First Daring Bakers Challenge-Eclairs!

I joined a baking group called The Daring Bakers and my first challenge was Eclairs! The recipe was chosen by Tony Tahhan and Meeta and comes from here. I was super excited to make these but waited until I had a good reason to make them, a coworkers birthday. We had a couple options with the recipe and I chose to make mine with a vanilla filling and a chocolate sauce on top.

I got all of the ingredients to make them and started baking. The dough was very easy to make, they puffed in the oven, which made me happy, and then I let them cool. I came back to see me beauties and they had fallen. I'm not sure what happened, but they were no longer puffed and beautiful. It was a little tricky to cut them since they were so thin, but I managed! I wanted a vanilla cream in the middle so I made one with the help of my good friend Martha Stewart, but she let me down. Her cream was not what I was looking for. So I turned to my other friend, Kraft Foods and used the recipe below for a super easy cream which I know is a winner! And then I covered them in chocolate!

I got mixed reviews but most people loved the eclairs. I however, didn't. I don't think that I'll make them again, ok I had a request for them so maybe 1 more time, but it was fun to experiment and go outside of my baking box! I can't wait for next months challenge!

Here is the recipe for the eclairs!
And here is the recipe for the vanilla filling I used:

2 cups cold milk
2 pkgs. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Mix the pudding mix and milk until thick. Then fold in the Cool Whip topping until combined. Place the mixture in a large resealable plastic bag and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Ambers Tortilla Pie

It's not pretty, but it's darn good!

I have never had Tortilla Pie but have heard of it and wanted to try something different. I looked at several different recipes and liked different parts of them, so I combined them to make my own version! My recipe makes a 9 inch pie, which was way too much food for just the hubby and I! We each had 1 piece and were full!

Ambers Tortilla Pie

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can of green chilies
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 10 oz. package frozen corn
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar Cheese
1 T. chili powder
Black Olives (as much or as little as you would like)
8 oz. Tomato Sauce
Tortillas

Brown the meat with the onion and garlic. Add the seasoning,olives, tomato sauce, corn and chilies and heat through. Cut the tortillas to fit your pan. Place a tortilla on the bottom of the pan and put a heaping amount of the meat mixture on the tortilla. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Repeat until at the top of the pan. For the last layer, I put a tortilla on the top and sprinkled with cheese. Cook for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cheese on the top is melted.

I stored the leftover pie in the fridge, but because of the liquid in the pie, the tortillas became soggy. Now I don't like soggy tortillas, so most of the pie was wasted. So either cut the recipe in half for your family or invite the Army over and feed them!

Pillsbury Big League Brownies

I love the Doughboy! I'm not against using a box of brownie mix here and there, they are great brownies! So I grabbed a box the other day while at the store and noticed a recipe on the side of the box that included brownies and pb-you can't go wrong with that combo. So I made them and they were delicious! The brownies were very moist and great as always! The only change that I would make would be to make the bottom layer of brownie thicker than I did, other than that don't mess with em!

Big League Brownies

1 box Pillsbury Brownie Classics mix prepared and set aside

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup margarine or butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie mix and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and margarine. Beat until smooth. Add sugar and flour, beat until mixed. Add eggs, blend well.

Spread half of the brownie mix in bottom of a greased pan. Carefully spread peanut butter mixture over brownie mixture in pan. Spread remaining brownie mixture over peanut butter mixture. Bake for 30-33 minutes. Cool 1 hr before cutting.

Weekly Menu

I haven't had to make a menu in the past few weeks. My husband went out of town twice and we had some other things going on in August so I never made one. So here we are, back to routine!

Monday: Tortilla Pie
Tuesday: BBQ Chicken with Pasta Salad
Wednesday: Lasagna
Thursday: Fettuccine A La Carbonara
Friday: Hamburgers with Corn on the Cob

Brownie Cups

My friend had a baby last week and I took her dinner. I wanted a sweet treat to go with it so I grabbed my Hershey Cook Book and found this recipe. It's quick, easy, versatile and oh so yummy!

P.B. Chips Brownie Cups Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips, divided

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 18 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper or foil bake cups

2. Place butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 to 1-/2 minutes or until melted. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Stir in 1-1/3 cups peanut butter chips. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups

3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until surface is firm; remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup peanut butter chips over muffin tops, pressing in slightly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack

Calendar

We had Girls Night Out with my work a few weeks ago and we made calendars! I am really excited about it being done and looking good!

I used two 6 X 6 pieces of cardboard and covered them with decorative paper. On the top I used a piece of ribbon to add color and a metal embellishment. On the bottom corner I used a hairpin. We used some weird tool to cut the holes and I used metal rings to connect the two sides (I got the rings at Office Max). And then I glued a piece of ribbon to the back side to hang the calendar.

This was a fairly easy project, but a very fun one! I think that I will make another one so that when I get sick of this one I can swap it out! Anyone want to make one with me?

Birthday Cake

My birthday was August 13th! My sister made my birthday cake for me, so I just wanted to let you all see how gorgeous it was. And thanks to my sis for making it!

Caramel Apple Bars

A few years back I typed each recipe that I had "stored" on a piece of paper, napkin, magazine cut-out, etc., printed them off and put them in a binder. I had about 250 recipes. Thank goodness for blogging now because I have way more than that! This is one the recipes in my big black binder so I have no idea where it came from. These bars are easy to make and good for you, they have apples in them! :) I'm not against nuts, but sometimes I don't want to eat them so I usually leave them out. I also don't put this on a jelly roll pan, I use a 9 X 13 pan, it makes the bars thicker!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups butter, melted
2 cups apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 15x10 inch jellyroll pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, quick cooking oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Stir in the melted butter. Mix until crumbly. This is the crust. Press 1/2 of this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven. In a small pan, over medium heat combine the caramel topping and the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. This is the caramel filling. Spread apple slices evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle on the nuts. Then Pour the caramel filling over the apple layer. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the top of everything. Bake again for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting into bars.

Cheesecake Nibbles

Tracy Wanting To Eat Them!

My sister found this recipe years ago and these cheesecake nibbles are amazing! They are so quick and easy and you can dress them up a thousand ways! I made them for a Girls Night Out but they are also great for showers. My best friend April also makes them often, so I bought some mini foil cups from her to make them. I have actually never made them this small, but they were fun!

** The recipe says that it makes 36, but I only got 25.

Ingredients:
36 vanilla wafers
10 oz pkg Nestles Swirled white and choc morsels
2 pkgs (8 oz ea) cream cheese, room temp.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Place 36 2-inch foil bake cups on baking sheet(s) with sides. Place one vanilla wafer, flat side down, on bottom of each cup. Place 5 to 6 morsels on top of each wafer.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat well. Spoon heaping tablespoons of cream cheese mixture into each bake cup ( I used a medium ice cream scoop for this).
Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until just set and not browned. Remove from oven to wire rack. While still warm, top cheesecake with more morsels. Morsels will soften but retain their shape. Cool completely. Top with fruit or whatever you want! Cover and refrigerate.

Ribs My Way

I am definitely no grill master, but this summer I have been working on it. I have only made ribs twice, but I think I've got the hang of them now. I like to buy my ribs at Costco or Sams Club. They come in a vacuum sealed pack and usually have 3 racks in them. All of the ribs I have purchased have not had a lot of fat on them, which is great.

After I buy the ribs I buy the biggest foil pan that I can find. Although I like doing the dishes, this is not one I want to clean, so the pans are great because you just throw them away. I get the foil pans from the grocery store, they are usually located on the baking isle. Make sure you get one that comes with a lid.

So you have your ribs and your pan. Now you need seasoning and BBQ sauce. While I was getting the ribs at Sams Club, I came across Weber Grill Rub. This seasoning is amazing! It is tangy, spicy and sweet all at the same time. You can use it on ribs, steak, chicken or whatever your little heart wants. I also grabbed some BBQ sauce at Sams Club. For a great BBQ Sauce we love Chris N Pits, but use your favorite.

Now you are home with your ribs, pan, BBQ sauce and seasoning. Take your ribs, one at a time and put them in the foil pan (you may need to cut you racks to fit them in the pan). Cover the rib with BBQ sauce and then sprinkle a generous layer of seasoning on top. Repeat until all racks are done and then put the lid on. Let sit at least 4 hours, but for moister ribs let them sit overnight.

When ready to cook, set your grill to low heat and let heat up for 10-15 minutes. I cover the ribs again with a good coating of seasoning just before I put them on the grill. Put the ribs on the grill, BONE SIDE DOWN, very important!!! Let the ribs cook for 1-2 hours or until done. As the ribs are cooking, rotate them around the grill to get even cooking. Cooking time depends on how big your grill is. My grill is larger so they take about 1 1/2 hours. I used my friends grill the last time I made them and they only took 1 hour because his grill was smaller. So make sure you keep checking the ribs and rotating them.

When they are done, serve with the same BBQ sauce you used to coat them with, corn, salad, your favorite fruit and enjoy!

Oh, and I didn't get a photo of the finished ribs because we ate them too fast, sorry!

Creamy Ranch Pork

I found a recipe for Creamy Ranch Chicken on Stephanies Kitchen and it looked amazing. I had done enough chicken this week, so decided to use pork. I used 4 thin pork chops and cooked them the same as the chicken in this recipe. As I was making the sauce, I took the pork out and cut it into pieces. My sauce was more of a paste when it was done so I added some milk to thin it out and it made a great sauce! My hubby loved it and asked that I make it again! I had some leftovers, so I took them to work the next day. When I went to heat it up, I realized that I had left some corn in the fridge, so I added that on top and will do the same next time I make it!

Creamy Ranch Chicken
adapted from Better Homes and Garden's Quick and Easy Recipes
start to finish: 20 minutes
serves about 4

6 slices bacon
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons ranch dry salad dressing mix
1 1/4 cups milk
3 cups dried medium noodles(I used egg noodles)
1 tablespoon finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Start your water for your pasta. Cook noodles according to package directions.
2. Cut bacon into narrow strips. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings.
3. In the same skillet, cook chicken in reserved drippings until no longer pink, turning to brown evenly. Sprinkle flour and salad dressing mix over chicken; stir well to coat the chicken. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in bacon.
4. Serve the chicken over the noodles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Biscuits N Gravy

Biscuits N Gravy is my husband's favorite breakfast of all time! When we first got married I had never tasted or heard of Biscuits N Gravy, so I had to call my mother-in-law and have her tell me how to make them. When she told me how to make the gravy, she told me to use 3 T. butter and 3 T. margarine so I have always made it that way, talk about clogging your arteries! My sister-in-law was asking me how to make them one day and I told her, but my mother-in-law stopped me and told me to only use butter or margarine. So for the past 3 years, I have been making the gravy wrong, but it's so good I won't stop! I try to make these as often as I can for my hubby, which is only about once a month, I guess I need to do better! I am also a slacker and am usually not "in the mood" or patient enough to make the biscuits from scratch, my good friend the Doughboy steps in to help. But if you want to, you can make THESE biscuits, thanks to my other friend Martha!

Now for the gravy:
(Makes about 3 cups)

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine
3 Tablespoons Flour
Salt and Pepper (I use alot)
2 1/2 cups milk

Melt butter, flour, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Then add the milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. serve over biscuits.

Oh and if you have leftovers, you can feed them to your dog!

Weekly Menu

Monday: Spaghetti (request from the hubby)
Tuesday:Burgers and Brats (they didn't happen last week)
Wednesday: Taco Bowls
Thursday: Going to a Baby Shower!!
Friday: Laying Sod, so take-out