Two Ingredient Fruit Dip (A 60 Second Recipe)

How can such an incredibly simple recipe be so fantastically good? I absolutely love this fruit dip! I got the recipe from my sister whom got it from her mother in law whom got if from I don't know where. Basically what I'm saying is this recipe is not my creation, so if you know who came up with it please let me know because I would love to credit them. They seriously came up with something genius. This recipe literally can be made, ready for dipping in 60 seconds. It doesn't get much easier than that. It's creamy, fluffy, sweet and oh so delicious. It will have you doing the finger swipe to any remaining streaks straggling behind in the bowl. If there's any left the next day (which is very very rare) I always want to eat it for breakfast, well it is served with fruit after all so that's healthy right =)? Enjoy! Oh and if anyone tries this with honey or blueberry cream cheese please let me know if you like it, I've always wanted to try a different flavor but am too comfortable with the yummy strawberry version to try something new.

Two Ingredient Fruit Dip (A 60 Second Recipe)


Ingredients:
8 oz strawberry cream cheese, at room temperature
7 oz marshmallow creme


Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, using a fork, whisk together strawberry cream cheese and marshmallow cream until well combine. Serve with fruit for dipping (my favorites are strawberries, apple slices, blueberries or diced pineapple. This is also delicious with mini pretzels). Store in refrigerator up to three days, stir again before serving.

Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

Are you looking for a wowing and simple grilling recipe for the upcoming 4th of July celebrations? Well, I'm quite certain you've found just what you are looking for. This grilled chicken smothered in a homemade Balsamic Barbecue Sauce simply said, is incredible! It is definitely up there with my favorite grilled chicken recipes. You get a tender chicken breast grilled to perfection that's basted with a flavorful, tangy, not overly sweet sauce that will have you coming back for more. I'd say this recipe is one you most definitely are going to want to try. Don't be scared by the long list of ingredients in the sauce, most of them are pantry staples that you likely already have on hand. I hope you enjoy and have a great 4th of July! 


Grilled Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce
Yields about 6 servings


Ingredients:
6 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (thighs would work great too)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive Oil for brushing grill
1 Recipe Balsamic Barbecue Sauce, recipe follows


Directions:
Preheat grill to medium high heat. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and somewhat gently pound chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet to an even thickness (you just don't want to destroy the chicken, that's why I say somewhat gently).  Season each side of chicken breast with salt and pepper. Brush grill lightly with olive oil. Place chicken on grill and cook (with lid closed) 5 - 8 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Baste chicken generously with Balsamic Barbecue Sauce during the last few minutes of grilling (if you want sauce for dipping reserve some of the sauce in a separate container so you aren't contaminating sauce while basting chicken, or alternately you could heat remaining barbecue sauce over stove top to kill bacteria). Serve warm.


Balsamic Barbecue Sauce
Yields about 1 1/2 cups


Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 tsp liquid smoke, hickory flavor
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Stir in remaining ingredients then heat mixture just to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and slightly reduced. Remove from heat, allow to cool and store in a non-reactive, airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week.


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites

It's good to be home and back in the kitchen! Vacation to Cali was fun but oh how I missed my kitchen and the cooking and the baking =). Call my crazy but the kitchen is one of my favorite places to be. The possibilities of what you can create are endless. It was fun to try new restaurants while vacationing but there's nothing quite like a delicious home cooked meal prepared exactly as you wish. 

Anyway onto what's important here - these, melt in your mouth, sweetly spiced, Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookie dough bites. Quite the name eh? I mentioned a while back how I've become obsessed with cookie dough, well it was no lie. That love led me to create these. I've seen Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookies in the past but why not just make them as cookie dough bites without baking? With these you get less mess, less waiting yet still one indulgent, chewy (thanks to that yummo rolo) cookie dough bite. Simply said, they're Fantastic!

Note, if you don't want to indulge as much these bites are also delicious without Rolos stuffed in them. So if you are wanting to make them right away but don't have Rolos on hand I'd say just try them next time with the Rolos. Enjoy!

Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites
Yields about 28


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 


28 Rolo candies
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon


Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cream of tartar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients and mix until combine. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp granulated sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon. Scoop dough out 1 (even) TBSP at a time, then press one Rolo candie into the center of scooped dough and roll into a ball. Roll each dough ball into cinnamon sugar mixture. Chill or serve immediately. Store Cookie Dough Bites in refrigerator. 


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy (adapted slightly from my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites)

Blueberry Crumb Bars

Smitten Kitchen in my opinion should be known as one of the greatest food blogs ever. Not only are Deb's (the Genius behind Smitten Kitchen) recipes amazing but her photos are equally amazing. To say they are drool worthy would be speaking lightly. I love how you can always tell each photo is hers, she has her own unique style. Also, she has a way with instantly selling me. I always wish I was holding in my hand, ready to blissfully dive into whatever it is she posts. The Blueberry Crumb Bars she posted looked simple yet ever so stunning. I've had them on my to do list for about a year now. Why I waited this long I can never tell you. These things are unbelievable! A dessert so good you will nearly be at a loss for words when describing it's goodness. Yet, I will attempt. 

You get a melt in your mouth, buttery and tender shortbread, layered with fresh, sweet, juicy blueberries and then it's sprinkled with more of that delicious, buttery cookie goodness (then here is where my addition came in to play), and finally it's sprinkled with one of my very favorite things, Raw sugar. So, with that said, how could these not be simply fantastic? 

I did add some vanilla extract into the recipe to amp up the flavor of the dough just a bit, I think it compliments the blueberry perfectly. The original recipe, from allrecipes.com listed you could optionally add a pinch of cinnamon, so feel free to add that as well.

I am so in love with these bars because my favorite part of a blueberry muffin is the crumb topping (as well as the blueberries) and basically that is what these are. The crumb topping of a muffin with blueberries sandwiched in the middle. So, yes indeed, these are one of the best things I've ever eaten. These should definitely hold a spot on the Food Networks "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and I should definitely be doing the spot lighting haha just joking but that would be awesome =). Enjoy these ever so dreamy Blueberry Crumb Bars! I know I did.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Yields 9-12 bars (this recipe is half the original recipe)


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups fresh blueberries, at room temperature
1 1/2 Tbsp Raw Turbinado sugar


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8x8 baking dish, set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolk and vanilla until combine. Add egg mixture and cold butter cubes to flour mixture and using a fork or a pastry cutter (or even your fingertips), cut mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Gently press 2/3 of the mixture evenly into prepared 8x8 dish. 
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp cornstarch. Stir in lemon juice then add blueberries. Toss mixture to evenly coat then pour and spread coated blueberries evenly over crust in baking dish. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over berry layer (I pressed some of the mixture together in my hands while sprinkling to make larger crumbs). Sprinkle 1 1/2 Tbsp Raw Turbinado sugar evenly over top. Bake in preheated oven for about 38 - 42 minutes until top is golden brown. Allow to cool for about 20 - 30 minutes before cutting into squares (or serve warm with vanilla ice cream, yum). Store bars in an airtight container in refrigerator (Note: I tried these cold, straight out of the refrigerator and I preferred them warm vs cold. Just a personal preference. I would say if you like cold berry pie then you would like cold bars but I like my berry pies warm so I loved these bars warm. So, with that said, when I would eat one I would heat in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds to rewarm it first).


Recipe Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen and allrecipes.com

Banana Berry Frozen Yogurt

Ice Cream so healthy it can be called a nutritious (and so delicious) breakfast! Yes indeed. Officially this is Frozen Yogurt but I'd say it's good enough to be called and compared to Ice Cream. I was amazed with how well this turned out considering I didn't add any cane sugar (other than that of the sugars in the Greek yogurt) and also considering how incredibly simple it was to make. I've mentioned before I like to have dessert every day, so I've decided maybe I should start making some of them a bit healthier (just once in a while =) and more figure friendly. In my opinion this does make an amazing breakfast, I honestly felt great about serving it to my kids for breakfast. After one bite my three year old said "Mom, I need two Ice Creams." One just wasn't going to cut it. This is definitely kid approved. I wish I always had these ingredients on hand so I could have this for breakfast or dessert everyday. Enjoy!

 I made the swirls using a chop stick (in case you were wondering), I wanted it to be like the soft serve frozen yogurt you get at the ice cream shop but I don't have the soft serve machine to do the swirling so I had to improvise.

Banana Berry Frozen Yogurt
Yields about 4 servings


Ingredients:
3 (5.3 oz) containers Strawberry Greek Yogurt
3 large overripe bananas, chilled
1 cup fresh blueberries, chilled 
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2-3 drops red food coloring, if desired


Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend mixture until smooth, about 1 - 2 minutes. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufactures directions about 25 - 30 minutes. Serve immediately for soft serve frozen yogurt or freeze for about 3 hours for firm frozen yogurt (also, if you like it soft but don't want to eat it immediately you can freeze it until ready to use, then thaw for about 10 - 20 minutes on the counter top and stir).


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Hawaiian Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I'm loving the Hawaiian flavors lately. I made Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches a few days ago (which were amazing if I do say so myself =) and I had some left over fresh pineapple so I thought, why not make another Hawaiian inspired dish. These sandwiches are packed with the flavors of the Islands. I tried to think of all foods that remind me of Hawaii when making this recipe (even though sadly I've never been there, what is up with that??). Of course I thought of Hawaiian Pizza, one of my favorites with it's ham and pineapple combo. Then I'd say the first type of nut I think of when I think of Hawaii is Macadamia, and can you have a chicken salad sandwich without some kind of nut? Also, I wanted to add a bit of sweetness to the dressing (but don't worry it's not overly sweet) so I added in the honey and pineapple juice. I don't like a really thick dressing over my chicken salad but if you do you could omit the pineapple juice and add a few more tablespoons of the mayo or some Greek yogurt. I hope you love these delicious Island inspired sandwiches! May they make you feel as though you are vacationing in Hawaii. Enjoy!

Hawaiian Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Yields about 5-6 servings


Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs cooked chicken breast, chilled and shredded
8 oz cooked ham, chilled and diced
1 1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple (canned would work too, but drain well)
1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
2/3 cup chopped Macadamia nuts or Cashews
2 Tbsp chopped green onions


Dressing:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 Tbsp honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, toss together shredded chicken, diced ham, pineapple, celery, nuts and green onions. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, pineapple juice, honey, apple cider vinegar, onion powder and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over chicken mixture. Toss to evenly coat. Serve on Crusty Rustic Bread, Hawaiian Sweet Bread or whatever bread, roll or croissant you'd like.


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Doughnut Pancakes with Doughnut Glaze Syrup

Yes. Yes, yes, yes! Doughnuts collide with pancakes to make one unbelievable breakfast (or dessert)! If you want to show someone how amazing you think they are, say for the up coming Father's Day or a birthday then these are a great way to express your love and appreciation for that special someone =). I know I'd feel pretty awesome getting these for breakfast in bed on my Birthday. I'm always trying to think of new recipes, new food ideas and things out of the ordinary. This is a result of one of those random thoughts. I love to create new recipes, you could probably say I'm addicted. It's hard to keep me out of the kitchen basically. These are one of the funnest recipes I think I've made. Who doesn't love a sweet, tender doughnut or a fluffy stack of pancakes? Everyone who tried these thought they were delicious, and the kids faces lit up with utter excitement just upon seeing them. These taste just like cake doughnuts and pancakes in one. They're fluffy, perfectly sweet and melt in your mouth delicious. Can I eat these for every meal =)? Enjoy and share!

Doughnut Pancakes
Yields 10-12 (4-5 inch) pancakes


Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp applesauce
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil, for brushing griddle
1 recipe Doughnut Glaze Syrup


Directions:
Preheat an non-stick electric griddle to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, applesauce and granulated sugar until well blended. Add in dry ingredients and mix until combine (batter should be slightly lumpy, don't over-mix). Pour half of the batter into a sandwich size ziploc bag and seal bag (I tried pouring all of it into a large ziploc and just found it was easier to work in two smaller batches). Brush preheated griddle generously with vegetable oil (I used a silicone baster and brushed the areas where the pancake batter would be poured. The vegetable oil is an important part of the "fried" doughnut flavor so that's why I stated "generously"). Cut about a 1 inch corner off the ziploc bag (while holding it with the tip pointing upward so the batter doesn't pour right out), then carefully pipe doughnut shapes onto oiled griddle*. Cook pancake until golden on bottom, then lift pancake with a spatula and brush griddle again with vegetable oil then carefully flip to opposite side. Cook opposite side until golden. Repeat process with remaining batter. Serve Doughnut Pancakes warm, with Doughnut Glaze Syrup and sprinkles of course =).


*note: the first one will probably be a practice pancake, the second should look better once you get the feel for it. The batter will spread slightly as it cooks so keep that in mind when judging how large you keep the hole in the center of the circle. Also, after piping each pancake, return bag with the cut opening facing upright so batter doesn't continue to pour out. If you find it too difficult to get the shape you want you could just ladle (and slightly spread the batter so the centers aren't thicker) onto the griddle and do normal shaped pancakes then use a small circle cookie/fondant cutter and cut a circle through the center of the pancake after it's been cooked.


Doughnut Glaze Syrup


Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Directions:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, stir in powdered sugar, salt and milk. Whisk until sugar has dissolved completely then stir in baking soda and whisk for about 30 seconds until frothy. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm over Doughnut Pancakes. Store in refrigerator up to one week.

Cornbread Muffins (Lightened Up But the Best Ever)

I'm a huge fan of anything that is able to be lightened up that can actually outdo its less healthy, original opponent. This muffin is just that! It is my favorite cornbread, EVER! I adapted it from my Lightened Up Cornbread Recipe. I made these because I needed a shorter cooking time than that of the 8x8 pan version since dinner was close to being done, so I thought muffins would be perfect. Any version of this, muffin or cornbread will disappear in a flash. 
I say these are lightened up because your average cornbread uses a whole stick of butter, with this recipe I use some applesauce as a source of moisture therefore requiring less butter. These are my idea of the most moist and tasty cornbread muffins ever! Then when they are topped off with freshly whipped honey butter, awww my mouth is watering. If you are lucky enough to have any leftover after dinner they make an excellent breakfast the next morning. That's one thing I love about these muffins, they are a perfect side dish to dinner, a great breakfast and even an amazing dessert. They have just the right amount of sweetness. They are making me crave a good Southern Ham meal with some of my Mom's perfect mashed potatoes with ham gravy, mmmm. Good luck stopping at just one muffin, I never can =).

Cornbread Muffins
Yields 18-19 muffins


Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 recipe Whipped Honey Butter, recipe follows


Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal and buttermilk until well blended, allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.  Add applesauce, melted butter, honey and sugar to cornmeal mixture and whisk until well combine.  Mix in eggs.  Stir in dry ingredients and whisk just until combine and no longer lumpy. Divide mixture evenly among 18-19 paper lined muffin cups filling each one 2/3 full. Bake in preheat oven for 13-16 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool completely if "frosting" with whipped honey butter, or serve warm slathered with whipped honey butter (melty and drippy delicious mmm).


Whipped Honey Butter

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer, whip together all ingredients until light and fluffy about 2 minutes.



Recipe Source: Cooking Classy (from my Lightened Up Cornbread)

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches (Slow Cooker Recipe)

This should be called "The Sandwich of Summer." I made this recipe because I love pulled pork so much so I wanted something similar but entirely its own. Basically I wanted something delicious, out of the ordinary that will make people say "wow." Of course I made it a slow cooker recipe because that's what I love and that's what everyone else seems to love. This Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich is bursting with the flavors of the islands (especially when served along with fresh, glazed/grilled pineapple). It inspires me to want to host a luau party in my backyard. 
Don't be scared by the long list of ingredients, most of them, if not all of them, you probably already have in your fridge and cupboard. If you are looking to try a new dish that is enticingly delicious and fully amazing your going to want to try this sandwich! Share and enjoy!

Serve it with or without green onions (I liked it with):

Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Yields about 6 sandwiches


Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup pineapple juice (apple juice could be substituted)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 tsp molasses
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper, to taste


1 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp tomato paste


Directions:
Place chicken in a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, whisk together ketchup, pineapple juice, low sodium soy sauce, honey, molasses, liquid smoke, coconut extract, ginger, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Pour sauce over chicken in slow cooker, cover with lid and cook on low heat for 5 - 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker, shred and set aside. In a medium saucepan, whisk together cold water and cornstarch, pour in sauce from slow cooker and add tomato paste. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently, then reduce heat and simmer 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until thickened. Return chicken to slow cooker (or the mixing bowl) and pour sauce over chicken, toss to evenly coat. Serve warm on hamburger buns, along with optional glazed or grilled pineapple and optional diced green onions (grilled red onions would be good too). 


I served with glazed pineapple and this is how I did it:


Glazed Pineapple


6 fresh pineapple rings (cut about 1/2" thick)
4 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
1 Tbsp butter, divided


Working in 2 separate batches, melt 1 Tbsp butter in a 10 inch non-stick skillet. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp brown sugar among one side of 3 pineapple rings (about 1 tsp per each), add pineapple to skillet (brown sugar side down) and saute over medium high heat until golden on bottom about 3 minutes. Sprinkle another 1 Tbsp over the tops of pineapple rings in pan (again 1 tsp per each), then flip and cook opposite side until lightly browned about 3 minutes. Repeat this process with remaining 3 pineapple rings.


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

I'm officially in love. A giant size chocolate chip cookie, YES! And the whole thing is just for me, YES! Hands off =). This thing is out of this world good, especially when it's served warm with a creamy scoop of ice cream and drizzled with silky caramel and fudge sauce. Words don't describe it's goodness. The recipe I used is My Favorite Chocolate Cookies, the only things I changed were using softened butter instead of chilled since I was making one big huge cookie I thought I'd give it a head start so it wouldn't be too gooey in the middle, and the cooking method was the other obvious change. 
I think I will be making this just as often as I make the individual chocolate chip cookies, yes it is just that good! Warm, chocolaty and decadent with a hint of creaminess (thanks to the coffee creamer powder). This is cookie heaven. If you want to indulge a little more serve it with ice cream and chocolate or caramel sauce. 
In the unlikely event that there's any left after several hours or the next day you can even reheat one of the wedges in the microwave (obviously not in the skillet, on a microwave safe dish and I'd recommend about 10-20 seconds on HIGH power) then top it with ice cream, 
because a skillet cookie is meant to be eaten warm. Enjoy!
PS I think this would make an excellent gift. I was thinking how I would love to get one of these for Christmas. Many people do cookie swaps around the holidays, and seriously would this not be the coolest one ever to get =)? If you know someone feeling down, cheer them up with a giant cookie. I know it would cheer me up when down!

 Not sure why I wanted to do two different pics, I wanted to use my new antique wood prop and test out some recycled packaging paper I guess.

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie
Yields 1 ginormous cookie, about 8 -10 servings


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup minus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp molasses*
2 1/2 Tbsp original or french vanilla coffee creamer powder
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste, or substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, granulated sugar, molasses and coffee creamer powder until mixture becomes pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla bean paste. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Stir in milk chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you want it to look fancier, I set aside 2 Tbsp of the chocolate chips and after spreading the dough into the skillet, I sprinkled the 2 Tbsp that were set aside over the top then gently pressed them into the dough. I don't like when the chocolate chips don't show through enough). Butter a 10 inch cast-iron skillet (I just buttered by rubbing the pan with a chilled stick of butter). Spread cookie dough into an even layer in the skillet. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden (note: the cookie will continue to cook slightly once removed from oven so judge accordingly). Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before cutting into slices. Alternately, allow to cool for about 5 minutes and dive into it warm right from the skillet, topped with ice cream drizzled with hot fudge and caramel sauce (that's what I did, warm with cookie dough ice cream, hot fudge and caramel sauce, inexpressibly delicious!).


*if you don't have molasses, alternately you can use 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar in place of 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. So, you would be using 1/2 cup light brown sugar and 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar.


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

German Pancakes

A great thing happened today, I made a German Pancake for the very first time! I can't believe with everything I've baked in my life that I've never made a German Pancake until now. I think I was just so in love with my traditional buttermilk pancakes that it was hard for me to want to step out of that comfort zone and try something different. I'm so glad I finally did!  German Pancakes are incredibly simple and they taste amazing to say the least. If you've never had one before, I'd say the best comparison would be french toast meets pancakes meets crepes. So really how could they not be good? I make breakfast a LOT in my home (probably more often for dinner than an actual breakfast meal) so I'm incredibly excited to have come across such a simple and delicious breakfast recipe. I can't wait to make my own versions and try so many different toppings. Endless possibilities. 

German Pancake
Yields about 2 servings

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp butter, chilled*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs until well blended. Add in flour, sugar and salt and whisk until smooth. Add in milk and vanilla and whisk until combine. Place butter in a large cast-iron skillet and place skillet in oven and allow butter to melt completely. Working quickly, remove pan from oven and slightly tilt pan to evenly distribute butter across the bottom of the pan (not edges). Pour batter into hot skillet and return to oven. Bake 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cut into 4 - 6 pieces (I just used a pizza cutter) and serve warm with Vanilla Cream Syrup, maple syrup, honey, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, jam, fresh fruit, or fruit syrup (this blueberry syrup is excellent).

*I put chilled because I think an important part of making a German Pancake is pouring the batter right into a hot skillet and if your butter is chilled it should take it about 5 minutes to melt in the skillet in the oven allowing the skillet 5 minutes to become hot.

Recipe Source: adapted from Real Simple

Chicken Posole

This is one of my all time favorite soup recipes! I got the recipe from my sister a few years ago. Thanks for the recipe sista =)! I changed it up quite a bit to add more flavor. Before it didn't have any spices or green onions, the chicken wasn't grilled and it wasn't served with avocados. Sometimes if I don't have fresh tomatoes I will also use canned but if you use canned I would say omit the sugar (I added sugar to tone down the acidity of the fresh tomatoes). This soup is hearty, healthy, loaded with fresh goodness and full of exciting flavors (and heat if you prefer). This soup isn't your traditional Posole. It's very similar to chicken tortilla soup but with added cabbage and hominy. If you like Mexican food you will love this soup!

Chicken Posole

Yields about 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and shredded*

1.25 lb Roma tomatoes (about 5)

1/2 large yellow onion

2 green onions

3 cloves garlic

1-5 jalapenos, to taste**

1/3 cup cilantro 

6 cups chicken broth (you can add an additional 2 cups if desired)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 (29 oz) can Mexican Style hominy (don't drain)

Serve with:

chopped cabbage (cut to about 1/2"- 1" pieces)

lime wedges

shredded Monterrey or Cheddar cheese

sour cream

chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

diced avocados (don't ask me why but I totally forgot to add these when I took the pics)

tortilla chips

Directions:

Dice tomtatoes, yellow onion, green onions, garlic and jalepenos into chunks then toss into food processor along with 1/3 cup cilantro. Pulse until everything is chopped into very small pieces (you may need to do this in batches depending on how much your food processor can fit, alternately you can chop these all up by hand which is what I would do before I got a processor). Pour mixture into a large saucepan, add in chicken broth, chili powder, sugar, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes (or up to 1 hour). Add in hominy and grilled, shredded chicken and cook a few minutes until heated through. To serve: place a handful of chopped cabbage in serving bowl, squeeze juice of one lime wedge over cabbage, laddle soup over cabbage, top with grated cheese, diced avocados, sour cream, optional cilantro and serve warm with tortilla chips (I like to dip some chips and crush some into the soup).

*for the chicken I baste them lightly with extra virgin olive oil then season them lightly with taco seasoning (here is a good recipe, I omit the red pepper flakes and substitute cayenne pepper) before grilling. But do it however your prefer. 

**add these according to desired heat preference. To me these are the highlight of the soup and I love things HOT so I usually add about 5. If you don't like a lot of heat I'd recommend going with a lesser amount and maybe even removing the seeds from the jalapenos. So add with caution based on how much heat you like.


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip (3 Ingredient 3 Minute Recipe)

Cheesecake, caramel, apples - love all the above so why not put them all together? I wanted a simple dip for my apple one day and caramel apples are one of my favorite desserts, as is cheesecake, so I thought I may as well combine them all into one quick and ridiculously easy dip. To say this dip is good is speaking much too lightly. I'm totally in love with it! It makes a great last minute treat for a party because, really it can be made in just a few minutes (and if you have an apple slicer things are almost too easy to be true). Serve it with your favorite kind of apples (I think it would also be delicious with bananas and maybe a drizzling of chocolate mmm) and enjoy! 

Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip
Yields enough for a small crowd (half a recipe would be enough for about 5 people)

Ingredients:
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, chilled
1 cup caramel ice cream topping, chilled (I used Hershey's in the glass jar)
1 store bought graham cracker pie crust, crumbled

Directions:
Place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth and fluffy for about 1 minute. Stir in caramel ice cream topping. Break graham cracker pie crust into pieces and place pieces in a ziploc bag, then seal bag and using a rolling pin crush graham cracker crust pieces until finely broken (there should no longer be chunks). Serve with apple slices. Dip apple slices into caramel cheesecake dip then into broken graham cracker crust. Store cheesecake dip in refrigerator up to one week.

Note: this dip is also delicious with a bit of cinnamon (about 1/4 tsp) and a few dashes of nutmeg mixed in.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets that are still perfectly golden, full of flavor and deliciously crisp without being fried, say what!? These chicken nuggets are utterly amazing. They are the best chicken nuggets I've ever had, and I couldn't believe they were healthy! I love how healthier things can actually taste better than their less healthy opponent. This recipe is true proof of that. This is another Pinterest find (I did change up a few things), it is one of my new favorite recipes. It's quick, it's incredibly easy and it's a crowd pleaser. Chicken nuggets aren't just for kids, adults and kids alike will immediately fall in love with these baked chicken nuggets after just one bite. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets
Yields about 2 - 3 servings


Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 medium), diced into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, white or wheat (I used white)
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese*
1/2 tsp dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive Oil Spray


Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a shallow 13 x 9 baking dish (I used a small cookie sheet) generously with olive oil spray. Pour 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil into a small mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together Italian seasoned bread crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces into olive oil and toss chicken to evenly coat. Drop oil coated chicken, working with about 5 pieces at a time, into bread crumb mixture and coat each side (I kind of pressed the pieces into the bread crumbs to get more to stick). Place all of the coated chicken pieces onto oil coated baking sheet then sprinkle remaining bread crumb mixture over chicken pieces. Spray top of chicken pieces with olive oil spray. Bake in center of preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove from oven, rotate chicken pieces to opposite side and bake an additional 5 minutes (I moved the oven rack up a few and broiled mine during the last about 1.5 minutes to get a more golden crust, if doing this DO NOT walk away from the oven, keep a very close eye on it). Serve warm with ketchup, barbecue sauce or honey mustard for dipping, if desired. 


*this is one recipe I pulled out the Kraft pre-grated Parmesan cheese in the shaker bottle. Just be sure to break up any clumps before whisking it in. They add an ingredient to keep the cheese from caking but mine always ends up caking together into little clumps anyway. You could use freshly grated Parmesan as well. Update 6/7/12: someone mentioned in a comment below that the freshly grated Parmesan was better than the pre-grated Parmesan, I trust that opinion because fresh is always better but if you're in a rush the pre-grated powdered stuff works okay too.


Recipe Source: adapted from skinnytaste.com