Friday, January 7, 2011

homemade chocolate frosting

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
In a large bowl, combine butter and cocoa; beat until well mixed. Add in the milk, vanilla and salt; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until frosting is smooth and creamy. Add more milk if you want a thinner consistency.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

black forest cupcakes

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
2 Tbsp.  sugar
1 can (20 oz.) cherry pie filling, divided
1-1/2 cups  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
 

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; set aside. Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until well blended.
REMOVE 3/4 cup of the pie filling for garnish; set aside. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of the cake batter into each of 24 paper-lined medium muffin cups. Top each with 1 Tbsp. each of the cream cheese mixture and remaining pie filling. Cover evenly with remaining cake batter.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Top cupcakes with whipped topping and remaining pie filling just before serving.

from Kraft website

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

easy oven fries

  1. In large bowl, toss 2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 medium; cut into ½-inch-thick sticks) with your choice of seasonings (play around with this to suit your families' taste buds. We like garlic on ours)
  2. Lay potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil (you can use cooking spray as well).Roast at 425° F, stirring and flipping every 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp, 35 to 45 minutes.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Peanut butter cookies

  • 2 cups creamy peanut butter (not the all-natural variety)
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350° F.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in the eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and salt.
  3. Roll heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. With a sugared fork or glass cup botton , press the dough to a ⅜-inch thickness.
  4. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges are set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Monday, January 3, 2011

sloppy joe casserole

  • 2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated biscuit dough

  • 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

  • 1 (15 ounce) can sloppy joe sauce

  • 1 small onion, chopped

  • 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Cut the biscuit dough into quarters and press to cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
    2. Place the ground beef into a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until no longer pink. Add the onion and bell pepper about halfway through, cooking and stirring until tender. Drain off excess grease and stir in the sloppy Joe sauce. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the biscuits and spread to cover evenly.
    3. Bake in the preheated oven until the biscuits are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven until the cheese has melted, about 10 more minutes
    For this I won't use the canned sauce.  I will make my own sloppy joe recipe and put that into the pan on the dough. 

    Sunday, January 2, 2011

    oreo surprise cupcakes

    1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
    1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
    1 egg
    2 Tbsp.  sugar
    48 Mini OREO Bite Size Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
    1-1/2 cups  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
    HEAT oven to 350°F.
    PREPARE cake batter as directed on package. Mix cream cheese, egg and sugar until well blended.
    SPOON half the cake batter into 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Top each with about 1-1/2 tsp. cream cheese mixture and 1 cookie; cover with remaining cake batter.
    BAKE 19 to 22 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
    FROST with COOL WHIP. Top with remaining cookies. Frosted cupcakes can be stored in refrigerator up to 3 days

    from Kraft website.

    Saturday, January 1, 2011

    peach cobbler

    INGREDIENTS
    1/3 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    6 peaches, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices (6 cups)
    2 tablespoons water
    2 teaspoons lemon juice
    1 cup baking mix
    2 tablespoons sugar
    1/3 cup milk
    1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
    Sweetened whipped cream, if desired
     
    DIRECTIONS
    • Heat oven to 400°F. In 4-quart saucepan, mix 1/3 cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir in peaches, water and lemon juice. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 8- or 9-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish.
    • In medium bowl, stir baking mix, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the milk and melted butter until soft dough forms.
    • Drop dough by 6 tablespoonfuls onto hot peach mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over dough.
    • Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with whipped cream.