Cookie Salad

A friend of mine from a few years back was so excited when she found out I had a blog. She told me that I had to post the recipe for the zebra cookies. I honestly had no idea what recipe she was talking about. I even googled zebra cookies to see if it would trigger a memory of some recipe I had made for her a few years ago, but it didn't work. I thought of all my cookie recipes and couldn't think of any that would even remotely resemble zebra cookies. I gave up the search and quickly forgot about her request. I'm sure she was frustrated that I never posted the recipe. She recently sent me another message asking me again to post the zebra cookie fruit salad thingy. This time the light went on! I knew exactly what recipe she was talking about and I am so excited to share it with all of you. Many of you might know this recipe. I personally like any way to get more fruits and veggies in, but in some sort of delicious unhealthy way. The fruit in this salad makes me feel a little bit better about eating all the cookies that are in it too! This is definitely a crowd pleaser for any age group!






Cookie Salad


Ingredients:

2 cups cold buttermilk

1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping and thawed, or 12 oz heavy whipping cream whipped and lightly sweetened.

2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained

1 can pineapple

1 (11.5 ounce) package fudge striped shortbread cookies, coarsely crushed

In a bowl, whisk the buttermilk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in whipped topping and oranges and pineapple. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Fold in crushed cookies.

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

I am all about anything unhealthy that involves chocolate. These brownies have been at the top of my favorite list for as long as I can remember. You really can't beat a brownie that has all sorts of yummy caramel oozing out of the middle. My sister especially has become an expert at making these. She made these for our last family get together and it just reminded me how much I love them! These brownies are bound to impress any guests and if you have any left overs then that means you get to eat them!

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

1 box Swiss chocolate cake mix (Swiss chocolate cake mixes can be hard to find, any chocolate cake mix will work just fine)
1 cube (1/2 cup)  butter softened
1/3 cup evaporated milk

6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

40 caramels
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Mix the first 3 ingredients, press half into a 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 6 oz chocolate chips. In a medium sauce pan mix 40 caramels and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Cook over medium low heat stirring frequently until melted. Drizzle over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining brownie mixture over top. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350. Serve warm if you like gooey brownies or refrigerated if you want them to stay together.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I don't know if any of you have heard of co-ops. I am fairly new to them. I know there are several different types of co-ops, but the type I'm talking about is the kind you get fruits and veggies from. There is one in our area that we get a laundry basket full of fruits and veggies for $15. You don't know what you are going to get each week, but I think that is half the fun. This week I got some broccoli (along with a lot of other good stuff) and the first thing I thought of to make with it was this recipe.

This is another one of my mom's recipes. She would make this for us all the time growing up. It is still one of my favorite recipes. The flavors just mesh so well together. I also love it because it has my meat and my veggies all in one dish. Ok to be completely honest my favorite part is the buttered croutons on top, but who wouldn't love croutons with a little extra butter?

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup miracle whip
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 package frozen broccoli (enough to cover bottom of pan)
4 chicken breasts or about a lb cooked and cubed (see *note)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
buttered croutons

Cook broccoli as directed on package. Lay broccoli in bottom of 8X8 casserole dish. Lay cubed chicken on top of broccoli. Mix soup, miracle whip, lemon juice, curry powder, and cheese in a medium size bowl. Spread mixture over top of chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Half way through baking process add buttered croutons.

*Note: I often cook a bunch of chicken in a crock pot with a little bit of chicken broth. Once it is cooked I shred it and place about a pound of chicken into a freezer bag and place them in the freezer. I can then pull out a lb at a time and use them whenever I need chicken.

Honey Sweetened Applesauce

There is this wonderful thing in our area called Bountiful Baskets. It is a co-op organization where you get a laundry basket full of fruits and veggies for a really good price. I have just recently started buying produce from them and have loved it! The only downfall is that a laundry basket full of fruits and veggies can sometimes be a lot for me and my husband to get through. I am proud to say that we have eaten most of it without too much going bad first (if you know my husband you know this is practically a miracle). Well I had a few apples left over and am planning on getting another basket this week so I decided to make some applesauce out of it. I LOVE homemade applesauce. We grew up on the homemade kind. My mom would always bottle a bunch every year or so. I didn't really ever try the store bought kind until later on in my life and let me tell you there is no comparison! Maybe it is because I am in charge of how sweet it is, or maybe it just tastes better because it is fresh, but there is a huge difference. This was my first time trying it with honey as the sweetener and I think it turned out quite fantastic. This makes a fairly small batch so feel free to double or triple it.

Honey Sweetened Applesauce

2 lbs apples cored, peeled, and chopped
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup water or apple juice

Directions:

1. Mix apples with honey and place in saucepan. Over medium heat, bring apples to a boil. Maintaining a medium temperature will allow the apples to release their juices but if there is any concern about scorching or burning, add water or apple cider 1/4 cup at a time as needed.
2. Allow the apples to boil, stirring often, until soft, usually 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Once the apples are soft, taste for sweetness. Add additional honey and/or spices if using.
4. Boil another five minutes or so to blend the flavors. Do not overcook or the honey will begin to turn the sauce very brown and possibly scorch.
5. Remove the pot from the heat. If canning the sauce, use a hot pack method and a hot water bath. If the applesauce is to be frozen, allow the sauce to cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Seasonal Cooking @ Suite 101

Honey Sweetened Whole Grain Carrot Cake

It was my sister-in-law's birthday at the end of last month and we decided to surprise her with a little family surprise party. I was put in charge of making the cake. This is never a problem because I love any excuse to make a dessert! My sister-in-law is much healthier than I am, and really enjoys using whole grains in everything and not using refined sugar. Since this was her party I decided to make a cake that would be to her liking. When I found this recipe I knew it was perfect for her cake. The only thing I didn't know is whether or not it would taste good. I also like eating healthy things, but they have to taste good! I made a little mini cake to test it out. To my surprise it actually was really good. We even took it over to some friends house and they all liked it too! The only picture I have of it is before we cut it. I decided we shouldn't cut it until the birthday girl got to see it, so sorry for no inside pictures.

Note: This recipe makes 1 8X8 pan. I actually doubled it and divided it between 3 round cake pans. I'm sure the doubled recipe would also work great in a 9X13 pan. I also doubled the frosting. For my 3 layer cake it was enough, but there was no extra and I wish I could have put a little more in between the layers. Also if you are not a huge fan of coconut flavor you can use butter instead of the oil in the frosting. I am not a huge fan of coconut and didn't mind the frosting, but it was getting pretty close to the line of too much for me.

Honey Sweetened Whole Grain Carrot Cake

Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/4 cup of honey (I added a few extra tbs for good luck)
2 tablespoons of lemon or orange juice
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
3 ounces of whole wheat flour, by weight
3 ounces of whole grain oat flour, by weight
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots (use your food processor shredding disc)
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (optional- I opted out)
Directions
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8 baking dish and set aside.
You want your coconut oil to be in a liquid form for this recipe. That happens at 76 degrees F. If your oil is not warm enough to be liquid, heat it until it is. Be careful not to let it get hot, as it will prematurely cook the eggs in the next step.
Put the coconut oil, honey, orange juice, eggs and vanilla extract into the work bowl of your favorite food processor fitted with a multipurpose blade. Process for two minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the whole wheat flour, whole grain oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Whisk to combine well. Add the shredded carrots and walnuts. Stir well.
Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just barely combined. Too much stirring will result in a tough carrot cake. Transfer to the greased baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Honey Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup of coconut oil, at room temperature
2 tablespoons of honey

Directions
Beat all three ingredients together until well creamed. You can do this with a stand mixer, hand mixer or with a wooden spoon. I wouldn't recommend the last one unless you are using it as part of your exercise program!

Recipe Source: Heather Krasovec

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes

I am a breakfast lover. Whenever I have time I love making a warm breakfast. I love pancakes, but always seem to play around with the ingredients. I love that pancakes can be so versatile. This was the recipe I came up with this morning and my husband and I both loved it. They are very filling and keep you full for quite a while.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbs peanut butter (I used Adam's crunchy but any kind would work)
2 tbs honey
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tbs golden flax seed
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat a nonstick griddle to 350 degrees. In a small mixing bowl combine the buttermilk and the egg. Whisk until incorporated. Add the peanut butter and honey mix until well combined. In a separate medium size combine the flour, flax seed, salt and soda. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated. You do not want to over mix. Pour approximately 1/3 cup mixture at a time onto the griddle and spread out slightly since the batter is quite thick. Brown on both sides turning once. Enjoy with butter and pure maple syrup.

Cream Biscuits

Recently I have been trying to live on a budget. Mostly I have realized how much money I can spend simply on food. I have never really made myself have a budget before so this has been a good experience. Well this recipe came about because we ran out of milk and I have used all my budget this month so I refuse to go get more. It is breakfast time and most things I make call for milk. I thought of biscuits and decided those could work. I found this recipe that called for cream (instead of milk and butter) and decided to try it. This recipe is the easiest biscuit recipe I have ever made. I LOVE that you don't have to cut in the butter. Yet they are still soft and delicious.

Cream Biscuits

Ingredients

3 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and (if using) sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, gently press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. It does not need to be completely smooth across the top. Cut into rounds, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Brush the tops with the butter. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or flash freeze* for future use.

*To flash freeze, place the unbaked biscuits on a lined baking sheet and place in the freezer until completely frozen (about 1-2 hours). Once frozen, the biscuits can carefully be placed in a ziploc bag and removed for baking as needed. Biscuits can be baked straight from the freezer, and additional few minutes baking time will be needed, usually around 3 to 5.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe