Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

My favorite cookie is the Snickerdoodle, so when I saw this recipe floating around Facebook I decided I needed to try it.




I just used a store bought cake for the cupcakes, but the frosting was super simple. I made them for Cole's preschool party. I made them the night before, so I put them in the fridge overnight and they were even better.


Ingredients:

• 4 oz. softened cream cheese
• 5 Tablespoons softened butter
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 envelope dream whip, dry not prepared
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• ½ cup flour
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• Cinnamon sugar for the top

 Directions:
 Beat cream cheese and butter together and then add sugar and vanilla. Add dream whip and milk. Add flour, sugar, salt and cream of tarter. Mix another minute, do not over beat. Frosting should have a cookie dough consistency. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle Cinnamon sugar over the top.


  This is where I got the recipe from http://www.chef-in-training.com/2014/09/snickerdoodle-cookie-dough-frosting/.

S'mores Ice Cream Pie

This pie should make up for all the lack of not posting anything in awhile!! It is super simple to make- Mike made this recipe up for a special for one of the restaurant he works for and brought me home a slice to sample. I loved it so much that we made one for home too.

First, you need just a basic graham cracker crust. (Aunt Terry's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie one would work awesome http://leefam1946.blogspot.com/2012/11/pumpkin-chiffon-pie.html. Let the crust set in the fridge for at least 5-10 mins. Then grab your favorite vanilla ice cream (let it set out a soften so, it is easier to use). Once, crust has set fill with the ice cream. Then top the whole pie with small marshmallows.

                                                     (this is just the slice- Mike brought home)


Stick the pie back in the freezer to harden and cover with plastic wrap. Then when you are ready to serve grab your strongest lighter- we use a Creme' Brulee torch but any lighter should work.

Torch/Roast the marshmallows- they will puff up and be toasted. Then drizzle with chocolate syrup and enjoy!!

Souper Good--Refried Bean Soup

I'm really into soups.  I don't mind recipes with lots of ingredients, but I also don't mind a quick and easy soup sometimes, too.  I think I made this soup twice in the last week and a half.  Will probably make it again this coming week.  One of my daughters-in-law pointed me to this recipe.  It really hits the spot.  (Terry)


REFRIED BEAN SOUP
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (I use petite diced.  4 C of tomatoes works, too.)
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 tp minced garlic
1 can (31 oz)  refried beans  (This is the BIG can.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth  (I just measure out 2 C from those boxes of broth.)
In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes, onion and garlic to boil.  Reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.  Stir in refried beans and broth.  Simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve with the following sides:  fresh cilantro, minced--sour cream--shredded cheese--baked tortilla strips or broken nacho pieces

Chocolate Raspberry Bars--Raspberry and Chocolate. Enough said

Raspberry and chocolate.  Enough said.  These cookie bars are sooo good.  Start with a cake mix and some raspberry jam.  Mix a little cream cheese (I know) and some vanilla chips.  Just keeps getting better.  Why postpone the inevitable.  Here's the recipe.  (Terry)

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BARS

Base:

1 pkg (18 1/4 oz) devil's food cake mix

1 egg

1/3 C softened butter (no substitute)

1 jar (12 oz) seedless raspberry jam

Topping:

1 pkg (10 to 12 oz) vanilla or white chips

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 TB milk

1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips

2 TB butter (no substitute)

Combine cake mix, egg, and butter until crumbly.  Press into a greased 15 x 10 inch baking pan.  NOTE:  I just use my 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Crust will appear puffy and dry.  Cool.  Spread jam over the crust.

Beat cream cheese and milk until smooth.
Microwave vanilla chips until melted and stirs smooth.  Combine cream cheese and melted chips.  Carefully spread over jam.
Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave.  Stir until smooth.  Drizzle or pipe over the cream cheese layer.  NOTE:  I just use a fork and flick (scatter, shake, whatever) it over the cream cheese layer.  (I don't get fancy.  At this point I just want to eat some of it.)  Refrigerate before cutting.

Raspberry Crumble--You May Want To Grab A Spoon

How can you go wrong with raspberry?!  There are certain universal flavors that you just can't live without:  chocolate, garlic, cheese, onions,  and RASPBERRY.  This cookie recipe is made in a microwave and is ready to eat in just minutes.  I suppose one should wait awhile and let them cool down so that they don't actually crumble when one eats them, but...they're just as good with a spoon if one can't wait that long.  (Terry)

RASPBERRY CRUMBLE

¾ C butter or marg

1 C brown sugar

1 ¾ C flour

1 ½ C quick-cooking oats

1 tp vanilla extract

½ tp salt

½ tp baking soda

1 C raspberry jam

Place butter in a 2-qt microwave-safe dish.  Heat, uncovered, at 50% power for 30-45 seconds or until softened.  Add brown sugar; stir until creamy.  Add flour, oats, vanilla, salt, and baking soda.  Mix well.  Pat half of the mixture into a greased 8” square microwave-safe dish.  Microwave, uncovered at 70% power for 5-6 minutes or until mixture sets, rotating a half turn after 3 minutes.  (Crust will be uneven.)  Spread with jam.  Sprinkle with remaining dough; press down lightly.  Cook, uncovered, at 70% power for 4-5 minutes or until set, rotating a half turn after 2 min.  Serve warm.  Yield:  9-12 servings.

Tangy Beef Turnovers--Sometimes You Just Have To Try A Little Deceit

There is one ingredient in this recipe that is going to make you have second thoughts on trying it out.  And if your children find out about it--it's history.   Now I'm not stupid.  (Careful there.)  I raised 7 kids.  And I know that sometimes you have to be a little deceitful when preparing certain dishes so that family members don't know what ingredients you are using.  This was especially true when my kids were young, and I was cooking with wheat.  But, I digress.  This recipe does call for sauerkraut.  But you are going to rinse off all the sour part and wah-la, it is no longer sauerkraut.  Just cabbage.  And if you don't tell, neither will I.  This is one of my favorites.  (Just make it ahead of time when no one is home.)  (Terry)

TANGY BEEF TURNOVERS

1# ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jar  (16 oz) sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, chopped

1 C (4oz) shredded Swiss cheese

3 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls

In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add sauerkraut and cheese; mix well.  Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into rectangles.  Place on greased baking sheets; pinch seams to seal.  Place ½ C (1/3 C) beef mixture in the center of each rectangle.  Bring corners to the center and pinch to seal.  Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield:  1 dozen

 

Raspberry Cheese Danish--Three Exclamation Marks !!!

Tonight I was looking through some old Taste of Home and Simple and Delicious magazines, when I came across a recipe I had made several times and forgotten about.  Next to the recipe I had the following notation:  Good!!!  Wow.  How could I have forgotten this recipe?!  I have been missing out all this time.  Bummer.  (Terry)

RASPBERRY CHEESE DANISH

-Unroll an 8 oz. tube of crescent roll dough.  Separate into 4 rectangles.  Seal perforations.  Now cut into halves, so that you have 8 squares (instead of 8 triangles). 

-Beat 4 oz cream cheese with 1/4 C powdered sugar.  Spread 1 TB diagonally across each square.  Top with 1 TB raspberry jam. 

-Take two opposing corners and pinch together, twist just a bit, making sure those corners will stay together.  Bake on parchment or a Pam sprayed baking sheet at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

-Combine 1/2 C powdered sugar with 2 tp milk.  Drizzle over danishes.

Cabbage and Grape Salad--You Might Have To Sell One Of Your Children

Last night I taught a class on growing herbs at Relief Society.  To go along with the presentation, I served three dishes made with herbs.  One dish was an especially BIG hit:  Cabbage and Grape Salad.  It was a large salad, but I didn't go home with much in the line of leftovers--much to the dismay of my husband.  In fact today, as Wayne was finishing off the dab that was left, he told me I really ought to make some more.  Right away.  I must warn you, however, you might have to sell one of your children in order to fund your purchase of the pistachios.  They are pretty pricey right now.  But so worth it.  (Terry)


CABBAGE AND GRAPE SALAD

1 head green cabbage--shredded

2 C red grapes--halved

OR

1 head red cabbage

2 C green grapes

1 C (8 oz pkg) pistachios

¼ C chopped fresh parsley (must be fresh)

2-4 green onions

Dressing:  Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix, prepared (2C) OR coleslaw dressing

NOTE:  I prefer the green cabbage with red grapes and ranch dressing

NOTE:  Last night I only used half a head of cabbage.  I chopped it instead of leaving it shredded.  I used more than 8 oz of pistachios, making sure I had a full cup of nuts.

NOTE:  Do not add the pistachios until you actually serve your salad as they will soften in the dressing

NOTE:  I got this recipe from my daughter, Jamie Turner.

Fruity Pasta Salad--Recipe For Murder

Love this salad.  It's the honey and mayo combo that tastes just right.  Course nothing wrong with the pasta and the mandarin oranges and the sugar peas and the green onions.  Mmmm.  Mmmm.  Mmmm. I have adapted this recipe from a Josi Kilpack murder mystery recipe.  If you like mysteries, I suggest you give her books a try.  I've read and enjoyed them all.   (Terry)


FRUITY PASTA SALAD
2 C mayo
1 tp minced garlic
½ tp celery seed
½ C honey
1 tp salt
½ tp pepper
2-3 chicken breasts, diced
16 oz tri-colored rotini
30 oz mandarin oranges, drained
¼ pound sugar snap peas, sliced diagonally
½ C chopped green onions
Chow mein noodles (optional)


Mix together: mayo, garlic, celery seed, honey, salt, pepper. Cover and set in fridge.
Dice chicken and stir fry in pan until done. 
Meanwhile, cook pasta until done and drain.
Gently combine all ingredients, except chow mein noodles, in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Sprinkle with chow mein noodles. Serves 12.
NOTE:  You can also simmer the chicken in salted water.  Let it cool a little, and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Sopapilla Cheese--Breakfast. Dessert. Breakfast. Hmmmm.

Hmmm.  Not sure how to classify this recipe.  I have served it for breakfast, and I have served it for dessert.  But with cream cheese and sugar, how can you go wrong--any time of day?!  This is one of those Internet recipes that actually turned out.    (Terry)






SOPAPILLA CHEESE
Ingredients:
2 cans Pillsbury butter crescent rolls
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter (melted)
Cinnamon & sugar: 1/4 cup sugar and 1 TB cinnamon
Instructions:
Unroll and spread 1 can crescent rolls on bottom of un-greased 9 x 13 pan. Combine softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over mixture. Spread melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Cream Cheese with Jalapeno Jelly--Be Brave

   My husband belongs to a community orchestra.  Clarinet.  Two or three years ago when I was helping with one of their bake sales, someone provided samples of one of the items for sale:  Jalepeno Jelly.  They were serving the jelly with cream cheese and Ritz crackers.  Now that was one strange combination, and I wasn't about to get involved with that.  But after listening to oohs and aahs for several hours, I decided to give it a try.  Now that is one delicious combination of tastes.  So I ended up with several jars of jalapeno jelly.
   One night I took some to a taster's table at Relief Society.  No one would try it.  I assured them it was really good.  Finally, one brave soul loaded up a Ritz, and the rest is history.    Last month I decided to serve my DUP group something other than a dessert.  Yup.  The ole jalapeno thing.  Again, it took a few moments to get the thing off the ground, but by the time they left, I think I had about enough left for two crackers.
   You just gotta be brave.   (Terry)


 CREAM CHEESE WITH JALAPENO JELLY
1 C jalapeno jelly
8 oz. cream cheese
Ritz crackers
Unwrap the cream cheese and set on a serving dish for several hours so it will get to room temperature.  Stir jalapeno jelly a little to loosen up and spread over cream cheese.  Serve with Ritz crackers as dippers.

White Chocolate Puffcorn--One Cool Thing

One cool thing about family reunions is the recipes you pick up from all your relatives.  Last year at our Bateman family reunion, my cousin Kim (hmmm--ahhh--Kim---ahhh--Dang.  What's her married name?  Oh well.) nee Bateman brought a treat that disappeared in about 2 minutes.  And only 2 ingredients.  What's not to like about numbers like that?!  (You're gonna want to triple this recipe.  One recipe for you.  The other two to share with the rest of the family.  Trust me on this.)    (Terry)


WHITE CHOCOLATE PUFFCORN
Melt 3 squares (6 ounces) of white almond bark in the microwave.  Pour over 1 bag (3 1/2 ounces) of Chester's Puffcorn--Butter Flavor.  Mix well.
NOTE:  Make sure you buy Puffcorn and not popcorn.

Cinnamon Chip Zucchini Bread--Now It's Coming Out Of Your Ears...More Zucchini

  Back when cinnamon chips were an exclusive item, I came across this recipe for zucchini bread made with cinnamon chips.  Now, I think, you can buy these chips about anywhere.  There is nothing better than cinnamon chip zucchini bread fresh from the oven.  Mmmm.  Mmmm.  (Terry)


CINNAMON CHIP ZUCCHINI BREAD
Combine in a large bowl:
3 C flour, 1 tp baking soda, 1/4 tp baking powder, 1 tp cinnamon, and 1 tp salt.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together:
3 eggs, 2 C sugar, and 1 tp vanilla.
Stir into wet ingredients:
1/2 C sour cream, 1 C vegetable oil, and 2 C shredded zucchini.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Add 1 1/2 C cinnamon chips, just barely stirring. (This leaves you just enough chips from the bag to enjoy while the bread is cooking.)
Pour batter into two grease loaf pans:  8 1/2" x 4 1/2".  Bake 55-65 Minutes or until done.  Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.
NOTE:  If you coat the chips with some of your flour before adding to the batter, it will help prevent all your chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan while your bread cooks.

Chicken Stir Fry--Still Using My Year's Supply...Of Zucchini

    If you still have one of those 6-foot long zucchinis that I shared with you this summer, then this next recipe is for you.  This is one of my favorite stir-fry recipes.  I have made it many times over the years, and even Wayne, who as you know is not a fan of squash, enjoys it.  Increase amounts according to the number of people you are serving.  I usually double the amount of vegetables and still use just the 1 chicken breast.  (Terry)


CHICKEN STIR-FRY
Heat a large frying pan.  Add 2 TB oil and heat to a shimmer.  Add the following prepped vegetables and chicken:
1 diced chicken breast
1 very large onion, sliced
1 green pepper, cut into strips and then halved
1 zucchini, sliced (NOW IF YOU HAVE ONE OF MY 6-FOOTERS, DON'T USE THE WHOLE DANG THING.)
1 stalk of celery cut into small chunks, on the slant
Cook until chicken is done and vegetables are as crisp or tender as your family prefers.

Orange Zucchini Bread--More Of The Same: Zucchini

  Still have zucchini?  Yeah, me, too.  So here is another zucchini recipe that I really, really like.  It has been adapted from Our Best Bites.  (Terry)
   
ORANGE ZUCCHINI BREAD
2 1/4 C flour
2 tp cinnamon
1/8 tp ground cloves
1/2 tp salt
1 1/2 tp baking soda
1/2 C canola oil
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tp vanilla
zest from one large orange
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
optional: 2/3 C chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
Beat eggs, oil, sugars, and vanilla for about 30 seconds. Add sour cream and orange zest and beat to combine. Mix in zucchini.
Mix together:  flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Mix just until combined.
Spread batter into 2 greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan.

Blueberry Lemon Poppy Zuccini Bread--My MOST Favorite Zucchini Bread! Try It. You'll Like It.

  Remember when a few months ago I told you I have zucchini galore.  (And still do and it is now January of the following year.)  Well today I have a craving for my MOST favorite zucchini bread recipe.  I have several different breads I like, and will periodically pass the recipes on, but this is the one I like the most.  I got it this past fall at our Eastern Idaho State Fair.  I attended a workshop taught by Nancy Weber, and it is her recipe.  (Terry)


BLUEBERRY LEMON POPPY ZUCCHINI BREAD
1 C canola oil
2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tp lemon extract (yes, extract, not juice)
1/2 - 1 tp almond extract
1 TB grated lemon peel
2 1/2 C grated zucchini
1 TB poppy seeds
2 1/2 C flour
1 tp salt
1 tp baking soda
1 tp baking powder
1 1/4 C blueberries
In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar, by hand.  Add eggs and extracts.  Mix well.  Stir in zucchini lemon peel, and poppy seeds. 
In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Stir until combined.  Gently fold in blueberries.  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in come out clean.  Let cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans.
Glaze:
Mix together:  2 tp lemon juice, 2 TB butter, 1 tp almond extract, 1 TB milk, and 1+ C powdered sugar to desired consistency.  Spoon over mostly cooled bread.  Let cool completely to allow glaze to set up.