Brownie Bites

I made these adorable little brownie bites to give my family for Valentine's Day. They really are pretty easy even though there are several steps involved!

Brownie Bites
(Printable Version)
1 family size brownie mix
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 T milk
2 drops red food coloring
1 cup semisweet (or dark chocolate) chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the mini cupcake holders in a mini muffin tin. Make brownie mix according to package directions and fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

In a small bowl melt chocolate chips in microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and continue heating in 30 second increments as needed until all chips are melted. Spoon into a quart size ziplock bag. Let chocolate cool in bag 10-15 minutes. Cut the tip off the bag {just the very tip!}. Pipe chocolate into heart shapes onto waxed paper. Refrigerate until hard.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter, confectioner's sugar, vanilla, 2 T milk and food coloring. The mixture will not look like frosting. Beat for 5 minutes {this is very important!}. Add remaining tablespoon of milk as needed for the right consistency. You want the frosting to be light and fluffy so it will be easy to pipe onto the brownies. Fill a large ziplock bag or decorator's bag with frosting. You can use a large star tip, round tip, or no tip at all. I used a ziplock bag with just the icing coupler in it because I didn't have a large round tip.

Now you are ready to assemble the brownie bites! Pipe frosting onto cooled brownies starting at the edge of the brownie and ending at the center. Carefully remove chocolate hearts from waxed paper using a metal pancake turner. Gently stick a chocolate heart into the frosting on each brownie. You have to work fast because the chocolate will start to melt in your hands.

Yield: about 48

Enjoy!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

My hubby found this recipe online for me to make for him because he loves Starbucks Bliss Bars so much! He said these are a little more cake-like than Starbucks, but he really liked them.

Cranberry Bliss Bars - modified from Mr. Breakfast

(Printable Version)

Cake base:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup dried cranberries, minced
1/4 cup white chocolate, chopped (I used white chips)
1/4 cup crystallized candied ginger, minced

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 T butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

Garnish:
2 T dried cranberries, minced
1/3 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish.

Beat butter and sugar together for the cake base, and add eggs/vanilla beating until fluffy. Sift together flour, ginger, and salt and then add to the butter/sugar mixture beating well. Fold in the cranberries, chocolate and ginger. Spread thick batter in pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden.

When cake is cooled, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread a thin layer over the cake. Immediately sprinkle with the minced cranberries. Then use a cake decorating bag of melted white chocolate with a tiny decorating tip (like the size used for writing on cakes) and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Cut this into bars immediately because the white chocolate hardens pretty fast and makes cake cutting messy.

Chicken Alfredo

Hubby says this tastes like Olive Garden's Chicken Alfredo...I've never eaten either because of food allergies, but I must say making this for him is much cheaper than going to Olive Garden!

Chicken Alfredo
(Printable Version)
1 pkg fettuccine pasta

olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin 1 inch strips
garlic powder
parsley
salt & pepper

1 pkg cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder, parsley, salt & pepper, as much or as little as you like; saute 5-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Cover skillet to keep chicken warm while preparing sauce.

In another skillet, melt cream cheese and butter over medium heat. The mixture will look kind of gross (just warning you!) and cream cheese will be chunky. Once the mixture begins to bubble, turn heat to low and slowly whisk in milk, parmesan and pepper. Warm over low heat until sauce is hot.
Assemble pasta, chicken, and sauce on plates and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Hop over to Cooking During Stolen Moments for more yummy main dish recipes!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Photo credits: Baco Recipes

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
(Printable Version)
5lb bag red potatoes, peeled and chunked
1 bulb of garlic, separated and cloves peeled
1 stick butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley (optional)

In a large pot boil potatoes and garlic cloves for 20 minutes or until tender; drain and return to pot. Add butter and cover with lid for 5 minutes to allow butter to melt. Add remaining ingredients and mash potatoes with an electric mixer. I start with 1/2 cup of chicken broth but then add more if the potatoes need to be creamier.

Visit The Happy Housewife for more great side dish recipes!

Cheese & Bacon Fries

I came up with this recipe after Jacob had Outback's fries. They are so easy and yummy!

Cheese & Bacon Fries
(Printable Version)
1 pkg frozen shoestring fries
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 (3oz) pkg real bacon bits

Cook fries in oven according to package directions. Once they are crispy, top with cheese and bacon bits. Return to oven for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

Visit Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for more yummy Appetizer recipes!

Homemade Hot Chocolate

What tastes better on cold nights than yummy hot chocolate?! We love hot chocolate and I was thrilled to find this recipe for super easy homemade hot chocolate! Once you try this, you'll never want to use the instant mix again. ha! You can easily double or triple the recipe too!

Homemade Hot Chocolate (recipe from There is no place like home)
(Printable Version)
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine cocoa, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in boiling water and heat mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously. Stir in milk and heat until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Serve with your favorite toppings. We like cool whip, marshmallows, cinnamon, peppermint sticks, or chocolate chips. Serves 3-4.

Be sure to head over to Parenting the Tiniest of Miracles for more holiday drink ideas!

Ham & Bean Soup

Ham & Bean Soup (modified from my Mom)
(Printable Version)
1 cup dried Great Northern beans
2 cups chicken broth (I used gluten-free)
4 cups water
2 cups cooked ham, cut into chunks
1 can Rotel
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Soak beans overnight according to package directions. Rinse and drain. In a large pot combine beans, broth, water, ham, Rotel and onion. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 - 2 hours, adding more water as needed. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes longer or until beans reach desired softness.

Yield: about 4 servings

Caramel Pie

You can't see all the yummy gooeyness of this pie because I made it to take to a friend. I'll post a better picture next time I make it.

Everyone loves this pie! You'd never guess that it only takes three ingredients to make!

Caramel Pie
(Printable Version)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pre-made graham cracker crust (or you can make your own)
1 (8oz) container cool whip, thawed

Boil unopened can of condensed milk in a deep saucepan covered for 2 hours. Make sure that the water covers the can the entire time. Carefully remove can from water and let cool for 30 minutes. Open can and spread caramel evenly on the bottom of the graham cracker crust. Top with cool whip. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.


This recipe is linked to Tidy Mom of 2:

Zucchini Casserole

This casserole is fast and super yummy! It's one of my favorite "go-to" side dishes for church dinners or when I'm taking a meal to someone.

Zucchini Casserole (recipe from my Mom)
(Printable Version)
4-5 medium zucchini, washed and cut into chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
1 box chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup

Cook zucchini, onion and salt in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly. In a bowl, microwave butter until melted; stir in stuffing mix and set aside. In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients.

Lightly grease a 13x9 glass baking dish. Layer: 1/2 of the stuffing mixture in the bottom of the pan, then add zucchini and onion, spread carrot mixture over zucchini, and then top with remaining stuffing mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Frosted Pumpkin Cranberry Bars

These bars are amazing! They got rave reviews at our church dinner last Sunday!

Frosted Pumpkin Cranberry Bars (modified from Taste of Home)
(Printable Version)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 to 6 T. milk

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin and butter; stir into dry ingredients until well combined. Stir in cranberries. Spread into a greased 15x10 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Spread over bars. Refrigerate several hours before cutting. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Yield: about 4 dozen

This recipe is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday!