Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

I made these great biscuits and sausge gravy for dinner. I know I have said it before, many, many times, but I love breakfast for dinner. Love, love, love it !!  It's fast, easy and so good.  Do yourself  a favor and make some biscuits and gravy for dinner tonight.  Your tummy and wallet will thank you.

This recipes is from Paula Deen.  Have I told you how much I love Paula.  Love, love, love her.  Butter and all.  This is a kicked up version of sausage and gravy with garlic, onion and bacon. Mmmmm, bacon.

Ingredients:

1lb ground sausage

4 slices bacon, thick cut, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1 In a large skillet, combine sausage, bacon, onion and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until sausage is browned and crumbly.

2 Stir in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

3 Gradually stir in half and half. Add pepper and salt and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until gravy is thickened.

4 Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted

Bourbon Chicken

This stuff is amazing.  My whole family loved it.  Even Mr. Picky Pants asked for seconds.  I served it with creamy chicken rice and homemade dinner rolls.  Yummy.  Tastes better then the mall version :) and I didn't pay the mall price for it either !

As I was looking at the recipe I was glad to see that Bourbon Chicken does not contain any bourbon.  Not because I don't like the stuff, I do, but I was out.  Out of bourbon.  Why is it named Bourbon Chicken if there is no bourbon ????  These are the kinds of questions that keep me awake at night.

Bourbon Chicken

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces


1 -2 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ginger

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used 1/2 for Mr. Picky Pants)

1/4 cup apple juice

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup (I used 4)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:

1 Heat oil in a large skillet.

2 Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.

3 Remove chicken.

4 Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium Heat until well mixed and dissolved. (I let this cook for a few minutes to reduce and thicken up)

5 Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.

6 Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

7 Serve over hot rice and ENJOY

Motherload Cookie Bars

I saw these cookie bars and new that I had to make them.  I mean who could resist.  There is a sugar cookie layer, double chocolate chip layer, peanut butter layer and lastly a chocolate chip cookie layer. This really is the motherload. 





You need a great big glass of cold milk to wash these outrageous cookie bars down., but they are soooo good.  I found this amazing recipe at Picky Palate.

Motherload Cookie Bars



Layer 1: Sugar Cookie

1 Roll of Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press sugar cookie dough into bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish that’s been lined foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Layer 2: Double Chocolate Chip Cookie

(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)



1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)

2 tsps. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips


1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until well combined.


2. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients then stir in chips. Layer 1/2 the recipe over sugar cookie layer, pressing gently.



Layer 3: Peanut Butter Cookie

1 Cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined. Press over chocolate cookie dough.



Layer 4: Chocolate Chip Cookie



(the recipe below makes double what you’ll need for the bars, use extra for cookies)

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

3/4 Cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon pure vanilla

2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bag chocolate chips


1. Make sure oven is preheated to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bolw; mix to combine. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips. Spoon 1/2 of the dough evenly over peanut butter cookie dough but don’t press, just leave uneven. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until center of dough is cooked mostly through. Edges will be brown. I covered pan with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.

2. Let cookies cool completely. Lift out of pan with edges of foil. I cut off 1/2 inch edges and just used softer centers, but do as you wish. Edges are crispier. Drizzle top with 1/2 Cup melted chocolate chips if desired.

Chips Ahoy Cookie Balls

Everyone I work with are CRAZY for my cookie/cake balls. They just love them.  I get asked everyday to PLEASE,PLEASE, PLEASE make them.  Sooo, being the nicest co-worker on the face of the earth, I did.
This time around I made them with Chips Ahoy cookies.  I scored an awesome deal on them at the grocery store and needed a way to use up my supply. 

They turned out great and were gone in no time flat.  I got lots of thank yous, at least I think they were saying thank you, it was hard to tell with their mouths full !!

1 pkg. Chips Ahoy

4 oz Cream Cheese-Room Temp

Chocolate Almond Bark (about 5 blocks)

Crush Chips Ahoy into fine crumbs (reserving a couple teaspoons full for garnish) and mix with cream cheese. I used my food processor, but a zip bag and a rolling pin work well also.

Form into small walnut sizes balls and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet.  I used my small sized cookie dough scoop. 

Place in freezer for 15 min or fridge for about an hour

Melt chocolate slowly in the microwave, stiring often.  Dip each ball making sure to shake off extra chocolate so you don't have a lot of chocolate pool at the base of each ball while setting. Place on wax paper to set.

Sprinkle the reserved cookie crumbs on each ball.

Keep cookie balls refrigerated in an airtight container.

Sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich

I made these great sandwiches for breakfast. 

They are like McDonalds, but better because I made them !! 

And because they were cheaper !!

I used turkey sausage and low fat colby cheese. 

 

They were the perfect start to a Saturday Morning.

Ingredients


1 Johnsonville Italian Sausage link (mild, sweet or spicy) (I used turkey sausage)

1 English muffin

1 slice of mozzarella cheese (I used low fat colby)

1 egg
Directions

First, stop smirking at the fact that we are writing out a recipe for a sandwich.

Remove casing from sausage (easier to do if the sausage is cold, straight from the refrigerator). Shape the link into a patty, then cook over medium heat.

Remove the sausage and fry the egg in the same pan.  I like mine medium, my husband
likes his hard cooked.  season wit salt and pepper.

Toast the english muffin

Place the cheese, fried egg, and sausage between halves of toasted English muffin.

Enjoy your morning !!

Steak Quesadillas

I love how easy it is to make quesadillas.  There is really no work to them. Cheese, meat, veggis and tortilla shells.  It's a great way to use up leftover steak and veggies.

 This time around I made steak quesadillas.  They were perfect.  They were warm melty and cheesy.  I served them with sour cream, chips and salsa.  Better then going out to eat not to mention way cheaper !!

Oh yummy, just look at all that goodness. I could go for one right now, oh wait, there all gone.  Guess I will just have to make some more !!

Ingredients


8 tablespoons butter (about 1 stick)

1 medium onion, chopped 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1-1/2 pounds de-boned ribeye steak 

8 large (9-1/2-inch) tortillas 

8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

How to make it


In a large skillet on medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Add the ribeye.  Cook until medium well, making sure to turn and brown both sides.  About 4-5 minutes per side.  Slice into it and make sure it is desired doneness.  It will cook for a minute more while it is resting.
Set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons butter. Add onions, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, and cook about 4 minutes, or until light brown.



Set aside.

Slice the ribeye at a 45 degree angle.

set aside again !

Wipe skillet clean and heat 2 teaspoons butter until melted

Add tortilla, layer of cheese, steak and onions.  Top with second tortilla.

Cook until bottom tortilla is brown, flip over and cook until cheese is melted and second tortilla is brown.

Cut into wedges.

Serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream.

Cinnamon pull apart bread

If you like bread and cinnamon, you will love this recipe.  I knew the minute I saw the pictures of this cinnamon bread and the recipe that followed that I was going to make it.  That's just the way I roll. 

I was right.  I made it and I am glad I did.  It was great.  Moist, warm, cinnamon and sugary, I'm not kidding, it tastes like a cinnamon roll/bread. !! You need to make this today and then bring me some. I would be forever greatful. It would be great with a glaze over the top of it.  I found this great recipe at The Knead for Speed.

Dough:

1/2 cup skim milk

3 Tablespoons butter
.
1/2 cup water

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 packet (0.25 ounces) instant yeast

Filling:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

3 Tablespoons butter, softened

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. In a smaller, separate bowl, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon for filling. Set both aside.

Over medium low stovetop heat, scald milk in small saucepan. Remove from heat and add 3 Tablespoons butter; stir until melted. Add water and let cool until lukewarm (110-115 degrees F).

Using an electric mixer with dough hooks, gradually add flour mixture to milk mixture. Add lightly beaten egg. Add flour until a moist dough forms.

Turn dough out onto lightly-floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic (several minutes). Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Roll dough into a 20″x12″ rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over dough. Cut dough crosswise into five strips with a pizza cutter, each 12″x4″ in size.

Generously sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over first buttered rectangle and top with second rectangle. Generously sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over second rectangle, top with third rectangle, and again sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon-sugar. Repeat with all five rectangles.

Slice stack of rectangles crosswise through all layers. You will now have 6 rectangular stacks, each 4″x2″.

Set loaf pan on one of its smaller, 5-inch sides. Stack dough rectangles into pan, cut side up. When finished stacking strips, lift pan and carefully shift empty side of pan downward, allowing strips to slide that way and fill entire pan. Adjust strips so they stand up fairly straight.

Loosely cover pan and let rise in a warm place (like a microwave) about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake loaf 30-35 minutes, or until lightly browned. Once cooled, glaze with favorite cinnamon roll icing if desired.

Ribeye with Whiskey Cream Sauce and Potatoes (Cookbook Winner)

The winner of the Pioneer Woman Coobook is

Rhondi (Randomly selected)

Thank you for following my blog and liking Tnt-cook on Facebook !!

I appreciate all the support. 

Please send me an email with your mailing information.

Hope you enjoy the cookbook !

tntrad@live.com

This recipe is from Anne Burrel. 

She called it Pommes Chef Anne.

She is my new love on the Food Network channel. 

She is kind of funky with her crazy hairdo and wild skirts,

but she can make some mean food.

She made these potaotes on her show.

They looked great.

I made them the next day.

They were great.

You slice your potatoes paper thin and layer them in a circle in a saute pan.

Bake them, flip them over, finish baking and there you go.

They werent really that hard, but I don't have a saute pan that I can put in the oven, so I used a cake pan. Not a great idea, the sides are to tall and I had a hard time flipping the potatoes over. 

Now I know for next time.  

There will be a next time.

I served them as a side to ribeye steaks with whiskey cream sauce.

OMGosh,

This whole meal was outstanding.

The Ribeye and whiskey sauce were from The Pioneer Woman.

YUMMY !!

Pommes Chef Anne

Ingredients

3 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

Extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano

Kosher salt

Special Equipment: Mandoline, 8-inch nonstick saute pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Working 1 potato at a time, slice very thin on the mandoline. It is important to work with purpose here (quickly) because the potatoes will discolor. Do not put the potatoes in water because this will wash the starch off the potatoes. Coat an 8-inch nonstick saute pan with olive oil, using the potato slices starting from the center make concentric circles of potatoes. Remember that eventually the bottom will be the top so it is important for the first circles of potatoes to look pretty. Brush each layer with olive oil and every 2nd or 3rd layer sprinkle liberally with grated Parmigiano and salt. After every layer of potatoes press the potatoes so they are very compact. Repeat this process with the remaining 2 potatoes.

Place the pan of potatoes over medium heat and cook until the olive oil begins to sizzle and the potatoes begin to brown on the bottom. Put the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place a tight fitting lid on the pan. Drain the excess oil out the side of the pan. THIS STEP IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!! After the excess oil has been drained, completely flip the pan so the cake is turned out onto the bottom of the lid, then slide the cake off the lid back into the pan so the brown side of the cake is now up and the top becomes the bottom. We see now why draining the excess oil is important- if you attempt this without draining the oil it will drain out on your wrist and burn you.

Return the cake to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the cake is fork tender. Cut into wedges and serve


Ribeye with Whiskey Cream Sauce

Ingredients: 

5 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons diced onion

1/4 cup whiskey

1/4 cup beef stock or broth

Dash of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup light cream

2 rib-eye steaks


Directions:
1. Begin by melting 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onion and cook until brown, about 4 minutes.
2. When the onion is brown, turn off the burner temporarily so you won't ignite your kitchen or yourself.
3. Pour in the whiskey.
4. As soon as the whiskey evaporates, turn the burner on medium and pour in the beef stock or broth.
5. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Now, whisk in another tablespoon of butter.
7. Allow the mixture to bubble for 30 seconds, then reduce the heat to low.
8. Over low heat pour in the cream.
9. Whisk, adding more cream if the mixture looks too brothy.
10. Allow to simmer on very low heat while you prepare the steaks. Stir occasionally.
11.Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Generously salt and pepper the steak on both sides, then add it to the hot skillet.
12. For medium rare, cook for 2 minutes on each side for a thin steak, or 3 to 4 minutes on each side for a thick steak. Place the steak on a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the other steak.
(Feel free to cook both steaks at once in the same skillet, if you prefer.)
13. Spoon the sauce over the steak ... and don't skimp! You want to taste the deliciousnes

Aquarium Cupcakes

I made these cute cupcakes for Taylor.  He saw them and thought they were cool.  They are super easy and quick to make.  They are made with tinted blue frosting, Swedish Fish and Nerds.  I only put one Swedish Fish on each cupcake as Tony ate most of them before they made it to the cupcakes. The same with the Nerds, Taylor ate most of them before hand. I am amazed that I can actually get any Pictures taken of my food.  My family is like a bunch of vultures. They are always circling the kitchen when I am cooking and baking.  I guess today they were more like sharks, circling their prey !!

1 box favorite cakemix
1 container white frosting
1 box swedish fish
1 box nerds
blue food coloring

Follow the directions on the cake mix box and make into cupcakes.  Bake as directed.  Let cupcakes cool.  In the meantime, add 1-2 drops of blue food coloring to the frosting.  Mix well.  Add more food coloring until you reach desired shade of blue.  I like it a medium blue shade.  Once the cupcakes are cool, frost them.  The blue frosting is the aquarium water.  Add nerds to the bottom of the frosting as the aquarium gavel.  Add a Swedish Fish to the middle of the cupcake to resemble a fish swimming in the aquarium. 

Zebra Cake

I just love the look of this cake.  It's called a Zebra cake.  This was my first time making it.  I think it turned out great !!  I really thought it was going to be hard to do, I mean just look at it, it looks intimidating.  It's not.  It was actually quite easy. 

The recipe calls for chocolate and vanilla stripes, I made the brown stripes chocolate and the white stripes mint.  I frosted with a chocolate buttercream. What could be better, chocolate and mint cake with chocolate frosting.  YUMMY.  You could make the stripes any color you want, instead of brown, you could do yellow, pink or mint green for Easter colors.  That would be fun !!  I found this great recipe at azcookbook.com

ZEBRA CAKE

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) cake

INGREDIENTS:
4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup (8 oz / 250 g) granulated sugar

1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) milk, at room temperature

1 cup (8 fl oz / 250 ml) oil (corn, vegetable or canola is fine)

2 cups (10 oz / 300 g) all-purpose flour

1/3 teaspoon vanilla powder

1 tablespoon (equals 3 teaspoons) baking powder (if not available, substitute with 1 teaspoon baking soda)

2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder (make sure it is not very bitter) such as Dutch-processed (A word of caution: Sometimes I use Hershey’s natural unsweetened cocoa, but since it is BITTER it takes away from the sweetness of the cake, so it may not be your best choice if you want a sweeter cake. Also Remember! Dark zebra patterns won’t stand out with light cocoa powder)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Using a hand-held electric mixer or wire whisk beat until the mixture is creamy and light in color
2. Add milk and oil, and continue beating until well blended.

3. In a separate bowl, combine and mix flour, vanilla powder and baking powder. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat just until the batter is smooth and the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. (DO NOT OVERBEAT to prevent air pockets from forming in the batter)

4. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions. Keep one portion plain. Add cocoa powder into another and mix well.


5. Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

6. Lightly grease the pan with oil. If you don’t have non-stick baking pan, grease whatever pan you have then line it with parchment paper (baking paper).

7. The most important part is assembling the cake batter in a baking pan. This is what you do. Scoop 3 heaped tablespoons of plain batter (you can also use a ladle that would hold 3 tablespoons) into the middle of the baking pan. Then scoop 3 tablespoons of cocoa batter and pour it in the center on top of the plain batter. IMPORTANT! Do not stop and wait until the previous batter spreads - KEEP GOING! Do not spread the batter or tilt the pan to distribute the mixture. It will spread by itself and fill the pan gradually. Continue alternating the batters until you finish them

8. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Do not open the oven door at least the first 20 minutes or the cake will shrink and will not rise. To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean when ready. Remove from the oven. Immediately run a small thin knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, then invert the cake onto a cooking rack. Turn the cake back over and let cool.

Chicken Taquitos

Chicken taquitos, what could be better for lunch?? 

 I made these for my sweetie pie. 

They were sooooo good. 

I loved them.
He loved them.

They were so easy to make.

I mean ridiculously easy.

So easy even a caveman could do it !!

Look at all that great chicken.

I served them with sour cream and homemade guacamole.

Just look at that guacamole. 

I made it with fresh avocados, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro and a dash of hot sauce.

How yummy is that?

Make these for your sweetie pie.

He/she will love you for it.


Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 (10 ounce) can mild enchilada sauce

1 cup your favorite shredded cheese, I used mexican blend

1/2 cup onion, minced

1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

24 corn tortillas

oil (for deep frying)

sour cream

salsa

guacamole

Directions:

1 In a large bowl combine chicken, enchilada sauce, cheese, onion, chilies and garlic powder.
Mix well and set aside.

2 Warm tortilla shells in microwave, 1-2  at a time.

3 Place 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture onto warm tortilla.
Roll tortillas as tightly as possible and hold closed with a toothpick.

4 Heat additional oil in skillet. Deep fry taquitos until browned,
carefully turning over to brown both sides
(about 1-5 minutes depending on how crisp you want them).
Drain on paper towel and serve with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole.

Kandi's Birthday Cake !!

I made a candy cake for Kandi's birthday party. 

It was Gorgeous.

It was a surprise.

Kandi loves M&M's so I thought about this cake I saw at the grocery store a few weeks ago. 

I look up recipes on the Internet and ran across this one. 

It really is quit easy to make, but makes such an impact on your guest and the birthday girl.

 Everyone loved it, they couldn't believe it was homemade. 

I even have an order for another one in a few months.

Everyone had a great time, especially these guys !!
(I think it was the moonshine.)

Happy Birthday Kandi :)

M&M Barrel Cake


Here’s What You Need…

- 1 Box Favorite Cake Mix

- 2 Tubs Favorite Cake Frosting

 1 JUMBO size bag of Peanut or Plain M&Ms

- 14 Regular Sized KitKats (I’d buy a couple extra just in case some break, get dropped, etc.)

- Decorative Ribbon



Directions

- Prepare Cake according to box directions in two separate 8 inch round cake pans

- While baking, cut out a cardboard disc to set cake on and cover it in foil or decorative wrapping paper – Make sure the disc is at least an inch larger all the way around than your cake

- Place one baked layer of the cake on the covered cardboard disc and cover it in frosting

Place second layer on top and frost entire cake

Break KitKats into two piece sticks and place side by side around the entire outer edge of the cake

- Fill the top of the cake and KitKat barrel with Peanut or Plain M&Ms – Pile it high!

- Decorate the outside of the KitKat barrel with ribbon and embelishments

Refrigerate cake until time to serve

- Enjoy!

Hershey Bar Pie

My husband loves chocolate. 

My husband loves cool whip. 

I decided to put the two together and make him a chocolate mousse as a special dessert.  

I ended up making this Hershey Bar Pie instead.

 I was searching for chocolate mousse recipes when I ran across this pie recipe.

 It looked really easy and I had all the ingredients on hand.

I made it with a homemade crust.

A Chips Ahoy cookie crust.

 It was awesome.

The pie didn't last very long.

Taylor and Noah scarfed down a piece in 30 seconds flat.

 It tastes just like a creamy Hershey bar.

I found this drool worthy recipe at the Hershey's website.

Wait till you see how easy this recipe is. 

Hershey Bar Pie

Ingredients

1 (6.0 oz.) HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Bar, broken into pieces (I used 6 regular sized bars with almonds)
1 tub (8 oz.) frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 packaged crumb crust (6 oz.) (I made a Chips Ahoy cookie crust)

Directions

1 Place candy bar pieces in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 1 minute or until chocolate is smooth when stirred. Cool slightly.

2 Fold whipped topping into melted chocolate; spoon into crust. Cover; refrigerate 6 hours or until firm. Garnish as desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover pie. 6 to 8 servings.