Category: Eats

Oreo Stuffed Deliciousness

I found a recipe; I fell in love; I made the recipe and it was good.  Well, “good” doesn’t even do this justice.  It was spectacular, really.  

Try it, you won’t regret it.

You can find the original text and pretty pictures at Picky Palate right here.  This is not a blog I’ve seen too much of yet, but somebody told me there also has a recipe for BROWNIE stuffed cookies here, so, I’m sure I’ll be subscribed in about 5 seconds.

Happy Eating!  …or, Happy Making-These-and-Taking-Them-Somewhere-So-You-Won’t-Be-Crazy-Tempted-to-Eat-Them-ALL!

Pizza Rice

Last week, I got a text from a good friend asking for a recipe.  The recipe was in a book that I’ve had and loved for years, but had never really noticed.  I’ve noticed it now.  It’s 100% super kid friendly (that’s super friendly, not necessarily super kids, but you can interpret it as you’d like), low in gluten, and … oh yeah, DELICIOUS.

PIZZA RICE CASSEROLE
(serves 10)

4 cups cooked rice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
dash pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp butter
2-8 oz cans tomato sauce
1/4 tsp garlic

Cook rice according to package directions.  Brown beef with onion in melted butter in a large skillet.  Drain off fat.  Add tomato sauce and seasonings; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Combine cottage cheese and cooked rice.  Put 1/3 of the mixture in a buttered 2 quart casserole.  Top with 1/3 of meat tomato sauce.  Continue to alternate layers, ending with tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

**I made a couple substitutions … 1) I used ground turkey instead of ground beef, 2) I cooked the meat and onions sans butter (they turned out fine), much as I love butter, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, and 3) I used some agave (lower glycemic index) in place of the sugar**

VOILA!

Okay, scratch that … much as I’d like to, I just don’t think I can pull of saying “VOILA!”  Anyway, and no matter, here it is.  Make it.  It’s good.  Your kids will like it.  So will your husband’s inner child who still wishes you made macaroni and cheese.

**Hey, this part is last on the recipe, but do it first, okay?  The Pizza Rice recipe is actually courtesy of a beautiful woman named Connie.  She is serving alongside her husband Dave with Josiah Venture in the Czech Republic.  To learn more about Josiah Venture, click here.  Or, check out Connie’s blog here!  You won’t regret it.  🙂 **

Chocolate Cookie Bark

This is one of my favorite dessert / candy recipes.

I hereby command you: Get chocolate.  Get Oreos.  Make it.  Today, if possible.

You can click here to visit the original recipe (complete with a “how to” video) on the Kraft foods website, but for your general reading convenience, I will also repost it here.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Creamy Peanut Butter
1 pkg.  (6 squares) BAKER’S White Chocolate, melted
10 OREO Cookies, coarsely crushed, divided
1 pkg.  (8 squares) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
INSTRUCTIONS

ADD peanut butter to white chocolate; mix well. Stir half the crushed cookies into each bowl of melted chocolate.

DROP spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet, alternating colors of chocolates. Swirl with knife.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Couldn’t be easier, right?  Chocolate + lack of cooking labor = YUM.

Enjoy!

[Images are courtesy of a general Google search.  I have no images of my own.  This bark doesn’t last long enough to be documented on film.  True story.]

Chocolate Mint Layer Cake

Chocolate … ah, chocolate.  Chocolate makes me happy.
My sister made this fabulous chocolate cake for us last weekend and it was A-Maz-Za-Zing!  The recipe comes from Epicurious.com (there’s a link below), and I would have posted gorgeous pictures of the beautiful finished product, only … well, it’s gone.  Already.  Don’t judge me.  Make this cake.
Cake
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups cold water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup corn oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) mint-flavored chocolate chips

Frosting

  • 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 tablespoons (about) milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (about 6 ounces) mint-flavored chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup red-and-white striped peppermint candies or candy canes (broken into pieces)

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Mix 2 cups cold water and sugar in large bowl until sugar dissolves. Gradually mix in corn oil and vanilla extract. Whisk in dry ingredients. Divide cake batter among prepared pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mint-flavored chocolate chips over cake batter in each pan.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack 15 minutes. Cut around pan sides. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.

For frosting:
Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, unsalted butter, 6 tablespoons milk, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat frosting until smooth. Thin with more milk by tablespoonfuls, if necessary.

Place 1 cake layer, chocolate-chip side up, on platter. Spread 2/3 cup frosting over. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Top with second cake layer, chocolate-chip side up. Spread 2/3 cup frosting over. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Top with remaining cake layer, chocolate-chip side down. Spread remaining frosting over sides and top of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; let stand at room temperature.)

Place striped peppermint candies in heavy plastic bag. Crush with hammer. Sprinkle candies over cake.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Mint-Layer-Cake-1572#ixzz1MXb3tnFw

 

Is there life after chocolate?

The “official party line” of the Ewoldt household remains — “if it doesn’t have chocolate, it’s not dessert“.  However, I truly believe that there is one exception to this rule.  A recipe so luscious and lemon-y that it’s guaranteed to make your socks roll up and down.  …well, not really.  …but still, it’s really, really, really, really good.

You’ll need …

1 box of standard yellow cake mix

1 small package of lemon jello

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

4 eggs

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl (wonder how many times I can work the word “mix” into this sentence?) or mixer (ha!) for about 4 minutes and then pour into a greased 13×9 and bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes.

As soon as the cake is baked and removed from the oven, take a roasting fork and poke holes all over the top of it.  Then mix 2 cups of powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and glaze (while cake is still hot).

Oh my … there are no words …

 

Lemon Jello Cake aka: all that is good and right about this lemony world

 

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