Buffalo Chicken Sliders

I love quick, delicious lunches! I threw all of the ingredients in the crock pot before heading to the farmer's market this morning and came home to perfectly cooked chicken that was easy to shred. I served on Hawaiian rolls with some fruit & veggies on the side. Yum!

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

2 large chicken breasts
1/2 bottle Franks hot sauce
Packet dry ranch dressing mix


Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low until done. Serve on rolls.

Coconut Banana Muffins

It's been years since I've posted on my blog but I didn't want to lose this recipe so I'm putting it here for safekeeping. 

The kiddos asked for banana muffins this morning and I decided to jazz them up with what I had on hand. These muffins are huge and moist and incredibly delicious!

Banana Coconut Muffins

3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large ripe bananas
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond coconut milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut

Coconut & Brown Sugar for topping

Beat sugar through milk in mixer until smooth. Mix dry ingredients in bowl and then add into wet. Mix just until combined. Stir in coconut.

Divide evenly into greased muffin tin. Sprinkle tops with coconut and brown sugar.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Recipe made 6 jumbo muffins. Adjust cooking time for regular sized or
Mini muffins.

Guinness Cheddar Dip - Corned Beef & Cabbage

 

I made this dip on St. Patrick's Day and it went FAST!!! It was super yummy and very easy to make. I also made corned beef & cabbage for the first time (I forgot to take a picture, though). I wanted to make sure I documented both recipes so I can make them again next year!

 

Guinness Cheddar Dip

Recipe from The Curvy Carrot

 

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 and 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1/4 cup Guinness
2 or 3 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

 

 

1. In the bowl of your blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, mustard, and half-and-half.  Pulse until smooth.
2. With the food processor running, slowly pour the Guinness down the feeder and blend until combined.
3. Add the scallions, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper (to taste).  Blend until thoroughly mixed.
4. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill at least for one hour prior to serving.

Corned Beef & Cabbage
Recipe from AllRecipes

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

10 baby red potatoes, quartered

1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized

pieces

4 cups water

1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with

spice packet

6 ounces Guinness

1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped

 

Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker, pour in the water, and place the brisket on top of the vegetables. Pour the beer over the brisket. Sprinkle on the spices from the packet, cover, and set the cooker on low. Cook the brisket for about 8 hours. An hour before serving, stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour.

Nutella Bread Pudding

We had company over for dinner last night and I made this for dessert. Of course, we were so excited for dessert that I competely forgot to take a picture of it. It was so yummy, though, that I had to still share the recipe.

I drizzled the bread pudding with extra Nutella straight out of the oven and served it warm with vanilla bean ice cream! Mmmmm mmmm mmmm!

Enjoy!

Nutella Bread Pudding
Recipe slightly adapted from Inspired Taste

7-8 croissants

Nutella

4 eggs

2 cup cream

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Slice each croissant in half lengthwise then slather one side with Nutella. Put the halves back together to make sandwiches and cut into 2-inch pieces.

 

Add sandwich pieces to greased 8x8 pan.

 

Whisk eggs, cream, vanilla extract, salt and sugar to a medium bowl until combined.

 

Pour the custard over the sandwich pieces then gently push down the bread so the custard starts to absorb. At this point you can bake right away or let sit in the fridge for a few hours to soak up more of the custard.

 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes then remove the foil and continue to bake uncovered for about 10 minutes until the bread pudding is golden brown, has risen slightly and the liquid has been completely absorbed.

Sugar Cookie Dip

I've seen variations of this dip floating around Pinterest and decided to create my own today. I wanted it to taste similar to my sugar cookies and I have to say it was pretty fantastic! Next time I will add some pretzels to serve it with... I think the sweet/salty combination would be great!

Enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Dip

1 box dry sugar cookie mix
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1 container Cool Whip
1 tsp almond extract
Splash of milk for thinning

Mix cream cheese and sugar cookie mix in mixer thouroughly. Add cool whip and whip to combine. Mix in almond extract and milk until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lemon Cheesecake Ball

This may not look like much but you have to make it right away!!!!! I served this at a brunch yesterday and it was a hit. It tastes just like lemon cheesecake! I served it with granny smith apples, graham crackers, gingersnaps, and nilla wafers. I will definitely be making it again! Mmmmmm!

Lemon Cheesecake Ball
Recipe from Annie Eats

10 oz. cream cheese
2½ tbsp. sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon
4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 graham crackers


Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir together with a spoon or spatula until well combined and smooth. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball, wrapped tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours. Reshape if necessary once firm.

Coarsely crush the graham crackers and transfer the crumbs to a plate or bowl. Roll the cheese ball in the crumbs until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

M&M Cheesecake Cookie Bars

How good does that look?!?!?! Such a yummy, cute Valentine's Day treat! And they will totally work for other holidays.... or random days of the week because they are THAT good! :)

M&M Cheesecake Cookie Bars
Recipe from What's Gaby Cooking


For the Cookie Layer

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 bag of milk chocolate m&m's

 

For the Cheesecake Layer

 

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Instructions

 

For the Cookie Layer

1. Cream together the butter and sugars in a large stand mixer for 3 minutes.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla, making sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
3. Add the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder and mix on low until everything is incorporated. Toss in a handful of the m&m's and mix for a quick second. Chill the dough while you make the cheesecake layer

For the Cheesecake Layer

1. Whip together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla for 3 minutes until everything is evenly combined and smooth.
To assemble
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Line a 9x9 baking square pan with tin foil and spray it with non-stick baking spray.
4. Press 1/2 of the cookie dough mixture into the bottom of the pan to make 1 even layer.
5. Spread the cheesecake mixture on top of the cookie dough.
6. Crumble and sprinkle the remaining cookie dough on top of the cheesecake mixture and then sprinkle with the remaining m&m.s
7. Place it into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the cookie dough is golden brown. The inner part of the dish might look a bit jiggly, but not to fear. Once the Cheesecake Cookie Bars have baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool on the counter for 30 minutes. Then transfer them to the fridge and cool completely for at least 2 hours. Cut and serve as needed.

Has it really been 4 months?!?!?!

Wow... I really did not anticipate taking a 4 month break from the blog. I didn't really anticipate taking much of a break at all. Yes, we were busy with the move (Aloha from Hawaii, by the way!!!) but I figured I'd still be able to post occasionally. Yeah... that didn't happen!

We have been in Hawaii a little over 2 months now and we are loving every second. I have been cooking and baking (not as much though... we have been enjoying the local food A LOT!!!) but as far as new meals go, I have been slacking. We have been doing a lot of old standbys and easy dinners, mostly because we stay at the beach a little too long and rush home for a home cooked meal! :)

Also, my camera died. Not sure what happened but I only have my iPhone camera right now. It works great for other pics... food pics not so much. So, when I have made something new I haven't photographed it.

All that to say I'm not sure when/if my blog will be back up. I haven't missed it the way I have in the past. I haven't felt a pull to post and I think that is okay. 4.5 years of blogging and 860 posts is a TON. That is a whole lot of recipes! I am not saying I am shutting down my blog but I am also not committing to continuing it the way it has been in the past. I have a few new recipes I've tried that I don't want to lose so I will probably post them here... just not in the traditional format with pictures & descriptions.

I'll still be cooking & baking and I hope that my blog is still a great resource for finding food inspiration. :)

Live - Laugh - Love - Cook

*Cristine*

Pumpkin Spice Pretzel Bites

Last week I bought a bag of the Pumpkin Spice Kisses with the intention of making cookies for a friend. Of course I completely forgot my house was being packed up so I had no cookie sheets to bake with and nothing to measure with, either! Bummer, because the two cookie recipes I have for these are AMAZING (see HERE and HERE).

Now, you could totally eat these kisses plain (I do!) but I wanted to do something with them. I love the sweet and salty combination so I made these little pretzel sandwiches. Needless to say, they didn't last long. SO YUMMY!

Just spread out some pretzels on a baking sheet or foil. Top with a kiss. Place in 350 degree oven for 2-4 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and place another pretzel on top. Let cool and enjoy!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Butter Glaze

Amazing, moist, delicious, pumpkin-y, perfect, and gone in 2 days. Seriously, so good!!!! I think I'll have to make another one soon!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cinnamon Butter Glaze
Recipe slightly adapted from Swappin' Spoons

3 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs, cold
15 oz can of pure pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp fresh ground cloves
2/3 cup warm water

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk


Whisk together sugar through vanilla in medium bowl. In large bowl whisk together flour through cloves. Mix dry into wet until combined. Stir in warm water.

Pour batter into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.

Mix glaze ingredients and pour onto cooled cake.

I'm Thirty... A Cake Recipe and *30 by 30* Report

Yesterday I turned 30! I am so excited to be starting a new decade and am looking forward to what my 30s bring! Of course, me turning 30 has been a big thing over the last year with my *30 by 30* list. Before I get to the recipe for this AMAZING cake (which my husband and 2 kiddos made... impressive, right?) let me talk about my project from the past year.

Last September I made a list of 30 foods I wanted to make by 30. Of course I was optimistic that I would be able to finish this list since I baked so much. Unfortunately I didn't take into account the amount of sweets I put on the list... making that many desserts (in addition to baking group requirements) was going to be difficult.

To add to that, about 7 weeks ago my husband and I decided we wanted to be a little healthier and we started eating clean (more lean proteins, fruits & veggies, whole grains, etc). We have always been relatively good eaters but I was no longer feeling good about our diet. We cut out the majority of sugar (we still have treats every now and then) and I feel so much better.

All that to say I didn't finish my list. I have 9 items left and I would love to make them at some point. But, starting out my 30s healthier was much more important than finishing this list. :) And, as you can see by this cake, sugar isn't banned from the house... we just have it less often.

My husband and kiddos made this cake for me and I LOVED it! It is super rich and just a small sliver is all you need. I was super impressed with their baking skills and I am grateful that they put so much effort into this cake.

Chocolate Cake with Nutella Filling & Peanut Butter Nutella Frosting
Cake from Kevin & Amanda's Recipes
Frosting from Foodie with Family
Cake:

1 box devils food cake mix
1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini chocolate chips
Filling:

Nutella, warmed in the microwave for easier spreading

Frosting:

 

1 stick butter, softened to room temperature

1/3 cup Nutella

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar

2-4 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

For the cake:

 

Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything (except chocolate chips). Batter will be thick. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased cake pans (I used 9" rounds) and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the frosting.

 

For the frosting:

 

Mix butter, Nutella, and peanut butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

 

To assemble:

 

Layer cakes together with Nutella in the middle. Frost with frosting. Decorate as desired.

Whole Wheat Lemon Zucchini Bread

I loved this zucchini bread! Super moist from the Greek yogurt and incredibly delicious! It didn't last long! :)

Whole Wheat Lemon Zucchini Bread

2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3 cups whole wheat flour (or half whole wheat, half all purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ypogurt, extracts, and sugar. Mix well and add the grated zucchini.

In another bowl add the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt and mix well.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.Pour batter into bundt pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until done.

4 years of blogging & Petit Fours (30 by 30)

4 years and 855 posts... Happy Blogiversary to me!

A lot has happened in 4 years. When I started this blog I was living in Germany with a newborn and a 3 year old and my husband was deployed. I am now in El Paso with a 7 year old and a 4 year old and we are getting ready to move once again (to HAWAII!!!!!). My posting has changed over the years, too. When I first started blogging I would post daily. Then we moved to El Paso and the blog took a back burner for a while... only a few posts a month. This back and forth has continued and I am back to posting not so often. I am definitely still cooking and baking but after 855 posts I am not always making new foods.

I have had so much fun with this blog. It has been a great outlet for me and I have "met" some fabulous people. I love having a place where I have all my recipes and I've even turned it into a book (well... 2 books so far!). I don't plan on stopping any time soon... we'll see where this blog takes me! Who knows when a daily posting will come back or if it will just be a post here and there. Either way I will be baking and cooking and enjoying life!

Thanks to my readers who have been here from the beginning and thank you to the new readers who are still discovering my blog. I appreciate you stopping by and love hearing from you!

And to celebrate my blogiversary I made some cute Petit Fours! They are from my 30 by 30 list and are so yummy! I won't post a recipe but there are hundreds out there. Pretty basic stuff, though. Take cake (regular or pound cake), cut it into squares, layer with jam, and top with ganache or poured fondant. Easy peasy and delicious!

30 by 30: Bananas Foster

This was a super fun dessert to make... mostly because I got to start a fire! :) Start to finish this takes less than 10 minutes and is SO delicious! Lighting the rum on fire was pretty fun, too!

Bananas Foster
Recipe adapted from Food Network

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 under ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise

1/4 cup dark rum

Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, allspice and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring sauce to simmer. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Remove bananas from pan to a serving dish.

Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the rum. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Immediately spoon the sauce over bananas and serve. Serve with waffles, crepes, or ice cream.

30 by 30: Buttermilk Fried Chicken

This chicken was so amazingly delicious... I can't wait to make it again!!!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Recipe from Delish

Buttermilk Soak

• 3 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoonscayenne pepper
• 4 pound medium chicken wings, thighs, and drumsticks

Flour Dredge

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

---

Make the buttermilk soak: In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk with the salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate for 4 hours.

Make the flour dredge: In a large, resealable plastic bag, mix the flour with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne and shake to combine.

Set a rack on a baking sheet. Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the buttermilk soak, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres all over. Transfer the coated chicken to the rack and let stand for 30 minutes.

In a deep skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees F. Set another rack over a baking sheet; line with paper towels. Fry the chicken in batches at 315 degrees F, turning once, until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the paper-lined rack and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Banana Pecan Mini Muffins

I had some bananas that were turning brown and my daughter suggested making banana bread. I didn't feel like waiting an hour for the bread to cook so mini muffins were the way to go! I usually don't add nuts to my banana bread but I LOVE the addition of pecans in this muffin. I will definitely be making these again!

Enjoy!

Banana Pecan Mini-Muffins
Recipe slightly adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini
Makes 48 mini muffins

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 and grease mini muffin pan.

Cream butter and sugar in bowl. Add egg, bananas, and milk; mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients; mix just until combined. Fold in pecans.

Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the muffins are nice and golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes then turn out on a rack to cool.

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies

It was a rainy, gloomy afternoon yesterday so the kiddos and I decided to make some cookies. I was leaning towards oatmeal raisin cookies and then I remembered I had a jar of Biscoff in the pantry so Biscoff cookies were a no-brainer. These cookies are insanely delicious and I can't wait to make another batch!

Enjoy!

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe from Two Peas & Their Pod

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, Biscoff spread, sugar, and brown sugar and beat on
medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extra and beat until smooth.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Chill the dough 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

5. Form the cookie dough into rounded tablespoons and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are golden and just firm around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack.

Baked Beans

Okay, so it is hard to get a good picture of beans but let me tell you... these beans are AMAZING! I found the recipe at Pioneer Woman and I have to admit that I was a little hesitant because it uses pork and beans as the base. But, if PW says that it is better than soaking beans all night, then who am I to argue? I altered the recipe a tad (basically just to make it easier by throwing them in the crockpot) and they are the best baked beans ever! Seriously, we LOVED them! I can't wait to make them again!

Baked Beans
Recipe slightly altered from Pioneer Woman

8 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, cut into small dice
1/2 medium green pepper, cut into small dice
3 large cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup distilled or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon

Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.

Mix beans through dijon in crock pot; add bacon, onion, and peppers. Cook on low until heated through.

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

You can't go wrong with chocolate banana pancakes!!! YUM!

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons oil
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl; set aside. Whisk together wet ingredients in another bowl. Mix wet into dry. Fold in chocolate chips.

Cook pancakes on griddle until done.

Blueberry Banana Bread

A yummy twist on classic banana bread!


Blueberry Banana Bread

6 TBSP butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
4 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Topping:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP butter

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs through vanilla, mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix just until comined. Fold in blueberries. Pour into greased loaf pan.

Mix topping ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of bread.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.