Thursday, December 30, 2010

Cake Mix Cookies

These are the easiest cookies to make and there are so many different variations. My husband loves the chocolate with Rolos, and my new favorite is the pumpkin chocolate chip. Anyway there are lots of them out there, but these have been my favorite and they turn out perfect every time!

Basic recipe:

Chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. + 1 T. oil
your favorite candy

Combine first 3 ingredients into a thick dough. This is where you can be creative. Add different chocolate chips such as white chocolate, mint, or peanut butter. Or if you want to go all out try wrapping the dough around a Rolo, or any other mini size candy bar, although so far the Rolo has been our favorite by far. You can also turn it into a chocolate crinkle cookie by pressing a Jr. Mint on top right when it comes out of the oven and sprinkling with powdered sugar which is also a favorite of ours. Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip

Spice Cake Mix
15 oz. can pumpkin
1 bag chocolate chip cookies

Combine ingredients. These don't really spread out so you can place them pretty close together. I used a medium cookie scoop and cooked them at 350 for 12-13 minutes.

Sorry I never got around to taking a picture, but hopefully it will be coming soon!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Asian Beef Stir Fry

I don't buy steak too often, but when I can find it for a $1.99 a lb (thank you savvyshopperdeals.com:) then I don't feel so bad buying it, and almost every time I do I usually end up making this with the last 2 steaks. I love that it's a one dish meal and turns out great every time. The original recipe is meant to be made in a wok, but of course I don't have one so I just make do with what I got. Anyway here it is!




1 lb steak, cut into bite size strips
1/2 c. cold water
1 1/2 t. corn starch
2 packages Oriental flavored Top Ramen
3 carrots, peeled and cut into match sticks
1 lb broccoli
2 c. water
oil for stir frying

Combine cornstarch, cold water, and seasoning packets from Ramen. Add steak to hot pan and cook until no longer pink. Add cornstarch water and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove steak from pan and keep warm. Add oil and vegetables and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add a 1 1/2 c. water and cook until noodles are done adding more water if needed (you don't want it soupy, just enough to cook the noodles) Add the steak back in and enjoy!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Individual Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

All I can say is wow, these were so good! I know this may sound like nothing really new..potatoes, cheese, ham, but something about doing them in these individual muffin tins and probably the addition of lots of butter and these turn into little bites of heaven, and that's no exaggeration. These would be a great addition to any roast, steak, ribs, or pretty much anything you can think of, or if your like me I actually made them the main dish along with a vegetable or salad. Anyway I found this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com, but I actually changed it a little since I don't eat cheese and I think it made them even better, although I'm sure they're really good her way as well so I'll give you both recipes.



8 whole Medium Potatoes
1 stick Butter
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Scallions, Chopped
12 teaspoons Half-and-half
3/4 c. diced ham (make sure it's not the cubed ham, you definitely want the smaller diced ham)
Salt And Pepper

or

4 medium potatoes
1/2 stick butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. green onion, chopped
12 spoonfuls of cream of mushroom
3/4 c. diced ham
seasoning salt

Start by nuking your potatoes in the microwave for about 7 minutes or until partially soft, then slice them into discs. Slice a thin pat of butter to put into each greased muffin tin. Place a slice of potato on top of each pat of butter. Season potato with season salt, top with some cheese, green onions, and ham (I really didn't measure how much of each, just do what looks good to you, or you can also see pictures on thepioneerwoman's blog) Repeat layers except the ham. Add another thin pat of butter (I actually did about half the amount of butter) and then top off with a spoonful of cream of mushroom or half and half which ever you choose to use. Cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes..and enjoy because they're so good!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Brownie Covered Oreos!!!

These are delicious and so fun and easy to make! I'm not going to lie there is a bit of an art that I have yet to master to get them to come out perfectly, but even then they still taste great. So far I've only made them with Mint Oreos, but I'm hoping to try the Golden Oreos tomorrow so we'll see how it goes. I found this recipe at picky-palate.com. She has the most creative recipes, but desserts are by far her forte. Anyway if your looking for a fun and easy treat to make give these a try!

1 box of your favorite brownie mix and ingredients to make it
bag of Oreos
white chocolate (I chose not to drizzle anything on mine since I used mint brownies and I didn't want it to be too rich)

Preheat oven to 350. Make brownies as directed on package. Dip Oreos in brownie batter until completely covered. Place Oreos in generously greased muffin tins. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Immediately after coming out of oven take a plastic knife and run around sides to loosen brownie from pan. Allow to cool 5-8 minutes and then remove from pan. The biggest problem I think I had was the Oreo falling to the bottom and partially falling out and I've yet to figure out why some did and why some didn't. I'm hoping maybe the less time they sit in the pan until you put them in the oven the less time the Oreo has a chance to fall to the bottom??? Maybe after the Golden Oreos tomorrow I'll be an expert:)

Monday, December 6, 2010

Special Delivery Chicken

Better known as Poppy Seed Chicken, this is another easy recipe with very few ingredients. This is great served over noodles, rice, or like we do baked or boiled potatoes. I know not every one has poppy seeds in their seasoning drawer, but trust me once you have them you'll use them more than you would think, and hopefully you'll make this recipe more than once as well.

2 cans cream of chicken
1 c. sour cream
2 t. poppy seed
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 c. melted butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. In a separate bowl combine crackers and butter, sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve over noodles, rice, or potato.