Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Couldn't find a good Strawberry frosting so made this one up myself! It's a milder strawberry flavor but you can tell that fresh strawberries were used which I think is key.

• 1 stick butter, room temp
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 strawberries, pureed

Whip the butter with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer. Meanwhile puree the strawberries and then push them through a mesh strainer to get rid of all the large pieces. Add in about half the powdered sugar to the butter and then add the vanilla.  Add the strawberry puree liquid and add in the rest of the powdered sugar. Optional: Mix in small diced pieces of fresh strawberries by hand. Viola!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate chip cookie dough. In a cupcake. Need I say more?

For the cookie dough:

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 - 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking soda, and sea salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.
Cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix together. Add flour mixture a little at a time until everything is blended together. Fold in chocolate chips with a spoon. Spread wax paper onto a baking sheet and form tablespoon sized balls (about 24). Freeze for AT LEAST two hours (I froze mine overnight).

For the cupcakes:

• 1 box white, yellow, or chocolate cake mix (whichever you choose)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 and 1/3 cup water

Mix eggs together with hand mixer. Add cake mix, oil, and water and blend until smooth.

Now, fill each cupcake liner about 1/2 - 2/3 full with cupcake batter. Place one frozen chocolate chip cookie dough ball on top. Bake 16 minutes at 350 degrees. Test with toothpick (around the edge of the cupcake, not in the center) to make sure it's done.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 2 sticks butter, softened at room temp
• 2.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 Bakers squares semi-sweet chocolate (4 oz), melted and cooled

Use the wire whisk attachment to a stand mixer and mix the butter on medium-high for about 5 minutes. Gradually add in all the powdered sugar. Next add the vanilla and continue mixing. Add in the melted chocolate and continue to whip until light and fluffly (another 2 minutes or so).



Original recipe from allrecipes.com.

Supersoft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I *love* soft cookies. These cookies are awesome - I think the secret to their softness is the pudding mix. I usually divide this batter in half when I'm done mixing everything together and put chocolate chips in half and M&M's in the other half. But it's so versatile, you could really put anything in it - mint chips, butterscotch, caramel bits, etc.

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
 

Mix together above ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 package dry instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz)
• 2 cups chocolate chips (or M&M's, mint chips, white chocolate chips, etc) 

Cream together butter and sugars. Blend in vanilla pudding mix. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour mix a few spoonfuls at a time until batter is smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips (or whatever mix in you're using). Bake 12-14 minutes on non-stick aluminum foil at 350 degrees.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Seriously amazing. Tastes just like Cinnabon. You can use the following dough recipe as listed below or just throw the ingredients into the bread machine on the dough cycle. I've done it both ways and they are equally as good!

Dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 pkgs active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1.5 cups warm water
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 3 more cups of flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir well, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add warm water to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer  on medium for 2 minutes. Add eggs and 1 more cups of flour, beat until thick. Stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rest for about 20 minutes.
Roll dough out into a rectangular shape, about the size to fit in a jellyroll pan.

Filling:

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2.5 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

Mix together ingredients and spread evenly over top of bread. Roll up dough and cut into circles. Spread out evenly in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake rolls for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Icing:

• 1 (3 oz) package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt

Beat together all ingredients and spread over top of cinnamon rolls.

Broccoli Chicken Divan

Another great tasting recipe that only takes a few minutes to throw together. Original recipe can be found here.

• 1 head fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 can cream of broccoli soup
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp bread crumbs

Place broccoli in a saucepan and bring water to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes then drain. Place broccoli and chicken and baking dish or pie plate. Mix together soup and milk in a small bowl and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Mix together bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over cheese. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees.


Recipe serves 6 with 186 calories per serving.

Rosemary Bread

This is the most perfect bread ever. It's light and has the perfect touch of rosemary. It's even better with olive oil and black pepper for dipping. Original recipe can be found here.

• 1 cup water
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 2.5 cups bread flour
• 1.5 tsp active dry yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine. Select white bread cycle. Let the machine do all the work!

Cream Cheese Squares

A go to recipe that pretty much everyone loves. Original recipe can be found here.

• 2 (8 ounce) packages crescent roll dough
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Line 9x13 inch baking pan with foil (or spray with Pam).  Unroll one package of crescent roll dough and press into bottom of pan. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread over crescent layer. Unroll second package of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese layer. Do not press down. Pour melted butter over entire pan. Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle all over top. Bake for 25-30 minutes for 350 degrees.

Taco Salad

This is a recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up. Even those who don't really care for salad will love this one. You can make this in one large bowl if feeding a family, but I make it just for the two of us so I made individual bowls and just save the leftover meat for leftovers.

• 1 lb ground hamburger meat
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
• 1/4 cup water
• Chili powder
• 1 bag salad mix
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large tomato, diced
• Thousand island dressing
• Tortilla chips
• Salsa

Brown hamburger meat in skillet until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain and return to pan. Add kidney beans. Add water and chili powder (I never measure the chili powder - just add until it's all coated, I'm going to guess about 3-4 Tbsp). Cook on low until slightly thickened. Add lettuce to two bowls (use large bowl if serving more than two), diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and a spoonful of salsa. Top with meat mixture. Pour thousand island dressing on top and take two forks to mix up salad together. Toss until everything is coated with dressing. Add crushed up tortilla chips on top.

Stuffed Shells

I used to make these with spinach instead of broccoli but lately the frozen spinach has been tasting kind of off to me so I decided to substitute broccoli and I think I actually like this version better. This recipe has been adapted to serve two so just double it if cooking for more people.

• 8 pasta shells
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• Cooked broccoli (I used leftover from previous nights dinner)
• Salt and pepper

Cook pasta shells in boiling water until softened but not cooked all the way through. Set aside and let cool slightly. Mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, and salt & pepper in a small bowl. Fill shells evenly with mixture and place in baking dish. Cover with spaghetti sauce. Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.


Approximately 220 calories in 4 stuffed shells.

Slow Cooker Chicken Zingarella

Another slow cooker recipe. A nice sweet sauce really makes this dish tasty.

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped into smaller pieces
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Cover with jar of spaghetti sauce. Add roasted red peppers. In a small bowl, mix garlic, brown sugar, red wine, and olive oil. Pour over sauce in slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over your favorite pasta.