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Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Pink Lemonade Bars

Posted in Cookies, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Recipes, tagged , , , , on July 20, 2012| 2 Comments »

The other day I found a recipe on Pinterest for a bar cookie that looked pretty yummy. I’d just purchased a box of Pink Lemonade Cookie Mix (for no other reason, than I thought the box was pretty and it sounded fun). Since the recipe called for a cake mix, I decided to tweak it a bit.

I have to tell you, the bars turned out pretty good. Really good. So good, in fact, that Captain Cavedweller may have eaten quite a portion of them which says a lot since he’s sweet tooth is the size of a pea rather than my elephant sized one.

This was easy to make and really worth the time! Give them a try. The sweet-tart hint of lemonade was amazing!

Mix butter, egg and the cookie mix until blended.

Spread the crust evenly into a 9X13 baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix cream cheese with eggs.

Add powdered sugar and beat until well blended.

Pour batter over crust.

Pop into a 300 degree oven and bake about 40-50 minutes.

 

Bake until top is a golden, luscious field of crispy brown.

 

Dust with powdered sugar, cool and slice into bars. Then consider sharing, if you’re in the mood.

 

Pink Lemonade Bars

1 box Pink Lemonade Cookie Mix

3 eggs

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

4 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix softened butter and 1 egg with cookie mix. Press into 9 x 13 baking pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Beat softened cream cream cheese and remaining two eggs until blended. Add in sugar and blend until smooth. Pour over crust. Bake for about 40-50 minutes until crust is golden and crackling. It will be almost too lovely to eat. Almost.

Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Cool. Cut into bars and sink your teeth into the sweet-tart bliss!

She Who Loved The Flavor of These Bars

 

 

 

 

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Chinese Noodle Salad

Posted in Easy Recipes, Fast Recipes, Recipes, Salads, tagged , , , , on July 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This salad is easy to whip together and a perfect go-to for potlucks, picnics or anytime you really don’t want to cook. Add pieces of cooked chicken and you’ve got a meal ready to eat!

Ingredients

 

Microwave vinegar, oil and orange juice. Stir in seasoning packets. Set aside.

Mix oranges with coleslaw (or cabbage). Add in crushed noodles.

 

Pour dressing over salad, stirring well to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Chinese Noodle Salad

1 bag of coleslaw mix or about six cups of shredded cabbage

2 packages of Ramen Noodles (chicken flavor)

1 large can Mandarin Oranges

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup vinegar

2/3 cup oil

Drain oranges, reserving juice in a micro-wave safe bowl. Add oil and vinegar to juice and microwave about a minute, stirring to mix well.  Stir in the seasoning packets from the noodles until well blended. Set aside.

Mix coleslaw with oranges. Crush noodles and add to bowl, uncooked. Pour dressing over the top, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, give the salad a good mix then stir in almonds and serve!

She Who Likes Easy To Make Dishes

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Chocolate Icebox No-Bake Dessert

Posted in Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Puddings and Custards, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on July 6, 2012| 1 Comment »

Here is a fast and easy dessert that tastes so yummy yet does not require cooking.

That means your house doesn’t have to reach the internal temperature of an inferno to enjoy something delicious wonderful and sweet!

Ingredients

 

Whip cream until it forms peaks. Add a little confectioner’s sugar to sweeten. Set aside.

Whip cream cheese until smooth.

Add milk and pudding mix to cream cheese and mix well.

 

Add whipping cream to pudding mix and blend gently with a spoon.

 

Line pan with graham crackers then spoon in pudding mix.

 

Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

 

Leave in fridge for an hour (or overnight) before serving. Then indulge!

Chocolate Icebox No-Bake Dessert
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened (or cut an 8-ounce package in half)
1 1/2 cups milk
1 large package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup whipping cream
chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips
Graham Crackers

Line the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan with Graham Crackers and set aside. Whip cream, add a dash of confectioner’s sugar to lightly sweeten.
In another bowl, mix cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add pudding mix and beat one minute. Fold in half of the whipped cream. Pour over Graham Crackers and chill for one hour.
Once chilled, spread rest of whipped cream on top and garnish with shaved chocolate or mini chocolate chips.

Restrain yourself from eating the whole pan and force yourself to share.

She Who Loves Easy Desserts that Don’t Require Turning on the Oven

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220 Cupcakes

Posted in Cake, Desserts, Entertaining Ideas, Recipes, tagged , , , on June 18, 2012| 3 Comments »

A friend asked me a while ago to bake cupcakes for her wedding reception.

I was both honored by her request and somewhat terrified at the thought of not only baking that many cupcakes, but baking that many edible cupcakes.

Saturday, I spent four hours baking 220 chocolate cupcakes. Actually, there were 227, but seven of them tragically didn’t make the cut and had to be disposed of. (Yum!)

To make 220 cupcakes, I used eight cake mixes which I doctored up with my Grandma’s secret step to making a boxed mix taste fantastic (and I can’t share the secret or it wouldn’t be a secret, now, would it?).

I then made three batches of buttercream frosting which the bride-to-be helped me slather on the cupcakes and top with assorted sprinkles.  It only took us about two hours to do the frosting.

While frosting the cupcakes we learned some valuable information:

• There is a perfect temperature for the frosting that is somewhere between chilled and warm. Too cold and it wouldn’t squirt out of the bag and too warm it was really hard to work with. The perfect temperature lasts for approximately 9.8 seconds.

• Making sure the bag holding the frosting is completely sealed before squeezing it is a vital step in the success of the project.

• Husbands are not so helpful when it comes to frosting and sprinkling, but they are super helpful when someone needs to run to the store and get another bag of powdered sugar so another bowl of frosting can be made in the midst of the project. Thanks, CC for coming to the rescue!

• You can create all sorts of cool frosting designs with nothing more than a Ziploc bag and your imagination.

• Approximately two large jars of sprinkles are way more than plenty to do 220 cupcakes. The other 14 pounds of sprinkles I purchased will have to wait for another project.

• It’s always more fun to do projects like this with a good friend!

Here is the buttercream frosting recipe I used.  It should frost about 60-75 cupcakes, depending on how  much you use per cupcake.

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

1 bag powdered sugar (appox. 8 cups)

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

4 tbsp. cold milk

Beat butter on low speed until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix then slowly mix in powdered sugar, alternating with the milk. You may need to add more milk, depending on how thick you want your frosting. Chill until ready to use. Store leftovers in the freezer (if you have leftovers).

To make the frosting chocolate, I added 1/2 cup cocoa powder and another tablespoon of milk.

She Who is Cupcaked Out for A While

 

 

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