Pulled Beef made in the slow cooker

We made pulled beef in the crock pot for dinner.  I love my crock pot.  We threw in a beef roast and all the ingredients to make a barbecue sauce, but you could just add a jar of your favorite sauce and that work just as great.  We ran a bunch of errands and when we finally got back the house was filled with the great scent of barbecue.  Yummy.  We bought some big rolls from the bakery as Tony said no wimpy rolls would do for such a great sandwich.  He was right !!  I served with chips but potato salad, coleslaw or tator tots would be perfect side dishes. 


Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 lbs lean chuck roast or bottom round

1 1/2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup wine vinegar

2 tablespoons spicy mustard or Dijon

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation:

Place beef roast in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Remove roast, shred meat. Place shredded meat back in crock pot; stir to coat well. Spoon barbecued beef onto toasted sandwich buns and serve with extra sauce, if desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

Blackberry Crumb Cake

Linked to Meatless Mondays at  My Sweey and Savory

I bought a pint of blackberries for Taylor a few days ago.  He loves fresh berries.  I was going to make a blackberry sauce to serve over the great waffles I made for breakfast, but I forgot.  Oh well, guess I will just have to make blackberry crumb cake !!  I found this recipe at Real Simple.  I think mixed berries would be outstanding in this cake.  I bought some really cute individual serving dishes and decided to make individual servings. 

They are so cute !!  I want to go back and get the round ones next.  They also had rectangular ones that would be super cute for mini loaves of bread.

FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:

1/2 cup pecans

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter


FOR THE CAKE:

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used about 1/4 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 pound fresh blackberries (about 3 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Make the crumb topping: In a food processor, pulse the pecans, brown sugar, flour, and butter until crumbly; transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the food processor.

Make the cake: Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. In the food processor, pulse the butter, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until crumbly. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the blackberries and crumb topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before serving.

Apricot Pork Tenderloin

I found a pork tenderloin in the freezer.  I had it for a few months and thought I had better use it.  I wanted to make something new, something I never made before, so when I saw a recipe for pork tenderloin using apricot, I though,t what the heck, I'll give it a try .  I really like apricot and never had it with meat before.  It was really good.  I loved the sauce, but Tony thought it was just alright.  He is not a fruit lover remember.  The pork was really tender, you could cut it with your fork.  The recipe is another one from allrecipes.

Apricot Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2 pounds pork tenderloin

1/4 cup softened butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon ground thyme

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 (18 ounce) jar apricot preserves

2 tablespoons honey, or to taste

1/4 cup dry sherry

Directions

1.Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Spread butter all over the pork tenderloin. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Combine garlic powder, apricot preserves, honey, and sherry in a separate bowl.

3.Roast the pork in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pork from the oven and brush with the apricot sauce. Return the pork to the oven. Continue roasting, basting occasionally with the remaining sauce, until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F

 

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Linked to Feasting in Fellowship Fridays, This Weeks Craving and Fridays Potluck.

This recipe comes from Everyday with Rachael Ray.  I thought it would be great for me and Taylor to make together.  Especially since he loves pizza.  I could serve him pizza everyday and he would be OK with that. I said it before, I love that kid, he just goes with the flow.  We followed the recipe, but did some add-ins for me and Taylor.  I added mushrooms and onion to mine, Taylor added black olives to his. Tony loved them with just cheese and pepperoni.  They turned out great.  Everyone liked them.  Serve with a salad and you have a fast, easy meal. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup whole milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1 red bell pepper, sliced

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

2.Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs and red pepper slices with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Homemade Mini Corn Dogs

I had a package of hot dog sitting in the fridge for a few days.  I kept meaning to pick up some hot dog buns for them, but kept forgetting.  I never remember to stop at the grocery store on the way home since I do not pass one. 

Well, forgetting for the third day in a row, I decided to go in a different direction with these darn hot dogs.  I made corn dogs.  Mini corn dogs.  I never made them before but they were fast and easy.  Taylor loved them.  He had Noah over and when Noah saw them he said "I don't like what my mom's gonna make for dinner, can I ask if I can eat over?"  What a little cutie pie.  The recipe is from allrecipes.  It is for regular corn dogs on a stick, but I made mini corn dogs instead.  I cut my hot dogs into thirds and rolled them around in a pinch of flour and then in to the cornmeal batter.

Corn Dogs

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal


1 cup all-purpose flour


1/4 teaspoon salt


1/8 teaspoon black pepper


1/4 cup white sugar


4 teaspoons baking powder


1 egg


1 cup milk


1 quart vegetable oil for frying


2 (16 ounce) packages beef frankfurters


16 wooden skewers


Directions


1.In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk.


2.Preheat oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Insert wooden skewers into frankfurters. Roll frankfurters in batter until well coated.


3.Fry 2 or 3 corn dogs at a time until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

No Bake Cheesecake

I have had this recipe for a looooong time.  About 14-15 years.  I make it about twice a year because we love it.  I would make it more, but it is very rich.  Not good when you have been loosing weight.  I have been, slower then when I started this weight loss journey, but that is to be expected, as I am eating more of the things I didn't eat in the beginning.  I want to eat like I always will, not a diet, but a new way of eating.  I have learned everything in moderation.  If I deprive myself of something I become obsessed with it until I overdue it.  SOOOOOO, if I want a piece of cheesecake, then I will eat a piece of cheesecake, but one piece.  Not the whole cake.  That being said, this is my cheesecake of choice....

No Bake Cheesecake

2 packages cream cheese, softened

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 carton cool whip (8 oz.)

1 9 inch graham cracker crust or homemade crust (recipe below)

1 can pie filling (21 oz.) (cherry, blueberry, mixed berry.... your favorite)

 Filling Directions:

In a mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.  About 5 minutes.  Remove from mixer and fold in the whipping cream.  Spoon into the crust.  Top with the pie filling and refrigerate.

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

2 individual packages graham crackers (not boxes) finely crushed. I crushed them in my food processor. Once crushed, add 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Mix well. Put this crust mixture into the pan of your choice. I used my 9 inch springform pan. Pat crust down well to form a nice tight crust. Throw in the fridge while you make the filling.

Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting

I love chocolate and peanut butter, it's the best combo in the world.  I thought if I like chocolate and peanut butter so much, I bet vanilla and peanut butter would be a great combo as well.  I was right.  I made vanilla peanut butter cup cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  Yummy.  I put a miniature peanut butter cup in the bottom of each cupcake liner, filled it with vanilla batter and frosted with peanut butter frosting when cooled.  Extra yummy.  I have found a new love and it's name is peanut butter frosting !!  Where have you been all my life?  Can you believe this was my first encounter with peanut butter frosting? I can guarantee it won't be my last. 

Isn't this pretty !!  I was practicing my frosting roses !!  I love, love, love them.

Hello peanut butter cup, I see you down there just waiting to be eaten.

Vanilla Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting

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Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

24 mini peanut butter cups



Peanut butter frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 tablespoons milk, or as needed

2 cups confectioners sugar


Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.  Place one mini peanut butter cup into each paper liner; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts; beat until ingredients are incorporated.


Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


Frosting Directions:
Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes.

Once your vanilla cupcakes have cooled, frost with your peanut butter frosting.  Use any remaining peanut butter cups to garnish cupcakes.

Tortellini with Italian Red Sauce

I haven't made Italian food for a while. I have been trying some new recipes and since spaghetti is an old stand by, it hasn't made an appearance lately.

I had some tortellini begging to be used.  I couldn't ignore them, they were right there in the front of the freezer, falling out every time I opened the door.  So, when the little sucker made a mad dash for the kitchen floor today, I knew what I had to do. I cooked them up and served them with Italian red sauce (homemade spaghetti sauce).  I added shredded chicken to my sauce which is not in the recipe below, it is my addition. This dish hit the spot, it was Fantastic !!

Tortellini with Italian Red Sauce

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 small carrot, shredded

4 large cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) whole tomatoes crushed with fingers, with juices

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini

Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

INGREDIENTS

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, then the onions and carrots; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add tomatoes, wine, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until tomatoes have broken down and liquid has reduced, about 20 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook until desired thickness, but not too thick. Taste for seasoning.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to package directions for al dente. Drain; add to sauce and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to combine. Serve immediately, passing the grated cheese separately

Breakfast Burritos

I love Mexican food.  I really really do.  What's not to love???  The cheese, the gucamole, the enchalada sauce, the cilantro, the tortilla chips....  Today I had a craving for some burritos.  But it was 8:00 in the morning and I was snowed in.  So I did what any good mexican food lover does and made some breakfast burritos.  They were just what I was craving.  I didn't have a recipe I followed, but I will try my best to remember the measurements.  I used what I had on hand and this is what I came up with, but you can add what ever floats your boat to these.  Sausage would be great, and so would taco seasoning added to the egg mixture.  Guacamole would be outsatnding.  You get the picture.....

Breakfast Burritos

Home Fries (click to go to recipe)

1/2 pound bacon

6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese ( I love cheese)

A few sprigs of Cilantro, rough chopped

salsa or taco sauce

6 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
Make the home fries and leave in skillet, take skillet off heat.
Crack the eggs in a medium size bowl, add the milk, salt and pepper.  Whisk the egg mixture lightly.
Chop the cooled bacon into bite sized pieces.
Return the skillet with the homefries to the burner.  On medium low add the bacon pieces and pour the egg mixture over it all.  Lightly stir the whole thing until the eggs are cooked through.  Be gentle stiring as you don't want the potatoes to break apart and become mush. 
To assemble the burritos, warm a tortilla shell in the microwave for 15 seconds.  Place a heaping spoonful of the egg mixture on to the warm shell.  Add a small hand full of shredded cheese, the salsa or taco sauce and the chopped cilantro.  Fold the shell over and roll until closed. 

ENJOY !!

Cherry Cola Cupcakes

These Cupcakes are linked to Simply Sweet Home and This Weeks Craving.

We have a great new cupcake bakery in town.  They had a write up in the paper a few Sundays ago with lots of pictures of their cupcakes.  They looked mouthwatering.  This week my husband is supervising the guys we work with in that part of town, so I got a nice surprise when I saw him !!  He brought me a Southern Comfort Cupcake.  Oh my...it was great.  I loved the cupcake, it had pecans in it and you could taste the Southern Comfort ! I never even heard of a cupcake with whisky in it before.  Soooooo that got me thinking about other beverages I could put in a cupcake.  Coke. Cherry Coke.  I scoured the Internet and found a few cherry coke cupcake recipes. I made Annie's Eats recipe, shes my go to girl !!I made them as soon as I got home from work, even before I made dinner.  Taylor asked me if we were having cupcakes for dinner.  I said yes.  He shrugged his shoulders and said OK.  I love that kid.  He just goes with the flow !! Well, they turned out pretty good.  They taste like cherry with a hint of coke.  Once the frosting is on them the coke flavor isn't as apparent, but they are still great. Kind of like a Cherry Coke Float.  Who doesn't like that???

Cherry Coke Cupcakes

Yield: 10-12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¾ cup sugar

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg

½ cup buttermilk

¾ cup Coca-Cola

¼ tsp. maraschino cherry juice

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Maraschino cherries, stemless



For the glaze (optional):

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tbsp. Coca-Cola



For topping:

2/3 cup heavy cream

3-4 tbsp. powdered sugar

Maraschino cherries



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a muffin pan with foil or paper liners. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Mix on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg until incorporated. In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, Coke, maraschino cherry juice, and vanilla extract; stir to combine. (This mixture may look disgusting and/or curdled – it’s okay!)

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture on low speed, alternately with the liquid ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. Drop 4 or 5 stemless maraschino cherries into each cupcake well and push them down into the batter. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the optional glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and Coke in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon or drizzle a small amount of the top of each cupcake. Allow to set.

To make the whipped cream topping, add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin whipping on medium speed, slowly adding the confectioners’ sugar and gradually increasing the speed to high as the cream holds soft peaks. Whip until the cream holds stiff peaks, being careful not to overbeat. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top of the cupcakes and top each with a maraschino cherry.

Cheesy Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas

I shared this recipe on It's a Keeper , Prairie Story and Full Plate Thursdays

As you all know I love Mexican food.  Love, love, love it.  When I was pregnant with Taylor all I craved were tacos and tomatoes.  One day Tony called me from work and told me he had such a massive craving for tacos, he stopped at Taco Bell, bought a 10 pack to go and ate them all !!  He didn't even save me one, not one.  I guess that's what they call sympathy cravings??  Well, that was almost eleven years ago and I still get massive cravings for Mexican food.  When that happens, I have to satisfy that craving. 

Well today it was with Cheesy Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas.  They hit the spot. 

I served them with homemade guacamole and chips. 

Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

2 10-inch flour tortillas

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup diced chicken

1/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 medium tomato, chopped

2 teaspoons diced onions

1 teaspoon diced canned jalapeno

1 slice bacon, cooked

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro

1 dash salt

For serving as toppings:

Sour cream

Guacamole

Salsa

Directions:

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Spread half of the butter on one side of each tortilla.

2. Put one tortilla, butter side down, in the hot pan, then spread cheese and cut up chicken strips in the center of the tortilla, leaving about an each all the way around.

3. Sprinkle the tomato, onion, and jalapeno over the chicken and cheese.

4. Crumble the slice of cooked bacon and sprinkle it over the other ingredients.

5. Sprinkle the cilantro and a dash of salt over the other ingredients.

6. Top off the quesadilla with the remaining tortilla, being sure that the buttered side is facing up.

7. When the bottom tortilla has browned, after 45-90 seconds, flip the quesadilla over and grill the other side for the same amount of time.

8. Remove the quesadilla from the pan, and, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla three times through the middle like a pizza, creating 6 equal slices.

9. Serve hot with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa on the side.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Warning, these cookies are addicting !!

I have been really trying a lot of new recipes these last few months.  All the recipes have been great so far and I have the Internet to thank for that.  I do alot of research before I try a recipe and post it.  I read all the comments, good and bad and decide if it is one I can want to try.  To many negative comments and I try and find another recipe.  I only post recipes that my family and I like, the bad ones don't make it to the blog (except the burnt brownies) !! Here is a great recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

I found them at Food.com.  The reviews were awesome, everyone that made them loved them, so I had to make them !!  I made mine small, bite sized cookies and I am glad I did, you could easily eat more then one, so bite sized is great.  They were awesome.  I put a few in my husbands lunch to take to work.  He gave one to Kandi the receptionist and she loved them.  She told me she would pay me to make her some more !!  WOW !!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter


1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla (or more)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (12 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used half a bag)


Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 350°.

2 Cream butter and sugars together. Add peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. And mix well.

3 In another bowl mix dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture.

4 Add chips and mix well.

5 Either drop onto pan or roll into small balls.

6 Bake for about 10-12 minutes.

7 Cool for 5 minutes on sheet

Strawberry Cupcakes

I shared these cupcakes on Gold Star Wednesday at From My Tiny Kitchen blog.

Don't forget to link up to Sweet & Tasty Monday below

I made these wonderful cupcakes after seeing them on Martha Stewart's website.  I was in the mood for something fresh and springy after all the snow and cold we have had lately. 

They taste great, kind of like strawberry shortcake.  The fresh strawberries are the key. 

I love the look of the frosting with the pieces of strawberries freckled through out.  My husband, the non fruit eating Mr. Pickypants that he is, ate a whole one.  Now that's saying something.

Strawberry Cupcakes

Makes 34

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups finely chopped strawberries, plus small strawberries for garnish

Strawberry Buttercream (Recipe below)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

2.Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

3.Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days, unless otherwise noted.

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

Makes about 5 cups

4 large egg whites, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, pureed

Directions:

1.Place whites and sugar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

2.Remove from heat, and attach bowl to a mixer. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking well after each addition.

3.Switch to a paddle attachment. With mixer on low, add strawberry puree, and beat until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Use immediately, or cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)

Chocolate Waffels and Sweet & Tasty Monday

I posted these on Fat Camp Fridays !!

Sweet & Tasty Monday !!

Link up below with your favorite recipe !!

I spiced up our Sunday morning and made some chocolate waffles for breakfast. I got this recipe from Alton Brown on the Food Network website. I thought the batter was a bit thin at first, but they came out great, so I guess I did it right.  All three of us liked them.  I topped them with whipping cream and sliced fresh strawberries.  They were perfect that way, they didn't need any syrup !!

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients

7 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 1/2 cups

1 3/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3 tablespoons

1.5 ounces cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3 whole eggs, beaten

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature

4 ounces chocolate chips, approximately 3/4 cup

Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Directions

Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl beat together the eggs and melted butter and vanilla, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in the chocolate chips just until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the center of the iron. Close the iron top and cook until the waffle is crispy on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Cream Puffs

I made the most delicious cream puffs ever.  I can't believe how good they turned out for my first try. I made them bite sized, good thing too because Taylor ate quite a few.  I asked them how they were and he gave them two thumbs up !!  I guess that means they are good.  I filled them with a vanilla custard.  To die for !! and drizzled chocolate over the top of them.  Yum-O !!  Both the cream puffs and the custard were very easy to make.  I wasn't sure if I would like the custard, I thought it would taste to much like a vanilla pudding, but it didn't.  I can't explain it, it was thicker, richer, creamier tasting.  I guess you'll just have to make it and try it for yourself !!  You won't be disappointed. 

The recipe came from a torn out page from a magazine, which magazine, I have no idea.  I need to start writing the name of the magazine on the recipes so I can give credit where credit is do !!

Cream Puffs

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

Heat oven to 375ºF. In 2 1/2-quart saucepan, heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt all at once. Reduce heat to low. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat. Wait 5 minutes. With handheld mixer, beat in eggs, one at a time; continue beating until smooth. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls about 3 inches apart. I put mine in a gallon size ziploc bag with corner snipped and piped mounds onto the cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool away from draft, about 30 minutes.  To fill each puff;  fill a large pastry bag with the custard mixture and pipe custard into the puff !!
 
Vanilla Custard Filling
 
2 1/2 c. milk

5 egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

2/3 c. sifted all purpose flour

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. vanilla
 

Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large sauce pan. Beat in flour until well mixed. Turn sauce pan on medium-high heat gradually beat in milk.  Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and comes to boiling, lower heat. Mixture will be lumpy in the beginning, but lumps disappear during cooking and stirring. Continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes, over low heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will be quite thick. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Place a piece of wax paper directly on surface of filling to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours. If filling becomes too stiff after it's chilled, gradually stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time. To make chocolate filling following the directions for Vanilla Custard Filling, adding 3 squares unsweetened chocolate to milk, stirring until melted. Continue with rest of recipe. Fill puffs just before serving.

Shrimp Scampi, Kitchen Boss style

This offer was shared at Make a Food-"e"-Friend Monday at The Saturday Evening Pot. Join the celebration among Foodies of our love for food.

A few days ago we had another snow storm, so I got to stay home and watch all the food shows !!  I didn't know Buddy from Cake Boss had a cooking show. What ??? How do I miss all these things? It must be a new show.  On the episode I got to watch he made shrimp scampi.  YUMMY.  I love shrimp scampi and Buddy's Aunt made it look so good I had to make it.  I scoured the Internet and found the recipe here.  It was as good as it looked.  It was garlicky, buttery and delicious.  If his shrimp is that good, I wonder how good one of his cakes are !! Maybe I should find a recipe and make one ;)

Shrimp Scampi

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup butter

1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, 16-20 count

Salt

Black pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1/2 cup Buddy's Breadcrumbs (see recipe below)

1/4 cup grated pecorino (I used Parmesan)

Juice of 3 lemons

1 pound cooked linguine

PREPARATION:

1.Add the oil, butter and garlic to a large sauté pan and heat to medium. When oil is hot and the garlic fragrant, add the shrimp, and a couple pinches of salt and black pepper. After 2-3 minutes add oregano and parsley and sauté. Keep turning the shrimp so both sides cook evenly and the shrimp is pink and cooked through. When shrimp is done, a couple minutes longer, add the breadcrumbs and cheese, turn to coat well. Add the lemon juice, stirring all to combine well. Serve over mounds of cooked pasta 

 

Bread Crumbs

 
 INGREDIENTS:

1 pound loaf rustic Italian bread such as Pugliese (I used regular bread)

1 cup finely grated pecorino cheese  (I used Parmesan)

2 garlic cloves put through a garlic press

2 tablespoons dried Italian herbs

3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1/2 tablespoon fine sea salt

PREPARATION:

1.The day before you plan to make breadcrumbs: Slice the bread into ½ inch slices. Place slices on cake racks to dry overnight.

2.In batches, crumble or tear bread slices into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse the bread multiple times until the crumbs are about the size of a dime.

3.Add the cheese, garlic, herbs and salt and continue to pulse until the breadcrumbs become fine. Store what you are not using in the freezer or in your refrigerator for 3-4 days.