Rocky Road Brownies

These brownies are amazing and rich and amazing and rich.I was going to do a nice write up about these but life is hectic and I have a certain someone waiting for the recipe so maybe next time I'll tell you how delicious these are. How they are creamy and crunchy and how they are better the next day.

 Rocky Road Brownies

½ C. Butter 

1 C. Flour

1 tsp. Vanilla 

1 oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate

1 C. Sugar

¾ C. Chopped Nuts

2 Eggs 

1 tsp. Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter and chocolate on low heat. Add sugar, flour, nuts, baking powder, vanilla, and eggs. Mix and spread in 9 x 13 pan.

6 oz. Cream Cheese 

2 Tbs. Flour

½ tsp. Vanilla 

½ C, Sugar

¼ C. Butter 

1 Egg

½ C. Chocolate Chips 

¼ C. Nuts

2 ½ C. Mini Marshmallow

Combine everything except chips, nuts, and marshmallows. Then fold in chips and nuts. Spread over dough and bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and add marshmallow and bake 2 minutes.

Frosting:

¼ C. Butter

2 oz. Cream Cheese

1 tsp. Vanilla 

1 oz. Unsweetened chocolate, melted

¼ C. Milk 

3 C. Powdered Sugar

Mix all together and pour on melted marshmallows and ½ C. Chocolate chips and swirl for a marble effect.

Creamy White Chili

 The Fall season here hit me like a ton of bricks. One day I was wearing t-shirts and shorts and the next sweater, coats, and scarves. I am not kidding you. It came out of nowhere and usually when that happens we get another week of warm nice weather kind of like an Indian summer. I'm still waiting for that week and I'm pretty sure it's not coming this year. So instead of complaining (more) I decided to get out my soup book and embrace it. 

Literally I hugged my soup book because I love soups. I don't post too many on here because I think they are usually too basic or I eat them so fast that I forget to take a picture. (Notice how the picture above is a half-eaten bowl of soup...) I'm not sure what it is about soups but the scream fall to me and since I am so nice I am going to try (really hard) to remember the blog and "click" then dig in.

This Creamy White Chili makes an appearance on our menu plan probably every other week and sometimes a few weeks in a row. The kids love it. The adults love it. It makes great leftovers for lunch. It has a touch of heat (completely to your liking) which warms you up inside. Plus it's just a great soup. Easy, quick, and delicious. So try it on the next cold day and you will be glad you did.

PS: This is amazing to dip tortilla chips in or a sprinkling of cilantro. I do it on mine and Sam's but the kids eat cilantro as long as they don't see it so much.

White Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder  in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are amazing. They are so packed with yumminess that every time I make them I promise myself I am going to be good and all of a sudden I have eaten 5. That may or may not have happen this time too and the day is not over. Good thing I have Zumba tonight.

I found this recipe, I think, on the back of a Craisin bag. I have actually found a lot of amazing recipes on the back of packaging. These are definitely in my top cookies because they aren't overly sweet and I think that they are good for me since they have oats and cranberries. I just try to forget about the butter and sugar. So make these soon.

PS. These are amazing frozen and fresh out of the freezer.




Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies


2/3 Cup butter, softened
2/3 Cup brown sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 ½ cup oats
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. Salt
1 (6 oz) package Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375. Beat butter and sugar in medium bowl til light and fluffy. Add eggs, mix well. Combine oats, flour, soda, and salt in separate bowl. Add to butter mixtures in several additions, mix well between each stir in cranberries and white chocolate. Drop by tablespoon on to cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Cool and eat.

Banana Nut Muffins

Ever have those days when you look in to your fruit basket and all of your freshly bought bananas have been tainted by the one brown banana? It rarely happens in my house because we have banana addicts but when it does I celebrate because I love banana bread, banana cake, banana muffins. (Maybe the banana addicts got the addiction from me..)

 I love this recipe because it isn't just mashed bananas, there are some blended right in to the batter. Plus I froze some they did amazing for Saturday morning breakfast. Yay!!

 Banana Nut Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.
Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Crunchy Honey Chicken

Last week I bagged and froze 100 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast. Crazy right? I think I over ordered. Now we have a freezer full of chicken breast so I've been on the hunt for some new yummy recipes and I have found a few. So the next few posts might be a little chicken heavy. Sorry. :)

This chicken was so good. I have made it once again and it's on the menu for next week. The kids loved and and so did the husband. I couldn't stop eating it. It is easy and once again items I have on hand.

Crunchy Honey Chicken
adapted from Tasty Kitchen


2 whole Egg Whites
⅓ cups Cornstarch Or Flour
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Broccoli Florets 
1whole Red Pepper, Thinly Sliced
1 cup Sugar Snap Peas
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 pound Thin Sliced, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
¼ cups Honey
Salt And Pepper

Prepare and slice all veggies. Feel free to add whatever you would like. In 2 separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch or flour. (The cornstarch will yield a “crispier” chicken.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites and then lightly dredge in cornstarch. Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.
Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce. Serve with rice. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Butter Chicken

 I love Indian food. I guess that is one of the bigger things I miss about Utah and Portland. The wide variety of cuisine. I bet if I went to Boise I would find more amazing restaurants but that is an hour drive and it just doesn't happen very often. Out where I am we have good Mexican, bad Mexican, good Italian, bad Chinese and that is about it. So when I am in the mood for Indian it has to be homemade. I found this recipe for Butter Chicken a while back and it is one of my go to meals. It's pretty easy and I have most everything in my pantry. Also I normally serve this over rice but recently I have been going without the rice and it's still amazing. 

It's a horrible picture but I just wanted to eat it so I took a quick pic.

Butter Chicken

4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut Into Bite Sized Pieces)
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoons Cumin
¼ teaspoons Cardamom
1 whole Lime, Juiced
1 whole Onion, Diced
¼ cups Butter
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 pint Whipping Cream (I only use 1/2 to 3/4)
1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Preparation Instructions

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.
Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I have used light cream or half-and-half also) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.
Note: this is a little spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne if you want.

BBQ Pulled Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Some days are too hectic and I need a little help from my slow cooker. I think this is the most well used wedding present aside from my Kitchen-Aid mixer.

Now I am not a huge fan of chicken in the crock pot. If left to long it dries out and turn mealy. Where as with pork and beef it's more fool-proof but we love BBQ here so I had to try this recipe out. I loved it and with my french bread rolls and a little extra sauce it was a amazing. ( Also to come it's counterpart BBQ pulled pork).

 

BBQ Pulled Chicken 

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 small to medium yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fresh or frozen
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Scatter the onions on the bottom of a slow cooker. Place chicken on top of the onions.

In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, vinegar, mustard, molasses, onion powder, cumin, garlic powder, Tabasco and salt. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the chicken is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5-6 hours (add an additional hour if using frozen chicken breasts).
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred the meat. Return it back to the slow cooker, mixing it with the sauce. Serve the chicken hot on whole wheat rolls, if desired.

Homemade Goldfish Crackers

Have you ever thought you did something but it turns out you didn't? I have and did with this recipe. I completely thought that I had already put it up and shared it with everyone but when I went to go and make these the other day I couldn't find the recipe anywhere on my blog. Probably because it has been kind of hectic around here and things have been slipping my mind a lot. I've been teaching more dance classes and my two year old decided he wanted to start potty training (Yes!) and we are at the end of football season so I am still pretty much a single parent but I am posting it now and I hope you will take some time to make these. Your children will thank you.

8 ounces, weight Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
4 Tablespoons Butter, Cut Into Cubes
1 cup Flour (I use white whole wheat flour)
¾ teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Pulse everything (except water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand.
Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove dough from the processor, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and smile if desired. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until crispy.
 
Makes approximately 7 dozen crackers.


Note: I made the cookie cutter by cutting up and old pop can and forming/taping it how I wanted it too look. You can do fish, footballs, pacman and lots of other things.