Carmelitas

This is a Pinterest Proven recipe.  That means that it is a recipe that I came across on Pinterest that I have actually tried.  I saw the picture of these puppies on the website and instantly started to drool.  Of course, I had to have an excuse to make them, so since we had friends over for dinner for the New Year, I decided they should have something sweet to indulge in after their meal.  Boy are these divine!  I will absolutely be making these Carmelitas in the future. 

Photo and Recipe courtesy of Lulu the Baker

Carmelitas:

Ingredients:

32 caramel squares, unwrapped  (My two oldest kiddos LOVED doing this job!  Way to include the children!!!)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.

*They should be stored and served at room temperature.
**To make a 9x13" version, simply double the amounts.

I loved how easy these were to make, and I loved that the kids got to help me out a bit.  While they unwrapped the caramels, I got the batter ingredients prepared.  While the crust baked, I made the caramel sauce, then assembled the rest and let it finish baking.  My Carmelitas sat on the counter for a few hours and cooled to room temperature.  This was a perfect amount of time to let the caramel harden up a bit.  We had a few leftover to enjoy today and the caramel is still so soft and chewy!  These are a definite to try.  Thank you, Pinterest.  And thank you Lulu the Baker for posting this recipe.

Nutella Chocolate Cobbler

Photo courtesy of: www.savorysweetlife.com

This recipe is perfect for Valentine's Day!  That is, if you love chocolate and are as OBSESSED with Nutella as I am.  I made this for dessert last week, and we really enjoyed it.  It's SO easy to make and if you carry Nutella in your pantry, then you probably also have everything else needed in your pantry to make this today.  Give it a try!  I honestly couldn't tell by taste that it was Nutella, but it DID taste and have the texture of a hot, chocolate lava cake.  UGH! So good, so rich!



Nutella Chocolate Cobbler

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided
1 cup sugar, divided
½ cup milk
1/2 cup Nutella
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1-½ cup hot tap water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup of white sugar.  Stir in milk, Nutella, butter, and vanilla.  Mixture will be thick like the texture of peanut butter.  Spread mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish.  In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup white sugar, brown sugar, and remaining cocoa (3 tablespoons).  Sprinkle mixture evenly over the batter.  Pour the hot water over  everything and do not stir.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the center is slightly firm but not fluid like liquid.

Spoon mixture into small bowls and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

***For a step-by-step photo guide for this recipe, check out Savory Sweet Life's version.

Oatmeal and M&M Cookies

This is another recipe I got from This Mommy Cooks.  

These cookies were fun to make with the kiddos and they just LOVED having the M&Ms as a special treat.  We thoroughly enjoyed these and had so many to share!



Oatmeal M&M Cookies

from paperseed

Ingredients

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (If you don't like cinnamon, half this amount.)

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

2 cups M&Ms

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and M&Ms; mix well. I used my stand mixer for these.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1-2 minutes on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Makes about 4 dozen

Cranberry Scones

Photo Credit: Annie's Eats

I came across this recipe on Annie's Eats several weeks back, and instantly knew I wanted to try them. I, by nature, shy away from baking because it seriously.intimidates.me.  However, I keep finding delicious recipes that whet my appetite to try my hand at it.  So, my sister-in-law decided to try to tackle these babies together today for some pre-Thanksgiving Day baking!  Now, they were not a traditional scone texture, but they were divine!

It was so simple to follow this recipe, and even though the dough didn't turn out like it should have, I have gained some confidence for baking another batch of scones!  I can't wait.  Until then, try these scrumptious cranberry scones.  They tasted wonderful!

Cranberry Scones

Yield: 8-10 scones


Ingredients:
1½ tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup plus 3 tbsp. sugar, divided
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1¼ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream
Additional sugar for sprinkling
Slivered almonds (optional)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a food processor, combine the lemon zest, flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder and salt.  Pulse briefly to blend.  Add in the cold butter pieces and pulse again briefly until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter pieces are no larger than peas.  Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, toss together the chopped cranberries (I ran mine through the food processor for a brief few seconds) and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.  Stir this into the flour-butter mixture.

In another small bowl or a liquid measuring cup, combine the egg, egg yolk and heavy cream; whisk to blend.  Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Knead gently to be sure the dough is evenly mixed, being careful not to overwork the dough.

Place a 2½- or 3-inch round biscuit cutter on the lined baking sheet.  Scoop some of the dough inside the cutter and pat down gently to form a 1-inch thick round.  Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the rounds 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle lightly with additional sugar.
Bake in preheated over until light golden brown for 15-20 minutes.

**To freeze before baking, flash freeze at this point.  Place the baking sheet with the shaped scones into the freezer and chill until frozen.  Transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag and store until ready to bake.
**If baking from the freezer, add approximately 5 minutes to the original baking time.


***At the last minute, I decided to add some slivered almonds to the tops of my scones!  It was a GREAT little addition if you happen to have some on hand!  I'll DEFINITELY do it the next time.

Ooey-Gooey Bars

Ooey-Gooey is how I was first introduced to this yummy dessert, but you may know it by it's other names:  Ooey Butter Cake, Chess Squares, etc.  Either way, this dessert is delicious!  It's a long time family favorite of ours that I remember learning to make back in junior high or high school.  Add it to your menu sometime soon, and I promise it will become a family favorite for you too!

I made these last night for my husband's brand new office that is opening up today!  Last night while he was away at the office finishing up last minute details, the kids and I were at home.  I so badly wanted to be there with him, but couldn't.  So, what did I do?   I baked!  I figured every new office crew needs a little sugary goodness to get them through the first big day.

Ooey-Gooey Bars

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow butter cake mix
1 stick of butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1 8 oz. bar cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 box of Confectioner's sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine dry cake mix, one egg, butter, and pecans.  Mix together with a fork, then press firmly into the bottom of a 9x13" pan.  Then, in another bowl, blend together cream cheese, two eggs, and Confectioner's sugar with a mixer until smooth (approximately 2-3 minutes).  Pour cream cheese mixture over cake mixture.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until lightly browned.  Allow to cool slightly before cutting into small squares.  Refrigerate if desired.

Symphony Bar Pie

Photo Credit: shewearsmanyhats.com

This dessert is so yummy and so easy.

Let me break it down for you:  Three ingredients.

A graham cracker pie crust.

An 8 oz. tub of cool whip.

One King-sized Symphony Bar.

Mix them all together, stick it in the freezer, and you have a rich, tasty, and crowd-pleasing dessert!

Symphony Bar Pie

Ingredients:

1 King-sized Symphony Bar

1 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip, softened

1 graham cracker or chocolate pie crust

Directions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat Symphony Bar for approximately 45 seconds or until just melted.  Make sure that your Cool Whip is slightly softened--not still frozen--or the melted candy bar will not adequately mix when you combine them.  Stir Cool Whip and melted chocolate bar until thoroughly mixed, then pour into graham cracker pie crust.  Freeze for at least an hour.  Serve!

Suggestions:

***If Cool Whip is still frozen in middle, microwave for a few seconds to help it thaw a bit, but don't overheat it or it will turn to liquid.

***This pie can be frozen for up to a week prior to serving.  However, if it remains frozen for longer than a few hours, it may need to sit out for a bit so it's easier to serve.

***I like to buy the Symphony Bars when they go on sale and keep them on hand to throw together this dessert for last minute opportunities.

***Feel free to experiment with different types of candy bars.  I like the Symphony Bar with toffee and almonds, but I'm sure any candy would be delicious.

***My pie doesn't look exactly like the one in the picture above.  I think the person who made that cake may have used more than one candy bar to get it extra-chocolate-y.  Feel free to try that, but I think one bar is rich enough for my tastes!

Pecan Pie Muffins

Hold on to your hats, people.  These are going to blow you away!

I came across these on the Tasty Kitchen blog (a Pioneer Woman creation), and I just knew I had to make these.  They are divine!  And they are very simple.  If you are fortunate enough to have lots of pecans on your hands (which I do thanks to my in-laws and the family pecan trees at the farm), then you most likely have everything in your pantry or refrigerator.  If not, pecans may be the only thing you have to purchase special.  They take 10 minutes to mix up, if that, and 20 minutes to bake.  That's it, folks.  So.seriously.simple.

These are my new favs, so give them a try!

Pecan Pie Muffins


1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour, all-purpose
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cups butter, softened

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.  In a separate bowl, mix butter and eggs.  Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and gently stir until combined.  Spray muffin tins to prevent sticking, then distribute mixture into tins.  I got 9 muffins from this recipe.


Click here to see the original post on Tasty Kitchen, complete with pictures.

Strawberry Pie

I saw this recipe on This Mommy Cooks a week or so ago!  It was one of those recipes that as soon as I saw what it was and looked at the scrumptious picture, I was dying to make it.  Tonight we are getting together with our neighbors to watch some UT football, so I figured now was as good a time as any to make these simple and sweet dessert.  Strawberries are fairly easy to come by and are at a reasonable price right now, so it's the perfect season to try this out. 


Strawberry Pie


1 refrigerated pie crust, baked in a pie plate as directed
5 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
3 ounces of cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)

Directions:  Bake pie crust as directed, then allow to cool slightly.  In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, corn starch and strawberries.  Cook over medium-high heat until bubbly, then lower temperature to a simmer until the sauce has thickened, approximately 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Spread softened cream cheese on bottom of pie crust.  Pour strawberries over cream cheese.  Refrigerate for several hours.  Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Easy as pie!!!!  Hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

I saw these muffins on the Easy Meals for Moms blog first thing this morning.  I realized that I have two overripe bananas and everything else that this recipe called for, so I immediately made plans to make these babies.  They are in the oven as we speak.  I'll let you know how they are, but:  Chocolate.  Bananas.  Muffins. 

Yes PLEASE!!!!

I just know they will be divine!

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Great for a snack or breakfast! 

Chocolate Banana Muffins (adapted from Cooking Light)
Makes 8 muffins

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 medium mashed ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add applesauce and bananas, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining ingredients stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir just until combined. Pour into greased muffin pan cups. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan after a few minutes and cool on rack.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.


*** I made 12 mini muffins and also got 7 large muffins out of this recipe.  Maybe I didn't fill my muffin pans up as much as I should, but I definitely got more than 8 muffins out of this.  

Lemon Raspberry Bars

Raspberry Lemon Bars

For the crust:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
Zest of one lemon

For the filling:
2 large egg yolks
1-14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 ounces fresh raspberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 8 by 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the crust is cool, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the raspberries. Fold carefully so you don’t break the raspberries.

Pour the lemon raspberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour before serving. Cut into bars and serve. Keep bars in the refrigerator-up to five days.

*Note-use fresh raspberries and make sure you gently fold the berries into the lemon filling or you will have pink bars.

Serves 16

PW's Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberries were on sale today, so I grabbed them up because I have been dying to make this recipe!  Have you tried my Individual Raspberry Cobblers yet?  Well, this is the big and blackberry version of those, so you know this dessert is divine!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick Butter
• 1-¼ cup Sugar
• 1 cup Self-Rising Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 cups Blackberries (frozen or fresh)

Directions:

Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Pour 1 cup of sugar and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together. Butter a baking dish.
Now rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly. If you desire, sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Yes, I AM still alive and kicking over here.  I apologize for the lack of posts, but we've had some traveling, sick kids, potty-training, and plain ole life going on in the Bradshaw household.  For more on that, you can check out our family blog.  Anyway, I came across this recipe on my friend Amber's blog called This Mommy Cooks.  Amber posted this delicious recipe for Fresh Strawberry Muffins, and it immediately stood out to me because I had an entire pint of strawberries just about ready to rot that I wanted to use up.  Ta-da!

Nora and I spent some time together baking these delicious muffins, and they are just wonderful.  They do taste like muffins, but I also think you could call these Strawberry Short Cake Muffins because that is exactly what they taste like!  Whip up some cream and instant Strawberry Short Cakes!

Do yourself a favor and make these soon.  I had everything on hand and didn't have to make an extra trip to the grocery.

Fresh Strawberry Muffins
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened (I used unsalted.)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries (or more....the more the better)
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well.
In a separate, smaller bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture, ending with milk. Add vanilla. Gently stir in strawberries.

Spoon batter into greased or paper lined muffin pans.

Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 400º for 18-22 minutes.

***These are totally my new fav!  I want to try them with raspberries too, because if you haven't noticed, I am obsessed with raspberries.

Banana Pudding

This banana pudding recipe is not your typical banana pudding recipe.  This one is a much sweeter version, and a bit more rich than a "traditional" banana pudding, but it is really good.  (Seriously? What dessert containing an entire can of condensed milk isn't just divine?)  We got this recipe from a dental school friend and amazing cook, Lauren V. Davis.  She fixed it for us once during the dreadful days of dental school, and since it's been a favorite of Jonathan's.  I hope you guys enjoy!

Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

1 large box of instant vanilla pudding mix (not prepared, just the dry mix)
1 can of condensed milk
1 12 oz. container of Cool Whip (I use the fat free....every little bit helps here)
Splash of milk, if needed
Vanilla wafers
1-2 large bananas

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the dry packet of pudding mix, Cool Whip, and condensed milk.  If mixture is too thick or grainy for your preference, add a splash of milk to thin.  (Not too much though).  In a dish, layer vanilla wafers on bottom, followed by a layer of banana slices, and half of the pudding mixture.  Repeat layers: vanilla wafers, banana slices, pudding.  Top with vanilla wafers.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberry Cake

This is a landmark recipe in the Bradshaw family. I was first introduced to it just weeks after meeting Jonathan and his family. His mom is known for this cake recipe, and it will definitely haunt you once you serve it to your loved ones, so if you are not prepared to make this cake often or pass on the recipe to your dearly beloved, stay away.

Ingredients:

1 box of Strawberry cake mix, baked as directed (so you'll need the eggs, oil, water, etc. that the cake mix requires)
1 box of Strawberry jello
Water

Directions:
Bake strawberry cake as directed. Let cool. While cake is cooling, mix up jello and water as directed on package. Take a knife and poke holes all over the top of the strawberry cake, making sure you poke through to the bottom. Pour strawberry jello mixture into the holes. Ice cake with Homemade Cream Cheese Icing, then refrigerate until jello sets up in cake, about 2 hours. Serve!

This cake is just PERFECT for summertime! You can also change things up by doing a yellow cake with orange or lemon flavored jello. The options are endless!

Grocery List for Strawberry Cake with Cream Cheese Icing:

• Strawberry Cake Mix
• Strawberry Jello
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 1 box of powdered sugar
• Eggs, oil, water, etc. that cake mix calls for

Homemade Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick butter, softened
1 package of cream cheese, softened
1 box of confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar until mixed well. Add vanilla extract and mix one last time.

***Seriously, this is the easiest icing to make, and once you try it and make it once, you'll realize that it is so simple and so delicious, store bought will sound ridiculous!

Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Anytime we go out to a fancy restaurant and bread pudding is on the menu, I am always tempted to order it! Being from New Orleans, I have been privileged to some of the best bread puddings in the world, and for some reason, I have always considered it to be one of those desserts that is out of my league when it comes to cooking it. It just seems complicated. The bread, the custard, the sauce.

However, that is no longer the case.

My mother-in-law came across this bread pudding recipe a few months back. She is just as enthusiastic about bread pudding as I am (if not more so), so she was determined to give this one a go. I am so glad she did! It's incredible, and incredibly simple to prepare.

Bread Pudding

Ingredients for Bread Pudding:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint whipping cream
1 package Hawaiian rolls or 1 loaf of sour dough bread

Directions for Bread Pudding:

Spray a 9x13" pan.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Add whipping cream and mix well. Pour into bottom of pan. Tear bread apart into bite-size pieces and saturate in custard mixture. (You can add as much bread as you like. The less bread, the more custard-like the bread pudding will be. I used Hawaiian rolls and used about 3/4 of the package. I didn't use all of the rolls.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Ingredients for Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 Tablespoon self-rising flour
1/4 can evaporated milk
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Directions:
Bring all ingredients except extract to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Once it's at a boil, add the extract. Remove from heat and pour over warm bread pudding.

Serve immediately or let set until room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers. (If there are any).

***We have tried both the vanilla and almond extract flavorings for the sauce. I prefer the vanilla. In my humble opinion, the almond over-powered the dessert and that's all you tasted. The vanilla is much more subtle!
***This recipe is easily doubled, so if you are serving a large crowd, just double everything, ESPECIALLY the sauce!

Bon Appetit!

Pear Crisp

Did your mouth just start watering? Mine did!

This recipe is soooooo yummy.

Picture it: Hot, gooey pears covered in sugar and cinnamon bliss. Cold, velvety vanilla ice cream, beginning to melt as it comes into contact with the hot deliciousness that is pear crisp. Ummmm. Do yourself a favor and make this!

Pear Crisp

Filling:
4 to 5 large pears
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans, very finely chopped
1 stick butter(8 tablespoons), melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel, core, and dice pears. Place into a bowl and stir together with 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Stir together. Drizzle melted butter gradually, stirring with a fork as you go until all combined.
4. Pour pears into a baking dish; top with crumb topping.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
6. Place pan on top rack of oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

***This recipe can be made the exact same way using apples. Actually, if I have both pears and apples in my fruit bowl, I usually use both! Great!
***I bet you could do this with fresh peaches too! Hmmmm, might have to try that when peaches come in season this summer.

***Okay, if you are still reading you deserve a funny story. I made this dessert this past Friday night when we had some friends over for dinner. I've made this SEVERAL times, so I guess I was getting a bit cocky. At the very end of the cooking time, my crisp was ready except the top wasn't browning as quickly as I wanted it to. Instead of being PATIENT, I went ahead and decided to put the oven on Broil for a few seconds so that my pear crisp would turn nice and golden brown in an instance.

Two minutes later, as I was engrossed in some topic of conversation, this light bulb goes off in my brain that, "Oh yeah, I am about to catch the house on fire!" I ran mid-conversation over to the oven, opened the door, and there stood my pear crisp AFLAME! Yes, in flames.

I quickly shut the door, turned off the oven, and then screamed, "What do I do!?" The men at the table rushed to my aid and took over the fire situation. I was so upset that my dessert was ruined, but being the sweet dinner guest that he was, our friend Jason scraped the charred crisp topping off, insisting it was still delicious and edible. Surprisingly, he was right. Every once in a while we would get a crunchy, charcoal-y bite. But, all in all, it could have been worse!

So, after you do yourself a favor and make this delicious recipe, do yourself ANOTHER favor and don't be impatient as it bakes. Let the crisp do it's thing and don't burn down your house, okay?

This is Casey with your public service announcement for the first week of March.

Fruit Salsa

Now, I'll be honest. This recipe has just about made me famous. Any time I am invited to an event at Jonathan's office, it is just basically underSTOOD that this fruit salsa accompanies me. I don't know why. All of the sweet ladies in the office have the recipe now, so they know how to make it. It's not hard. But, alas, this has become my new identity. Fruit Salsa girl.

Here is a recipe that I am sure you will love! I sort of hate to give it away because it is my go-to recipe for Baby Showers, Wedding Showers, Cookouts....but, MAN! It is SOOOO good and I know you will love it and want to share it with friends and family. This is such a yummy and refreshing appetizer or dessert. So here it goes:

1 carton of fresh strawberries
2 Granny Smith apples
2 kiwi
2 tablespoons of apple jelly
2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Puree cleaned and trimmed strawberries, apples (leave the skin on for the pretty green color), and kiwi in a food processor (or, if you don't have one, chop the fruit into tiny pieces). Combine the fruit and add the jelly and sugar. If time allows, refrigerate the salsa for a while and the consistency will thicken up nicely.

Serve with cinnamon-raisin bagel or pita chips. Or,if you're interested, you can make homemade cinnamon-sugar tortilla chips. (A messy, but yummy, project!)

This recipe is doubled very easily and keeps great in the refrigerator for a few days. It is so refreshing! Also, feel free to substitute or add other fruits to the concoction. My friend Amy couldn't use the kiwi because her niece is deathly allergic, so she substituted pineapple and said it was delicious. I think I might add that to mine next time I make it.

I hope you and yours enjoy. Let me know if you come up with any killer fruit combinations.

Monkey Munch

I have come to know this great snack recipe as Monkey Munch, but you may have heard of it before as Puppy Chow or some other fun name. This is an easy, easy, easy, and extremely yummy snack for the kids or Care Group. Enjoy!

Monkey Munch
9 cups of Chex cereal (I recommend Rice or Corn Chex)
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar

1. In a large bowl, pour in the 9 cups of Chex cereal.
2. In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Heat in microwave for one minute. Add teaspoon of vanilla. Stir. Heat for 20 seconds more, or until the mixture is smooth.
3. Pour mixture over Chex cereal and stir gently until cereal is covered in chocolate mixture.
4. Put the Chex cereal in a 2 gallon freezer bag. Add confectioner's sugar, seal bag, and shake until cereal is coated in sugar.
5. Pour snack mix on cookie sheet lined with wax paper until cooled. Store in an air-tight container for best results.

*** Suggestion: I made a double-batch of this for Care Group recently. For variety, I purchased a box of Corn Chex and a box of Rice Chex. Each box of Chex Cereal contains 13 cups of cereal, and the recipe calls for 9 cups. So one box will give you more than enough for one batch. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

Last week at Care Group, my friend Johanna baked some delicious Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies that were a recipe of Cindy McCain's. (I'm really tired at the moment---does that sentence even make sense?) Let me try again...Johanna found a recipe from Cindy McCain (as in the Senator's wife) for Oatmeal Butterscotch cookies. Whew...this pregnancy is getting to me apparently.

My point is that I found the recipe for these delicious babies online and I made them tonight! Yummy! Try them out next time you get the itch to bake...which is so rare for me. They were easy, scrumptous, and just what I was craving!


Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups rolled oats
* 1-2/3 cups butterscotch chips


Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375F.

2. In a large bowl beat the butter or margarine, granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well.

3. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until blended. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

4. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.


A few hours after I baked and we had devoured about half of these beauties, I realized that I added 2 WHOLE STICKS of butter instead of the required 1 1/2. Whoops! I set out two sticks of butter to soften and was on the phone with my mom when I started combining the ingredients. I wasn't paying close attention, but my cookies were good! So, don't be afraid of the butter!
Enjoy.