Monday, June 27, 2011

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies

Yes. You read that right the first time. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies. YUM!

I found this recipe at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen and had to try it out!



They are amazing! And super super rich. I cut a normal size brownie piece for me and could only manage two bites!! They are that sweet and I. Love. Sweet. So I cut the rest of the pan into 1 inch brownie bites.



I will definitely make them again. My cookie dough looked different than what was pictured on Confessions of a Cookbook Queen's site. The recipe did not say to pack the brown sugar but everytime I have ever used brown sugar that is what was instructed so I, out of habit, packed the half cup and plopped it into the mix only to realize later that maybe that is why mine was darker and seemingly denser than hers.



Try them out and see what you think!! Oh and I did what she did and used the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownie mix... um... prob going to be my new go to box mix. Those brownies are ridiculously amazing!! AND the cookie dough is eggless! Totally safe to be eaten "raw". :)

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Brownies
**adapted from Taste of Home Baking Classics by Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Ingrediants

8x8 pan of brownies, baked and cooled (I used Ghirardelli Double Chocolate but you can use any homemade or boxed recipe you prefer)
1/4 stick salted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
Heaping 1/2 cup mini M&Ms

In the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and peanut butter until combined. Add sugars and mix until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix until fully combined. Fold in M&M's. Spoon cookie dough over brownies and spread carefully.

If you make a 9x13 pan of brownies, you may want to double the topping or it won't be as thick.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

New Recipes for #14

I made a Chicken Enchilada Ring with the recipe that I found on Kelly's Recipes.


It was really good and it was so easy to make. I made it for supper one night when Jimmy was playing softball so I got to test it out first. My thoughts are that it is not a supper recipe but it is perfect for brunch! It was great topped with sour cream and avocado and the next night I think Jimmy even put ranch on it? He said it was good. Yeah.


This is Kelly's recipe, my notes will follow:

Chicken Enchilada Ring

2 cups cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 small can chopped chilies, undrained
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
2 rolls of crescent rolls
1 small chopped tomato
1 lime (juice)
2/3 cup finely crushed tortilla chips

1. Chop chicken and add olives, cheese, chilies, sour cream and taco mix. Seed and chop 1 tomato and add 2 tablespoons lime juice; add to chicken mixture. Reserve 2 Tblsp. crushed chips and add remaining chips to mixture.

2.Unroll crescent dough and separate triangles. Arrange on round baking stone or cookie sheet making a circle with wide ends OVERLAPPING in the center and points toward outside. (I did lightly spray oil on the cookie sheet I used). There should be a 5 inch diameter opening in the center.

3. Spread chicken mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle.

4. Bring points of triangles up and over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at the center of the ring. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. crushed chips and cheese.

5. Bake @ 375 for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with tomato and serve with salsa and sour cream.

Notes:

-Like I said it's a brunch dish and a really good one!

-I left out the olives only because Jimmy doesn't like them and it was still very tasty. If I get a chance to make this again for other people I will definitely add the olives. I love olives!

-I shredded left over chicken which made it so fast and easy to throw this together because I didn't have to cook anything. And if you already have cooked chicken this is a one bowl recipe!!

Still with me? Awesome! Then here is another recipe!

Back in May I found this little jewel of a recipe on Cheeky Kitchen

Chicken Pot Pie with Herbed Potato Crust

1 pound ground chicken
1/3 cup onion, finely diced
1 small clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces real bacon bits
2 cups frozen peas and carrots blend
2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 lemon, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole wheat pie crust
6 russet potatoes, peeled & boiled until tender
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
a bunch of fresh dill, thyme, and chives
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, brown chicken with onion and garlic. Stir in the bacon bits, peas and carrots. Cook just until the peas and carrots aren't frozen, about 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, cornstarch and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into the skillet and stir constantly until it begins to thicken. Stir in the cream cheese until melted. Add the asparagus, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly while baking the pie crust..

Place the whole wheat pie crust into the oven and back for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges turn a light, golden brown. Remove and allow to cool slightly before filling with chicken mixture.

In a large bowl, mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and egg. Toss in a handful of fresh chopped chives, a good amount of fresh or dried dill (we added about 1/2 tablespoon of dried dill and it was perfect), several pinches of fresh thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture over the chicken mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes are golden brown at the peaks. Enjoy!

This. Is. Awesome. It was soooo gooood! And really easy to make.


Of course I don't have a picture of a cut piece... they went to fast! Here are my notes:

-I only had dried dill, next time I will get thyme and chives as well. I think it will only make it better!

-I made two pies but when I make it again I will look for a deep dish pie crust and only make one pie.

-I knew I was going to use both pie crusts and used 7 potatoes so I would have enough mashed potatoes for both pot pies. When I make it again I would use just 5 potatoes. It makes a lot!

-I used a regular pie crust, not whole wheat. I was tried of being in the grocery store and I just grabbed the first one I saw.

I hope you get to make these soon! Let me know how they turn out if you do!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Let's Start Over...

sort of. I really mean let's just get going on this again. My last post was me trying to decide if I was going to keep this blog or just move the list over to a page on my main blog but after a little bit of consideration I decided to keep this one and post my list updates here.

I have been very busy with work during the 82nd Legislative Session so the list has suffered greatly, however, today it was updated and a few changes made and now it's better than before. My "monthlies" issue has been solved. Instead of doing a task monthly I just gave it a specific number of times I would like to do it ie. cook/bake a new recipe. I did keep the once a month date night because that one is super improtant to me and I am newly focused on making that happen at least once but hopefully a couple of times each month.

The motorcycle day trip, #74, was not changed but, well, we sold the motorcycle in April so that will not happen. Maybe when we are empty nesters we will revist the motorcycle life!! And I did change the Spam Festival to the Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival because I apparently missed the memo, the Spam Festival has not happened since 2007. Just another reason to get out and do the things that you think you want to do! They might not always be there when you "find the time" later.

I did get to cross a couple of things off the list while I was "perfecting" it.

#47. Take Mac to Pearls' Easter Egg Hunt in 2011. That totally happened! You can read about it here.

#77 Resole brown boots. I had that done back in April and I am ready for some boot scoot'n now! Both boots have perfect traction, which the left one was missing due to the cracked sole, so let's get down country style soon!

Ok, it's time for lunch! Be back soon with updates!