Oreo Cupcakes

I decided one day that I needed to try a recipe for Oreo cupcakes after trying the best Oreo cupcake ever at Cupcakes on the Ridge.  I looked up Oreo Cupcakes on the Internet and found on a girl's blog.  It's been awhile since I made these so I don't remember the blog name or I would give her credit. I know that she got the recipe from Williams-Sonoma.  This wasn't the easiest thing I have ever made but the cupcakes were good and REALLY pretty.  I brought them to my Ladies' Group and they loved them. :) I think the next time I make them, I'll just do a chocolate cake recipe from the box.  The icing is so good that I think they will still taste great and be much easier.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

24 Oreos, one side twisted off

Icing:

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Oreo crumbs made from reserved Oreo sides

Place cupcake liners in pan and place one Oreo in each liner, cream side up.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl, beat the butter until smooth. Gradually add brown sugar and continue beating until fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla adding eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternating three times and beating after each addition.  That last sentence sounds confusing. It's probably fine to just add the flour mixture, beat it, and then add the buttermilk mixture.  Pour mixture into the cupcake liners.  Bake 22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool before filling and frosting.

I was excited to finally use the pan Marci gave me for my birthday.  I LOVE this pan!! It's so much fun because it leaves little holes for filling!! :)

I need to find another pan like this. I just love it!

Now for the frosting:  Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff.  Gently fold in the cookie crumbs. 

If you don't have a pan like I do, scoop the icing into a piping bag or a gallon size Ziploc bag, using a 1 M tip, inject filling into each cupcake by sticking the tip into the middle of the cupcake and squeezing a little bit.

Heap lots of frosting on top of the cupcakes and top with 1/2 of an Oreo.

Fun and pretty but not the easiest. Next time, I will make it lots easier by using just a cake mix. :)

Enjoy!

Symphony Bar Brownies

We were at church the Sunday before Thanksgiving and mom walked up after the service with a pan of brownies. I asked her where she got them and she said that she bought them where they sold doughnuts, etc. I had no idea they sold brownies at church (and after the way I have eaten them since, feel it should be a sin to encourage this kind of addiction!!) HA! :)  I was starving so took a quick bite and to my suprise, there was something delicous in the middle.  Nobody knew what it was but I had to find out.  After a friend tried them, she knew they were Symphony bars. I, of course, looked the recipe up on the Internet and have made them several times since. SUPER easy and really really yummy!!!

Brownie mix

5 Symphony bars (the big ones)

Make brownie mix according to directions. Pour half of the mix on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.  Lay the Symphony bars on top of the mixture followed by the other half of the brownie mix.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until done.

SOOOOO good!!! :)

Hashbrown Casserole

Two of my favorite recipes in the whole world are Poppyseed Chicken and Hashbrown Casserole. I realized the other day that these recipes are not on this blog. I have this blog where I can locate or share a recipe easily and where one day, if my kids choose to cook, they can come here and get the recipe. I definitely don't want to leave out my very favorites so here is one of them. 

2 lbs. Ore-Ida Southern Syle hash browns

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp mustard

2 T. onions

1 can cream of chicken soup

16 oz sour cream

2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese

Topping:

1/4 cup melted butter

2 cups crushed cornflakes

Thaw potatoes.  Mix all above ingredients and put into 9x13 inch pan.  Mix toppings together and sprinkle on top.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

SUPER easy and delicious!!!

Sugary Cinnamon Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls

My sweet friend, Amy, brought the yummiest dessert to our NLR group one night and I fell in love!! Crescent rolls, butter, cinnamon, sugar, and cream cheese...HEAVEN!!! They are not hard to make, either.  I made them the other night and my sister, Shanny, told me they are also called Beth Moore sopapillas...even better! :) Here's the recipe:

2 cans crescent rolls

2   8 oz. packages cream cheese

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tsp cinammon

1/2 cup butter

Spray pan with cooking spray.  Roll the crescent rolls on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. 

Cream together the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls.

Roll second can of crescent rolls on top of the mixture.

Melt 1/2 cup butter and mix in 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinammon and pour over top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

YUM!!! :)

Katelind's Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

Katelind gave me this recipe and they are really good and SUPER easy, which I love!

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cap vanilla

bag of milk chocolate chips

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Told ya it was easy! :)

My little sunshine helped me make these the other night. :)

They are very moist and chocolately!! How could you go wrong?!

Enjoy!!!

Zesty Italian Crescent Casserole (Renee's Cheesy Cresent Roll Casserole)

A few weeks ago, I went to our marriage group (well, it's not really a marriage group but that's what I call it) in NLR and my friend, Renee, had made the yummiest casserole!! She brought me the recipe when we went to the zoo on Thursday. I didn't waste any time making it.  And, let me tell ya, it is DELICIOUS!!!

Zesty Italian Crescent Casserole

If I could name it, I would call it Renee's Cheesy Crescent Roll Casserole because that just sounds yummier to me. :)

1 lb. ground beef  (I used 1 1/2 pounds)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or monterey jack cheese (I used 2 cups of mozzarella)

1/2 cup sour cream (I used 1 cup)

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

2 T butter (I used 2 1/2)

If you haven't noticed, I added a little more of the yummiest ingredients and it was SCRUMPTIOUS!! To me if a little bit of butter, cheese, and sour cream are good, then a little bit more is even better. :)
   

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion.  Drain.  Stir in tomato sauce.  In medium bowl, mix mozarella cheese and sour cream.

Pour ground beef mixture into ungreased 2 quart baking dish.  Spoon cheese mixture over the beef mixture.

Unroll cresent rolls and lay over top of cheese mixture.  In small bowl, mix parmesan cheese and melted butter.  Spread evenly over dough.  Bake at 375 for 18-25 minutes.  ENJOY!!! 

YUM!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with pudding in the mix......my very favorite!!! :)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup Crisco

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cups brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

2 eggs

Beat well...then mix in 

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

If you want, you can change the recipe by adding different flavors of pudding.  I love to add chocolate pudding with white chocolate chips.  I make 2 batches of each.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Eat and enjoy!!!!

It's funny because I don't know who I got this recipe from but it's my very favorite cookie recipe ever. 21 years ago, I was having a wedding shower and there was a gift with no card and this recipe was on it.  I still have the recipe and as you can see, it's been well used!! Whoever gave it to me sure knew my love language...passing along the best cookies ever!    

Have a happy happy day!!! 

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

This is one of my favorite recipes that my sister, Marci, makes. I just love it! It's yummy!!

This recipe does not call for buttermilk, even though I have it in the picture. I was going to make a red velvet cake for my friend and had just gotten the buttermilk at the store along with the ingredients for this recipe so I just stuck the buttermilk in the picture, not thinking. I also forgot to put the mushrooms in the pix.

2 1/2 cups bite size chicken pieces

1 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chipped green bell pepper

1/2 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

1  2oz. jar pimentos

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 tsp. Accent

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

3 T lemon juice

3 T grated onion

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups finely crushed potato chips

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  In a 2 quart casserole, combine everything except the cheese and chips.  It will look like this:  

In the following order, layer cheddar cheese, chips, and Parmesan.  Cover and bake 35 minutes.  Uncover and bake 5-7 more minutes.  Serves 6. 

Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cake Pioneer Woman Style

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
1 ounce red food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:
1 1/2 8 oz. packages cream cheese (room temperature)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Blend together shortening and sugar in a big mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix together the flour and salt.  Mix the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and vinegar in another bowl. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture to the shortening and sugar mixture, mixing after each addition. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and food coloring. Pour into the mixing bowl and combine...don't overbeat. Pour the batter into a 9x13 pan and cook for 45 minutes or until done at 350 degrees. While cake is cooking, mix together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Icing will be thick. When cake is out of oven, let cool for 20 minutes and then ice.

YUM! :)

Charlie Bear LOVES the icing, too! :) He always loves to lick the bowl.

Hannah and Rosy LOVED the cake!!! It was SO good!!! I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman cookbook. It is the most fun cookbook I've ever seen!! There are step by step pictures of everything, which makes it so much easier for me!!! :) She is also really funny! I put the directions on here a little different than she put them in her cookbook because I didn't do exactly what she did. For example, I didn't sift the flour because I don't have a sifter.  I also baked the cake in a 9x13 pan while she did hers in 2 nine inch pans. I like cakes better in 9x13 pans because there are not as many edge pieces and there is more icing. :) I'm bringing this cake to my NLR Bible study tonight because I definitely don't need this cake sitting around my house! I have lost 7 pounds and I want to keep it off!!!  We're going to the beach soon!!

Hadoo's Favorite Sub Sandwiches

Mar and I love Subway! It's one of our very favorite places to eat.  About a year ago, I got turned on to peppers on my sandwiches. A softball mom brought sandwiches one day to one of Macy's games and they had red peppers in them.  It made the sandwich so much better. Recently, I started adding green peppers to my sandwiches when we go to Subway and they are so good! I decided that I could probably make some sub sandwiches at home and sure enough, they were really easy to make.  We eat them at least 4 times a week...probably more. I'm always going to the store to buy more ham, peppers, and tomatoes.  Also, it saves money and a drive to Subway. Don't get me wrong.....I'll always love a good Subway sandwich!!

Here are the ingredients: Ham (or whatever kind of meat you like), cheese slices, mayo, peppers, tomato slices, hoagie rolls, salt and pepper.

I turn my oven on broil and toast the bread on both sides.

After toasting the bread, I put 2 pieces of ham on one side followed by cheese.  I put pepper jack (makes it a little spicy) and colby jack.  I only put colby jack on mine today because I am going to be eating cupcakes tonight so I wanted to save the 80 calories! :)  Put back in the oven until cheese melts.  While the cheese is melting, put mayo on the other half of the sandwich followed by salt and pepper.  After the cheese melts, take out of oven, flip the ham and cheese to the mayo'd side of the hoagie and put mayo on the other side (the one you just flipped the ham and cheese off of....did that make any sense at all?).  Add tomato and peppers and VOILA!

Delicious sandwich!!!