Taco Bubble Casserole

This, my friends, is the epitome of comfort food.  Well, Mexican comfort food anyways.  Much akin to my Bubble Puff pizza, this follows the same procedure - chopping up the biscuits for the crust so it puffs up and bubbles through the toppings for crispy, crunchy goodness.  YUMMY much! 

I wish I could claim this one as my own but I found it off TastyKitchen and I knew I had to try it.  I only altered it a wee...mostly in that she stirred the biscuits into the hot mixture but I knew that would make a melty hot mess of the biscuits so I changed it up by spreading the tomato mix over the biscuits instead.  I also added black beans and cut back the beef by about 1/2 a pound.  Feel free to use her recipe by clicking the Tasty Kitchen link or try mine.  Either way, just try it! 

You get spicy, cheesy, creamy, crunchy...just everything your mouth could possibly want!  Your belly will be mega happy you made this.  Enjoy!



Taco Bubble Casserole
adapted from FeistyFilly on Tasty Kitchen

1 pound Lean Ground Beef
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 package Taco Seasoning Mix (1 Ounce Package)
¾ cups Water
1 can (10 3/4-oz.) Condensed Tomato Soup
1 can (17.3-oz.) Grands Refrigerated Golden Corn Biscuits Or 1 (16.3-oz.) Refrigerated Buttermilk Biscuits
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Your Favorite Taco Toppings:  sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, olives, green onions, etc.
 
Heat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x 13 with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.
 
Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning mix, water and soup; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3 minutes. Stir in the black beans.  Remove from heat.

Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 8 little wedges.  Add to the bottom of the 9x13 pan.  Carefully spoon tomato soup mixture over the biscuits, spreading out evenly to edges.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 23 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven; bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  Let stand for 5 minutes to cool before serving.  (also makes cutting and serving easier)

To serve, cut into 8 squares. Top each serving with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, olives, sour cream and onions.  (I did this buffet style with bowls of toppings to people could customize their own piece.  It worked really well.)


Hope you enjoy!  It's absolutely delicious!

Amish Pancakes

I have a love affair with Amish cooking but being down South here, I'm sorely deprived of anything Amish.  When I lived in Ohio there was an *amazing* Amish restaurant that served the best chicken and noodles I have ever, ever had.  Oh, how I  miss a nice hot bowl of noodles over mashed potatoes.  (insert sad face here)  I decided I'd buy some Amish cookbooks and maybe I could find something similar to my beloved noodles and in the process found this fabulous pancake recipe that has since replaced all my others, hands down.  My 15 year old proclaimed these "the best pancakes he's ever eaten".


The book I found this in is called "The Amish Cook at Home" and goes not by recipe sections like veggies and meats, etc. but rather by seasons and shares with you what life is like in those Amish communities.  It really is a great book; I can hardly say I've read a cookbook cover to cover but this is that rare case where I did.  They really are a fascinating people and I love their simplicity in everything from cooking, to sewing to gardening.  That's what the recipe is...basic, simple and delicious.  I hope you'll agree.


These pancakes fluff up wonderfully, are thick and hearty and have this wonderful cakey flavor.  They are so good I ate one without butter or syrup and it was delicious.  The batter itself is VERY thick so you might need to thin it down with some additional milk as I did.  Using a 1/3 cup, this recipe yielded 9 medium sized pancakes.  Using a 1/4 cup, you should get 12 smaller ones.


Amish Pancakes
adapted from The Amish Cook at Home


2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten


Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Whisk to combine.  In another bowl, whisk together egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring just till combined.  Don't overmix.


Add to your griddle and cook for 3 minutes approximately per side until golden brown and bubbles form along the dry edge.  Flip and cook on other side for another 3 minutes.

* Picture courtesy of StockXchang as we ate ours too quick to take a picture!

Chocolate Chip Cinna-Minis

I had such an intense craving this morning for Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Chunk Cinnamon Rolls...it was flat out awful how badly I craved those.  I adore her version but I find it long and tedious to make them so I only do it for special occasions and holiday brunches.  Today though, my cravings would not be sufficed by a bowl of Special K.  I had to have chocolate. 

Inspired by my insatiable lust for chocolate and mixed with the ease of TheCountryCook's shortcut apple danishes, I came up with my own version of chocolate chip cinna-mini's complete with icing for dunking.  My 15 year old proclaimed them "winner, winner"...and I whole-heartedly agree!  Give them a whirl, won't you?

These use those fabulous new Pillsbury crescent roll sheets in the tube.  So easy to do!

Chocolate Chip Cinna-Mini's

1 tube of crescent roll sheets

cinnamon, for sprinkling

brown sugar, for sprinkling

mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling

2 tbsp melted butter

glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll your crescent roll sheet and re-shape into a rectangle, if needed.  Just pull it into shape; it won't mind at all. 

With a pastry brush, brush on the melted butter, coating VERY well.  Sprinkle a good healthy amount of cinnamon over the butter.  Now sprinkle about a cup of brown sugar over top of the cinnamon and butter.  Using your fingers, schmear it all together, coating the dough sheet well.  Now sprinkle on about a half cup of mini-chocolate chips (or less/more if you like). 

With the long edge facing you, roll up tightly.  Pinch the seam to the dough to seal.  Now using a very sharp serrated knife (I used my bread knife), cut dough into 1 inch slices.   (I think I ended up with 10 slices)  Place about an inch apart on your cookie sheet. 

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving and dipping into the dipping glaze.

Dipping Glaze

1/2 cup of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla (I used vanilla paste so you can see the vanilla bean specks in my picture)

4-5 teaspoons milk

Mix all together.  If too thick, add a splash more of milk to desired consistency. 

Orange Delight Brownies

I wanted to do a really bad orange knock knock joke here but I'll spare you.  I have had this recipe lingering around in my "to make" pile since 2003.  2003, people.  That was the print date on the bottom of this page.  That's crazy to hang onto a recipe that long and not try it.  Boy, was I sure glad when I did because now it's in my keeper file for good.  It's so good, I had to pass it onto you guys.

I am a true blue brownie fanatic.  I've never met one I didn't like so I think when I saw this recipe had NO chocolate in it, I panicked and thought it wouldn't be good or something.  With this searing heat looming in Georgia though, I didn't want a brownie with chocolate chunks that would melt the second I took it outside for dessert on the patio.  This brownie was the perfect answer.  Not quite a blondie, not quite a cake but somewhere in between where happiness and kittens frolic together in Brownieland. 

I was surprised there was no baking soda or powder in it too...but really, the thinness added to the crispy top texture before adding to the super soft, tender and buttery middle.  The orange shines through clean and bright but no overpowering.  And don't skip on the powdered sugar because there is a world of difference if you don't. 

I do think adding white chocolate chips to these would be a great way to make them "Orange Creamcicle Bars".  *HINT*HINT*

Hope you enjoy these...and don't take 8 years to make them like me.  :)

Orange Delight Brownies

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of unsalted butter, softened

4 eggs

2 Tablespoons orange extract

Grated peel of 1 big orange

Preheat your oven to 350.  Grease a 13 x 9 pan and set aside. 

Cream the butter and sugar together till smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition.  Add the salt and flour, mix well then add in your orange peel and extract.  (Add chips if  using)

Bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool entirely and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. 

Yummy Sugar Free Dream Pudding Pie

Hate indoor lighting right now!  lol

Now, I know pudding pies are not anything new to the scene and neither is using Dream Whip but just stick with me a minute.  I started making this pie in a sugar free version for my diabetic boyfriend eons ago and just recently, I made another one for the Army lab here on base.  They have 4 diabetic lab techs there and I had sent a huge cake for a celebration for another solider and I felt bad for those 4 that couldn't indulge with everyone else.  How awful to nosh on a carrot stick when everyone else is eating Death By Chocolate cake?  There is just no comparison.  So I sent it along with the cake and don't you know, the pie was gone FIRST.  When they heard it was sugar free, they went nuts.  We figured it up once and at 21 grams of sugar for the whole entire pie (divide that by 9 slices), that is a relatively low dose of sugar AND its milk sugars and not processed cane sugars, which your body processes differently.  One soldier said "I've tried like every thing sugar free out there but this was the best sugar free dessert I have ever eaten."  

Bubble Puff Pizza

I've never met kid who didn't like pizza until recently when I was babysitting for an Army buddy of my husband's.  I had planned to make this recipe for her since she could help me prepare lunch.  She's 4 and what kid wouldn't love playing with food and sneaking pepperoni slices?  When lunch time rolled around, I told her we'd be making Bubble Puff Pizza, something my mom had made for me and that I had made for my kids when they were little too.  I started pulling out ingredients from the fridge and she's standing there, looking at her feet disheartened.  I said "Oh honey, what's the matter?"  She sheepishly looked up at me and said "I don't like pizza at ALL!"  I was floored.  I thought pizza was a staple in any kid's diet, who knew otherwise?!  So we ate peanut butter sammies and chips.  Oh well.

Dark Chocolate Orange Mousse

Valentine's Day here in Georgia was a beautiful, warm day and for my sweetie, I made him a plate of treats to tempt him.  I bought him the aphrodisiac truffle collection from Vosges Chocolates called Sweet Coquettes.  They had oyster cream chocolates with real pearl dust....not my thing but he's into the exotic stuff so it was right up his ally as a present.  (the Absinthe truffle was a really decadent though)  So what better to spoil him rotten than placing his favorite chocolate candies with his favorite chocolate mousse?  We sat outside on the back deck and enjoyed the Valentine's Day sun rays and ate our treats happily, like little kids, licking every last bit out of our dessert dishes.  We're gluttons, we know.  :P 

Luscious Lemon Ice Cream

Click to enlarge!

I wish I could say I was in the mood for Valentine's Day and have something chocolatey with sprinkles all over but alas, I am not in a lovey dovey mood.  However, I am so ready for spring and sunshine or at least warm rains, not this freezing cold stuff.  I am ready to hear the birds singing and squirrels prancing all over the yard.  I miss green grass and swaying tree branches, heavy with pretty glossy green leaves.  *sigh*  In keeping with that line of thought, lemon ice cream came to mind to add a bit of sparkley happiness to my rather dull, bland life as of late.  Lemon is always cheery and bright.   Just what I needed!

Me vs. Tate's - A Cookie Comparison

There has been much hype about Tate's Cookies as of late on the blogosphere and our store finally received some in stock so I caved and bought a bag of the chocolate chip version.  I was so excited to have found them, I think I actually did a mini-jig in the aisle.  We raced home and while putting items away, I opened the bag for a pre-dinner snack.  I have to say, I am not impressed in the least and I have to wonder if their popularity has more to do with Ina Garten's praise than it does their flavor.  Whether it be Paula Deen or Rachel Ray, whenever a food celebrity touts praise of an item and/or brand, it grows to ridiculous popularity due to zealous fans wanting to be just their televised idols.  I have to think that after tasting a Tate's cookie, this is the issue as well.

Oatmeal Choco-Toffee Muffins & the Georgia Snowstorm

Let me start by saying, I am from the North.  I was born and grew up in Ohio which gets a good amount of snow and ice thanks to the Great Lakes.  I also spent last winter in West Point Military Academy in the Hudson Valley area of New York which gets MOUNTAINS of snow.  We are currently at Ft. Benning, Georgia and last night they called for a snow storm which prompted all kinds of shut downs from schools, offices, and onwards.  You'd think it was a state wide emergency here in our area.  Everyone on the base yesterday was shopping and stocking up.  Every aisle was bare boned from frozen pizzas to ramen noodles, there was nary a box or bag in sight.  We just laughed because if it even RAINS too hard down here, people wig out, can't drive and stay home like shut ins during a hurricane.  But this...lol...was our "BIG" Georgia snowstorm.

Decadent Valrhona Chocolate & Peppermint Candy Ice Cream

Were you left with copious amounts of peppermint candy canes?  I was...and I didn't want to toss them.  Its candy!  You can't pitch perfectly good candy!  I had considered making brownies and putting them on top of a creamy buttercream frosting but blah.  Everyone has done that.  Nah!  I made ice cream.  But not your normal run of the mill ice cream.  Boooooring!  I upped the ante BIG time and made a super zippy pink peppermint ice cream studded with dark chocolate Valrhona pearls.


A few weeks ago I spotted these Valrhona pearls sold bulk at my market.  They are small pellets of crunchy biscuit (think almost a shortbread or the middle of a Twix bar for comparison) covered in layers of shiny dark chocolate.  I didn't know what I'd exactly DO with them but I wanted them.  So they sat taunting me for near two weeks as I pondered what to do with them.  Putting them in a cookie seemed kinda redundant...in a brownie they would just get lost and not noticed....but ice cream seemed the perfect vehicle for my new chocolatey pearls of delight.  And in this recipe in particular they would just be awesome possum.  You'd get the crispy mint from the candy canes, the creamy custard ice cream base and then BOOM!  A crunchy chocolatey bite in every spoonful.  It was madness I tell you!  Madness!

Pancetta Mac & Cheese

I realize there are many, many, MANY mac and cheese recipes out there but how many are party worthy?  Elegant enough to serve company yet still maintain that creamy dreamy comfort factor everyone craves and loves?  This one!  This mac and cheese has an Italian flair that is by far a true show stopper and worthy of any upcoming party table.  From crispy bits of pancetta to the pretty buttery panko topping, this mac has it all!  Even its bite sized oricchette (small ear, in Italian) pasta shape makes it kid appealing even with its "grown up" adult taste.  Everyone loves this and I hope you will too.

Sloppy Joe DiMaggios - for the kid in us all!

If you have super picky husband or the utterly indecisive child who can't make up their minds between hamburgers or hot dogs, then this is a really great option for your dinner table.  Meet the best of both worlds - sloppy joes with hot dogs in a nice, simple homemade sauce that is spicy enough for the hubby yet slightly sweet enough to please the kids too.  I know you're probably like "eww hot dogs in a sloppy joe sammie!?"  Yes, yes indeed.  I too turned my nose up to them, sure I'd be ordering pizza to replace this strange concoction but man, one bite and I was hooked.  Its all about the sauce!  Give it whirl and see if it doesn't replace the canned sloppy joe version at your table.

Rachel Ray really hit the mark with this one.  In the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, I'm all about the quick and easy.  This has been a continual favorite of ours for about two year now and running.  Whenever we can't decide what we want or when we have zero time on our hands, this is the throw together we fall back on every time.  Its easy, its delicious and leaves everyone's bellies warm and happy.

Just a few FYI's - Rachel's version calls for sprinkling shredded cheddar on top but I've found the cheddar slices are much more practical for these but to each their own.  Hers also uses ground beef but ground turkey is just as awesome and I think the turkey really soaks up the sauce flavors.   Oh, and the leftovers make really great nachos oddly!

Sloppy Joe DiMaggios

via Rachel Ray

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds lean ground sirloin or ground turkey

1 package beef or pork hot dogs, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick

1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce

8 cheddar cheese slices

8 hamburger buns

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it apart into small, small bits as it browns. Add chopped hot dogs after 3 to 4 minutes then cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the onions to the pan and cook to soften, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain if you have alot of grease in your skillet.  Return to skillet.  

In a bowl mix the spices, sugar, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over the meat and simmer a few minutes to combine flavors. Place a slice of cheddar on bottom half of bun. Spoon onto buns and serve. (or sprinkle cheddar over top and serve)

Makes 8 REALLY big sammies.

Spiced Up Cranberry Apple Punch - Final Day of our Thanksgiving Spectacular

Today is the last day of my big Thanksgiving Spectacular and I am so glad you stayed tuned in all week long for the many dishes from myself, Thecountrycook and SiggySpice.  I hope some of you were inspired! 

Today's recipe is a fitting drink suitable for any Thanksgiving table.  Not quite wassail, and not quite mulled cider, this is a nice punch for lack of a better term.  Its super easy to do and only takes 20 minutes of simmering time.  Its really good warm, but I like it better cold.  Hubby, of course, likes it steaming hot.  (he thinks you could add a tea bag to make it a spiced cranberry tea - might try that someday)

The flavor, despite having orange and apple in it, is tarty cranberry along with very subtle spice flavors.  Its not overpowering or heady in the least.  My mother used to make wassail every Christmas and I remember that being a very heavy taste, almost too overpowering with clove.  This punch is very light, fruity and tart with just enough warmth from the cinnamon and clove.  Best of all, its non-alcoholic so even the kids can have some! 

Its very pretty served in a tall, long goblet like I have with an orange slice for a garnish but I even thinking sugaring the rim would be nice as well.  And its just as cozy and comforting in a mug.  I am going to try adding some Prosecco at Christmas to this to make it a sparkling adult punch with frozen cranberries floating in the glasses.  I hope you love this punch as much as we do!

Spiced Up Cranberry Apple Punch

4 1/3 cup Cranberry Juice
4 1/3 cup Apple Juice
1 1/4 cup Orange Juice
5 Cloves (whole ones, not ground)
3 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Orange, sliced

Garnish (if desired):  frozen cranberries, cinnamon stick, orange slices, apple slices

Slice your orange into chunky slices.  Place in a medium sized stock pot.  Add sugar and spices.  Carefully pour in the juices.  Bring just to a boil then lower the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Muffins (for MSTK ) & Pumpkin Pop Tarts

Alas, my Photoshop is not working since I tried to install Pioneer Woman's Action packs and I can't find my disk to re-install at the moment so you're getting a raw, untouched look at my goodies today.  /boo

Today is a bonus day!  Not only do you get to see my results for the Military Spouse Test Kitchen group on Facebook but also get to see the Pumpkin PopTarts/hand pies I made with some leftover pumpkin I had in the fridge.  (my hubby went nuts for both!)  Each is super easy to do and crazy flavorful.  I actually found the pumpkin muffins incredibly spicy but still good once you got past the "heat" from all the spices.  I recommended in my results that you add a cream cheese frosting or something to tame it some..and low and behold, the founder of MSTK did just that!  Great minds think alike!  lol  They were really moist, chewy, flavorful and had a wonderful texture.  The fact they went together so easily didn't hurt either!  Its a keeper!  Both muffins and the organic pumpkin hand pies/pop tart knock offs that got gobbled up in 2 days flat.  Military boys...can't keep 'em fed fast enough, I swear.  Dang their metabolism!

I hope you make these!  Just so tasty and perfect flavors for fall!

I added some coarse sugar to the top before baking.

Pumpkin Muffins
Recipe from Army wife Megan C. via MSTK

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. allspice
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla then add in eggs. Combine dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture until just moistened. Stir in pumpkin. (Note: hand mix dry ingredients and mixture of dry/wet ingredients. I once used a mixer to do it all, and they turned out so fluffy that when baked, they kind of puffed out of the muffin tins, lol.) Put cupcake liners in 24 muffin tins; spoon mixture by tbsp. into liners. Bake ~20-25 mins. or until toothpick comes out clean.

To make these even more over the top, sometimes I make a crumbled butter/brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and put it on the top.

-------------------------  NEXT UP --------------------------

I saw on Joy the Baker's site that she made Pumpkin Pie pop tarts with a maple glaze and I drooled.  However, I was not up to making my own dough on that day and opted for Pillsbury pie crust instead.  She did her own filling too, but I had a bit of organic pumpkin pie MIX already in the fridge and since it was pre-spiced, I just rolled with what I had.  Hers also had a maple glaze but when I asked hubby if he wanted that, he said 'no', not to bother.  So instead, I egg washed them and sprinkled some coarse sugar on top and they turned out pretty darn tasty.  So please, if you're feeling uber inspired to make your own dough and have a more authentic product, check out Joy the Baker's post here.  (love her!)

Pumpkin Pie Hand Pies/Pop Tarts
inspired by Joy the Baker, but uber simplified by me

Package of Pillsbury Pie Crusts (2 per pack)
1 cup approx. of pumpkin pie MIX (the pre-spiced stuff)
1 egg white
coarse sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Roll out a pie crust till very thin on a lightly floured surface.  Cut your dough into whatever shapes you want.  (I used my square fluted biscuit cutters but you can use a knife and cut rectangles to be like actual Pop Tarts if you want.  Just make sure they're the same size.)  Repeat with the other pie crust. 

Place a tablespoon of pumpkin pie mix in the center of a pie crust cut out.  Using a pastry brush, brush some egg wash around the edges.  Take another crust cut out and lightly stretch it till its just a tad bit bigger than the bottom crust with the pumpkin on it.  Lightly placed it on top and align it to the bottom crust, gently pressing in place on the egg washed bottom to make a seal.  Take a fork and press along the edges to seal. 

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and repeat with remaining dough and pumpkin mix.  Egg wash the tops of your hand pies and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 25-30 minutes till golden brown on top. 

Cake Batter Ice Cream with Nerds Candy!

Unbelievably, I had not ONE trick or treater this Halloween.  Not one.  And I live in a big city!  I was so sure I'd have tons of tricksters, I bought a whopping amount of candy and now I'm left with three HUGE bowls that are overflowing.  I know I can make the old stand-by's of M&M cookies, or Snickers brownies of course, but what about the odd ball candies like Laffy Taffy and Sweet Tarts?  One of those candies I have staring at me in epic amounts, is Nerds.  If you don't know, Nerds are hard, crunchy candies in weird shapes.  They can be sweet or sour, depending on what flavor you get.  In my assorted bag of candies, I ended up orange and fruit punch flavored Nerds.  I don't know what made me do it, but I thought they'd be good in ice cream. 

I put them in a homemade Cake Batter flavored ice cream and boy, is it GOOD!  And so simple too with only 3 ingredients!  Cake mix, Cool Whip and cream.  Well, and Nerds candy.  The ice cream itself is so creamy, thick and rich.  Some ice creams I've made in my ice cream maker have been kinda "icy" (for lack of a better term), almost like a sherbet but this recipe was textured like the commercial churned ice creams you can buy.  The cake batter addition makes it taste similar to the Birthday Cake flavors you see at the mix-it-up ice cream shops. So fun to bite into those Nerds and not only get a little crunch but also a zinger pop of flavor!  Delicious on all accounts!

Cake Batter Ice Cream with Nerd Candy

1 cup of cake mix (I used a plain vanilla)
1 cup of thawed Cool Whip
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup of Nerd Candy

Mix the cake mix, Cool Whip and cream in a bowl and whisk till smooth.  Chill for at least an hour in the fridge.  Follow your ice cream maker's instructions and churn your ice cream mix for 15 minutes till thick.  Add in the Nerd candy the last 2 minutes of churning.  Place into a covered container and freeze 4 hours+.

Makes 1 pint approximately.

(don't toss out your leftover cake mix...put it in a bag and save it for next time!)

PS:  Tomorrow will post the spicy pumpkin muffins results for Military Test Kitchen. Soo good!

National Chocolate Day

Today is in fact, National Chocolate Day...which is, PRETTY big news in my household.  I was so excited I Googled it, curious as to its origins and then I saw that there is about 3 other National Chocolate days according to this list of "odd holidays".   Which is fairly cool with me since my contribution to celebrate National Chocolate Day flopped and turned into hockey pucks I think I need to send to my friend in Canada to toss around on the ice with his hockey team mates.

I had intended to make Chewy Chocolate Chunk cookies that my husband's ex-coworker had shared with me about two years ago.  I was so excited she shared her recipe with me since her cookies could be the absolute cure for PMS symptoms because they're so loaded with chocolatey goodness.  That being said, I should add that I am so completely fond of Crisco Butter Flavored shortening for my cookies.  Her recipe said butter and apparently I should have followed her recipe exact because mine turned out into hard, crispy buttons of chocolate as where hers spread into palm sized, perfectly thin and chewy cookies riddled with molten chunks of gooey chocolate.  Hers were delightful...mine were better donated to the NHL for practice pucks.

Moving on then...Good thing I had a spare recipe to share on deck, eh?!  Sitting on my buffet was the most perfect pan of chewy chocolate chip cookie bars.  Thick, chewy in the middle, crispy & flakey on top...perfectly dimpled with chocolate chips and toffee chips....H E A V EN in a pan.  They come together lickey split quick and one bowl for cleanup.  Too easy!  Did I mention I like Crisco butter flavored sticks?  Yeah, because this recipe came from the Crisco site and I just added in some toffee chips because...well...who doesn't need some toffee chips?  LMAO  So whether your National Chocolate Day is today or another celebrated day...I hope you enjoy these cookie bars.  I know we're plowing through them like there is no tomorrow.  Enjoy ya'll!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Squares
from Crisco.com

• Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 2 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Crisco® Butter Shortening, melted
• OR 1/2 stick Crisco® Butter Shortening Sticks, melted
• 2 cups Pillsbury BEST® Self Rising Flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

HEAT oven to 325ºF. Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

COMBINE brown sugar and shortening in large bowl; beat at low speed until well blended.  ADD flour; add eggs and vanilla. Beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans by hand. Press into prepared pan.  (wetting your fingers helps with this)

BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack. Cut into 1 1/2 x 1 1/2-inch squares.

Breadstick Pizza Dough!

I try to steer away from posting every day meals like gourmet burgers or sammies unless they are particularly good or have some kind of spin on them.  Pizza is much in that category as there are 500,000 recipes out there for any kind of pizza you can imagine.  However, this is an exception.  This recipe is actually a breadstick recipe shared by my friend Siggy Spice.  The breadsticks alone are of such addictive quality you could easily just eat them plain...they are truly THAT good and flavorful.  I made these breadsticks last week and my husband, while shoveling in his 8th breadstick says "I bet this would make a good pizza."  And the light bulb went off in my head that I knew I was going to make pizza dough from this recipe one way, shape or form.

Let me tell you about this recipe first though.  It comes together really super quick using rapid rise yeast.  Yes, I know...you hate yeast.  We all have our woes regarding yeast but this is a really good exception.  The rise is only 30 minutes.  For fresh, hot bread that's chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside....that 30 minutes is nothing.  Shred your cheese, chop your toppings...do whatever you want for 30 minutes then come back to it.  No hot towels, no oily bowl either.  Roll it out, plop and stretch it on your pan and walk away for 30 minutes.  Its really just that simple.  My old recipe for pizza dough required overnight rising in the fridge so this - yeah, this is now my go to pizza crust hands down.

You can see Siggy's original recipe here on her blog.  Try making those too!  *DELICIOUS* in every sense of the word.  But try my variation as a pizza dough...sure to please!   The only real change I made was I instead of an herb blend and garlic salt, I used McCormick's Garlic Bread Sprinkle which is a blend of romano, herbs, salt, garlic and all sorts of goodies.  After the pan rise, I brushed olive oil on the dough and sprinkled heavily with the garlic bread sprinkle.  Then I added tomato sauce, then the toppings of hand cut pepperoni and fresh mozzarella/provolone and a heavy sprinkle of Parm-Reg cheese.

The crust was perfectly medium thick (think Pizza Hut hand tossed as a measure of thickness), chewy inside, crispy on the bottom and edges.  See my picture below to see the edges and the inside of the crust.  Sooo good!  Hope you try it out!  (forgive my double cheese, oily pizza...that's how we like it!  Drippy, gooey and super cheesy lightly browned on top!)

Breadstick Pizza Dough

Adapted from Siggy Spice's Recipe

• 1-½ cups warm water
• 1 TBSP instant (rapid rise) yeast from a jar
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 3-½ cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2-4 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• McCormick's Garlic Bread Sprinkle

Mix together water, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1-2 TBSP olive oil (just enough to coat) onto the bottom of a 16"x14" cookie sheet.  Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and large enough to fit onto baking sheet.  Place whole sheet of dough on baking sheet, stretching and pressing into shape then brush 1-2 TBSP olive oil over top of dough making sure it is all lightly covered.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap, sprinkle garlic salt and herbs of choice over top of olive oil.  Add tomato/pizza sauce and toppings.  Place in preheated oven and allow to bake for 25-30 minutes until cheesy is bubbly and browned slightly.

Rice Krispie Chicken ~ Retro Throwback!

I know this has been around forever but when my friend Siggy Spice and my very own hubby hadn't heard of Rice Krispie chicken, I knew I had to make it and blog about it because maybe lots of other people were missing out on one of my perennial childhood favorites.  My mom used to make this ALL the frikkin' time with corn, mashed potatoes and gravy and biscuits...usually on a Sunday too.  What kid could resist a meal made out of Rice Krispies?!  You say the words and their little ears just perk up!  Mom's version was okay (although kinda bland now in retrospect) but I always loved that it had a bit of "crunchy pop" to it when you bit into it.  There's really nothing overly special about it or hard to do but I'm telling ya - it produces one juicy, tender, delicious chicken from baking, not frying!

There are 500 versions of this out there floating around too.  Some have mayonnaise as a "glue" to hold on the cereal and spices but I do mine the old fashioned way with melted butter, just like my mom did.  My mom's only had pepper, salt and maybe garlic powder in it for flavor but mine has changed over the years and I flip it around depending on my mood.  You can use a dry ranch season packet or mix your own blend of spices. All I really used for this one is Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning since it has the garlic, salt, peppers, onion, orange peel and all that in there already. 

Btw...these make EXCELLENT chicken fingers/nuggets too.   Same process but just use cut up boneless chicken breasts.  Get your kids to help crush the Rice Krispies...that's the best part :)

Rice Krispie Chicken

• 2 pounds of chicken parts (I did 2 skin on chicken breasts and the rest in drummies and wings)
• 1 stick of butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 3 cups of Rice Krispies 
• 1/4 cup corn starch  (or flour if you don't have)
• 3-4 Tbsp Montreal Chicken Seasoning (or your choice of herbs or ranch packet)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  Set aside.

Take a gallon sized baggie and add the Rice Krispies.  Use your rolling pin or the side of a can to crush them up.  (Don't pulverize them...you want some pieces left to give it that crunchy coating)  Open up your baggie and add your choice of seasoning and the cornstarch.  Zip up and shake well to combine.  Set aside.  (you can also do this part in a bowl.  Baggie just easier clean up for me.)


Rinse and pat dry your chicken.  Then dip in the cooled but melted butter one by one and then add to the Rice Krispie bag.  Shake like crazy to coat the whole piece of chicken well.  Place on the baking sheet and repeat using all the chicken parts.  (If you have some parts that don't have enough krispies for you, dip your finger in butter and smear on the chicken then pat some of the rice krispies on top.)  Take the leftover butter and drizzle over the pieces of chicken.  

Bake for 30-45 minutes.  You want them golden brown and juices running clear from the breast meat.