Thursday, December 10, 2009

Slow Cooker Mexican Torte


1# boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
15 oz. seasoned black beans, drained
15 oz. diced tomatoes with green chiles
4 8" tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream for fixings


-Cut chicken into bite size chunks, throw in skillet with onion and brown on all sides.
 Season this mixture with salt and pepper.

-Stir in beans and tomatoes.

-Place wide strips of foil in slow-cooker, so you can easily lift out torte when done. Spray well with cooking spray.

-Place 1 tortilla on bottom of cooker, layer on chicken mixture then cheese. Repeat.

-Finish with a sprinkle of cheese.

-Cook on low 4 to 5 hours.

-Cool 10 minutes in cooker and gently lift out.
Top with anything you want!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Cinnamon Honey Butter!


You’ll need:
2 sticks of butter at room temp
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of honey
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
I used the whisk attachment for my mixer and whipped the butter {make sure it’s soft and room temp}. I added to it the powdered sugar, then the honey, then the cinnamon. Whip it good. Scrape the sides. Whip it again.

Then spoon it into your precious little 4 oz jars {I found ‘em at Wally World}. If you can’t find the small ones, your friends and neighbors would be more than happy to receive a larger jar of it! The measurements above yielded 6 small jars.
You can doll them up with a fabric scrap and tag!

I put my jars in the frige but it spreads easier at room temp! You can eat it by the spoonful or serve it on English muffins, bagels, biscuits, rolls, or toast… or sweet potatoes… or oatmeal!

Buckeyes

ingredients:
 
1 cup of peanut butter
1 stick of butter (margarine works best)
1 box of confectioner’s sugar

 instructions: 

Put the above ingredients in a large bowl.
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It works best to mix them together by hand. 


Mix the ingredients together until they form a ball.
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Then roll the dough into small “buckeye-sized” balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

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Place a toothpick in each ball and then place in the freezer for them to harden.

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Here is what you need to make the chocolate coating:

1 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 stick of paraffin wax (Gulf Wax)


Melt the bag of chocolate chips and paraffin wax together in the top of a double broiler.

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Mix together well.

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Take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer and dip in chocolate mixture. 

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Be sure to leave the top open to resemble a buckeye.
Place the dipped “buckeye” back on the cookie tray.

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Let them sit for a few minutes so the peanut butter will soften, then use your fingers to close the (toothpick) hole.

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Monday, December 7, 2009

Zucchini Casserole

Zucchini Casserole
Serves 8 – 10

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups cubed zucchini
1/4 onion, chopped
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup sour cream
1 stick of butter
8 oz. of crumb stuffing

INSTRUCTIONS:
-Boil zucchini and onion for 5 min. Drain and add soup, carrot and sour cream. 

-Melt butter and combine with crumb stuffing. 

-Spread 1/2 crumb mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 11 pan, add the filling and top with remaining crumbs. 

-Bake at 350 until browned (about 45 min).
 

Home-Made Style Smores

Smores



Ingredients:
1 Cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpost flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp sugar


-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
-Beat softened butter with brown sugar, honey and vanilla until fluffy.
-Combine flours, cinnamon, all spice, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat at medium speed until well blended.
-With dampen fingers, press dough onto parchment lined baking sheet. Cover dough with parchment paper and use the bottom of a dry measuring up to smooth out the top of the dough. Remove parchment paper and discard. Use a fork to score dough into squares, press fork completely through dough with each indentation.
-Sprinkle topping on dough prior to baking. (cinnamon and sugar)
-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. While dough is still warm, score again. Cool completely on wire rack before breaking into individual crackers.




Score with a fork to create squares. I was able to make 20 squares. I think we could've made the dough thinner and it would have made more squares.



The house smelled so good while they were baking!! When we took it out of the oven it was this beautiful brown color! We are so excited to assemble our smores!





Plan B: We assembled the smores and placed it under the broiler.
It toasted the marshmellow perfect!!
I would stick with plan B, unless you're looking for some entertainment!





A smores with reese's peanut butter cups is unbelievable!