Recipes

 Almond Meltaway Cookies

These are the BEST cookies you will ever eat. They literally melt in your mouth. I made a big batch of these the other night and we finished them ALL by morning! Ive been craving them ever since!
 ENJOY!


Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk (or water)
2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg and almond extract, mixing until combined.
Add vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
Add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until completely combined.
Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into small circles and then press with hands into a disk shape. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes. The cookies will not look browned or cooked, but they are. If you cook them too long they wont melt in your mouth as luxuriantly as they should ;)
Remove from oven and let cookies rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Ice:
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk and almond extract - until smooth.
Using a spoon, smooth icing onto the top of each cookie and let set for 10 minutes, or until hardened. And Enjoy! I know you will :)

 

PARMESAN BAKED TOMATOES! YUM!

THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING! Its a great side dish to any meal not to mention low carb! I hate raw tomatoes. I have tried to like them time and time again but I cant. But baked tomatoes are a whole different story! I LOVE THESE! SO SO SO SO GOOD! AND SO EASY!

INGREDIENTS:

2 Large tomatoes
Lots of grated Parmesan cheese (or a little, your preference :)
Fresh or dried oregano
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

 Slice your tomatoes as thin or thick as you prefer
On baking sheet place sliced tomatoes
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan, fresh oregano, salt and pepper
Drizzle olive oil over top
Bake 450 F for 10 to 15 min.
AND ENJOY!
easy right?

THE BEST WAY TO HAVE GREEN BEANS!

I had never been a real big fan of green beans and even still they arent my favorite veggie, but this recipe makes them taste great! and its easy to boot! This recipe can also be done with canned or fresh green beans

INGREDIENTS:

1 Can of green beans or a few big handfuls of fresh green beans
Salt (to taste/preference)
 Pepper (to taste/preference)
Garlic salt (to taste/preference)
Olive oil (approx. 2-3 tablespoons)
Parmesan Cheese (Grated, not that powdered stuff you put on pizza)

FOR CANNED GREEN BEANS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Drain green beans.
spread the beans out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. There is no right or wrong amount, its whatever you like.
Drizzle with a light amount of olive oil. Remember: Olive oil has a very strong flavor. a little goes a long way. you can always add a little more but you cant take it away ;)
sprinkle on as much Parmesan as you like. We put a LOT on! We are a cheese family :)
Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the beans are heated through and the cheese has softened (keep in mind parmesan is a very hard cheese. it wont melt like other cheeses but it will soften)
and youre done! YUM!!!

FOR FRESH BEANS

The recipe is basically the same but with just a few changes. Before you put the cheese on, bake the beans in the oven for 10 minutes.
Take them out of the oven and add the cheese
bake for another 5 minutes.
easy peasy!

 

Cream Cheese & Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

Ok, so I found this recipe on Pinterest and I just HAD to try it out! Its breaded chicken stuffed with 2 types of cheeses topped with a lemon-garlic butter sauce. How could that not turn out amazing!?
Heres what you will need:
 (Serves 8)

THIS PICTURE IS NOT MINE! I found it on allrecipes.com.
mine is a lot messier ;)

  Ingredients:

1. Oil (for greasing the pan)
2. 8 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3.  1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
4. 1 (8 ounce) package of cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
5. 1 Cup of milk (we always get 2%)
6. 1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
7. 1/2 tsp Garlic salt (I didnt use the measurement, I just did what felt right :)
8. 2 tablespoons Lemon juice
9. 3/4 cup butter (melted)
10. 1 Tablespoon minced garlic

 Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a large shallow baking dish with oil
( You may need to use more than one pan if you plan on making 8. I made 3 in a 9 x 13 if that gives you an idea)

2. Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center, cutting almost but not completely through. Place one slice each of Cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book. Set aside.

3.  Pour milk into a shallow bowl. Pour breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumbs, patting lightly to coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.

4.  Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken. Season breasts with garlic salt.

5.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
you absolutly NEVER want to eat pink chicken so if you see pink dont be afraid to leave them in the oven longer (ive had to double the cooking time before because we got some especially thick breasts)

And you're done! a great side to this dish is green beans or peas. easy and simple :)
keep in mind that the cheese may leak out of the chicken a bit. That's Ok! even if they aren't perfectly beautiful it will taste like absolute heaven!

Cinnamon Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Once again this is NOT my photo. I promise I'll remember to take a picture next time!

This cake and the frosting were a big hit in my house. I swear the frosting was so addicting i couldn't stop poking my fingers into it! If you like cinnamon you will LOVE this.

INGREDIENTS:

for the cake:

2 cups all purpose flour
 
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
 
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
 
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
1 cup milk (we use 2%)
 
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
 
4 large eggs
 
1 3/4 cups sugar
 
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
 
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
 
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
2 teaspoons cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt into small bowl. Stir milk and butter in small saucepan over low heat just until butter melts and set aside.

2.  Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick enough for batter to fall in heavy ribbon when beaters are lifted. (I unfortunately did not have an electric beater when I made this so I had to do that part by hand. It was a work out to say the least!) 

3.  Beat in orange peel and vanilla. 

4.  Add flour mixture; beat just until blended. 

5. Add warm milk mixture; beat just until blended. 

6.  Divide batter between prepared pans.

7.   Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 24 minutes. 

8.  Cool cakes in pans on racks for 20 minutes. Cut around pan sides and turn cakes out onto racks. Turn cakes right side up.

 For frosting:

1.  mix the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer until very smooth. (An even bigger workout without the mixer!) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing. 

2.  Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix. 

3.  Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness (you can use between 2 and 3 cups). 

4. Spread one cup of frosting onto first layer. Top with second layer. Smooth the rest of the frosting onto the top and sides using your preferred technique.

AND ENJOY!

 Chocolate Coated Peanut Butter Balls

 Now this is a fun recipe! I would recommend it for a party or if you have a child with a birthday on a weekday and they want to bring treats to their classmates :) This recipe makes a LOT. I made these the other night and realized just how many this recipe made. we have been stuck pigging out on them for at least 3 days now. And I'd like to note that the picture below is not a picture of mine. Mine are in no way as pretty as these. they look lumpy and ugly but they taste amazing. so dont worry if yours are a little crazy too :)

The Recipe is simple

Mix together:
2 cups creamy peanut butter
3 cup rice krispies
2-3 cups chocolate chips
1lb (3cup) powdered sugar
1/4 cup melted butter.
Make balls and dip in melted: 2 (maybe 3) packages milk chocolate chips.
Put on cookie sheets in fridge to harden.