Red Velvet Cake Balls and Oreo Truffles.....

I have not made these yet, but I saw them on the blog My Kitchen Cafe. Don't they look DELICIOUS?? They also seem so easy!!! I am so going to make these this weekend!!!!

Red Velvet Cake Balls
from Bakerella

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet.
4. Chill for several hours - make sure they are really firm. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra - two forks also works great if your chocolate is warm enough.)
7. Drizzle with extra chocolate bark (I used melted semisweet chocolate to drizzle on top.)Oreo Truffles
adapted from Bakerella



1 package (18 oz.) Oreo cookies, crushed into small pieces
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 package Almond Bark

Chocolate chips or chocolate bark for drizzling

Mix crushed Oreos and cream cheese until well-combined. The best way to do this is using your fingers - it will be messy! Roll into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet or tray. Refrigerate until firm, 3-4 hours (or stick in the freezer for about an hour).

Melt white almond bark according to package directions. Using 2 forks (or a spoon, but forks always work better for me), dip Oreo balls into white coating and place onto waxed paper to harden. Once dry, melt chocolate bark (or if using chocolate chips, melt chocolate chips with a bit of shortening) and scoop melted chocolate into a ziploc baggie. Snip a very small corner off the bag and drizzle back and forth over the truffles. Let dry. Chill them and serve after chilled (they taste best cold!).

Li'l Cheddar Meat Loaves

These little mini/personal size meat loaves are a fun twist on the original style of meat loaf. I got the original recipe out of a Quick Cooking magazine a few years ago and have made it several times with rave reviews each time. I have modified the recipe slightly, and the modifications are included here. I don't know if the picture quite does them justice- they are very tangy and yummy!

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 pkg. onion soup mix
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
a few shakes Worcestershire sauce

Glaze
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard

In a bowl, combine first 10 ingredients and mix well. Shape into approx. 4 mini loaves. Place in a greased 13X9X2 pan. Combine ingredients for the glaze and spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 min. or until meat is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 160deg. Serves 4

Rolls....

This recipe is Nicoles sisters. Nicole made these for Easter and they were so good. I made them for dinner tonight, and they didn't disappoint. This picture is one that Nicole took of hers. I didn't make them into croissants, I just don't have time (or patience) to make them pretty right now. I just dropped them in balls on the baking sheet, and they were still tasty. Thanks Nicole for a great recipe!!!!

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cold cup of water
2 pkgs. yeast ( or I used 4 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs (beaten)
7 1/2 cups flour
butter for the tops
Directions:
In a 6 quart pan bring 1 cup of water to a boil then add the 1 cup of butter, sugar and salt to the pan. Take it off the heat and add 1 cold cup of water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. When the first mixture is luke warm you add the yeast mixture and eggs. Stir for a second. Then add the flour. Stir together. Cover pan and refrigerate over night.
Divide it into 3rds. Roll it out into a circle and cut with a pizza cutter into triangle for croissants or make whatever shape you want. Butter the cookie sheets. Then let them rise for 4 hours and top with melted butter.
Place them on baking sheets. 12 rolls per sheet.
Now pop them in the oven for 400 * degrees for 10 minutes.

Printing Recipes?

I'd really like to think I can get around the computer well. I mean I really thought I could figure this out. I am so disappointed in myself. I did it once but have failed twice AFTER that? (How does that work? You figure it out, then un-figure it out?)

Since the new layout of the blog I'm having issues printing. (I'm not asking it to be changed, let me be clear.) So the text is white and the background red. I can't read it very well when I print from the blog. SO I copy, paste into a word document, then change the font to black and the background to another color-only the background never goes into another color? And The font doesn't change either?

Is anyone else having this issue? How are you printing the recipes?

Thanks for any tips.

Pizza Crust!....

I got this pizza crust recipe off of www.justmade.blogspot.com, it is sooooo good. It's extremely moist and very easy. Tonight I just made a canadian bacon pizza, but there is a really good recipe on that website for a bbq chicken pizza- check it out!

1 cup very warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 scant tablespoon yeast
3 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Disolve sugar in water then sprinkle yeast on top and let float for 1 minute. Stir in yeast and let it proof for 10 minutes. Yeast should foam. Stir in oil, salt and flour and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with pizza stone in oven. Remove pizza stone from oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll or toss dough and place on stone. Top with your favorite toppings and place in oven! Cook for approx. 18 minutes

**I didn't have cornmeal so I used flour, it worked fine, just don't use too much.
**Original recipe says to cook for 20-25 min. I cooked for 18 and it was perfect.

Chow Mein

YUMMY!!!! YUMMY!!!

3 chicken breasts- cut in bite size pieces
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons minced garlic
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetable mix
2 pkgs chow mein noodles (fresh in produce section)

Place chicken pieces in a bowl with soy sauce, 3 tablespoons water, and garlic. Let marinate for 1 hour. After marinating add cornstarch and mix until there is no liquid left.

Stir fry chicken in 2 tablespoons oil. In separate pan, stir fry veggies. Cook noodles according to package. Combine veggies and noodles and add the sauce that comes with the package of noodles. (this package sauce is dried and calls for 1/2 cup water per package...don't forget) When mixed, add chicken and enjoy!!


***This is a pic of the noodles I used. I found them in the produce section at Super Walmart***

Applesauce Oat Muffins

I clipped this out of a Quick Cooking Magazine a few years ago, but just made them for the first time last week. They were really good and very easy! Also, not too high in fat!

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup skim milk
3 TBSP canola or vegi oil
1 egg white

TOPPING:
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TBSP butter or stick marg, melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the applesauce, milk, oil and egg white. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill muffin cups coated with nonstick cooking spray three fourths full.

Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 deg. for 16-18 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Makes approx. 10 muffins.

Nutritional Info: One muffin equals 222 calories, 6 g. fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein.

Sahuarita Waffles

Mmm. Mmmm. Mmmm. These are so worth your time. I love this recipe because the waffles are light. You don't feel like you're downing a bag of flour. I've also done half whole wheat and they of course are still great.

Sahuarita Waffles

6 Servings

2 C sifted flour (I never sift it, and I think it shows...I always have hard to get flour lumps)

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

2 1/8 C milk (I've used skim, 2% and powdered)

1/2 C salad oil (I've used olive, vegetable and even canola when I didn't have anything else)

2 eggs, beaten

1. Sift together dry ingredients.

2. Combine wet ingredients.

3. Mix dry and wet ingredients together, just before baking, mixing just until moistened (this is harder if you're like me and you don't sift the flour...more mixing required though they're still great.
4. Bake in preheated waffle iron following manufacturers' directions. (That line cracks me up.)

Lunch Time Request.....

Hey Friends...as many of you know, my husband is in the police academy. I have to make his lunch every day. They don't have a refrigerator to keep their lunches in at the academy and they don't have access to a microwave. Poor Cameron is kind of getting tired of sandwiches. Does anybody have any good ideas that I can use for his lunch? Something that doesnt have to be cold to stay fresh and doesn't have to be heated up. Thanks for your help!!

Pizza Casserole...

My mother has been making this dinner for as long as I can remember. With 5 picky kids it worked out great. There is no real recipe for it, just put as much as you want. Now that I cook it for Cameron and I, I add a few more ingredients--anything you would put on a pizza is tasty in this!

• Penne noodles
• Italian sausage
• Pepperoni
• Prego
• Mozzarella

Boil the noodles and cook the sausage. When both are done, combine noodles, sausage, pepperoni, and prego- mix well. Put in a baking dish. Put shredded mozzarella on top. Cook at 350 for about 45 minutes (or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through)

I usually saute onion with the sausage. I also add olives and sometimes some peppers. Its super easy and is great with garlic bread.

Chocolate Waffles

Just take a regular box of chocolate cake mix. Mix it according to the box...just exactly like you were making a cake. But instead of pouring it into a cake pan, pour it right into a waffle iron. They don't get crispy like waffles. Just take them out when they're cooked all the way through.

They make fantastic sundaes. Delicious with ice cream, strawberries and chocolate syrup. We've made them before with just powdered sugar and/ or jam, too. They cook up so fast. It's a great quick family home evening treat.

Sweet Spaghetti....

This is my sister Koris recipe. Her family LOVES this. I love it as well but don't get to fix it very often. Cameron doesn't love it, but his reasoning is "spaghetti shouldn't be messed with". This is even better the second day!

1 box (11 oz) thin spaghetti
2 lbs ground beef, salted and browned
4 cups tomato juice
1 small can tomato paste
3/4 cup brown sugar
grated cheddar cheese

Put cooked spaghetti in 13x9 inch pan. Put cooked ground beef on top. Mix juice, paste and brown sugar and pour over all. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes!

Variation on Spaghetti

When I was in college I ate spaghetti--a lot! One of my friends taught me an easy and yummy way to change up your spaghetti a little. Just add a little cream cheese (about 4 oz... just to your liking) and stir it up in your hot spaghetti with sauce until it's melted. It's so super easy and makes a good, creamy, spaghetti sauce!

Puppy Chow....

I would make a batch of these anytime I had bishopric meetings or district meetings as a missionary. Too good and always a hit!

1 package (6 ounce) semi sweet chocolate morsels
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup peanuts (optional)
6 cups kellogs crispix cereal
1 cup confectioners sugar

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips at high for 1 minute. Stir and heat an additional 30 seconds at high or until melted. Stir in peanut butter and peanuts. Stir in crispix cereal into chocolate/peanut butter mixture until well coated. Place sugar in 2 gallon storage bag. Add coated cereal to sugar and close bag. Gently toss cereal mixture until well coated. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

RUNZA CASSEROLE

when I lived in Nebraska there was a food chain called "Runza"...their specialty was a sandwich of homeade dough stuffed with ground beef and spices. This is an easy casserole that plays off the sandwich chain!!

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 head of cabbage shredded or 1 bag of preshredded cabbage
2 cans of pilsbury crescent rolles
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef. Do not drain. Add cabbage and salt and pepper. Cook over low heat until cabbage is soft and thinner pieces are translucent. Drain meat/cabbage mixture. In greased 9x13 pan, line bottom with crescent roll dough. Fill with meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with 2nd can of crescent dough. Bake until top crust is brown and flakey. (Approx. 40 min.)

Southwestern Eggrolls

My friend, Kim, made these for a playgroup a few weeks ago. They were incredible! They tasted just like some I have had in restaurants, such as Chili's or Cheesecake factory. I made them tonight for the adults at my son's 5th birthday party and they ate them all gone! They are a bit spicy, so if you like spicy you will love them! The recipe is long, with lots of ingredients, but they are easy to put together- it really doesn't take much time. They do need to be frozen overnight. The recipe only makes 5 egg rolls (10 when cut in half) so it would be worth it to double or triple and keep in the freezer and take out a few at a time. (or make for a large group like I did-I tripled it and they were gone.) Also, if you do double or triple, you can still do a single recipe for the sauce- it doesn't take much dipping sauce.
Egg rolls:
1 chicken breast
1 Tbsp vegi oil
2 Tbsp minced parsley
2 Tbsp minced green onion
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup canned black beans- rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp minced red bell pepper
2 Tbsp diced/ canned jalapeño peppers
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. frozen spinach thawed/drained
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded mont jack cheese
5 7-in. flour tortillas

Avocado dipping sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup smashed fresh avocado
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp buttermilk (see note below)**
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp dried parsley
1/8 tsp onion powder
dash dried dill weed
dash garlic powder
dash pepper

1) dice chicken, coat in a small amount of vegi oil and cook in pan till no longer pink. Lightly salt & pepper while cooking. Set aside.
2) Heat 1 Tbsp oil in pan. Add red pepper and onion- saute a couple minutes until tender.
3) Add chicken back to pan and add the corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper to pan. Cook another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture. Remove from heat and add cheese- stir in until melted.
4) Wrap tortillas between two moist paper towels and microwave 45-60 sec. or until warm.
5) Spoon approx. 1/5 of mixture into tortillas. Fold ends in first and then wrap tightly. Secure with toothpicks to hold together ( I put on in each end.)
6) Arrange egg rolls on a plate (seam side down) and cover and freeze for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
7) Prepare dipping sauce by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
8) Preheat 4-6 cups oil to 375 deg. Deep fry egg rolls in the hot oil for approx. 10 min. (more or less depending on oil temp.) Remove to a paper towel or rack to drain for a couple minutes. Remove toothpicks and slice diagonally lengthwise and arrange on a plate around a small bowl of the dipping sauce.

**a tip from Kim that I, too, found useful. If you are like me and don't use buttermilk for anything else, you can make your own by combining one cup regular milk with one TBSP vinegar and let it sit at least a few minutes. That way you are throwing away less than a cup of milk instead of the whole bottle of buttermilk that you aren't going to use.

Speedy Chicken Stir Fry.....

I got this recipe off of another recipe blog, but it is originally from the Kraft Food recipes website. I made it tonight and totally enjoyed it! I bought Cameron some California Rolls to eat with his. This is the kind of stir fry that is tasty both cold and hot! Enjoy!

• 8 oz. angel hair pasta (capellini),
• uncooked2 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. each: ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
• 1/3 cup Dry Roasted Peanuts

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally. Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into four serving bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Snicker Raviolis

Ever had The Macaroni Grill's Snicker Raviolis? They are delicious! It's quite easy, just get won tons and cut up snickers. Put the snickers inside and to seal the won ton you put egg wash on the edges and throw it in bubbling hot canola oil and within 30 seconds it's ready! Sprinkle with powered sugar and serve with ice cream, it's one of my favorites. Try it. Eat it. Enjoy it. :)

Farfalle with Tomatoes and Basil

I finally tried this out last night. It was pretty simple and a huge success... even William "I-won't-try-anything-new-and-hardly-eat-a-thing" loved it. I snagged it from here.

The amounts I have here are for four adult servings:

Cook 1/2 lb. of farfalle (bowties) according to the package instructions. Make sure you generously salt the water. If the package says "10-12 minutes" cook them for 10. By the time everything's finished, they'll be perfect.

While the pasta is cooking,

in a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan,

then add:

1/2 onion--chopped finely once the onion is soft and translucent, add

6 roma tomatoes, diced (I almost always cook with romas because they're easy to cut and usually the cheapest)

Cook the onions and tomatoes on medium-high heat until the tomato pieces have turned into sauce. You want to cook out a lot of the water.

Your pasta probably needs to be drained sometime in here, but scoop out a mug full of the pasta water before you drain it. I'll explain later.

Add about 1 tsp. of salt (make sure to taste it because seasoning is personal), 2 tsp. of sugar, some black pepper, and some red pepper flakes if you like a little spice.

Dump the pasta into the sauce and stir in 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, 8-10 chopped basil leaves, and 1 chopped, grilled chicken breast or leftover chopped up chicken (if you want it).

Now is when you use the reserved pasta water to control the texture. I'm sure that sometimes you've cooked, or been served pasta that is dry and stuck together and just not perfect. Well, you can avoid that with the addition of a little pasta water. It works best because it's salted so it won't dilute the sauce, it's hot, so it won't make the dish cold, and it has some starch that the pasta abandoned during cooking so it won't make the sauce too thin.Add a little water and stir it in until the pasta is covered in perfectly textured, shiny sauce. Do it again when you come back for a second serving and the pasta looks all dried out. Also, whenever you're reheating pasta, add a little water before putting it into the microwave.

note from Jeanine: I didn't have fresh basil so I just used the dried flakes... they worked perfectly. Also, I think it would taste just as great without the chicken. I think I put slightly more Parmesan cheese as well because I like things extra cheesy.