Chocolate E'clair Cake

As simple as this recipe is, you'd think it to be a delicacy.  It's full of flavor with a light crust and soft vanilla pudding insides... And the fudge topping is heavenly!

Ingredients:

(Cake)

• 1 box graham crackers
• 2 pkg. instant French Vanilla pudding
• 3 cups milk
• 1 (9 oz) container of Cool Whip

(Fudge Topping)

• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp milk

Directions:

1. For cake, grease 9x13 pan.  Line pottom of pan with crackers. 
2. Mix pudding and milk, then blend in Cool Whip.  Beat until slightly thick.
3. Pour half of pudding mixture over grahams.
4. Layer more crackers, then the rest of the pudding.
5. Add another layer of crackers.
6. For frosting, combine fudge topping ingredients, beat until creamy. 
7. Pour frosting over top layer of graham crackers.
8. Refrigerate for 30 minutes then serve!

Choco Banana Melt

If there were ever a cheap delicious dessert that you could pass off as being semi-healthy, this would probably be it.  I mean, yes it's got loads of chocolate and marshmallows in it, but bananas are healthy, right?  The banana will cancel all of the calories of the chocolate and marshmallows.  At least that's what I tell myself...  Besides, calories don't count on the weekends...  Thanks to FamilyFun.Com for the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1 small handful of mini marshmallows
• 1 small handful of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven for 400º F.
2. Peel the banana, then cut a lengthwise slit across the banana.  Place on a sheet of aluminum foil.
3. Put a bunch of chocolate chips and marshmallows into the slit.
4. Wrap the banana in your aluminum foil, then place in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the marshmallows have melted.
5. Eat with a spoon and plenty of napkins.

Shamrock Shakes

March just isn't complete without Shamrock Shakes for St. Patrick's Day!
Here's the McDonald's copycat recipe taken from Yahoo News.

Ingredients

• 3 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• Green food coloring

Directions

1. Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend it until smooth.
2. Feel free to throw in some chocolate chips for some extra flavor too!

Thanks for the picture, Evite! I ate mine faster than I could take a picture.

Gracie's Strawberry Liquado

I made this with my niece Gracie.  She really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd share it here.

Ingredients:

• 15 fresh strawberries, stemmed and wiped clean
• 1/4 cup lowfat milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 15 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into the blender.
2. Blend until slushy and smooth.
3. Pour into a glass, and then scarf it down.
4. Have a great breakfast!

Caramel Popcorn

This is a great recipe because it only calls for a couple of ingredients, and you probably already have everything you need.  When you're out of everything, and you're longing for something simple and sweet, this is the perfect munchie for you and your buddies.  Thanks to Allrecipes.Com for the original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup (I used Karo syrup)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). 
2. Pop your popcorn and place it in a very large bowl.  Like, the biggest one you have.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Don't keep boiling while you add in the baking soda, or you'll ruin the whole thing! I learned this the hard way.
5. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, and stir until well-coated.
6. Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into smaller pieces.
7. Hide the remnants so you don't eat it all in one sitting.

Vegan Boxed Brownies

It just so happens that Thanksgiving always falls right around my brother's birthday.  The problem with this, is that my brother's a vegan--which makes Thanksgiving a time where he gets to watch his family eat a huge meal and he's stuck with eating a couple of carrot sticks.  So, for his birthday this year, he requested that everyone bring a vegan dish.  I brought two, since I'm such an awesome sister.  This was one of them, thanks to Vegan Nom Noms.

Ingredients

• 1 box brownie mix (make sure ingredients are vegan)
• 1 tbsp. ground flax seed + 3 tbsp. warm water for every egg called for on the box
• Vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp baking soda for every egg called for on the box

Directions:

1. Get a small bowl ready and mix your flax seed and water together.  Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, pour in your brownie mix and make it according to the box (leaving out the eggs, obviously).
3. For each "flax seed egg" you use, add 1/4 tsp baking soda to the brownie mix.
1. So, if the brownie box calls for two eggs, you would mix 2 tbsp. flax seed, 6 tbsp water, and 1/2 tsp baking soda.
4. Add in your flax seed/water mixture to your brownie mix and into a baking pan.
5. Bake the brownies according to the directions on the box.
6. Stuff your vegan friend's faces.

Coolio's Strawberry Banana Muffins

I guess I was the last to know that Coolio isn't just a rapper-- he's actually a really good cook too!  Here's a recipe from his book, "Cookin With Coolio."  You can also watch his um, interesting cooking show here: Cookin' With Coolio.
These were made even better since I used fresh strawberries and bananas.  They were definitely a hit!

Ingredients:

• a few drops of olive oil
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 1 banana, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Grease your muffin tin with the olive oil.
3. Combine butter, milk, and egg in a small bowl and beat lightly.
4. In a larger bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
5. Toss in the chopped strawberries and bananas into the flour mixture and stir to coat.
6. Pour in the milk mixture and stir together.  Mixture will be thick!
7. Fill the muffin tins with your batter, then bake for 25 minutes (or until the tops of the muffins are slightly browned).
8. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
9. Turn on some Gangster's Paradise and devour those bad boys.

Thanks to Sweethome for the picture.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

It's a perfectly fall day in Illinois.  The air is cool and crisp, the leaves have turned orange... And what am I doing? Making these mouth-watering cookies.  Try eating them without saying, "Mmmmmm." Go on.  I dare ya.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 1 small bag)
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg - set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla.  Add eggs, beating well until incorporated.
4. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, blending until a very stiff dough forms.
5. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate and cranberries until evenly distributed.
6. Drop inch-sized balls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top.
7. Serve with ice cold milk.

Monkey Bread

I was introduced to this little gem last week from a coworker at my preschool.  It seems that everyone's heard of it except for me! Each little bite-sized piece of this bread can be torn off individually, which is kinda nice!  It's smothered with deliciously warm sugar and cinnamon, and the dough practically melts in your mouth.  Be careful not to make it when you're alone, or you'll end up eating the whole thing by yourself.  It's that good!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans "Grands" Biscuits (cut in halves)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Walnuts or raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix your regular sugar with the cinnamon in a large ziploc bag.
2. Shake your biscuit halves (and walnuts or raisins, if you like) in with the cinnamon and sugar, then pour into a bundt pan.
3. Melt the butter and mix it with the brown sugar, then pour it over the biscuits.
4. Bake at 400º F for 11 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
5. Wipe the drool off your chin, and pull off a piece.  Stick it in your mouth and savor the sugary awesomeness that is Monkey Bread.

Ghostly Cupcakes

I know, I know... It's not even close to Halloween.  So why bother making a bunch of cupcakes look like ghosts? Well, cause they're awesome looking, that's why!  The recipe was adapted from the book, "Hello Cupcake!", which originally had these little guys as aliens. Not hard to change it around a bit in order to fit my needs. And actually, I did make these for a special occasion.  Since I'm also a Paranormal Investigator in my spare time, I couldn't help but whip these little babies up for our latest BBQ get-together.  They were to die for. ;) 

Ingredients:

• 24 vanilla cupcakes, baked in white or silver liners
• 2 cans (16 oz. each) of vanilla frosting
• 12 Marshmallows (the big kind)
• 24 donut holes (Hello Cupcake calls for plain ones, but I used glazed)
• Black decorative icing

Directions:

1. First, bake your cupcakes and let them cool completely.
2. Take your marshmallows and cut them in half crosswise.
3. Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of the cupcakes and place 1 marshmallow half in the center of each cupcake, sticky side down.  Add another dab of frosting on top of the marshmallow, and top it with a donut hole.
4. Spread the frosting over the marshmallow and donut hole to fill in the gaps and smooth out.  Don't worry about covering the top of the donut hole with frosting, as this may make your ghost "head" look bumpy later.
5. Place the assembled cupcakes carefully on a cookie sheet and stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly frozen.  DON'T SKIP THIS STEP!
6. Working in batches, microwave the frosting in a glass measuring cup in 10-15 second intervals, stirring frequently, until it's the consistency of Elmer's Glue.
7. Holding a chilled cupcake by it's liner, dip it into the frosting right up to the edge of the liner.  After the excess has dripped off, turn it rightside up and place it back on the cookie sheet.  Add more frosting and reheat as necessary.
8. Use the black icing to create little beady eyes, and use a fork, toothpick, or chopstick to create the mouth.
9. Pat yourself on the back for the half-day's work.  And don't forget to reward yourself with a cupcake. :)



Apple Crisp

Last time I went grocery shopping, I bought two giant bags of granny smith apples.  I didn't know what I wanted to do with them, so they sat in my kitchen for a while.  Today, I decided to make something--but by this time, most of my groceries had been used up.  This is a perfect dessert to make with just the bare essentials.
Thanks to Julia Zurbrugg for the picture.

Ingredients

• 6 medium apples
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup butter (melted)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.
3. Peel, core and slice apples
4. Sprinkle with sugar and spice mixture and mix well.
5. Place apples in 8x8 buttered baking dish
6. Mix together brown sugar and flour; add butter and mix until crumbly.
7. Sprinkle evenly over apples.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes or until apples are tender.
9. You can scoop some in a bowl over ice cream, or eat straight out of the pan if your sink's full of dirty bowls and you don't want to wash anything.... Ahem.

Scotcheroos

A dessert so good, that my husband's family fights over them at Christmas time--to the point that last year, the parents had to ration them between family members so everyone got their fair share.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 6 cups rice krispies
• 1 cup chocolate chips (6oz)
• 1 cup butterscotch chips (6oz)

Directions

1. Combine sugar and syrup in a saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture begins to bubble.
3. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter; mix well.
4. Add cereal and stir until blended.  Press into buttered 9x13 pan.
5. Melt chips together over low heat.
6. Remove from heat and spread evenly over Rice Krispies mixture.
7. Cool until firm, then cut into very generous portions for greedy family members.

Dutch Apple Pie

My fiancee made this for me tonight, and before even taking a bite, I had to snap this picture.  It smells and looks absolutely amazing, and Nick is cutting me a huge slice as we speak.  It got great reviews on RecipeZaar, so I know it'll be a hit.


Ingredients
• 1 your favorite homemade pie crust or ready-made pie crust
• 5 1/2 cups peeled cored sliced cooking apples
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Get your pie crust ready.
3. In a large bowl, mix sliced apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, then pour it into your crust.
4. Prepare topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, both sugars, and butter with a fork until coarsely crumbled.
5. Sprinkle evenly over apples.
6. Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes.

Banana Ice Cream

Alright, I've finally tried this, and all I have to say is: Wow! Who would have thought that frozen bananas have the same consistency as ice cream?  This was so cool and easy to make, I can't wait to try it again.  And what a great treat to have if you're trying to fit into a wedding dress (ahem). 
Ingredients

• Bananas

Directions

1. Peel your bananas first.
2. Cut them into small pieces.
3. Freeze for just 1-2 hours on a plate.
4. Blend, blend, blend - scraping down the bowl when they stick.
5. Enjoy the magic moment when they turn into ice cream!

Brown Sugar Kisses

Got these out of the book, "Cook Yourself Thin Faster" with Lauren Deen.  These are SO simple to make and taste like you're eating sugar-tinted air.  And, at only 11 calories per kiss, I'm definitely saving these as a special low-cal treat after dinner.  Beats puttin' on the pounds with my go-to dessert: ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 225° F.
2. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or a silicone sheet.
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and and salt with a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
4. Add the sugar while beating, a few spoonfuls at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny (about 3-5 minutes).
5. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
6. Using a large tablespoon, drop the meringue onto the baking sheet in the shape of kisses, about 2 inches apart.
1. You could also spoon the mixture into a large ziploc bag and cut the corner off so you can squeeze the kisses onto the baking sheet.
7. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. After they're finished baking, turn the oven off, leave the kisses in the oven, and keep the door ajar for about 1 hour.
9. Do not store the kisses in plastic wrap or glass, as they'll become soggy very quickly.  The book recommends using a tin container or wrap loosely with aluminum foil.
10. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodles

Yes, funny name, but serious cookie.  My mom made these with my niece and nephews the other day and after trying one (and another.... and then another) I couldnt help but ask for the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c butter
• 1/2 c shortening*
• 2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 c flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Set your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Get your cookie sheets out, but unlike most baking, you do not need to grease these.
3. Mix together cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, mix butter, shortening, and eggs.
5. In a third, smaller bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 c sugar and your cinnamon.
6. Mix them together, then add the flour in a little bit at a time until you have a nice batter.
7. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then roll them in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are slightly browned.

*According to Andrea's Recipes, "shortening was once quite popular in cooking. I generally prefer unsalted butter for baking, and you can substitute equal amounts here, just keep in mind that butter has a liquid content of around 20% and shortening has no liquid. Because of the liquid content, cookies made with butter tend to spread more, making them thinner and crispier than cookies made with shortening, but they also taste better. Freezing the formed dough for a few minutes before baking will help the butter melt slower thus retaining the cookie shape better in the oven."

   Thanks also, to Andrea, for her great picture. :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I've been trying to get a hold of this recipe from my mom for ages.  It is by far, the best oatmeal raisin cookie recipe I've ever come across.  According to her, it was passed down to her from her Aunt Jewel, so you know it's a keeper.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup regular sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2  flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups raisins
• 3 cups oatmeal

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Begin by blending butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, and eggs together.
3. In a separate bowl, blend flour, salt, and baking soda.
4. Combine the two bowls together, then add raisins and oatmeal.
5. Grease a cookie sheet, then mold the dough into 1 inch balls.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Reindeer Cupcakes

I stumbled upon this recipe at the Amateur Gourmet last year around Christmas time, and they were a huge hit at my family Christmas party.  If you have any kids in your family, I'm sure they'll enjoy them more than anyone else.

Ingredients

• Chocolate cupcakes
• Chocolate frosting
• Vanilla wafers
• Large Pretzels
• M&Ms
• Mini M&Ms
• Mini marshmallows
• Black Icing

Directions

1. Make chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing.Get a vanilla wafer and stick it on the cupcake, one side of the wafer touching the perimeter of the cupcake
2. Stick your pretzel antlers in.
3. Get yourself a big red M&M. If you are not committed to specifically Rudolph cupcakes, you can get brown ones, I suppose.
4. Use icing to attach the M&M to the vanilla wafer. Presto. That's your nose.
5. Now the eyes. Take a mini-marshmallow and slice it in half. Place the two marshmallow halves in place on top of the wafer, sticky side up.
6. Take two brown mini-M&Ms and stick them on to the mini-marshmallow halves.
7. Using icing, make reindeer smiles underneath the nose.

Turkey Cupcakes

Here's another recipe I originally found in my Hello Cupcake! book... And since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, why not create something super cute for your family or friends?
Though there's a lot of ingredients, feel free to skimp on some of them if need be... For example, you could simplify the recipe by skipping out on the Fruit by the Foot, the Graham cracker sticks, the sprinkles, or the chocolate jimmies (used for the eyes... use mini M&Ms instead, perhaps?)
Thanks to Duncan Hines for letting me copy the recipe from their website instead of having to copy it from the book.

Ingredients

• 24 standard Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners
• 1 cup Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Vanilla Frosting
• 24 thin orange flavored scalloped cookies (e.g. Anna's)
• 2 cups candy corn
• 1 cup chocolate candy melts, melted (if making the turkeys the night before)
• 1 can (16 ounces) plus 1 cup Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Caramel Frosting
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate jimmies
• 12 marshmallows
• 24 pieces harvest corn
• 1 roll strawberry fruit leather (e.g. Fruit by the Foot)
• 48 brown candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge frosting
• 24 graham cracker sticks (e.g. Honey Maid Sticks)

Directions

1. Spoon the vanilla and the chocolate frostings into separate ziplock bags.
2. Snip a small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting and pipe a dot of frosting near each scallop on cookies, to make 7 dots.
3. Add the candy corn to the dots of frosting, pointed end facing center of cookies. (If making the night before, brush the backs of cookies with melted candy melts, to protect the cookies from moisture, and let set in the refrigerator until set, about 5 minutes) Continue with decorating.
4. Place the chocolate sprinkles in a small bowl.
5. Spread the caramel frosting on top of all of the cupcakes, standard and mini, and make smooth. Roll the edges of the standard cupcakes in the jimmies to cover.
6. Dip one edge of the mini cupcakes in the jimmies to coat.
7. Press the harvest corn in the center of the mini cupcakes, flat side in, to make the nose.
8. Pipe 2 dots of the vanilla frosting on either side of the candy nose and insert the brown candies to make the eyes.
9. Cut the red fruit leather into twenty four 1 1/2 inch tear drop shapes and lay over the harvest corn to make the waddle.
10. Spoon the chocolate frosting into a ziplock bag. Snip a very small corner from bag and pipe names on the flat side of graham cookies.
11. Snip a larger corner (1/4 inch) from bag with the chocolate frosting.
12. Cut the marshmallows in half on the diagonal with clean scissors. Place a cut marshmallow near the edge of the cupcake, cut side down, with pointed end facing the center.
13. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting on side closest to the center.
14. Place the decorated cookie with the empty edge pressed into the frosting to make the tail feathers.
15. Add the mini cupcake on top and press into frosting slightly to secure.
16. Pipe a small dot of chocolate frosting in front of cupcakes and attach the graham cookies with names.
17. Arrange turkeys on table as place cards. Add 2 candy corns on the table next to the cupcakes to make the feet.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

Mmmm... chocolate... I am in dire need of a batch of these delicious no-bake cookies.
The nice thing is, if you don't have all the ingredients, it's easy to replace some of them with others--for example, you can use flaked coconut instead of oatmeal.
You could also add some chopped peanuts to the mix, or add some chocolate chips for that extra chocolately goodness.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt, and butter and mix well.
2. Bring to a boil and cover saucepan for 30 seconds to allow steam to wash sugar crystals down sides of the pan.
3. Stir mixture and bring it to a boil that can't be stirred down for 1 minute*
4. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth.
5. Add oatmeal and mix well.
6. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the oatmeal absorb some of the liquid.
7. Drop mixture by the spoonful onto wax paper or parchment paper.
8. Let cool until you can touch the mixture, then reshape the cookies to make them into balls.**
9. Let cool completely; store at room temperature.

*Make sure that the sugar mixture boils hard for at least 1 minute, otherwise the cookies will be sugary instead of creamy.

**You can also pour the mixture into a 9x9 baking dish and allow it too cool--then cut into pieces.