Sugar cookie dough bark

 

I tried to finish up some Christmas things over the weekend, including getting some cookies baked and put into the freezer to take to my parents’ house next week.  I made this sugar cookie dough bark too, because Claudia wanted something covered in sprinkles.  And also because we love any treat that lets us eat “raw” cookie dough.

This bark is super easy and has only 4 ingredients!  But, a disclaimer…. it’s really sweet, so be prepared for a major sugar rush.  Claudia and I decided we’d like to try it again, but next time with chocolate cookie mix and chocolate candy melts.  I do love how pretty and festive this one turned out though.  Perfect addition to a Christmas cookie tray.

Recipe:  Sugar Cookie Dough Bark

(from Crazy for Crust)

1 pouch sugar cookie mix, like Betty Crocker
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp. milk
24 oz. package of white candy melts
sprinkles

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper and set aside.  Mix sugar cookie mix, butter, and milk in a medium bowl until creamy.  Melt half the candy melts (following package directions) and spread the melted candy in an even layer on the cookie sheet.  Top evenly with cookie dough and press gently to cover candy layer.  Chill for 10 minutes.  Melt remaining candy melts.  Pour over the top of the chilled cookie dough and spread evenly to cover.  Add sprinkles.  Chill until hardened, then break apart.

Bacon chocolate chip cookies

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

The whole chocolate-covered bacon thing has been pretty popular on the boardwalk the past couple summers.  I hadn’t tried it until my nephew shared some with me during a visit to a local flea market.  (Hi, Owen!!)  That combination of salty and sweet is a big draw, and chocolate-covered bacon gives you the best of both of those worlds.  So how about in cookie form?

The bacon flavor is subtle in these cookies, but if you’d like it to have more of a presence, just add more crumbled bacon than I did.  I’ll probably bump it up a bit if I make them again.  I’m also curious how they’d taste with a hickory smoked bacon.  I bet that would be good – salty, sweet, and smokey.  I’ve never had a smokey taste in a cookie before, but I’m game to try it!

Recipe:  Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

(recipe found at Food, Fun & Life)

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. bacon fat  (After you cook your crispy bacon, drain the fat into a glass and pop it into the refrigerator until it cools.)
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
2  1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
8-10 oz. bacon, cooked until crispy  (1/2 – 3/4 cups of crumbled bacon)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix butter, bacon fat, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and beat after each addition.  Add baking soda and mix well.  Mix in vanilla, then add flour and mix until combined.  Stir in crumbled bacon and chocolate chips.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly on cookie sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

DIY instant oatmeal

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?  In my family, mornings are very often busy and chaotic, so squeezing breakfast in is sometimes a challenge.  I’m great at making sure the kids get something good in their bellies before they head out the door, but I’m not always as conscience of getting my own day going in a healthy way.  This homemade instant oatmeal has been a perfect solution for me.  I absolutely love it and the flexibility of being able to add-in anything I’m in the mood for keeps it from getting boring.  It takes just a couple minutes to mix everything up and transfer it to a big container, and then I have breakfast at my fingertips.  Once you taste the difference, you’ll never go back to those store-bought packets again.

Recipe:  DIY Instant Oatmeal

(adapted from One Good Thing by Jillee)

10 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
1 cup non-dairy powdered creamer
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar  (If you prefer a sweeter bowl of oatmeal, you can use more sugar to suit your taste.)
2 tsp. kosher salt

Place 8 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats to a large bowl.  In a blender, blend 2 cups of oats until powdery, then add to the other oats.  Stir in powdered creamer, brown sugar, and salt until well mixed.  Transfer to large container for storage.

To make a bowl of oatmeal, scoop 1/2 cup of the instant oatmeal mixture into a bowl.  Heat 3/4 cup of water to boiling (I use the microwave.) and pour over oatmeal.  Let oatmeal sit for 1-2 minutes.  Add whatever dried fruits and/or nuts you enjoy.

 

Pork carnitas rice bowl

Pork Carnitas Rice Bowl

Ever since my first visit to Chipotle, it’s become my favorite place to eat out.  It’s a good thing it’s not too local for me or I’d want to go on a weekly basis.  Since I can’t, I’ve had to figure out how to bring those flavors into my own kitchen instead.  Jim actually says this version is far better than Chipotle’s.  It’s definitely nice to be able to eat the leftovers for a day or two.

The pork literally falls apart after cooking in the crock pot while we’re at work, and I really take a shortcut with the rice, so it’s a quick and easy weeknight meal.  Ever seen those microwaveable bags of rice?  You can buy brown rice that cooks in 90 seconds.  I make a couple bags of that, add some minced red onion, lime juice from one whole lime, some salt and pepper to taste, and a handful of chopped fresh cilantro and I’ve got a tasty base to start our rice bowls.  Next, we add the pork, some shredded lettuce, fresh tomato salsa, corn salsa (I follow this recipe exactly and it’s perfect), guacamole, greek yogurt (or sour cream), and some chopped chives or green onions on top.  Jim adds (rinsed, canned) black beans to his too.  I’m craving a rice bowl just writing about it.  That’s how good it is.

Recipe:  Pork Carnitas
(adapted from Shared Appetite)

8-10 lb. pork shoulder (bone in) or 6-8 lb boneless pork shoulder
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. chili powder
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
kosher salt

Cut the pork shoulder into big chunks and rub with kosher salt.  In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and add pork pieces.  Turn to brown on all sides.  Once pork is browned, transfer pieces to crock pot.  Add 1 cup of water to the pan and stir to scrape up the brown bits in the bottom.  Add the rest of the ingredients along with a good pinch of kosher salt.  Stir to combine.  Pour mixture over the pork in the crock pot.  Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.  When pork is cooked, shred with 2 forks and return to sauce in the crock pot until ready to serve.

Fresh summer salsa

Fresh Summer Salsa

My tomato plants have been absolutely gigantic this year!  We have a deck that’s one story above the ground and my two tomato plants have literally reached the deck.  They have grown voraciously all summer and they are just crazy to see.

This fresh salsa has been the perfect way to use all those tomatoes and it’s delicious to boot.  It’s great for dipping, but my favorite way to eat it is piled high on my homemade version of a rice bowl from Chipotle.  Yum and Yum!

Let’s call this post the first of my homemade Chipotle trilogy.  I’ll share the corn salsa and the pork carnitas that go into it too.  It is all delish!!

Recipe:  Fresh Summer Salsa

(from A Pair of Pears)

3 tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 jalapeño
1/4 tsp salt

Chop everything to your desired size and gently stir.  Enjoy!!

 

Panini press layer cake

Panini Press Layer Cake

Who knew that panini press sitting in my pantry could make a little bitty cake?  Just look at this tiny layer cake – absolutely adorable and just right for two to share.  Claudia and I made this just as we were saying goodbye to summer vacation and getting ready to head back to school.  It always makes us sad, so we needed a treat to make the transition back to school a little sweeter.

There was a lot of fun factor with this cake too.  Our only other panini dessert attempt ended in disaster, so this was more like an experiment than anything.  Happily for us, it worked and we got to enjoy the results.

Recipe:  Panini Press Layer Cake

(from Panini Happy and How Sweet It Is)

1 egg

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 heaping tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

Preheat the panini grill to 350°F or medium-high.  Spray two 6-ounce ramekins with baking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and sugar together until they are combined.  Stir in the vanilla and melted butter.  Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until the batter is combined and smooth. Stir in the milk.  Divide the batter equally between the two ramekins, ideally filling each about halfway.  Set the ramekins on the panini grill and close the lid so that the upper grates make contact with the upper edges of the ramekins.  Bake the cakes until they are set and spring back when touched in the center, about 17 to 19 minutes.  Allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the ramekins, then invert them onto a rack to cool completely.  Assemble the layers and frost.

 

 

Buffalo chicken quinoa salad

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

My dabbling with quinoa in dessert recipes didn’t quite work out for me, so I’ve gone back to savory quinoa dishes instead.  This is a very healthy salad and it makes a huge amount, so it’s great to know you have a go-to lunch all week.  This salad has taken the top spot in Jim’s go-to lunch rotation.  It’s easy enough to make and it really does feed him all week.  It’s filling and flavorful, though I’m such a lightweight when it comes to heat, that it’s actually a little much for me.  If I were making the salad just for me, I’d have to cut back on the hot sauce a bit, but Jim thinks it’s great just the way it is.

Recipe:  Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad

(adapted from Half Baked Harvest)

3 c. cooked quinoa
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, cooled, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 1/2 – 2 c. fresh spinach, thinly sliced (chiffonade)
1 c. Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/3 c. olive oil
1 c. crumbled blue cheese

Cook quinoa according to package directions and cool.  Cook chicken breasts and cut them into bite-sized pieces when cool.  In a large bowl, mix quinoa, chicken, most of the green onions, and celery.  In a separate bowl, whisk together Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and olive oil.  Pour hot sauce mixture over quinoa mixture and stir to combine.  Stir in most of the blue cheese.  If you’re not serving the salad right away, refrigerate it at this point.  Just before serving, stir in the chiffonade of spinach.  Sprinkle the top of the salad with the reserved green onions and crumbled blue cheese.

 

Cake batter dip

Cake Batter Dip

Oh. My. Gosh.  I can’t even put into words my complete love and adoration for this dip.  It is THAT GOOD.  The kind of good that makes you want to pay homage to it with a poem… or a love song… or a limerick.  Something.  But you can’t, because you’re too busy holding your graham cracker in one hand and your spoon in the other, just trying to decide which way you like eating it the best.  And since you still can’t choose, even after you’ve eaten your weight in dip, you’ll just have to find a reason to make it again.  Soon.  Really, really soon.

Recipe:  Cake Batter Dip

(slightly adapted from Mommy’s Menu)

1 boxed cake mix  (any flavor – I chose yellow butter cake mix)
1 1/2 c. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 c. Cool Whip  (I used light Cool Whip and would like to try fat-free next time.)
lots of sprinkles/jimmies
graham crackers, animal crackers, pretzels, (or a spoon) for dipping

Stir all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Transfer to serving dish, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use, at least one hour.

(I also think this would make an excellent cupcake frosting!!  Just be sure to refrigerate them, since you’re using dairy products.)

Hot cocoa frozen yogurt

Hot Cocoa Frozen Yogurt

The heat wave that clobbered us last week has gone as quickly as it arrived.  We’ve had a couple beautiful warm days and have even been able to turn off the a/c and throw the windows open.  But when we were in the midst of 100+ temps, the kids were screaming for ice cream.  This was a great recipe to make with them because all you do is stir it up and pour it into the ice cream maker for about 15 minutes.  That is literally it.  Quick and easy and a cold treat in minutes.

Recipe:  Hot Cocoa Frozen Yogurt

(adapted from kitchenability)

2 ½ cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt
½ cup and 2 tbsp. instant hot cocoa mix
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. marshmallow fluff
2-3 Tbsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
2-3 Tbsp. Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Bits*  (These come in chocolate or vanilla flavored.  We used chocolate.)

Stir Greek yogurt and hot cocoa mix together until combined.  Add the vanilla extract and marshmallow fluff and stir again until mixed.  Stir in mini chocolate chips and marshmallow bits until everything is fully incorporated.  Transfer to ice cream maker until your desired consistency is achieved.  (It doesn’t take long to reach a soft-serve consistency, so keep an eye on it.)

(If you don’t have an ice cream machine, just pour your mixture into a freezer-safe container, cover, and freeze overnight.)

*The Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Bits can usually be found in the baking aisle.

Black bean brownies

Black Bean Brownies

My kids are so funny when I ask them to try something, whether it’s a dessert or something new I’ve just cooked.  They both look at me suspiciously and ask what the secret ingredient is.  When did they catch on to my good-willed deception anyway?  I guess the jig is up, as they say.  I still hold out until they’ve tried the food in question, just in case they really love it and won’t care what I’ve added.

These brownies are a good example.  Because they’re a little flatter than our normal brownies and the top didn’t get all nice and crinkled like it usually does, they knew right away that there was a “secret ingredient” in there.  To their credit though, they both tried them and Claudia actually really liked them.  Sam told me he did, but I found most of his in the trash later.  Me?  I am eating them left and right.  Apparently, just because I know there is something remotely healthy in there, I can just grab one whenever I want.  Right?  Isn’t that how it works?

Anyway, the secret ingredient here is black beans.  No one would have ever guessed.  I’ve made chickpea brownies that were a big hit with the kids because they were over-the-top chocolatey, but I thought these were better.  And they’re way healthier!  The edges were a little weird to me – kind of crispy and chewy all at once, but Claudia couldn’t get enough of them, so we have been tag-teaming.  She gets the edges and I get the middle.  We’re a good team.

Recipe:  Black Bean Brownies

1 15 oz. can of black beans
1 brownie mix
handful of chocolate chips, optional

Rinse black beans well and return to the can.  Fill the can with water, covering the beans.  Pour the mixture into your blender and blend for a couple minutes, until pureed (the mixture looked like a lot of liquid, but it’ll be fine).  Pour brownie mix into a large bowl and add the bean mixture.  Stir until combined.   Add a handful of chocolate chips and stir.  Pour into a prepared 9×13″ baking pan and sprinkle with a few chocolate chips.  Bake for 20-25  minutes or until brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool completely before cutting.