Friday's Treat ~ Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownie

I thought I would do something special for today since it is Valentines Day. My husband doesn't really care to deliver heart shaped anything to co-workers but this year I did it anyway! :) 

I don't think there is much to say about these. The pictures tell you everything you need to know! They are really, really good! So easy and cute!

I baked these on a sheet pan and then when they were completely cool cut them into strips just wide enough for the heart shaped cutter and place that on a cutting board. It was easier to do it that way then try to dig the cutter out of the pan. :)

We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day but I do try to make  { or bake } something special....just because. Not that I need an excuse but I feel better about eating something like this if it is for a "special" day!

Here is the recipe. Bake some today for someone you love. They will love you back:)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Brownies:

1 box red velvet cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

Topping:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
2. Beat together the cake mix, butter, egg, and water until well combined. Dough will be very thick and sticky. Press the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Beat together the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Drop by the spoonful onto the brownie dough.
4. Bake brownies for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and run a knife through the dough to swirl the cheesecake througout. Return to the oven and continue baking for 25 minutes or until set.
5. Cool completely before cutting.
6. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 ~ recipe adapted from Food Fanatic

Cinnamon Biscuits

I see it is my turn to give a tour of our Christmas home. I am working on it...finishing up some pictures first. Meanwhile we were hungry this morning { while working on Christmas pictures }, a perfect morning for something warm and sweet. Something called a Cinnamon Biscuit!!!

 There is a restaurant back home in North Carolina that had the best cinnamon biscuits. 

I have wanted to make my own several time and just never did, until today. They took all of 5 minutes to make, 15 minutes in the oven.....

This is what we ended up with.  A cinnamon biscuit so much better than any restaurant could make.  Light and fluffy, which is essential in any good  biscuit. A sweet topping and crust that was just the right amount of sweet. No sugar high here today:)

We don't have this kind of breakfast very often. Despite all of my sweet treats I post on here, we actually do eat pretty healthy....most of the time:) These would be great Christmas morning. So quick and easy!!

But not today. Today was a cinnamon biscuit kind of day, something special, something warm from the oven as we sat and watched the snow fly.

Enjoy!!!

 Mary Elizabeth

Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375. Butter and medium cast iron skillet.

Mix together the dry ingredients and then cut in the butter until you get course crumbs. Add just enough of buttermilk until everything pulls away from the sides and is just combined. { Sometimes I use it all and others I leave a tablespoon or so out }.  Drop large spoonfuls of dough into skillet, lightly smoothing out the tops. Cover with brown sugar topping and bake for about 15 minutes. 

Yields 8-10 biscuits

Brown Sugar Topping

1 stick very soft butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Mix together until smooth. Spoon onto biscuits and gently spread on top.

sweet and sour chicken { homemade }

I love good chinese food. There are few place around here that have it though, unfortunately, so I suppose it is just as well that we rarely eat out. When I saw this recipe over at The Recipe Critic I just had to try it. Good chinese food at home? Yes, please!!

It was so simple and easy to make. I had it ready in about 45 minutes.....I changed a few things. Imagine that!!

I used my large cast iron skillet and cooked it on top of the stove because I didn't want to wait for it to bake in the oven. I used butter and basically fried it and it was easier to make sure all the chicken was coated in the sauce, which is the best part!

( by the way, if you don't have a cast iron skillet you need to get one! I don't know what I would do without my cast iron skillets and pots...you can check some out here. They are very inexpensive and if you take care of them right they last forever!! )

I served the chicken with rice. I almost always cook my rice with more chicken broth than water. It gives it so much more flavor! This was so, so good. Better than any sweet and sour chicken I have had at a restaurant!

sweet and sour chicken
recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil ( I used butter )
1 cup sugar
4 tbls ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbls soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325. Cut chicken breast into bite sized pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs together and then in a separate bowl place the cornstarch. Coat chicken in cornstarch and then in the eggs. ( I did dipped it back into the cornstarch again after the egg before placing in the skillet ).

Heat oil ( or butter ) in large skillet and brown chicken. Place into a 9x13 pan.

In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, ketchup, both vinegar's, soy sauce and garlic salt. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour. Stir chicken every 15 minutes to evenly coat in sauce.


Note: After browning the chicken in the cast iron skillet I just left it in there and poured the sauce over it. Turned the chicken every few minutes to keep it coated in the sauce. It only took about 15 minutes to cook on top of the stove.


Enjoy,

Mary Elizabeth

Friday's Treat ~ Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I cannot believe how long it has been since my last post!! A lot has happened that has been keeping me busy. A new baby being the biggest news!! I will post later to tell you about her, such a doll, and probably the best newborn sleeper that has ever been! At least at night which is the most important to me. 

Now, on to these cookies....

These are really good! Very moist and chewy with just a few chocolate chips in them. I first told you about these cookies here. I just made them into plain cookies, although there is nothing plain about the flavor of these cookies. They really are so good! I think these will be my basis for monster cookies as well the next time those are on the menu.

Try them! I know you will love them as much as we do!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Butter, Softened

1/4 cup Shortening, ( I used all butter )

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Baking Powder

3 tbls Boiling Water

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 1/2 cups Flour

2 cups Quick Oats

1 cup Chocolate Chips

Recipe adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the brown sugar, butter and shortening. Add eggs and mix. Add salt, cinnamon and baking powder and mix. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and then add to the bowl and mix. Add flour, oatmeal and chocolate chips and then mix well.

Scoop dough onto baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Notes :  Use Homemade Brown Sugar.  I do and it makes everything better!

Mary Elizabeth

Homemade S'mores

These s'mores will make you the hit of the next bonfire or camping trip. With homemade graham crackers and marshmallows these take s'mores to the next level. The graham crackers are extremely easy to make and are good even by themselves. When I need marshmallows I make my own. These take a little planning ahead, because both need two hours to prepare. I made both of these last night after we got home from church. I made the marshmallows then the graham crackers. I keep the graham cracker mix in the fridge now. The kids love eat them a couple times a week.



 

 

I use this recipe for the graham crackers. This is the best one I have found. The difference is definitely with the graham flour. These taste like graham crackers only much better than store bought. I used Bob's Red Mill Graham Flour. I bought it at our local health food store. The marshmallow recipe is Martha Stewart's. Homemade marshmallows don't even compare with store bought. Try these and you'll never go back to the fake ones at the store. You could use any shape for the crackers and marshmallows. Using a square with a small shape cut out of the center would make a really cute cracker. Possibilities are endless.

 

Christine





Homemade Chocolate Syrup

If you have kids I'm sure you go though a lot of chocolate milk. My kids love chocolate milk. Making your own syrup is super easy and only takes a couple of ingredients. I always have a jar of this in the fridge. This is great for ice cream too.

Chocolate Syrup

3/4 cup (homemade) brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a medium size pan. Add the water and whisk until all the lumps are gone. Over medium heat bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer on low until syrup starts to thicken (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and cool. Keep refrigerated. This makes about two cups and last two weeks.

Enjoy,

Christine

Homemade Flaked (Rolled) Oats

Ok, I started writing about milling the flour and then realized that I still haven't taken a picture of the milled wheat. I have a bunch of pictures except of what it looks like after it's milled. Hopefully, I'll remember to get a picture tomorrow when I make bread again. So, I'll post about flaked oats instead. Okay, homemade flaked (rolled) oaks is so good. Once you have eaten you will never go back to store bought. Every article that I read about flaking your own oats mentioned this. Now, I can truly attest to this. I bought store bought this week because I haven't been able to go to go to my suppliers (she lives an hour and 1/2 away, we have been having vehicle trouble). I made hot oatmeal on Thursday and nobody would eat it (including Brian and I). It was gross. This is a little time consuming though, because I only have a hand crank. If I had it to do over again I would buy an electric flaker.

Put the oat groats in the top. Turn the handle and the rollers flatten the oats. Great job for the kids. All I have to do is tell the boys that it will make their muscles big and then they are all about it.

 

Above shows the three different settings on the flaker. It's hard to tell the difference in the pictures.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal is a favorite at our house. I add the cinnamon apples (post coming about that soon) that I dehydrate. It's really good. And better yet, it's really good for you. No chemicals/preservatives or words that you can't pronounce.

Christine

Homemade Condensed Milk

Here's another staple that you can make from scratch. I use quite a bit of condensed milk for our homemade creamer. Needless, to say it's cheap at the store. I started making my own. I always have a jar of it in the fridge ready to go. It does take about a while to cook and it's not quite as thick as store bought. I haven't had any problems using it any recipes that call for it.

Here's my recipe:

1 1/2 cups of milk
2/3 cups of sugar
3 Tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla

 

Mix sugar and milk together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stirring often, bring it to a low simmer over medium-low heat. As soon as steam starts lifting off the milk, lower the heat even further, and when the sugar is entirely dissolved, put the heat as low as it can go. A simmer burner is great for this.

 

The goal is to reduce the quantity in the pot by approximately half. It takes about 2 hours at  very low heat to reduce to one cup of liquid. If your in a hurry you could have the heat a little higher, but you have to watch it and stir constantly to keep it from burning.

 

Once reduced, whisk in the butter and vanilla.

 

 

There you have, homemade condensed milk. After tasting it you'll find new ways to use. It's really good.

 

Christine

 

Friday's Treat ~ Five Layer Bars

I am on a butterscotch kick lately!!

I had been wanting to make something butterscotch for over a week and when we went to church last Sunday evening one of the ladies in my small group brought butterscotch bars...or brownies....or cookies? :) I'm not really sure which category they fell under but they were good!! And that is all that matters, really. So I knew right away I was going to do butterscotch for Friday. So, the search began:) I don't have any recipes for butterscotch ( other than just adding them in to something that doesn't call for them ) so I headed to Google! I found the perfect recipe for butterscotch bars from Paula Dean on the food network website. You can find the recipe here. These are so, soooo good! And so easy to make. Six ingredients....that's it!! They took minutes to put together and were just the right thing for the week!

Start with a graham crack crust

then mix up the coconut, chips and nuts ( I left the nuts out )

Pour that on top of the graham cracker crust.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over top of that and bake.

I did forget to take a picture of what my bars looked like when they were done so I pulled Paula's picture from the recipe. They are pretty close but I think mine looked better....haha:) Probably because mine didn't have nuts in them. I don't like nuts!

via

Hope you enjoy!!!

Mary Elizabeth

Friday's Treat ~ Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are definitely a Christmas favorite at our house. They are one of those cookies that I feel I can't make any other time of year....I don't know why that is actually...

I found the best recipe for them on the Williams-Sonoma website and you can find the recipe here.

The dough is very thick but very "fudge-y" as well....

form into balls, roll in powdered sugar.....

and 10 minutes later this is what you get. A perfect chocolate crinkle cookie!

Don't they look good?! Well, trust me. They are;)

What is your favorite holiday cookie?

Mary Elizabeth

Friday's Treat ~ Brownie Rice Krispie Treats

I know this post is a little bit late but I am getting behind on all the things I have made and wanted to share this with you even though there won't be any pictures....Sorry about that by the way. We are working on things:)

These bars are absolutely the best!! After having these you won't want to go back to regular Rice Krispie Treats. These are so easy to make too.....

The first layer is your favorite brownie recipe. I use the one I wrote about here because it really is the best. Bake as directed and then pull out of the oven and cover with the second layer.....marshmallows!! Give a generous layer:) Place back in the oven for just a minute until the marshmallows are melted.

The third  ( and best ) layer...The Rice Krispie Treat layer:) Melt together 1 1/3 cup chocolate chips, 3 tbls butter and 1 cup peanut butter. Mix well and then stir in 2 cups Rice Krispies. Mix together and then pour over top of the marshmallows. 

Cool completely and then cut into bars. These are soo good.....I promise!! I'm sure you will love them also!

Have a great weekend and look back soon for more post...I have several Christmas things to show ya'll:)

Mary Elizabeth

Beanilla

I've mentioned it before, but in case you didn't know, I LOVE vanilla beans. I use them as much as possible. I make my own vanilla, vanilla sugar, vanilla syrup, vanilla coffee creamer, vanilla ice cream and anything else that calls for vanilla. I have been ordering them online, because I can't find fresh beans here in Alaska. My little addiction was getting pricey. But I found a new site that sells vanilla beans. It's Beanilla. They have several other products. I was so excited when they arrived in the mail. They are by far the freshest beans I have ever used. They were oily, and very flexible. Comparing these to the ones I had been getting, the old ones were extremely dried out. I think there prices are very reasonable also, especially for the quality of the beans.

Sorry this post doesn't have any pictures, but we have used up all storage space for pictures here on blogger. I am working on finding a fix for this.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Christine

Friday's Treat ~ Butterfinger Cake

This cake has so many names and so many versions its unbelievable, really. It seems every one had their own version so, I decided to make my own version well:) 

I started with a basic cake layer. Then as soon as you take it out poke some holes all over and then pour a layer of caramel over top. Let that sit until cool. I sprinkled some butterfingers on top of the caramel as well. 

I didn't take pictures of every step because I kept getting sidetracked by this little cutie that was crawling all over the place. I was leaving the kitchen every 2 seconds looking at what she was getting into:) 

If she was in the kitchen she was playing under the sink....haha...my "things" are the best toys apparently. Pans and utensils are her a few of her favorite things:) There is no stopping her now that she can open the cabinets. She is sooo much fun and she was certainly enjoying her self!!

So here is the finished cake. Once it is cool spread a layer of cool whip and then sprinkle with butterfingers. This is really good and very moist.....Now most recipes that I saw said to use a yellow cake mix. I made my own ( recipe follows ). If I was going to be serving this at home I would use real whip cream instead of cool whip and would bake it in a 13*9 pan instead of the baking sheet but this works really well for the office or for party's!

Can you see the caramel sinking into the cake? Sooo good!

This cake recipe comes from the cookbook I told you about here. It really is a no fail cake. So delicious and moist.

Classic American Layer Cake

1 cup unsalted butter. softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 12/ cups milk, warmed

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and then as that mixes in slowly pour in the warm milk and mix until everything is combined. Spoon into prepared pans. 

If you use this as the traditional layer cake use two 9in pans and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. 

If you use this as the sheet cake above I used a large baking sheet and baked it at 350 for about 20 minutes, until slightly golden brown on top. 

I also made my own caramel:) Use a can of sweetened condensed milk and pour into a double boiler and let cook for about 45 minutes or so stirring frequently. 

Vanilla Beans

Ok, I know I'm starting to get obsessed with vanilla beans. What can I say I LOVE vanilla beans. My newest use for the beans is vanilla syrup and vanilla sugar. I use the syrup in my coffee and homemade icecream. The vanilla sugar is great in any recipe that calls for vanilla (replace it for the white sugar). The uses are pretty much endless. I made the sugar by processing sugar with a vanilla bean that split and scraped. So easy!!

Everybody had to help with the sugar.

The syrup was easy too. In a saucepan over low heat, disolve 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of water. Once the sugar is disolve split and scrape your vanilla bean into the mixture. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat and let cool. Pour into your container and enjoy!

Let me know if you make one these and how you like it.

Christine