Turkey Pinwheels with Chive Cream Cheese

I was looking for a new h'or d'oeuvres recipe when Ben's mom suggested turkey pinwheels.  These are great for Spring and Summer because they are cold, light, and fresh.  This recipe made about 40 pinwheels.

Here's what you'll need:
1 package tomato basil wraps
1 jar sun dried tomatoes
1 jar black olives
8 oz. chive and onion cream cheese
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
mixed baby spinach leaves
1 lb. sliced smoked turkey

Take a spatula and spread about 3 tablespoons of cream cheese on the bottom of the wrap (it may be more or less than 3 tablespoons, I'm not sure. Just eyeball it).  I should have spread the cream cheese to the edges, because I learned that this will help the wrap stay together.  Next layer some mixed spinach leaves.

Add the turkey (I put about 5 slices on each one).  Sprinkle some sun dried tomatoes and black olives.  Next sprinkle some cheddar cheese (not shown here).  Notice how I'm try to keep most of the ingredients at the top of the wrap, leaving about 1-2 inches at the bottom.  This makes it easier to roll.

Roll the wrap, starting at the end with the most ingredients and rolling towards the end with less (I hope this makes sense).  Then roll it in some plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for about 30-45 minutes.  This will make it easier to cut.

Unwrap the wrap and carefully slice it into 1 1/4 inch pinwheels.  Ben did the slicing because I'm still not too fond of knives.

The great thing about pinwheels is that you can mix and match ingredients.  Don't think tomato basil wraps are the only thing out there!  You can use ham instead of turkey, spinach artichoke cream cheese instead of chive and onion.  The possibilities are endless.  Plus these were great leftovers for lunch!

Oranges in a Fancier Light

This is one of Ben's many recipes that he has ever-so-kindly prepared for me recently.  It's a simple, modern way to serve oranges as a dessert, appetizer, or fancy snack.

Cut an orange in half and go around the edges with a pairing knife. Neatly scoop out the orange with a spoon and separate the pieces by hand.  Place back in the orange half.  In a separate bowl, mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of honey and 1 1/2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.  Drizzle mixture over the orange pieces and serve!

Caramel Covered Cheetos

I know what you're thinking..."what the heck? caramel covered Cheetos? are you out of your mind?"  No, I am not and luckily for you I am here to explain how to make this yummy treat!  I got the recipe from my friend Jennifer (and there's no doubt she's cool because we have the same name).

Warning: these are a crunchy, sweet snack that will disappear from your kitchen in a matter of hours!  Below are instructions for a half recipe.  This is what I made because I knew it would just be my family eating it and we don't need 4 pounds of cheetos staring us in the face!

Ingredients
1 bag of Cheetos (regular size)
1 stick of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pre-heat oven to 250.  In a sauce pan, bring butter, brown sugar and corn syrup to a boil for 5 minutes.  Stir in baking soda.  Pour over Cheetos in a medium sized bowl.  Mix well and spread onto a baking sheet.  Place in the oven and bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Quickly separate onto wax paper and let dry.

The pictures don't do them justice.  They had a nice candy coating and the cheese taste was surprisingly not too over-powering.

 

Christmas Cookies and Treats

Even though the holidays are over (except for New Year's!) here is a recap of what I made this Christmas season!

Gingerbread men and gingerbread women cookies, chocolate chip cookies, Christmas tree sugar cookies are just the beginning!

This chex mix was part of the Christmas goodies our neighbors and co-workers received this season.
The recipe can be found on this post.

I could not pass up these Chinese take-out containers from Hobby Lobby.  They were the perfect size and too cute!

I made some more of the chocolate chip drizzle cookies.

Can't forget the Christmas tree cookies!  The recipe for the cookies and icing can be found on this post. 

Last but not least, I made red velvet cupcakes with green buttercream icing! YUM!

Cheesy Ranch Chex Mix

I found this recipe on the back of the Chex cereal box.  So I guess all of that reading the back of cereal boxes has paid off!

Ingredients:

9	cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex® or Wheat Chex® cereal (or combination) I used corn and rice Chex
2	cups bite-size pretzel twists
2	cups bite-size cheese crackers
3	tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1	package (1 oz) ranch dressing and seasoning mix
1/2	cup grated Parmesan cheese

In large microwavable bowl, mix cereal, pretzels and crackers. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until melted. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated. Stir in dressing mix and cheese until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring after each minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool. Store in airtight container.

The Chex website has a recipe for everyone, whether you like salty, cheesy, or sweet treats!  This weekend while I'm baking a thousand other things, I think I'll make some puppy chow, too! (p.s. how did this get named "puppy chow"? Not that my dogs wouldn't love to have a treat like this...)

*recipe found here.

Monkey Bread!

I am new to monkey bread, although I don't know how I could have missed it my entire life, but I somehow did! 

Here's everything you need:
1 bag of dinner rolls (not buttermilk)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
1/2 lb butter
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar

I let the dinner rolls thaw since I got them from the freezer section (I placed them in the oven on 100 degrees and let them rise a little, too). This made them easier to pull apart and also fluffier.

Pull the rolls in half. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Roll the dough pieces in this mix. Melt butter and stir in 2 tablespoons of cinnamon (I probably used about 4 tbsp - oops!) and 1/4 cup sugar.  Grease a bundt pan. Place half of the rolls in the bottom and pour half of the butter mixture over it. Place the other half of the rolls on top and pour the rest of the mixture.  If you like your monkey bread to be extra buttery/cinnamon-y, then add a little more butter, sugar, and cinnamon than it calls for. Bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees.

If I were making this bread for, say, Christmas morning (and we all know how hectic Christmas morning is), I would make the bread the night before and place it in the refrigerator and wait to bake it in the morning.  The bread really tastes best when it's right out of the oven.  Unfortunately, microwaving it is just not the same.

*This recipe is adapted from the one found here.

Christmas Pretzel Treats

At this time of year, (btw, Christmas is only 15 days away!) I find myself in the mood to bake...A LOT!  And while this treat is not something I necessarily had to bake (it did not require going in the oven), it's still adorable, easy, and a great Christmas snack to give to friends and neighbors!

I bought a large container of small pretzel rods (you can use large pretzel rods, too), chocolate bark, and Christmas sprinkles.  Follow the instructions to heat the chocolate. Then it's an easy three step process: 1) dip the pretzels, 2) sprinkle a little dots, and 3)let them dry on wax paper.

Well after I finished all of the pretzel rods, I still had melted chocolate that needed to be used and I am a firm believer in not wasting chocolate.  So what did I do?  I opened a bag of mini pretzels and started dipping!  They are kind of messy looking, but still taste good!

I'm in a group called the Jingle Belles and we are having our annual holiday party to raise money for the Centers for Youth and Families in Little Rock. Check out the website and come to the party if you're in the area!

A Twist on an American Classic

On Sunday I was thinking "hmmm what sounds good for lunch?" (ponder ponder ponder). "I got it! A grilled cheese sandwich!" Well, if I've learned anything about Ben it's that he likes to make foods fancier, more elaborate. Therefore, the grilled cheese was not safe from his imagination. All of a sudden he's grabbing the dijon mustard, finding a green apple and throwing bacon in a skillet.

Since sliced American cheese was not good enough for this sandwich anymore, we had to use cheddar, but all I had was shredded (desperate times call for desperate measures). On top of the cheese is the dijon mustard, then apples, then bacon. I know what you're thinking...this could turn out bad. But it didn't! This sandwich was delicious! And to think, I was going to eat a boring ole grilled cheese!

Homemade Pretzels

mmmmm...I can just smell the homemade pretzels. Actually what I smell right now are freshly baked brownies (don't worry, you'll get a post about them this week). But very recently I did smell and taste fresh out-of-the-oven, homemade pretzels and let me tell you, they were delicious!

I am not the biggest fan of Alton Brown (sorry Ben and those of you who love him). While watching his show, "Good Eats", I have found myself saying,"come on, Alton, get on with it. Stop these silly side shows and show me how to cook!" Some people like that though. Nonetheless, he does know what he's talking about and he is a great cook! Ben and I got the recipe for the homemade pretzels from Alton and it is definitely one we will be using again.

Most of the ingredients are things that you'll already have, so no extra trip to the store!

1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 package active dry yeast

22 oz. all-purpose (about 4 1/2 cups)

2 oz. melted butter

vegetable oil, for pan

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

The above picture is Ben rolling out the dough. This is the hardest part, because the dough would not stay stretched out (too elastic). Ben started adding a little flour to it which seemed to work. It's supposed to be 24 inches long before you start twisting and it is easier to make the pretzel shape if you can get it that long. As you can tell, we didn't do any fancy twists in the middle, because we're just pretzel beginners (below picture). Next time, though!

We made salted pretzels and cinnamon/sugar pretzels. One tip would be to wait to put the cinnamon on until they are almost done baking, because the cinnamon did not have as much taste when we put it on before it went into the oven. Plus they look somewhat burned and that's just not very cute.

These are a great snack and if you're a fan of The Office you know that you can add just about any topping, just don't cut in line in front of Stanley.

Chocolate Almond Pecan Mango Bark

One word: YUM! This dessert/treat is so easy, but looks professional (at least that's what Ben told me) and tastes wonderful!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 packages of chocolate morsels
• almonds
• pecans
• dried mangoes
  

Directions

1. place a medium-sized cookie sheet in the refrigerator
2. melt chocolate morsels in a sauce pan over medium heat, stirring continuously
3. line cookie sheet with parchment paper
4. pour warm (not hot) chocolate into cookie sheet. use an offset spatula to smooth it out (about 1/4 inch thick)
5. sprinkle almonds, pecans, and dried mangoes over the chocolate and set in freezer for 20 minutes

I think this recipe is great, because you can use any kind of topping that you want (nuts, dried fruit, candies) and it's almost guaranteed to taste delicious. Next time, I'm going to try dried cherries and use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate (just trying to stay healthy, right?). I am definitely sticking with the almonds, though (chocolate + almonds = heaven).

There are two different ways to cut the chocolate bark. I chose to go for the messy look. To do this, let the chocolate stay in the freezer for the full 20 minutes, then simply break it into pieces using your hands. If you want to cut the bark into neat, identical pieces then you will have to take it out of the freezer after about 13-15 minutes and cut it then. The bark must be kept in a cool, dry place so it will not melt. Enjoy!

Strawberry-Mania

Southern Living's website has a great special on strawberries: 25 Indulgent Strawberry Treats

I've picked out a few that look particularly delicious and that I am going to try in the near future.

Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet

• 2 cups fresh strawberries*
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

1. Process strawberries in a food processor or blender 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Pour strawberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing with back of a spoon. Discard solids. Add buttermilk, sugar, and vanilla to puree; stir until well blended. Cover and chill 1 hour.

2. Pour strawberry mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times may vary.) Garnish, if desired.

*1 (16-oz.) package frozen strawberries, thawed, may be substituted.

Croissant French Toast with Strawberry Syrup

• 4 large day-old croissants
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Slice croissants in half lengthwise.

Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into a shallow dish. Dip croissant halves into egg mixture, coating well.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add four croissant halves, and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and croissant halves. Sprinkle with powdered sugar; top with Sweetened Whipped Cream, if desired, and Fresh Strawberry Syrup.

Strawberry Sparkler

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries, thawed
• 2 cups cranberry juice, chilled
• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle champagne, chilled*

Process strawberries in a blender until smooth; pour into a pitcher. Stir in cranberry juice and champagne, and serve immediately.

*1 (1-liter) bottle sparkling water, chilled, may be substituted.

The rest of the strawberry treats can be found here.

Fancy Brownies

This is a little twist on making brownies. I think they look a little fancier and have even more chocolate than normal brownies.

I started out with brownie mix and instead of pouring it in a 9" x 13" pan I put it in a 9" round pan then baked it in the oven. After letting it cool on a cooling rack I flipped it over on to a plate and put the plate on a cake stand in order to ice it.

For the icing, I used pre-made chocolate icing. Before I began icing the brownie I put the icing into the microwave for 15-20 seconds to make it soft and melted and easier to spread on the top of the brownie. Before I put the icing on I made chocolate shavings to put on top of the icing. I used a carrot peeler and an over-sized Hershey's milk chocolate candy bar to make the shavings. I tried to make them as curly as possible, because I think those look better.

So I poured the icing on, spread it around with an icing spatula to make it look smooth and while it was still a little melted I sprinkled the chocolate shavings on the top so they would stick better. Whenever I was ready to serve the brownie, I cut it into wedges like you would cut a cake.

Peanut Butter Granola

Southern Living's January 2009 issue had a recipe for homemade peanut butter granola. It was delicious and very easy to make. I made it once and Ben keeps asking me when I'm going to make it again. Here's the recipe:

Peanut Butter Granola

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 3 min., Bake: 20 min., Cool: 20 min.

Makes 6 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked regular oats
• 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Vanilla yogurt
• Sliced bananas

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Toss together oats, peanuts, coconut, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Cook peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat 3 minutes or until smooth. Stir peanut butter mixture into oat mixture until blended. Spread mixture in a single layer on a lightly greased, aluminum foil-lined 17- x 12-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly golden, stirring after 10 minutes. Transfer to wax paper, and cool completely (about 20 minutes).

The granola tastes good with yogurt, bananas or just by itself. However, I'm sure it would taste even better with chocolate chips in it, but it's supposed to be a "healthy" treat, not a dessert!