S'mores Cookie Bars. Holy Freaking Crap.

PREP TIME

20 Min

TOTAL TIME

55 Min

SERVINGS

24

INGREDIENTS

1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1	cup graham cracker crumbs
1	cup butter or margarine, melted
3	cups milk chocolate chips (18 oz)
4 1/2	cups miniature marshmallows

Save $$$ on your favorite brands

1. 1Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased 13x9-inch pan.
2. 2Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.
3. 3Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 5 to 6 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.) Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm. Store any remaining bars tightly covered.

Awesome Recipe! Banana Split Mini Bites

Banana Split Mini Bites

Banana Split Bites ~ A classic ice cream dessert gets mini for some bite size fun. And yes, there is actually a tiny scoop of ice cream tucked inside and underneath the whip cream of  those little darlings.

Banana Split Mini Bites

For once I made something mini for portion control and not just for the cute factor. My little guy had some friends over the other day and of course with a mom who is a baker, the expectation is dessert will not only be good but it will be fun. And I was asked, by friend Caroline, not to let her boys eat too much dessert.

Keeping all things in mind what I served is what you see here. It was a hit!

Here’s what wasn’t a hit and what I learned.

• Impromptu play dates with four kid’s ages 3-5 year olds after a full work day –not a good idea.
• Know in advance what other kids will and won’t eat. Hungry kids are cranky kids and some cranky kids bite; so no that is not a new tattoo I’m sporting on my arm.

Luckily, dessert made all things right. The banana split mini bites were fun and having two each seemed to be just enough for each kid.

No recipe just a few notes:

• Use firm bananas and cut into 1 inch sections. Leave the peel on for easy handling, and with a melon baller, dig a well in the middle of each banana section. 
• Melt chocolate in the microwave and dip the bottom portion of the banana in chocolate and then dip it once again in either non-pareils or chopped peanuts. To quickly harden the chocolate, place dipped bananas in the freezer for five minutes.
• Fill each well with ice cream (I filled mine with vanilla chocolate chip) and top with whip cream and a maraschino cherry.  

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

From MarthaStewart.com:

Try cooked, crumbled sausage in place of bacon or make a vegetarian version with sauteed spinach. Dress things up with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

• Prep Time15 minutes
• Total Time35 minutes
• YieldMakes 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 8 slices white or whole-wheat sandwich bread
• 6 slices bacon
• 6 large eggs
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly and, with a 4 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 8 rounds. Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium, until almost crisp, 4 minutes, flipping once. (It will continue to cook in the oven.) Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup and crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.

Cook's Note

Standard muffin pans come in 6- or 12-cup size; if baking 6 items in a 12-cup pan, leave empty space in between. Nonstick pans are nice but not essential. Beware of very thin pans, which often lead to burning. Place pans on a baking sheet to make them easier to get in and out of the oven.

Cottage Pie Recipe

My friend posted this on Facebook so I am copying it here for safe keeping!

I can has Cottage Pie?

YES U CAN HAS!

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef (angus please!).  If you want a veg version go for some veggie crumbles or just leave out the meat
• olive oil
• 1/2-1 can tomato puree or 2 grated fresh tomatoes 
•  a few tbs Sriracha (Rooster) hot sauce (use to your own taste)
• 2 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp oregano or italian seasoning
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• garlic and onion powders
• 1 regular sized bag of frozen mixed veggies OR fresh chopped carrots, peas, green beans, and corn (NO potatoes!).  Don't use canned, they've got a ton of sodium and are soggy
• 1/2-1 cup chicken or vegetable broth or water
• 7 potatoes (or more or less depending on preference), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 knob butter (yes I wanted to say knob)
• splash or two of milk
• ground pepper
• parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Saute onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until tender.  Add garlic and saute a bit longer.  Add ground beef or crumbles and brown evenly, breaking up any clumps with your spatula.  add salt (optional), pepper, garlic and onion powder and stir to distribute evenly.
2. Add vegetables, tomato puree, broth, thyme, oregano, cayenne and sriracha and bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Consistency should be of a very thick stew, not too much liquid, yet saucy
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water with the cubed potatoes to a boil.  Cook for 15 minutes or more, until the cubes are cooked through and easily mashed with a fork.  Drain.  Using a fork or potato masher, combine and mash potatoes, butter, ground pepper, milk, and cheddar cheese.  Your choice whether to have it super smooth, but I prefer it more of a "country" mash.  
4. Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit.  Pour the beef mixture into a large baking dish (this makes a lot FYI, I use a deep ceramic roasting pan) and spread evenly around.  Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese.  Top with mashed potato mixture, spreading*carefully* so entire top is covered.  
5. Bake, uncovered for 30-45 minutes until mashed potato top turns a bit golden.  Serve!

Random Recipe - Pretzel Crusted Chicken

Pretzel Crusted Chicken

 

Ingredients

• canola oil
• 4 cups thin pretzels
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. 1In a deep skillet, add about 1/4 inch of canola oil. Heat over just below medium heat for 15 minutes.
2. 2Add the pretzels to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until most of the mixture is pulverized (you'll want to leave some small-ish pieces). Transfer to a bowl.
3. 3Add the eggs to another bowl, and the flour to a third bowl. Season the flour with salt and pepper, and mix well.
4. 4Once the oil is hot, rinse the chicken tenders in cool water. Then, dredge into flour, then egg, then the pretzel mixture. Place into the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden outside and cooked through. For best results, only cook two tenders at a time. Repeat these steps until all of the strips have been cooked.
5. 5Transfer the cooked tenders to a paper towel-lined plate.
6. 6Serve with your dipping sauce of choice.

Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing

Keyword Ad Tag:  recipes Ingredients 1 envelope ranch dressing mix 1 cup non-fat milk  1 cup non-fat plain...

I'm Intrigued...

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

How have I not heard of this before?  LOL!  I searched until I could find some kind of lower fat recipe, cuz some of the full fat recipes contain over 70% calories from fat!  Fuck that.  :P

Perfect Brownie Search

Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm going to my parents' house for the holiday.  It will be a chance for me and my little sister to organize our crap before I move all my stuff into her old bedroom.  (She's in college and her large room is going unused, while my 'room' at my parents' house is about the size of a walk-in closet.  So yeah I'm taking over her bedroom instead.)

My mom has Type 2 Diabetes so I'm currently searching for a PERFECT brownie recipe.  My criteria:  low fat, low sugar, easy to make, doesn't require a lot of 'weird health food' ingredients.  Ideally it would also be super yummy, fudgy and chewy.  Cuz that's how I like em lol!  :P

I'm making a list (mostly for my own purposes) of recipes I've found online and will be considering baking for Thanksgiving.

• Chocolate Pudding Brownies
• Blonde Brownies
• Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
• Chocolate Ganache Sandwich Cookies

OK so some of those aren't brownie recipes.  But they look pretty darn good and might be a decent compromise.  I will continue to search though!

Baked Chicken & Mac Recipe

I've been searching for a lot of recipes lately. Today I've decided to be a little creative and put two recipes together with my own spin.  (OK, I know this recipe isn't exactly healthy.  But at least I'm cooking it myself instead of always eating frozen foods!  lol)  I'm going to cook this tonight, I'll try to remember to take a photo so you can see how it comes out. :D

Baked Chicken & Mac

Ingredients for Chicken:
2 skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts
1/3 cup Ranch dressing (approx)
1 cup Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (if desired)

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly spray an oven-safe dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2.  Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, coat chicken breasts in ranch dressing.  When the chicken is fully coated, place chicken in the breadcrumb mixture bowl and make sure that the chicken is fully covered in breadcrumbs, flipping the chicken over as needed.
3.  Carefully place the chicken breasts in the oven-safe dish, making sure not to rub off the breadcrumb coating.  Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese if desired.
4.  Cook chicken for about 30 minutes or until cooked throughout.

Ingredients for Mac & Cheese:
1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/2 can (use the cheddar cheese soup can) Water
1/2 can (use the cheddar cheese soup can) Milk
1 cup No Yolks Pasta
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs (if desired)

1.  Once the chicken is cooking in the oven, heat the soup, milk, and water in a 3 quart sauce pan over medium-high heat to a boil.
2.  Stir the pasta into the saucepan.  Reduce heat to low.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
3.  Top with breadcrumbs if desired.

Serve the mac and cheese topped with a piece of chicken!  Yummy!

The Kitchen Diva's Mac 'n Cheese

Mac and Cheese!

Healthy Recipes for Your Sweet Tooth

Yummy Snack options!

Dr. Oz's After-School Snack Recipes

Who doesn't love snacks?

Simon's Popcorn

Ingredients Makes 4 servings; 61 calories per serving, 10 percent from fat1/2 cup popcorn kernelsFlavored cooking spray (butter, olive oil or garlic...

Rip Esselstyn's Dark Chocolate Brownies

Keyword Ad Tag:  recipe Ingredients Makes about 20 brownies 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup raw...

Tuna Salad Wrap

Keyword Ad Tag:  recipe Ingredients 1 (5.8-oz) can of albacore tuna in water   2 tbsp light...

Art Smith’s Chicken Stir Fry

Keyword Ad Tag:  recipe Ingredients 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ onion, chopped 4 tsp of fresh ginger,...

Oven-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Keyword Ad Tag:  recipes Ingredients 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats 1/2 cup...

Fit & Tasty Pizza

Keyword Ad Tag:  recipes Ingredients Makes 2 pizzas1 small wrap (whole wheat tortilla or flat bread) 3 tbsp of...