Marshmallow Eggs (or hearts)

I look back on Easter and remember these marshmallow eggs with great fondness. It was always to fun to savor the one Mom decorated especially for me! I hadn't made them myself because they looked daunting, but they were fairly easy. The most difficult part was picking up the gelatin packets at the store since I didn't have any on hand.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Marshmallow Eggs (or hearts)

INGREDIENTS:
6 Tbsp. cold water
2 packages unflavored gelatin
½ C. water
1½ C. sugar
food coloring (if desired)
flour to fill 2 (9x13) pans- 2/3 full
3-D hearts or eggs to make indentations (plastic easter eggs are perfect)
1 tsp. vanilla or flavoring
pinch of salt
melted chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

Soften gelatin in 6 Tbsp. water. Add sugar to ½ C. water in saucepan and bring to a boil to remove from heat and add gelatin mixtures.Stir until dissolved. Cool to barely warm in fridge.

In the meantime, smooth flour in pans and make indentations. Beat mixture with electric mixer until fluffy like whipped cream, but not set. Add coloring, flavoring, and a pinch of salt .Mix. Fill indents with marshmallow filling. Cool 20 minutes in fridge. Remove marshmallows and flip over to coat in flour. Shake off excess. Dip into melted chocolate and place on wax paper. Decorate when chocolate is hardened.

Chocolate Nutella & Sea Salt Fudge

Christmas is coming, the Goose is getting fat..... 10 points to anybody who knows that song! Moving on, I love Nutella and love fudge so when I saw a recipe that combined the two, I knew I had to try it. I was supposed to bring a treat to a party and decided to give this recipe a go! I might have overdosed on it while it was in the "taste testing" stage. OK, I couldn't stop eating it. The good thing is: a little fudge goes a long ways. Once I cut them up into pieces and put them in their own mini cupcake liners, there was plenty to go around.

I love salt but was a little afraid of putting it on the fudge. The combination went together, surprisingly, well. I gave this recipe 4★. A rich holiday treat for my favorite holiday!

Here is the recipe from Tasty Kitchen

Chocolate Nutella & Sea Salt Fudge

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Butter, For Greasing Pan
1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
8 ounces, weight High-quality Bittersweet (60%) Chocolate Chips
1 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut Spread), Room Temperature
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces
½ teaspoons (approximately) Sea Salt
Preparation Instructions

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overlap on the sides.

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate chips, Nutella, and butter.

Form a double-boiler by setting the bowl over a medium pot of gently simmering water. The water level should be low enough that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, 5 to 7 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, spread the top smooth with a spatula, and sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until the fudge is firm, at least 2 hours.

Once the fudge is chilled, run a knife under hot water, dry it off, and run it around the edges of the pan to loosen the fudge. Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the fudge out. Peel off the parchment paper. Cut the fudge into 3/4-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil.

Kitty Litter Cake

You might be asking yourself if the owner of this blog has gone crazy because she is posting pictures of her cat's litter box. This, my friends, is actually a cake made to look like a litter box. I've been wanting to make this recipe for a long time but never had the chance until recently. We had a Fear Factor activity with our church youth and I decided this would be the perfect dessert to end the night. You could use this for Halloween, April Fool's Day, or a farewell cake for the awful co-worker you couldn't stand (tehe). 

While it was very life like and everybody liked it, it wasn't the best cake I've ever had. In reality, you could make any cake and cover it with the cookie crumbs and tootsie rolls to get the same effect. Nonetheless, I'll post the recipe I used from the Allrecipes site:

Kitty Litter Cake

via allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package German
chocolate cake mix
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (12 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies
3 drops green food coloring
1 (12 ounce) package tootsie rolls

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare cake mixes and bake according to package directions (any size pan).
2. Prepare pudding according to package directions and chill until ready to assemble.
3. Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup add a few drops of green food coloring and mix.
4. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 of the remaining cookie crumbs, and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding, you want the cake to be just moist, not soggy.
5. Line kitty litter box with the kitty litter liner. Put cake mixture into box.
6. Put half of the unwrapped tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until softened. Shape the ends so that they are no longer blunt, and curve the tootsie rolls slightly. Bury tootsie rolls randomly in the cake and sprinkle with half of the remaining cookie crumbs. Sprinkle a small amount of the green colored cookie crumbs lightly over the top.
7. Heat 3 or 4 of the tootsie rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle lightly with some of the green cookie crumbs. Heat the remaining tootsie rolls until pliable and shape as before. Spread all but one randomly over top of cake mixture. Sprinkle with any remaining cookie crumbs. Hang the remaining tootsie roll over side of litter box and sprinkle with a few green cookie crumbs. Serve with the pooper scooper for a gross Halloween dessert.

No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake

Another WINNER from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I LOVE Nutella and like cheesecake so this was an awesome dessert. It did take some time (45 minutes) to put together but it was very simple and the results were amazing!

No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
18 Oreo cookies, crushed into crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake:
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Garnish:
Extra sweetened whipped cream, optional
Crushed oreos or chocolate curls, optional

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, stir together the Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter. Evenly divide the crumbs between your individual serving dishes and press into the bottoms of the dishes to form a crust layer. Glass dessert cups work well for this, as well as mini-trifle dishes; you could also use a mini-cheesecake pan or simply small glass bowls.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and smooth. Add the nutella and mix until combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. In another medium/large bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar together until medium to stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese/nutella mixture until well blended and no streaks remain.

Spoon the filling into individual serving dishes on top of the crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

If desired, garnish with additional whipped topping, chocolate shavings, and/or toasted, chopped hazelnuts.

Apple Pie & Best Ever Pie Crust

I never get to make apple pie because my husband does not enjoy warm apples, but this year I got to for Thanksgiving. I know, a little late, but here it is anyways. I absolutely LOVED this pie. The filling had just the right amount of sweetness and the crust I used was flaky and perfect. First attempt at making apple pie and it was 5★ all the way!

Apple Pie (based off this recipe from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1/2 C. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1/4 C. water

1/2 C. white sugar

1/2 C. brown sugar

dash of cinnamon

5 Granny Smith Apples- peeled, cored and sliced

1 recipe for a 9-inch double pie crust (see below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar,brown sugar, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Reserve 1/4 C. liquid and set aside to brush on top of pie. Mix the remaining liquid with apples and pour into crust, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. 3. Brush the reserved sugar and butter liquid over the crust.

4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350° F (175 ° C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Best Ever Pie Crust

Ingredients:

2 C. all- purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 C. shortening

1/2 C. water

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

2. Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. Use as directed in pie recipe.

Easy Grape Salad

I brought this to my family's Easter Party yesterday. I kind of feel bad even putting this on my blog because it was just an OK recipe. Nobody asked for the recipe, but it was all gone when we went home. I didn't get a picture, but if you click on the link, you'll see the pics other people have taken at allrecipes.com. It was REALLY EASY like the title said. Whipped it together in about 7 minutes.

Easy Grape Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound seedless green grapes

1 pound seedless red grapes

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,softened

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme

1 (6 ounce) package slivered almonds

Directions:

1.Wash grapes in a colander under running water, and remove all stems. Place in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the cream cheese and marshmallow creme until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture over the grapes. Using a rubber spatula or large serving spoon, fold the mixture into the grapes until well coated. Fold in the almonds.

3.This salad may be served immediately, or covered and refrigerated for 1 hour to set slightly, and to allow flavors to blend.

Marshmallow Fondant

My little boy has his first birthday coming up in June and I just can't believe it! My little baby is turning 1!!! My very talented friend Debbie is holding a cake contest over at her blog cranberryfries.blogspot.com and it gave me the perfect opportunity to try out my (nonexistent) cake decorating skills out. Click on the above link to check out all the entries and vote!

It was SUPER easy to make this fondant. I have heard regular fondant is very difficult and fickle to make. NOT the case with this fondant. One person described it as adult play-dough and I have to agree. If cake decorating is not your thing, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by this fondant.

BIG NOTE: I GREASED MY BOSCH BOWL AND BREAD DOUGH HOOK AND DID ALL THE MIXING IN MY  MIXER AND IT WAS SUPER EASY!

Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Crisco
1 (16 ounce) package miniature
marshmallows
4 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

Directions:
1. Place the Crisco  in a shallow bowl, and set aside.

2.Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.

3.Rub your hands thoroughly with Crisco, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners' sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes.

4.Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface that has Crisco smeared on it.(I SKIPPED THE REFRIDGERATION STEP AND MINE WAS JUST FINE)

I decided to pattern mine after the classic book Green Eggs and Ham.
Here are the results:

 

Linking up here:

 

Rainbow Cupcakes

This would be a great idea for St.Patrick's Day if you did the whole rainbow. I made these cupcakes for Mardi Gras yesterday and they turned out super cute. The easiest recipe I found was from the Family Fun website.

RAINBOW CUPCAKES

Ingredients

• White cake mix
• Food coloring (red, blue, green, and yellow)

• Baking cups
• Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare your favorite white cake mix according to instructions on box, then divide the batter evenly among six small bowls. Following the chart below, dye each bowl of batter a rainbow color.
   
   
   

   RAINBOW COLOR	DROPS OF FOOD COLORING
   Purple	9 red and 6 blue drops
   Blue	12 drops
   Green	12 drops
   Yellow	12 drops
   Orange	12 yellow and 4 red drops
   Red	18 drops

   
   
   
2. Line 16 muffin pan wells with baking cups. Evenly distribute the purple batter among the cups, then the blue, and so on, following the order shown. As you go, gently spread each layer of batter with the back of a spoon to cover the color underneath.
   
3. Bake the cupcakes according to your recipe directions. Before serving, remove wrapper.
   
   
   
   
   

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

One of my very favorite new blogs I discovered for cooking is Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Her recipes amaze me and she finds the best of the best. I found this little gem while browsing her wonderful collection. I just had to try it. Overall, I'd say that I really liked it, not loved it, but it was still yummy.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake
*Serves 12-16

Cake:
Yellow Cake mix (made according to box's directions)

Milk Syrup:
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut (Find this in the drink mixers section)
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnishes:
2 medium-size ripe bananas
Sweetened cream (see instructions below)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake it at 350 degrees until golden brown, 7 minutes, or toast it in a skillet over medium-low heat on the stovetop)


Directions:

     Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set the baking dish aside. Place the make-ahead cake mix, 1 1/4 cups warm water and 2 large room-temperature eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes (if using another cake mix or recipe, bake according to box or recipe instructions). Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until it is lightly golden and is slightly pulling away from the edges, 30-34 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, 1 hour.
     Meanwhile, make the milk syrup: in a blender, combine the cream of coconut, evaporated milk, cream, and vanilla and process until smooth.
     Pierce the cooled cake all over the top with the tines of a fork or a thin wooden skewer. We are talking all over! The more pokes, the more the syrup will soak into the cake. Using a large spoon or ladle, spoon some of the milk syrup over the cake. Let the syrup soak into the cake, then continue spooning the syrup on top until all of it has been used up. When you have finished, not all of the syrup will be completely absorbed and might be pooling on the top but that’s ok because it will absorb as it refrigerates. Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until all of the syrup is absorbed, 2 hours. Cut the bananas, if using crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Slice the cake and serve it with sliced bananas, sweetened cream and toasted coconut, if desired.

Sweetened Cream:
Pour 1 cup heavy whipping cream into a large (preferably chilled) glass bowl and beat it on high speed until thickened 1 ½ minutes. Stop the machine and add ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Makes 2 cups.

Cake Balls

Happy Valentine's Day Everybody! I made something extra special but super easy for my husband to take to his work today. This recipe is all over the internet in different forms but the easiest instructions I found were at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. You really can mix and match flavors of cake and frosting so have fun!

Cake Balls

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake) I used Devil's Food Cake
1 can frosting (16 oz.) I used chocolate
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate) I used white and regular dipping chocolate
wax paper

Directions:
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet.
4. Chill for several hours – make sure they are really firm. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra – two forks also works great if your chocolate is warm enough.)
7. Drizzle with extra chocolate bark or dipping chocolate or top with sprinkles.

Kristy's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Growing up, the sweetest lady in our church made the BEST sugar cookies. You felt lucky if she ever brought you a plate. Her recipe has become legendary in my home neighborhood. Luckily, she's one of those people that think recipes are made for sharing. Hallelujah! Here's her recipe:

Kristy's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 C. butter
3 eggs
1 ½ C. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. sour cream
touch of salt
5 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in sour cream. Slowly fold in the rest of the ingredients. Blend well to make firm dough. Roll ½ inch thick on a floured surface and cut in desired shapes. Bake @ 350 for 8-12 minutes. (10 minutes was perfect for us last time. Once they are brown, they are over-done)

Frosting:
Ingredients:
1 cube (8 Tbs) butter
1 ½ lbs powdered sugar
small can of evaporated milk (won't use it all)
1 tsp. vanilla
drop of almond extract (optional)

Directions:
Beat butter until fluffy. Stir in the powdered sugar and pour in evaporated milk until creamy and you achieve your desired consistency. Add vanilla and almond extract.

She always decorated them with a pretty rose, but our family just adds Valentine's Day candy.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 I recently came across the site Mel's Kitchen Cafe and was amazed! She has so many wonderful recipes on there. But the moment I knew she was a REAL cook was when I read she used a BOSCH mixer. I grew up a on Bosch and they are the best.


Anyways, that was besides the point. She has her recipe on her site for Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that are divine. Like, so divine that it's the only chocolate chip cookie bar I will ever make from now on! Pretty simple too, my husband timed me and I got them in the oven within 12 minutes.


BIG SIDE NOTE: DO NOT make these for people who like their cookies right out of the oven and won't have them any other way. Took these to some family members who couldn't stand to wait and let them rest (like they are REQUIRED to do in order for them to be perfect) and kept baking them until they were completely done in the oven. They need to rest and they will be absolutely perfect I assure you!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Printable version From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Makes a 9X13-inch pan of bars
2 1/8 cups (10 1/2 ounces) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1/2 (3 1/2 ounces) cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (use your preference of semisweet, bittersweet, milk, white, peanut butter…the options are endless!)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9X13-inch baking pan with foil, letting the excess hang over the edges of the pan by about 1 inch so you can grab those edges and pull the brownies from the pan after they have baked. Spray the foil-lined pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.
Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 24-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting the foil overhang and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated

I cut mine out into Valentine's Day shapes when they were cooled off.
Here are my results:

The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

My Hubby has a tradition on Christmas Eve that his family makes cinnamon rolls and then eats them for their Christmas Morning breakfast. I decided to try and make them this year. They WOULD HAVE been a total success except for the fact they weren't done all the way through. I either attribute this to the fact I put them in a 9x13 pan when she put hers in pie tins OR I took her own advice and cooked them at 375°F instead of the normal 400°F. BUT Hubby did say they were scrumptious.

Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• ½ cups Milk
• ¼ cups Melted Butter
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee (I OMITTED)
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.
Note: My rolls don’t work for me at 400 degrees anymore. I now bake them at 375 degrees

Here are my results:

Cherry Christmas Jello

This is probably the easiest Jello salad you will ever make. I've kept this recipe for over ten years and absolutely adore it. This recipe is creamy and bursting with cherries. It's perfect for potlucks at Christmas time!

Cherry  Christmas Jello
Ingredients:
1 large (6 oz) box cherry Jello
2 C boiling water
2 cans cherry pie filling

Directions:
Dissolve Jello in water. Add 2 cans cherry pie filling. Chill

Here are the results:

Fantasy Fudge

This fudge was a staple in our home around the holidays. I am somewhat anti-desserts because most of them are too time consuming (and we are trying to be a little healthier). That said, this fudge recipe is super easy and super delicious! It comes from the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar and I omit the nuts because they are nasty!

Fantasy Fudge
Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 4 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.
Here are the results:

Happy Holidays!

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

If anybody ever asks me what my favorite cookies are, I tell them Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies HANDS DOWN. I make mine with Rolos but I've made them with a king-sized Caramello bar before. They are so yummy! MY CHANGES ARE IN BOLD

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chopped walnuts (I hate nuts so I leave these out!)
1 tablespoon white sugar
48 chocolate-covered caramel candies

Directions:
1. Beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and cocoa. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in 1/2 cup walnuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. I don't chill them, I don't have patience
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Combine remaining 1/2 cup nuts with the 1 tablespoon sugar. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Work with one part at a time, leaving the remainder in the refrigerator until needed. Divide each part into 12 pieces. Quickly press each piece of dough around a chocolate covered caramel. Roll into a ball. Dip the tops into the sugar mixture. Place sugar side up, 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
4. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for 3 to 4 minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Here are the results:


YUMMY!

The BEST Zucchini Bread

Still have more zucchini? The only way my hubby REALLY likes zucchini is in zucchini bread form. I have to admit, I have never tried another zucchini bread recipe other than this because it always gets rave reviews and I figure "Why go searching when I've got what I want." It's also great because it doesn't have any eggs or complicated directions, just mix everything together! This recipe originally appeared in my church cookbook.

Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. Oil
3 C. zucchini,grated
3 tsp. vanilla
3 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. nuts/raisins, optional (I don't put in because of my preference)

Directions:
Mix together, Bake for 1 hour at 325°F. Make 1 (9X13 inch pan) or 2 loaf pans.

Here are the results:






Right out of the oven















Yummy Goodness!

Paula Deen's Bayou Banana Puddin'

I usually don't make a ton of desserts, but I'm glad I made this exception. I saw Paula Dean on TV one day making this and it looked delicious. I had my niece come over and help me clean one day and decided we needed to do something fun. I only had to run to the store to get vanilla wafers but I had everything else on hand. This was a spectacular dessert! I think it's going to be one of my all time favorites!

Bayou Banana Puddin'

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package Philadelphia cream cheese
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced

Method:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping.
Line the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch dish with the vanilla wafers. Arrange the sliced bananas evenly over the wafers. Spread with the pudding mixture. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Chill for at least an hour and a half.

Here are the results:

Amazing Carmel Popcorn

My sister makes this amazing caramel popcorn and it is truly AMAZING. It's ooey-gooey and I don't think I need to search anymore for the perfect caramel popcorn recipe, I've found it. Pretty Easy too! We've made it a few times and love it. Here is her recipe:

Amazing Caramel Popcorn

2-3 Bags Microwave popcorn (I prefer 2 so it covers everything nicely)
1/2 C. Butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Corn Syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pop bags of popcorn and pour into large bowl, removing any unpopped kernals. Meanwhile, mix butter, sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar and corn syrup in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Bring to soft ball stage. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over popcorn and let cool before digging in.

Here are the results:

Southern Peach Cobbler

I'm so sorry I'm a slacker! I've been getting ready for this baby and even though I've cooked, I haven't been posting. Sorry!

I was asked to take dinner to a couple in our church the other night and decided to make a dessert. I usually don't make too many around my house just because I think they are unnecessary. I decided on this recipe because it was easy and most people like cobbler. It was really simple and really good. My changes are in bold.

Southern Peach Cobbler
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar (I reduced to 3/4 C)
3/4 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup milk
1 (29 ounce) can sliced peaches in light syrup
Dash cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place butter in a deep 2 quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.
2. In a medium bowl, mix sugar and flour. Stir in milk, a little at a time, until wholly incorporated. Pour carefully over melted butter in dish. Spoon peaches and syrup over batter.
3. Bake in preheated oven 35 to 45 minutes, until crust is puffed and golden.

Sorry, no pictures. I didn't want the food to get cold before I brought it over to their house.