Sugar Coated Pecans

I usually make these around the holidays but they are a great snack for any time! They are delicious. I call them Crack Nuts. They are so addictive.

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Grease one baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.

Lemon Cool Whip Cookies

I kinda remember seeing these on a blog recently but I cannot verify that or remember who it might have been. I got this recipe from allrecipes.com a while ago and make them for my mom around Christmas since she loves lemon. But if you posted this on your blog shoot me a message and I will give you credit.

Lemon Cool Whip Cookies

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 eggs
1 package lemon cake mix
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration (I have left this off. Still good)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

Beat together the whipped topping and eggs together. Add the lemon cake mix and continue to mix. Dough will be thick. Chill for 1 hour (or dough will be sticky)

Drop by teaspoonfuls into a bowl of confectioners' sugar and roll to coat. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8 minutes.

I recommend a test batch for cooking times. Everytime I make these cookies it seems to take a different amount of time to cook them. They will be a soft cookie but the bottom should be golden brown. And they are delicious!!

My favorite holiday recipe

My favorite holiday recipe!! I love going to potlucks or parties and eating food that others make. And there is usually alot of that going on around the holidays. I always discover the best recipes that way!! This is actually the first cookie I remember my mom and I making together when I was a kid.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies or Cake Mix Cookies

1 (18.25 ounce) devil's food cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in the oil and eggs until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool on wire racks.

The best thing about these is that you can change out the cake mix and the chocolate chips and make a totally different but still easy, quick and yummy cookie. We used to make these with Tootie Fruitie Cake mix (do they even make that any more?).

I really love using lemon cake mix and white chocolate chips. Yum! They are also good with yellow cake mix and toffee bits.

I got this prompt from:




but I am way behind!!

Corn Flake Candy

Do ya'll have left over cereal? We always seem to run out of desire for the cereal before we run out of said cereal. I usually make these with our left over crumbly Cornflakes... they are delicious!!!

Corn Flake Candy

Ingredients
2 cups butterscotch chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 cups cornflakes cereal


Directions
Melt the butterscotch chips over low heat and add peanut butter.
Stir in cornflakes.
Drop on waxed paper and let cool.

We used to make these alot when I was little but I got this recipe from allrecipes.com

Menu Plan Monday - 9-13-10

I was trying to find something to write about then I rememebered.. its Monday!! Menu Plan Monday!!!

Monday - Chicken and Rice ( I use a can of cream of mushroom instead of milk)
Tuesday - Bacon cheeseburger roll-up
Wednesday - Chicken taco caserole
Thursday - Fried Rice
Friday - Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Saturday - Eat Out!!
Sunday - Chili and grilled cheese

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - - Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up

Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up







1 lb. lean ground beef
4 slices Bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg. (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust


HEAT oven to 400°F. Brown ground beef with bacon and onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add VELVEETA; cook until melted, stirring frequently. Cool 10 min.

UNROLL dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8-inch rectangle; top with meat mixture. Roll up, starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange if necessary so roll is seam-side down.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown.

For more recipes please go here:

Great American Bake Sale

Please stop by Cooking During Stolen Moments and purchase one of these eBooks for a donation. There are some great cooks that have contributed, and me too!! LOL. And it is going for a great cause!!!

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday - - Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

I love these!! They are so yummy and moist and easy to make. They will not be like a home made cookie but I think they are just as good. These are so different that I think comparing them to homemade cookies are like apples to oranges.


Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil until well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Truffle Mousse Bars

Chocolate Truffle Mousse Bars

18 servings

1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S SELECT Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

HEAT oven to 325°F. Line 8-inch sq. pan with greased foil. Microwave 3 chocolate squares and cream in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted; cool. Add eggs, sugar and flour; mix well. Pour into pan.

BAKE 20 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool. Meanwhile, melt 2 chocolate squares as directed on package; cool.

STIR COOL WHIP into melted chocolate; spread onto dessert. Refrigerate 1 hour. Use ends of foil to lift dessert from pan. Cut into bars. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over bars.

This recipe is from Kraft

Dark Molten Chocolate Cakes

Dark Molten Chocolate Cakes

6 cakes or 12 servings, 1/2 cake each

1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S Bittersweet Chocolate
10 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Grease six 6-oz. custard cups or souffle dishes. Place on baking sheet.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM (50%) 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar and flour; mix well. Add whole eggs and egg yolks; beat until well blended. Divide batter evenly into prepared custard cups.

BAKE 14 to 15 min. or until cakes are firm around the edges but still soft in the centers. Let stand 1 min. Run small knife around cakes to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Sprinkle lightly with additional powdered sugar and garnish with raspberries, if desired. Cut in half. Serve warm.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese

1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Real Bacon Bits
2 lb. small red potatoes, quartered
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix dressing, cheese and bacon bits in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss lightly.

SPOON into lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with foil.

BAKE 40 min. Remove foil; bake an additional 15 min. or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

These are so expensive in stores but they are so easy to make and so yummy!!!

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening
1 pint fresh strawberries

In a saucepan (or double boiler if you have one) over low heat, melt chocolate chips and shortening, stirring constantly until smooth.

Spear fruit with toothpicks; dip into chocolate. Place on waxed paper or stick toothpicks into a block of Styrofoam to harden.

You can use any kind of chocolate even white. And for a pretty look you can, after you dip them melt some white chocolate and with a spoon drip stripes of chocolate over them.

Remember, the chocolate hardens very quickly, much like wax, so be sure that once you leave the chocolate standing and off the stove for 5 minutes or more, it will harden and you will need to heat it up again before you dip more fruit.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - - Baked Ziti

Please don't let the longer than my usual ingredient list scare you off or the fact that it has several steps. This is really easy!!! And yummy. BUT my hubby likes it with ground beef instead of sausage.


Baked Ziti with Sausage


1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 large yellow onion, minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce, divided
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Italian cheese blend
1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)


Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the ziti, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and onion, and cook and stir until brown and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain sausage and set aside.

Stir together the ricotta, egg, garlic, and oregano in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the drained pasta, the drained sausage and onion, salt, pepper, and 1/2 jar of the spaghetti sauce; mix well.

In the prepared baking dish, cover the bottom with 1/3 jar of spaghetti sauce. Layer 1/2 of the pasta mixture, 1/3 jar of spaghetti sauce, and 1/2 of the shredded cheese. Then layer the remaining 1/2 of the pasta, 1/3 of the sauce, and 1/2 of the cheese. Sprinkle with basil. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. Uncover; return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted, 5 to 10 more minutes.

Bacon Tomato Cups

These are so yummy!!!!

I got this recipe from Baked Perfection. She has some wonderful recipes on there. Please go check her out. She adapted this recipe from one on allrecipes.com (which ya'll know I love LOL)

Bacon Tomato Cups
adapted from allrecipes.com

8 slices bacon1 tomato, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough
1/4 cup diced green onion or chives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Lightly grease a mini muffin pan.In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon into a medium mixing bowl, and mix with tomato, onion, cheese, mayonnaise and basil.

Separate biscuits into thirds horizontally (separating into three layers). Place each third into cups of the prepared mini muffin pan.

Fill each biscuit third with the bacon mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven , or until golden brown. Garnish with diced green onion or chives.

Chocolate Dream Pie

I love this pie!! I often make it for special occasions (especially Christmas) it could easily be made lighter but it is so yummy this way!!

Chocolate Dream Pie

1 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
2-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Chocolate Whipped Topping, divided
1 Oreo Pie Crust (6 oz.)
2 Tbsp. hot fudge ice cream topping


POUR milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping. Spoon into crust.

FREEZE 6 hours or until firm.

REMOVE pie from freezer about 15 min. before serving. Let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Meanwhile, heat hot fudge topping as directed on label; drizzle over pie. Top with remaining 1 cup whipped topping. Store leftovers in freezer.

Recipe from Kraft Foods

Chocolate Gravy

Since I talked about this in the Foodie Survey I decided to post a recipe :)

If you are a little skeptical I understand!! You can half the recipe so you don't waste anything but I can almost guarantee that you will love this over hot biscuits or toast or even pancakes or waffles. (I just had a thought.. this woudl be great over fresh strawberries yum.) It is a southern "thang" but so quick and yummy. With ingredients that you probably already have on hand!!

Chocolate Gravy

1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups milk

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Mix the flour and cocoa together and then add to butter; stir until a thick paste is formed. Stir in sugar and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. But do not let it cook too long or it will be pudding like (although it still tastes good that way LOL).

You can add a little (about 1 tbsp) vanilla if you like.

P.S. You can cook this in the microwave, too. Just stir every two minutes until it's thickened.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - - Chicken and Rice

This is one of my favorite foods!! My hubby doesn't really like rice but he loves this!! The rice is so flavorful and the chicken is so moist and yummy!!

Chicken and Rice with Bacon

6-10 chicken pieces (thighs are the best)
1 lb bacon
1 1/2 cups rice
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10 1/4 ounce) can milk (fill empty soup can with milk)
salt
pepper
poultry seasoning
paprika

Preheat oven to 325.

Line large baking dish with bacon.

Pour rice evenly over top of bacon.

Place chicken on top of rice.

Season chicken with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and paprika.

Mix together soup, broth, milk and pour over chicken and rice.

Cover and bake for about 1 1/2 hours at 325.

Uncover and bake for 15 minute more.

For more Tempt my Tummy Tuesday visit Blessed With Grace.

Crepes made easy by Stolen Moments Cooking

If you are anything like me there are some things that you see automatically and think "I can't cook/make that!" Well I must admit that crepes have always been one of those things for me. I love crepes!! But I thought that they were too complicated for me. Recently I saw a crepe recipe on Stolen Moments Cooking. In the post she has tips and pictures. She also has the recipe that she uses and she makes it look so easy!! I will definately be trying this!! You can find the blog here. Let me know if you guys try them too!!!

Fried Rice

I LOVE this stuff. I love cooking chinese food but feel like most of the items there are too hard for me to attempt at home. This recipe however, is super easy if a little time consuming. It has been estimated to cost about $.87 per serving (without added chicken or pork) and can be kept frozen or refriderated to eat at a later time. I could eat this three times a day forever :)

Fried Rice

3 cups cooked rice (about 3 cups)
1 onion, chopped
3 eggs
5 pieces bacon
chives
soy sauce

Saute onions in a little butter or oil until tender and translucent. Transfer into another dish until later.

In a small bowl scramble eggs and season them with salt and pepper. Make sure that pan is still hot and greased so that eggs don't stick. Then pour eggs into pan and cook omlet style. Check eggs by lifting edges to see when they are set and then flip. It is not neccessary to keep eggs completely together.

After eggs are done remove to another dish and chop into small pieces.

Place bacon into pan (same pan if you would like) and cook until desired crispiness. Then remove to another dish and crumble. Keep bacon grease in pan.

Pour rice carefully (grease might splatter) into pan with bacon grease. Toss rice (again carefully) to cover with grease and keep it moving or rice will burn. Sprinkle in some soy sauce and chives to taste to season rice. Then add back bacon, eggs, and onion.

You may also cook some chicken or pork to add at this time.

Guilt Free Yummy Cake

Guilt Free Yummy Cake

1 chocolate cake mix

1 can diet coke or 1/2 cup if you have a 2 liter (any diet cola works, even Wal-mart brand)

mix (it will be slightly thicker than regular cake mix) and bake as directed. (no I am not kidding) cool and add fat free cool whip

Whenever I make this I usually make cupcakes. I like my cupcakes to be dense so they don't fall apart when you are cooking them. I use a super moist cake mix with pudding in it and I get cupcakes that are almost like brownies. But if you like the fluffier cupcakes then use a mix without the pudding.

Enjoy according to Weight Watchers this snack is only 3 POINTs a slice.

For you Angel food cake lovers

1 Angel food cake mix

1 can of diet Sprite or 7-up (generic works as well)

Mix and bake as directed and enjoy with Strawberries and free cool whip. (this is also 3 Points for the cake an cool whip, just add points for fruit)