Turkey Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

I didn't post last night for two reasons. One, the dinner I made was not my best which was disappointing, I don't like not cooking amazing meals, especially for my man! Boyfriend got me a Weight Watchers cookbook for Christmas (no this wasn't a slam, but something that I thought was very thoughtful since he knows I've been trying hard to keep with the WW). It is packed full of delicious sounding recipes, and the few that I have tried so far were good...but this one didn't make the cut. It was Middle Eastern Beef Kabobs and the picture and ingredients made it look like a winner. However, the taste was flat and bland, and that was after 24 hours of marinading. Going against my better judgement, I followed the recipe exactly...so not like me and look where it got me. IF I choose to make it again, I will def put my own twist on it. The second reason I didn't post was because I wanted to finish the third book in the Hunger Games series....AND I DID! I thought it was really good, even drew a few tears to my eye. Now I can finally start reading the stories I see in magazines at the checkout and not do some weird eye dance where the cashier thinks I'm either A) giving them the "Hey sexy baby" eyes or B) have some unexplainable eye and head twitch. I can also see who they are thinking of to play the characters from the second and third book and see how well I think they did. Since I already knew who was playing Katniss, Peeta, and Gale in the first one, it was hard for me to think of anyone else. Same thing happened with Harry Potter, what do you mean Danial Ratcliff isn't THE Harry Potter!

Well, due to all that, I decided to find a picture on my phone (since that is the camera I use for all my food. I really should use my "real" camera, but it's just easier to edit and send from the iPhone.) and post it in place of the sad kabobs. A friend from work was sad that I had not blogged about the Turkey Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells I brought her to work one day, so this one's for you! This is a good twist on the average cheese shells. The turkey sausage adds a meatiness that keeps you full, and the spinach give it nice texture and a good way to sneak in your green veggies! You can use whatever your favorite tomato sauce is to complete this meal. Two of these bad boys are 10 WW points.

Turkey Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Shells

• 1/2 box big pasta shells (about 12)
• 3 links turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and water removed
• 1 1/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 cup reduce fat mozzarella cheese, divided 3/4 and 1/2
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 jar tomato sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil a large pot of water for the shells. When water comes to a boil, cook for 9 minutes, then rinse under cold water. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium high heat. 
4. Add sausage and cook until browned.
5. Add onions and cook for 4 minutes until onions are translucent.
6. Add garlic, spinach and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until tomatoes have broken down a bit.
7. Remove from heat and add ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir until well incorportated.
8. Stuff shells evenly with mixture. Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
9. Put shells in 9x13 glass baking dish, cover with foil and cook for 20 minutes.
10. While shells are baking, heat sauce in pot over medium heat.
11. Once shells are done, remove from oven, serve and top with tomato sauce.

Tips and Tricks

• If you rather use full fat sausage, knock yourself out! However, the WW points will not be the same. 
• If you like some heat, add a 1/2 tbs red chili flakes while the sausage is cooking.
• You can add the tomato sauce over the shells before you bake them, but I find that the sauce gets absorbed in the pasta and you don't have enough sauce when you eat them. I LOVE SAUCE!

Chili Dusted Shrimp with Warm Corn Salad and Black Beans

As I promised, the first healthy recipe of the week! I love a good meal that you don't feel guilty eating, yet feel extremely satisfied afterwards and having seconds is OK. That was this meal, and believe me, you will want seconds! Today, I knew that I wanted something that was going to be healthy, after all, that was the promise I made to both you and myself. I texted the boyfriend while at work and asked what he was in the mood for. I always follow that by either what type of meat would you like or what type of cuisine, such as Mexican, Asian, Italian, etc. in hopes that I don't get a "whatever you want babe" reply. Today he said Southwestern which isn't a huge leap from our standard Mexican, but I was determined to not make the usual taco or enchilada. After some Googling, I came across a chili rub for shrimp paired with a warm corn salad. Of course, I put my own spin on the recipe and paired it with, SURPRISE, black beans. Since this is the fourth or so recipe with black beans, I decided that I would post my recipe below as well.

I know I have already mentioned this, but this meal kicked some serious ass. The shrimp were spicy, but not so much that you had to drink water ever other bite. And the corn salad and black beans were the perfect accessories for the shrimp. Yes, accessory, like shoes for clothes. Like any good outfit, the accessories are what make the outfit, or sometimes leave you wondering if the person got dressed in the dark, with their eyes clothes, in someone else's closet. A bit harsh, but I know you have seen someone, lets say a woman for argument sake, wearing an amazing dress, but then you look down and she is wearing shoes that look like she is going on a run or to her local Wal...well, I won't get into details. Or maybe its an evening gown and the hair is in a sloppy ponytail. I feel like Joan Rivers on Fashion Police right now, lol. I love that show! Seriously, your accompaniment can really make or break your meal. In this case, the corn had just the right amount of sweetness to counter the heat of the shrimp and the black beans were like the perfect purse that tied it all together. Simply divine. I should get on with the recipe in hopes that it distracts my overwhelming desire to want to shop now. WW points 9 for 7 shrimp, 3/4 cup corn salad, and 1/2 cup beans.

 Chili Dusted Shrimp with Warm Corn Salad and Black Beans

Chili Dusted Shrimp

• 1 pound large shrimp, cleaned
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbs olive oil

1. Make sure the shrimp are clean of any shell and have been de-vained.
2. Mix the chili powders, sugar, and salt together in a ziplock bag.
3. Add half the shrimp to the bag, and shake to cover. Remove shrimp.
4. Add the second half of shrimp and shake to cover.
5. Heat olive oil in a large skillet to medium high heat.
6. Carefully place shrimp in skillet so none are touching and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Turn over and cook for 2 minutes or until shrimp are no longer pink.
8. Remove and enjoy! 

Warm Corn Salad

• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 oz corn kernals
• 2 tbs cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup green onion, diced
• 1 tbs olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger and cook for 4 minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add corn and salt and cook for 3 minutes.
4. Add vinegar and cook for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and stir in green onion.
6. Serve warm.

Black Beans

• 1 can black beans, 15.5 oz DON'T RINSE!
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 packet Sazon (found in your Spanish section)
• 1 cube chicken flavored boullion
• 1/2 cup water

1. Combine water, boullion, Sazon, and onions in a medium pot. Bring to boil.
2. Add black beans and lower to a simmer.
3. Cook for 20 minutes until liquid has reduced and onions are soft.

Special Sauce

• 2 tbs fat free mayonaisse
• 2 tbs light sour cream
• 1 tbs ketschup
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Put in ziplock and cut off the corner.
3. Squirt over shrimp. (This doesn't have to be done, but I believe in presentation)

Tips and Tricks

• Keep an eye on your shrimp. Over cooked shrimp are rubbery, chewy, and just no fun.
• Sazon is a Spanish season blend that can be found in the Spanish section of your supermarket. It can be omitted if you can't find it.
• To keep cleaning to a minimum, make the corn salad first, then put in bowl and use the same pan for the shrimp.
• Do not rinse your beans. The starch from the beans will help thicken the "sauce".

Limoncello Cupcakes

I have been a bad girl this week and haven't posted near the amount that I should. It's been a busy week and I haven't cooked much. Sorry to abandon y'all...and my need to eat healthier. Went out to dinner 4 times this week! Horrible, I know, but it was all soooooo yummy. Of course Mexican was 3 of those 4 times. I really think something is wrong with me. How can someone eat that much Mexican and not get tired of it? Each place had it's own delicious specialty, but none were as good as my number one favorite Cantina Laredo. Obsessed much?! Well, between that and a ladies brunch I threw on Sunday, my jeans are fitting a little tighter (NOT GOOD!), so this week's meals will all be delicious, but nutritious. Ideas are welcomed.

The ladies brunch was a big success! I got to see some girlfriends that I haven't seen in awhile, baby Dylan (have I told you he is the cutest baby ever?!), sister and made some really scrumptious goodies. The picture for the Limoncello Cupcakes came out the best, so that is what I will write about today. These were maybe, just maybe, my favorite cupcakes that I have made so far. The cake was a bit dense (which i like), but moist (this word really freaks people out, so I will try to use it as much as I can, lol) with the frosting being the perfect balance of sweet and tart. I made them mini size, as always, so I had enough to bring into work today, but still have some left at home for an after dinner treat...WW points permitting. For those of you that aren't familiar with Limoncello, it is an Italian lemon liquor that is absolutely delicious. I was lucky enough to go to Italy and bring back a bottle of this amazing libation. Though it is sweet, the Linomcello I got is 80 proof! Just as much as vodka, but you can't taste the alcohol that much, which is dangerous (only in the sense it goes down so smooth and you can drink a shit ton.) You can substitute lemon juice if you don't have any or don't like to use alcohol in your recipes, but in my opinion, this really made the cupcake.

Limoncello Cupcakes

Cupcake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbs limoncello
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• zest of one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese with electric mixer.
4. Add sugar and cream. 
5. Add one egg at a time, blending together well after each one. 
6. Add limoncello and blend well.
7. Alternate adding buttermilk and flour mixture, blending well between each until both the buttermilk and flour is incorporated.
8. Mix in lemon juice and zest until just combined.
9. Fill lined cupcake pan just shy of the top.
10. Bake for 14 minutes.
11. Remove and let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

• 1/2 stick butter
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbs limoncello
• 1 tbs lemon juice

1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.
2. Add limoncello and lemon juice and blend well.
3. Add in one cup of sugar at a time and blend on high until combined and smooth.

Tips and Tricks

• Put cupcake batter in a gallon sized ziplock, then cut off the corner to fill cupcake liners. This will give you even cupcakes and is mess free!
• Do the same with the frosting, but use it as a pipping bag.
• Substitute lemon juice for the limoncello if you don't have or would prefer not to use.
• If you do not have buttermilk, add one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to a 1 cup measure, then fill with milk to reach the top. Let set for 5 minutes, then measure out the amount you need. Works best with heavy cream, but any milk will work. I used 1% and lemon juice.

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw and BBQ Grilled Onions

I have been in a Mexican kick for the last week. I know, what's new? I have seriously eaten something Mexican just about ever day. Sister and I went to Cantina Larado again on Saturday (man, that place is awesome) and boyfriend and I went to a food show on Sunday where we had an amazing taco from a place called Luna's. After that, we ended up at a Mexican restaurant for drinks and all the free chips and salsa we could eat. Monday night, I didn't feel like cooking. Actually, it's not that I didn't feel like it, it's because I wanted to finish the second book of the Hunger Games series. I thought it was better than the first, and started the third one last night. Please, DO NOT tell me what happens...but honestly, I want someone important to die. That sounds horrible and I really don't want it, but that's what makes a story. If you have ever read Harry Potter (Hufflepuff!!) you will know what I am talking about.

Well, since I was planning on cooking Monday night, I had boyfriend marinade the last chicken breast that we had in the freezer. It was a big breast (hehehe), so I knew that butterflying it would be enough for the both of us with some good sides. I wasn't much in the mood to just have grilled chicken and since I was in a Mexican kick already, I thought some tacos would be a good choice. But I didn't want just your normal, run of the meal, Americanized tacos. Since I was going to grill the chicken, I figured why not grill the onions and corn for a side. I also thought of the cabbage I add to the Shrimp Tacos, but kicked it up a notch with some cilantro, lime juice, and red onion. I added some BBQ to the onions while they were grilling to add a sweet component that would counter the tartness of the slaw and BANG, the most awesome chicken tacos I have ever had. Sorry, that sounds very boastful, but these were seriously off the chain (yes, I just used that phrase.) I promise that you will like these tacos. They make an amazing summertime meal paired with grilled corn and black beans (still on that kick.) WW for one taco, 5 points, with sour cream!

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw and BBQ Grilled Onions

Chicken

• 2 chicken breast
• 1 package GrillMates Garlic Herb and Wine marinade
• White vinegar
• Water
• Oil

1. Prepare marinade according to directions on package.
2. Butterfly chicken breast by cutting from the thick side inward but do not go all the way through.
3. Tenderize chicken with a fork by poking it all over, front and back.
4. Marinade chicken for 24 hours for best flavor.
5. Remove from marinade.
6. Grill on one side for 4 minutes. Flip and grill for another 3 or until the juices run clear.
7. Remove, let set for 5 minutes while the juices rest, then cut into cubes.

Cilantro Lime Slaw

• 1 cup cabbage, coleslaw mix
• 1 large lime, juiced
• 1/4 red onion, sliced very thin
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Dash of black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients together in bowl and let mingle for 1/2 hour.

Grilled BBQ Onions

• 1/2 small red onion
• Sweet BBQ sauce, I use Sweet Baby Rays
• Oil

1. Cut onion into quarters, leaving the core in.
2. Remove outer layer of onion.
3. Brush on oil.
4. Grill for 4 minutes a side.
5. Add BBQ sauce to both quarters, and grill for another 4 minutes.
6. Remove from grill and cut into strips.

Reese's Piece Pudding Cookies

The weekend means time to bake. This weekend I didn't have very much time, so I had to make something quick, but that didn't mean that it had to be boring. Yesterday, the boyfriend had a softball tourney with my sister's boyfriend, so sister, baby, (Dylan, the cutest baby EVER!!) and I, spent the day at the field. If you have never been to a grown man's slow pitch softball game, you should. Some of the guys think that they are playing in the World Series. It's comical really. Yes, there is prize money, but after you pay off the costs of playing in the tournament, splitting it between 20 guys really isn't a lot. Of course, my boyfriend laughs at all these types of "men", but he has a good time and I enjoy watching.

I decided on these cookies because I love Reese's Pieces and they had pudding in them, who doesn't like that? They were also super fast to make which was exactly what I needed. I, of course, can't leave these in my house since they are amazingly delicious, so they are going to my parents to celebrate Father's Day, then the rest will go to work. The boyfriend LOVES peanut butter, but thought they had too many chocolate chips in them...silly guy, but he isn't a chocolate lover. If I make them especially for him next time, I will do half the amount of chocolate chips and the other half peanut butter chips. I however thoughy they were perfect!

 Reese's Pieces Pudding Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbs. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. Reese's pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, pudding and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the sugars, peanut butter, and butter together.
4. Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Mix to blend.
5. Add half the dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix until almost incorporated.
6. Add the rest and mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix!
7. Stir in chocolate chips and Reese's pieces.
8. On a greased cookie sheet, drop one tablespoon portions of dough.
9. Bake for 11 minutes.
10. Let cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then place on wire cooling rack.

Tips and Tricks

• Use crunchy peanut butter to give a nice crunch to the cookies.
• If you would like smaller cookies, use teaspoon portions and cook for 8 to 9 minutes.
• If you would like less chocolate, use 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips.

Picadillo

Lately I have been in a Cuban kick. A couple of weeks ago it was Cuban sandwiches. Then I made the Fricase de Pollo. Black beans are my new love, and I use to hate beans! Well, the other night I made Picadillo for the first time and it was DINE-O-MIGHT!! Like any good soup or stew (this is neither of those, more of a very meaty pasta sauce), it got better and better over time. Today I had some for lunch, then finished the rest off for an afternoon snack. Thank god I have my own office, because I was licking the plate clean...don't judge me, lol.

The recipe I followed was a bit bland, so I kicked it up a notch using other items I had in my kitchen. I'm glad that I did, because the finished product was what? DINE-O-MIGHT! I am really enjoying cooking new recipes and trying out different ethnic foods. My friend is going to send me some Ethiopian recipes, and I am pretty stoked to read what those are about. Know what else was DINE-O-MIGHT about this recipe? It was only 6 WW points a serving! Got to love that!

Picadillo

• 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 12oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup mojo 
• 1 tsp oregeno
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

1. Over medium heat, cook onions and peppers in olive oil until tender, but not browned.
2. Add beef, mashing it with onions and peppers until cooked. About 5 minutes.
3. Add spices and stir together nicely.
4. Add tomatoes, wine, tomato sauce, and mojo. Stir until blended.
5. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add raisins and cook until plump, about 3 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

• If you don't like the size the raisins get when the plump, chop them up before you add them.
• Don't use cooking wine, it doesn't have enough pop to it. A cheap red wine, like a Merlot or Cab Sauv will work lovely.
• If you have time, make this a day in advance. The flavors really party over night making this dish even better the day after.

Blackened Shrimp Alfredo

Yesterday I went to do my weekly grocery shopping. I have been trying hard to plan our meals out for the week on Sunday and do my shopping Monday after work. This week I had some really awesome, healthy, and unique dishes planned. However, Wal-Mart had a different plan. While I LOVE shopping at Publix ( a very nice grocery chain in the south), they are rather expensive, so I do my big shopping at Wal-Mart grocery. Usually, they have everything I need, but not yesterday. It looked like looters came through and ransacked the place, it was ridiculous. Granted, some of the ingredients I needed were a bit more unique, aka green curry powder and fish sauce, many of my basic items were not there or so picked over I didn't want them. What the hell Wal-Mart! I swear every time I go they are stocking, so what did they do this weekend? Is the world coming to an end and I just don't know about it? Needless to say, at least one or two staple ingredients for each recipe were not able to be found and after doing an hour kickboxing class, I really didn't want to go somewhere else. What to make now?

The boyfriend suggested spaghetti because it is quick and easy, but I wasn't really feeling that. Yes, pasta sounded good, but not with red sauce or meat. After literally walking around like a clueless blond for 20 minutes, I decided to make a shrimp with cream sauce pasta dish. I know what you are thinking, you worked out for an hour and your going to waste it on carbs and cream sauce? Well, its all in the prep my friends. Since I'm on the WW again (weight watchers, lol) I made sure to check the points for each of my ingredients. Pasta on WW really isn't that bad at 5 points a serving, combine that with 1/2 the fat pre-made Alfredo sauce, shrimp, and veggies, the whole dish was 11 points! The blackened season mix that coats the shrimp and a touch of sherry cooking wine made this dish outstanding and fast to make! If you are watching your carbs, this could easily been served without pasta as more of a fancy shrimp dish.

Blackened Shrimp Alfredo

• 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned 
• 8 oz pasta, I used fettuccine
• 2 tsp blackened seasoning
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp GrillMates Garlic, Herb and Wine seasoning
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 zucchini, cut into quartered pieces
• 1 1/4 cup light Alfredo sauce
• 1/3 cooking sherry
• 2 tbs fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice or one wedge lemon

1. Start a large pot of water to cook pasta. Once boiling, cook according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.
3. Combine blackened, Italian, and GrillMates seasoning in a ziploack bag.
4. Put shrimp in bag and shake to coat.
5. Place shrimp in skillet ensuring that none are touching.
6. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes on one side, flip then cook for another two. Remove.
7. Place peppers, onions, and zuccini in skillet and cover; cook for 4 minutes until veggies are softened.
8. Add Alfredo sauce, sherry, and basil. Cook for 3 minutes.
9. Add shrimp back to skillet and cook for a minute until all flavors are combined. Add lemon juice right before serving and stir to incorporate.
10. Either add pasta to skillet or serve sauce over pasta.

Tips and Tricks

• Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Good way to sneak in those healthy eats.
• Don't have cooking Sherry? No problem, use a little white wine, marsala, or chicken stock/broth.
• Feel free to use a homemade Alfredo sauce, but beware, the points will not be the same.

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes

I'm sure you are thinking, what is with this girl making all her cupcakes mini, but they are so easy to share and too damn cute. Also, they make for great portion control and I definitely need that after all the bad food and drinks that I have consumed lately. I'de like to think that since my boyfriend and I went to Epcot this weekend, we walked enough to burn all the stuff we consumed...however, I don't think 100 laps around the world showcase you burn what we put down. But that is the fun of Epcot; drink, drink, eat, drink, ride a ride, drink, drink, eat. No, I'm not an alcoholic (though that last sentence did sound pretty bad), but that's that you are suppose to do at Epcot lol.

We decided to come home Sunday instead of going to another park since we worn ourselves out the day before, and knowing that people at work would be sad if I didn't bring in goodies on Monday, I decided to try my hand at red velvet cake; a staple here in the almost south. Since I'm still not ballsy enough to attempt my own baking recipes, I got online and found one that had really great reviews. That is the key to finding recipes online, don't just read the ingredients and the prep work, make sure to read the comments! Not only will you see if the recipe is good or not, people usually post some good tips and tricks. Not only was the red velvet recipe full of high remarks, it's used at the Waldorf Astoria (swanky swanky) so sounded pretty legit. I didn't use the frosting recipe since I am trying to make my own kick ass recipe (still a work in progress). Fare warning that this batter will stain EVERYTHING in touches, so make sure you aren't wearing something you really care about.

Adapted from Cookie Madness

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes

Cake 

• 1/2 cup shortening 
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 ounces red food coloring
• 2 heaping tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (carefully spoon and level — don’t pack flour)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. With an electric mixer, cream shortening, sugar, and eggs together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together food coloring and cocoa until a paste is formed. If you are using concentrated food coloring, use a bit of the sugar/egg mixture until a paste forms.
4. Add cocoa mixture to shortening, sugar, and egg mixture and beat until well blended.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and salt.
6. Alternate adding buttermilk and flour mixture to batter, beating in between each addition. 
7. Add vanilla.
8. In a separate bowl, add baking soda and vinegar, then blend into batter.
9. Spray a mini cupcake pan with cooking spray, then add cupcake liners.
10. Fill each liner 2/3 full and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

• 12 oz cream cheese
• 12 tbs butter, unsalted
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Cream the cream cheese and butter together.
2. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, beat until blended.
3. One cup at a time, add powder sugar beating well between each.

Tips and Tricks

• To easily fill the cupcake liners, put batter into a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut off the corner. Not only will this save you time, it will cut down on the mess and ensure all your cupcakes are even.
• For easy icing, put the frosting into a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut off the corner.
• If your frosting is too runny for your liking, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• If you don't have cake flour, use this conversion; 2 tbs corn starch and 1 3/4 all purpose flour. This will give you two cups. For a half cup, fill a 1/2 cup with 1 tsp cornstarch, then fill the rest with flour, then measure out the remaining 1/4 cup that is needed for recipe.

Fricasé de Pollo

I seriously thought that I was Cuban after making this recipe, it turned out that good. If you have ever seen me, you would probably know that I am not Cuban (Casper alter! I'm pretty white with blond hair blue eyes), though I have know a couple of people that have my complexion, so maybe I do have some in me. As soon as I had my first bite, I texted my best friend that is Cuban and told her what I made. She was proud of me. I also texted my other friend that is Puerto Rican since we talked about it at work and she wanted to know how it came out, while her husband wanted to know why she doesn't cook Fricasé de Pollo for him, lol. The whole reason I cooked this is because my boyfriend wanted something that went with yellow rice and black beans, so I got on-line and Googled good Cuban food. I found this site called 3 Guys From Miami, and knew I had a winner when I saw their pictures and read about their restaurant.

This dish was seriously authentic tasting! All the ingredients came together to make a flavor explosion. Though I was a bit suspicious about the raisins (I have found that I can't spell this word correctly ever, thank god for spell check), they balanced out the acid from the tomatoes, wine, and olives and glad that I kept them in. The sauce was the shit. Sorry, but I just can't describe it any other way. I could have eaten just that and been happy. There were a good amount of left overs, so I took it to work and shared with my friend from above and my other friend that only ever eats take out, so I figured he would like a nice home cooked meal; he is also Puetro Rican and loves anything with rice and beans. I am so glad that I live in Florida where Cuban food is everywhere. This dish is definitely something that I will make again! Oh, and it is WW awesome at only 7 points a serving, which is one thigh and a scoop of sauce (rice and beans not in total).

 

From 3 Guys From Miami

Fricasé de Pollo

• 1/2 cup sour orange juice (or use 2 parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime juice)
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 
• 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
• 2 pounds chicken pieces, skinned (I used thighs)
  
• 3 tbs olive oil 
• 1 1/2 cup red potatoes, peeled and cubed 
• 1 chopped onions 
• 1 chopped bell pepper 
• 1 cup tomato sauce 
• 1 cup red wine, do not use cooking wine.
• 1/2 cup stuffed green olives 
• 1/2 cup raisins

1. Combine the sour orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
2. Add the chicken pieces and let marinade for 8 hours or overnight. 
3. Remove chicken from marinade and dry off with paper towels. Reserve marinade for later.
4. Heat large skillet with olive oil on high heat until lightly smoking.
5. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes a side. Remove.
6. Add potatoes and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove.
7. Add onions and peppers (more olive oil if needed) and cook until soft, but not browned.
8. Add tomato sauce, wine, potatoes, raisins, olives, and marinade to the onions and peppers. Stir and bring to boil.
9. Add chicken back to the skillet, cover, and lower temperature to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
10. Serve with yellow rice and black beans.

Tips and Tricks

• Use red drinking wine, not cooking wine. It doesn't have to be expensive, but robust. I recommend a Cab. 
• I used chicken thighs, but think I will do a combination of legs and thighs next time.
• Serve with Cuban bread to soak up all the yummy sauce.

Asian Glazed Drummies

This week, I have done rather well at making healthier dishes; pretty much had to after all the baked goods I made this last weekend. Last night I was in the mood for some Cuban food, but the recipe that I wanted to make said that the chicken had to marinade for at least 4 hours, if not longer. I'm not one to skimp out on how long something needs to marinade, it's where you get all the flavor, so that dish needed to wait a night til that could be done (that will be tonight's dinner.) Since I was planning on making these drummies on Thursday, I just changed the two recipes around.

Now my cheap ass thought that buying the skinless drumsticks wasn't worth the price. Oh how I was wrong. While it wasn't the hardest thing that I have done in the kitchen, it sure was a pain in the ass. I can only imagine my sister trying to do it. Picking up each leg, one by one, and tearing, pulling, and cutting the skin off. Yeah right, I think she rather die. I'm not that grossed out by raw meat and this even had made my stomach flip flopping a bit. Next time, I will spend the extra buck fifty and go with the skinless. Once that was done, the rest was a piece of cake. The end result was a bit spicy (which I like) since I used more Sriracha then it called for, so use half or none at all if you don't like spicy stuff. I would also use some low sodium soy sauce as the final glaze was a bit salty, but that might have been because I let it reduce for longer than 5 minutes while the boyfriend was out getting some wine...I love wine! This recipe is all thanks to the Skinny Taste blog; a great site for delicious and low fat food. WW points = 9 for 2 legs.

 

Adapted from Skinny Taste

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• olive oil spray
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tsp sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp scallions, chopped

1. In a large pan, spray bottom with olive oil spray. Get very hot.
2. Place drumsticks down and cook on both side until browned.
3. While drumsticks are browning, mix together the water, hot sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic together.
4. Once drumsticks are browned, pour mixture over and cook on high until boiling.
5. Once boil is reached, cover and cut down to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, remove chicken and cover with foil. Remove top and turn heat up to high for sauce to boil again.
7. Let sauce boil for 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced by at least half and has thickened into a glaze. Cook longer if necessary.
8. Add chicken back to glaze and coat with glaze. 
9. Serve with green onions on top.

Tips and Tricks

• You can use any other type of chicken you have on hand, but still brown on all sides to lock in flavor and make outside a bit crisp.
• Serve with rice for a complete meal. Plus the glaze tastes awesome on it!
• If you are watching your sodium intake, use low sodium soy sauce and/or reduce soy sauce to 1/4 cups.

Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

So, of all the time and money I have spent in the kitchen lately, I don't think I have gotten as much response over a recipe as this one. This simple and quick recipe...really?! I mean I'm flattered, but at the same time I like what, this took nothing to throw together (though they are pretty damn delicious). I like to think that my camera skills, along with my new $2 place mat backdrops, had something to do with it. And of course Instagram (follow me at jcoats6) because everyone can be a photographer with that thing, lol.

The idea came when I was at the store one day, I saw these huge peppers and thought "stuffed peppers do sound, but so do Philly cheese steaks, what to do?" Then it hit me, why don't I just let them have a little pan party and create Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers! The original recipe for this came from a sloppy joe version, tweaked by me of course, then I added some rice to make them stuffed peppers. Really the most annoying thing was making the rice, so next time I will cut a corner and buy some minute rice. Hope you enjoy them! PS. After saying Philly so many times, I now have the Fresh Prince of Bel Air song stuck in my head. Yo homes smell ya later! WW points = 11 for one pepper!

Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1`medium onion, sliced 
• 1 cup; 1/4 cup beef stock, divided
• 4 tbs steak sauce, I used Heinz 57
• 1/2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup grated Italian cheese blend
• 1/2 tsp salt, more if you like salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, more if you like pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup rice, cooked, I used brown
• 4 medium sized green peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
• 4 slices Provolone cheese
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brown beef in a large skillet.
3. When almost cooked through, add onions, salt, black pepper. garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Cook for 3 more minutes.
5. Add 1 cup beef stock and steak sauce.
6. Cook down for 10 minutes until almost all liquid cooked out.
7. Add Italian cheese and stir to blend.
8. Add rice and stir to blend. 
9. Taste and salt and pepper as needed.
10. Stuff mixture between the 4 peppers.
11. Put in baking dish and add remaining 1/4 cup beef stock to the bottom of dish. (Peppers will be sitting in the stock)
12. Cover with glass top or foil and bake for 25 minutes.
13. Remove glass top/foil and place one slice of cheese over each pepper.
14. Put back in oven for 5 minutes.
15. Remove and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• These are pretty healthy as instructed, but use ground turkey and low-fat cheese for an even healthier dish.
• Beef stock is much more flavorful then broth. It will definitely increase the flavors in your dish.
• If your peppers don't sit up straight in the baking dish, cut a very small amount off the bottom so they stand straight up.
• Use whatever steak sauce you have on hand. A-1 sauce has a bit more of a Worcestershire taste, so if you are using that, omit the extra Worcestershire sauce.
• Omit the peppers and rice to make sloppy joes!! Serve on hamburger buns!

Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Rolls

I love frozen dough! I had never used the stuff before this weekend, but boy did I make some tasty treats. It's now one of my go-to premade ingredients that I am not ashamed to use. Yes, it took a day to have it thaw out, but just plan in advance and you will be golden. Once its ready to use, the possibilities are endless. Not only did I make these, I made Semi Homemade Cinnamon Rolls which were to die for. Besides the dough, I had everything else on hand to make both recipes. Take a peak and see what you have and create something unique. Most recipes take about 20-25 minutes to bake. I have a vision of rolling little bit size pieces out and putting some type of candy bar in the middle...might have to give that a try, then of course bring them to work because I rather fatten them up then my boyfriend and myself lol.

It took about an hour and a half in all to make these little pillows of loveliness since I let them proof and get all big and glorious. If I had pepperonis they would have definitely been added, but I wasn't going to make a special trip. You can really stuff them with anything you like, I just kept them plain Jane but delicious with cheese. They warm up well in the oven if you have any leftovers and served them with leftover pasta sauce I had.

Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Knots

• 1 loaf bread dough, thawed and proofed
• 3 tbs melted butter
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
• 1 tbs parsley flakes
• 1/2 tps garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbs Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/2 cup marinara or pasta sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix parsley, garlic powder, salt, and Parmesan cheese together in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Cut dough into 1-inch chucks.
4. Flatten with hand and put a small amount of cheese in the middle. Gather all the sides and pinch to close.
5. Brush with butter and dip in seasoned Parmesan mix.
6. Continue until all the dough is used.
7. Place in 2 9-inch pie pans and left proof for 45 minutes until doubled in size.
8. Put in oven for 20 minutes until lightly browned.
9. Serve hot with marinara sauce.

Tips and Tricks

• Use whatever cheese you have on hand. It would probably be easier to use block cheese cut into small cubes, but I had shredded on hand.
• If you don't have time to let them proof that is ok, they just won't be as big and fluffy.
• To warm, place in 300 degree oven for 5 minutes.
• Make into little pizza puffs by stuffing with pepperonis, onions, peppers, and cheese.

Chicken Fettuccine Diavolo

Yes, this is a made up name for a dish that I randomly created one night. I tried to make it sound fancy and look up what spicy sauce was referred to in Italian. Though diavolo means red sauce made spicy with chili flakes (and I think devil, but not too sure about that), and this is a "pink" sauce (red and white sauce mixed), I liked the name so I went with it. Using the thesaurus and dictionary.com make me often sound smarter than I am, lol. Kinda reminds me of that episode of Friends where Joey uses the thesaurus on literally every word for Monica and Chandler's recommendation letter for adoption. The letter came out horribly but so hilarious. Check it out here.

This recipe is actually pretty healthly as far as pasta dishes go. Instead of making a full fat cream sauce, I used fat-free half and half and only 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, then mixed that with a red sauce. I love spicy foods, so I kicked it up a notch with red pepper flakes. The peas made a great addition with a nice little pop, literally, of texture and just enough sweetest to counter the spice. All in all, it took under 30 minutes to make a pasta dish that feed us for days.

Chicken Fettuccine Diavolo

• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced 
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup fat-free half and half
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce, bottled
• 2 tbs olive oil, divided
• 1 tbs flour
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 8 oz fettuccine pasta
• Salt and pepper

1. Boil a large pot of water for pasta. Add pasta once water has reached a rolling boil and cook for 12 minutes or until al dente. Remove and set aside.
2. Cut chicken into small, 1/2 inches pieces and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Heat skillet to medium high with 1 tbs olive oil.
4. Cook chicken until done, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
5. Add mushrooms to pan that chicken was cooked in. Cook for 3 minutes until slightly browned.
6. Add onions to the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until onions are softened. Remove onions and mushrooms and set aside.
7. Add remaining tbs of olive oil and add flour. Cook for one minute.
8. Add half and half and mix continuously until sauce thickens. 
9. Add cheese and continue to mix until cheese is fully incorporated. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
10. Add tomato sauce and mix until it is fully incorporated. Add red chili flakes.
11. Add peas to sauce, stir, then add chicken, mushrooms and onions.
12. Add pasta and stir until all pasta is coated.
13. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

Tips and Tricks

• If you are in a rush, you can use a store made Alfredo sauce in place of olive oil, flour, half and half and Parmesan cheese.
• Use whatever type of pasta you have on hand. Shaped pasta with ridges would be a great idea as the sauce will stick well to it.
• Grilled chicken would really kick up the flavor if you have that on hand.
• If you are serving this later, wait to mix the pasta with the sauce until right before serving.

Mini Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Health food! Well, not really, but with 2 1/4 cup carrots, they have to be somewhat healthy right? I post all the pictures that I take for this blog on Facebook and keep getting asked how I don't weigh 300 pounds since all I have been making lately are unhealthy, amazingly delicious recipes. The truth is I take most of what I make to work (this might be a lame attempt at getting people to work the extra time that seems inevitable in the next month, but honestly it's so I don't eat it all myself.) Most of the dinners I have blogged about are actually quite healthy, but the desserts are not, obviously. Baking on the weekend gives me time to try new recipes, enjoy a one or two of them, then take them to work on Monday. Everyone at work seems to enjoy this and my waist line doesn't triple.

Carrot cake is a new favorite of mine. When I was younger, I pretty much turned my nose up at it. Carrots in cake, ewww; combine that with the spices that are used (I am still not a fan of clove) and it just wasn't the cake for me. However, your taste buds change every 10 years or so (says my boyfriend and I believe him, he's a very smart man. He always has "useless" trivia facts to share, but they come in handy when you want to mildly impress someone.) Well, that would mean that my taste buds have change almost 3 times now, and I'm glad because I really enjoy foods that I didn't when I was a kid (beer too, BIG smile). However, my buds have still not changed enough for me to like coffee; I still despise the stuff. I also still do not enjoy cloves, so I didn't add that to this recipe. The original called to make 3 9-inch cakes, but since I wanted to share, I made mini cupcakes. There is also a glaze that you top each cupcake with that shouldn't be left out. While the cake is very moist on its own, the glaze gives an extra WOW favor that sets this recipe apart from others.

Adapted from Southern Living

Mini Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Cake Recipe

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups grated carrot
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup chopped pecans 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla together with a electric mixer on medium until well blended.
4. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients on low until well mixed.
5. Add carrot, pineapple, and pecans to mixture with spatula until mixed.
6. Line mini cupcake tray with liners and fill each to top with cake mixture.
7. Bake for 13 minutes.
8. While baking, make glaze; see below.
9. Remove from oven and brush each with glaze.
10. Let cool completely and ice with frosting; recipe below.

Buttermilk Glaze

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix sugar, baking soda, buttermilk, and butter together and bring to boil.
2. Remove and add vanilla.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together with electric mixer on medium until combined.
2. Add sugar one cup at a time, beating on high until combined.
3. Once all sugar is added, beat in vanilla on high until combined.

Tips and Tricks

• If you would like to make a layered cake, grease 3 9-inch pie pans and cook for 25-30 minutes.
• The original recipe called for coconut. If you would like to add this, cut back carrot by 1/4 cup and add 1 cup coconut.
• For easy icing, put frosting in a large zip lock bag and cut the corner off. Cut very small at first and increase size as needed.
• If the icing is too runny, put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Semi Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I am not one to turn my nose up at pre-made ingredients for the most part. Being a self proclaimed gastronome doesn't mean I have to be a biatch, lol. They are usually tasty and save you a lot of time in the kitchen. Don't get me wrong, the 100% made from scratch thing is usually better, but sometimes I just don't have time or patients for that (usually the patients). I have come across a couple of pre-made items that weren't that great, so I just don't use them. I'm not as semi homemade as Sandy is from Food Network, she must do all semi homemade so she has time and money to make those lavish "tablescapes", lol. Not knocking it, they are beautiful and the food usually looks yummy, but sometimes I think she cuts to many corners. My favorite semi homemade products are marinades and season blends, and now frozen dough. I made two recipes this weekend with the dough; these and Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Knots.

I consider these cinnamon rolls semi homemade since I used pre-made frozen bread dough and canned cake frosting, but the rest was all me. I often make the canned cinnamon rolls for breakfast on the weekends, the boyfriend loves them, so I decided that I could do one step better and make these. I was going to make my own frosting, but had some frosting in the cabinet (honestly don't know how this wasn't already eaten by now since a spoon of frosting is a guilty pleasure of both mine and the BF. Don't judge us, lol.) In all, it took about 30 minutes to prep these. The lack of a rolling pin was definitely the reason it took longer. Somehow the glass I was using just didn't to the job as fast, duh. I could have let these proof for longer, but I was hungry and ready to eat. They came out perfect and now will be a weekend staple in our house.

Semi Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 loaf frozen dough, thawed and proofed
• 1/4 stick salted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 can vanilla frosting
• 2 tbsp half and half or milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Flour for rolling out dough

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 9 inch pie pan with melted butter.
3. Clean counter top and cover with light layer of flour.
4. Roll dough out to be 1/8 thick, about the thickness of a nickle and about 15 inches in length. Just eye ball it, doesn't have to be exact.
5. Brush dough with melted butter to cover the entire surface.
6. Mix sugars and cinnamon until well blended.
7. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough until all used.
8. Starting from one end, roll the dough as you would a jelly roll until completely rolled up.
9. Cut into 1 inch pieces and press down lightly to flatten. You only want them lightly flattened.
10. Put in cake pan, they should all be touching.
11. Cover with a warm towel (lightly moisten with water and put in microwave for 30 seconds) and let proof on counter top for 30 minutes.
12. Bake for 25 minutes.
13. While rolls are baking, mix cake frosting, half and half or milk, and vanilla together Consistency should be runny, but still have some texture. If too runny, add more frosting. If not runny enough, add more half and half or milk.
14. Remove rolls from oven and remove from pan. 
15. Ice immediately. You can either leave them all touching and ice or pull apart and ice individually.

Tips and Tricks

• If you would like to make your own frosting, use this recipe
• 1 cup powder sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk
• Add all ingredients and mix until blended.
• Cream cheese cake frosting would be amazing to use.
• If you like nuts, finely chop pecans or walnuts and add to sugar and cinnamon mixture before you cover dough.
• If you like your rolls a bit more cooked on the outsides, place rolls on a cookie sheet, not touching and bake for 20 minutes.

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

Yes, the title is a mouthful, but you will be glad to have a mouth full of these cheesy, melty (yeah, that's not a word), spicy goodness. Don't be afraid of the word jalapeno either. Consider this your training wheels for eating them since cooking a jalapeno releases much of their heat; the longer they cook, the more mild they become. Of course, you need to remove the seeds and the membrane for that statement to be true. Leave that stuff in and your mouth will be on fire, and as for your tummy...well, be warned that leaving that stuff in will cause you much discomfort if you are not use to spicy foods.

Many people will refer to recipes like this as poppers, but I believe that poppers are breaded and fried where these are not. I have made stuff jalapenos several different ways in the past, but have found this to be my favorite recipe. The addition of sausage came from my boyfriend's brother's wife; I could just say Wendy, but few would know who that was, and I like to give credit where credit is due. At first I was wondering how sausage and jalapeno would taste, but once I tried it, I was sold! It really brings a texture and meatiness to these delicious apps. I usually wrap them in bacon that is half cooked before wrapping since soggy, chewy bacon is the worst and precooking insures that the final product is crispy, but sometimes I just crumble cooked bacon over the top of them and its just as good. If you like sausage, I guarantee you will like these.

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

• 7 large or 12 small jalapenos,
• 1 8oz bar cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 pound hot breakfast sausage
• 1 pound bacon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lay strips of bacon on cooking sheet and bake in oven for 7 minutes.  Remove and set aside.Turn oven down to 375 degrees.
3. Cut jalapenos in half and remove seeds and membrane with a spoon. Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin. Wash hands immediately after.
4. Cook sausage in skillet over medium high heat until browned. 
5. Mix sausage, cream cheese, cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a medium mixing bowl.
6. Fill jalapenos with spoon until all are stuffed.
7. Wrap bacon around each jalapeno. Cut bacon into two pieces if necessary to wrap all jalapenos. Secure with toothpick if necessary.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Remove toothpick and enjoy.

Tips and Tricks

• If you like heat, cook the stuffed jalapenos for 12 minutes. This will keep the heat of the pepper.
• Use low-fat or fat-free products for a healthier version.
• You can place crumbled bacon over each stuffed pepper for easier assembly.
• These reheat very well. Heat oven to 375 and cook for 12 minutes.
• These can be prepared in advanced if needed.

Butterfinger Blondies

You would think that with all the post that I have on baked goods that I have been baking for years. The truth is that I just got into baking. Since my multiple failed attempts at making cream puffs in the 8th grade (damn French pastries), I swore off all baking. I thought I was just no good at it. Being a cook is much different then being a baker. Baking is science, a very exact art where instructions and techniques must be followed. You can't just add a splash of this and a dash of that like I do when I cook and you must have patients; something at times I lack. Since Pinterest (follow me here!) has entered our lives, for better or fatter and broke, lol, I have gotten into baking. There are so many amazing pictures of cupcakes, cookies, bars, breads, cakes, brownies, and the list goes on, that I couldn't help myself. My skills in the kitchen have certainly increased since 8th grade, so I figured it was time to try baking again.

This recipe was actually the second baking recipe that I attempted; both came out great I might add. Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes was the first one. The boyfriend is a huge fan of Butterfingers and I love all desserts that comes in bar form, so I knew I had to try these. The original recipe called for a homemade frosting, but I didn't have Crisco and didn't feel like buying it, so I went with a canned frosting. Yeah, yeah, shame on me, but it's awesome and fast. The frosting from the Oatmeal Cream Pies would be amazing on these, so might have to try that out next time. Sorry for the crappy picture, I forgot to take one until they were already wrapped up to deliver. Just another excuse to make these again.

Adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Butterfinger Blondies

• 1 cup salted butter, room temp.
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Butterfinger Bars (approx 20 “Fun Size” bars) 
• 1 can vanilla frosting

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. 
2. Grease a 9x13 baking dish or pan.
3. Cream butter and sugars in mixing bowl with a mixer.
4. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.
5. On low add your dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda) until just combined.
6. Stir in cup 2 cups chopped Butterfinger.
7. Pour mixture into the baking dish, distributing evenly, and bake for 25 minutes until center is JUST set. Do not over cook or you will lose the chewy center.
8. Remove from oven and cool completely. 
9. In a bowl, mix frosting on high speed for 3 minutes until frosting is fluffy. (You can skip this step, but I find this will give you "more" frosting and makes it light and fluffy.
10. Ice bars evenly and top with remaining 1/2 cup of Butterfingers.
11. Cut into 1-inch bars and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• A food processor or Slap Chop will chop up the Butterfingers nicely. Only pulse the processor a couple times, you still want some chucks, not powder.
• If you use unsalted butter, add one tsp of salt when you add the eggs and vanilla.
• Line the baking pan with foil with a four to five inch over hand on the shorter sides to easily remove the bars in one solid sheet, then ice and cut.