German Chocolate Cookies

Well...almost German Chocolate Cookies. I am not a huge fan of nuts, and so these are a chocolate cookie with a German Chocolate frosting on top, minus the pecans, drizzled with chocolate. If you like coconut, you will love this cookie!!
I have been thinking about making this cookie for a little over a year, I don't know why it took me so long to make it, but I am happy to report that they are as good as I had expected them to be all this time! Hope you all enjoy as well!

German Chocolate Cookies

Cookie:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls and place on an un-greased cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting:
In a medium sauce pan, slightly  beat 1 egg.
Stir in 2/3 cup Evaporated Milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter.
Cook and stir over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of coconut (if you want to add pecans, cut back the coconut to 1 1/3 cup and ad 1/2 cup of chopped pecans).
Press a sheet of wax paper over the top of the mixture and cool completely.

Once both the frosting and cookie have cooled, spread frosting on the tops of each cookie. Take about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and melt them. Pour that in a Ziploc bag, and cut a small tip off the end of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the top of the frosting.
Place cookies in fridge so the chocolate can set up.
Enjoy!!

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches

Last night we tried a delicious new recipe. A few friends of mine have told me about this sandwich that my friend Megan makes, and so I finally got around to trying it, and it was FANTASTIC! While we were eating dinner my husband kept going on about how good it was (and he usually does not do that), and told me it was "Blog worthy". So low and behold, I am finally posting a new recipe! You must try it out!
I only had a 2.5 pound roast,  but made the full recipe and so we had a lot of juice, and so we served our sandwiches with a side of the juice and dipped our sandwiches in the juice with each bite. Megan told me they scoop up the meat and juice and stick it on the bun, and the bun gets juicy. You choose which way you want to serve it, but either way is delicious!! Thanks for the recipe Megan M. I will for sure be making this many more times!

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups water with 3 Beef Bullion cubes (or 3 tsp of Beef Bullion, Watkins is my favorite brand, WAY less salty than other brands)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper (this makes it a little spicy, so you can cut back this amount)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp onion salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 Bay leaf

1 package of Italian style dry salad dressing mix (this is key!)

1, 5 lb Rump Roast or Chuck Roast 

Directions 

Mix all of the ingredients, expect the beef in a crock pot. Mix together, then add your beef. Cook for 8-12 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. About 1 hour before you are ready to serve, shred the beef and place back in slow cooker. Serve on Italian rolls with shredded mozzarella cheese and Giardiniera peppers (if preferred).

Spanish Rice, Round 2

Awhile back, Amy posted a recipe for Spanish Rice , and it is great! A few years back my sister Katie came up with an original recipe that I make all the time and want to share this recipe with you as well. It is a little different than Amy's and I figure you can never have to many recipes for rice. This is a great Spanish Rice, and really quite quick to throw together to go with any sort of Mexican inspired dish you might make. I have added a couple of extras to her original recipe, that I think make great additions!

Spanish Rice
Print Recipe

2 Tbls Butter
1 clove of garlic
1/4 onion, grated
1 cup of white rice
3 tsp Tomato Bullion
2 cups of water
1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbls cilantro, chopped
1/2 tomato, chopped

Melt butter in medium saucepan over med-high heat. Add onion and garlic and let cook for a few seconds, then add your rice and stir all together for 1-2 minutes. Add bullion and stir well. Next, add the 2 cups of water and turn heat up to high. Bring that mixture to a boil, and then cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and let cook, with out lifting the lid or stirring, for 20 minutes until rice is soft and all water is absorbed.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Once cheese is incorporated, add cilantro and tomato and serve warm.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

If you like the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, than these cookies were made for you! I found this recipe years ago off of allrecipes.com, and it is such a yummy cookie! The dough is made up of both chocolate and peanut butter and then filled with peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and peanut butter cups...a winning combination for sure!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened


• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter


• 3/4 cup white sugar


• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar


• 2 eggs


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour


• 1/3 cup cocoa powder


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


• 1 cup peanut butter chips


• 10 chocolate covered peanut butter cups, cut into eighths

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F


2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; stir into the peanut butter mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and peanut butter cups. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.


3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for 1 or 2 minutes on sheet before removing, or they will fall apart.

Recipe from: allrecipes

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

A few weeks ago I was asked to make 100 cupcakes for my daughter Rachel's dive banquet. My kids and I love watching "Cupcake Wars", and after seeing that several times I felt inspired to try and make them somewhat gourmet-ish. So I made 3 kinds, Red Velvet, Chocolate Malt, and White Chocolate. They turned out awesome!! Everyone --even the moms and dads-- were going back for seconds. These Red Velvet were my favorites. After searching for a good recipe and not finding a great one--( I mean one Tablespoon of cocoa only? I don't think so.)- I adapted this one from McCormick. Topped with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting, these cupcakes are moist, creamy and velvet-y. They're seriously amazing. I can't wait to make them for 4th of July w/ white frosting and blue sprinkles next year! I might make them for Christmas too-or turn them into a cake, we'll see~

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Print Recipe

Cupcakes:
1 cup Butter, softened
2 1/4 cups Sugar
4 Eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 oz. Red Food Coloring
2 1/4 cups Bread Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Heat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar til fluffy, 3 minutes. Add eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream. Beat again til smooth. Add vanilla and red food color, blend/stir in on low speed or you will turn red!!
On top of this mixture, add flour but DON'T stir in. Carefully add cocoa powder, backing soda and salt right onto the flour blob on top of your wet ingredients. Get a fork and gently stir the dry ingredients together, then blend them into your wet ingredients. If you want to stir them separately, be my guest and use a separate bowl. I personally try whenever possible to condense my baking into one bowl!! Fill cupcake tins/liners 2/3 full and bake for 18-22 minutes or til toothpick comes out clean. **Tip: I have recently discovered that using my Pampered Chef Cookie Scoop works AWESOME for filling cupcake tins! No mess, it is a miracle. I only have the small one and the medium, so I use the medium. I usually have to add 1 1/2 scoops or so to each cupcake, but it's sooooo easy!! Thinking I need the large one..........................       


Frosting:
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened (if you want a stiffer frosting for piping you can mix it up w/ cold cream cheese. That's what I did. I used my Bosch but any mixer will probably do.)
1/2 cup Butter, softened (or see above note)
2 oz. White Chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
4 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese and butter til smooth. Add vanilla. Add white chocolate and mix. Add in powdered sugar. Taste. If your kids aren't around, lick the beaters. If they are around, be the mother of the year and let them have them.

Mu Shu Chicken or Pork Wraps

When I was younger, my mom loved to take a break from cooking on the weekends and take us out to dinner. And one of her favorite places to take us was a Chinese restaurant where they served Mu Shu Pork. We loved it! So several years ago I was reading a Family Fun magazine and saw this recipe for Mu Shu Wraps made in the crock pot. I made it that very week and it was a hit, it's super simple and my family loves it. I can't think of many things that bring me more joy at 5:00 p.m. in the evening than having dinner already done in the slow cooker!

This recipe actually calls for chicken, but I have also made it with a pork (details will follow :) and it tastes delicious either way.

Mu Shu Pork or Chicken Wraps, makes about 8-10 Wraps

Print Recipe

1 large Onion, sliced

2 pounds boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs OR a 2 pound Pork Roast
1  jar (7 oz) or 1 cup Hoisin Sauce (in the Asian section of the grocery store, see pic below)
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
2 cups Broccoli Coleslaw -I have found this at both Walmart and the 99 cent store
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Sugar
Flour Tortillas
*Hoisin Sauce


Spray a 4 quart slow cooker (you could also use a 3 or 5 quart if that's what you have) with cooking spray. Place sliced onion in the bottom. Lightly season chicken thighs or pork roast with a bit of salt and pepper and place on top of onions. Cook on low 4 or 5 hours (a pork roast may cook a bit longer)or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and onions to a bowl and shred the meat. Pour remaining juices out of the slow cooker. Place hoisin sauce, honey, and ginger in the crock pot and stir. Place meat and onions in the crock pot and stir into sauce. Let sit for a few minutes while you gather and prepare other ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Pour over broccoli coleslaw and stir.







Place a tortilla on a plate, spoon on meat and onion mixture.

 

Cover with broccoli slaw and wrap up and eat!! I like serving these with rice and fresh fruit on the side.

Recipe Source: adapted from Family Fun Magazine

Chocolate Scotchekoos

It's summertime, you're tired, it's way too hot to bake, but you're craving sweets? Trust me, I can relate. That's why I'm sharing this amazing, delicious, NO BAKE, 10 minute recipe with you today. These are sooooo good, everyone who tries them asks for the recipe. Once we had about 20 kids swimming in our backyard, and I wanted to serve them a treat. So I quickly made two batches of this and I kid you not, they were all gone in less than 5 minutes.

So I have to tell you about the book this recipe came from. It's called the "Candy Cookbook", and it was handed down to me from my grandma. Unfortunately there isn't a publishing date on it, but it was likely published in the 1950's. Anyway, it opens with this choice tidbit:
 "Candy is energy food for young and old alike. The things that candy is made of-----sugar, corn syrup, molasses, honey, butter, eggs, milk, cream, chocolate, nuts---contain the basic proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that children and adults need in their daily diets."
I'm TOTALLY serious....it says that!! Ahhh, the good ole' days when candy was health food. Even though it wasn't, I would have loved to eat it back in the 1950's, believing it was a necessary part of a my day!!

Chocolate Scotchekoos
Print Recipe
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Corn Syrup (you can substitute pancake syrup, or use 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/2 cup pancake syrup. I actually love the flavor of maple mixed in with the peanut butter, it's super yummy!!)
1 cup creamy Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter. Add vanilla. Stir in Rice Krispies. Press into a 13x9 inch pan. Immediately top with chocolate chips and cover with a cookie sheet or foil. Chocolate chips should melt after several minutes, then remove cover and spread melted chocolate over Rice Krispy mixture. (if your chocolate chips don't melt, just put pan in the oven for a few minutes, but I've never had to do that.)