Oven Baked S'mores

These tasty treats are favorites of my best friend. And they're very simple and easy to make!

Ingredients:
*crescent rolls
*mini marshmallows
*chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
 
Open the crescents and stuff with marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Pinch the crescent closed.

Place in cupcake tins and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let them cool just a little bit before you devour them... it would be a shame to burn your tongue on this YUM!

 

Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp

This is another recipe found on Pinterest, through this blog. The blogger adapted the recipe from Real Simple, which makes sense because it's quite yummy!

Ingredients:
* 2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
* 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbs. smoked paprika
* 1 pinch crushed red pepper
* 3 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
* 2 cups chicken stock
* 1/2 cup half and half (or cream)
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* basil slivers for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Drain all but 1Tbs. bacon fat, if you have that much in the pot.

Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the shrimp to the pot and sear on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove shrimp from pot and set aside.

If you need to add a little oil (or bacon fat) to the pot, do so. Add the onions to the pot and sauté 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté another minute.

Add the fresh corn to the pot and toss to combine. Sauté another minute.

Add the stock and half & half to the pot. Stir to combine. Keep on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Add a pinch or two of salt & pepper if needed (taste it).

If you have an immersion blender, place it in the pot and pulse it a few times until about half of the soup becomes creamy, still leaving whole kernels as well. If you don’t have an immersion blender, ladle about a cup and a half of the soup into a blender and pulse until creamy. Pour back into the pot and stir to combine.

Serve chowder with the shrimp and reserved bacon crumbles. Garnish with slivered basil if desired.


What I did..
*I doubled most of the recipe, however, I did not double the paprika and forgot to double the onion. I think it was really good without the extra paprika, and it could go either way with the onion. I am not a huge onion person, so I was fine with the half.
*You'll want to be careful about having things ready, because it's a pretty quick-moving recipe. I may have burned some of the bacon, and had trouble getting things in and out and ready quickly enough.
*It's the middle of winter, so I used frozen corn (and I probably would even if it wasn't winter...). I used two 12oz bags of frozen corn.
*I stirred the shrimp to sauté, but didn't "sear" each side individually.

It was tasty, and I'm hoping it will reheat well. Enjoy!

For Meal Prepping:
You will want to prep this way if you're prepping ahead with the meal prepping post.

Ahead of time

• chop up and freeze onion
• mix seasonings and keep in a separate sandwhich-size bag
• 
  

Fruit Loop Crack

This is one of the tastiest, simplest treats I've come across in a while. It has two ingredients and takes about 5 minutes to make... I discovered this about 6 years ago (I can't believe it's been that long!) when I was working my first job and got this treat for Christmas from one of our amazing teacher-moms. From first taste, I couldn't stop myself. It is incredibly addicting. Here's the simple, yet WONDERFUL fruit loop CRACK.

Ingredients:
fruit loops
almond bark

Instructions:
Melt the almond bark. Mix it in with as many fruit loops as it will cover (probably not quite the whole box). Lay it out on wax paper to cool, then break it up when it's hardened.

That's it!

Italian-Style Stuffed Red Peppers

Well, hello there! It's been a while... I fell off the blogging wagon again this fall. Sorry! But I have a really tasty recipe to make up for it... I found this recipe through Pinterest (of course!), on this blog. I wasn't sure how they would be, I was afraid they would be a bit bland, but they were FANTASTIC! The flavors in these peppers are surprising and wonderful. So, without further ado...

Italian-Style Stuffed Red Peppers
Serves: 6 (if you have plenty of sides) or 3 (if this is pretty much it for the meal)
Nutrition: 170 cal (I'm assuming this is for the 6 servings, but I haven't done the math)

For much better pictures, visit the blog above

Ingredients:
1lb lean ground turkey (or beef)
3 red bell peppers
2 c spaghetti sauce
1 t basil/oregano seasoning (or any blend of italian herbs)
1 t garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, pressed)
1/2 salt and pepper
1/2 c frozen chopped spinach (or veggie of choice); dethawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
2 T grated parmesan cheese + 6 T to garnish over the top of each pepper
Optional 1 t low calorie sweetener of choice to put in the sauce

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil, (for easy clean up), coat with non-stick cooking spray. Wash red peppers, and cut around the stem to remove. Remove stems.

Cut peppers in half length-wise, and remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers. Set peppers on baking pan.

Meanwhile, cook ground turkey in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Stir and break up the turkey while it’s cooking. When turkey is almost completely cooked through, add the sauce and seasonings to the pan. Stir and continue to cook until the turkey is completely cooked (when it is no longer pink).  Add the spinach and parmesan and stir until everything is well combined.

Scoop 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture into each pepper.

Sprinkle 1 tbs parmesan over each pepper (or another low fat shredded cheese, such as mozzarella).

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted, and lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and enjoy! 

Things I did...

*I used parmesan cheese (she suggests that you could use other cheeses) - I also added a little bit more after I pulled it out and cut it up a bit, since the stuff that was melted on was pretty much just on that top layer.

*I used a lightly flavored sauce (I believe it was Classico brand with Tomato & Basil) - I don't know if that added to the flavor, but the flavor was SO good!

*I used an Italian blend spice and a teaspoon of jarred garlic.

*I did not leave the peppers in for 20 minutes, my rack may have been too high, but my cheese browned a little too quickly, so I moved it to a low rack and left it for a few more minutes for the sake of the peppers. I also like my peppers to be a little bit firm still, so I would suggest reducing the heat or the time. Mine were probably in for 10-15 minutes.

These peppers were very, very good! I wasn't sure even as I was making them. I was just afraid that they wouldn't have enough flavor - obviously not a problem, or enough substance - no really a problem either. However, if you're feeding men or growing boys, you should probably plan for a whole pepper for each. I ate one of the halves... than then another half of a half. But then again, I didn't really do much for sides. Like I said above, you can count the servings based on the sides you provide.

Summer Salads

I love salads in the summertime. This summer I made several salads over the summer, but this was one of my favorites - and one that I plan to repeat... and repeat.

 

 

My salad contained: lettuce, chick peas, bell peppers, shrimp, peas, and probably other things that I love... It's been a few weeks, so I've forgotten some of my ingredients. Get that fresh stuff out and and make a salad!

{I may have said this before, but the easiest way to put together a delicious salad - or stir-fry - is to stop by the salad bar at the store and pick up the pre-cut veggies to save lots of time}

[Taco] Stuffed Bell Peppers

The other night my friend came over and we made dinner... she had ingredients in her head, but not exact measurements - but how can you mess up stuffed peppers? So, we went for it. This is our recipe, whether it was correct or not, it was rather tasty...

Serves: 4 (or 2 with leftovers)
[disclaimer :: could easily be made for one by reducing the recipe]

Ingredients:
 
2 cans of corn (drained)
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 jar of salsa

2 bags of instant spanish rice
1 can of black beans

4 green bell peppers, tops off and gutted


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the peppers upright in a pan. Mix together the first set of ingredients in another pan. Place both in the oven, stirring the mixture occasionally as cream cheese softens. (I think we stirred 3-4 times)

Cook the rice. Drain the beans. Mix the two together.

When everything is finished cooking (about 20 - 30 minutes -- let's be honest, I was more interested in our conversation than the cook time... but you can gauge it by the corn mixture - it should be warm,  easily stirred, and completely mixed), stuff your peppers. Or, you can do it in more of a deconstructed way (which we did because they're easier to eat this way).

If you want to actually stuff the peppers, I believe she said to put the corn mixture in first, then the rice mixture.

We topped with a little bit of shredded cheese.

This was delicious! I am not always a fan of green bell peppers... but this was really good. It would also be very tasty with a red pepper (and probably the other colors as well -- if I try it, I'll let you know). Great flavor, filling recipe.
















*Sometimes this happens when you try to get picture with a good angle... oops!



**Update**

I have made this recipe again, and decided to meal prep with some of it. I ended up with 9 smaller, but filling servings. I decided to freeze three of the servings, and will roast some more peppers when I thaw them.

I also mixed all of the corn and rice mixture before adding them to the peppers.

For the meal prepping, I added the peppers, first, then put the mixture on top.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

It's summertime, and I'm finally getting back on here. AND, I have the perfect summertime recipe to share with you. I used recipes from here and here combined with some thoughts and advice from a friend to get this one together. It's a fantastic summer treat!

Ingredients:
1 (11oz) can white shoepeg corn, drained & rinsed
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes (juice drained)
2 ripe avocados, diced
1/3-2/3 c. red onion, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
3T - 2/3 c. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. cumin (optional)
a few dashes of tabasco (optional)
1 diced jalapeno (optional)
Diced tomato (optional)

Instructions:
Rinse and combine the beans, corn, and Rotel. Chop red onion and cilantro and add to mixture. Add all other ingredients except for the avocado, until almost ready to serve. Just before serving, cut and mix in avocado (to keep it from browning prematurely).

Refrigerate and serve cold.

Spicy Honey Mustard

As I was getting ready to make this recipe, I looked at the amounts given for each ingredient, and found that I had grossly underestimated how much dry mustard I would need... So, for now, I have to admit that I improvised and made a very small portion of this recipe. However, it was delicious, and I'm hoping to make more when I can get my hands on more mustard! I found this recipe on the Small Measures blog. The link has a post with several different mustard recipes, I tried the Spicy Honey Mustard. It is delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry mustard
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a small pot. Whisk to blend and bring to a simmer over medium heat for 5–6 minutes.

When the mustard is thoroughly heated, ladle it into sterilized jars (leave 1/2-inch of head space if you plan to water-bath can the mustard).

Either refrigerate the mustard and consume within several weeks or water-bath process it for 10 minutes and use within one year.

 ***

My Alterations:
 I can't have honey right now, so I substituted agave nectar for that. I did my best to estimate on the honey, salt, and pepper, because I only used a Tablespoon of the dry mustard and vinegar... It seemed to come out ok, so I must not have done a terrible job!

Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

This was not my favorite of all of the recipes I'm trying for this Elimination Diet, but that's probably because I'm not huge on cilantro. I like a hint of it, but not the strong flavor. However, I did get to cut some fresh cilantro from my herb garden this morning to make this (it has grown so much since I took this picture! {so proud}

But anyway, on to the main event. I love the cranberries and peppers in this, and I think that it's a nice mix of textures. But the cilantro is a bit much for me, and I really skimped on the onion (I put in about a third of what the recipe called for), but it's plenty for me. Anyway, if you like cilantro and/or onion, you'd probably love this, so I thought I'd share:

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped 

1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped 

1 small red onion, finely chopped  

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder  

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

1 lime, juiced 

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds 
1/2 cup minced carrots 
1/2 cup dried cranberries
salt and ground black pepper to taste


Instructions:

1. Pour the water into a saucepan, and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, then pour in the quinoa, recover, and continue to simmer over low heat until the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl, and chill in the refrigerator until cold.
2. Once cold, stir in the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red onion, curry powder, cilantro, lime juice, sliced almonds, carrots, and cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill before serving.

***

My alterations:
As mentioned above, I only used about 1/3 of the onion. I also left out the almonds because I can't have those right now.. but I'm sure they would be delicious in this salad.  I did not measure the cilantro, but I didn't think I put in the full amount (I may have...), and I'd definitely put less in next time. I may also add some more lime juice since I can't taste it as much as I'd like to.
 

Drama, Drama, Drama {Elimination Diet Diary}

On an Elimination Diet note, I thought I would share how it's been going for the last 5 days. I read that these first 5 days would be the hardest. I didn't question that, but I may have underestimated how it would be. I think that beyond going through withdrawal from foods that my body is used to, I have discovered a major reason for this difficulty.

In all reality, people who are going on the Elimination Diet are eliminating things from their diet that they regularly eat and cook with. I think that it has to be a part of it that you feel like you "can't eat anything!!!" (dramatic much?) But, really. So many things that I eat on a daily basis are removed. And let me just tell you - soy and corn are in (almost) everything! (there was even a soy product in the herbal tea I wanted to buy...).

My breakdown came when I'd thought that I found a recipe that looked clean and that I thought I could make with no problems. As I was reading down the list of ingredients (granted, it was after 5 and I was hungry), I came across the last two: ketchup and worcestershire sauce. I was devastated. (again, dramatic??) I was really looking forward to that recipe, and I didn't know how to make it without the sauces. It seemed to be an important part.

All of this drama to say, I think that the main reason this few days is the most difficult is actually because the people who need to do it have never had to cook/prepare food this way before, and don't actually know how to feed themselves (...ourselves - this absolutely includes me). I have done a lot of research and looked up a lot of things that are within my guidelines, but it definitely takes time and effort to eat well. I have also realized how processed my diet had become. I don't plan to go all of the way back after this is over.

Taco Seasoning

After a near melt down a few days ago (I can't eat anything!! Why am I even doing this!?), I finally decided on trying to make a taco salad for dinner. However, to make a taco salad, I had to make my own taco seasoning, which was actually a quick and *better tasting* alternative. I found my recipe from this cute blog: happily "un" processed. Honestly, I liked this seasoning better than the taco seasoning in the packets I've been using for years. Probably partially because I hadn't tasted anything so close to "normal" in a few days, and I was floundering. BUT, it also has a little more kick than packaged taco seasoning, but the same general taste.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp course sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

To make this, just put all of the ingredients together, mix well, and store it in an airtight container. I can also tell you that you would need to use 3-4 Tablespoons if you're trying to replace an entire packet. The first time I made it, I doubled the recipe, because I knew I wanted to use it for more than one thing. I had about half left over, so I would guess that the recipe as-is probably makes one pouch worth of seasoning.

Mexican Dry Rub

Tonight marked my second successful, VERY tasty dinner eating with most of my staples removed (explanation in an earlier post). Tonight I used a recipe from this website for a rub and used it on chicken breast. I'm sure it would be wonderful on other meats (and the recipe suggest possibly putting it on grilled veggies as well), but I can tell you that it is very good on chicken! This is a very simple and flavorful (and quick!) way to prepare chicken. I'm also considering putting some of the left-overs on a taco-like salad... Can you say YUM!?

Ok, without further ado:

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, crushed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:

Mix ingredients together.

Rub all over chicken (or whatever meat you're using). Grill your meat as needed. looked up grill times on allrecipes.com and found a cook time of 6-8 min per side - which worked fabulously. It was juicy and flavorful!

Elimination Diet

Today is the first day of my Elimination Diet. And I'm planning to post lots of recipes as I go along this journey. So, I wanted to explain my purpose behind this. This is so very different from the way that I've been eating and from what I usually cook. There is usually at least one of the "can't haves" in each recipe I make - not a rule, but something I'm definitely aware of now that I'm going to try to eat and cook without any dairy, wheat, or soy - soy is in everything people! So, now that I've danced around it, my reason for doing this is to discover the foods that don't like me. Because, honestly, I love most foods. But they don't always love me

Yesterday was my first wheat-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free trip to the grocery store. Holy moly. That was a totally different experience. It was amazing to walk through the grocery store and realize all of the things I would normally buy that I can't buy. I can't even buy some of the herbal tea I was planning to buy because it has soy lecithin as one of the ingredients - seriously!? I've read things that say you can eat things that contain soy lecithin, but I'm not sure if that's really true. So, I'm staying away from it for now.

My plan for today is to move all of my "can't eat" foods that are left in my kitchen separately from the new foods I need to be eating for the next three weeks. I feel that it might be easier to stick to what I'm supposed to eat especially in these first 3, very restricted weeks.

I'm excited for this. I love eating well. I've got time to cook and prepare food. I've got the opportunity to be home if I'm not feeling well - I don't have to work all day every day. I feel that this is the perfect time for this. So, I'll be documenting this a little bit, mostly through recipes, here.

Thanks for bearing with me through this post. No recipe... on a food/cooking blog. Oops! More coming soon.

Skinny Broccoli Salad

I found this recipe on facebook... someone shared it, and I'm not totally sure where it came from. But, I took some of the ingredients and amounts and added and removed and here's what I came up with for my skinny broccoli salad:

Ingredients:
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 head fresh cauliflower, chopped
1/2 red pepper (chopped)
1/2 green pepper (chopped)

1/2 c dried cranberries (more or less)

1/2 c sunflower seeds (more or less)
1 c reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c reduced-fat ranch dressing
 

Other optional ingredients:

1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped

olives (green or black)

walnuts (or other types of nuts)

raisins (instead of cranberries, or added to) 

pepper

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with reduced fat ranch dressing.
Refrigerate until serving.

I believe that the original recipe called for a full cup of dressing, but I found that 1/2 cup was plenty. Do what you will with that. I really enjoyed this recipe. It's simple (besides the time it takes to cut everything), and quite tasty. There were also suggestions of using a miracle whip, vinegar, sugar dressing instead of the ranch. There are so many things you can do with this, I just love it! Cold salads for spring and summer - yes, please!

Absence...

I wanted to pop in and say that I'm sorry for my extended absence. I have been... busy. And losing my mind a bit... I've dropped several things, one being blogging. I've just not been able to keep up with it. Cooking too... that's been on the back burner. So, I'm working on getting back at it. Hopefully there will be more foodie posts from me soon and often. :)

Cinnamon-Sugar Almonds

This is another recipe I've been wanting to try for a while - thank you Pinterest... again. I found this recipe from the Recipe Critic blog (sometimes I feel like a recipe critic... because I always use other people's recipes), however, I think she found it elsewhere.

I took some of her suggestions and made some minor changes to the original recipe - below is what I did:

Ingredients:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 T Cinnamon
1/8 t Salt
1 Egg White
2 t vanilla
3 cups Almonds
1/8 to 1/4 C. Water

Instructions:
Mix together in a large bowl sugars, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl with a whisk, mix together the egg white and vanilla until it is frothy. Add the almonds and coat thoroughly. This will help the mixture stick to the almonds during the cooking process.

Prepare your slow cooker by spraying it with cooking spray (although you'll still have to soak it afterwards...). I used a 4 quart. Add the cinnamon almond mixture to the almonds and turn it to low. Stir until the cinnamon sugar mixture is coated well on the almonds. Be prepared for your house to smell amazing!

You want to cook for about 3-4 hours. Mine took about 3. Stirring every 20 minutes. In the very last hour, add between 1/8 and 1/4 cup water and stir well. This will ensure a crunchy coating and help the mixture to harden.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds onto the sheet to cool. The almonds should be pretty sticky so be sure to separate them the best that you can and let them cool!


My Notes:
*She suggested less water (1/8c), so I tried that, and I think that may be why mine didn't have quite the hard coating that I was expecting. I started with 1/8, then added more later - which helped a lot. I would stick with the 1/4c next time.
*Be careful of the HOT crock-pot as you stir. Just sayin'. (ouch)
*It made... well basically 3 cups of almonds... makes sense right? I have not yet calculated the calories, but I probably will, so I'll try to update that later.
*These are super tasty. Y-U-M.

Reheating Rice {microwave-less}

I can't remember if I've posted about this... but I've been without a microwave for almost 2 weeks. For the most part, I have not missed it much, but there have been a few things...

Tonight, I wanted to reheat some rice that I'd made earlier in the week. I always reheat my rice in the microwave. I had to stop and really think about what I could do... I decided that I would probably reheat it on the stove, but that I should probably check with all of the experts on the internet.

I found this set of suggestions, and this is what I decided to do:

*Boil some water on the stove (enough to cover the rice)
*Add the rice, and let it continue to boil.
*Stir occasionally as it boils for 2-3 minutes
*Drain as much of the water as possible.

It was not as good as fresh, but it has potential to be better than the microwave. I didn't get quite enough of the water out, so it was more like sticky rice than regular white rice. However, without my microwave, I would say that this first attempt at reheating rice was a success!

Microwave-less??

Yesterday, and I was facing the reality that my microwave had seen it's last day, my immediate thought was: Well, I'm going to have to go buy a microwave now... Then, I went to look at them, and I really don't feel like spending that much money on an appliance right now.

Then I got to thinking... what if I didn't have a microwave? I have never lived in a home without a working microwave for more than a couple of days. And I'm curious about how my eating and cooking habits would change if the microwave was not an option. I'm thinking about trying it for a week or two to see if I can handle it, and then possibly making it a longer-term experiment.

{Disclaimer: I wouldn't be going completely microwave-less. I have a microwave to use at work, but I eat most of my meals during the week at home, so I still think it would be a challenge}

That cozy little nook could hold my cook books or... something, I don't know. But my cookbooks would fit really nicely in there... So here's to thinking outside the box, trying something new, and seeing how it goes!

Granola Woes

I made some AMAZING granola a few weeks ago (not to toot my own horn... but it was GOOD). Of course, I ate it very quickly because it was GOOD. So, I needed to make some more. So a few nights ago, I mixed it up and put it in the oven.... and burned it. I burned beyond being edible. It was very sad. But, when you do something silly like that, you just have to "get back on the horse," right? So, I attempted my third batch tonight and I am now 2-1 ... 2 GOOD batches, 1 burned. Not great numbers by any means, but better than what they could be! I'm so looking forward to eating this next batch of homemade granola!!

Mini Turtle Cheesecakes

This was a fan favorite at one of the Christmas celebrations. It came from the fakeginger blog. They are tasty, and they don't feel as "bad for you" because they're so tiny!

Ingredients

For the crust:

• ¾ cup ground chocolate cookie crumbs
• ⅓ cup pecan meal
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1½ packages (12 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup plain yogurt

For the caramel drizzle:

• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the chocolate drizzle:

• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons butter
• pecans, for topping

 
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line a 12-muffin pan with aluminum liners and spray lightly with oil.
2. To make crust: Combine chocolate cookie crumbs, pecan meal, brown sugar, and melted butter. Spoon a tablespoon into bottom of each muffin liner and press lightly with your fingers. Bake for 5 minutes; remove from oven.
3. To make filling: Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until creamy. With mixer running, gradually add sugar, salt, and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs one at a time, mixing just until blended. Stir in yogurt.
4. Spoon about ¼ cup of filling into each muffin liner. It should come almost to the top of the liner. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops of cheesecakes are puffed and only slightly jiggly in the very center. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least a couple hours, preferably overnight.
5. To make caramel drizzle, combine ¼ cup of butter, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in cream. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool.
6. To make chocolate drizzle, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate chips, remove from heat and stir until melted.
7. To assemble, carefully remove liners from cooled cheesecakes and put cheesecakes on wax paper. Place a pecan in the center of each cheesecake. Drizzle chocolate and caramel over tops. Keep refrigerated until serving.

I made them in mini muffin pans, so they're smaller than what I'm assuming this was calling for... I also didn't make the caramel and chocolate sauces - I just bought jars... for simplicity. Still yummy. :) and pretty. Next time I make them, I'll take a picture to show you! 

Chocolate Christmas Poke Cake

This recipe has been staring at me from Pinterest for months... and I was so excited to try it out on my family for Christmas. It comes from the Something Swanky blog. Her pictures are gorgeous and festive, and much better than mine... (I only got one phone picture of this beaut. -- just found the one other picture I took.. still not impressive, but maybe a little better) My family loved it, but it was very rich so it didn't go very quickly... and it didn't look so good as the days progressed. This would be a great to take to a holiday party when you're one of the only people bringing a dessert. There were too many things to choose from at the family holidays... so it just didn't end up being eaten up like it could have. So, without further ado, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix, prepared and baked according to the directions on the box.
1 cup peppermint dairy creamer
14.5 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Smuckers hot fudge sundae sauce
1/4 cup peppermint dairy creamer
1 cup crushed Oreos
8 oz Cool Whip
Andes Peppermint Chips for topping (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
Crushed Oreos for topping (approximately 1 cup)


Instructions:

1. Once the cake has cool, use the bottom of a wooden spoon to poke 20+ holes in the cake.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup of the peppermint dairy creamer. Pour over the cake, trying to fill in the holes.
3. In the same bowl, whisk together the hot fudge sundae sauce and 1/4 cup peppermint dairy creamer. Mix in 1 cup crushed Oreos.
4. Pour and spread the fudge mixture over the cake as evenly as possible.
5. Spread the cool whip over the fudge. Sprinkle on the Andes candy bits and crushed Oreos (as much or as little as you want).
6. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, until the sweetened condensed mixture has soaked into the cake and it's thoroughly chilled. Cut and serve.

Holiday Baking...

I just looked on here and realized that my last post was almost a month ago! I apologize for being so neglectful. The crazy thing is that I did bake over the holidays, and somehow never blogged them. (I think I've not been enjoying it quite so much since blogger hasn't been letting me post pictures - something about having taken up all my space!) So, now they're on their way. The new recipes from this Christmas that will be appearing very soon are...

*Christmas Poke Cake
*Mini Turtle Cheesecakes

Both were a hit, and I enjoyed making them! For this weekend, I've just got to get another batch of granola in the oven (I've eaten the entire first batch... a couple of weeks ago), and a second set of the mini cheesecakes for my sweet work friends.