Snickers Hot Chocolate

So, the one thing Alaska has done to me is hooked me on the drive through coffee shacks.  Before you go crazy, I get hot chocolate.  Different kinds.  I have found one that I LOVE and have learned how to make.  Hopefully you will enjoy my recipe.

Snickers Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups skim milk
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
caramel syrup
hazelnut (or peanut butter) syrup
chocolate shavings


Directions:
* Step #1 Measure water, cocoa, & sugar in glass measuring c or large mug.
* Step #2 Microwave on high for 1-2 mins to make chocolate syrup.
* Step #3 Stir in milk & vanilla & microwave until warm.
* Step #4 Stir in 2 tsp caramel syrup 2 tsp hazelnut (or peanut butter) syrup.  Depends on what you can find.
* Step #5 Top with whipped cream & chocolate shavings.

Seriously, my favorite!!!  ENJOY!!

Suffed Mushrooms

If you are ever looking for an appetizer, this needs to be your fall back recipe. Seriously - this is the best mushrooms recipe I have EVER had. I made them for our Favorite things party. Since it is my favorite appetizer. Even people that don't like mushrooms tried it (because they always like the things that I make.) She couldn’t stop eating them (as long as she didn’t look at them) and commented several times how good they were. You should try them!!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Mushrooms* 45-50

Cream Cheese (I use 1/3 fat free) – 8 oz.

1 lb Jimmy Dean bulk Sausage

½ cup Parmesan Cheese – shredded (I use fresh)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 35o degrees.

2. Brown sausage in a pan until cooked. While sausage is cooking – remove stems from mushrooms.

3. Add cream cheese to cooked sausage and stir until well mixed.

4. Add parmesan cheese and mix well.

5. Using a spoon, add mixture to hole in mushroom where stem was. As seen in the picture, I add a little hill to them mushroom.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

7. Serve immediately.

Note: these can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge or put in the oven if you have an autostart oven. I like to make these the morning of an event or a party so that I am not scrambling around last minute trying to get this done on top of everything else.

*I use mushrooms that you can buy individually and I usually pick out the bigger ones because I LOVE these mushrooms.

HAPPY EATING!!!

Delicious Recipe - White Lasagna

White Lasagna


1 package lasagna noodles, cooked 8-10 minutes
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken - meat pulled off and sliced (I crumbled it when I put it in the pan)
2 (6 oz) cans of artichokes, drained and chopped
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed and strained
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 (8 oz) container of Ricotta Cheese
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter

1. Start and cook lasagna noodles cooking.

2. While noodles are cooking, saute onion in EVOO over medium heat. When tender, crumble chicken and mix together. Add garlic, drained spinach and chopped artichokes and mix well.

3. While chicken mixture is warming, combine cream of mushroom soup, butter, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese in a medium sauce pan. Cook on medium heat until warm and slightly bubbly. Turn to low just to keep it warm.

Spread a small amount of sauce (I did 1/4 cup) on bottom of 9x13 pan. Layer 1/3 noodles over sauce. Spread 1/2 ricotta cheese over noodles. Top with 1/2 chicken mixture followed by 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1/2 sauce over cheese. Add 1/3 noodles. Top with remaining ricotta cheese, chicken mixture. Then layer remaining noodles and top with sauce.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Turn off stove, sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over top and let sit in oven for 5 minutes.

Um.....YUM!!

So, I TOTALLY have to try this!  I'll let you know!!


{Stole this picture from her blog!  Holy YUMMY!!}


Dear Friends,

I have already tried them!  I couldn't wait.  Now, here's my review.  HEAVEN!!  Best Cupcake EVER.  Even better than Jonett's Lemon Poppy seed {which I love}!  The only change I would make is I would omit the honey from the frosting.  But, I'm not nor have I ever been a honey person. 

I think my neighbor, Tricia, said it best when she said the cupcake was good but the frosting could be a food group!  Agreed!!

**Note: I used homemade peanut butter (are you super impressed?)  Other than that, I didn't stray from the recipe at all.  I just HAD to lick the spoon!  I couldn't waist even a tiny bit of that frosting.  (It's stored in my fridge.  I need to find another worthy use for it!!)  Jocelyn, you are my hero!!  (When Aaron comes home from Afghanistan, this will be the first thing I make for him!!)

Just between you and me, I ate two.  And it's 11:49 at night.  Oops!!  Totally worth every calorie though!!  I hope you enjoy!!

P.S. Mrs. Brandy Dunaway - this has your name written ALL over it.  I will send you a box of Tagalongs if you don't have access to one.  I thought of you with every bite!!!

P.S.S - This is a picture of mine.  Not better than the one posted above, but proof that I made them AND proof that I didn't eat them all! 

Winner & a Killer Recipe

Thanks to random.org, our winner is comment #3 – Alisa Wahrer.  It will be in the mail by Tuesday.  Thanks everyone for playing!  Now, are you ready for a killer recipe??

***Edited - I didn't win my cheesecake.  SUPER bummed!  Mr. Moneybags bid $155 for my cheesecake.  Wow!  Super flattered!  I got a 1 hour free massage because my dessert sold for the highest amount!  Such flattery!

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan-Gingersnap Crust
Recipe by Our Best Bites
Crust:
1 3/4 C gingersnap crumbs (about 30 small cookies)
6T real butter, melted
3 T brown sugar
3/4 C ground pecans
Filling:
3 8oz blocks cream cheese
3/4 C canned pumpkin puree
6 oz melted white chocolate (that's about 1 C white chocolate chips)
1 C sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/4 t nutmeg
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
Topping:
- 1 C whipping cream, beat with 1/2 tsp vanilla and 4 Tbs powdered sugar until medium peaks form.
- 1/3 C roughly chopped pecans, either toasted or caramelized
- 2 Tablespoons jarred caramel sauce
1.  Preheat oven to 350. Using 2 large pieces of heavy duty foil, securely wrap the bottom and outside of your cheesecake pan. This will prevent leaks when using the water bath.
2.  For Crust:  Use a food processor to crush gingersnaps. Then do pecans. Combine gingersnaps, pecans, brown sugar, and butter and stir well to combine. Press into a 9" spring form pan. Evenly spread across the bottom of pan and up the sides about 1 inch.
3.  With an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Add pumpkin, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.
4.  To melt chocolate, place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set aside.  With the mixer running, slowly add in white chocolate in a steady stream (or steady blobs).  Pour mixture on top of the crust.
For water bath:
Place cheesecake pan inside of a larger pan. I use a roasting pan, like this. (and by "like this" I mean its appearance, because I most certainly did not pay $270 for mine) Place your cheesecake pan into larger pan. The larger pan should be at least 2-3 inches in depth. Place in pre-heated oven. With a kettle or pitcher filled with hot water, pour water into the larger pan about halfway up, or approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches.  Bake for 60-75 minutes or until set. The center should be just a tad bit jiggly still. It will finish cooking while cooling.
5.  When it's done, remove from oven and place on a rack until completely cool. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours. This is a very soft cheesecake so sufficient chilling is a must!
6.  When ready to serve spread sweetened whipped cream on top, drizzle caramel sauce over it, and sprinkle with pecans.

A few of my notes:

• I used the White Chocolate baking squares.  It takes 6 of them. 
• SERIOUSLY the best batter ever!!
• This was a lot easier of a recipe than I anticipated.  Just remember to do it the day before you need it.  Seriously, enjoy! 
• Now, I need to win this back at the auction tonight.  I am SO going to pay a lot for this!!
• If you need pictures, click on the link below the recipe name.  It will take you to their post with pictures of each step.

We have a winner

Pardon the construction over the next little bit.  With my awesome friend (shelby)'s help, I am giving the blog a facelift.  You might notice some changes over the next bit.  Things should resolve and be fresh again in the next few weeks!

On to the reason you are looking - we have a winner for the freezer meal book and the $25 Visa gift card.

Random.org picked comment #14 as the winner.  That would be Rachel Jenkins.  I'll get you your prize this week!  Congrats and happy freezer meal making!  It has really transformed my life!

A side note: those of you who want to do the manicotti.  This was really good.  My husband thought it was too cheesy so I am going to try to add some cooked chopped chicken and some extra spaghetti sauce on top.  Just a few extra suggestions!  Feel free to share your freezer meal recipes and experiances.  I would love to have feedback and will randomly choose comments on the blog to recieve some random prizes!

torture!

If that dessert wasn't bad enough, here was dinner that night.  It's Shrimp Scampi and it's 100% homemade.  Oh my, it was so good.  And, a whole lot easier than I thought.  Yum!!

White Bread?

I need help again!  Next week, for our Activity Day's activity, we are talking about the sacrament.  Why it was started and the importance behind it.  Then, we will be making bread.  I will bring it home and bake it and deliver it to the Bishop.  That bread will then be used for the bread of the Sacrament the following week. 

In the handbook - it states that the Sacrament bread needs to be white and without crust.  I don't have a recipe for white bread.  So, if you have a recipe that you like, would you please e-mail me, Facebook me or post the recipe as a comment.  I would really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!!
Sassy

Colorful Cupcakes

A gal posted these on our cooking blog and I had to try them. They turned out FABULOUS! The kids loved them too!


Colorful Cupcakes

1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil


Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes. Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color. Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity. I used a 1/4 t and they were very bright! You could easily make pastel rainbows using a little less.

To get a layered stripe like I used, you'll want to put a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won't spread on it's own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you're working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn't stick to your fingers. Another tip is to use a measuring spoon and some water to measure out how many teaspoons/tablespoons are going to fit in your cupcake. Then divide that by how many colors you have so you know how much of each color to use for each cupcake. For my 5 colors, it worked out perfectly with 2 t of each color in each cupcake. So I put in 2 t of blue in the bottom of each cupcake and spread it out with my finger. Then I put in 2 t of green on top of that, then yellow, etc.

Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry. Top with frosting.

New Crockpot recipe

With church now from 1-4, I will be trying a variety of slow cooker recipes. We started the New Year on a GREAT foot. I made this recipe last night and it was a hit. I doubled the recipe, and it turned out great!!

Beef in Onion Gravy

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 tablespoons onion soup mix
2 tablespoons beef broth
1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

In a slow cooker, combine the cream of mushroom soup, soup mix, beef broth and tapioca; let stand for 15 minutes. Stir in the beef.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is tender. Serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.

Sassy's notes: I cut the 1 inch cubes in 4 smaller pieces because I have to cut them up for the kids anyway and this way I think they were more tender. Also, I was scared by the quick-cooking tapioca. I bought the Minute Rice brand tapioca because I couldn't find anything labeled quick-cooking. I was scared because I could only find tapioca by the pudding. It worked just fine. DON'T buy the pudding, the tapioca is near the pudding. I served with Egg Noodles and a side salad. Once we got home from church, it took me 20 minutes (10 minutes of that cooking time for the Egg Noodles) to get dinner on the table. PREFECT!!!