Homemade Oreos

I had a request for this recipe, so here it is.

Homemade Oreos

Cookie Part:
2 Devils Food Cake Mixes
4 Eggs
1 ¼ c. shortening
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. (Note - I usually only cook for 8 or shorter, they are better if they are a little soft when you are done)

Filling:
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese
2 lb. powdered sugar
1 ½ squares butter
about 1 Tbsp. milk, only to soften to taste

Mix & put between 2 cookies. (Note – I usually only make ½ or ¾ of this filling. It makes a lot.)

I always put these in the fridge or freeze them. If you've cooked them soft it makes them dense and then they are extra yummy.

Penne Rustica (Macaroni Grill)

This makes an absolute ton, so if you aren't feeding an army you can probably cut it by 1/2. Even when I just made this, I think I probably only used 2 bags of penne instead of 3 and it barely fit in the pan and was a little extra saucy. But it is so good!

Penne Rustica (Macaroni Grill)

1 oz. pancetta or bacon
18 shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 oz. chicken, grilled and sliced
4 ½ c. gratinata sauce (see recipe)
48 oz. penne pasta, cooked
3 Tbs. pimentos
6 oz. or 1½ sticks butter
1 Tbs. shallots, chopped
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 c. parmesan cheese
½ tsp. paprika
6 sprigs fresh rosemary

Sauté pancetta or bacon until begins to brown. Add butter, shallots and shrimp. Cook until shrimp is evenly pink, but still translucent. Add chicken, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add sauce and ½ c. cheese and simmer until thickened. In large bowl, combine chicken mixture with pasta. Place in 9 x 13 casserole dish (or individual baking dishes). Top with remaining cheese and pimentos. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 475° for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.


Gratinata Sauce (Macaroni Grill)

2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. rosemary, chopped
1 c. Marsala wine (or diluted cranberry juice or red grape juice)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
8 c. heavy cream

Sauté garlic, butter, and rosemary until garlic begins to brown. Add wine substitute and reduce by 1/3. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half of original volume. This sauce goes well with pasta.

Peanut Butter Balls

These are the ones I made for the Finals BBQ a while back. Man, can you tell I'm on a sugar kick!


Peanut Butter Balls

½ c. butter (softened)
2 c. creamy peanut butter
3 ½ c. powder sugar (1 box)
3 c. Rice Krispies cereal
Chocolate chips (divided)
Paraffin wax or 2 Tbs. shortening

Put all ingredients together and mix with hands. Roll into 1- or ½- inch balls. Melt chocolate chips and paraffin wax (or shortening) together. Dip balls into chocolate and place on wax paper to cool. I like to keep these in the freezer to store them so they don't melt quite so fast when serving them.

Oreo Popcorn

Christmas always gets me in the mood for fun new treats! Try this one... YUMMY! A little messy for the kids but so good.


Oreo Popcorn

20 Oreo cookies, finely crumbled
1/3 c. cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. popcorn kernels
20 Oreo cookies, broken

In a bowl, mix 1st 3 ingredients. Set aside. Place oil & sugar in a large pot & stir until combined. Pour popcorn kernels on top. Place lid on top & cook over medium heat. When kernels begin to pop, shake pot back & forth frequently until popping almost stops. Quickly remove from heat. Sprinkle 1/2 of dry mixture over hot popcorn & stir with wooden spoon. Stir in remaining mixture until popcorn is evenly coated. Add broken cookies & mix lightly. Cool & store in an airtight container. This recipe can also be made in a Whirly Pop.

Corn Pop Treats

So, this defintely is not a healthy snack, but a great munchy treat for the holidays! Beau's Grandma would always make it and I love it!

Corn Pops Treat

½ box Rice Chex cereal
½ box Sugar Pops cereal
2 c. almonds
2 c. shredded coconut
1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
1 c. corn syrup
1 c. sugar

In large bowl combine 1st 4 ingredients. In large pot, melt butters then add sugars. Bring to full boil & continue boiling for 4 minutes stirring constantly. Stir liquid into dry mix & spread out on greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool, then break apart & return to bowl.

Yummy healthy snacks for the kiddies

Ok moms, I know we could all use a little help when it comes to coming up with ideas for food and snacks for the kids. So PLEASE share your ideas.

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SMOOTHIE

1 Banana cut into 2 halves

1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter (sometimes I add more)

1 Tsp. vanilla

8 ice cubes

1/2 cup milk

Put ingredients into blender and blend. Sometimes I add a tsp. of orange juice to change it up a bit. I also add a little more milk to make the smoothie a little runnier so that it comes out of the sippy cups. My girls love this.

ANTS ON A LOG

Celery

Peanut Butter

Raisins

Spread peanut butter on celery and place raisins on peanut butter. I also sometimes add marshmallows to sweeten it up a bit.

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops

Hey Ladies, here is the recipe for the dessert I brought on Halloween. They are pretty easy, but a little time consuming as well. You can also download a printable recipe card here.


Serves:
36 mini squares

Ingredients/Supplies:

36 Wooden pop sticks

Cheesecake:
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter

Chocolate:
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

For the cheesecake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil letting long flaps overlap on each side. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Break up the brown sugar to remove all lumps. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until very smooth. Add the cream and beat slowly; then add the yolks and vanilla mixing until just combined. Gently stir in peanut butter. Take care not to over beat the mixture; this incorporates too much air and causes the cheesecake to crack.

Pour and evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Open the oven to release some heat, then lower the temperature to 200 degrees F. Continue to bake the cheesecake until the outside is set but the center is still loose, for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, and cool cheesecake in the oven for 45 more minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Lift cheesecake from the pan by lifting up the foil. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into
1 1/2-inch cubes. Stick a wooden pop stick halfway into each bar and freeze for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, put the shortening and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.)

Dip the pops into the chocolate mixture, and stand on waxed paper to set, about 5 minutes. Serve cold (straight from the fridge), or freeze up to 2 weeks. Frozen pops make a cool summer treat, or can be allowed to temper for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Upgrade: Coat the pops with chopped nuts or candies for a really decadent finish. To do this let the dipped pops drip over a bowl for 15 seconds before rolling them.

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