Molten Lava Cupcakes

Molten Lava Cupcakes

1/2 cup butter
4 oz favorite semisweet chocolate (or 25 Dove Promises)
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease cupcake tin or place cupcake liners of your choice.  Melt butter and chocolate over low heat.  Let cool.
Beat eggs, sugar and flour.  Add cooled chocolate mix to egg mix.

Pour into cupcake pan.  Bake for 10 minutes which should mean that the cake appears done.  You, of course, cannot use the toothpick check as the innards are supposed to be soft and undone.

Let cool slightly and indulge.  Be sure to serve before your meal...you know, just in case...cuz you so don't want to miss out on this dessert.  If you make it through dinner then you can have dessert again! :)

I had no idea.  I thought there was some trick where you put chocolate inside or maybe you piped some in.  I made them and then was all what the...they are supposed to be ooey gooey...while I broke one in half and Eeeeeeee!  OOOEEEY GOOEEEY!!!  Impromptu dance of joy!

Add berries. Add ice cream. Or just eat as is.  Good "cold" as well but best if you nuke it even for just 6 seconds to get it all warm and ooey gooey again!  Super easy to split the recipe in half...wait, why would I do that????  :)

Ooey Gooey Super Easy Chocolate.  Yes, I am the Queen, and if you want to be part of my queendom - you may become my jester.  You want ooey gooey chocolate? Dance, Jester, Dance!

Popper Chicken

Bacon wrapped Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken Breast

If you like jalapeno poppers and chicken - mmmmmmmm...this is for you!

2 jalapenos, quartered (unstuffed and completely cleared of veins and seeds if you are wimpy like me and you like spicy foods just not spicy in the holy crap my mouth is on fire kind of way)
8 oz of soft cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
5-6 chicken breasts
6-12 strips of raw bacon

Cut the jalapenos and chop them into a nice minced size.  Discard the nasty hot parts like those stems, seeds, and veins if you prefer the taste of the jalapeno not the spicy bite of it.  Your call.  
 You have let your cream cheese sit out for a little while so that it is soft.  Now you simply add the jalapenos to the cream cheese and add a tsp or so of garlic powder.  You can also add pepper and onion powder if you wish.

If you know how to stuff a chicken breast you are on stage now.  They say you slice a lengthwise pocket down the chicken. Spread the innard goodness along this length and mash the chicken together.  It won't close therefore you now wrap the chicken with bacon strips.  I found 2 strips per chicken breast worked perfectly.  Now you grill over medium heat, flipping once, until it's done.  My recipe indicated that this would be 8 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reached 160 degrees.  Well, I've never stuffed chicken before and I did the 8 minutes with innards spilling out and my internal temp was 160 based on my brand new meat thermometers and lookie - it was still undone inside.  Basically cook til it's done.  How do you know?  Well, I can only offer you tasty recipes not life answers. :)

I tried this again with boneless skinless chicken thigh as I read something in a healthy type magazine that said that even though the dark meat thigh has a gram more fat it is loaded with vitamins and minerals  (?) that the white meat breast does not have; plus it's cheaper so you should go with dark meat.  Well, I found that the thigh costs the same but I do like the dark meat - but alas, I had the same issues.  Result: I cannot successfully stuff any part of a chicken! SOOOO, brilliant woman that I am, I decided next time to cut my chicken into bite size pieces and cook.  Then, I added my cream cheese mixture to the pan until it basically melted all over the chicken.  Oh my - so much easier and just as tasty!  Maybe I'll add bacon pieces and chedder cheese shreds too.

Definitely on the list of meals to eat over and over and over again!

Lasagna

Lasagna

So, the picture may not look like your perfect lasagna - but had I put it in the fridge and then pulled it out and taken a picture it would have looked fabulous - but this is real life - this is how it looked as it was scooped out and put on a plate.  Yummyness.

Ok per usual the recipe will say something and I stop and say back to it - not likely.  Case in point - ever notice how lasagna recipes on the box indicate you should use the whole box, yet you never actually use the whole box and are left with cooked noodles with no home.  Well, this recipe says that - I'd suggest you use 2/3 to 3/4 of the box.  But, here is the recipe:

1 box lasagna
1 pound sausage (I used Hot JimmyDeans)
2 cans/jars favorite marinara sauce
1 15oz container ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese (diced or shredded)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese



Preheat oven 350
Cook pasta according to directions (or longer as I can never get pasta to work as the directions indicate)
Brown sausage
Add 1 & 1/3 of marinara to sausage and mix. Bring to boil.
Spray 13x9 pan
Pour half of remaining marinara on bottom
Mix ricotta with egg (this was not in the original recipe but makes the cheese spread way easier) in small bowl
Layer 5 sheets noodles, top with 1/3 sausage mix, 1/3 ricotta, and 1/3 Parmesan.
Repeat layering 2 more times
On top of final layer pour remaining marinara sauce. Be sure you cover every part of the exposed noodles with sauce so they don't become burnt and crunchy.  Unless you like that kinda thing.
Bake 20 minutes covered in foil
Take off foil (silly) and add mozzarella and remaining Parmesan (do you have Parmesan left?  Hope so)
Recover and bake 10 minutes more or until bubbly
Let sit for 5 minutes and then dig in

I'm pretty sure I added some mozzarella with each of my layers and I'm pretty sure I kicked the heat up to about 425 and didn't cover in foil.  But, I like to live on the edge so you do what you feel like doing.  I suppose it's possible to screw it up but doubtful that you'd screw it up so bad that you wouldn't be able to eat it!

Enjoy!

Berry Cheesecake Delight

Chocolate Ganache cheesecake topped with whipped cream and berries = Delightful!

Crust:
One sleeve of Oreos
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

First step is to crush around 20 Oreo cookies - a sleeve of Oreos - innards and all - so they are like a crumb as this will be your crust.  I also added about a 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs to the mix and then added the 1/4 cup melted butter to create the crust. No need to add sugar as there is plenty in the Oreo innards.

Cheesecake:
3  8oz packages of Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs 

Blend softened cream cheese packages and sugar.  Add one egg at a time beating with mixer until completely mixed. Pour into Oreo cookie crust. Bake about 45 minutes, in your previously 350 degree preheated oven, until center is nearly set.  Cool. Refrigerate.

Ganache:
8oz yummy semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 
1 tsp vanilla

Bring heavy whipping cream to a boil.  Pour over chocolate chips.  Use good quality yummy chocolate chips - the kind you prefer to eat by the handful not some cheap nasty crap.  Wisk until all the chips are melted and then add vanilla.  Let it cool a little.  Truth be told I'm not sure how long.  You want it to slowly trickle not run all over the place.  I say this because mine ran all over the place and caused a huge mess - everywhere.

Pour cooled ganache over cooled cheesecake.  Use spatula as needed to drizzle or cover to your hearts content.  Put in the fridge.  I recommend putting some sort of plate under it in case your ganche makes like a river and erodes your cake and waterfalls all over your fridge.  Not that that isn't fun!

Once you are ready to serve - top with little dollops of whipped cream and pile on the berries.  I used a frozen berry bag that had strawberries, blackberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, and blueberries.  Um, Yum!

If you super want to impress your guests with your kitchen mastery - drizzle some chocolate over the plate first (mine is chocolate syrup) and then carefully place the cheesecake slice on top.  

Oh yeah.  Be prepared to be impressed!

Homemade Sandwich Buns

Homemade Sandwich Buns

1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, room temperature
4 1/2 cups flour 
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt

Keep in mind this is homemade bread so it's going to take some time.  This is not a quick bread - so allow time to avoid frustration.  Take your time to make sure they are tasty.  Why spend time doing it just to rush and make them suck!?

Heat milk, water, honey, and butter until butter is melted on low.  Check the temperature or allow to cool a bit. Carefully beat the egg and add slowly to this mix.  You always want to add the egg to the mix because if you do it the other way around it will instantly cook the egg...also why you want to cool it slightly depending on how hot you melted it all at.

Mix 2 cups of flour, yeast and salt in large bowl. (I swapped out one cup of flour for whole wheat and used white for the remainder) Add milk mix.  Stir in the remainder of the flour 1/2 cup at a time.  Beat well after each addition.  4 1/2 cups is the amount you'll add and then you'll have extra to add while kneading.  Just so you know....

When dough pulls together in a soft ball turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  Set the timer for 5 minutes and knead away adding flour as necessary to get it to be non-sticky.  You can also use a mixing hook on your fancy dancy machine if you have such a device.

Divide the dough into 12-16 parts.  Shape (light kneading) into smooth balls.  Flatten slightly and place on a baking sheet.

You, of course, have a warm spot all ready for your bread, right? Right! You did this right!??  Phew...good job - you now cover your bread and put in this warm spot.  Let rise to about double - 40 minutes or so.  

After buns have risen, brush tops with beaten egg for a shiny glaze.  At this point you can add poppy seed, sesame seed, minced onion, salt, etc.

Bake at 400 (you of course preheated the oven cuz you are a master cook) for 10-12 minutes

Soft, and yummy - warm in your tummy!

Pecan Pie Cookies

Pecan Pie Cookies

Cookie:
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Filling:
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine first 4 cookie ingredients in large bowl.  Beat until creamy.  Add flour and baking powder and beat until well mixed.

Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Make indentations in each with thumb, rotating your thumb to hollow out the indentation slightly.  Or make it easy on yourself and just pick up the ball and create a hollow in it (it doesn't have to be so complicated!)

Combine filling ingredients in small bowl.  Fill each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon of filling.  Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool for at least one minute before removing.

I ended up using 1/2 cup of whipping cream as I messed up so they were a bit flat and ran a bit but they were still tasty.  Super easy and tasty and it's like mini pecan pies with no karo syrup.  HELLO!

Tummy...prepare to be happy!

Roast Turkey

Juicy Roast Turkey

Step 1: Plan ahead.  Recipe starts with a thawed turkey!
Step 2: Ready your fridge!  You'll need to put the turkey in a 5 gallon pail and then in the fridge overnight so you may just want to plan ahead by finding the pail, cleaning as necessary, and removing shelves and such from the fridge.  I don't recommend putting the turkey outside in the cold overnight - but hey, that's your call; maybe you want to encourage coons and cats to hang out and provide the cold wildlife with a free meal.  But, that might just put you behind in your turkey preparation...I'm just saying....
Step 3: Get going on making ice.  You'll need quite a bit.  Or cheat and go buy some. Lazy.

14-16 pound turkey

Brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 gallon veggie stock (modify as necessary)
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp allspice berries
1 1/2 tsp ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

Aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
rosemary
sage

Other important items:
canola oil
emptied fridge
5 gallon bucket

Combine vegetable stock (I used 4of those concentrated chicken stock tubs and added water to make around a gallon of stock), brown sugar, salt, berries, pepper, and ginger in stockpot and heat until it boils and your sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat. Cool. Put in fridge if you aren't ready to proceed yet.  I did not have a big enough stockpot so I simply did this step two times until it was all done.  I put this in the bucket let it cool slightly and moved on.  The recipe assumes you are doing this part a day or two ahead - I did it the day before.  Your choice.

Day or night before you want to eat - combine the above brine mix with your heavily iced water.  Place your thawed turkey in this bucket. Of course you have removed the innards cuz that would be silly not to.  It says to put the turkey in breast side down and weigh it down if necessary.  Since my bucket sits vertically (horizontal 5 gallon buckets??? Where do you people shop?) I simply put the bird in so it's legs were sticking out of the brine.  Make sure it's fully immersed (if not, ha ha).  Refrigerate overnight.  Technically the recipe also says it should be covered and you should turn it once half way through.  I say just leave forget it cuz it's fully immersed - why would you need to turn it? and let it sit overnight in the cleaned out fridge.

The following day....
Preheat oven to 500.  Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water.  Discard the brine.  Place bird on your roasting rack in a half sheet pan. Pat dry with towels.

Combine apple, onion, cinnamon, and 1 cup water in microwave safe bowl and micro for 5 full minutes.  Add the rosemary and sage and place into turkey cavity.  Tuck wings underneath (no idea) and coat skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast on lowest oven level at 500 for 30 minutes.  Insert probe thermometer into thickest part of breast and reduce heat to 350.  Assuming you have an oven safe probe leave it in and set alarm for 161 degrees.  Should you not have a fancy dancy thermometer - best not to leave it in the oven as it will simply melt (not that I have any experience with this). 14-16 pound bird should take about 2 - 2.5 hours.  20 minutes per pound rule assumes you are roasting at a lower heat thus needing a longer amount of time, I'd guess. Watch that thermometer...or quickly call someone to bring you one should you have melted yours.  Once pulled from oven, let it rest loosely covering it with foil for 15 minutes.

Carve. Enjoy!  Juicyness worth the effort.  Plus it's kinda fun and you feel like a famous chef!