For our Super Bowl dinner last night I had all the fixings for sandwiches and the girls brought chips and bean dip, a relish plate with a yummy ranch dip from Landee See Landee Do and bruchetta. I was in charge of dessert, which I have not been in charge of for a long time, so I asked my husband what he wanted me to make and these brownies were at his request. They are a family favorite and they make a large batch!
I cut them into footballs for the Super Bowl.
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We celebrated a couple of birthdays last night and they were both of the male species so we had grilled hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans and chips in their honor and then I made these wonderful Heavenly Filled Strawberries for those of us of the female species! Although the male species ate just as many if not more than the female. Not that I was counting! :)
I saw fresh strawberries at the store yesterday and they just looked so good to my poor fresh fruit deprived soul that I bought them and I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them! I love this recipe because their is no guilt involved in eating them! If you are a Weight Watchers person then you will love these because they are zero points! It doesn’t get any better than this folks!
Do you ever have breakfast for dinner? The other night that is what I did and my husband kept telling my how good it was! I guess that I need to do that more often! I saw this idea out there somewhere in blog land, but I honestly cannot find where I saw it. So I decided to just make up my own recipe. Do you ever do that? I am kind of a dump person when it comes to cooking. I add a little of this and little of that until I think it looks/tastes good, and I must of had just the right portions, because this recipe really seemed to hit the spot! I made Croissant French Toast! Whoever thought up this idea was a genius!
I added some frozen fruit to mine along with, yes, canned whipped cream! It was so yum!
My husband is more of a maple syrup kind of guy, so I just sprinkled a little powdered sugar on his, before he smothered it with syrup! I added a ham and cheese omelet to round out the meal. And like I said, it really hit the spot!
Does anyone else out there want to make croissant french toast? Your taste buds with thank you if you do!
I made these potatoes for dinner on Sunday when I had all my crew here. My grandkids kept saying that they were big french fries! And I say, whatever it takes to get them to eat is OK by me!
These are very simple to make and they have so much good flavor to them, I paired them up with whole roasted chicken, cabbage salad and my DIL’s yummy crescent rolls! So does anyone want to make Roasted Red Rosemary Potatoes?
I covered my baking sheet with tin foil before I started, only because I am lazy and don’t like a lot of clean up. You do not have to do this step unless you are lazy like me!
Next I went to my rosemary plant in my kitchen and cut a few sprigs off the top. Don’t you love my little statue! It says “She Who Has A Great Attitude!” It is my reminder everyday to look for the good things and to be happy and have a Great Attitude. It does not always work, but I find myself smiling at it a lot and it is a fun little reminder!
I used 4 sprigs, but you can totally use as much or as little as you want.
Strip all the leaves off the stem. These stems were pretty tender and not woody at all, but I still stripped them off and then chopped them up. You can buy fresh rosemary at most groceries stores, or you could use dried. (If you use dried, you will want to use less than if you use fresh)
Wash and chunk your potatoes and put into a big ziplock bag. Then drizzle the potatoes with olive oil. If you are trying to watch your weigh you can just use a little drizzle, if you want a little more flavor and crunch, add a little more oil. :)
Next, spread them out on your prepared baking sheet.
Sprinkle with the rosemary, Kosher salt, pepper, and garlic, to taste.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Most recipes say to bake for about 40 mins, but I like my potatoes mushy in the middle and more crispy on the outside, so I baked them for a little more than an hour and they were perfect!
I made that big pan full for my crew and I thought that I was going to have way too much, and this is what I had left over! (I forgot to take a picture right before we ate, so I was glad that there were at least this many left over!)
This is a great way to make potatoes that can go with a lot of different dishes and they are yummy with all the different spices on them. You could also add whatever spices your family likes…seasoning salt, parsley, dill, crushed red pepper etc.
So go make some for your dinner tonight, your taste buds with thank you!
I hope that you are all having a great week with your families and friends. I started putting away most of my Christmas decorations and all I have left is to take down two trees! I know some of you are saying, just what exactly have you taken down then, but I had decorations is my kitchen, family room, bedroom, front hall and living room! It feels so good to start cleaning it all up and organizing a bit. I have decided that I have to clean out my clothes closet before I can hang up anything new in there, so that is really quite a challenge, since I have not gone through my closet and really dejunked for a couple of years! But the new year is always a good time to organize and start fresh, so that is my goal! I am going to do one rod, shelf and drawer at a time so it is not too overwhelming!
Are you tired of all the Christmas food yet? I know I am ready to go back to the good old homemade soups and salads, etc. Here is a recipe I found for a Copycat Zuppa Toscana and then I adapted it to make it more the way that I thought it should be. :) This is a great hearty soup that is so good for you! It is a meal in and of itself and all I added was a butterflake roll to make the meal complete.
Here is the recipe:
Zuppa Toscana Soup
4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 lb mild Italian sausage
2 large russet potatoes, sliced in half, then cut in ¼ inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup real bacon bits
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale, chopped
2 cans chicken broth-14.5 oz
1 quart water
1 cup whipping cream or half & half
Directions:
We had a couple of birthdays last week in our family and one of the recipients requested these instead of Birthday cake! They are so moist and full of flavor that they are hard to resist!
They also have an entire pound of butter in them, so they had better be good! I feel like I am the Pioneer Woman when I make these! Which by the way, is where I found this recipe a couple of years ago, at Tasty Kitchen, which is a sister site to the Pioneer Woman. I hope that you can make some of these sometime. These wonderful brownies look and taste professional. But they are so easy to make. Bake them today and share them with your friends. They may make you famous!
Famous Mint Brownies (tastykitchen.com)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Note: Increasing amounts to 1 1/2 times the original amounts will yield a baker’s half sheet (large cookie sheet) of brownies, to make 4 dozen brownies.
For the brownies, whisk together melted butter and cocoa powder. Then add sugar, beaten eggs, vanilla, and salt. Mix well and then add sifted flour. Stir in by hand. Do not over mix.
Pour into a 9×13 pan sprayed with cooking spray. If making 1 1/2 recipe, pour into a baker’s half sheet (large cookie sheet).
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and then place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
While brownies are in the freezer make the first layer of topping. Mix the mint frosting ingredients thoroughly. Evenly frost brownies and put back in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Make the chocolate ganache top layer. Melt the butter and chocolate and whisk together. (I melt them together in a Pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave for one minute. Be careful not to overheat. It won’t look melted but once whisked, it will.)
Drizzle warm chocolate over brownies and spread smooth with a spatula. Put back in the freezer for another 20 minutes.
Ok, so this is the last candy post, at least for this week! :) I am starting to feel the sugar high a little bit too much. I started making this candy at 7:30 am and my husband was wondering what in the world I was doing and I just replied, “Oh, I’m just working on my blog!” He just shook his head!
This candy is just the right combination of chocolate, nuts, and toffee. I am also having the hardest time staying out of it, it is probably one of my favorite candies!
So let’s make English Toffee today!
Start by lining a cookie sheet with foil and then butter the foil. Spread 1 cup chopped nuts on the cookie sheet. ( I used pecans, but you can use whatever you have)
Mix 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 3 TLBS water, and 1 tsp vanilla. Put in a kettle and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until mixture is light brown in color and crack stage has been reached (300-310 degrees on candy thermometer) If you want to know how to test for crack stage, go to the Anise Candy post.
Spread cooked candy thin over nuts.
Sprinkle 11.5 oz package of chocolate chips on top. ( I used milk chocolate, but semi-sweet would be good also, totally your preference!)
When melted, spread over all of the toffee.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped nuts on top of chocolate and press down into the chocolate with your fingers.
Break into pieces and enjoy! This is another candy that is great to give as gifts, to fill a candy dish with, or just make for a treat for yourself!
Here’s the recipe:
Today’s candy is a very old recipe that I remember my mom making for Christmas. I have not made it for years, but ran across the recipe the other day and decided in honor of my mother that I would make this! It is a hard tack candy that you could actually use to make suckers with, but I just made it the way my mom used to. For those of you who do not know what Anise is, it is a black licorice type flavor.
So let’s make some Anise Candy! First you are going to put 3 cups sugar, 1 cup corn syrup and 1/2 cup water in a large kettle. Bring to a boil.
You will let it boil to the hard crack stage. To test if it is at the hard crack stage, drizzle a small amount of the candy into a bowl of cold water, like this.
When the candy come out hard and brittle, it is at the crack stage, if it is soft and pliable you need to keep boiling it until you reach the crack stage. I tested my about 3 times, until I got it to where I wanted it. If you have a candy thermometer, you could also use that, you need to reach 300-310 degrees F, but I am showing you the good old fashioned way to test it! :)
When it gets to crack stage, add 1/2 tsp red food coloring and 1/2 tsp anise oil.
Pour out onto a buttered cookie sheet and let cool just a bit. (sorry about the flash spots in this picture, but the candy is so shiny that it just kept reflecting)
When slightly set, mark off in squares. (I actually do not remember my mother doing this, I remember her just using the handle of a butter knife and breaking it into pieces, but I have this step written in my recipe, so I tried it!)
After it has cooled off, break into pieces. Maybe this is why my mom just broke it with the handle of the knife, because it just kind of breaks into pieces! But it looks so pretty!
Put all those pieces into a bowl and look at how festive they are. They are also fun to add to plates of cookies or fudge etc to just add some bright color!
Here is the recipe:
Anise Candy
3 cups sugar
1 cup white syrup
1/2 cup water
Put in kettle and bring to a boil. Cook to crack stage.
add: 1/2 tsp red food coloring
1/2 tsp anise oil
Mix and pour into buttered cookie sheet. When slightly set, mark off in squares. Cool and then break into pieces.
My daughter brought this fudge to our Sinterklaas party last weekend and everyone loved it. One of my granddaughter’s favorite candy bar is Hershey’s Cookies and Cream, and she told her mom that this fudge taste just like her favorite candy bar!
She found the recipe here, on Pinterest.
White Chocolate Cookies & Cream Fudge (adapted from Amanda of Fake Ginger’s Recipe)
2 1/4 c white chocolate chips
+ 1/2 c white chocolate chips, reserved (or any kind of chocolate chips)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3 c Oreo cookies, chopped
+ reserve 1-2 tbsp Oreo crumbs for dusting the top layer of the fudge
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Combine 2 1/4 c white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk and melt over low heat in a saucepan taking care to stir frequently and watch it so the mixture doesn’t burn (you could also probably do this in the microwave but I haven’t tried it). When mixture is melted and smooth, add vanilla extract. Then add the chopped Oreo cookies and stir. Pour mixture into 9 x 9 foil-lined or parchment-lined pan. Then lightly press 1/2 c white (or regular/dark) chocolate chips into the top layer. The fudge will start to set up fairly fast and just press the chocolate chips in lightly. Dust top layer with 1-2 tbsp Oreo crumbs if desired. Place fudge in freezer for at least two hours to fully set up. Remove from freezer, slice, and serve at room temperature. Store extra in the freezer or fridge and it will likely keep for month(s). It will keep for much longer than you’ll be able to keep it around.
Don’t overchop your Oreos if you want really white fudge.
A fun way to package your fudge to give it away, is to put it into Chinese take out boxes! I found mine here at Gygi’s and I just simply tied it with bakers twine, which I also got at Gygi’s. It is very simple, but cute! You could also use a cute ribbon, or twine etc to tie up your boxes with.
(This is some of my regular fudge), but I put little candy papers inside to put the fudge in, so it did not all stick together and it makes a cute presentation!
Do you have a favorite fudge recipe? I would love to hear about it!
We had two parties last weekend and I had to take a dessert to one of them for a big crowd, so I made a big pan of Texas Sheet Cake. It is a very moist, cake and you add the frosting while the cake is still warm to keep it that way.
This recipe comes from my husband’s Aunt Krista, and I think that she gave it to me at one of my bridal showers! (So it is really old!) I love the hint of cinnamon with the chocolate, it gives it such a good flavor. I also love that I usually have all the ingredients on hand for this cake and I don’t have to go to the store for anything!
Texas Sheet Cake
1 cup margarine
1 cup water
1/4 cup cocoa
Put in small kettle and heat until margarine is melted and it comes to a boil. Put flour in mixing bowl and pour melted mixture over the flour and mix then add the sugar.
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
Add:
1 tsp soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Beat all together. Put in a greased and floured 11 x 16″ pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
Mix in kettle, stir and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts, chopped.
Let it cool slightly and frost warm cake. Enjoy!
Doesn’t this look like a party?
