Red Velvet Cake Cookies

 A couple of notes before I give you the recipe for this amazing cookie. 

1. I don't like cookies much. But these? These I had to hide from myself. We made them for a friend and I didn't want to eat them all.
2. I like to make most things from scratch. So I'm sure that these would be great if you made the flour mixture yourself. But when cake mixes are on sale for 98 cents? You find inventive ways to use them.
3. I can't take the credit for this as I snatched it from Mr. Food. Here's his original recipe. I just skipped the frosting. And they didn't need it, trust me.
4. Sorry there are no good pictures of them. But I couldn't stop myself from sneaking a few and I had to wrap them up right away or risk them never getting to their destination.
   They're fantastic (and easy!)

Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons water

1 cup white chocolate chips

Other utensils: 

Bowl
Spoon
Cooking Spray
Cookie Sheets
Cooling Rack

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Combine box mix, eggs, oil, water and mix well. 

Fold in white chocolate chips. 

Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes or more. 

Transfer cookies to wire cooling rack until completely cool. (And try not to eat them in the process. Go ahead, I dare you.)

 

Lemon Squares - The Cheaters Edition

The other day I was missing my dad. He loved lemon squares. And food in general. I wanted to make some but didn't have enough lemons to even attempt it. After some Internet browsing we came across a lot of tips on how to do them with angel food cake mixes. Which of course I didn't have. So we made a crust (from another recipe) and crumble from a yellow cake mix and added pie filling, which had been done in the angel food cake mix recipes. I am sure I wasn't the first to come up with this idea. But I love it.  

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can lemon pie filling

Other utensils: 

Bowl

Spoon

Cooking Spray

13 X 9 inch glass pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix (room temperature) butter and cake mix together until combined well. 

Spray pan with cooking spray.

Reserve 2/3 cup mixture of cake/butter mixing.

 

Press mixture from cake/butter into the bottom of the pan to form a crust.

Pour lemon pie filling on top of the formed crust.

Spread evenly.

Crumble remaining mixture over the top of the lemon pie filling. 

Cook for 25 minutes. 

That's it. It's seriously that easy. They were delicious. I like mine cold, so I waited a few minutes and then cut out two pieces and slid them into the fridge for Mom and I to try. I can't say enough how easy and tasty they were. And three ingredients. Voila. 

We're debating on what we want to try as the pie filling next: cherry or peach. Either way, I think we hit the nail on the head with a tasty and easy way to make dessert next time we are craving a sweet treat.

Tip: I know that they have a great gluten free yellow cake mix. This could easily be a great crust for many gluten free desserts, for sure.

Sometimes you feel like a nut (and sometimes you can't have them, so you make Mound cookies instead)

My aunt is unable to eat regular sugars. She was in town for the holidays and said "I want you to make me some Almond Joy cookies, please?" But she wanted them "Aunt Lori" safe. So without sugar. Since I can't eat (and shouldn't cook with) nuts, I compromised and asked if we could make some "Mounds" cookies instead. This is what we came up with.

When we made them for her we used Splenda blend sugar and brown sugar and unsweetened coconut that we pulsed in a food processor for a moment with some splenda. With all the added sugar that probably isn't even necessary, to be honest.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups  brown sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups sweetened coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375

Grease cookie sheets

Combine flour, baking soda, salt - set aside

Cream butter and white/brown sugars together.

Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in vanilla.

Stir in dry ingredients a cup at a time, until well mixed.

Fold in chocolate chips and coconut.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets***

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.

Cool for five minutes on baking sheet. (Important, don't move too soon. They look cakey, still until they sit.)

Move to wire rack to finish cooling.


Okay...time for the notes. Heh.

Original recipe that we tweaked a bit called for 5 cups of the chocolate chips. If you're looking for way chocolatey? Go for it. I used 3 and each cookie still had ALMOST too much chocolate chips in it. But they'd be more "mound" like if you added more chocolate chips, for sure.

*** I used a cookie scoop. If you have one, use it! So much easier.

Also, this originally was for Almond Joys so they also added 2 cups of chopped almonds when they added the coconut and chocolate chips. If you like almonds? I would try that, too. I just can't even cook with them safely. So I took them from Almond Joys to Mounds.

Stuffed Red Pepper Soup

Yesterday we realized that we had a lot of red peppers. We had intended on making stuffed peppers, but then stuffed pepper soup sounded better. With February 4th being Homemade Soup Day - we decided to try this instead. It turned out to be a good decision. It's warm, filling, and with the turkey and brown rice, maybe even better for you than our stuffed peppers would have turned out! 

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 large yellow onion
3 shallots
4 medium to large red peppers
1 can crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon onion salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked brown rice

Other Utensils:
Large soup pot
Knife
Wooden Spoon
Cutting Board
Strainer

Directions 

Brown turkey in soup pot.

Strain.

Return to pot. 

Dice onion, red peppers, shallots. 

Add to pan. 

 

Cook for 5 minutes. 

Add in crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, onion salt, and Italian seasoning. 

Bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat. 

Cover. 

Simmer for 30 minutes, at least. 

Cook brown rice. 

Stir in rice before serving. 

Try not to eat it all in one sitting. 

Enjoy!

You Gotta Be Kidding Me Cake

I'm ashamed, yet again, to call this a recipe. I saw it in an Amish cook book and then saw it online and decided...why not. Let's try it. My caloric intake probably hates me  but my taste buds were happy.

Here's the ingredient list:
Can of pie filling
Box of cake mix
3 eggs

Add all three ingredients and mix.

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

Pop into preheated oven at 350 degrees.

Cook for 25 to 35 minutes. Until your toothpick looks clean when inserted into the middle. And done. Seriously,  that's it. 
The pictures are from a chocolate and cherry cake. We've also made a pineapple with blueberry pie filling with which outstanding.

On deck we have a white cake with apple filling. That sounds pretty marvelous. And let's not forget the strawberry cake with strawberry filling that's also in the on deck circle.

The cake is moist, keeps well for days, and even the edges are soft and fluffy. It's baffling and wonderful how easy the whole thing is 

Crock Pot Caramel (One Ingredient Only...Really!)

I'm sure that this "tip" (I can't really call it a recipe, seriously.) is all over the Internet. But I hadn't come across it until someone posted a recipe for a bundt cake in a crock pot with this caramel sauce cooking in the center (to create the hole in the cake). So I figure there has to be more people like me, who didn't know this tasty nugget of information. And who doesn't love homemade caramel sauce?

It's easy.

Take one can of sweetened condensed milk. 

Remove label. 

Set can into crock pot.

Fully cover the can with water. 

Set crock pot on high. 

Cook for 4 hours. 

Remove from crock pot. 

Let can cool. 

Open. 

Stir. 

That's it. Done. It looks like this after removed and put into a mason jar.

I wanted to save what we didn't use that night, and I was curious how much it made in regards to a mason jar, as I think it would make an amazing gift basket. Think: Caramel sauce in the center of a basket, some nice nuts in a tin, and a basket of delicious apples. What could be better? 

Mashed Cauliflower

I have a serious love affair with potatoes. I feel guilty cheating on them. But sometimes you have to be a little responsible, I suppose. And so I sometimes (sorry taters) make a mashed cauliflower. Tonight I omitted the chicken stock I usually use for a healthier take and it was actually fantastic. I was surprised and felt guiltier than ever. I still love you potatoes!

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Other Utensils:
Large pot
Strainer
Food processor/blender/potato masher
Bowl
Spoon
Cutting Board
Knife

Directions 

 

Set large pot of water to boil. Salt water!

 

Cut head of cauliflower into small florets and wash.

 

When water reaches a roaring boil, toss in all the cauliflower.

 

Cook for 10 minutes or until veggie is very tender.

 

Strain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water.

 

Pour cauliflower into blender or processor (or mash by hand if you're not as lazy as I). Blend.

 

Add 1/2 of the extra virgin olive oil.

 

Add 1/2 of the reserved water.

 

Process (or mash) further.

Add the remaining oil.

 

Process more!

 

At this point it is up to you if you want to add more of the reserved water or not. As little or as much as you'd like to get the consistency you're looking for. The cauliflower retains water as you cook it, so if you "over water" it will be runnier. Still tasty, but watery.

 

Add butter, salt, and pepper and stir until butter melts completely. You can add more butter, I imagine a lot of people would. I just err on the side of letting people add it as they wish when they eat it.

 

Now then, taste it! Marvel at how you're eating cauliflower and not potatoes.

 

Tip: Not everyone loves cauliflower. To help those people along I suggest some parmesan cheese (grated) just sprinkled on top. Also awesome? Topped with green onions.

 

Note: Depending on size and consistency I would say a medium to large head will feed 3-4 adults very comfortably. But sometimes it doesn't seem like much when you're done. (Maybe because I am so hungry by the time it's over.)

 

Enjoy, but please don't tell potatoes I let you in on this secret. I think I'm already in hot water with them!