♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Nat is as SWEET as a cupcake! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥: 2011

9/7/11

CHILI'S HONEY CHIPOTLE SAUCE

CHILI'S HONEY CHIPOTLE SAUCE

1/2 cup dark Rum
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 to 3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp lime juice
1 cup honey
1-3 Tbsp ground chipotle chile pepper

Mix first 6 ingredients in sauce pan and bring to boil.

Combine constarch and lime juice and add to the sauce pan. Depending on how thick you want it vary the cornstarch between 1 to 3 tbsp.

Add honey and chipotle chile pepper (add 1 Tbsp and taste 3 will make it very hot). Bring back to boil and cook till thickened.

crockpotrecipeexchange.blogspot.com

http://crockpotrecipeexchange.blogspot.com

Hot Wing Dip

This dip is sooooo good! I'm not biased or anything either (I swear, really I'm not). It is a perfect dip for parties, especially football parties, and goes great with dippers such as celery sticks too--not just tortilla chips. We used to make sure that we ALWAYS had hot wings for any football get together, but now I just make this instead. HUGE hit (and a lot less messy).

3 cups cooked chicken cut up into small chunks (I use a rotisserie chicken for this from the grocery store. You could also use two cans of chicken that you can find on canned meats isle if you wanted to.)
2 - 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese, cut into chunks
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup of ranch dressing OR blue cheese dressing, whatever you would normally dip your hot wings in (I've used both-at different times of course-and both are good)
1/2 - 3/4 cup of hot sauce (I use Frank's, but any would work)

In a 2 - 3 quart crock pot, dump all of the ingredients in. Cook on low for about 2 hours. Remove lid and stir. Continue cooking until cheeses are completely melted (this takes about another hour in my crock pot). Turn crock pot off (or to the warm setting if yours has one) and serve with Tostito's Scoops, Frito's Corn Chips or your favorite tortilla chips.
http://crockpotrecipeexchange.blogspot.com

chili relono

Lori's Chili Relleno For The Crock Pot

When I first saw crock pot chili relleno, to say the least, I was very intrigued. It sounds super easy and super delicious. I definitely can't wait to give this a try. What a great twist on the original too.

This is how Lori does it:

2 tsp. butter
1/2 lb. grated Cheddar cheese
1 (4 oz.) can whole green chiles
1/2 lb. grated Jack cheese
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can sliced tomatoes, drained
4 eggs, separated
3/4 c. evaporated milk
2 tbsp. flour

Grease sides and bottom of crock pot with butter. Remove seeds from chiles; cut into strips. Place 1/2 chiles on bottom of crock pot. Layer with Cheddar cheese, rest of chiles, Jack cheese and tomatoes. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in slightly beaten yolks, milk and flour. Pour over top of tomatoes in the pot. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours. 4-5 servings.

Thanks for sharing Lori!

*My Notes*

1.) With the amount of ingredients, I would guess that you would use a 2 - 3 quart crock pot for this.

2.) Eggs seperate better when they are cold. However, after seperating them, let them come to room temperature before using them to cook with.

3.) Using evaporated milk is important in crock pot recipes. It tends to have a higher tolerence to the extended cooking times required. The substitution of regular milk may cause the recipe to clump or curdle.

RANCH BACON CHICKEN

Ranch Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breast into the crock-pot
Mix together the following & pour over chicken:
can of cream chicken
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
A few tbsp of bacon bits
1 packet hidden valley ranch dressing seasoning mix
1 tbsp minced garlic

Pour mixture over chicken breast, 6 hours on low. I stirred in cooked egg noodles right before serving & the chicken shredded from stirring it, super delicious!

candy corn fudge

9/07/2011

Candy Corn Fudge

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies from Kathie Cooks

When I first saw this image from Kathie Cooks I thought it was candy corn fudge. It is actually candy corn sugar cookies (which are VERY cute themselves!)

So I have been looking for a good recipe for candy corn fudge so that I can slice and cut it like candy corn using Kathie's candy corn shape making method. I found this recipe from About that looks promising. You can't really go wrong with white chocolate and frosting.

Candy Corn Fudge from About.com

What you need:

1 12 oz pkg white chocolate chips
1 16 oz can of vanilla frosting
yellow and orange food coloring

8x8 pan
aluminum foil
non-stick cooking spray

What you do:

Prep your 8x8 by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt 1/3 of the white chocolate chips until smooth, then add in 1/3 of the frosting and yellow food coloring (until it is the shade you like).

Spread the fudge into the prepared pan and let sit up for at least 30 minutes. It has to be firm enough that you can spread the next layer on top of it without it mixing.

Then repeat the steps for the orange layer and then again for the white layer.

You can serve it in squares or you can turn it out of the ban and cut it into cute candy corn shapes.

Get the full directions for the recipe HERE and the candy corn cutting method HERE.

corn dog muffins

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corn dog muffins
Yield: 24 mini muffins
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 10 min
I'm sure you're thinking that this one is for the kids, but you just might find yourself dipping into these too! They're a little bit addicting, especially if you use a good cornbread mix! For testing purposes, I used a box of Trader Joe's cornbread mix & then followed the instructions in the "Tips" below... no additional sugar needed. They were delicious as is.
Ingredients:
2 (8.5 ounce) packages corn bread mix
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
9 whole hot dogs, diced
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
ketchup, mustard, sour cream, honey mustard (for dipping)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease mini muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cornbread mix and brown sugar. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and milk, and then stir into dry mixture until moistened. Mix in hot dogs and cheese.
3. Spoon a good Tablespoonful into muffin tins, making sure you get some hot dog in each spoonful.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes in the pan before removing. For easy removal, cut around outsides of the muffins, then tip upside down onto a large cutting board & urge the muffins out using a knife to tap the bottoms of the muffin tins. They should slide right out.
5. Serve warm with desired dipping sauces.
Tips:
*Alternately, you can use your favorite cornbread mix, follow the instructions on the box, add in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and mix in chopped hot dogs too. If your favorite cornbread mix doesn't have a sweet element to it, add in 2 Tbsp. brown sugar.
*You can use paper liners if you'd like.
Source: www.RecipeGirl.com

colorful cupcakes

Gel food colors work especially well for this. Gel color adds a ton of color with a small amount of dye. You can find gel colors at craft stores like Michaels and Roberts, and in the cake decorating isle ofWalmart. If using red, make sure to get the one that says “No Taste”

Divide your batter and tint each one

Then layer it by color into the cupcake papers. (See my tips in the recipe for easy layering). Sometimes I do red on top and sometimes I do the reverse so blue is on top.

Bake them up

And cool them on a rack before frosting.

Then you can frost and decorate to your heart’s desire!

The best part comes when you peel off that paper. Use white liners to show off the colors, or foil or dark liners to make it a surprise!

Even better is taking the first bite and seeing the inside:

Try them with the color of your favorite sports team, or your kids’ school colors. They’re sure to be a hit!

Colorburst Cupcakes

1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 C yogurt (any smooth textured fruit flavor is fine!) or sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 2 minutes.

Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color, but each cake brand will be slightly different.

Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity.

To get a layered stripe like I used, you’ll want to put a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won’t spread on it’s own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you’re working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn’t stick to your fingers.

Another tip is to use a measuring spoon and some water to measure out how many teaspoons/tablespoons are going to fit in your cupcake. Then divide that by how many colors you have so you know how much of each color to use for each cupcake. For my 5 colors, it worked out perfectly with 2 t of each color in each cupcake. So I put in 2 t of blue in the bottom of each cupcake and spread it out with my finger. Then I put in 2 t of green on top of that, then yellow, etc.

Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry.

I topped mine with this frosting.

peanut butter blondies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies
ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch pan and set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter, until creamy and combined. Set mixture aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the peanut butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared dry ingredients, and stir until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, reserving the rest for sprinkling on top.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and lightly press them into the batter.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden and the edges are slightly browned. Remove blondes from oven and place them on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, cut into squares and serve.
Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Addiction

If you like these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies, you might also like:

Peanut Butter Blondies with Milk Chocolate Frosting from Joy the Baker
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Swirl Blondies from Eat, Live, Run
Peanut Butter and Jelly Swirl Blondies from Gingerbread Bagels

creamy orange fruit dip

Creamy Orange Fruit Dip

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, room temperature
7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon orange zest

Directions:

Stir cream cheese and orange juice together until smooth. Fold in marshmallow creme and zest. Mix until well combined.

9/6/11

homemade strawberry poptart

http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2011/05/homemade-strawberry-pop-tarts.html

Homemade Toaster Pastries (Pop Tarts)
{adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchens}

2 & 1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. coarse salt
2 TBSP sugar
2 sticks salted butter, cut into chunks
6-8 TBSP ice water
strawberry preserves or jam
1 egg beaten w/ 1 tsp. water
1 & 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 TBSP milk
pink food coloring
sprinkles

(If you don't have a food processor, combine these with a pastry blender.) In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt and sugar a few times, until combined.

Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Add 6 TBSP of ice water and pulse until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, if needed.

Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

On a floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8th thick. Cut pieces with the large cutter (you will have 10-16 overall depending on how thin you roll the dough). Place half of the cut pieces on cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment.

Spread 1 TBSP of preserves onto each piece, leaving a 1/2" border. Brush the egg mixture along the edges. Top each piece with one of the remaining pieces of dough. Using the toaster pastry mold, press down with the small mold to seal.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 25 minutes or so, rotating the sheets in the oven halfway through. Let sit on the sheets 10 minutes, then remove to wore cooling racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar and milk. Adjust the thickness with more milk or sugar. Add the pink food coloring. Spoon onto cooled pastries and spread with and offset spatula. Add sprinkles. Let the icing set before serving.

It's like having frosted pie for breakfast. Just look at those flaky layers.

For the cupcakes:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1½ cups light brown sugar, packed

4 large eggs

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)

To make the cupcakes

preheat the oven to 350° F.
Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total).
Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar. Cream together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approx 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
Alternating add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl with the milk on low speed, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.
Blend in the vanilla.
Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between 24 cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cupcakes bake and cool, prepare your cookie dough filling.

For the cookie dough filling:

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

7 oz. sweetened condensed milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

To Make the Filling

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl on medium-high speed until light and fluffy(approx2 minutes).
Add flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, (approx1 hour).

After cupcakes have cooled, fill the cupcakes by cutting a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

For the frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup light brown sugar, packed

3½ cups confectioners’ sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. salt

3 tbsp. milk

2½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions to make icing

Beat butter and brown sugar with the paddle attachment on high speed until creamy and fluffy.
Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
Beat in the flour and salt.
Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

Frost cupcakes using a pastry bag and 1M tip. Decorate with mini chocolate chips and a mini cookie.