Monday Menu ~ Edible Cookie Dough

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Jackie

It’s Monday! And if you hadn’t caught on yet (I’m sure you have though) it’s another post featuring a tasty recipe! And this one… is great and it’s from my sister, as a matter of fact she’s back again guest posting this week! So please give her a warm welcome and enjoy the recipe.

So this is not an original recipe of mine. I was on a quest (and still am) to eat healthier and provide something a little better for the family. I know what you are thinking, Cookie Dough Balls, healthy?? Not really, but everyone needs a treat now and then.

So, I was searching and came across the Peas and Thank You website. MaMa Pea, the curator and mastermind behind it had the cookie dough ball recipe right there in shining lights, screaming, make me, make me, make me. So, weak as I am for peanut butter and chocolate, I did it…. I made them. And let me tell you, they are goooooooooooood. In fact, to me, they were close my eyes, smile, and tune out, “Mommy, Mommy, Mom”. I couldn’t quite tune out the, THWACK sound and the crying that followed though. My youngest hit the oldest. Boys… oy vay.

Anywho, my kids love cookie dough (psst.. me too), but I am always leery to give it to them because of the eggs and possibility of salmonella (I’m still trying to get nominated for mom of the year award here). This is a great alternative and my boys don’t know any different. They are always asking to make, “cookie balls”. Yes, I let them help even with craziness.

Edible Cookie Dough Balls

Makes 12-18 dough balls
• 1/2 c. non-dairy margarine (i.e. Earth Balance) ( I did use butter once and they turned out delectable)
• 3/4 c. natural peanut butter (I use smooth, but the crunchy variety is fine too)
• 1/2 c. organic brown sugar
• 3/4 c. organic powdered sugar ( I cut the sugar down to ½ c.)
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 c. unbleached organic flour
• 1/2 c. natural peanut butter chips
• 1/2 c. non-dairy chocolate chips ( I used reg choc chips )

Using a stand mixer, beat margarine, peanut butter, sugars and vanilla until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours.Add dry mixture to the mixer bowl a little at a time. Add dry mixture to the mixer bowl a little at a time. Add your chips. There’s no need for exact measurements here. I won’t tell. Combine and chill dough for 30 minutes.

Andrew loved it!

Did you see??? With Just a Bit of Magic is the blog of the week over at Social Moms!! How great is that? Social Moms is a great community so check it out if you haven’t been over there yet.

Are you looking for more great recipes? Check out the Monday Menu page!

Monday Menu ~ My Favorites

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Jackie

I have a recipe for you and as a matter of fact it’s a really good one too, but because I didn’t make it this weekend to take pictures it’ll have to wait until next Monday. But, what I do have for you is a list of some of my favorite recipes that I’ve made lately.

Over the holidays I wanted to make a cheesecake to bring to our Christmas at my in-laws house. But it couldn’t be just any old cheesecake, it had to be thick, smooth, and very creamy. Also, I wanted a smooth top that wasn’t brown or cracked and I knew that I could do it.

Perfect Cheesecake

It turned out perfect! And the recipe is really simple and versatile, by adding different flavorings or even an instant pudding packet you can make this your own special recipe.

Another favorite of mine was dinner last week, breaded pork cutlet with cheesy hash brown casserole, and green beans cooked with bacon and onions. I posted this on Instagram and was asked by Christina from A Closet Writer asked me for the recipe and here it is.

Pork Cutlets – I bought cubed pork chops that were already breaded with some sort of plain bread crumbs. I seasoned them with garlic, salt, and pepper before cooking them with some vegetable oil and bacon grease.

Potatoes – I opened a box of Idahoan potatoes, added cheese, and followed the instructions.

Beans – 10oz or so bag of frozen green beans steamed in the microwave until almost done. While those steam saute a sliced onion in a bit of the bacon grease, throw in the bacon, and green beans and cook until the beans are hot. Season with fresh ground pepper and salt if needed.

This last recipe I take no credit for at all because I happened to find it while wasting great amounts of time on Pinterest. This recipe is so easy! You can whip it up on a busy evening or make a large amount of it and keep it in a crock pot when you have a crowd over. Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes are a new twist on the classic sloppy joe that is so tasty that I can’t imagine anyone not like them! Try them tonight for dinner!

What are some of your new recipe favorites?

Monday Menu ~ Layers of Love Brownies

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Jackie

It’s Monday and that means it’s time again for the Monday Menu! This week I have another blogger from Michigan! Angela from Tiaras and Trucks is here sharing an amazing recipe that is full of chocolate! I think that everyone should drop what they’re doing and make this one!

Years ago, my mom had family members send her their favorite
recipes and put together a cookbook for me.
All the way from Texas, courtesy of my cousin Jenny, these brownies
immediately became one of my favorite recipes.

I bring them to barbeques and potlucks and anywhere I think
someone might need to gain a few pounds.
These aren’t low-fat or low-carb or low-anything. The only way I can imagine making them
healthier is to cut them into smaller pieces!

Abbey and Dylan love helping in the kitchen, but I generally
make these after bedtime. It’s not that
they’re difficult, but there are a few different steps. It’s a recipe that deserves a read-through
before dumping all of the ingredients together and turning on your mixer.

Wait? Not everyone
bakes like that?

Dry Ingredients

¾ c flour * ¾ c baking cocoa * ¼ tsp salt * ½ c. white sugar
* ½ c. brown sugar

Wet Ingredients

½ c butter * 3 large eggs * 2 tsp vanilla

Super Delicious Additional Ingredients

¾ c white chocolate chips * ½ c caramel topping * ¾ c
chocolate chips

A little helper

Act One

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & grease/spray an 8 x 8
square pan

Combine cocoa, flour, salt

Beat butter, white & brown sugar, 2 (not all 3) eggs,
vanilla

Add in flour mixture gradually

Act Two

Set aside ¾ c mixed batter

Act Three

Pour remaining batter into pan

Sprinkle white chocolate chips over batter

Drizzle caramel topping over batter & chips

Act Four

Beat the ¾ c batter with remaining egg & chocolate chips

Spread over caramel topping

Bake for 30-35 minutes

Let cool before cutting into squares and ignoring the
calories in each amazing bite.

You can find Angela over at her place, Tiaras and Trucks, every day as well as on Twitter.

The best fall treat ever ~ pumpkin s’more bars

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Jackie

I am doing something that I don’t normally do…. posting on a Sunday and mid day. I always take the weekends off and make sure that when I do post that it’s ready to go at 6am.

But today I am sharing a recipe that I shared in Instagram yesterday. And there was an outcry for the recipe…people falling over to get it…… drooling on their phones and computers when they saw it. Alright, so maybe that’s an exaggeration.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter
1 can of pumpkin puree (150z)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (the small one)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of Graham cracker crumbs (about 12 squares
45 graham crackers (approximately)
9 cups of mini-marshmallows (entire bag)
2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (add more if you want!)

Instructions

Preheat over to 450F.
In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine the butter, pumpkin mix, milk, cinnamon and bring to a boil.
Remove saucepan from heat and stir in Graham cracker crumbs. Place aside.
Spray a 13×9 baking pan with cooking spray or line with waxed paper.
Line the pan with graham crackers – I had to cut a couple for the last row.
Pour 1/3 of the pumpkin mix over crackers and spread.
Top the pumpkin mix with approximately 2 – 3 cups of marshmallows.
Sprinkle evenly 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips.
Repeat steps 5,6,7, 8 twice giving you 3 layers.
Bake for 4 minutes.
Let it cool and set for 3-4 hours to firm up otherwise it will not cut well into squares. I placed mine in the fridge for a little bit.

Pumpkin S'mores fresh out of the oven

Having the graham crackers in squares really helped with the cutting since I didn’t have to cut through them.

These were a lot better than I had expected them to be. They were rich, airy, and very delicious!

I ate this one!

Because this recipe is so awesome I am going to link up with Kludgy Mom for her Fall Food linky so I can share it with everyone!

Monday Menu ~ Hot Fruit Salad

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Jackie

Welcome back to another edition of the Monday Menu! This week I have a special guest, Andrea from Good Girl Gone Redneck! I love having guests here and it’s even more fun when they share a great recipe. So give her a warm welcome and enjoy the recipe!

Thanks to Jackie for inviting me over to her magical place today so I can share a yummy recipe with you all!

I’m not exactly sure where I found some variation of this recipe. I think I was leafing through a crockpot cookbook, and when I saw something about hot fruit salad I figured I would give it a try. It’s a perfect treat during the cooler weather, and really warms you from the inside out. Plus it’s so simple even a lazy mom like me can make it while doing 900 other things around the house!

Hot Fruit Salad from Good Girl Gone Redneck

* 20 oz jar chunky applesauce
* 21 oz can cherry pie filling
* 15 oz can peach slices (drained)
* 11 oz can mandarin oranges (drained)
* 8 oz can of pineapple chunks
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 teasp. cinnamon (or more generous if you prefer – I don’t measure and sprinkle it in!)

Combine in crockpot. Mix ingredients.

Cook on low for 90 minutes. (You can also bake for 90 minutes at 350*!)

DONE.

This is a yummy breakfast treat, or a great snack, dessert, it can be served pretty much any time of day. Obviously it’s only really yum if you enjoy warm “fruit,” which I do, so it works for me. You can also try it with apple pie filling, or make your own to toss in if you’re adventurous and brave enough to do so. When you do that it reminds me of the breakfast apple toppings at Cracker Barrel or IHOP, which I could honestly live off of.

You can serve it with biscuits (Pillsbury is my friend), or tarts. Yum. You could also probably easily make a crepe or crepe/pancake/waffle topping out of it. Double yum. With cheesecake, even, if you do fruit with yours (I don’t, but I’m suggesting it anyway). Or just serve it solo, because warmed up it’s absolutely delicious … all by itself.

Enjoy!

Andrea blogs regularly over at Good Girl Gone Redneck where she takes pride in sharing any and all Lazy Mom Recipes she comes up with or stumbles across!

This, that, and some extra stuff peach cobbler

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Jackie

I really wanted to use the nectarines that I got from the farmers market that were starting to get really soft and since I just couldn’t sit down and eat 6 of them at once and leaving them on the counter another day would have caused them to turn to complete mush weren’t options I had to bake something.

I set out on a quest for a great peach cobbler recipe and sort of ended up creating my own by combining a few of the tastier looking one from Food Network. But while poking around I realized that I didn’t have enough of this or that and that I didn’t like the topping on some of them as well. So this is what I did.

Ingredients – filling

Peeled & sliced 6 nectarines.
1 can sliced peaches
1 bag frozen peaches – thawed
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking mix – I used what I had. Jiffy Buttermilk pancake mix w/maple flavoring added

Note – I think that I had close to 4 or 5 cups or so of fruit and added a bit more baking mix just to be sure that it wasn’t to runny.

Mix all of it together and place in a 13×9 pan.

Ingredients – topping

2 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for the top
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 stick butter, cubed and chilled
3/4 cup buttermilk – I used regular milk since I didn’t have buttermilk and didn’t feel like making it
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg white, for washing – didn’t want to waste my farm eggs so I used a bit of melted butter & water

I tossed it all in the food processor except the milk and pulsed until it looked like sand. Add the vanilla to the milk and then pour it into the butter & flour mixture and pulse until it comes together. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead into a 13×9 rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Carefully place it on top of the peach mixture and brush on the egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Before the butter & sugar topping

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

Now, I love to bake and will try just about anything once to see how it will turn out. I have to say that I was a little worried about this one since I used that Jiffy pancake mix with maple flavor and of course mixing all that different fruit. But it turned out really good and everyone seemed to love it! The only thing that would have made it better was whipped cream or ice cream.

The finished product!

The recipes that I used for inspiration for this recipe was from the Neely’s for the topping and Paula Deen for the filling.

Jiffy Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jackie

Recently I really wanted some cookies and some with chocolate in them but I wanted something fast and easy. My search online began and I had to blend a few recipes together to finally come up with one that worked.

The Ingredients

This is what I came up with.

4 T butter
3 T sugar (I didn’t use sugar but it needed some)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 boxes of Jiffy chocolate chip muffin mix
1 C chocolate chips

Note: I had to add some flour because the batter seemed a bit thin and I didn’t want the cookies to be really flat.

Preheat over to 350..

Mix softened butter with the sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add both boxes of muffin mix. Stir until completely incorporated. Add the chocolate chips. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are light brown on the edges and fully cooked on the top. Cool and enjoy.

These cookies were simple to make and turned out a lot better than I thought they would. As a matter of fact I think I’m going to try them again with with other flavors of Jiffy muffin mix.

How much more simple can a recipe get? So what is your quick go to recipe for a sweet snack?