Cinnamon Roll Cake

Another Pinterest recipe... making it now, I'll let you know if it's good! :)

Taken from Cookin' Up North (blogspot)!

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla


While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Firecracker Cookies

I made these for our 4th of July BBQ and they were the first dessert to go.... ;) Super yummy and super fun!

It's another Pinterest recipe, stolen from Cookin' Cowgirl (blogspot)!

Ingredients:

 

1 box french vanilla cake mix, 18.25 oz size (Make sure it is the right size!)

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 C vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 C red sprinkles (make sure to use the confetti style sprinkles, not the sugar/crystal style!)

1/2 C blue sprinkles
...Sounds like a LOT of sprinkles, but it works and the amount is what gives it that super cute firecracker look!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the sprinkles. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet or silpat.

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack. The cookies will be very soft at first. Cool and enjoy!


These would be super fun to do for kid's parties, graduation parties, BEAVER tailgating, etc....just switch out the color of the sprinkles!  (I am on the hunt for orange and black sprinkles for this year's football season!!!)

Bacon Jalapenos Poppers!

I LOVE jalapeno poppers....add a little bacon, SOLD!

It's another Pinterest recipe I tried out for Bunko night!  It was a HUGE hit! 

Here is the recipe from hellohue.com!

Ingredients:

1 can of Pillsbury Crescent dough

About 2 tablespoons of cream cheese (give or take, depending on how much you want to use)

1-2 fresh jalapeños

About 3 strips of bacon (I used precooked and just nuked what I thought I would need!)

These amounts make 16 poppers.

Oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F. 

Slice the jalapeños, clean out the seeds and then chop into small pieces. **DO NOT touch your eyes or any part of your face until thoroughly washing your hands.  I accidentally brushed a hair off my cheek and had a red, painful burn mark across my face for the REST of the night. :(

Cut the bacon into pieces.

Roll out your dough. It's perforated into triangles, so I pinched the dough and smoothed it out where the perforations were, then cut the dough with a pizza cutter into 16 equal squares.

Layer a small dollop of cream cheese, a piece or two of jalapeño, and bacon.

Bring the corners of the dough together and twist them together at the top. Make sure to press the edges of the dough together so the insides don't gush out.

Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 and munch away! Supper YUMMY!

'Classic' Baked Ziti

Had the BEST baked ziti at a little restaurant in Florida a couple of years ago and have never had anything since that compares.... this one came close.  I found it on Pinterest from budgetsavvydiva.com....  Here is the recipe with my own additions and changes!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground sausage (original recipe calls for ground beef, but I had sausage that needed to be used and it added a fun flavor to it...Yum!)
• 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped (Brian has onion issues, so I skipped the real onion, but I did sprinkle in some dried chopped onion...and hoped he wouldn't notice!)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I used one 'HEAPING' tsp of pre-minced garlic)
• 1 (32 ounce) jar meatless sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 (16 ounce) package Ziti pasta , cooked and drained (make sure the pasta is slightly under cooked, so it doesn't get mushy in the baking process!)
• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 350
2. In a large skillet – heat oil and cook onions for 8 minutes than add garlic and cook for one minute. Add beef and cook till no longer pink (drain excess fat).
3. Stir in sauce, chicken broth, pepper, salt garlic powder, and oregano. Heat through.
4. Stir 1 cup of sauce into the “cooked” ziti pasta. (I used more than a cup....)
5. Place 1/2 of the ziti into a 13×9 baking dish.
6. Place 1 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
7. Top with rest of sauce.
8. Top with rest of pasta.
9. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
11. Bake until cheese is golden brown and sauce bubbles around the edges.
12. Enjoy!

Carino's Spicy Shrimp and Chicken

This is Brian's Absolute favorite meal from Carino's...we found in through a google search, which directed us to Carinos.com and a chef's blog they have.  Super cool and super yummy!!

This is taken directly from the website...

 

Ingredients:

Butter, Melted                                                                             2 Tbsp

Shrimp, Tail-Off Peeled and Cleaned                                             20 medium shrimp

Chicken Breast, 8 Ounce                                                              2 each

Mushrooms, Sliced                                                                      3 cups

Sun-dried Tomatoes, Hydrated                                                     1 cup

Salt and Pepper                                                                          to taste

Green Onions, Sliced                                                                   1 cup

Heavy Cream                                                                              2 cups

Pecorino Romano Cheese, Grated                                                 1/3 cup

Cayenne Pepper                                                                          to taste

Penne Pasta, Dry                                                                         20 ounces weight

 

Directions:

1. Grilled chicken breasts until done.  Cool and slice into ¼ inch thick strips.
2. Add butter to a large sauté pan at medium heat.  Once butter is heated, add shrimp, sliced chicken, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions and salt and pepper.  Sauté until shrimp and mushrooms are cooked.       
3. Add heavy cream, pecorino romano cheese and cayenne pepper.  Let cream reduce by 50% while thoroughly combining all ingredients.
4. Cook penne pasta according to package directions.  Drain excess water and then toss pasta with contents of sauté pan.
5. Place Spicy Shrimp and Chicken into designated serving plateware, garnish and enjoy! 

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I saw this recipe on Pinterest. SO, SO, SO good. You have to try it....


Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used three!)
1 package of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half (it was super thick and I ended up using more than 2 cups!)
1 cup grated carrots (I diced mine)
1 cup diced celery

Directions:

Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, chicken and rice (along with seasoning packet) in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours, until chicken shreds when stirred. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture by tablespoon to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and then let cook on low for 15 more minutes.

~ From Chef Mommy's Kitchen ~
http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.com/2011/02/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-and-wild.html

Ranch Turkey Sliders

1 lb ground turkey
1 packet ranch dressing or dip mix
1 egg
2 tsp diced garlic (I did them kind of heaping)
couple of drizzles Worcestershire sauce (sorry, I didn't think to measure it out!)
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch or two of salt (Ha! Don't you love my recipes!?)

Hot dog buns
sliced tomatoes
cheese
lettuce

Knead all ingredients together, until well combined. Form little mini patties...I did them about 2 inches in diameter.

We placed them on a slightly greased BBQ and while they were amazingly delicious, they were a bit too delicate for the outdoor grill. Might try frying them up inside next time! I also read that adding bread crumbs makes them a bit more sturdy...I just didn't want it to taste too meat loafy, so I didn't do it! ;)

Cut hot dog buns into thirds (makes the perfect size for a little 2 inch slider!). Top with turkey slider, cheese, tomato, lettuce and your choice of condiments!

YUM!!

- Adapted from Allrecipes.com -

UPDATE: We refrigerated half the meat and made them again for lunch today. Cooked them on a greased (little bit of pam) griddle. Worked PERFECT! SO, SO good!