Funfetti Cookie Bars July 24, 2009

Pillsbury’s Funfetti cake mix is my favorite mix, hands down. It’s one cake mix that I don’t have to add anything to. A few years ago, I discovered Funfetti cookies. The recipe has been on the side of the box for years. I don’t know what took me so long to try them! They are divine.

A couple months ago, I was craving something sweet at the lakehouse and there was a box of Funfetti mix there that I’d bought a while back and never used.  To be honest, these bars came about because I was too hungry and too lazy to make the cookies.  It takes a while to roll the dough into balls, flatten them out, etc.  So, I made the dough the same way and just spread it all on a cookie sheet. Within 15 minutes, I had my dessert! 

Whether you use Funfetti mix to make cake, cupcakes, cookies or bars, you just can’t go wrong. It will always make you happy!

Funfetti Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1 package Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 eggs
• flour
• Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Funfetti Vanilla Frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cake mix, oil and eggs until well moistened. Spread dough evenly onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a little flour on  the top to make this easier. When making cookies, you do not need to grease the sheet but for cookie bars lightly spraying the pan helps, particularly around the edges. Bake for about 8-9 minutes. Watch carefully- they bake fast! Allow to cool before frosting. If you use sprinkles, add them immediately after frosting.

Crockpot Lasagna July 20, 2009

I’ve made this a couple times before but it’s been a while! Today, I used ground Italian sausage instead of ground beef. This is another easy dish that is ready for the crockpot in 15 minutes or so and then you don’t worry about it until it’s done!

Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped (I also added green peppers and mushrooms)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 large jar spaghetti sauce (such as Ragu in the 1 lb. 10 ounce jar)
1 package (8 ounces) no-boil lasagna noodles
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a little oil in a frying pan. Drain off any grease.

2. Add the spaghetti sauce into the browned meat mixture. Mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, milk, and egg.

4. Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Then mix in the mozzarella cheese and the grated cheese, so that all the cheeses are combined.

5. Grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot with some vegetable shortening on the bottom and sides.

6. Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Put a layer of noodles on top of that (break or cut them if needed). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of that. Then repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese for another 2 layers. Top with meat sauce. Cook on low for about 3 hours or until noodles are tender.

From: About.com

Shrimp Cups July 18, 2009

These shrimp cups that were inspired by this recipe. I baked wontons in a mini muffin pan at 350 degrees.  Then I filled them with salad shrimp seasoned with Garlic and Herb Old Bay and cumin, fresh salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese.

From: My Recipes

Chili’s Chicken Crispers with Honey Mustard Sauce July 17, 2009

 
Chicken crispers are Shania’s favorite thing to order at Chili’s- actually it’s ALL she will order.  I made these but didn’t mention that they were a copy cat recipe of Chili’s.  As soon as she saw them she said, “These look like the chicken crispers at Chili’s.” A few minutes later she tasted them and said, “They taste like them, too!”  This was exactly what I’d hoped for.  We all loved them.  I don’t eat honey mustard sauce (I use barbeque instead) but they said that the honey mustard tasted just like Chili’s as well.  Yay for another successful copycat recipe!

 

Honey Mustard Sauce Ingredients
2/3 Cup mayonnaise
1/4 Cup honey
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
Pinch paprika
Pinch salt

Batter Ingredients

1 egg, beaten
1/4 Cup whole milk
3/4 Cup chicken broth (Swanson)
1-1/2 Teaspoons salt
1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Cup self-rising flour

6 to 10 cups shortening or vegetable oil (amount required by fryer)

10 chicken tenderloins
1/2 Cup flour

Honey Mustard Sauce Directions
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill until needed.

Heat shortening or oil in fryer to 350 degrees F.

Batter Directions
Combine beaten egg, milk, chicken broth, salt and pepper in a medium
bowl. Whisk to dissolve salt. Whisk in 1 cup self-rising flour. Let batter sit for 5 minutes.

Coat chicken pieces with dry flour, then dip chicken into batter. Allow excess batter to drip off, then place battered chicken into the hot oil and fry for 7 to 9 minutes or until golden brown.

Do not overload fryer. Fry 3-4 pieces at a time.

Drain fried chicken strips on paper towels.
Serve with the honey mustard dressing on the side for dipping.

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entree.

We had a slight problem of the chicken sticking to the fryer basket (I think due to the self rising flour) but they were still okay.  I will try making them on the stove next time to avoid this.

From: Meemo’s Kitchen

Fried Pickles July 17, 2009

I blame the pregnancy for this one! That’s all I’m going to say….

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1-1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

4 large eggs

Vegetable oil, for frying

One 16-ounce jar bread-and-butter pickle chips, drained

Directions

1. In a wide, shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, paprika, cayenne and sugar. In another wide, shallow dish, lightly beat the eggs.
2. Fill a large pot with enough oil to reach a depth of 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat until it registers 350° on a deep-fat thermometer. Working in batches, toss the pickles in the flour mixture, pressing to adhere. Shake off any excess flour, then toss gently in the eggs to coat. Coat with the flour mixture again. Shake off any excess flour, then add to the oil. Fry, turning occasionally after the pickles rise to the top, until browned, 8 to 9 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve immediately.

From:  Rachael Ray Mag.com

Sloppy Joes July 16, 2009

I’ve been wanting to make homemade sloppy joes for a while.  Today was the day.  BUT I made the mistake of starting to make them without making sure I had all of the ingredients first.  After I browned the ground beef, I realized we had no barbeque sauce or worcestershire sauce and one or both were required for the recipes I had saved.  We always have these!  I decided to improvise (with frozen pizza in mind in case it didn’t work out).  This is what I came up with instead and Scott said it was great.  So, it’s an accidental keeper!

If I wasn’t making this for the kids, I would probably add diced green peppers and onions but I thought they’d eat them better plain.  It’s hard to say what I’ll do next time though because Scott told me not to change a thing!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon onion flakes
• dash of steak seasoning
• salt and pepper, to taste
• hamburger buns

Directions

Brown ground beef and drain.  Add remaining ingredients, mix well, simmer on low for about 15 minutes.  Serve on hamburger buns.

Inspired by: Taste of Home and Food Network

Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Cake July 15, 2009

It cannot be said how much I love this cake!

Ingredients: 2 cups sugar 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup boiling water

Directions: 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely and frost. 10 to 12 servings.

This is typically topped with Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Frosting. I used Wilton’s Buttercream in the pics above.

Here is a pic with the chocolate frosting:

From: Hersheys

Peanut Butter Cookies July 15, 2009

Ingredients: 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt Sugar

Directions: Heat oven to 375°F. Combine brown sugar, butter and peanut butter in large bowl. Beat on medium speed until well mixed. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until well mixed. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets; flatten balls in criss-cross pattern with fork dipped in sugar. Bake for 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

From: Land O’Lakes

Best, Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies July 15, 2009

Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted 1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:   Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. (I put the dough in the refridgerator before baking it.) Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.  From: All Recipes

Glazed Vanilla Brownies July 15, 2009

Ingredients: Brownies 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1 bag (10 oz) white vanilla baking chips (1 2/3 cups) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup chopped nuts (omitted) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 eggs Glaze 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 2 to 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened (omitted) 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water or milk

Directions:   Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour 13×9-inch pan. In 2-quart saucepan, heat butter and baking chips over low heat, stirring frequently, just until melted. (Mixture may appear curdled.) Remove from heat; cool. 2. Stir in remaining brownie ingredients until well blended. Spread evenly in pan. 3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. 4. In medium bowl, mix all glaze ingredients until smooth and spreadable. Spread glaze over brownies.

From: Betty Crocker