Superbowl.... FOOD & DESSERT!!

So, I FINALLY tried out a few recipes that I've pinned on Pinterest... and I must say, they were soooo yummy!!!

Check them out!!!

Buffallo Chicken Cheese Dip (Went great with some celery and Fritos Scoops!!) from Sing For Your Supper's Blog

Photo from Sing For Your Supper's Blog

Buffalo Chicken Dip (AKA: Crack Dip)

8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing
1/2 cup buffalo sauce or buffalo style barbecue sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (shredded mozzarella cheese can be substituted)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a deep baking dish, mix cream cheese, salad dressing, buffalo sauce, and cheese. Stir until combined. Stir in chicken.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the dish is heated through.  Serve with crackers, pita chips, sliced bread or vegetables.

NOTE:  Depending on your tastes and the ingredients on hand, you can use 1/2 cup ranch or blue cheese salad dressing rather than 1/4 cup of each.  Similarly, you can mix blue cheese and mozzarella, or use portions of each.


**I used Frank's Hot Sauce and used all ranch instead of the combination of blue cheese and ranch dressing.  I also used shredded mozzarella instead of the blue cheese crumbles (added a little more than what was called for cuz I like it cheeeesy!) and put everything in a crockpot on high for an hour and a half or until melted and bubbly... then reduced the temperature to warm**

Slutty Brownies from the Londoner's Blog

Photo from the Londoner's Blog

Photo from The Londoner's Blog

Check out The Londoner's Blog for the recipe!
**I used double stuffed oreos and put everything in a 9x13 pan

Here is another version of the recipe from Kevin & Amanda's Blog

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting — brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled. Enjoy!!

To half this recipe for an 8×8 brownie mix, simply half the chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients.

Amish Friendship Bread

Got my starter for an Amish Friendship Bread... Kinda excited to try this out!!!  Here is wikipedia's definition of what it is...

Photo from thekitch.com

"Amish Friendship Bread is a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter. The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use. The sweet, cake-like Amish Cinnamon Bread is a common bread that is made from this starter; it is a simple, stirred quickbread that includes a substantial amount of sugar and vegetable oil, with a mild cinnamon flavor. It has characteristics of both pound cake and coffee cake. The flavor of the finished product can be altered by omitting cinnamon.

A common recipe using this starter suggests using one cup (240 ml) of it to make bread, keeping one cup to start a new cycle, and giving the remaining two cups to friends. The process of sharing the starter makes it somewhat like a chain letter. One cup of starter makes one standard loaf of bread."


Now let me know if you want a starter when it is ready!!!

Important Tips:

• Do not use a metal bowl or spoon for mixing (see my note about this below)
• Do not refrigerate.
• It is normal for batter to thicken, bubble, or ferment

Day 1: You receive the fermented batter in a 1 gallon ziploc bag. Do Nothing. Just place the bag on the kitchen counter.

Day 2: Squeeze the bag several times.

Day 3: Squeeze the bag several times.

Day 4: Add 1 c. of flour, 1 c. of sugar, 1 c. of milk. Squeeze bag.

Day 5: Squeeze the bag several times.

Day 6: Add 1 c. each flour, sugar, and milk. Squeeze bag.

Day 7: Squeeze bag several times.

Day 8: Squeeze bag several times.

Day 9: Squeeze bag several times.

Day 10: In a large, non-metal bowl, combine batter with 1 c. each flour, sugar, and milk. Mix with a wooden spoon. Pour four 1-cup starters into individual gallon ziploc bags. Give away starters to friends with this set of directions. It is important to follow this sequence exactly.

To the remaining batter add:

• 1 c. canola oil
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
• 2 t. cinnamon

In separate bowl, mix 1 t. cinnamon and 3 T. sugar. Sprinkle into well-greased loaf pans and coat the sides with sugar mixture. Do not use Pam or other non-stick spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until done.

For more info on the Amish Friendship bread, check out TheKitchn's website

Steel Cut Oatmeal in Mason Jars!!

First off... I'm addicted to Pinterest.  Second... I found such a great idea for making steel-cut oats and storing them for the week!  This "oatmeal" takes FOREVER and a day to cook, so I never make this often, but after a sale at Henry's (or should I say, Sprouts), I have so much steel-cut oats, but have yet to use them!!  Check out this recipe I found from Pinterest!

Steel-Cut Oatmeal in Mason Jars

Another recipe for over-night Steel-Cut Oats

Photo from The Kitchn

Lobster Mac and Cheese

So, I just started following a friend from high school's blog, Curly in the City and she posted a yummy post about a Lobster Mac and Cheese dish she made!!!  You say lobster or cheese and I'm there!!!!  So, this is going to be on tonight's menu for dinner!  Pics to come!

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pound cavatappi or elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place the mixture in 6 to 8 individual gratin dishes.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Recipe from Food Network

Rolo Cookies

Another fabulous recipe from the Six Sisters' Stuff website!!!  I forgot to take a picture (because we ate them so quickly), so check out their website to see how great these turn out!!  I was afraid that the caramel in the cookie would get hard once they cooled, but they were soft and chewy the following day!! YUM!!

Picture from the Six Sisters' Stuff website

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Rolo's
1 box Devils Food Cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. oil

Directions:
Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs. Take a small ball of dough and form a ball around the rolo. (Only use enough dough to cover the rolo so it can spread through the cookie.)

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Yields about 3 dozen.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff

Andes Mint Cookies

I have been searching for a good mint-y cookie that involves Andes mints (since they are Scott's fav) and I found a great one from the Six Sisters' Stuff website!!!  These cookies are so easy and so yummy!!!! Enjoy!!

Pardon the picture quality! 
It was from my phone!

Ingredients:
1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints




Directions:
Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't cook any longer than that! You don't want them to be overdone!
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.


Recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff

Butter Spritz Cookies

These cookies are one of my favorites and one's that my family LOVES!!!  Make sure you have a decent cookie press to make cool trees and flowers!

Christmas trees before they were cooked

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sifted flour
Sprinkles for garnish

Flowers after they were cooked

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixer with a paddle attachment, add the sugar and the butter. Mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extracts and mix to incorporate. Sift together the baking powder and the flour. Add the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Using a cookie press, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Top with the sprinkles of your choice. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until firm, but not yet browning.

Recipe from Food Network

Comfort Food: Meat Lasagna & Lasagna Florentine

Florentine Lasagna

15 min Prep Time
40 min Cook Time
Serves 6

Ingredients:
8oz (1/2 package) Lasagna noodles (cooked)
1 container (15oz) Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups shredded fresh spinach leaves
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & Pepper
1 Jar (26oz) Spaghetti Sauce
2 Cups (8oz) Shredded mozzarella
Optional:
8oz Cottage Cheese
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F
Cook and drain pasta according to package directions
In bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, eggs, garlic powder, and salt & pepper to taste (& cottage cheese if you choose to use it).
Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in 13x9 inch baking dish
Layer with 3 lasagna pieces, half the ricotta mixture, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup sauce
Repeat layers once.
Top with remaining lasagna, sauce, and mozzarella.
Bake (uncovered) in oven for 35-40 minutes.

**May need to place lasagna on cookie sheet in case sauce drips over baking dish**




For Meat Lasagna
Instead of eggs, spinach, & garlic powder, brown ground beef or ground turkey with onions and garlic and add to either the cheese or the spaghetti sauce!

**I also add extra mozzarella because I like it cheesy!!!**

Leftover butternut squash?? Try this Butternut Squash Salad with Hazelnuts & Blue Cheese (or Feta!)

Hands-on Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4

Leftover butternut squash (from previous recipe) or 1 1/2 lbs butternut squash, delicata squash, or sugar pumpkin-- peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 cups mixed greens (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup) or sub feta (I LOVE FETA!)

Heat oven to 400F.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (now who really measures that out???  Give a healthy coat of EVOO or Olive oil and shake some salt & pepper on top!)  Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, spread the hazelnuts on a second rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then rub in a clean dish towel to remove the skins (discard skins).  Roughly chop.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt & pepper.  Add the squash, hazelnuts, greens, and onion , and toss to combine.  Sprinkle with the cheese!

**Now I'm thinking since I don't have hazelnuts, I'll sub roasted almonds and since I'm a feta lover, I'll sub that in as well.  I'm also not too sure how the bf will feel about this vinaigrette, so I'll keep the salad dry and we can add our own dressing as we please!  I'm thinking bottle basalmic or poppy seed dressing may work and cut down the prep time!!!

Recipe from Real Simple Magazine, October 2011

Tortellini with Butternut Squash, Mushroom, & Fontina

Hands-on Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

1 small butternut squash (2 lbs), peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 button or cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed & halved if large (I used cut up baby bella mushrooms c...uz that's what I had)
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves (I actually used thyme cuz I didn't have fresh sage)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & Black Pepper
1 lb. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (I had spinach & cheese tortellini & cheese ravioli, so i used that)
2 ounces fontina or gruyere, grated=1/2 cup

Heat oven to 450F. On a rimmed (or 2 depending on how much butternut squash you have) toss the squash, mushrooms with sage & oil, salt, & pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender. About 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain the tortellini and return to the pot. Add the squash & mushrooms, fontina, 1/4 cup cooking water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss gently to coat (add more water if the pasta seems dry). Sprinkle with additional fontina.

**Now, I used gruyere, cuz I had some leftover and instead roasting the mushrooms, I actually made a cheesy mushroom garlic cream sauce instead of making the sauce in the recipe with the cooking water... For the cream sauce, I put a little extra virgin olive oil in a pot, added fresh chopped garlic & the mushrooms & sauteed for a bit. Then I added half & half (or you can use heavy cream which will make it thicker, but I had some half & half & used that). I brought it to a boil and to make it a little thicker, I added some flour to my half & half, then added the cheese and it made the sauce! Poured the sauce over the tortellini & butternut squash & added more gruyere cheese to the top! It was soooo good!!!



Recipe from Real Simple Magazine, October 2011

Chicken Parmigiana

Another one of my go-to recipes that I know will turn out GREAT every time!!!  Sometimes I make it alone, or I'll add whole wheat pasta to the dish!  Enjoy!!


Chicken Pamigiana Recipe
From the PBS Website

Ingredients

Serves 4 | Prep time: 35 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes
 

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 chicken cutlets or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups jarred tomato sauce or Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, preferably fresh, cut into eight 1/4-inch-thick slices 

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan in a shallow bowl. Season both sides of chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dip chicken in the beaten egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat both sides.
2. Spread tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 10-by-15 inch baking dish. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 4 chicken cutlets in skillet; cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Using a spatula, transfer browned cutlets to baking dish, placing them on top of sauce. Repeat with remaining oil and cutlets.
3. Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella. Broil about 4 inches from heat source until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately.

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wa)

Ok... I've been obsessed with eating this whole grain that is high in protein.  Here's one of my favorite recipes.  I usually never follow directions of recipes, so the first time I cooked this, I used orange beets, didn't use leeks (cuz I couldn't find it) and I added butternut squash (yum!).  Second time around, I used the red beets (personally I like the orange beets better) and added garlic to the recipe and this time I found leeks.


Quinoa Hash Recipe 
From Whole Living

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, greens reserved and rinsed well
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut 1/4 inch thick, and rinsed well
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (from 1/4 cup dry)
• 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss sweet potato with 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt; spread in an even layer on half of a rimmed baking sheet. Toss beets with 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt; spread on other half of sheet (so that beets don't discolor potatoes). Roast, stirring halfway through, until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil; add vinegar. Break each egg into a teacup. Reduce heat so that water is just simmering. Slightly immerse 1 teacup, and gently slide egg into water. Use a spoon to fold edges of white over egg. Repeat with remaining eggs. Simmer until whites are just set but yolks are runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer eggs to a towel using a slotted spoon, and drain.
3. Thinly slice beet greens. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add greens, leek, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in quinoa, thyme, and vegetables; press down using a rubber spatula. Cook until quinoa is warm, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates; top each with 1 egg, and season with a pinch of pepper.

Here's a picture of when I cooked the dish w/ red beets