Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars









Ive been meaning to make this for a long time and it wasnt until I saw it again on this blog: Life in a Peanut Shell, (yet altered like I always do) that I was like, "OK, I have to do this." I love cookie dough and I love cheesecake, so I knew I'd like this. This type of dessert to me is like a heaven. My mom just about died. She usually never comments about anything I make since Im baking all the time and messing up her kitchen and she's just sick of it, but when she tasted this, she was just like "oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is so good." She even said that I need to mention on my blog how much she likes it. Bake or Break is where the recipe comes from. I altered it a little. I made an oreo crust instead of a graham cracker crust and i replaced half of the chocolate chips (in the cookie dough) with m&m's and decorated the top w/ m&m's as well (for New Years).

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars
(Clike HERE for Original Recipe)
Oreo Crust
24 oreos, crushed
1/4 cup butter (1/2 of a stick), melted
Pinch of Salt
Filling
10 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons Crisco
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini m&m's

For Crust: Mix all crust ingredients together and press up against bottom and 1" up sides of 9x9" glass square casserole dish. For Filling: Beat all filling ingredients together and pour over crust. For cookie dough: Mix Crisco with sugars, salt, and vanilla till well blended. Gradually add flour, chocolate chips, and m&ms till well combined. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. Bake about 30 minutes at 325', or until set.
For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/2 T butter in a double boiler or in the microwave. Drizzle over top of bars. Top with several m&m's. Cool bars in pan completely, at least 1 hour.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Rice Krispy Treats




So I was curious about the "Rice Krispies Treats" cereal vs. regular "Rice Krispies" cereal and wondered if you could make traditional rice krispy treats out of it. So I bought the cereal, however there was a recipe for it right on the side of the box. So of course it can be done and not surprisingly it tasted the exact same as regular rice krispy treats. Here's the recipe, just in case you dont already have it... actually theres tons of different recipes for Rice Krispy Treats. For instance, the one on the marshmallows pkg is different then the one on the rice krispies cereal box. The ingredients are all the same but the ratios are different. Not sure which recipe is best): but heres the one I used...
Rice Krispy Teats
1/2 cup butter
1 (10.5 oz) pkg mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 cup mini chocolate chips or mini m&ms
In a large saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over low heat stirring constantly until completely melted. Remove pan from heat. Quickly add cereal and stir till fully combined. Pour mixture into buttered 8x8" square pan. (I use either glass or silicone. Metal gives me the chills). Sprinkle top of krispy squares w/ chocolate chips. Let cool for apx 1 hr. Cut into 16 squares!



Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Breakfast Casserole


Breakfast Casserole
8 Slices of bread
8 Slices of bacon (cooked)
2 cups cheddar cheese
4 Eggs
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp dry mustard
3 T dried onion flakes
1/2 cup cream
1 cup milk
A dash of hot sauce
1/2 cup Butter

PLACE 4 of the bread slices on bottom of buttered 8-inch square baking dish; top with bacon and then cheese. Cover with remaining 4 bread slices. BEAT eggs, salt, pepper, mustard, onion, cream, milk, and hot sauce with wire whisk until well blended; pour over bread; Drizzle top of casserole w/ melted 1/2 cup butter. cover casserole. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. BAKE, uncovered, in preheated 350°F-oven for 1 hour or until center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

Hootenany Pancakes


Hootenany Pancakes
1/2 cup butter (one full stick)
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 t salt
Preheat oven to 425. Place stick of butter in 9x13" glass casserole dish. Melt butter in preheating oven. Remove just as soon as melted. While butter is melting, in blender, blend together eggs, milk, flour, and salt. Pour batter into the 9x13 dish over the melted butter. Bake 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve w/ jam, syrup, powdered sugar, and/or sweetened whipped cream!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Santa Lucia






This morning we celebrated Santa Lucia (Swedish Holiday-supposed to be on the 13th). Family Tradition, few nights before Christmas, where my mom wakes us up at about 6am or just while its still dark and brings us downstairs around the dining room table for a Swedish Breakfast. She then tells us the story of Santa Lucia while we eat our Breakfast, this year and typically always it consists of Eggs, Oranges, Other Fruit, Bacon, sausage, Hash browns, Orange Rolls, Egg Nog, Hot Chocolate, Orange Juice, chocolate Santas, of course Swedish Pancakes (pictured above). Theres always spinning candles on the table and Swedish music in the background, and My mom always wears her white Santa Lucia dress and candles on her head while we just stay in pajamas. The tradition explaining the candles, the dress, and the dark all revolve around the story.

Swedish Pancakes
1 cup Flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk

Mix in blender or beat in mixing bowl till very smooth. Spread 1/2 c batter on buttered hot 10" non-stick skillet. Flip over when lightly golden on one side (apx 1 min.) Then cook other side (apx 30-60 sec.) Remove. Serve pancakes with butter, Smuckers seedless jam, &  Sweetened Whipped cream.




Three Cheese Garlic Scalloped Potatoes

I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com. Ive changed the recipe a little bit to the way that my family likes it. Make sure you slice the potatoes very very thin otherwise your cooking time will be off.

Three Cheese Garlic Scalloped Potatoes
(click here for original recipe)
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
4 slices provolone cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 1 or 1 1/2 quart casserole dish with butter.
Layer half of the potato slices in the bottom of the casserole dish. Dot with half of the butter cut or pinched into small pieces. Arrange half of the garlic slices over the potatoes, then pour half of the heavy cream over. Sprinkle one cup of Cheddar cheese over the layer, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering of potatoes, garlic, cream and Cheddar cheese, then top with the slices of provolone cheese. Season again with salt and pepper.
Bake for 1/2 hour in the preheated oven, then sprinkle the Parmesan or Romano cheese over the top. This will create a semi-hard cheese crust. Cover top of casserole dish with aluminum foil. Continue baking covered for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when tested with a fork. Serves 4

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

About Me

Sorry I haven't posted lately. Its not because I'm too busy or too lazy, its just that all Ive been making are m&m cookies, thousands of them because 1st off; my mom makes me make them so she can give them away as Christmas gifts and 2nd; because its the best cookie recipe, no sorry, the best ANYTHING recipe in the entire word! I feel bad wasting my Crisco or my sugar on anything else.

Why am I up right now at 4AM writing on my blog? Its not because I am obsessed and addicted to the Internet, not at all, I actually hardly ever get on. The only time I ever log on (right now being the one and only exception) is when I baked something new and need to post about it. So once again, why am I up right now at 4AM? Its because I have major insomnia. It usually takes me from laying down at 2AM to staring at the ceiling for 4 hours to finally falling asleep at 6AM. It sux so bad. There are 2 reasons for this, 1 because I have ADD and mind races and races and has a hard time just shutting down and 2 because I am a waitress and am usually scheduled the graveyard shift so Its hard on the nights I'm not working, to re-adjust my body clock and fall asleep early.

I dyed my hair black a couple weeks ago. Ive been blond my entire life but after a thousand people told me to go dark and after one of my really sick relationship breakups that drove me practically insane, I decided to do it. I looked in the mirror at it & cried for about an hour then I really liked it for about a week & got a ton of compliments & then I decided I couldn't stand it & had to be blond again. & anyone who's done it before knows its a nightmare going from dark to blond, especially from black to blond. So I went back to blond & I absolutely love it... again

People try my cookies, ask me for the recipe, but sometimes say "I followed the recipe exactly, but They didn't turn out like yours" So Really quick I'll share some cookie baking tips that will help your cookies turn out like mine:

1. Use a silver jelly roll pan to bake your cookies (like the one pictured below)
2. My typical 2 egg cookie recipe calls for 3 cup flour. If dough isn't stiff, use 1/4 cup more.
3. Always under bake. Don't bake cookies till golden. Take them out before golden otherwise they'll dry hard and crunchy (unless you like that/:)
4. Always Bake the cookies at 350.
5. When you place the cookie sheet in the oven, place it on the middle/upper rack with another pan underneath it for insulation.
6. Don't substitute butter for the Crisco. You have to use butter-flavored Crisco.. Have to!



Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Reeses Chocolate Cookies


Reeses Chocolate Cookies
1-1/8 cups Crisco
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
1-1/2 cups semisweet Mini Chocolate Chips

Beat Crisco and sugar till creamy. Beat in baking soda, baking powder, salt, and then cocoa till well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour and then baking chips till full incorporated. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoonfulls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.

M&M Cookies


M&M Cookies
1 cup butter-flavored Crisco
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t vanilla
3 cups flour (or a little more if mixture doesnt seem stiff enough)
1 bag m&m's (about 2 cups or 14oz)

Beat Crisco and sugars till creamy. Add egg, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat till well combined. Gradually beat in the flour and then the M&M's. Drop by large tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Best Treat Ever

What this is, is one of my homemade chocolate chip cookies (or M&M cookies) topped with frosting and then topped with sweetened whipped cream!!! Its so so so delicious. I eat one of these at least once a week! I'll write out the "recipe" below...

Best Treat Ever
Ingredients:
1 homemade M&M Cookie (not hot)
Pillsbury vanilla Frosting
Homemade Sweetened Whipped Cream
Directions:
Take One m&m cookie. Spread top of cookie w/ vanilla frosting. Spread top of frosting with whipped cream. Serve immediately and enjoy(:

M&M Christmas Cookies



So we had a Christmas boutique just the other day and I made a whole bunch of these and they sold really well (2 cookies per pkg.) and all the people, especially my cousins, just go crazy over them. So basically its just My best chocolate chip cookie recipe made with Christmas m&m's and then 2 bagged up in each Christmas pkg.

M&M Christmas Cookies
1 cup butter-flavored Crisco
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t vanilla
3 cups flour
1 bag Christmas m&m's (about 2 cups or 14oz)

Beat Crisco and sugars till creamy. Add egg, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat till well combined. Gradually beat in the flour and then the M&M's. Drop by large tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Buttermilk Syrup


I posted a photo for this recipe on allrecipes years ago and they've always used my photo as the main photo, so I guess it was a good one:/ Ha Ha. Anyway, after trying this syrup you never want to use store-bought again. Also if you dont have buttermilk; then milk, or cream, or 1/2&1/2 work awsome too!
Buttermilk Syrup
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies


Chocolate Chip Shortbread cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips or mini m&m's

Mix together the butter and the sugar till creamy. Gradually add the cornstarch and flour till well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips or m&m's. Shape dough into little balls. Put on a non-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Powdered Sugar Cookies


This is and always will be my favorite recipe for cut-out sugar cookies. They turn out perfect every time.

Powdered Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Beat butter with sugar till creamy. Add egg, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar; mix well. Gradually add flour and beat until well incorporated. Roll dough into ball and cover w/ cling wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hr. Roll dough 1/2" thick and cut w/ cookie cutters. Place shapes on cookie sheet and Bake each batch 8 min at 350.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Lemon Bars


First Picture: The crust just before baking. Second Picture: The bars just after baking, before sprinkling w/ powdered sugar

LEMON BARS
Crust:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar or 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
6 T lemon juice
Powdered sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Crust: Beat together butter and sugar till creamy. Gradually add flour till well combined. Press dough into 9x13 pan and bake 15 minutes at 350.
Filling: Beat all filling ingredients together till well combined. Pour over hot crust. Bake an aditional 25 to 35 minutes (or until not runny) at 325. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and then cut into bars.