Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Caramel Sauce

What do you get when you combine oats, pumpkin, caramel, and walnuts along with some sweet spices? You get a nutritious and incredible breakfast with three, yes three Superfoods (some may say four if you count the cinnamon)! And the best part, it tastes like pie. I will admit there is quite a bit of sugar in this recipe but if it didn't have it just wouldn't be near as good. At least it has a lot less than the real thing =). 
Many of us are always labeling recipes with "Christmas morning breakfast," well what about Thanksgiving or even Halloween breakfast? The other holidays should have their own fancy breakfasts too, and I think this would make the perfect fit. 
Indulge a little and be sure to get a drizzling of the caramel sauce with every bite. In my opinion a pumpkin pie shouldn't be left without some kind of caramel sauce or dulce de leche, to me they are just meant to go together. That's why I would say don't omit the caramel sauce, it's a must. It's the highlight of this recipe. Enjoy and indulge in the flavors of fall!

 ...like I said, every bite needs a little bit of caramel sauce

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal with Caramel Sauce
Yields 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk*
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp light-brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon 
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch ginger
1 dash salt
1 - 2 Tbsp caramel sauce or caramel ice cream topping
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Directions:
In a large microwave safe bowl, whisk together oats, milk, buttermilk, pumpkin puree, light-brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Microwave mixture on HIGH power for 3 1/2 minutes, then allow oatmeal to rest a few minutes (for a thinner consistency, if desired, pour in additional milk or you could use half and half). Drizzle oatmeal with caramel sauce and sprinkle with optional chopped nuts. Serve warm.

*or an additional 1/4 cup milk plus 3/4 tsp lemon juice

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Soup

I didn't know traditional creamy potato soup could get any better! I love a warm bowl of homestyle potato soup, which is why I decided to give it an upgrade. I grew up eating a lot of meat and potato meals. I don't think my mom ever missed a Sunday dinner of roast beef and mashed potatoes (and NEVER the instant potatoes, I didn't even know they existed growing up). So, basically potatoes are one food I could never part with. One of my favorite dinner sides is Twice Baked Potatoes. 
The inspiration for this soup came from those incredibly delicious Twice Baked Potatoes, those dreamy, creamy potatoes that are loaded with Cheddar cheese, sprinkled with browned crispy bacon and chopped green onions then they're finished off with a generous drizzling of creamy Ranch dressing. Yeah, all of that in soup form and this soup better be good right? It's definitely my new favorite potato soup, I'm not sure if I'll be able to eat the traditional plain old potato soup anymore. This stuff is just too flavorful and cheesily delicious to look back to that soup again =). 
This recipe may seem a little different, I didn't make a roux to add the flour, rather I whisked it into the milk. I didn't want to add butter because the mayonnaise already replaced the fat and creaminess of what butter would do. I also chose to use sharp cheddar cheese because in my opinion when you use sharp you can use less cheese (then if you were to use mild or medium) and therefor you're adding less calories (don't get me wrong this isn't a low calorie soup, I just try to lightly reduce calories where I can). I decided to leave the carrot and celery out of this recipe so it's more like a loaded or twice baked potato but if you really wanted to you could add them.
If you want even more of a ranch flavor you could drizzle the top of the soup with additional ranch, made according to the directions on the package. I hope you love this soup as much as I do and make it often this upcoming fall and winter season! There's nothing like a perfect bowl of soup to warm a cold fall evening. Enjoy! 

Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Soup
Yields about 6 servings

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix

3 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into about 3/4-1" cubes (about 8 medium potatoes)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth*
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, divided (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (or crumbled if you like it extra crispy)
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk and ranch seasoning mix. Cover bowl and refrigerate. 
Heat olive oil a large cast iron dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and saute about 4 minutes until golden, add garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add chicken broth and diced potatoes and bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover pot and cook 15 - 20 minutes until potatoes are very tender. 
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups milk with 1/4 cup flour (whisk very well to break up flour) and pour mixture into soup. Increase temperature to medium high heat, and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly (stirring constantly will help break down the potatoes a bit). Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, add ranch dressing mixture from refrigerator, 1 cup (4 oz) grated Cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and season with black pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently (note, if you want smaller potato chunks in the soup you can simply mash the soup with a potato masher to break them down a bit more). Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and chopped green onions. 

*you can use low sodium chicken broth if you prefer, for this recipe I just used regular and didn't add any salt to the soup. If you use low sodium you may want to add additional salt to the soup.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some may save red velvet for a special occasion, I say any day is a great day for red velvet! No special occasion needed. I made some Red Velvet Cupcakes last week for a friend who was hosting a birthday party and it inspired me to create another red velvet dessert. These cookies are a combination of two of my all time favorite desserts, those Red Velvet Cupcakes and Chocolate Chip Cookies. 
These lightly chocolaty, deliciously chewy, gorgeously red cookies are simply fantastic!  In my opinion red velvet isn't chocolate, if I wanted a chocolate dessert I'd make a chocolate dessert. Red velvet to me is a combination of vanilla and chocolate, one shouldn't really overpower the other. That's why when I make red velvet recipes they are somewhat mild on the cocoa. Plus when you use too much cocoa it depletes that beautiful red color, it turns it more of a brownish auburn shade rather than a velvety red. I also tried making these cookies with half brown sugar and half granulated sugar and that even hid the red color due to the deep brown shade of the molasses in the brown sugar, so the brown sugar was out. 
These cookies would also be delicious if you were to omit the white chips and instead frost them with Cream Cheese frosting. If you personally prefer a really chocolaty red velvet, I would say rather than adding more cocoa to the dough just add milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips in place of the white chocolate chips.
And to all you early holiday Pinners out there (I'm definitely not talking about myself =), these would go great on the Christmas or Valentines Day list. Enjoy!

{Updated} Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies***
Yields about 3 dozen

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder*
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
6 Tbsp all vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp red food coloring
1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, set aside. Add butter, shortening and sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and mix on medium speed until very pale and fluffy about 4 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix until combine. Add vinegar, vanilla and food coloring and mix until well blended. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Mix in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) and roll into balls and place on buttered or Silpat lined cookie sheets. Gently press about 6 white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie, being careful not to flatten the cookies (if you do flatten them a bit just reshape them to the height they had before adding the chips) and bake in preheated oven 8 - 9 minutes. Allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container.

*If you want a more chocolaty cookie you could replace 1 - 2 Tbsp flour with an additional 1 -2 Tbsp cocoa, the red just won't be quite as vibrant. Or, you could replace the white chocolate chips with chocolate chips.

**Note: this recipe has been completely revised as of 9/7/12 due to comments stating cookies are flat and not red enough. I myself thought them to be flat. This recipe completely eliminates both of those issues. These are thick, vibrantly red and completely delicious (they better be, these were my 4th batch. Fourth times a charm right =).

***Anyone wanting the original recipe I posted back in August, I finally found it thanks to Break It, Make It, or Bake it, thanks Audrey! She posted it before I had deleted my first version and added in the revised version above. To be honest I like the ones below best I just got a few complaints that they were flat and not red enough so I added the recipe above in hopes of solving the issue for the complaints. The recipe below is also the ones that are pictured:

{My Original} Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp red food coloring
3/4 cup white chocolate chips, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whip together butter, sugar and vinegar until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Mix in egg. Add in vanilla and red food coloring and mix until blended. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Mix in white chocolate chips (note: I mixed in half of the white chocolate chips then set aside the other half to press into the tops of the rolled dough balls so more of them show through when baking...but I just noticed over at Gonna Want Seconds that she just pressed some extra white chocolate chips into the tops of cookies AFTER baking, genius!). Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoonfuls and shape into balls. Transfer to Silat or parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake in preheated oven 9 - 11 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container. 

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Pumpkin Bars with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

I just couldn't wait any longer. I say it's officially time for a Fall inspired post. I love all the flavors of Fall. The aromatic spices, the caramel apples, the pumpkin pie and the fresh off the cob corn. One of my favorite Fall flavors is pumpkin. It's natural sweetness and moisture along with it's power packed nutrition makes it a perfect choice for countless dishes and desserts. 

I created this recipe to be a thicker bar than my banana bars because I received several comments of people saying they'd like a thicker bar. These are basically the same thickness of cake, so you can call it pumpkin cake if you'd like. I chose to make this a bit lower fat than your average pumpkin bar by using half butter and half applesauce (rather than all butter or  oil). You would never know it is halfway healthy =). I love when I can turn a Superfood into a dessert (if you top them with walnuts you can get two Superfoods between the pumpkin and walnuts). Try these bars and they are likely to become one of your new favorite fall desserts!

Pumpkin Bars
Yields about 20 bars

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup light-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and whisked to cool slightly
1/2 cup applesauce
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
Cinnamon and whole or chopped pecans, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, blend together light-brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter and applesauce until well combine. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well blended, then add pumpkin and mix until well blended. Add dry mixture and mix just until combine. Pour and spread mixture evenly into a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish and bake in preheated oven about 35 - 38 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow bars to cool completely (I covered the baking dish after 15 minutes of cooling to seal in moisture) then cut into bars and frost with Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting (alternately you can frost bars first then cut into squares) and dust lightly with optional cinnamon and garnish with optional pecans.

Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer, whip together butter and cream cheese on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 3 -4 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and mix until well blended and smooth.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches (5 minutes prep recipe)

Looking for an amazing, delicious and cheap dinner recipe for a busy day? Then look no further, this meal takes about 5 minutes prep work and it's flavor is phenomenal. It only takes is a few simple ingredients to spice up a cheap cut of beef. These french dip sandwiches are loaded with fall apart tender beef (if your roast isn't fall apart tender after cooking it 8 hours then you may want to consider a purchasing a new slow cooker, I used one once that had a gap between the lid and the slow cooker so it didn't have a good seal on it, therefor the roast cooked unevenly and wasn't anywhere near tender enough). Cheese is optional but I'd say it's a must, it perfectly compliments all the flavors of the beef. 
Serve this sandwich with a side of kettle chips and you've get a dinner that couldn't get any simpler. Yes you could brown the beef in olive oil prior to slow cooking it, and you could replace the onion powder and garlic powder with the real thing but I made this recipe to be quick, basic, and incredibly delicious without sacrificing any flavor. No time wasted on chopping veggies and searing the beef. Just toss everything in and relax while the slow cooker does all the work. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Yields about 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
1 (14.5 oz) can beef broth
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (regular would be fine, just reduce the salt added)
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder

6 Hoagie buns or 2 crusty baguettes cut into thirds (I prefer baguettes, the crispiness of them eliminates the possibility of soggy. The hoagies just make for a better picture =)
6 slices Swiss, Provolone or Muenster cheese, optional

Directions:
Place chuck roast in a slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, liquid smoke flavoring, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast in slow cooker, cover slow cooker with a lid and cook on low heat 8 hours. 
Remove cooked roast from slow cooker and place on a cutting board, reserving broth in slow cooker. Shred roast with two forks. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain reserved broth from slow cooker into a bowl. Return shredded beef to slow cooker (no more cooking necessary) and pour 1/2 cup broth over shredded beef and toss to evenly coat. Sandwich beef between hoagie buns or sliced baguettes (buttered and toasted if preferred) and top warm beef with sliced cheese. Serve immediately with a side of remaining reserved broth for dipping.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Perfect Frosted Sugar Cookies

I think it's safe to say I have a slight sugar cookie obsession. If you've been following my blog you've likely noticed by now. But really, who doesn't love frosted sugar cookies? I mean how can you not love them? The only people that don't are liars, I'm just kidding everyone is entitled to their own personal opinion. But those of you that don't like them, well lets just say we probably don't have much in common =).
I know I've already posted a sugar cookie recipe, well that's old news. Those are good, but these are better. These are so soft, so fluffy, so tender. Basically they melt in your mouth dreamy. 
So, you may be asking, what is that makes these special? To answer that, it's a combination of things. The texture is amazing thanks to the cake flour and cornstarch. Don't substitute all-purpose flour for the cake flour or your cookie will end up heavy and dense (compared to what you get with the cake flour, besides you'd have to adjust the portions anyway because cake flour is lighter). I know cake flour is more expensive than all-purpose flour but sometimes its worth it, in this case it's definitely worth it. The combination of butter and vegetable shortening also helps the texture, especially when it's whipped to fluffy perfection. I got the inspiration to use egg plus egg white along with the almond extract from white cake. This is one cookie that is meant to be a bit cake-y, it gives it that amazing, pillow-y as clouds bite. 
If you like the Lofthouse style cookies from the store, trust me you're going to want to try these. I think these far outdo those. Those almost taste like plastic to me, good texture but weird taste. I even like these more than my old favorite from the local bakery. These are my new favorite! Enjoy and share!

Frosted Sugar Cookies
Yields about 1 dozen (11 large and 1 regular size to be exact, recipe can easily be doubled too)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup salted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup all vegetable shortening (unflavored), at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg 
1 large egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 recipe Vanilla Frosting, recipe follows

Directions:
Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into a large bowl, then whisk it just a few times, set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, on medium speed, whip together butter, shortening and sugar until very pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in egg and mix until combine, then add egg white, vanilla and almond extract and mix until combine. With mixer running, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375 during the last 10 minutes of refrigeration. 
Scoop dough out an even 1/4 cup at a time and roll into a ball. Place dough ball on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle top lightly with flour, then using something flat and smooth (such as the storage container lid), press and evenly flatten dough to 1/2" thick (so you should have about a 2 2/3" - 2 3/4 " circular cookie). Transfer flattened dough to a Silpat or buttered cookie sheet and repeat process with remaining dough (you'll have to use 2 cookie sheets). Bake in preheated oven 9 - 11 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost with Vanilla Frosting (note that frosting begins to set quickly so if you are adding sprinkles, sprinkle each cookie immediately after frosting it, don't frost the whole batch of cookies then try to sprinkle them because the sprinkles wont stick).

Vanilla Frosting

1/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 - 3 Tbsp half-and-half 
food coloring, optional

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Mix in food coloring if desired (note: I finally figured out how to get a good pink with your average grocery store food coloring, I put like 8-10 drops red and the faintest amount of blue - be careful if you do this though, it's no where near a full drop. Basically you'd want to touch it to your clean finger and then swipe it in. Random tip but thought I'd share, I never like the hot pink hue I used to get. The tiny bit of blue just tones and cools it down a bit). It's also fun to color coordinate and frost and sprinkle these cookie according to the nearest holiday. 

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Mom's Navajo Tacos and Indian Fry Bread

I will always love Navajo Tacos. I've eaten them ever since I can remember. My mom makes the best Navajo Tacos ever (Navajo taco topping anyway =). She would cheat a little and use frozen Rhodes Rolls dough for the fry bread portion, which was also delicious but nothing compares to homemade Navajo fry bread. If you want to use frozen roll dough, all you have to do is fully thaw and rise the dough (according to directions on package) then fry it and top with the Navajo taco topping. This recipe I created for the fry bread really is incredibly simple though, you can basically make it in the time it takes just to prepare the roll dough for thawing. 
I decided to use two leavening agents for the fry bread because I wanted the slight flavor yeast gives without having to have it rise for hours, but if you don't have yeast on hand you could just add another teaspoon of baking powder. 
I would highly recommend you make 1 1/2 (or double) the recipe listed so you have left over fry bread to warm and serve with honey butter. I love this meal because you get dinner and an incredible dessert with the left over fry bread.
My mom's recipe uses a few things not found in your traditional Navajo taco filling that I think are excellent improvements, basically musts. Many recipes don't have beans or canned tomatoes or even seasonings. My mom would use taco seasoning but I basically just added my own because I don't buy taco seasoning often. Also, I like to add more traditional Mexican foods like salsa, Mexican hot sauce, cilantro and avocados. 
Another great Navajo Taco filling is left over chili (it doesn't have to be my chili recipe, any good ground beef chili would be great =). Use a slotted spoon when serving it so you don't make the fry bread soggy. If you haven't ever had Navajo Fry Bread (aka Indian Fry Bread) or Navajo tacos, then I'm telling you now is the time to try it! A pillow-y, soft center is encased by a lightly crisp, chewy, perfectly fried and golden exterior then its generously topped with a browned beef, deliciously flavorful taco filling and then it's garnished with more toppings that perfectly compliment and blend all the flavors. It is definitely a satisfying taco. Yum yum YUM! Enjoy!

 Who knows why I can't dollop sour cream in the center, we'll just say I meant to do that =)

 So good with honey or honey butter...

Navajo Tacos
Yields about 8 tacos (adults usually eat 2 and the kids eat 1)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, drained 
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
salt and pepper, to taste

For serving:
Navajo Fry Bread, recipe follows
Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, chopped
Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese (I use a combo of both), grated
Roma tomatoes, diced
sour cream

Other optional toppings I sometimes add:
black olives, sliced
avocados, diced
fresh salsa 
hot sauce (you could add cayenne pepper to the taco filling as well)
cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, crumble beef into oil, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up beef when stirring, until beef has browned and cooked through. Drain fat from beef and return to skillet (my mom doesn't drain the fat, she says it gives it more flavor so you can leave it if you'd like). Stir in garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, kidney beans, canned diced tomatoes and green chilis then season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, spoon mixture over Navajo Fry bread, then top with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream (and any of the other optional toppings listed). Serve immediately.

Navajo Fry Bread
Yields 8 (6 inch) fry breads

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 - 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
1 Tbsp butter or shortening, melted
Vegetable oil, for frying (sometimes I use half olive oil)

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, yeast and salt. Whisk melted butter into warm milk and pour milk mixture into dry ingredients. Stir until mixture comes together and forms a ball, dough should be slightly sticky and elastic so add an up to an additional 1/4 cup milk as needed. Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest 10 minutes. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large cast iron skillet to 350 - 360 degrees over stove top. Divide rested dough into 12 equal pieces. Working with floured hands and one piece of dough at a time, roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 6 inch circle and gently drop into hot oil, and cook until golden brown 1-2 minutes per side (second side will cook faster). Remove from oil and drain onto a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels. Serve warm with Navajo Taco topping or for dessert, spread with honey butter.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Reese's Krispie Treats

Don't you love when you finally get around to making one of those recipes that you've had pinned or bookmarked for several months, especially when it's a really good one? This is one of those for me and I'm telling you I shouldn't have waited this long to try it. 

These remind me a lot of Scotcheroos (if you've ever had those) but without the butterscotch flavor and rather more peanut butter flavor thanks to the topping of those ever so amazing Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I love Scotcheroos but I'd have to say I like these even more. These incredible easy to make treats are chewy, crunchy, deliciously sweet, perfectly peanut buttery along with just the right ratio of chocolate (to mimic the flavor of the Reese's) and then they are finished of with the crowning jewels, the melt in your mouth Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. All that and it's destined to make one highly addictive, not to be forgotten treat. This is one you'll want to pin and try in the very near future. Enjoy and share, and thanks Sweet Basil for a great recipe!

Reese's Krispie Treats
Yields 12 squares

Ingredients:
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
6 regular size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, each diced into 8 pie shaped wedges

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine corn syrup, sugar and salt and bring mixture just to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly (to dissolve sugar). Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat slightly and allow to gently boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add in peanut butter, chocolate chips and vanilla, stir mixture until chocolate chips have completely melted. Pour in Rice Krispies Cereal and toss mixture to evenly coat. Pour mixture into a buttered 8x8 (or 9x9) baking dish and gently spread and press into an even layer. Allow to cool until just warm to the touch then evenly distribute diced Reese's Peanut Butter Cups over top and lightly press them onto the coated cereal. Enjoy warm, with ooey gooey melted chocolate topping (my favorite, I love melted candy bars though =) or cover and refrigerate until chocolate has set, then remove from refrigerator and rest about 10 minutes at room temperature and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Sweet Basil

Irresistible White Chocolate Lemon Popcorn

Someone please take this popcorn from me, I can't resist it =)! How I love specialty popcorn. This is definitely one of my new favorites. It taste like lemon cream pie, in sweet, crunchy, popcorn form. Basically, it's literally irresistible.

The method of preparing this popcorn recipe may seem a bit odd. That is due to the way the oils and acidity of the lemon juice and zest react with the white candy melts. I made four different batches, knowing ahead of time what I was getting into. I thought the lemon juice probably would cause the white candy melts to seize up after melting and they did. I wasn't sure if the lemon zest would do it too, but it did. So, I found the best method was as listed. I coated the popcorn in the plain white candy melts without mixing the lemon juice and zest into the candy melts. Then while the coating over the popcorn was still moist I added the lemon zest so it would stick well, then I let the coating dry a bit before adding the juice so it would kind of create a shell over the popcorn so the lemon juice wouldn't make it soggy and stale, and just be absorbed into a few pieces of popcorn. Then lastly, I baked it to create a perfect crunch, and again to get rid of the of any stale-like popcorn. 

The entire family loved this popcorn! I'm definitely going to be trying it in a lime version too. Enjoy!

Oh and I thought I better mention, I took these photos just before baking the popcorn (because I didn't decide to bake it until after taking the pictures) so the finished product should look a bit more golden.

White Chocolate Lemon Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernals
12 oz. white candy melts (such as Wilton)
2 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Pop popcorn in a popcorn popper, according to manufacturer's directions, into a very large bowl. Melt white candy melts in a microwave safe bowl, on 50% power, in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted white candy melts over popcorn and toss with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Sprinkle lemon zest over popcorn and toss until evenly distributed. 
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Allow coated popcorn to dry at room temperature, about 10-15 minutes, then drizzle lemon juice over popcorn and toss well to evenly coat. Spread popcorn onto a rimmed cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden. Allow popcorn to cool completely, store in an airtight container or large ziploc bag (note: this is best enjoyed the day it's made or one day following).

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Auntie Anne's Pretzel's Copycat Recipe

Mall pretzels that you can now enjoy in the comfort of your home for a fraction of the price with countless dipping sauce options, yes please! I found this recipe over at one of my favorite food blogs, Yammie's Noshery. It's such a great blog to follow, so if you're not yet following I suggest you do it now =). She takes amazing photos, creates many of her own recipes and she has great taste in food. This recipe she posted is one example of her great taste in food. I mean, who doesn't love a fresh, warm Auntie Anne's pretzel? And with Yammie's homemade garlic cheese sauce you've got a match made in heaven. Save a few for dessert and you can try them with a warm glaze, caramel or chocolate sauce for dunking. How ever you dunk them I recommend you eat them warm, they just aren't the same cool. This Auntie Anne's Pretzels copycat recipe is one you are going to want to try. You get a chewy yet fluffy, perfectly tender, beautifully golden brown pretzel that will have you savoring every last flavorful, salty little bite. Enjoy!

Auntie Anne's Pretzel's Copycat Recipe
Yields 12 pretzels

Ingredients:
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast (2 packets)
6 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
4 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus an up to an additional 1/2 cup as needed
2 tsp fine salt

1/3 cup baking soda
2 cups warm water
coarse salt, to taste
6 Tbsp butter, melted

Dipping sauce for serving, optional*

Directions:
Warm milk in a microwave safe bowl in microwave (or alternately over stove top in a small saucepan) until temperature of milk reaches 110 degrees, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on HIGH power. Pour milk along with yeast into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk together until yeast has dissolved, let rest 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, 4 tbsp softened butter, 1 cup flour and 2 tsp fine sea salt to milk mixture and using the whisk attachment, stir until blended. Switch attachment to a dough hook, add remaining 3 1/2 cups flour and kneaded mixture on medium low speed until elastic. Mix in up to an additional 1/2 cup flour, as needed, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper (alternately you could grease them). Punch dough down several times to release any air pockets. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces (the easiest way to do this is to divide the dough in half, then divide the halves into halves then those and into thirds). Cover divided dough loosely with plastic wrap (just to prevent a dry crust from forming on the outside) and roll each piece out into a long, thin rope about 32 - 36 inches long (I found working on a non-floured to very very lightly floured surface worked best, I began with a lightly floured surface and realized it was much harder to get more stretch, plus it was much faster to roll them out when working on a less-no flour surface). Form dough rope into a pretzel shape. 
In a shallow bowl, whisk together baking soda and warm water then fully immerse pretzel into water mixture and allow excess water to drip off (I ended up shaping most of them into the pretzel shape once placing on the cookie sheet rather then doing it twice, I would just fold the rope into halves several times then immerse in water mixture then shape them on cookie sheet). Place on prepared baking sheet, reshape as needed and sprinkle to taste with coarse salt. Repeat this process with remaining dough. Bake pretzels in preheated oven 7 - 11 minutes until golden brown (note that you will likely only be able to cook 6 at a time among the two baking sheets) Remove from oven and brush top and bottom of pretzels with melted butter. Serve warm with optional dipping sauce. Reheat in microwave or in a warm oven once they've cooled, if desired.

*Dipping sauces I would recommend are Yammie's amazing garlic cheese sauce (click here for the recipe), marinara sauce, or honey mustard. For a sweeter option, try with a warm homemade doughnut glaze, caramel sauce or chocolate sauce. Alternately if you want another dessert option, skip the coarse salt step of the recipe and sprinkle instead with lots of cinnamon sugar.

Recipe Source: adapted from Yammies Noshery and Food Network

Browned Butter Crinkle Cookies with Salted Caramel Frosting

Looking for a new favorite cookie recipe? With these, I know I've found one of mine. This is a cookie that will melt in your mouth as you savor every last exciting flavor it has to offer. It's loaded with decadent, rich, browned flavor (from not only the browned butter but the browned sugar of the caramel). I love the pairing of browned butter and caramel because they are both forms of browned ingredients. They just makes sense to go together don't they? The coarse sea salt takes these to a whole new gourmet level. You get lots of sweet with a delicious sprinkle of the perfect amount of salty. These cookies are simply amazing all on their own (without the Salted Caramel Frosting) but the silky frosting just adds so many exciting flavor compliments to the cookie that they just shouldn't to be made without it. Enjoy and share!

Browned Butter Crinkle Cookies
Yields just over 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, diced into cubes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling cookies

Directions:
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook just until butter has browned, swirling occasionally (butter will go through stages, it will melt, then splatter a bit, then foam and golden bubbles will begin to appear in the center on the surface with little brown specs - this is when you want to remove it, don't burn it). Pour butter (and scrape out all of the browned butter with a rubber spatula) into a heat proof bowl. Allow butter to cool until just warm to the touch, about 20 - 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. Add cooled butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and light-brown sugar to an electric stand mixer and mix until well blended. Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combine. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Scoop dough out 1 1/2 Tbsp at a time and form into balls (dough will seem a bit dry, I think this is due to using warm butter it seems to slightly begin the cooking process before baking), then pour 1/4 cup granulated sugar into a small bowl and roll balls in sugar to evenly coat. Place sugar coated dough balls onto a Silpat lined or greased baking sheet. Using the bottom of a flat measuring cup or drinking glass gently flatten each ball to 1/2 inch, then bake in preheated oven 9-11 minutes. 
Allow to cool several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely then frost each cookie with Salted Caramel Frosting and sprinkle each cookie evenly with a small pinch of sea salt immediately following (so the salt sticks before frosting sets). Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Salted Caramel Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp caramel sauce or caramel ice cream topping (I used Hershey's)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt, divided

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer on low speed, whip together caramel sauce, butter and vanilla until pale and smooth about 1 minute. Add in powdered sugar and mix until well blended and smooth. Use coarse sea salt to sprinkle over frosted cookies.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Carrot Cake Pancakes

How I love a stack of hot of the griddle, drenched in syrup, fancy pancakes! Here's a recipe you are definitely going to want to add to the weekend mornings breakfast rotation. I think I could probably eat the entire batch of pancakes by myself =). They really do taste just like fluffy, sweetly spiced carrot cake, especially when they are smothered with Vanilla Cream or Cream Cheese Syrup. My obvious inspiration for these was the real thing, and I looked to my favorite carrot cake recipe to create this one. I would say for serving, one of the two syrups listed is a must, maple syrup just doesn't cut it with these. Also, I've never liked nuts in carrot cake only sprinkled over the frosting. That's why with these I chose to sprinkle them over the top, but if you like nuts in your carrot cake then feel free to mix some into the batter with these. 

If you were wondering why I decided to soak the carrots overnight with the buttermilk and sugar, it's because I wanted to give the carrots a head start softening and I thought adding the sugar would help draw some of the natural sugars out of the carrots (but really what do I know, I just experiment and if it tastes good then something scientifically genius must have happened =). I love the natural orange color it gives the pancakes too. Enjoy! Breakfast shouldn't always come from a box. 

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Yields about 8 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, about 3 medium carrots

1 cup buttermilk

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp cinnamon 

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (applesauce would be a good low fat substitute)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 recipe Vanilla Cream Syrup or Cream Cheese Syrup, recipes follow

chopped pecans, for serving

Directions:

In a medium airtight container, whisk together grated carrots, buttermilk and granulated sugar. Cover container and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, preheat a non-stick griddle to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.  Add egg mixture and carrot mixture to flour mixture and whisk just until combine. Pour about 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup batter onto a buttered if necessary, preheated griddle (if you want more pancakes do 1/4 cup) and gently spread batter out (just slightly, I do this so the centers aren't thicker than the edges) using the back of the measuring cup. Cook pancakes until bubbles begin to appear on the surface and bottom is golden brown then flip and cook opposite side until golden. Serve immediately with Vanilla Cream Syrup or Cream Cheese Syrup and garnish with chopped pecans.

Vanilla Cream Syrup
Yields about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1/4 cup salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in sugar, cream, buttermilk and salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture begins to boil and sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla, whisk for about 10 seconds until frothy.  Serve warm.  Syrup can be stored in refrigerator up to 1 week and reheat before serving. 

Cream Cheese Syrup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup buttermilk

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Stir in sugar, buttermilk and cream cheese. Cook mixture, whisking constantly until cream cheese has melted. Stir in baking soda and whisk for about 10 seconds until frothy. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week and reheat before serving. 

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy