Fresh Peach Salsa

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. diced peaches (about 2 peaches)
• 1 c. diced tomato
• ½ c. diced red onion
• ¼ c. chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in small bowl and mix to incorporate.
2. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze

CREAM CHEESE STUFFED CARROT CAKE WITH ORANGE GLAZE

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups peeled and grated carrots*
• 
  Dry Ingredients
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped (I use my food processor)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 
  Wet ingredients
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (full fat)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons orange extract
• 
  Cream Cheese Filling
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 
  Orange Cream Cheese Glaze
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 
  Optional Decorative Garnishes
• roasted pecans, roughly chopped
• orange zest

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Butter and flour a 10” bundt cake pan (or use nonstick-spray with flour in it). Set aside.**
2. To make the Cream Cheese Filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in remaining Filling Ingredients until smooth. Set Aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix all of the Dry Ingredients together. In a separate bowl, gently whisk eggs then stir in remaining Wet Ingredients just until combined. Don't overmix.
4. Stir Wet Ingredients into Dry Ingredients just until moistened, then stir in carrots until evenly combined (I use my clean hands to stir in the carrots).
5. Spoon 3 cups batter into prepared bundt cake pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over batter and gently smooth, but do not touch the sides of the pan. Top with remaining batter.
6. Bake at 350F degrees for 45 minutes, cover with foil then reduce heat to 325 and bake an additional 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
7. To make the Orange Cream Cheese Glaze, using an electric mixer, cream together all of the Glaze ingredients EXCEPT the powdered sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until completely smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar and beat until very smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
8. When cake has cooled, drizzle Glaze over cake or individual servings, whisking in additional orange juice/milk if Glaze has become too thick upon standing.
9. Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

NOTES

*To easily shred carrots, use the grater on your food processor. If you don't have the grater blade, you can also finely chop in your food processor.
**When "flouring" my pan, I use cocoa powder instead of flour because the cake is brown.

State Fair Funnel Cakes

Yum

State Fair Funnel Cakes

Ingredients:
3 large EGGS
1/4 cup Sugar
2 cups milk
3 2/3 cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Vegetable oil

Instructions:
Beat eggs and sugar together and then add the milk slowly--beat. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and creamy.

Pour batter into a funnel and at the same time, use your finger to plug the hole. In a large cast iron pot, add 2 inches of oil to the bottom.

When the oil becomes hot, move your hand over the pot and slowly release your finger so the batter can start cooking.

Move the funnel around to make designs.

Brown on both sides--then immediately remove and drain extremely well.

Top with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients

•        4 tablespoons unsalted butter
•        3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•        2 cups hot milk
•        3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
•        1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•        Pinch cayenne pepper
•        1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
•        3 tablespoons bread crumbs
•        Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add a pinch or two of salt, followed by the cauliflower florets. Let them cook for five to six minutes – you want them to be tender but still firm. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.
3. While the cauliflower is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon for about two minutes. Then, add the hot milk and stir everything until it starts to boil.
4. Whisk the milk for about a minute, until it thickens, and then take it off the heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, cayenne, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of Gruyere. Stir everything together until blended well.
5. Spray an 8x11 baking dish lightly with cooking spray, then add about 1/3 of the sauce mixture to the dish. Then, add all of the drained cauliflower, followed by the rest of the sauce.
6. Mix the remaining Gruyere cheese with the bread crumbs and sprinkle the mixture on top of the dish. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the top as well.
7. Sprinkle salt and pepper over top and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned.
8. Enjoy!

Ultimate Mac ‘n’ Cheese Casserole

Ooey-gooey, cheesy and bacon-y pasta: It’s all here, and it will surely tempt you. Why? Because the orecchiette pasta is covered with the silkiest sauce of Gruyère and sharp white cheddar. Because crispy bacon pieces are sprinkled throughout the dish AND on the top. Need I say more? The orecchiette pasta is the perfect shape for this dish because the cheese and bacon nestle into the pasta’s earlike grooves to give you the ultimate mac ‘n’ cheese experience. And perhaps best of all, in keeping with the Party of Two theme, this recipe feeds two people, which means that you won’t end up with a heaping amount of leftovers, as is often the case with classic casseroles.



Ingredients:

2 cups orecchiette pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 slices of crispy bacon, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 2-quart ovensafe casserole dish. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, following the directions on the pasta package. You’ll want it to still have a bite to it because it will finish cooking in the oven.

In the meantime, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes while whisking vigorously so it doesn’t burn. Continue to whisk as you add the milk, then let the mixture gently come to a simmer and thicken, about 5 minutes.

Add the Gruyère and white cheddar cheeses to the skillet and stir together with a spatula until all the cheese has melted. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the skillet from the heat.

At this point, the pasta should be done cooking. Drain well and add to the cheese sauce. Gently toss the pasta with the cheese sauce until everything is covered. Sprinkle half the bacon mixture into the skillet and toss to incorporate.

Pour pasta mixture into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining bacon pieces, and then place, uncovered, in oven to bake for 30 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly and pasta is cooked through.

After 30 minutes, remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Scarpaccia

Scarpaccia

Ingredients
3 Tbsp 100% Organic Extra Virgin Olive oil
6 Zucchini
16 oz  flour
4 eggs
4 oz- Butter
4  oz- Parmigiano
basil
thyme
parsley
salt

Preparation
Wash zucchini, cut into rounds.
Mix the flour with the eggs and add the butter, Parmigiano, chopped herbs, salt and a bit 'of water, add the zucchini and mix well.
Grease a baking dish, pour the mixture and bake in a preheated oven at  350 ° F for 30 min.
Remove from oven and serve.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

You'll never want store-bought enchilada sauce after making this super easy, no-fuss homemade version!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk in flour until well combined, about 1 minute.
• Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

CINNAMON ROLL SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE

CINNAMON ROLL SUGAR COOKIES RECIPE

 

These cookies taste JUST like a cinnamon roll! The cookies are soft and chewy and the frosting is FABULOUS!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon Roll Frosting

• 16 ounces cream cheese
• 4 cups powdered
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In large bowl cream sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add to sugar mixture and beat until just combined. Dough may be a little crumbly, press together and refridgerate for 30 minutes.
2. Roll dough ¼ to ½ inch thickness and cut with circle cookie cutter.
3. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 8 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Cinnamon Roll Frosting

1. In a medium bowl beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla until creamy. Pipe frosting onto cookie using a pastry bag or a large baggy with the corner snipped off.
2. Garnish with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Tasty Corn & Black Bean Salsa

To make corn and black bean salsa you’ll need:

2 cups of frozen corn

29 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

14.5 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes with chiles

1/2 cup of diced onion

4 tablespoons of diced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

3 teaspoons of finely minced garlic

3/4 cup of chopped cilantro

1/8 cup of cider vinegar

1/2 cup of lime juice

1 tablespoon of cumin

2 teaspoons of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

Once you have all you ingredients, combine your corn and black beans in a large bowl. Add your chopped onions, garlic and cilantro and stir well. Add your remaining ingredients and you’re done!

Famous Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi

Famous Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
... 2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups white wine, I use chardonnay
1/2 fresh lemon, Juice only
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions:

1 Heat cast iron skillet and add olive oil.
2 Add shrimp and cook until tender and no longer translucent, reduce heat. Remove Shrimp and set aside.
3 Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Do not allow garlic to brown - it will make it bitter.
4 Add white wine, and lemon juice.
5 Cook until wine is reduced by half. After it is reduced, add Italian seasoning.
6 Reduce heat to low, and add butter. If pan is too hot, the butter will separate.
7 Add shrimp back into sauce, add parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8 Sprinkle with grated Parmesan Cheese

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Hersheys Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Filling & Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake
• Adapted from Hershey's
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 & 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk or heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream
• 3/4 cup of butter
• 3/4 cup of cream cheese
• 1 & 3/4 cups Hersheys cocoa powder
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons whole Milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Hersheys Chocolate Cake
1. First, preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Spray 3 round cake pans with cooking spray
3. Dust the pans lightly with flour, set aside.
4. In a Large mixing bowl or kitchenaid mixer combine the Flour, Hersheys cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and the salt.
5. Add in the milk, oil, eggs and the vanilla extract & mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated. Once all combined, stir in the boiling water last; mix again, the batter will be very thin.
6. Pour the batter evenly in each of the sprayed/floured cake pans
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean. Once fully baked, remove from oven & allow the 3 cakes to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before removing them.
8. Once removed, transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
9. I always use a cake leveler to make sure the layers are even, you can also use a serrated knife
10. While they finish cooling, prepare your frostings.
Whipped Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting Instructions
11. Whip the cream cheese & the butter with an electric mixer on high speed for about 30 seconds. Once combined begin adding in 1/2 cup of powdered sugar at time, making sure each half cup is fully incorporated before mixing in another 1/2 cup., add in the vanilla extract & whip one last time for about 30 more seconds on high and beat one minute more until nice & fluffy
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting Inctructions
12. In a large bowl beat the butter & cream cheese with an electric mixer and begin adding in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time again
13. add in the cocoa and the milk & vanilla
14. Whip all of the ingredients until they are thoroughly incorporated
15. Beat at High speed for about one minute or until fluffy.
Once you are ready to assemble the cake
16. Level the cakes with a cake leveler to assure perfect stacking of the cake layers
17. Place the bottom layer on a cake plate.
18. Spread 3/4 cup of the cream cheese buttercream filling over the bottom cake layer
19. Top with the second leveled layer and repeat the process.
20. Lastly, top with the third layer.
21. Frost just the very top with the remaining Whipped cream cheese buttercream & refrigerate for about 15 minutes
22. Finally, remove from the refrigerator & frost the top layer gently with the chocolate cream cheese buttercream & all over the sides of the cake.
23. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

How to Make Chocolate Banana Pops

  They’re easy, fun, and really good. 

 They’re frozen bananas on a stick, dipped in chocolate, and rolled in sprinkles.

You can use white chocolate or dark.  For sprinkles, you can use jimmies, decorating sugar, mini chips, barks,  (white chocolate and candy pieces chopped into piece for decorating cookies and cakes.)   The ones in the picture are rolled in jimmies and some in decorating sugar.  Decorating bark is not just pretty; it adds a lot of flavor.  Consider strawberry bark or blueberry bark.

Choose a good melting chocolate.  Chocolate wafers  are much better than chocolate chips.  Wafers have a finer grind and are smoother.  Wafers are made for candy makers and they’re just better than chips.

These won’t take much of your time. Just freeze the bananas a couple hours ahead. You can also freeze, coat, and decorate strawberries.

You can melt the chocolate in the microwave or use a chocolate melting pot. It’s easier with a melting pot—it will hold the chocolate at the perfect temperature without sticking it back in the microwave.  If you use a microwave, be careful not to cook the chocolate.

1. Peel and cut bananas into thirds or halves. Insert popcicle sticks (you can buy them on our site) into the banana pieces for handles. Freeze them for two hours.
2. Prepare a place to stand your frozen banana pops. We took a used folding carton and cut half-inch knife slits in which to poke the pop cycle sticks and hold the treats upright.
3. Melt good quality chocolate.
4. Either dip the banana pieces in the chocolate or spoon the chocolate over the banana pieces while holding onto the handle. Be sure and cover the entire banana piece, even down by the handle. Because the chocolate is going on cold bananas, the coating sets up in a hurry and tends to be thick. (No one should complain about that.) You can make the coating even thicker by spooning extra chocolate onto the banana piece or redipping. If you are using the microwave instead of a chocolate melting pot, you may need to rewarm the chocolate several times.
5. Sprinkle candy or sugar decorations over the warm chocolate. For adults, sprinkle the bananas with chopped nuts or decorating bark. Coat and add sprinkles to the bananas one at a time. Once the chocolate is on the bananas, you will need to work quickly; the chocolate sets up rapidly on frozen bananas. As you complete the bananas, set them upright in your cardboard stand.
6. Let the kids eat the chocolate covered bananas immediately or return them to the freezer. Serve them frozen.  Because the chocolate sets up right away on the frozen bananas, the kids can eat them right away—perfect for short attention spans.

Fruit Filled Dessert Pizza

1 pizza dough mix or your favorite recipe
1 lb of fruit pie filling (your choice of fruit)
streusel topping (see recipe below)
white icing drizzle (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 425

1. Roll your pizza dough out evenly in a 14-inch nonstick round pizza pan.
2. Spread the pie filling evenly over the pizza dough.
3. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and sprinkle the streusel over the fruit filling.
5. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the streusel has melted slightly and the edges of the pizza crust is lightly browned.
6. Remove from the oven and slide the pizza out of the pan and onto a cooling rack.
7. Drizzle the icing over the pizza. Serve warm.

Brown Sugar and Nut Streusel Topping

1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold butter

1. Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
2. Stir the walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon together.
3. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry knife or two table knives.

Icing

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

1. For the icing, mix the powdered sugar, extract and enough milk to form an icing of drizzling consistency.

Healthy Cookies

Healthy cookies!

Ingredients
3 mashed bananas (ripe)
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 cups oats
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup raisins or nuts
1 cup good chocolate chunks
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions
preheat oven to 350 degrees
bake for 15-20 minutes
Cool and Enjoy!

Flea Terminator Dog Treats

Flea Terminator Dog Treats

3 cubes beef bouillon

1 1/2 cups boiling water

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup cornmeal

2/3 cup brewers' yeast

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 egg yolks

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F Dissolve beef bouillon cubes in boiling water, and set aside.

Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, corn meal, brewers yeast, and garlic powder. Add the yolks, then gradually pour in the bouillon water while stirring. Mix thoroughly to form a firm dough.

On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies one inch apart onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn the oven off, and leave the cookies inside for at least 3 hours or overnight to harden. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.