Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

I tried to go on a "no sugar" diet for the month of November.

It didn't last very long.

I just really believe in enjoying food and tasting delicious things. And I think I should be allowed to have a brownie if I want. As long as I can stop at just one (or two? Let's be honest. Two).

So these are not the best treat to make for the kids at church when you're trying to refrain from eating more than just one... because they are incredible and it's pretty much impossible to stop tasting them. They are exactly as delicious as they look and sound. Make them, but make sure you have enough people to share them with. :)

Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies

3/4 C sweetened condensed milk, divided (fat-free is fine)
1/4 C butter, melted and cooled (1/2 stick)
1/4 C non-fat milk
1 box devil’s food cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
cooking spray
1 7 oz jar marshmallow creme (about 1 3/4 C)
1/2 C peanut butter morsels



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, milk, butter, cake mix, and egg white. Mixture will be very thick. Spray 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Use either floured hands, or spray your hands with cooking spray in order to press it down without having it stick to your fingers. The layer will be thin. Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl and combine until smooth. Stir in PB morsels. No one will tell if you stir in some extras. Spread marshmallow layer over brownie layer in pan. Carefully drop remaining brownie batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. (The original recipe calls for 30 minutes, but many readers have noted that 20 minutes was perfect, and I usually only bake for about 20-25). Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares.

Recipe from Our Best Bites, originally from Cooking Light Magazine (imagine that!).

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup

Because it's fall. And because you're worth it.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Maple Syrup

Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Syrup:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon maple extract



In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Get the syrup started so you can make it while flipping pancakes. Combine sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir in water and mix well. Place the saucepan over med-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until sugars dissolve, giving it a good stir every 30-45 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in maple extract.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Recipe slightly adapted from Allrecipes.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Hurricane Irene passed through NYC last night, and we hunkered down and spent the day indoors waiting for the storm. After several hours, an episode of Bachelor Pad, a batch of cookies, three games of solitaire and one movie, I was bouncing off the walls from boredom. I had scoured Facebook, read my Twitter page, and emptied my Google Reader in search of entertainment and had exhausted all options. Finally I turned to Pinterest as a last resort. I am new to Pinterest and haven't pinned anything myself, but I get on and flip through everyone else's pins when I get bored.

That is how I came upon this recipe. If there was no other reason for me to have joined Pinterest, this would be enough. A friend pinned this last night and I knew I had to make it immediately. So this morning after the hurricane had passed, I made Cinnamon Roll Cake for a Sunday morning breakfast to celebrate the fact that our windows didn't break and our power didn't go out during the storm.

I don't think I need to do much to convince you to make this cake. I mean, look at it. All that gooey, warm, cinnamon sugary, cinnamon roll goodness. You probably already have all the ingredients on hand. And this is a lot easier and faster than making actual cinnamon rolls. Plus, it is really pretty when it comes out of the oven (even without the icing!):

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes. While still warm, drizzle glaze over the cake.

Recipe from Cookin' Up North, via Pinterest.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

I will admit, I was real proud of this one. I needed to use up the last of this jar of pesto sauce from Costco and what do you know, I ended up making one of my favorite homemade pizzas of all time. (The winner would be a classic sausage margherita with homemade pizza sauce, fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil and spicy italian sausage, in case you were wondering.) This pesto pizza tasted like something from a restaurant. The oil from the pesto sauce sort of soaked into the crust during baking, making it brown up nicely and taste amazing. This smelled so divine coming out of the oven. I am a big fan of pesto and I just loved this pizza.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

1 batch perfect pizza crust
1/2-3/4 cup prepared pesto sauce (I get a great deal at Costco)
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 chicken breast halves, grilled and sliced
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced


Preheat the oven to 500° F. (If you have a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven and use a pizza peel or parchment paper to transfer topped pizza to stone before baking.) Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle on a lightly floured counter top, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Spread the pesto sauce in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with half the shredded mozzarella. Top with chicken, onion and artichoke hearts. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Let pizza cool for a couple minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Pizza crust from Annie's Eats.

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

Klane loves barbecue pulled pork, but every time I make it we have a ton of leftover meat that we have to figure out how to use. This recipe was born out of a need to use up leftover pulled pork. I've done a barbecue chicken pizza before, and this is basically a twist on that. It felt like a gamble throwing pork on a pizza, but it turned out to be a winning combination. We loved this!

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

1/2 recipe perfect pizza crust
leftover pulled pork
1 small green pepper, sliced
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2-3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
1 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 500° F. (If you have a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven and use a pizza peel or parchment paper to transfer topped pizza to stone before baking.) Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle on a lightly floured counter top, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Spread the BBQ sauce in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with half the shredded mozzarella. Top with pulled pork, tomato, onion and green peppers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and drizzle a little more sauce on top. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Let pizza cool for a couple minutes before slicing so the toppings don't fall off!

Seven Layer Dip

Nothing beats a good seven layer dip at a summer gathering. Everyone will gather around the dip and enjoy good conversation, interspersed with exclamations of, "I can't stop eating this dip!" and "This stuff is amazing!" This is always my experience with seven layer dip. It is definitely a crowd pleaser. Plus, it is super easy to make. Sometimes I make a simplified version (pictured above) if I don't have everything on hand, which is still delicious.

Seven Layer Dip

2 avocados - peeled, pitted and diced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup salsa
garlic salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
1 (2.25 ounce) can black olives - drained and sliced

In a medium bowl, mash the avocados. Mix in lime juice, cilantro, salsa, garlic salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and taco seasoning.
In a 9x13 inch dish or on a large serving platter, spread the refried beans. Top with sour cream mixture. Spread on guacamole. Top with tomatoes, green onions, Mexican-style cheese blend and black olives.
Devour with tortilla chips.

Evidence of good times surrounding seven layer dip:

Strawberry Watermelon Lemonade

Sara fell in love with this refreshing summer beverage at a sandwich shop in Chelsea, so much that she looked up the recipe online so we could recreate it at home. I am so glad she did, because it is so easy and so delicious. And it just tastes like summer. The flavors of the watermelon, strawberry and lemon are very well balanced. Serve it chilled for the perfect summer treat. You will love it!

Strawberry Watermelon Lemonade

4 cups cubed seeded watermelon
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, halved
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup water
3-4 ice cubes

Combine everything in blender and blend until smooth. Serve chilled.

Recipe found on Allrecipes, copycat of a drink from Bottino.

Perfect Pizza Crust

I have used a couple pizza crust recipes, but this one is far and away my favorite. I love it. It's so easy to make, and so easy to work with, and it tastes great. I love that I have the option to freeze some for a quick weeknight dinner later on if I want. It's the best.

Perfect Pizza Crust

For the crust:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. olive oil

Measure the 1/2 cup warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. 

(If desired, wrap one of the balls of dough in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag and freeze for later. When it's time to use the frozen dough, put it in the fridge in the morning, then take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you're ready to use it.) 

Cover ball of dough with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500° F. Sprinkle a large baking sheet lightly with cornmeal or lay down a piece of parchment paper to prevent dough from sticking. On a countertop lightly dusted with flour, gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. (If the dough doesn't want to stretch and roll out, let it rest for a few minutes and come back to it. If it's been frozen and thawed, it's a little harder to work with, but letting it rest a bit usually helps make it more workable.) Carefully transfer the dough to the baking sheet (on top of the parchment paper or dusted cornmeal) and top with toppings and cheese as desired. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Makes two medium pizzas.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I've seen these taquitos posted on a few different recipe blogs recently, and after hearing everyone rave about them I had to try them. They were so great! We liked these so much, they made it into the regular rotation. I loved how the subtle flavors of the cilantro, lime, and spices mixed so well. Definitely a dish we would make again and again. Try them, you'll love them!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa
1Tbs fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced {1 tsp jarred minced garlic}
3 Tbs chopped cilantro
2 green onions, sliced
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese {or cheddar, monterey jack, etc}

12-16 small flour tortillas {you could use corn but we like flour!}
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and minced garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Be sure not to over-fill as the chicken mixture will expand and bubble during baking. Then roll it up as tight as you can. {If using corn tortillas, heat in the microwave to make them more pliable before rolling.} Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.

Makes 12-16.

Recipe from my sister-in-law Michelle, originally from Our Best Bites.

Tomato Feta Tartlets

I was asked to post the recipe for the tomato tartlets shown in the photo with this Tomato Basil Bisque. They were, in fact, delicious, and I can't believe I forgot to post the recipe before! Thanks Emily for the request.

These tartlets looked and tasted fancy but were in fact, super easy. All thanks to a magical ingredient called puff pastry. If you haven't been introduced to puff pastry yet, do yourself a favor and buy some. It is amazing stuff! It will change your life! Chicken pot pie, apple tarts, tomato-feta tartlets... and a million other possibilities. The stuff is flaky and buttery and pretty and so easy to use. You'll feel like a cooking goddess for making something that tastes so fancy.

Tomato Feta Tartlets

1 sheet puff pastry dough
1 small onion
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 plum or roma tomato
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh basil, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice onion. Over medium-low heat, sauté onion in olive oil until caramelized, about 20 minutes. While onions caramelize, slice tomato and cut circular pieces of pastry by running a knife around the edge of a small bowl or plate. When onions are done, place about one tablespoon on each pastry round, followed by crumbled feta, then 1 or 2 tomato slices, and sprinkle parmesan on top. Sprinkle a little basil on top. Bake for 25 minutes.

Makes 4-5 tartlets.

Recipe from my good friend Alexa.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

Lately I haven't made a whole lot of new recipes. I'm still cooking a lot, I've just been making tried and true favorites from my files (this blog). I feel like I should apologize for not posting anything new. But if you're anything like me, you can still make good use of this blog and all that the archives have to offer.

Anyway, I made something new today! I decided to try a new recipe for pizza dough and the one from Annie's Eats looked and sounded amazing. I was excited to try it out since she suggests freezing the dough for later use (which I did, and it worked wonderfully). I actually made the dough earlier this week while my husband was working late and I had extra time on my hands. Usually I'm in such a hurry to get dinner ready that I wouldn't use a recipe that requires the dough to rise for 2 hours. But making this ahead of time and freezing it for when I needed it was the perfect solution. I just took it out of the freezer in the morning for dinner that night.

This dough was really simple but yielded awesome results. Annie did a whole post all about pizza, and I found her tips extremely helpful in making my pizza so much better. Short of buying a scale and measuring my ingredients by weight, I followed all her instructions and my pizza turned out amazing! I will be using this dough for all my pizza from now on.

Chicken Ranch Pizza

For the crust:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

For the toppings:
¼ cup Ranch dressing
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½-1 grilled chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2-3 green onions, chopped
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. Wrap one of the balls of dough in plastic wrap, put in a freezer bag and freeze for later. (When it's time to use the frozen dough, put it in the fridge in the morning, then take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you're ready to use it.) Cover ball of dough with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven and a pizza stone to 500° F. Allow the stone to heat for at least 30 minutes. In the mean time, cut a round of parchment paper the size of your pizza stone. (Alternatively, use a pizza peel.) Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal or semolina flour. Gently roll out the pizza dough into a large circle, leaving a thicker ring around the edge for the crust. Brush crust with olive oil to help it brown while baking. Spread the Ranch dressing in a thin layer evenly over the unbaked crust. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Top with grilled chicken, tomato and green onions. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar. Once assembled, carefully transfer the parchment round and pizza to the preheated baking stone and return to the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned. Slice, serve, and enjoy!

Makes one medium pizza.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

I was feeling too tired to plan dinner or go grocery shopping and needed to make something with what I had on hand. I happened to have mangoes, cilantro, and some frozen chicken, and after googling the ingredients and looking up a few recipes, I created this one. I was a little worried since I was making it up as I went along, but it turned out really delicious! We loved this meal and will definitely be making it again.

Honey Lime Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

4 chicken breast halves
1/4 cup honey
2-3 Tbs lime juice
cayenne pepper to taste {I probably used 1/4 tsp}
salt and pepper to taste
hot cooked rice

For the salsa:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 Tbs chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced red pepper {I used jarred roasted red peppers, fresh would be great though}
1 tsp diced jalapeno {we buy jarred sliced jalapeno so it's always on hand}
3 Tbs lime juice {I buy mine bottled for convenience}
3 Tbs orange or mango juice

To prepare salsa, mix diced mangoes, onion, pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and 3 Tbs lime juice and orange or mango juice. Set aside to let flavors mix.

Mix honey, lime juice to taste, and cayenne until well blended. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts in oil, season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle honey mixture over chicken while cooking. It will bubble and create a glaze or sauce in pan while cooking.

Serve chicken breasts over rice with mango salsa on top. Drizzle extra sauce from pan over the top as desired.

Serves 4.

Zuppa Toscana

Please excuse the horrible iPhone picture, my camera was broken when I made this delicious soup!

I saw this Olive Garden copycat soup on a couple of my favorite recipe blogs, and then a friend recommended it as well, so I had to give it a try. I had never cooked with kale before, and I was excited to try it out since I know kale is packed with super healthy vitamins. The soup turned out delicious! I've never tried the Olive Garden version, but this was yummy, hearty and packed with flavor. We loved it!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausage {could sub half turkey sausage to make it healthier}
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan {had some cooking sherry on hand and used that}
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2.5 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Place a large stockpot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, chicken broth and water to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Caramelized Banana French Toast

A few months ago I fell in love with the french toast at Extra Virgin in the West Village. I raved about it, sent several friends there, and went back multiple times to feed my obsession. It was so good. I had never tasted anything like it. I didn't even imagine that I could make something like it at home until my mother-in-law suggested it when we took them there for weekend brunch. This weekend I was craving the french toast and decided to just look online and see if there were any recipes for caramelized bananas. Of course there were, this is the internet, people! So I threw this together and WOW. It was incredible. I couldn't stop talking about it all the day long. This was impressive.

Caramelized Banana French Toast

4 slices of good quality bread {challah? french bread?}
3 eggs
2 Tbs whole milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
dash salt
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs brown sugar
strawberries, sliced
whipped cream
maple syrup

Heat two separate skillets to medium heat.

Slice the bread about an inch thick. {And let's be honest here, do I have challah bread hanging around my house? NO. I actually had some fancy hamburger buns that I hadn't sliced in half yet, and I sliced them top to bottom instead to make little slices of bread. So my only requirement for your bread is that it be semi good quality, and preferably white, not wheat.} In a shallow dish, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, white sugar and salt. Dip the slices of bread in egg mixture and turn to coat. Cook in greased skillet till nicely browned and crisp on both sides.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and brown sugar in the other skillet, and cook banana slices in sugar mixture to caramelize, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

Arrange toast on plate, and pour caramelized bananas and extra sauce on top. Top with more syrup, fresh whipped cream, and sliced strawberries on top.

Serves 2! Increase quantities as desired!

Cake Bites

Cake bites, cupcake pops, cake balls.... this cute little treat has been all the rage on recipe blogs since Bakerella made them famous a few years ago. My sweet mom-in-law sent me a package with everything I needed to make some for Valentine's Day, so I did just that. They are the easiest thing ever, although a little time consuming. And they are super addicting (betcha can't eat just one!) and super cute. You can also adapt them all you want by using any type of cake, frosting or dipping chocolate combination you please. I used devil's food cake/cream cheese frosting and lemon cake/lemon frosting and both turned out yummy (though I am partial to chocolate). Not that you need an excuse to make these, but they would be great for any holiday, birthday, baby shower, party... okay, just go make them! Cake bites are perfect for any occasion!

Cake Bites

1 boxed devil's food cake mix, prepared according to package directions in 9x13 pan
1 16 oz. can cream cheese frosting
1 package dipping chocolate (I liked white chocolate but you can use any kind)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50.)
4. Chill in freezer for a few minutes to set. (This is so they are easier to dip in melted chocolate.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a fork to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

Only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

Also, if you use lemon cake or any other cake that tends to be more moist, decrease the amount of frosting or add flour so it is not too wet or sticky to roll into balls. We ran into this problem with the lemon but a little flour fixed it in a snap.

Recipe made famous by Bakerella.

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese with Fried Chicken

When I was in Utah last weekend I went to Spark restaurant & lounge. The whole dining experience was great, but I especially loved the fried chicken with smoked gouda mac and cheese. The pasta was irrisistably creamy, had such a strong, delicious flavor in the cheese sauce, and had bits of bacon in it too. The chicken on top tasted great paired with the mac and cheese. I decided to make a copy-cat at home, referencing other mac and cheese recipes, and came up with this. It was soooo good! Even if you haven't been to Spark, try this, you will love it.

Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese with Fried Chicken

1 lb curly pasta shapes {I used cavatappi}
6 Tbs butter
3 green onions, sliced
6 Tbs flour
4 cups milk {I used 2%}
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
fried chicken strips {I use frozen Tyson brand from Costco}

1. Preheat the oven and bake chicken according to package directions {usually bakes for around 20 minutes, perfect timing for the rest of your meal}.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is finished cooking, drain and return to pot.

3. Cook bacon until crispy in frying pan, then remove to paper towel lined plate to cool before chopping roughly into 1/2 inch pieces.

4. Once you get the first three steps started, you can make the sauce while they are all cooking. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Saute green onion in butter for a minute, until onion just begins to cook. Add flour and whisk constantly until it forms a nice paste. Add milk and whisk vigorously to combine with flour mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally to avoid scalding. After a few minutes the sauce will thicken. Once it thickens, season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Set aside sauce until pasta is drained and returned to pot. Pour sauce over pasta abd stir to coat all noodles with sauce. Add shredded cheese and stir to combine; the cheese will melt into the sauce, creating a creamy, smooth cheese sauce. Stir in the chopped bacon.

6. Serve pasta with chicken on top. Serves 6-8.

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

I had never made tenderloin before this recipe, so I was unprepared for how amazing it was. After we took the first bite, my husband and I looked at each other with surprise and delight on our faces. After it melted in our mouth and we swallowed, his first words were, "This is amazing!" followed closely by, "How much did this cost?" Both very appropriate reactions and exactly what I was thinking. This tastes expensive. The meat is so tender it really does melt in your mouth. I felt like I was eating at a fancy restaurant. And I don't remember what it actually cost at the store, but it couldn't have been too crazy expensive or I wouldn't have bought it. So in the end, I would highly recommend this. Make it for a special occasion, like a Valentine's, Anniversary, or birthday dinner for a loved one. Or for Sunday dinner like we did. Just remember NOT to overcook it. You will RUIN this meat if you cook it until it's well done. It will be pink pink pink on the inside and it will be perfect. (We made this again at Christmas and regretfully overcooked it - not nearly as good.) Enjoy!

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

For the spice rub:
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)
2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic
1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes, until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.