part, so in my blog version of the recipe, I am halving that amount. If you would like to make your own peanut butter cookies and make extra cookies that are normal cookies (not cups), use 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 3/4 cup peanut butter and top your cookies with the chocolate goodness! We did that and it was great!

Also, I realized that my recipes aren't very printer friendly, but as we are poor and can't afford to buy a pdf maker to make these all super blog legit, you all have to suffer. I'm sorry, really I am. Maybe if I some day become a great blogger of delicious foods and can afford those kind of technical luxuries, then I will. But until then, use your laptop or iPad in your kitchen, or copy and paste into Word and print from there. Those are my suggestions :)

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CUPS

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1 Roll Pillsbury or other peanut butter refrigerated cookie dough (or insert one batch of your favorite peanut butter homemade cookies! For 24 cookies)

1 cup white chocolate chips

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2-4 Nature Valley Oats and Honey Crunchy granola bars (optional)

Heat oven to 350. Divide cookie dough and press into greased mini-muffin pan with cookies up the side and pushed down in the middle. Bake for 10-15 minutes until deep golden brown.
Cool 5 minutes on wire racks.

With end of a wooden spoon, push down in center to create cups (push down all the way to the bottom. Trust me, you won't make a hole in the bottom, and this will allow enough room for all the inside goodness!)

Melt white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup peanut butter on low until creamy. Stir thoroughly to incorporate peanut butter and white chocolate. Pour into cookie cups. Refrigerate for 10 mins.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter together. Pour over cookies.

Optional: Sprinkle with crushed up Nature Valley Bars while chocolate is still melted.

Refrigerate 1 hour. Push down and twist to get out.

Enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

Meatballs:

1 lb ground lean beef

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tsp minced onion

Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

6 Tbsp brown sugar

3/4 cup water

4 Tbsp cider vinegar

Combine meatball ingredients and form into balls. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs. Bake at 325 for about 1 hour. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Chiffon Jello Salad (aka Pink Stuff)

CHIFFON JELLO SALAD

aka Pink Stuff. This is a Sunday dinner favorite.

1 lg package strawberry jello

1 lg package vanilla pudding (non-instant)

3 cups water

12 oz. Cool Whip

2 cups strawberry chunks

2 bananas, cubed

1 large can pineapple chunks, drained (I prefer tidbits)

Cook pudding and water until thickened. Add jello. Stir til dissolved. Put in fridge and let set. (Can make this the night before and let set in the fridge overnight) Beat with electric mixer til fluffy. Beat in 12 oz. Cool-Whip. Add fruit and stir. Keep in refrigerator until serving.

Enjoy!

Orange Julius

ORANGE JULIUS

1-6 oz orange juice frozen concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
12 ice cubes

Put in blender and whip until ice cubes are crushed. Start blender on low then go to high.

Enjoy!

Caramel Dip

CARAMEL DIP

Best caramel dip for apples!

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup white corn syrup

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a medium boil until it reaches soft ball stage. Remove from heat. Add sweetened condensed milk and stir until well blended and smooth. Dip apple slices, banana slices, marshmallows, etc. in carmel dip.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Yes, they are as amazing as they sound. This recipe was given to me by my friend Sarah, found through The Bargo Bunch, who got it from Recipegirl.com. Whew. Just wanted to give credit where credit was due. :) Look how yummy they are!!! The recipe includes a waffles recipe, but if you'd like to use your own favorite waffle recipe, I'm sure it would still turn out great!

CINNAMON ROLL WAFFLES

WAFFLES:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

CINNAMON TOPPING:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:
4 Tablespoons butter
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Prepare waffles: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture; set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened; batter will be slightly lumpy.

3. Preheat a waffle iron and spray with nonstick spray. Pour batter into waffle iron grid and close the lid. Bake until waffles are completely done- follow your waffle iron’s instructions. Use a fork to remove finished waffles. Repeat with remaining batter. Keep waffles warm until ready to serve (a 200 degree oven is perfect).

4. Prepare cinnamon topping: In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside.

5. Prepare cream cheese topping: In a medium, microwave-safe bowl- heat butter and cream cheese for 30 to 60 seconds; just until melted. Stir together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

6. When ready to serve, place waffle on plate, drizzle cinnamon topping, then drizzle cream cheese topping. Use as much or as little as you’d like. Serve immediately.

Yield: About 12 (4-inch) waffles

Enjoy!!

German Pancakes

GERMAN PANCAKES
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Melt 1/2 cup margarine in 9x13 pan in oven while oven heats to 400.

In blender, blend 5 eggs for 1 minute. Slowly add 1 1/2 cup milk and then 1 1/2 cup flour.

Stop blender and stir flour down at bottom to make sure it gets mixed. Blend for 30 seconds and pour into hot pan with melted butter.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Waffles

WAFFLES

1 egg, separated
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt

Beat egg white in glass bowl until stiff.

In a separate bowl, combine egg yolk, milk, flour, baking powder, oil, and salt. Mix until smooth. Fold in egg white. Bake in heated waffle iron

Enjoy!

Pancakes

PANCAKES

1 cup milk
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg

Beat all ingredients until smooth. Cook on heated griddle.

Enjoy!

Cake Mix Cookies

CAKE MIX COOKIES

1 box cake mix (any flavor)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Mix together and roll into balls. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. May frost once cooled if desired.

*I keep losing this recipe so I thought it needed to go on the blog stat before I lost it again :)

*Favorite combinations include rainbow chip cake mix with rainbow chip frosting!

Enjoy!

Chicken Pasta Salad

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

4 cups cubed, boiled chicken (*May also use canned chicken! In fact, that's my preferred choice!)
2 cups grapes
10 oz cashews
1 cup crushed pineapple (optional)
1/4 cup green onion
2 cups apples, diced
2 cups celery (optional)
3 cups cooked pasta, cooled (I prefer bowtie for this recipe!)
1 cup mayo
1 cup coleslaw dressing (Kraft)
smidge of salt and pepper
smidge of seasoning salt

Mix all together. Can be served hot or cold!

Enjoy!

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

BEEF AND BROCCOLI LO MEIN

8 oz. thin spaghetti, broken in half
1 tsp dark sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 cups chopped broccoli
1 1/2 cup sliced onion
1 Tbsp minced, peeled, fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. sirloin tips, cut crosswise into thin strips
3 Tbsp beef broth
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp oyster sauce

Stir spaghetti into pot of lightly salted boiling water and cook according to directions. Drain noodles well, then return to pot and toss with sesame oil.

Heat vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over med high heat. Add broccoli and onion and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and continue stirring while mixture cooks for another 30 seconds. Add sirloin and cook, stirring often, for 5 mins or until it is no longer pink.

In a small bowl, mix the broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and oyster sauce. Add soy sauce mixture and pasta to skillet with broccoli and beef and continue cooking, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes or until everything is heated through.

Serve lo mein hot.

Makes 4-6 servings.

*Also very good with chicken! You will need to add it sooner than the beef though as chicken takes longer to cook and must cook all the way through. If cooking with chicken, use 3 Tbsp chicken broth instead of beef.

Enjoy!

Hot Fudge Sauce

HOT FUDGE SAUCE

2 1/2 cups sugar
5 Tbsp cocoa
1 cube margarine
1 can evaporated milk

Combine all ingredients and stir over medium heat on stove. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 min. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla. Cover and let cool. (or serve hot over ice cream!)

Enjoy!

Christmas Sugar Plum Ring

This is the Jack family traditional Christmas morning breakfast.

Dough:

1 pkg. dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk, scalded

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

1 tsp salt

2 beaten eggs

3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

To assemble:

1/2 cup melted margarine

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup whole almonds

1 jar maraschino cherries

1/3 cup dark corn syrup

In mixing bowl, combine scalded milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cook to lukewarm, if necessary. Stir in 1 cup flour. Beat well. Combine yeast and warm water together. Add yeast and eggs to dough. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead. Cover and let rise until double (1-2 hours. This is the part where you opening presents!) Punch dough down and let rest 10 mins. Divide dough into small walnut-sized balls.

To assemble: Combine cinnamon and sugar. Dip each dough ball into melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange a layer of balls in the bottom of a well-greased bundt or angel food pan (DO NOT use pan that center can be removed from rim!) Sprinkle cherries and almonds around balls, filling in spaces between dough balls. Repeat procedure to make 2 more layers. Mix corn syrup with any remaining butter and cinnamon sugar. (You might need to make more cinnamon sugar) Drizzle over top of dough. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour (more presents?!) Bake at 350 for 35 mins. Cool 5 minutes in pan, and then invert pan onto serving plate and remove ring.

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Brownie Cupcakes

CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE CUPCAKES

Make brownie mix according to directions (or homemade brownie recipe works great too!). Fill each cupcake liner about 1/2 full (makes about 24).

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp milk

Whip all ingredients together until fluffy. Add 1-2 Tbsp to each brownie. Drag a knife through each cupcake to mix a little.

Bake according to brownie directions or until knife comes out clean.
Put a few mini marshmallows on top and put under the broiler until gold brown. Let cool.
*We didn't broil the marshmallows and they were still great, but the cupcakes do sink down in the middle so this would probably help them to keep a great cupcake shape!*'

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup margarine
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp milk

Mix together until creamy and desired consistency. Spread onto cooled cupcakes.

*I've only made this recipe in a cupcake form and they were amazing! I think they'd also be just as good in a brownie bar form. I'm planning on trying it like that soon!*

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES

Make a milk chocolate cake mix according to directions except add peanut butter chips to the batter. (I sprinkled them on top of each cupcake so that they wouldn't just sink to the bottom). Bake as directed. Let cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons milk, or as needed

2 cups powdered sugar

Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar. When it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for AT LEAST 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

Top cupcakes with chopped peanut butter cups or mini Reese's pieces.

Enjoy!

Caramel Popcorn

Best caramel popcorn recipe. I'd have a picture but we ate it all before we could take one. This recipe makes quite a bit so be sure to share it with family or friends!

CARAMEL POPCORN

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 cup light corn syrup

pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot. Bring to a boil and cook until small ball stage.

Pour over 5-6 bags of popped popcorn. (Or just pop a whole bunch if you don't want to use the bag microwave popcorn. We popped our own and filled a huge bowl. I think it was about 2 1/2 cups unpopped popcorn. And it was just right)

Enjoy!

French Crepes with Strawberry-n-Cream filling

This recipe comes from the cookbook "Cooking for Two" by Debbie Harman.

FRENCH CREPES

2 eggs

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

Beat eggs. Melt butter in microwave. Stir milk, melted butter, vanilla, and salt into eggs. Add flour and beat until creamy. Heat and lightly butter or oil small skillet. Use a measuring cup to pour 1/4 cup of batter into skillet. Quickly swirl pan to spread batter. Cook until edges are brown. Flip crepe and cook other side. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and roll up.

STRAWBERRY AND CREME FILLING

4 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

Slice strawberries and sprinkle with sugar. Meanwhile, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until soft and creamy. Spread cheese mixture and fresh strawberries on crepes and roll up. Spread more strawberries on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!