Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way

Sweet Dreams Pie

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 20:49:00 +0000

We have had a wonderful vacation away from the blog, but at the same time it is great to be back sharing our new adventures in cooking with all of you. We have been so busy with just life in general it’s great to be back cooking and enjoying our passion in food. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that we are back and to starting things off with a dessert recipe, I really do love my sweets. I heard about this idea over the summer and of course I had to try my hand at making my own version, the idea was to use cinnamon rolls as a pie crust for apple pie. WOW, what a cool idea this was and so simple to boot and I love simple.

12.4 oz. - Pillsbury Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

21 oz. - Wilderness More Fruit Apple Pie Filling

1/4 C. - Smuckers Caramel Topping

1/2 C. - Sun-Maid Golden Raisins

9 Inch - Pie Plate

Crumble Topping:

1C. - Flour

1 C. - Brown Sugar

1/2 C. - Soften Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, butter and brown sugar using a fork to create small pea sized lumps of crumble. Set into the fridge while you make the crust. Open the container of cinnamon rolls and set aside the cream cheese icing. Roll each cinnamon roll into a 4-5 inch circle, place the first round into the center of the pie plate then surround with the other rounds. Press together using your fingers and also pressing up the side of the pie plate to create your crust. In a mixing bowl combine the apple pie filling, caramel sauce and raisins then pour into the prepared pie crust and top with the crumble. Bake for about 1 hour or until the topping is golden brown, let cool for another hour before serving. Once ready to serve spoon the reserved cream cheese topping into a microwave safe dish and heat for 10 seconds or until easy to drizzle over the pie. The pie can then be served alone or with either vanilla ice cream or whip topping.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Thanks for all your Patience ! We will be BACK !

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:19:00 +0000

Needed a little regrouping time...

We have been on a long awaited break...but we will return the beginning of October, with lots of fall goodness.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY !!!

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:09:00 +0000

Hope you all have a Wonderful Mother's Day, and see you all next week!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:54:00 +0000

My husband and I love cream cheese danish, when I was a kid and the family would go to Cannon Beach during the summer. We would always stop at this cute little bakery in town and I always go the cream cheese danish. I love the buttery, flaky pastry and the creamy cheese filling. While I was looking at some of my favorite blogs the other day I popped into “The Country Cook” and she had made shortcut apple danish that look so tempting to me, I knew I would just simply have to make my own version at home. I wanted to take her fruit idea and mix it with my favorite part of the danish, the cheese filling. These make a great morning breakfast with some coffee, a wonderful afternoon snack with some milk or a simple dessert after dinner.

Danish:

2 Tubes - Pillsbury Butter Flaky Crescent Rolls
1 Can - Wilderness Strawberry Pie Filling
2 Tbs. - Butter (melted)

Filling:

1 8 oz - Cream Cheese (soft)
1/2 C. - Powder Sugar
1/4 C. - Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate the dough into eight rectangles. Seal the perforations. Using a pastry brush spread the butter over the rolls. Roll up the dough from the long side: pinch the edges to seal. Hold one end of the dough loosely coil into a circle. Make an indentation in the center with your fingers and create a crater for the filling and fruit.

In a mixing bowl add the cream cheese, powder sugar and milk. Mix until fully, blended and smooth. Place about 1/2 tbs. of cheese filling into the center of the Danish, then top with about 1/2 tbs. of strawberry filling. Bake these for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Once cool you can serve them plain, drizzle with a powder sugar glaze, or add a little more milk to the cheese filling to thin it out and drizzle across the danish.

Makes 8

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Banana Foster Bread Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:44:00 +0000

Back in September 2010 my husband and I took a week's vacation to sunny and beautiful California, we wanted to stop in Santa Rosa on our way back home to eat at Guy Fieri's restaurant "Johnny Garlic's". My husband had called and spoke to Art the General Manager, Art told him they would not be open as early as we had hoped for but he would love for us to come by so he could make us breakfast anyways. Art was supper amazing and at 7am opened this restaurant by himself and fixed us the most amazing meal ever, and it was just the three of us in the whole place. It started with drinks and sliced fruit then onto what Art called “Bananas Foster French Toast” and to finish it off he served us their signature grasshopper pie for dessert. We fell in love with the French toast so much that I wanted to turn his recipe into a bread pudding so that is just what we did for this posting. Thanks again to Art for treating us like a King and Queen; it was an awesome finish to a fast and furious vacation. Also a Special Thanks to Guy Fieri, for allowing us to be treated as such.

1/2 C. - Butter (room temp)
1 1/2 C. - Brown Sugar
3 - Eggs
1 lb. - Bread (I used a brioche roll)
2 C. - Heavy Cream
1 1/2 C. - Milk
1 C. - Cream De Banana Liqueur
2 Tsp. - Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp. - Vanilla
6 - Bananas (sliced)

Optional Topping:

2 - Bananas (sliced)
1/4 C. - Butter
1 C. - Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs then stir in the cream, milk, liqueur, cinnamon, vanilla and bread. Once well combined fold in the sliced bananas carefully. Pour into a 13x9 baking dish and cook for 90 minutes or until completely set. This can be served hot, room temp or cold. It can be topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or as I did with the following topping.

In a sauce pan over medium high heat melt the butter then add the brown sugar. Once melted add the banana slices and stir gently, cook until the syrup has reduced and the bananas have caramelized. This will take about 5-10 minutes, be careful to not let your sugar burn. When ready ladle some of this hot sauce over each serving of bread pudding.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

White Chicken Lasagna

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:28:00 +0000

My family really loves lasagna; in my opinion my husband makes the best traditional lasagna I have ever had. But, I really wanted to try white lasagna, when it comes to pizza I am a bigger fan of the white sauce over the red so I figured white sauce lasagna must be good too. I think this was a great recipe but I would have liked a little more sauce so next time I will up the milk by another 1/2 c and also maybe instead of just using milk I might change to half and half for a more creamier sauce. Other than that this lasagna really did taste wonderful, it was a very nice change from the traditional lasagna I am used to.

2 C. - Boneless Skinless Chicken (I used a store bought rotisserie chicken)
1 14oz. - Can Artichoke Hearts (chopped)
1/2 C. - Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes (I used some packed in herbs and olive oil)
8 oz. - Package Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
1/2 C. - Parmesan Cheese (grated)
2 8oz. - Cream Cheese (softened)
1 C. - Milk (or 1 1/2c. half & half)
1 Tbs. - Garlic (minced)
2 Tbs. - Chopped Basil (I used the kind in a squeeze tube)
12 - Lasagna Noodles (cooked)

SIDE NOTE ON NOODLES: (generally we don’t cook the noodles first, but being not enough liquid to cook properly, it would be best to cook at least half way through, too ensure being done)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, 1 c. mozzarella and the Parmesan. Beat the cream cheese, milk and garlic with a mixer until well blended and smooth, then stir in the basil. Mix half of the sauce with the chicken. Spread half of the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish: cover with 3 of the noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken two more times then top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil and place under the broiler until brown and gooey. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Peach Martini Two Ways

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Now that Spring is in the air our thoughts are turning to hot summer nights and cool easy drinks to enjoy on the patio. My father-in-law liked his drinks on the rocks and I liked mine blended, my husband could go either way so we took one drink and fixed it both ways. Either way you enjoy your drinks I really think you will love this one for sure, very refreshing on a hot summer night.

4 oz. - Pinnacle Vanilla Vodka

2 oz. - HDR Peach Schnapps

4 oz. - Jumex Peach Nectar

Ice

Peach Gummy Candy Rings

In a cocktail shaker mix the vodka, schnapps, nectar and ice, shake well and pour into chilled glass. In a blender mix the vodka, schnapps, nectar and 1 c. of ice for about 35 seconds then pour into glass. Garnish each drink with a peach gummy candy ring for fun.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Creamy Shrimp Bisque

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:37:00 +0000

Happy Easter Everyone!!!!!!!! I was watching Paula Deen one afternoon and she was making a shrimp bisque, it looked amazing and so easy. I have never had bisque before so I knew this recipe would be a great one to use for my first shot at it. Despite the fact that Paula's recipe was so simple and I'm sure very delicious I made a great deal of changes to her original recipe to make it more our style.

2 - Celery Stalks Chopped
3 - Green Onions Chopped (white & green parts)
4 Tbs. - Butter
1 Tbs. - Minced Garlic
1/3 C. - Flour
2 C. - Half & Half
3 1/2 C. - Fish Stock
3 Tbs. - Parsley
12 Oz. - Cooked Small Shrimp
1 15oz. - Can Diced Potatoes
1 Tsp. - Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbs. - Onion Powder
1 Tsp. - Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. - Old Bay
Salt & Pepper to Taste

In a medium saucepan, add the celery, onion and butter stirring occasionally until tender for about 10 minutes. When tender add the garlic and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for about 5 minutes to take out the flour taste then add the potatoes, half and half. Let simmer over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Stir in the fish stock, parsley and all of the seasonings then let this cook for another 10 minutes and it gets thick and bubbly. Add the shrimp meat and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Side Note: My husband and I decided that even though this bisque was amazing the way it was it could also benefit from some smoky bacon. So next time, I will cook up some bacon pieces then set them aside and cook the onion and celery in the bacon drippings. Once the bisque is ladled into bowls, sprinkle the top with the crispy bacon.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Nutella Peanut Butter Cake

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:23:00 +0000

My mother-in-law has Celiac Disease so I wanted to find a new dessert idea for Easter Dinner; I was looking on Facebook the other day and noticed a flour-less cake recipe that Foodista had posted from Kirbie's Cravings. It of course grabbed my attention; the other cool thing about this recipe is that it only had 2 ingredients. A 2 ingredient recipe that was also flour-less, WOW I so had to make this for sure. I did tweak this recipe with 1 more item to make it more my own and to add one more flavor component that I simply love with chocolate.

4 - Eggs

1 C. - Nutella

1/3 C. - Peanut Butter

Put in 4 Ramekin Dishes

Heat oven to 350 degrees, place the eggs into a stand mixer and beat on high until double in size, this will take about 5 minutes. In the mean time place the Nutella and peanut butter into a large glass bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds just to loosen them up. Pour 1/3 of the egg mixture into the Nutella and fold in until no egg remains, do this step two more times until all of the egg is well incorporated into the Nutella. Divide the batter between the 4 ramekins dishes then place onto a baking sheet for easy transport in and out of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Garnish with some chocolate shavings, whipped topping or a few sliced berries, these little cakes can be served warm, room temp or cold.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Robert Reed's Beef and Biscuit Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 01:56:00 +0000

Let me start off with saying, Thank You to everyone for your kind words last week after my father-in-law passed away, it really meant a great deal to me and my husband. Now let’s get back to some fabulous food, the last recipe from my new cook book, “The Dead Celebrity Cookbook” comes from Robert Reed. We all grew up watching Robert play Mike Brady on the hit TV show “ The Brady Bunch “, I myself simply loved this show and never missed an episode. My kids grew up watching the re-runs that are still on to this day. Robert Reed was a classically trained Shakespearean actor and Northwestern University Alum, rumor has it that he beat out Gene Hackman for the part of Mike Brady and I am glad he did.

1 Lb. - Ground Beef

1/2 C. - Chopped Onion

1/4 C. - Green Chilies

1 (8oz) - Can Tomato Sauce

2 Tsp. - Chili Powder

3/4 Tsp. - Garlic Powder

3 Tbs. - Dried Minced Onion

1 (8oz) - Can Grands Flaky Biscuits

1 1/2 C. - Shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar Cheese

1 /2 C. - Sour Cream

1 Egg (lightly beaten)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees… Brown the beef, chopped onion and green chilies in a pan; drain grease. Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, minced onion and garlic powder then simmer. Separate the biscuits into 10 biscuits then separate again into 20 biscuits. Place 10 of the biscuits into the bottom of an 8x9 greased baking dish. Combine 1/2 c. of the cheese with the sour cream and egg, mix well. Remove the meat mixture from the heat and stir in the sour cream mixture; spread this mixture on top of the biscuits. Place the remaining biscuits on top of the meat mixture and cover with the reaming cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Click here for a Printable Recipe...

We Miss You & Will Always Love You Dad !

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:58:00 +0000

Due to a Death in the family this morning, we will not be posting today.
We will return next week, see you then...

Thank you for your understanding!

Michael Jackson's Sweet Potato Pie

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 01:55:00 +0000

This week’s pick out of my new Dead Celebrity Cook Book was by my husband. He simply loves Michael Jackson so it was a given that he would choose his recipe to blog this weekend. Michael Jackson was an adorable little boy while performing with his brothers in the Jackson Five, to becoming the King of Pop in the 80’s; he truly was one of the most recognized iconic figures of our time. He will certainly be missed by many, but all that choose to listen to his infamous songs like Thriller and make his below recipe will keep Michal alive in their hearts.

3 - Eggs

1/2 C. - Sugar

1/4 C. - Butter (melted)

1/2 Tsp. - Salt

1/3 C. - Milk

1 Tsp. - Vanilla

1 Tsp. - Ground Cinnamon

2 Tbs. - Lemon or Orange Juice (we used lemon juice)

2 1/2 C. - Sweet Potatoes (mashed) (fresh roasted or canned (we used canned))

1 Tsp. - Nutmeg

1/2 C. - Pecan Halves (optional (no nuts for us))

1 Unbaked - Pie Crust

Place the sweet potatoes and juice into the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer, mix together. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar, and then add the butter, salt, milk, vanilla, and spices. Blend egg mixture and mashed Sweet potatoes and juice mixture, mix until fully combined. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and garnish with the pecan halves. Bake 10 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven then reduce oven temperature to 375 and bake for another 40 minutes. If the edges of the pie start to get too dark brown, then cover with small strips of aluminum foil. Serve warm, room temp or cold from the fridge with some whipped topping.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Irish Stew with Soda Bread

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:36:00 +0000

Happy early St. Patrick's Day everyone !..... This year I wanted to try my hand at something, I have never eaten or made before for St. Patrick's Day, don't get me wrong I love the Fruit Glazed Corn Beef that I usually make, but I wanted something a little different this year. My husband and I both had a hand in making this year’s St. Patrick's Day dish, I really do love being in the kitchen cooking with my husband.

1/4 C. - Olive Oil

1 1/4 Lbs. - Stew Meat

3 Tbs. - Minced Garlic (Heaping Tbs.)

6 C. - Swanson Beef Stock

1 C. - Guinness Beer (I used the entire bottle)

2 C. - Barefoot Red Moscato Wine

2 Tbs. - Tomato Paste

1 Tbs. - Sugar

1 Tbs. - Dried Thyme

1 Tbs. - Worcestershire Sauce

2 - Bay Leaves

2 Tbs. - Butter

3 Lbs. - Potatoes (cubed)

1 - Small Onion (diced)

2 C. - Baby Carrots

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Heat oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat, lightly salt the beef and brown in batches. Once all of the meat is nicely browned, place it all back into the pot and sauté with the garlic for 1 minute. Then add the stock, beer, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine, and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low then cover and cook for 1 hour stirring occasionally. While the meat and stock is simmering, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add potatoes, carrots and onion. Sauté the veggies until golden in color, about 20 minutes then set aside until the 1 hour has past for simmering the broth. Then add the veggies to the simmering stew and cook uncovered for another hour. After the second hour discard the bay leaves and season with salt & pepper. At this point you can serve or as I did use some corn starch and water to thicken the stew then serve.

Soda Bread:

3 C. - Flour

1 Tbs. - Baking Powder

1/3 C. - Sugar

1 Tsp. - Salt

1 Tsp. - Baking Soda

1 - Egg (lightly beaten)

2 C. - Buttermilk

1/4 C. - Butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x9 baking dish. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend the egg with buttermilk then pour into the flour mixture. Mix just until moist then stir in butter. Pour into baking dish and cook for 65 - 70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack. My husband decided to cook the bread in his Traeger smoker, it cooked at the 325 for 60 minutes and it was simply perfect. The bread had a slight smoky flavor from the pellets and it really enhanced the bread. This bread was a wonderful addition alongside the Irish Stew.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Isabel Sanford's Boston Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:01:00 +0000

My husband bought me a new cook book that we will be featuring this month, The Dead Celebrity Cook Book. This book is so cool, it has some of my all time favorite people and their famous recipes listed in it. It has people like Lucille Ball, Johnny Cash, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, and more, it features over 145 stars of stage and screen. My first pick from the book is Isabel Sanford (1917-2004), We all grew up watching her play Weezy on the Jefferson's. I loved how she always kept her cranky husband George under control, she is truly missed.

4 - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (the book calls for 8)
4 - Whole Russet Potatoes (washed)
1 C. - 1000 Island Dressing
1 C. - Apricot / Pineapple Jelly
1 Packet - Instant Onion Soup Mix
1 Dash - Cinnamon
1/4 C. - Grated Onion
Cooking Spray

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a baking dish with some cooking spray then lay the chicken in the dish, cut the potatoes in half length wise and place around the chicken. In another dish mix the rest of ingredients together and spread evenly over the chicken and potatoes. Cover the entire dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, turn up the oven to 375 degrees and bake for another 15-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Plate the chicken and potatoes and serve more sauce drizzled over the top. This dish when we read it sounded very odd and kinda creepy strange, but then we thought hey let’s try something different. To our surprise this dish was actually very good , the flavors really went together nicely.

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Click here for Printable Recipe...

Carrot Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:36:00 +0000

This week I am going back to my roots with Quick & Easy Semi-Homemade Recipe Ideas. My husband and I take cookies in our lunch every day so today I utilized a fabulous cake mix to make some outstanding cookies for next week. These turned out awesome, they are very moist with a cake like texture and that is how we like our cookies to be. I like that this recipe can be adjusted with so many different add-ins to make them just the way you would like them to be. You could add nuts, oatmeal or any kind of dried fruit you would like...do with them what you will, and they are great frosted with cream cheese or left plain.

1 - 21.40 oz. - Duncan Hines Classic Decadent Cake Mix
2 - Eggs
1 - Stick Butter (soft)
1 C. - Hot Water
1/4 C. - Mini Chocolate Chips
Duncan Hines Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Hydrate the carrot and raisin packet (from the cake mix box) in the 1 cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the extra water. Beat the butter, cake mix and eggs until just combined then add the carrots and raisins and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips until well combined, using a small ice-cream scoop place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Using a knife or offset spatula smooth the top of the cookies. Bake for 12 minutes then let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack. Once cookies are completely cooled frost with some cream cheese frosting or eat plain.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Stromboli

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:19:00 +0000

My husband and I were watching Big Daddy's house the other day and he was making Stromboli, I was telling my husband about the amazing meat Stromboli I had in Pennsylvania many years ago and he told me that he has never had it and was not sure what it was. We watched the show and my husband thought it sounded awesome but of course we knew that we could create our own version that would be even better. We started to play around with filling ideas and dough ideas and came up with for us a winner winner Stromboli dinner....

1 - Sheet Puff Pastry (thawed)
4 - Deli Thin Sliced Black Forest Ham
5 - Deli Thin Sliced Roast Beef
3 - Deli Thin Sliced Roasted Cajun Turkey Breast
5 Slices - Bacon (cooked)
1/4 C. - Shredded Pizza Blend Cheese
1 - Egg
1 Tbs. - Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees…

Lay down a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper onto the counter, unfold the pastry and lay it on top of the paper. Top with another section of wax paper; use a rolling pin to just thin the dough slightly and to take the creases out then remove the top sheet of paper and lightly prick the pastry with a fork so it does not rise too much when baking. Lay down the ham then top with the roast beef then the turkey and bacon, cover the entire thing with the cheese. Use the paper to help roll the pastry into a log, lay the seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet, mix the egg and water in a small dish then brush the top of the Stromboli. Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown, this makes enough for 2. Slice in half and drizzle with your favorite Alfredo sauce, marinara sauce or eat it as is.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Chicken Enchilada Chowder

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:27:00 +0000

Were Back !!!

With Tuesday being Valentine’s Day I thought it would be a good idea to spice things up at the dinner table so then maybe, we could have some carry over heat for later in the night..... This simple slow cooker recipe will do the trick nicely. This is amazing and very flavorful chowder that even someone who normally doesn't do spicy food will love. I simply adore doing anything in the slow cooker, place everything inside, turn it on, and walk away while it does all of the work. That gives you the rest of the day to be with your special someone doing whatever your heart’s desire.

1 - 15oz. - Can Black Beans
1 - 14.5oz. - Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes (diced)
1/2 C. - Chopped Onion
1/2 C. - Chopped Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper
1 - 19oz. - Can Enchilada Sauce
2 - 10 3/4oz. - Can Cream Of Chicken Soup
2 C. - Milk
1 - 14.75oz. - Can Cream Corn
1 - 4oz. - Can Green Chiles (chopped)
1 - Small Jalapeño (chopped)
2 - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 C. - Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded)
1 C. - Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips

In a 5 quart slow cooker combine black beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, peppers and chilies. In a large bowl mix together the cream of chicken soup and enchilada sauce, gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Lay the chicken on top of the veggie mixture and top with the soup mixture, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. When the chowder is ready pull out the chicken and shred the meat, then place the meat back into the slow cooker and stir in the cheese. Let the chowder cook until all of the cheese is melted. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Click here for Printable Recipe...

On Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:40:00 +0000

I hope everyone's 2012 are off to a good start, my husband and I have decided to take a mini vacation from our cooking blog for a little while. We need a chance to regroup and come up with some new yummy semi-homemade recipe ideas. Please keep stopping by and looking at all of the great recipes we have posted since 2007 such as our most popular Posh Piggies and our most talked about Krispy Kreme Burger. We will be back soon with something great to share, I of course will be stopping by all of my friends blogs to see what fabulous things you all will be cooking.

Grape Salad

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:07:00 +0000

We went to my mom's house the weekend before Christmas for the family celebration, she had a friend of hers join us for dinner and he made a salad that I had never seen or heard of before. This was so tasty, the entire family loved it, and he was kind enough to tell us where he got the recipe. When we got back home I goggled the salad and found two versions, my husband really liked the sound of both recipes so we chose to mix the two recipes into one fabulous simple salad.

2 Lbs. - Green Grapes (seedless)
2 Lbs. - Red Grapes (seedless)
1 8oz. - Whipped Cream Cheese
1 8oz. - Sour Cream
1 7oz. - Marshmallow Creme
1 Tsp. - Vanilla Extract
2 Tbs. - Brown Sugar

Wash and dry the grapes. In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, sour cream, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and brown sugar until smoot>h. Stir in the grapes and mix until well combined, refrigerate until ready to serve…SOOO EASY! And yet DELISH!

Click here for Printable Recipe...

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Ed and I would like to wish all of our blog friends all across the world… Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas. We hope you fill your tummies with wonderful food and your homes with lots of family and friends. We love this time of year, because it brings lots of love and giving…We will see you all in the New Year for more fantastic recipes and ideas for the kitchen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT !!!

Holiday Treats

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:56:00 +0000

We went and spent the evening with my sister and her kids last weekend to make some holiday goodies. My sister had been longing to make some chocolate dipped pretzels and my niece who claims she can’t bake wanted to make some rice krispies treats. I packed up all of the needed items and we went over the river and through the woods to Molalla to have some Christmas baking fun.

Rice Krispies:

3 Tbs. - Butter
1 10 oz. - Bag Marshmallows
6 C. - Rice Krispies Cereal
1/2 C. - Mini Chocolate Chips
Food Coloring (we used red)

In a microwave safe bowl heat the butter and marshmallows for about 3 minutes; stop to stir about every 30 seconds. When the marshmallows are melted, stir in a few drops of food coloring and mix to combine. Then quickly stir in the cereal, when the cereal is mostly mixed in add the chocolate chips and combine well. Press the mixture into a lightly greased 13x9 baking pan, firmly press into the corners of the pan until it is all even. Let cool and cut into squares or as I did by using a cookie cutter for Christmas shapes.

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels:

12 Oz. - Bag Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Tbs. - Shortening
2 - Dozen Pretzel Rods
Sprinkles

Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet. In a microwave safe dish place the shortening and chocolate chips, microwave until the chocolate starts to melt but stir every 20-30 seconds. Try to not over heat the chocolate or it will burn or get stiff and unusable. Using a spoon lower the pretzel rod into the melted chocolate and spoon it over the pretzel about half way up. Once coated with chocolate lay the pretzel onto the baking sheet then use the sprinkles. When all pretzels are done place into the refrigerator to set for 30 minutes or do like we did and place them into the garage since it was colder outside then it was in the fridge.

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Pineapple Upside Down Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:05:00 +0000

My husband and I were talking Christmas cookies the other day, he was asking if I could make a pineapple upside down cookie this year since he loves the cake so much. I started looking online to see what I could find to make these little gems for him; I was really surprised at how many versions I ran across. After about 10 minutes of looking I found the perfect recipe for me, it used a box cake mix. I knew this would turn out amazing and also be quick and easy.

4 - Eggs
1/2 C. - Oil
1 C. - Candied Cherries (chopped)
1 C. - Candied Pineapple (chopped)
18.25 Oz. - Pineapple Cake Mix (you will need 2 boxes)
1/4 C. - Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. - Butter (soft)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix eggs, oil and 1 box of cake mix using either your stand mixer or hand mixer. Once combined mix in the other cake mix then fold in the candied fruit, this mix will be very thick. In another dish mix together the butter and brown sugar, then set aside. On a parchment lined baking sheet place about 1 inch balls of dough about 2 inches apart then sprinkle with a little of the brown sugar butter mix. Bake the cookies for 8-11 minutes or just until the edges are golden brown. Let cool on the rack for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack. My husband was very happy that I found this recipe and made these cookies for him, they were so easy to make and are big on flavor.

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Peppermint Sugar Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:39:00 +0000

Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way was given another Foodbuzz opportunity again; Duncan Hines was giving out coupons to try any of their cakes, glazes or Comstock-Wilderness Fruit Fillings. I was excited to have been chosen to try some of the great products, for my posting I chose to use the Duncan Hines Chocolate Glaze, it is wonderful. The texture of the glaze is creamy & smooth, the flavor is a deep dark chocolate that I simply love, the glaze paired extremely well with my creation. Thank you again Foodbuzz and Duncan Hines for opportunity to enjoy your wonderful products.

1 - Roll of Prepared Peppermint Sugar Cookie Dough
1 - Bottle Duncan Hines Chocolate Glaze
Your Favorite Cookie Sprinkles

Place about 1 inch balls of cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart then bake in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool on the tray for 1 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled. Take the outer wrapper off the top of the glaze bottle then remove the cap and protection seal. Place in the microwave and warm for 30-50 seconds, keep an eye on it so it does not burn. Place the cap back onto the bottle and shake vigorously to ensure the glaze is loose enough to drizzle. If not keep microwaving in increments of 10 seconds until you have reached the desired constancy. Place the cooled cookies back onto the parchment lined baking sheet then open the cap on the bottle and drizzle the glaze over the cookies, allow the glaze to set up on the cookie ( this took about 5-6 minutes) then serve. I simply loved the chocolate glaze mixed with the peppermint of the sugar cookies.

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Thanksgiving Leftover Sliders

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:22:00 +0000

My final November posting is not really a recipe but just a method, so you can play with it any way you wish. This is our contribution to Thanksgiving left over ideas, we all have so much food left over whether we cooked or brought home a plate home from a friends or family gathering. Don't get me wrong I love leftover turkey pot pie or gallons of turkey soup but we went a little simpler and quicker this year with our leftovers.

King's Hawaii Butter Rolls
Turkey
Ham
Stuffing
Jellied Cranberry
Stuffing
Gravy

Open the dinner roll, place down a piece of turkey then top with ham. Next… top with a small scoop of stuffing followed by the cranberry, and then top with the dinner roll. Serve alongside some gravy dipping sauce to dunk these little sliders into.

NOTE…We put our slices of Ham and Turkey in the smoker to warm them up and to give them the added Yum factor of the Hickory wood flavor…can you say YUMMMMO !

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Cranberry Supreme Jell-O

noreply@blogger.com (MaryBeth) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:06:00 +0000

I have not made this recipe in 10 plus years, my best friend Susen and I used to make it every holiday season for our families and children. Everyone simply loved the sweet and tangy combination of flavors this Jell-o had to offer. This Jell-o makes a wonderful substitution of jellied cranberry or whole berry cranberry sauce, this recipe does call for using the whole berry sauce but I don't care for whole cranberries so I use the jellied instead. I hope that if you try this recipe that you and your family love it as much as mine does.

1 (3oz) - Package Raspberry Flavored Gelatin
2 C. - Boiling Water (divided)
1 (16oz) - Can Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 (3oz) - Package Lemon Flavored Gelatin
1 (3oz) - Package Cream Cheese
1/3 C. - Mayonnaise
1 (8 oz) - Crushed Pineapple with Juice
1 C. - Whipping Cream
1 C. - Mini Marshmallows
1 C. - Cool - Whip

Dissolve raspberry gelatin in 1 c. boiling water, stir in the cranberry sauce until well combined. Pour into the bottom of a 1 1/2 qt round mold. Chill until partially set. Dissolve the lemon gelatin in 1 c. boiling water then set aside. Beat together the cream cheese and mayo; gradually add the lemon gelatin. Stir in the pineapple and juice. Chill until partially set. When the lemon mixture is ready whip the cream then fold into the lemon mixture, when full incorporated stir in the mini marshmallows. Carefully spread the lemon mixture over the top of cranberry layer and again chill until fully set. When ready to serve dip the jell-o mold into hot tap water to loosen then invert a serving plate on the top of the jell-o ring and turn over. My jell-o mold has a flat top so I chose to spread a thin layer of cool-whip on the top as an added layer.

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