Chocolate Butter Pecan Bars

I love everything about this bar cookie!  The bottom layer is this buttery, sink your teeth into crust that is out of this world.  Then, while still hot from the oven, it gets topped with a mixture of chocolate chips and pecans.      

The middle may be a bit underdone at 25 or 30 minutes, but that's when the bottom layer is the best.  Don't over bake or you'll end up with more of flaky crust.  I actually wanted to not spread the chocolate chips as they were melting, just because I liked the way the top looked.  But...I couldn't help my self and needed to sneak a bite.  Once I cut into them while everything was still warm, the chocolate was just so melty everywhere that I ended up spreading it all over.  Still yum!    

Makes 9 bars

Chocolate Butter Pecan Bars

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 8-inch pan.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and creamy.  Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix.  Combine the flour and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients.  Beat until everything is combined.

Dump batter into the prepared pan and press with fingers to form an even layer.  Bake 25-30 minutes.  Top with chocolate chips and pecans while hot.  As the chocolate chips melt, use a butter knife or spatula to spread the chocolate all over the top.

Honey Bun Cake

This really does have the flavor of those Honey Bun cakes you can buy in the grocery store - only 1000 times better!  It's an incredibly sweet cake, which topped with a powdered sugar glaze makes it that much sweeter.  Great with a huge glass of milk or cup of coffee (yes, I eat cake for breakfast!). 

Not only it is super sweet, it's super moist.  I recommend storing it in the fridge, which will firm it up a bit.  You can also use sour cream in place of the buttermilk.

I made the glaze thin and sort of runny so it seeped into the cake more.  Use less milk in yours if you want it a bit thicker.  Can you tell my family enjoyed it?  

Serves 12

Honey Bun Cake

1 box of yellow cake mix

2/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.  In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, oil, eggs and buttermilk with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.  Pour the batter into the pan. 

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top of the cake batter.  Use a butter knife to swirl the brown sugar mixture throughout the cake.  Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden.  Prick the surface of the cake with a fork several times.  

To make the glaze, whisk all of the ingredients until smooth.  Pour glaze over warm cake and allow it to cool completely.  Store covered in the fridge.  

(Source:  Adapted from Betty Crocker)

Bacon and Tomato Quiche

This quiche would be an amazing brunch dish (breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner - really any time of day!).   I chose to make it for our dinner a couple of nights ago - I had an extra pie shell and thought why not do something savory?  

I love the brown crispy edges.  This baked up so perfectly!  The tomatoes were a great addition and went really well with the swiss cheese - you can also add peppers, mushrooms, etc. and really make this how you like it.  

This was polished off in no time!  My husband had seconds and even pulled this out for breakfast the next morning!  I was shocked!  He's not a huge leftover person so I took that as a good sign that this quiche was a winner.

Serves 8

Bacon and Tomato Quiche

1 9-inch frozen pie shell

2 cups swiss cheese

2 tablespoons flour

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups half & half

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place frozen pie shell on 9 x 13-inch baking sheet.  In a small bowl, combine cheese and flour and mix well; set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs slightly, then add the half & half, tomato, bacon, salt and pepper and mix well.  Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

(Source:  Adapted from For the Love of Food) 

Classic Deviled Eggs

My 3-year old is on a hard-boiled egg kick lately - I've been making about a dozen at a time just to keep up with her!  But she doesn't eat the yolks.  Makes me cut out "the yellow" every time.  Anyway, all that yolk removing (and trying to not be wasteful) reminded me of deviled eggs.  One of my husband's favorite picnic foods.  This is a very classic version and so tasty.   

You may want to start with 1/2 a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and go from there.  I would drink that stuff if it was acceptable.  I love it!!  And knowing me, I probably used more than the tablespoon I wrote down.  So use it to your taste. 

Classic Deviled Eggs

6 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and cut in half

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

salt and pepper

paprika for garnish

Remove the yolks from eggs and place in a small bowl.  Add the mayo, vinegar, sugar and mustard; stir all together.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Use a spoon or piping bag to fill eggs with yolk mixture and garnish with paprika. Store covered in the fridge. 

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

I am so glad these cupcakes turned out as cute as I envisioned them!  The cake part is the exact recipe for my Chocolate Cherry Cake, but I had to use a different type of icing because I couldn't pour the icing over these cupcakes like the original cake recipe calls for.  I remembered that I saw Ina Garten do a ganache icing that she just dipped the top of the cupcakes in.  And how easy, right?  No taking the time to spread icing on each cupcake.  Although I'm quite certain that Ina didn't use store brand semi-sweet chocolate chips for her icing, these turned out so good.  

How cute are they??  How perfect for a birthday party.  Our Chocolate Cherry Cake is an absolute must for any birthday in our family and I know that these would be such a fun surprise for anyone expecting a regular cake.  

Makes 18 cupcakes

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

1 box chocolate fudge cake mix

1 can cherry pie filling 

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs, slightly beaten 

Icing

1/2 cup half & half

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

18 maraschino cherries 

Make the cupcakes:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and fill a 12-cup and 6-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.  Combine the cake mix, pie filling, almond extract and eggs by hand and fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes are puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.  Let cool before icing. 

Make the icing:  cook the half & half and chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler or heat safe bowl over simmering water.  Stir until smooth.  Dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes into the ganache and top with a maraschino cherry. 

(Source:  icing adapted from Ina Garten)

Easy Peasy Egg Salad

Egg salad is perfect for lunch but this is such a great recipe for a quick weeknight dinner when you have everybody running every which way (games, gym, school events, etc).  It keeps for a couple of days so it's perfect to make on a Sunday night and have it for lunch and/or dinner a couple of times.  I buy my eggs in bulk (no seriously, we go through eggs like they're going out of style) so I always have plenty on hand to make this. 

Perfect paired with a piece of toasted white or wheat bread and a leaf of Romaine lettuce.  Serve with chips for a quick lunch or I made my Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Fries for dinner one night.    

Makes 4-6 sandwiches

Easy Peasy Egg Salad

1 dozen eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

2 tablespoons sugar

2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Place eggs in a large pot and fill with water so they are covered about an inch.  Place on the stove top on high until the water starts to boil.  Remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid for 12 minutes (PERFECT hard boiled eggs every time!).  After the 12 minutes is up, drain the water, peel the eggs, chop and place in a large bowl.  

To make the dressing - in a small bowl, whisk the mayo, mustard, sugar and apple cider vinegar until combined.  At this point, I always taste it to see if it needs more vinegar (we like ours a little tangy).  Pour the sauce over the hard boiled eggs, salt and pepper to taste and stir gently.  Serve egg salad on toasted white or wheat bread.  

Super Sweet Cornbread

Cornbread made with cake mix ~ another fabulous Pinterest find!  It's truly the best cornbread!  Or cake...or cornbread.  I don't know which.  It's very sweet, so it is really a treat to make this once in a while.  We had it with my Turkey Two Bean Chili, but I also ate it over the next couple of days when I was craving something sweet.

The original recipe calls for a box of Jiffy Cornbread mix, but I made my own.  You make that first, then make the cake mix, then combine them both together.  I used Duncan Hines Butter Golden mix apparently (from the notes from the recipe that this is adapted from) it's the only mix without pudding in it, which makes it a little less "cakey".  This is also a mix that calls for 3 eggs - I used just two because you will be combining this with the cornbread mix that already has 2 eggs.  I felt like 5 eggs would be too much.    

If you wanted to, you could also add cheddar cheese, jalapenos, etc.  That would also make this mix a lot more savory.  I LOVE sweet cornbread so I was so excited to find this.  It's also so moist, which is another must.  

Super Sweet Cornbread

1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Butter Golden)
water, butter or oil and eggs (from the directions on the box - minus 1 egg if using what I used)

For the cornbread mix (or use 2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix):

1 1/3 cups flour

1 cup cornmeal

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13" baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Start with the cornbread by combining all ingredients through the vegetable oil.  After that is mixed together, add the eggs and milk.  Set aside.  Make the cake mix according to package directions in a large mixing bowl.  Combine the two mixes together and pour into the 9x13" pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.   Cut into squares.

(Source:  Adapted from The Sisters Dish)

Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake

I feel like I've been slacking, but I haven't been baking much lately.  Well, strike that...of course I've been baking, just not anything new that I've wanted to share with y'all.  Over the past couple of weeks we've had Chocolate Cherry Cake (it was my birthday after all!) and my Chocolate Chip Blondies.  So PLENTY of baking being done, but you've seen all those!  

I did make something amazing for breakfast over the weekend that I absolutely had to share.  It's a french toast bake with, wait for it...canned cinnamon rolls!  How good are those on their own?!  Well, if those are good, then this is extreme.  Extremely tasty and extremely sweet that is.  My family flipped out for this (we may have eaten the whole thing that morning - there are 4 of us - this serves 12...yikes.  But you can't really go by those serving suggestions, right?). 

You'll start with 2 cans of the cinnamon rolls, cutting each roll into 8 pieces and placing in a greased baking dish.  Then a mixture of eggs, half and half, vanilla and cinnamon are poured all over the top.  Then if you can even stand it, maple syrup goes on top of THAT! 

Bake for about 25 minutes and the cinnamon rolls get all puffed up and golden.  Let cool for 15 minutes. 

 In the meantime, you'll take the icing that comes with the cinnamon rolls, melt it in the microwave and pour all over the top (seriously, drooling yet?).  If you want to get your kiddos ready for day by way of a sugar high, then this is your breakfast!  You can serve it with a little extra drizzle of maple syrup, too.  

 Serves 12

Cinnamon Roll French Toast Bake 

2 cans (12 oz) cinnamon rolls

5 eggs

1/2 cup half & half

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1/2 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving

Icing from the cinnamon rolls 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 13x9 or large oval baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Open the cans of cinnamon rolls and separate the rolls.  Cut each into 8 pieces and place in baking dish.  In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, half & half, cinnamon and vanilla.  Pour over top of the cinnamon rolls and then drizzle the 1/2 cup of maple syrup on top of that.  

Bake for 25-28 minutes until golden brown.  Cool for 15 minutes.  Remove the covers from the icing and microwave at 50% for 10-15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle over the french toast bake.  Serve with maple syrup if desired.

(Source:  Adapted from Pillsbury.com)

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup

Or, as I like to call it, my Semi-Homemade Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup, but that title might be a tad long, don't ya think?  I love this soup.  I have adapted it over the years to become my very own recipe, complete with rivels (those dumpling things) and hard-boiled eggs.  It's easy and will not take you all day, although it tastes like the real deal.  And it only gets better as it sits.

We end up eating this for lunch and maybe dinner again for the next 2 or 3 days.  And it gets thicker, and even more flavorful as it sits.  You could also freeze half of it if you don't feel like eating it over and over again.  We just love it that much!  My 1-year old gobbles it up.  I just use a slotted spoon to drain the broth and he eats the chicken, corn, eggs and rivels with his hands!

   This recipe calls for 3 quarts of liquid.  I have done it many times with 3 quarts of chicken stock, but also with 1/2 stock and 1/2 water.  I don't think it makes a difference...you may just have to season it a bit more at the end if you use water and stock. 

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 quarts of reduced sodium chicken broth (or 1/2 water, 1/2 stock)

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

2 cans whole kernel corn (drained)

1 can cream corn

3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

Rivels 

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

In a large pot, place chicken breast, broth, salt, pepper and celery seed.  Bring to a boil and continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the rivels by combining the egg, flour and milk in a small bowl and stirring until combined.  Set bowl aside.  

When chicken is cooked through, remove, shred and return to pot.  Add the kernel corn, creamed corn and chopped egg.  Bring everything back up to a low simmer and start dropping the rivel batter into the soup.  Using 2 spoons, scoop about a teaspoon of the batter onto one spoon, then use the other spoon to scrape it off into the soup.  DO NOT do any bigger than a teaspoon because they grow!  They will start to float when they are done.  Simmer for another 5-10 minutes to combine all the flavors.  

Potato and Bacon Frittata

I have been dreaming of a combination of potatoes, eggs, peppers, onions and cheese lately.  I had a bag of Ore Ida's Potatoes O'Brien in the freezer - peppers and onion already combined with the diced potatoes - perfect and easy!!  You'll need an oven safe pan because after cooking the bacon and potatoes on the stove top, the eggs get added and it goes straight in the oven. 

Start by cooking the bacon slightly (for a minute or two), then adding the frozen potatoes.  By the time the potatoes are browned, the bacon will be nice and crisp, so make sure you don't over cook it to begin with.    

Combine the eggs, milk and cheese and pour right over the bacon/potato mixture.  Into the oven it goes at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the eggs are set.  

Such an amazing combination of so many great flavors!  And super simple too with the already diced frozen potato shortcut.  By the way, also fantastic heated up the next day for breakfast (or lunch or dinner again!).

Serves 8

Potato and Bacon Frittata

10 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (or your preference)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 bacon strips, diced
1/2 of a (28 oz) bag of Ore Ida's Potatoes O'Brien

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper and set aside.  In a 10" oven safe skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for just 1-2 minutes.  Add the frozen potatoes and continue cooking until bacon and potatoes are crispy, about 15 minutes.

Pour egg mixture over the bacon/potato mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes or until eggs are set.  Let stand for 10 minutes and cut into wedges.

(Source:  Adapted from Taste at Home)

Breakfast Pizza

My in-laws were visiting over Easter weekend (also my husband's birthday!) and because they were leaving on Easter Sunday to head back to Pennsylvania, we decided to put a brunch together rather than do a whole big dinner.  We had fruit, cinnamon rolls, mimosa's and this delicious breakfast casserole, which is way more like a pizza than a casserole.

I threw it together in a matter of minutes, they only thing I had to cook was the sausage...and I use the word "cook" lightly because, Jimmy Dean makes these sausage crumbles that are already cooked and just need heated through.  And it's turkey sausage, too!  I browned the turkey sausage and threw that, the cheese and tomatoes all on top of the crust (crescent rolls) and baked it until it the eggs were set and the crust was puffy and golden brown.  We sliced it into squares and ate it with our hands, just like a pizza.  

I can only imagine all the goodies that you could throw into this.  I mean, just think about what you like in an omelette...peppers, mushrooms, ham?  This is a whatever you like, that's how you make it type dish.  I hope you'll try it your way and let me know!    

 12 - 16 slices

Breakfast Pizza

1 package of crescent rolls

1 1/2 cups cooked crumbled sausage

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Unroll the crescent rolls onto a 9 x 13-inch baking sheet and press down to close the seams.  Top with the cooked, crumbled sausage, tomatoes and cheese.  Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until combined and pour over the top of the casserole.

Bake 15-20 minutes until the eggs are set and the crescent roll crust is golden brown.  Cut into squares and serve.  

(Source:  Adapted from Bran Appetit!)

Carbonara with Fresh Fettuccine

I am incredibly addicted to my KitchenAid mixer...I feel like I use it practically everyday.  There are a ton of attachments that you can purchase for it and the one that I have been wanting for YEARS is the one that makes fresh pasta.  I asked for it from my dad for Christmas and had not had a chance to use it yet (mainly because I just didn't have the time or the energy) but finally decided this past weekend it was about time!  It was SO much fun!!!  I was practically giddy.  It brought back so many memories of my Italian grandma...her kitchen just littered with racks of drying pasta.  We used to sneak pieces of it to munch on, what a great memory.  She was my Nona (although I know that the correct way to spell it is Nonna) and now my dad is Nonno to my babies!  

Anyway, Nonno was visiting and we thought what better way to break in my pasta maker.  And, this is what we made!  So creamy, so decadent and just delicious.  Certainly not good for you, but a little indulgence is good for ya every once in awhile!  :)  The recipe for the dough said it made 1 1/4 pounds of pasta.  I just tried to judge and use about a pound of it for us, so if you're using dried pasta, use a pound also.

6 servings

1/2 pound bacon

5 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cream or milk

1 1/4 cups of Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound of fettuccine (fresh or dried)

Cook bacon until crisp and can be crumbled.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cream, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to directions (fresh pasta takes 2-5 minutes).

Drain pasta, but do not rinse.  While the pasta is still hot, return to the pot and quickly toss with the bacon and egg mixture.  It's important to work quickly so the heat from the pasta will cook the egg mixture but not curdle.  Toss with remaining Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.   

Scrambled Egg Soup (Stracciatella)

Want a lunch or dinner in literally the time it takes for water (or in this case broth) to boil?  Then this is your dish!  I grew up with my mom making it, never knowing that it wasn't something she just made up on the fly.  It's more commonly called Italian Egg Drop soup or Stracciatella, which comes from the Italian word stracciato, (torn apart) and stracciatelle (little shreds).  Both describe the way the eggs are added into the broth to produce the shreds of cooked egg.  The eggs in my soup always come out looking scrambled, which is why I call it Scrambled Egg Soup, plus it's easier to say than Stracciatella!  

We ate this soup a lot growing up and I definitely remember it not being one of my favorites.  I hadn't had it for years and out of the blue one day I got a huge craving for it; now I make it once or twice a month for my daughter and I for lunch.  Sometimes there are these random moments that really make me feel like a mom - making this for her is one of them.  Plus I feel like it's a wonderfully healthy dish, with a bonus that it tastes great - she absolutely loves it!  

4 Servings

Scrambled Egg Soup (Stracciatella)

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 eggs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

a pinch of nutmeg

pepper to taste

Heat broth over medium-high heat.  Scramble eggs with cheese, nutmeg and pepper.  When broth comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and drizzle the eggs into the pot over a fork.  As the eggs cook, move them around slowly with the fork to form the shreds of eggs.  Serve with crackers or good bread.

My Great Aunt Libby's Chocolate Cake

Or this is my attempt anyway! Before I go any further, you need to fully understand how amazing Aunt Libby's cake is. Whenever our family would get together, for any holiday or party, she would always make this cake and it was the only thing we could focus on! "Aunt Libby's cake is here..." you would hear in hushed whispers around the room and we all knew to snag a piece before it was gone. I called my mom to see if she had the recipe, although I was sure it was some sort of secret that wasn't even written down. Surprised, she had it but couldn't locate it! Ugh...so close! We put our heads together, and she filled me in on a few things, including a secret ingredient (almond extract!) and off I went to recreate. This is an incredible cake for those of you that have not had the pleasure of trying Aunt Libby's, and to me, comparably, I am pretty pleased with myself (and this cake!).

My Great Aunt Libby's Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour cream

For the vanilla frosting:

3 cups confectioners sugar

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dissolve cocoa in water, let stand until cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add almond extract. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well. Add cocoa mixture, beat well.

Pour into a well greased 9 x 13-inch cake pan and bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  While it is cooling, make the frosting by combining all of the ingredients and mixing with a hand mixer.  Spread on completely cooled cake.