Chocolate Butterscotch Cafe Cookies

Our friend Alana just recently moved into a town house with a full size kitchen so she's been a baking machine! And she surprised us with these amazing cookies the other day. They are inherently crunchy and really great with a glass of cold milk. Yum!

Chocolate Butterscotch Cafe Cookies

1 roll sugar cookies
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 t vanilla
3/4 c. oats
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. chocolate chips (3 oz. chopped chocolate bars)

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Break up cookie dough. Add brown sugar and vanilla - mix well. Add remaining ingredients. (Or, if you're feeling crazy, just mash everything together all at once). Drop 1/4 cup scoops of dough onto a cookie sheet and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake 13-18 min, cool 1 min on baking sheet. Transfer to cooling rack.

Dick's Housewarming Party! :o)

One of my very best friends, Richard Watkins, just recently finished building his first home, so naturally, to celebrate, we all got together to celebrate with an adult evening of grilling and catching up on his brand new patio. His home is absolutely lovely, and quite impressive too! :o)

Just for this fun summer occasion, I adapted my very own Raspberry Cupcake Recipe, and they did indeed turn out beautifully, if I do say so myself. Very tasty too. :o)

Raspberry Cupcakes with a Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

1 pkg. classic white cake mix

1 1/3 c. water

3 large egg whites

2 tbsp. melted butter

2 tsp. almond extract

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 6 oz. tub fresh raspberries, cut into small pieces (about fourths)

(extra tub of raspberries for garnish)

Frosting

3 c. powdered sugar

1 c. butter (softened)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin pan with cupcake liners. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cake mix, water, egg whites, butter, and extracts until well blended. Carefully fold in the cut raspberries. Spoon batter into muffin pan (about 1/3 c. per cupcake, makes between 18-20). Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown on top. Cool completely on wire rack.

While cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Combine the butter and powdered sugar together in a large bowl and mix using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment on low speed until well blended. Then continue to mix on medium for another 3 minutes, give or take. Then add the vanilla and heavy cream. Beat on medium for another minute more, adding more cream as necessary to reach the desired consistency.

Once fully cooled, frost cupcakes and top with a fresh raspberry. :o)

Note: The cake decorating aisle with the wedding stuff at Wal-Mart has all kinds of cool stuff for pretty reasonable - such as my brand new cake decorating kit with tips and frosting decorator dispenser (about $10) and the pretty cupcake tree in the picture ($13). These things make decorating so easy and fun, as well as your finished product beautiful! (I'm easy to amuse... Haha.) Enjoy! :o)

Well, after I left Wal-Mart with all of the necessary ingredients for my cupcakes, I was headed to the liquor store to get something to drink and contribute for the housewarming party, when it hit me... What better summer drink than Sangria?!?! So, I stopped in the liquor store for the cheapest bottle of red wine I could find, and then went back to Wal-Mart to complete my new shopping list, haha. But it was so worth it.

Basic Sangria

Ingredients:

1 bottle red wine (any kind works, so pick your favorite kind and buy the cheapest bottle! I used a $5 bottle of cabernet)

1 shot of brandy

2 limes

1 lemon

1 orange

1/4 c. sugar

2 cups club soda

Directions:

Pour wine in a large pitcher. Cut fruit into wedges or slices and squeeze juice from fruit into pitcher, then toss in the fruit wedges or slices (after having removed the seeds). Add sugar and brandy, mix well. Let sit overnight. Just before serving, add the club soda.

For immediate consumption, stir well and serve over ice. :o)

Upon arriving at Dick's lovely new home, we, of course, got the grand tour, and then we set to work in the kitchen. Dick had this new recipe for an avocado dip that our friend Stephanie had previously made, but I must admit, we were all a little skeptical as we watched it being made, lol. But it tastes much better than it looks, I promise! Also, the poor dear's hand mixer died earlier in the week, so we tried mixing it together with a spoon to no avail, then tried a potato masher with no success, until Dick finally said "to heck with this!" and put it all in the blender, and TA DA! Haha, we were enjoying this new dip in no time then. Once we got it all finished, Dick looked at the original mixing bowl, and commented, "I should probably get a different bowl to put this in now, huh?" Imagine my excitement to be able to say, "Then you should open your gift!" See below, the lovely green dip displayed in Dick's brand new Razorback serving dish - my housewarming gift (cute, huh?). :o)

Dick's Avocado Dip

Ingredients:

1 pkg. cream cheese

1 small container sour cream

1 avocado

1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl, and mix with electric mixer until smooth. A blender works too if your mixer happens to be broken, haha. :o)

Top with cheese and enjoy with tortilla chips.

It was really a wonderful party with some great friends celebrating Dick's beautiful new home. We had a great time, and enjoyed lots of good food! Congratulations once again, Dick, and thanks so much for having us all over! The host with the most! :o)

Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

A new friend of mine, Dan, invited Megan and I to join him and some friends at the baseball game today for some grilling, beer, and good company in the outfield. Dan put together the most amazing "Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers." He made two versions - the two toothpick and three toothpick - to indicate the degree of spicy. The basic premise is to cut the jalapeno in half, clean and seed it (saving the seeds), then stuff them with cream cheese, wrap them with bacon and toothpick 'em. To make the three toothpick version, he soaked the jalapeno seeds in vinegar and cayenne pepper then baked them and finally mix it into the cream cheese. Then of course, you grill them until the bacon starts to crisp. These were a really great gameday snack and a huge hit. Dan does offer the following tip though: be careful about getting jalapeno juices in your eyes... Haha. You'll have to hit him up to get the whole story, but I'm sure he'll be happy to share. Thanks Dan for sharing your methods and finished product with us. It was a great day at the ballpark, and the food definitely helped make it so. :o)

The Dining Darlings!

So my adorable friend Megan McClellan who I have featured on previous blogs started this wonderful club called the “Dining Darlings” where we gather on Thursday evenings and each bring a dish centered around whatever the theme of the week happens to be. Then we dine and exchange recipes! Well, we had our first gathering here just before spring break and enjoyed the wonderful company of one another while we shared our favorite breakfast dishes. It was so much fun, and I can’t wait until we get together again. Here are the riches from our first meeting, and I will continue to post about our recipes and experiences as we meet again!

Tammy’s Quick & Easy Banana Bread

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

½ c. chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix bananas, sugar, and eggs together in a bowl with mixer. Stir in salt, soda, and flour. Mix well and add nuts. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Megan’s Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

2 c. diced ham (8 oz)

1 c. diced bell pepper, chopped

½ small onion, diced

1 pkg. simply potatoes or 4 c. hashbrowns

2 c. fat-free cheddar, divided

1 c. Fiber One pancake mix or regular pancake mix

2/3 c. water

2 c. skim milk

3 egg whites

Salt & pepper, to taste

Tabasco, to taste

Directions:

Grease 8x13 pan. Layer first four ingredients in pan. Add 1 c. cheese over mix. Mix pancake mix, water, milk, egg whites, salt & pepper, and sauce in mixing bowl. Pour over mixture in pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese over pan. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

Ember's Breakfast Quiche

Update: Here's the recipe for the Quiche! Thanks Ember!

Ingredients:

1 frozen pie crust (deep dish, if available)
6-8 egg whites, or 5-7 eggs, whisked
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
5 strips pre-cooked bacon, chopped (you can buy it pre-cooked, that way you don't have to cook it twice)
1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (get the kind jarred in olive oil, not the dried ones)
1/2 tsp. McCormick's garlic and red pepper seasoning
Shredded cheese, if desired
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients but eggs in a large bowl, and spoon into pie crust.
Pour eggs over pie filling, they should just peek through the spinach leaves.
You may want to sprinkle more cheese on top.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, and reduce to 275 for 15 minutes.

Recipe to come for Amanda’s Breakfast Hashbrowns!

Featured Chef: Mattie Bookhout

One of my besties Mattie got her hands on our very favorite chicken salad recipe - and it's the best EVER. Enjoy. :o)

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

3 cans of shredded chicken (2 ½ cups)

¼ cup celery

½ cup mayo

4 tbsp of sour cream

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of onion powder

¼ tsp of pepper

¾ tsp of salt

¼ cup of bacon bits

¼ cup candied walnuts

¼ cup diced craisins

Directions:

To candy walnuts, melt butter in skillet pan. Add diced walnuts. Coat in brown sugar until candied. Mix all ingredients. Mattie adds an extra bit of brown sugar. Serve on croissant with provolone. #winning :o)

Featured Chef: David Brophey

For our Super Bowl gathering last night, Brophey made these AMAZING red velvet chocolate chip cookies. See the recipe below:

Red Velvet Cookies! OMG, heaven in a cookie...

Ingredients:

1 Box cake mix (your choice of what kind...I used Red Velvet)

1 Stick of Butter (1/2 cup)

2 eggs

However much of whatever you'd like in the cookies (I used just about a bag of mini chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Cook in a 350* oven for sometime between 12-17 minutes.

Note: The time depends on how soft or firm you'd like them. I usually tend towards 17.

Thanks Brophey for sending me the recipe to share!

ALSO...

Ooh, Brophey and Matt made this legit cocktail last night - 1 part gin, 2 parts sparkling white grape juice, and a splash of lime. I love me some Tanqueray, so this just might be my new favorite alcoholic beverage!

Featured Chef: Jaime Nelson

Hello everybody! Meet Jaime Nelson! One of my favorite people in the world. On Friday, we were all getting together to have game night, and while at work during the day - I got a craving to cook! AND, I found this wonderful recipe via Twitter and Southern Living's "What's for dinner" special post. So I texted Jaime, and she was game for cooking in before our gathering. Here is the documentation of our cooking adventures, and the delectable results!

The recipe that I found was for a crayfish etouffee, but we substituted shrimp for a lack of crayfish at Harps. We also opted to bake some cheese biscuits to complement the meal. We just bought the mix from the muffin and cornbread section at the store - all you have to do is add water, bake, and voila! We also paired the meal with a Malbec, which went quite well with the meal. See our pictures and the link to the recipe below:

Recipe:

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1646467

This was a really yummy meal, and Jaime makes a really cute chef too. She's super fun to cook with. :o)

My Birthday Dinner by Featured Chef: Megan Francis

For my birthday, my best friend Megan hosted a very special dinner party with some of my closest friends to help me celebrate the big 24. Below find her menu and recipes. It was such a good meal, and it really meant a lot to me that everyone came together (especially with the poor weather conditions) to spend my birthday with me. Thanks to everyone who helped make it special.

Rendezvous Platter & Seasoned Cashews

Rendezvous Platter

Ingredients:

2 pkgs of sausage links

1 block cheddar cheese

1 block colby jack cheese

Rendezvous (or cajun) seasoning

Directions:

1. Heat sausage in the oven

2. Cut cheese into cubes

3. Cut sausage

4. Arrange cheese and sausage on plate

5. Sprinkle with seasoning (to taste)

Seasoned Cashews

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs cashews

2 tbsp chopped rosemary

2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

1. Bake nuts on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 min

2. Combine seasoning in bowl large enough for all nuts

3. Add nuts, mix and serve

T-Lip Tip & Sip

Tip (Alcoholic)

Ingredients:

2 cups rum

2 liters of ginger ale

1 quart Juicy Juice pineapple orange juice cocktail

Directions:

1. Mix

2. Enjoy

Sip (Non-Alcoholic)

Ingredients:

One part Tazo passion iced tea

One part Crystal Light lemonade

Directions:

1. Mix

2. Enjoy

Note: Freeze pineapple orange juice in ice trays to keep cocktails cold without watering them down.

Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

2 packages plain pork tenderloin

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil to taste

garlic powder to taste

Directions:

1. Season meat

2. Add small amount of water to pan and set meat in pan

3. Cook in oven according to package

4. Let meat rest and slice before serving

Broccoli Corn Bread

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 package corn muffin mix (8.5 oz)

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups thawed frozen chopped broccoli

1 medium onion (chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Grease 9x9 Pyrex baking dish

3. Beat eggs and stir in all ingredients

4. Bake 25-30 minutes

Fresh Green Beans

Ingredients:

5 handfuls fresh green beans

1 small package sliced almonds

1/2 stick of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring salted water to boil

2. Cook green beans in boiling water for 10-15 minutes

3. Melt butter in skillet and add almonds

4. Add green beans to butter and blanche

5. Plate and serve warm

Cheese Grits

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth

1 tbsp salt

1 cup quick cooking grits

1 stick butter

6 oz Owl's Nest garlic cheddar cheese spread

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add salt.

2. Slowly add the grits and return to boil. Stir for 1 full minute.

3. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Stir the grits and add the stick of butter, stirring until until it has melted.

5. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until grits are thick and creamy.

6. Remove from heat. Add the garlic cheese and stir until melted.

7. Pour in beaten eggs.

8. Pour grits into greased 8x11x2 casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

9. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the casserole for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

The finished plate! So pretty! And SO yummy! :o)

And my beautiful birthday cake from Rick's! Yummy! :o)

The group (minus Blake whose behind the camera and Megan who had to leave a little early). Thanks again everyone. Y'all made my birthday really special. I love each of you.

Featured Chef: Megan McClellan :o)

So my BFF Megan cooked dinner for me tonight - and it was wonderful! She gave me permission to blog about her meal, and you should get excited about this post. On the menu was a Chicken Taco Salad and Mellow Yellow Cupcakes. Through this dinner, Megan introduced me to this new cookbook/recipe website called Hungry Girl. OMG, earth shattering. This book/site gives you recipes to make delicious things that are much better for you with *substantially* fewer calories. Megan and her boyfriend Justin have tried several of the recipes over the last week, and they can vouch for them all so far being awesome, and the cupcakes tonight were legit!

The beautiful Chef Megan in action! :o)

Chicken Taco Salad

This was Megan's mom's recipe (I just love her, btw). You take a drained jar of roasted red peppers (make sure you get the ones in water like Mazetti Deli-Style) and chopped onions and let simmer in a frying pan until just caramelized and set aside. Then place a bag of pre-cooked fajita chicken in another pan to warm. Add a packet of taco seasoning followed by the peppers and onions and a splash of lime until well blended. Use the chicken taco blend to top a bed of shredded lettuce, pinto beans, and any of your favorite other taco toppings - we used light sour cream, some southwestern salsa, and a few tortilla chips for an extra crunch. This was definitely one of the best salads I've ever had - so my compliments to the chef! :o)

Mellow Yellow Cupcakes

This recipe for cupcakes uses a regular yellow cake mix, but keeps out the oil, water, and egg yolks. Instead you use sprite zero, some baking powder, vanilla, and egg whites. And for the frosting, you mix light Cool Whip and low-fat vanilla pudding to create a wonderfully delicious light and fluffy topping. In exchange, you cut out more than half of the calories! Here is the link to the full recipe and comparison: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewdetails.php?isid=1910. And the verdict = awesome. You'd never know you lost those extra calories!

Note: You can also make the Chicken Tacos in tortillas for another version of the meal like Megan made for Justin below. Aren't they just the cutest couple? :o)