Pecan Tassies (fun for teaparty's)

Pecan Tassies
Makes 24 tassies

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter, divided
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
24 pecan halves

1. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese; beat until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add the flour. Beat until combined. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 325˚.

3. Shape dough into 24 (1-inch) balls, and place in the wells of a mini muffin pan. Press the dough evenly into bottoms and up the sides of the wells.

4. In a medium bowl and using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the egg, brown sugar, vanilla extract, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and salt; beat until well combined. Fold in the chopped pecans.

5. Spoon the pecan filling evenly into each dough cup, and top each with a pecan half. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crusts are golden brown. Remove from oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the tassies to a wire rack, and cool completely.

(From TeaTime Magazine)

Asian Chicken Slaw

From Myrecipes.com

Ingredients
Slaw:
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped sugar snap peas
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 (10-ounce) package angel hair slaw
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Dressing:
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remaining ingredients:
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
Preparation
To prepare slaw, combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

To prepare dressing, combine cider vinegar and next 6 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Pour dressing over the slaw; toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and sesame seeds before serving.

Mindy's Chocolate Molten "Baby Cakes"

Mindy's Chocolate Molten "Baby Cakes"

2/3 c Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 stick Butter
1 c Powder Sugar
Pinch Salt
1 t Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
6 T Flour
12 Paper Cup Liners

Preheat oven to 425*. Melt chocolate and butter
(on stove or in microwave for 30 second increments.)
Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely
melted. Stir in sugar, salt & vanilla until well blended.
Blend in eggs and yolks one at a time with whisk
and then mix in flour until well blended.
Divide batter between 12 paper-lined medium
muffin cups. Bake for 10 minutes until sides are firm,
but centers are soft and let stand for 1 minute.

Strawberry Cream Pie

Strawberry Cream Pie

Graham Cracker Crust:
1 package graham crackers (made into crumbs)
1/4 c sugar
6 T butter, melted

Combine ingredients and press into 9 inch pie plate.
Bake at 375 degrees for 5-8 minutes or
until the edges are lightly browned. Cool.

Sparkling Glaze:
1 c strawberries
1/4 c sugar
1 cornstarch
1/4 c water
few drops red food coloring

Crush 1 cup strawberries. Combine sugar
and cornstarch in small saucepan.
Add water and crushed strawberries.
Cook and stir over medium heat until clear
and slightly thickened. Tint with food coloring to
turn glaze from pink to red. Cool.

Creamy Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c powder sugar
1 t pure vanilla extract
1 c heavy cream, whipped
4 c strawberries

Blend cream cheese and sugar.
Stir in vanilla. Fold in whipped cream.
Spread evenly in cooled crust and refrigerate.

To assemble: Place whole strawberries stem side
down on top of creamed filling (or you could cut them up
which is what I will do next time!) Spoon glaze over berries.
Chill for at least three hours. Enjoy!

MY Version of Layered Cookie Bars!

Mindy's Layered Cookie Bars

1 cube butter, melted
1 bag graham crackers, crushed
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup sliced almonds
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Preheat Oven 350*
Layer all ingredients into 13x9 pan.
Bake for 25 minutes and let cool.
E N J O Y !! (VERY Rich!!)

Home Made Pizza!!

I found a quick and easy dough recipe from my friend
and I always make two pizzas! One of our "usual"
which is pepperoni and pineapple! And the other
pizza is whatever I concoct at the time!Quick & Easy Dough Recipe
(Makes 2 crusts)

1 T Instant Yeast
1 c Warm Water
2 T Sugar
2 T Oil
1 t Salt
2 1/2 c Flour

Preheat Oven with Pizza Stone inside to 450*
Whisk yeast, water, and sugar. Add remaining
ingredients and knead together. I split dough in half
and place in two separate bowls (sprayed with Pam)
and then let rest 5 minutes.

Take dough and spread out on pizza peel with
cornmeal on both sides of dough. Add sauce, cheese and
toppings then bake on pizza stone for 12-15 minutes!

Mindy's Home Made Pizza Sauce

1 can Italian Diced Tomatoes (I like Walmart brand)
1-2 T Brown Sugar
1 T Minced Garlic
1/2 t Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
1 t Chopped Onion
1 t Italian Seasoning

Mix everything in blender
and put on pizza! If you like a thicker sauce,
you can add some tomato paste

On this pizza I put my home made sauce,

shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese,
pepperoni and pineapple tidbits!!

On this pizza I put my home made sauce, fresh
mozzarella cheese and basil from my garden!

What pizza toppings do you like?
I made another concoction of dough, fresh whole ricotta,
fresh mozzarella, evoo, garlic, artichoke hearts,
spinach, & basil that was also D E L I C I O U S!!

Mindy's Beef Enchiladas!!

Mindy's Beef Enchiladas

* 1 T EVOO
* 1 lb. hamburger
* 10 small fresh flour tortillas
(Walmart has these homemade-hot when you buy them!!)
*1 can (10 oz) La Victoria mild enchilada sauce
1 can (4 oz) chopped chilis
*Spices to taste...Cumin, Coriander, Salt, Pepper, Chopped
Onion, Chopped Garlic, Chili Powder, and Italian Seasoning
* 3 cups cheese shredded (I used cheddar and mozzarella)

Preheat oven 350*
Brown hamburger in EVOO. Mix chilis, all spices
and 1/3 of cheese and sauce with meat.
Divide evenly into 10 tortillas. Make 2 rows of five
enchiladas in pan. Cover with remaining sauce and
cheese. Bake 20 minutes until melted.

***Serve with avocadoes, olives, corn, black beans,
salad with Litehouse buttermilk ranch, cilantro,
and Herdez medium tomato salsa!!***

Y U M M Y !!

Banana-Sour Cream Cake

Jordan found this recipe in our Kraft Foods magazine and asked if I'd make it for him for Father's Day. It turned out really good! It was one of those cakes where you can only have one piece because it's so rich, but the one piece was delicious! Plus it was pretty easy to make! I made the mistake of not waiting until it was completely cooled to frost it (I am lacking in the patience department) but other than that it was a hit! Happy Father's Day!!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup oil
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
1 cup Walnut Pieces, finely chopped <--- Just spend the extra money to buy the pre-finely chopped ones. It's worth it!

HEAT oven to 350°F. Beat cake mix, eggs, bananas, sour cream and oil with mixer on low until moistened, scraping bottom of bowl often. Beat on medium 2 min. Pour into greased and floured 13x9-inch pan.

BAKE 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely in pan on wire rack.

BEAT cream cheese and butter with mixer on medium until blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.

REMOVE cake from pan. Carefully cut cake crosswise in half using serrated knife. Place 1 cake half, top-side down, on plate; spread top with frosting. Top with remaining cake half, top side up. Frost top and sides. Press nuts onto sides. Refrigerate leftovers.

Want Some "Mower?"

I saw these on Disney's Family Fun Website and had to share! They are so cute and look really easy to make!!

These sweet lawn mower cupcakes are a cut-above choice for Father's Day.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Chocolate-frosted cupcakes
Coconut, flaked
Green food coloring
Hershey's Nuggets
M&M's
Frosting
Black licorice laces

1. For each cupcake, mix a handful of flaked coconut with a few drops of green food coloring. Press a chocolate-frosted cupcake into the coconut to cover.

2. The mower is made with a dark chocolate Hershey's Nuggets body, brown M&M's wheels, and a red M&M's engine, held in place with dabs of frosting.

3. Shape the handle from a piece of black licorice lace, then insert the ends into the cupcake.

Cabbage Cashew Salad

1 Head cabbage chopped/sliced thin
1 bunch green onions sliced

Saute in 1-2 Tbsp Butter
1 cup cashews
1 package sliced almonds
2 Tbsp sesame seeds

then add 1 pkg of ramen noodles broken into peices and set aside

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Mix and refrigerate

Pour dressing mixture over salad and nuts right before serving.

Rice Krispee Peanut Butter Treats

1 c. Karo syrup
1 c. sugar, white or brown
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. Rice Krispies
1 c. butterscotch pieces
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix Karo and sugar together in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, mix well. Pour over cereal. Flatten into lightly greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Melt butterscotch and chocolate pieces together over low heat. Spread over treats. Cut when cool.

Low Fat Strawberry Peach Trifle

1 box (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups fat-free (skim) milk
2 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup peach preserves
1/2 cup amaretto or orange juice
8 cups cubed (1-inch) angel food cake (10 to 12 oz)
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 medium peaches or nectarines, peeled, sliced, or 2 cups frozen sliced peaches, thawed
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted*

1. In large bowl, make pudding mix as directed on box for pudding using 2 cups milk. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Gently stir in whipped topping until blended.
2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix preserves and amaretto until blended.
3. In 3- to 4-quart trifle bowl or clear glass bowl, arrange half of the cake cubes. Top with half of the strawberries and peaches. Drizzle with half of the preserves mixture. Spoon and spread half of pudding mixture over fruit. Repeat layers, ending with pudding. Sprinkle almonds over top. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate no longer than 8 hours.
*To toast almonds, sprinkle in ungreased heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently until nuts begin to brown, then stirring constantly until nuts are light brown.
From Eat Better America

Crunchy Poppyseed Chicken Salad

This is such a yummy summer salad! I found it on Kraft Food and made it for dinner tonight! It would be great as a side but I made it as our meal! It's so crunchy and yummy and surprisingly filling!

1 bag Broccoli Slaw (about 4 cups) (you can find this at the grocery store by the salad mixes)
2 large red peppers, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
4 carrots, shredded (about 2 cups) (Some of the Broccoli Slaw Mixes already have carrots in them)
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Chicken Breast Cuts (I bought a case of precooked chicken slices but you could also cut up a grilled chicken breast)
1/2 cup Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
1/4 cup PLANTERS Cashews

COMBINE all ingredients except dressing and cashews in large bowl.
ADD dressing; toss to coat.
SPRINKLE with cashews just before serving.

WHOLE WHEAT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. canola oil
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. honey or agave nectar(this is what I use for everything!)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. blueberries (I used dried blueberry's from costco)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin and muffin cups. Beat egg; stir in milk and oil. Mix in remaining ingredients except blueberries just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 muffins. (I cooked mine 20 minutes and they were a little too dark)

Mother's Day French Toast Souffle

Ingredients: 8 oz cream cheese softened 1 cube butter 1 cup maple syrup Microwave above for 30 seconds and beat until smooth 1 1oaf of Kneaders Chunky Cinnamon(I used Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip) Break into 1 ½ inch pieces and put in a 9 by 11 inch baking pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over the top of the bread. 12 eggs 2 cups half/half 1 tsp vanilla (more if you like) Beat until frothy, pour over Chunky Cinnamon bread in pan. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes. Dust with powder sugar, fruit, or syrup. Serve hot. Can be made the night before and put into hot oven 1 hour before you serve. I made my own fesh cream using 2 cups heavy cream, 2 TBSP Agave nectar, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Beat until thick and smooth. Then I put berries on top! DELICIOUS!!!!!

Cornflake Crusted Halibut

pic from allrecipes dot com

I made this last night and I should have made more because it was soooo good!

Cornflake Crusted Halibut

from Cooking Light


Tartar Sauce:
2 tablespoons capers chopped
2 tablespoons dill pickle chopped
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayo -salt and pepper to taste
mix together and store in refridgerator

Fish:
1 cup fat-free milk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) halibut fillets
4 lemon wedges


Prepare tartar sauce.
To prepare fish, combine milk and egg white in a shallow dish, stirring well with a whisk. Combine cornflakes, flour, salt, and black pepper in another shallow dish.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip fish in milk mixture, and dredge in cornflake mixture. Add fish to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Serve fish with sauce and lemon wedges.

4 servings

Broccoli Salad (like the one at Kneaders)

(image courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Broccoli Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sunflower seeds
10 slices bacon I added:
1 cup red grapes


DIRECTIONS
1.Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
2.In a salad bowl, toss together broccoli, raisins and red onions. In a separate bowl, whisk together the white sugar, vinegar and mayonnaise. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3.Before serving, sprinkle with sunflower seeds and crumbled bacon. Toss and serve.
Recipe from Cookin Mamas

Mississippi Mudpie

MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 stick butter
1/2 c. pecans or walnuts
2 tsp. sugar
1 c. Cool Whip
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lg. box instant chocolate pudding
2 1/2 to 3 c. milk
Cool Whip for top
Chocolate curls or pecans

Mix and spread first 4 ingredients in 13 x 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown. Mix second 4 ingredients over cooled crust. Beat and spread last 2 ingredients over second layer. Spread extra Cool Whip on top and decorate with chocolate curls or pecans.

Healthy-Pull-A-Part-Bread

HEALTHY PULL-A-PART-BREAD
From eatbetteramerica.com

1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated reduced-fat buttermilk biscuits
(I made my own Whole wheat biscuit recipe instead)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup fat-free caramel topping
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray.
2. In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate both cans of dough into 16 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into quarters. Add biscuit pieces to sugar mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat. Layer biscuit pieces and pecans in pan.
3. In small bowl, mix caramel topping and vanilla. Pour over biscuit pieces.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.

Check this OUT! I Won!!

I love the blog Little Window Shoppe! Well Emily had a drawing to win something from the Etsy store "thePurplePear" so I left a comment for the drawing and guess what? Today they notified me that I WON! So fun! Check this out:http://littlewindowshoppe.com/purple-pear-giveaway
And then stop by and shop the Etsy store thePurplePear! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5167973

Triple Chocolate P-nut Butter Brownie (made in a crockpot)

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup chocolate milk or milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ cup peanut butter flavored pieces
½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces
½ cup chopped peanuts
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ cups boiling water
Coat a 3 ½ or 4-quart slow cooker liner with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a bowl stir together flour, the 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add chocolate milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir until batter is smooth. Stir in peanut butter flavored pieces, chocolate pieces and peanuts. Spread batter evenly in bottom of prepared slow cooker.
In a bowl combine the ¾ cup sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons cocoa powder. Gradually stir in boiling water. Pour evenly over batter in slow cooker.
Cover; cook on high-heat setting for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a wooden toothpick inserted 1 inch deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let stand 30 to 40 minutes to cool slightly before serving.
To serve, spoon the warm cake into dessert dishes. If desired, top with scoops of ice cream. Spoon pudding mixture over the cake and ice cream. Makes 8 servings.
(I made this and ommitted the pnut butter chips and the peanuts. Adding extra chocolate chips and walnuts. Plus I doubled the recipe for the size of crockpot i used. It was a hit! Everyone loved it!)

Bean Burgers

Bean Burgers

SPICY BLACK BEAN BURGERS
1/2 cup flour
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 small hot pepper minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium red pepper diced
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, mashed
1/2 cup corn niblets
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp fresh parsley

Set flour aside for coating. Saute onion, garlic, oregano and hot pepper in oil until onions are translucent. Add peppers and saute for another 2 minutes, until pepper is tender. In a large bowl mash the beans with a fork. Stir in all the vegetables, corn, bread crumbs, cumin, salt, chili powder and parsley. Mix well. Divide and shape into patties. Coat in flour. Cook on a lightly oiled frying pan on medium high for about 5-10 minutes, or until brown.

Mussaman Curry

I could eat Mussaman Curry everyday for 17 weeks Just like SeeJane!

mussaman curry

1 can coconut milk
fish sauce
2 - 3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 or 2 potatoes
sugar
roasted cashews
Mussaman curry paste
rice

Peel and cube potatoes. Put them in a pot to boil. It should take
about 15 mins for them to cook. Start cooking rice. Meanwhile, Shake
coconut milk. Add almost 1/2 the can of coconut milk to a saute pan
or wok. Add curry paste (2 TB = spicy, 1 1/4 TB = mild, we used 1 1/2
TB) Slice chicken and salt well. Heat milk/paste to high and when
it's bubbling add the sliced chicken. Then add 2 tsp fish sauce, 2
tsp sugar and cook for 5 mins. Potatoes should be about done. Drain
the potatoes. Give the chicken 5 more mins or so, until it's cooked
all the way through. Add potatoes, rest of coconut milk. Add cashews
and 1 tsp fish sauce, 2 tsp sugar. Cook a few more minutes. It
should be nice and soupy and the chicken done. Serve over rice.

I love to add thin sliced carrots with the potatoes! ~Kristen

FELT FOOD!!!

Picnic Cake

Ingredients

1 cup, pitted, chopped Dates
1 1/2 c. Boiling Water
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 c. Granulated Sugar
3/4 c. Shortening
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3/4 c. Packed Brown Sugar
3/4 c. chopped walnuts
3/4 c. Semisweet chocolate chips



Directions

Put chopped dates into a bowl.
Pour boiling water over dates and all allow to cool, add 1 tsp. baking soda.
Combine sugar, shortening, and eggs together.
Add to date mixture.
Add flour, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Mix well.
Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
Mix together brown sugar,chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
Sprinkle over top of cake.
Bake for 40 minutes at 350.