Recipe : Best Bar None Bars

This was in The Burbs magazine, sometime last year.

I fondly call them Diabetic Coma Bars :)

Spray a 9x13” pan with non-stick spray.

Mix together :

1 box yellow cake mix

1/3 c vegetable oil

2 eggs

Stir until combine. 

Add:

1 – 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c white chips

¾ c toffee bits

Stir together.  This will be really hard to do. J

Divide in half.  Press ½ into the bottom of the pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min. 

While you are baking the bottom crust, in a large saucepan combine:

½ c butter

32 caramels (unwrapped) or 6 oz Kraft Caramel bits (bits are by FAR easier!)

1 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Cook over medium heat until caramels are melted. 

Slowly pour hot caramel mixture over the top of baked crust.  Top with remaining dough mixture (I take small handfuls and press them into a 1” thick blob then place on top of caramel). 

Make for 25-30 minutes or until top is set.  Cool 20 min.  Run a knife around the edges to loosen. 

Cool 40 minutes.  Refrigerate 1 hour or until caramel layer is set.

Store in the refrigerator.

**Make sure to cut no larger than 2x2” pieces – too sweet for most people if larger than that.

Enjoy!

Recipe : Dried Fruit Scones

From my sweet friend, Jay.  We made lots of these at HomePlace for demo Sundays :)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

You will need :

2 1/2 c flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 c butter, cut into small pieces

1 c coarse chopped dried fruit (your choice)

2/3 c granulated sugar

3/4 c buttermilk

Mix together dry ingredients.  Cut butter into flour mixture.  Stir in dried fruit, then buttermilk until just combined. 

Divide dough in half.  Using a floured surface, press dough into an 8" circle that is 1/2" thick.  Cut into 8 wedges and place 1/2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 12 -15 minutes, until puffed and slightly browned.

Glaze if desired.

Recipe : Ham and Egg Breakfast Cups

You can adapt this recipe to feed however many people you like.

A GREAT way to make eggs for a bunch without having to watch the stove.

You will need :

8 slices deli ham
4 tbsp shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 eggs
Black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat 8 (or more or less) muffin cups with nonstick spray.  Line each muffin cup with one slice of ham, making sure that there are no holes in the bottom of the cup.

Sprinkle 1/2 tbsp cheese into the bottom of each cup.  

Break one egg into each cup, then sprinkle with black pepper.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Remove from muffin cups and serve!

Recipe : Mojito Marinated Fruit

If you've read my other recipe posts, you know by now that I have a tendency to modify recipes...a lot.

This is one that I only made a small tweak to.  From the Taste of Home Cooking School magazine.

Cut up/ball 2 cups each cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon and pineapple.

In a small saucepan, combine 2/3 c sugar, 1/3 c water, and 3 sprigs of mint.  Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  

Stir in:

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp grated lime peel

1/2 c light rum

Completely cool mixture.

Combine all fruits in a large bowl.  Remove mint from liquid, then poor over the top of the fruit.  Toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe : 30-minute Chicken

I visited a Pampered Chef meeting with my friend Kathy were they were testing/sharing some new party recipes for the coming catalog season.  If you have a Deep Covered Baker, this recipe is for you.  If you don't, call Kathy!!

This recipe is super easy and adapted from this recipe.

You will need :

1 whole chicken, 5 - 6 lbs with giblets and anything else inside removed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Seasoning of your choice, if you wish
Kitchen twine
Deep Covered Baker
Microwave
Pocket Thermometer

Make sure everything is removed from the inside of your chicken.

Spray the inside of your Deep Covered Baker with a non-stick spray.

Truss your chicken.  Watch Martha do it here, if you don't know how.

Smear the whole chicken with some olive oil all over.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add seasonings if you want, at this time.

Place chicken in DCB and cooked, uncovered, for 25 - 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees in thickest part of breast and juices run clear*.  

Remove from microwave and cover with lid.  Let rest for 10 minutes.

Cut and serve.


SO good!  And so easy!

Notes :
*I cooked the bird for 25 minutes and checked with a meat thermometer.  The legs were done, so I cut both legs and both wings off then returned the carcass to the microwave to cook for 5 minutes more.

Perfect!

Recipe : HoHo Bars

Like Hostess HoHo's?  Then this recipe is just the thing for you!

My mother-in-law makes these and my husband loves these bars!

For the bottom layer, you will need:

1 stick butter, softened
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c water
3 tbsp cocoa
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c buttermilk (or you can substitute sour cream)

Cream butter, sugar and eggs (hand or stand mixer).  Add remaining ingredients and beat until combined.  

Pour into and 11 x 17" jelly roll pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until done.

Cool completely.

For the middle layer, you will need:

1 c sugar
1 Crisco (regular, not butter flavored)
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp salt 
1 c powdered sugar

Beat together all ingredients except for powdered sugar for 5 minutes.  Add the powdered sugar then spread on cooled cake.*

(don't try to adjust your color..mine is green for St Patrick's Day!)

For final (top) layer, you will need:

1 c sugar
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp milk 
1 - 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat sugar, butter and milk together until butter is melted.  Remove from heat and add chips.  Stir until all chips are melted then spread.  You will need to work quickly so that the chocolate mixture doesn't cool before you're done spreading.

Enjoy!

Recipe : Key Lime Pie

Our friend, Terry, can tell you that I appear to be obsessed with Key Lime.  Even when we aren't in the Keys....

So, I decided to make Key Lime pie for dinner with our friends a few weeks ago.  Let's not talk too much about the crust...I ended up pressing too high up the side of the pan, so when I took it out of the pan, the sides crumbled :)

For the crust you will need:

One 9" graham cracker shell or

1 1/2 c graham crackers, finely ground (I used Triple Ginger Snaps from Trader Joe's)

1/3 c white sugar

6 tbsp butter, melted

1.  Mix graham crackers crumbs, sugar and melted butter together until well blended.  Press into an 8" or 9" springform pan.

2.  Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes and cool.

For the filling you will need:

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 egg yolks

1/2 c Key Lime juice (either fresh squeezed or a good quality Key Lime juice like Nellie and Joe's)

1.  Mix all ingredients together until well blended.

2.  Pour into pie filling.  

3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating.  

4.  Serve with whipped cream.

Adapted from a recipe from Nellie and Joe.