You Don’t Want to Know Dip

I must confess something. I had never made this dip until this weekend. But just in case you don’t know, Shannon and I are trying to publish a cookbook soon. We are doing this blog to give you a taste of what will be in that cookbook. Shannon and I have spent many hours filing through our recipes and deciding which ones are worthy to go into the cookbook. This is Shannon’s recipe. And it kept coming to my mind because when we first met to discuss recipes she said that this one had to go in the cookbook. I asked her what was in it that made it so great and she proclaimed “You don’t want to know!” So, I finally called her this weekend and said, “I must know what is in that dip because I want to take it to a party.” One of my good friends was having a housewarming party and all we were required to bring was an appetizer, a good appetizer. With recipe in hand, I went to the grocery store and bought all the necessary ingredients. All the while wondering if it really was cookbook worthy. Guess what? It is!  I loved it, the hubs loved it, the party people loved it and even the babysitter loved it! (I made her her own bowl) With so many holiday parties coming up, this will be a perfect appetizer to take and knock everyones socks off! It is spicy, creamy, warm and delish! So it is with great pleasure I give you the  cookbook worthy “You Don’t Want to Know Dip” recipe!

You Don’t Want to Know Dip

• 2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1  1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 (4 ounce) can of diced jalapenos
• 1 (4 ounce) jar of pimientos
• 1 jar of dried beef, sliced and cubed  (comes in a small jelly-like jar. I found it next to the SPAM)
• 1 bunch of green onions, diced
• 1 large bread bowl
• Bag of Frito’s Scoops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the top out of your bread bowl. Then empty out the bread. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, pimientos, dried beef, and green onions. Pour it all in! Juice and everything! Pour mixture into your empty bread bowl. Replace the top and wrap in foil. Bake for 1 1/2-2 hours. Serve warm with Frito Scoops.

Linking up at: Skip to My Lou, C.R.A.F.T., DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Craftomaniac, The Girl Creative, Add a Pinch, Singing Three Little Birds, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Coastal Charm, Sew Chatty, Sugarbee Crafts, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, Chef In Training, It’s a Blog Party, The Blackberry Vine, Strictly Homemade, Naptime Creations, All the Small Stuff, Sew Much Ado, Blue Cricket Design, This Chick Cooks, Dittle Dattle, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Gingersnap Crafts, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Feeding Four, Somewhat Simple, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The How to Mommy, Stuff and Nonsense, Happy Hour Projects, Simply Sweet Home, Jane Deere, Serenity You, Six Sisters Stuff, I Heart Naptime, Everyday Mom’s Meals, Mom’s Crazy Cooking

Lemon Pepper Chicken

This is a REALLY simple recipe, but I promise you, you will make this over and over again.  I introduced Emily to this a couple of years ago, and she too is now addicted.  The thing about this simple recipe is, it goes with everything.  Want a salad for lunch?   Add some of this yummy chicken and make it a filling meal.  Pasta for dinner?  Put some of this chicken on top.  Hubby’s out of town and you’re making Mac & Cheese from the box?  Put this chicken on the side.   Quesadillas?  Chicken!  Nachos? Chicken!  Spinach Salad? Chicken!  Chicken salad sandwich.  Ok, you get the idea.  This chicken goes with, on or on the side of just about everything!  Look for my recipe tomorrow for a super yummy way to use this chicken, but for now, just enjoy it in whatever capacity you decide to use it!

Lemon Pepper Chicken

 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning

 

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  When oil is hot, (test by wetting fingers and sprinkling into pan, if water sizzles, oil is ready), place cubed chicken into skillet.  Cook chicken over medium high heat, turning every couple of minutes.  Some juices from the chicken will release into pan.  Keep cooling until the juices cook off.  Then the oil will start to brown the chicken.  At this point add the lemon pepper and continue to turn chicken until it browns evenly.  Remove from pan and serve.

 

P.S.  Don’t be afraid to make a double batch, and refrigerate in an airtight container for use throughout the week!

 

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Doesn’t November just scream “Pumpkin!”? Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Pie and now  here is a  fabulous recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake. Cheesecakes are always a little time consuming, but I am never disappointed when I make this. It is so worth the time! Could this replace the traditional Pumpkin Pie?? Let’s not get carried away here! Some traditions just aren’t meant to be broken. But this could be a close second. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:

• 2 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full size crackers, smashed)
• 3 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted

Cheesecake:

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temp
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 2 large eggs
•  2 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping:

• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream, room temp
• 2 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Caramel ice cream topping (optional)
• 1 cup crushed toffee bits (optional)
• shaved dark chocolate (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the Crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar in a small bowl. Then press the mixture onto the bottom AND 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch spring form pan. Chill in the fridge while preparing cheesecake.

For Cheesecake: Beat cream cheese and brown sugar in a mixer until creamy. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, cornstarch, and cinnamon and beat well. Pour into graham cracker crust and bake for 60-65 minutes or until the edge is set but the center of the cheesecake still moves slightly. Remove from oven.

For topping: Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small mixing bowl. Spread over warm cheesecake and bake for an additional 8 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight. OPTIONAL: Before serving, cover the top of cheesecake with toffee bits. Then slice and add Caramel topping. OR simply sprinkle shaved dark chocolate over the top of the cheesecake and serve!

Linking up: Jane Deere, 2 Maids a Milking

Tailgate Sandwiches

 

We all want a quick and easy dinner, right? Especially when we have football, dance, scouts, T-ball, gymnastics, piano, hockey, tutoring, and on and on. Here is one of the easiest and quickest recipes I have discovered. This will fill the bellies and take 3 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake. I have heard these sandwiches called Tailgate Sandwiches, Hot Butter Sandwiches (that doesn’t sound so appealing) and Sliders. Because really, they would make a great football party food, a delicious Tailgate food, and a great “take with” sandwich because they are sliders. As I was making these, I was thinking what a great little sandwich to make with all of your leftover turkey and rolls after Thanksgiving! You could add stuffing, cranberry sauce, or whatever your family likes!

Tailgate Sandwiches

• 12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, split (I leave the rolls in tact and slice the whole loaf as one. Then slice as individual rolls after the baking)
• 1 lb shaved ham
• 12 slices mozarella cheese
• 1 tub cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the bottom of the roll loaf in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Layer with cheese and then ham. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the top of the roll loaf. Place cream cheese side down. In a small bowl, combine the butter, parmesan cheese, worcestershire sauce and onion. Pour over sandwiches. Let stand for at least 20 minutes. Cover and Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Linking up at: Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Reasons To Skip The Housework, Strictly Homemade, The Gooseberry Patch, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Everyday Tastes, Stuff and Nonsense, Jane Deere, Tatertots and Jello, The Crafty Nest

Super Easy Caramel Popcorn

Who doesn’t love caramel corn in the fall?  It’s a staple at every Friday Family Movie Night at my house.  And some recipes are easier than others, for sure.  This is the queen of easy, and still yummy!  Just an FYI.. this is the soft, pull apart caramel corn, not the hard poppy cock corn.  Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!

Super Easy Carmel Popcorn

Makes 12 cups

• 1 pound brown sugar (2 1/4 cups)
• 1 cup white Karo syrup
• 1 cube butter
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 3 bags microwave popcorn, natural style, popped

Put all popcorn in large bowl, being sure to remove all unpopped kernels.  Bring the sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil, then add sweetened condensed milk.  Boil to soft ball stage and pour over popcorn.  Mix thoroughly and spread out on waxed paper to cool.

*** A word of warning, pouring that hot caramel over the popcorn can be hazardous to your health, or in my case, hazardous to my little thumb that got in the way of the 200 degree caramel being poured.  Burn, ouch!  So, when you make this, be careful!  No small children around for the pouring stage!!!  :)

Shannon’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls

Alright people, I’m about to let you in on a huge secret!  These rolls are coveted in my community… people pay gazillions of dollars for these little honeys  (ok that’s an exaggeration, but I do sell a TON of them thru the holidays).  And, the truth is, they are easy.  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!  All it takes is a bread machine, a little time, and roll pin.  See.. easy!  All you have to do is plop the ingredients into your bread machine and set it to the dough setting and let it do all the work for you!  Have more than one bread maker, as I do?  You can produce these en mass, as I have done in the picture above.  And truly, it takes the same amount of time to make 2 dozen or 10 dozen… just depends on how many bread machines you can get working for you.

I’ve also included the options to make the basic roll recipe into orange rolls, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, or an apple braid.  As you can tell, this recipe is super versatile.  You pretty much fashion them into whatever bread item you want to make.  I also use this recipe to make buttery white bread, cinnamon pull aparts, cinnamon raisin bread, monkey bread… the options are endless.  So, here’s just a few to get you started.

Make these throughout the holiday season and you will become the star of each and every dinner party, Christmas breakfast, Thanksgiving celebration, or family event!  Seriously, and you’re welcome!

Shannon’s Best Ever Rolls

Basic Roll Recipe

• 1 2/3 cups Water
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 2/3 cups Flour
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 rounded Tablespoon yeast

In the chamber of a bread maker add all ingredients except the yeast.  Stir around to blend sugar into mixture.  Add yeast.

Set bread maker to “dough” setting… wait for cycle to finish (should take about an hour and a half)

When cycle is complete, turn out dough onto a board sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and shape to desired type of roll.

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon mixture:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup cinnamon
• ½ cup flour

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl

In a separate bowl melt 1 stick butter

Divide dough into 2 even sections.  Roll out one section(using Pam) into a rectangle.  Brush with butter.  Sprinkle with ¼ cup cinnamon mixture.  Roll up and cut into rolls.  (Should make about 9 pieces)  Repeat with second section of dough (So entire batch makes 18 rolls)

*At this point dough can be frozen or baked.  See baking instructions.

Dinner Rolls

Divide dough into 3 equals parts.  Roll into circles and cut into 8 crescent shaped pieces.  Roll into crescents.  *At this point dough can be frozen or baked.  See baking instructions.

Orange rolls

Follow basic roll recipe, except add the zest of one orange to the dough ingredients.

Then divide dough into 2 equal parts.  Roll into rectangles, and cut into 12 strips, vertically. Tie strips into knots, tucking ends under to form rosettes.  *At this point dough can be frozen or baked.  See baking instructions.

Apple Braid

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts.  Roll each part into a rectangle, keeping the middle section of the rectangle at double the thickness of the side sections.  Brush middle with butter, and sprinkle with ¼ cup cinnamon mixture.  Then top with sliced, peeled apples.  Cut the sides diagonally and fold over each other in a braid.  See illustration.  * At this point dough can be frozen or baked.  See baking instructions.

Glaze for Cinnamon rolls and Apple Braid

1 stick butter, melted

8 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

milk to desired consistency

Glaze for Orange Rolls

1 stick butter, melted

8 cups powdered sugar

orange juice to desired consistency

* both of these glazes can be poured into plastic bags (in 1 cup portions)and frozen with the rolls, then left on the counter to defrost while the rolls are baking.  Then just snip a corner off the plastic bag and pipe onto rolls.

Baking Instructions for Rolls:

Place rolls onto a jelly roll pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Allow rolls to rise for a couple of hours or longer, covered by a dish towel until the desired volume is achieved.

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned.

If you have chosen to premake the rolls and freeze them, there are 2 baking methods:

Quick Method

• Remove rolls from freezer & place in a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray (Pam.)
• Leave on counter to rise for 1 hour.
• Leave bag of glaze on the counter to thaw.
• After an hour, place the rolls in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove rolls from oven and reset temperature to 375 degrees.
• When oven reaches 375, put rolls back in and bake for

12 minutes for dinner rolls or orange rolls

15-18 minutes for cinnamon rolls or apple  braid,

until tops are golden brown.

• For rolls with glaze (orange, cinnamon, apple braid.  Snip the bottom corner off the glaze bag, and pipe glaze onto warm rolls

 Overnight Method (this is what I prefer):

• Remove rolls from freezer & place in a 9×13 pan that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray (Pam.)
• Leave on counter to rise overnight.
• Leave bag of glaze on the counter to thaw.
• Bake rolls at  375 degrees for

12 minutes for dinner rolls or orange rolls

15-18 minutes for cinnamon rolls or apple braid,

until tops are golden brown.

• For rolls with glaze (orange, cinnamon, apple braid.  Snip the bottom corner off the glaze bag, and pipe glaze onto warm rolls.

Linking up at: Stuff and Nonsense, Simply Sweet Home, Happy Hour Projects, Jane Deere, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Blue Cricket Design, Serenity You, Skip to My Lou, The DIY Home Sweet Home Project, Add a Pinch, The Girl Creative, Singing Three Little Birds, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, C.R.A.F.T., My Sweet and Savory, Chef In Training, Tatertots and Jello, Coastal Charm, Tip Junkie, Sugarbee Crafts, It’s A Blog Party, The Blackberry Vine, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Strictly Homemade, Nap Time Creations, Crazy For Crust, At the Well, This Chick Cooks, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Someday Crafts, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Everyday Tastes, Passionately Artistic

Rolo Cookies

Can you stand it? Another cookie! But let’s face it, we are baking a lot around the holidays and this cookie is always a winner. I like to call it the “Chocolate Magical Caramel Surprise Cookie,” because inevitably when I make these I always get the question, “how did you get the caramel inside the cookie?” But hopefully the name Rolo Cookie is self explanatory. So go ahead and make these and then you can tell people how magical you are!

Rolo Cookies

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
•  36 Rolos
• 4 Tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside. In a stand up mixer cream butter and both sugars until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until eggs are fully incorporated. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Shape the dough into small balls.

Then press the Rolo into the center of the ball and cover with dough until Rolo is covered. Place 4 Tablespoons of sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll dough around in the sugar until coated. Place ball on a cookie sheet and cook for 12-14  minutes. Yields about 2 1/2 dozen.

Linking up at : This Chick Cooks, Sew Much Ado, Lady Behind the Curtain, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Everyday Tastes, Stuff and Nonsense, Singing Three Little Birds, Sumos Sweet Stuff, All the Small Stuff, Blue Cricket Design, Sweet As Sugar Cookies, Serenity You