Pecan Cups

Christmas reminds me of certain cookies. Pecan cups are one of them. It's like a little pecan pie, the crust is so flaky. They're a specialty of my mother's. Hers are a little bit prettier than mine, but they taste the same!

Pecan Cups

1 cup butter
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 and 3/4 cups light brown sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add flour and mix well. Flatten into 1 inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and let chill in fridge for about 1 hour.

In another bowl, mix the eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla and pecans together well.

Take the pastry dough out of the fridge and roll into 1 inch balls. Place one ball into a mini-tart pan (or if you don't have, you could probably use a regular muffin pan for small pies!) My pie and the device I used to push the dough down into the little tart things looked like this -

It made it really easy! I dipped the end into flour before I pushed it down into the tart cup (is that what it's called?)

Fill the cups about 3/4 of the way full with the pecan mixture. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until the edges of the tart are lightly browned.

It's easier to take them out right away and put them on a cooling rack, the longer they stay in there the harder it is to get them out.

Enjoy!

MIA

I realize I've been MIA. It's finals week. :( I'll be back with something new next week. Promise!!

Random Grilled Cheese

Look how good this looks.

It was crusty Italian bread + American cheese + I can't believe it's not butter spray + shredded blend of Italian cheeses

That's all.

Yum.

Buckeyes

Let me just start by saying that peanut butter and chocolate are like, a god sent combination. These cookies envelop those two flavors perfectly. I've tried so, so, so many different recipes for buckeyes to find the PERFECT one. And believe me, these could not be more perfect. When there's a graduation party, wedding, etc and you're in a large Italian family and all the women are amazing bakers, and everyone's asking the 16 year old kid to make buckeyes, you know you have a winner.

I kind of took step-by-step pictures for this one, for the first time. Promise I'm going to start using my camera. Promise.

Buckeyes
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups confectioner's sugar
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry.

Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

Chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.




Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate by sticking a toothpick in the middle. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

They'll sweat and almost look like they're starting to melt after you take them out, but they'll be fine. :)

Easy M&M Cookies

It's looking more and more like this blog is for baking, not necessarily everything. I'm ok with that.

My roommate had to make some cookies for a club she's in, and I recommended this recipe to her that I found that is superr easy. They are delicious. There were extras, and we literally ate them in one day. They're addicting. I would highly recommend them if you need to whip up some cookies in a hurry!

Easy M&M Cookies
adapted from hunwhatsfordinner.blogspot.com

1 yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup plain M&M's

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil in a large bowl till all the cake mix is dissolved. Stir M&M's into dough. Drop balls of dough (ours were pretty small) onto greased baking sheet. Bake 9-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool.

Warning: The first time I made these, the tops looked fine, but the bottoms were black. Make sure you don't overcook them!

Mediterranean Wrap

I loveeee hummus. Absolutely love it. Adore it. Me and my roommate ate a pound of it in a week.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

But anyway, there's this recipe for a wrap on the inside of the lid of the hummus we buy, (which is Sabra - my favorite store bought hummus) and we've wanted to try it for a while.

It was pretty good! I'm definitely going to make it again.

And I swear, next time I'll use my camera. It'll look so much better. I promise.

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap
source: Sabra Hummus

1/2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 wrap, any type
3 tablespoons hummus
2 romaine lettuce leaves
2 large tomatoes, slices

Marinate chicken in Italian dressing. (At least 1/2 hour but longer adds more flavor). Grill chicken until thoroughly cooked. Cut chicken into thin slices.
Spread hummus on wrap. Place lettuce, tomato slices and sliced chicken on top of hummus. Roll up the wrap. Makes 1 wrap.

Chicken & Biscuits

I really, really wish I could have taken a picture of the whole thing in the pan before we all dug in, but it just looked too good. And it was too good. My roommate said it reminded her of the Cheesecake Factory's version? I've never had it, but I do have to say this was very, very good.

Sorry about the green bowls. I know you're getting sick of them. They're all I have.
And, I'll stop using my phone's camera and start using my camera camera.
Promise.

Chicken & Biscuits

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables

2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (i used 99% ff)

3/4 cup milk (i used skim)

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (optional, I didn't use)

BISCUITS:

1 1/2 cups biscuit/baking mix (i used bisquick)

2/3 cup milk

In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, chicken, soup, milk, 1 cup cheese and bacon if desired. Pour into an ungreased 13x9 baking dish.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine bisquick and milk. Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto the chicken mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 20-22 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Top with the onions and remaining cheese. Bake 3-4 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Servings: 6

Caramel Apples

So, I did something kind of halloween-y.

When you're in college and can't go trick or treating or basically do anything except go to a party with girls who are hardly dressed, it doesn't feel so much like halloween anymore.

But me and my roommate made caramel apples. It helped a little.

Except, there went my points for the day.

I'm not mad. Those are what the extra points are for, right?

Just used some caramels, with a splash of heavy cream and vanilla. Boom.

We used mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and graham cracker pieces.

Yes, that's a knife in the one.

My roomie doesn't like popsicle sticks. Long story.

Pumpkin Roll

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I had something more halloween-y to post for today, but I don't. Fall reminds me of pumpkin (which I actually pronounce "punkin" and keep wanting to type that.) and my favorite dessert with it are pumpkin rolls! Something about the pumpkin and cream cheese inside together... mmmmmmm. I'm having a hard time not eating the entire thing.

Pumpkin Roll
Adapted from Libby's

3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened a bit
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 10x15 (i didn't have so i used 9x13) pan, and line with waxed paper. Grease and flour paper.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt. Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched, but doesn't stick to your finger. Immediately loosen and turn cake over onto a dish towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. carefully peel off wax paper. Roll up the cake and towel together, and let cool.
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Unroll cooled cake, and spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake without towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican is one of our favorite things to make. There's always very few ingredients, and it's absolutely delicious. Enchiladas are never a big hit for me, but because I'm on a budget and these weren't too labor intensive, we decided to give them a try. Holy cow, are they good. I wasn't sure how I felt about the sour cream mixture on top as we were preparing them, but it literally gave them that kick that made me love them.

We halved the recipe, because there was no reason we had to make 8. We all decided we'd definitely be making them again, though!

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
source: www.chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

2-3 cups shredded chicken

1-1/2 cups salsa

2 cups shredded cheese (we used a low-fat mexican blend)

1 14 oz can of Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (we only made four enchiladas, not eight and barely had enough.. maybe because the tortillas we used were so big? If I ever make 8, I'm definitely using 2 cans.)

8 tortillas

1 cup sour cream (we used low fat)

1/2 can cream of chicken (we used 99% fat free)

In a bowl, combine the cooked shredded chicken, salsa, and about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.

Dip the tortillas one by one into the enchilada sauce, and place them in a 9x13 pan. Place the chicken/salsa/cheese mixture into each one (about 1/8 of the mixture) and roll it up. We folded ours burrito style? Repeat for remaining tortillas and line up in the pan. It should even out to 8 enchiladas.

For the creamy topping, in a separate bowl, mix 1 cup sour cream with 1/2 can cream of chicken. Spread over the enchiladas, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.

Mine added up to about 10P+ per enchilada. Again, we used burrito-style tortillas (they were huge) so your p+ may differ.

Turkey Chili Taco Soup

Ok, let me just start by saying I was never a big fan of chili. I always hated beans. But this soup is amazing. And I didn't even mind the beans! Or the onions, which is something else I've never been a big fan of...

I can't wait for next week to eat my leftovers. <3


Turkey Chili Taco Soup
source: www.skinnytaste.com
According to Gina: Servings: 9, Serving Size: 1-1/4 cups, Points+: 5 pts

1.3 pounds 99% lean ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (i didn't use because i didn't have.)
10 oz can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
15 oz can of corn, drained
15 oz kidney beans, drained
8 oz tomato sauce (i just used ragu)
16 oz fat free refried beans (i didn't use.)
1 packet taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth.

In a large pot, brown the turkey on medium heat. When cooked, add onions and peppers and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Top with whatever you would top a taco with! We used a mexican cheese blend, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

The Best Oatmeal Combo I've Ever Made

So I've been playing around with oatmeal lately, and could NOT find a good combination of things to go with it. I finallyyyy got a good one.. it was absolutely delicious. It reminded me of apple pie. Mmmm

Source: Original

1/2 cup oats (I think mine are old-fashioned? hm.)
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
pinch salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 apple
1 tablespoon chopped pecans

Boil milk with pinch of salt. Stir in oats, let simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chop up apple into bite-size pieces. Put cooked oatmeal in bowl and stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, apple, and pecans.

P+: 9. Obviously using fat free milk, water, or different toppings with the oatmeal will change P+ value.

FYI:

I am on weight watchers, just in case you're wondering why I haven't really posted anything "healthy" yet. I like to bake. Sue me. I'll make a batch of something just to do it, keep a little for myself, and give the majority away (most of the time). Everything in moderation, right?? :)

Default Chocolate Chip Cookies

I honestly can't even remember where I got this recipe from. I might have gotten it 5 years ago when I was in like, middle school. I've had it so long because it's the best recipe I've ever made. The outside of the cookies are chewy, but the middle stays soft even after days. Until I find another recipe I like more, this is my chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended.
Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Each cookie = 5P+

Note: Made like this, they are HUGE cookies, and it made about 2 dozen. Next time I might actually use a rounded over tablespoon instead. They also spread out a ton, so I might also experiment with putting them in the fridge a little bit before they go in the oven so they're a rounder cookie, instead of flat.

Guacamole

First attempt at making guacamole: pretty much a success. I didn't even have guacamole or avacado until this year, because I always thought I didn't like it? Well, I do. And I apologize for the pictures, I'm using my phone until I find the memory card for my camera. They don't do it justice, it looked beautiful.

Guacamole
adapted from www.simplyrecipes.com


2 Ripe Avocados (You want to be able to push the skin in a little - but not too much, or they're overripe)
1/3 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1/2 diced ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed

Cut avocados in half and remove seed. Scoop out from the skin and put in mixing bowl.
Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the cilantro, onion, lime or lemon, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and mix in.

I found that I wasn't too keen on the onion, so next time I will probably use a little less. To try to even out the taste, I stirred in some sour cream and it made it better.

Also - depending on how chunky you want it, you can either just mix everything in like that, or put everything but the avocado in the food processor, and then just mix it in. I did it that way, because I wanted a smoother guacamole.
Enjoy!

I'm baaaaaaaack

Ok, so:

I had a blog before. Didn't keep up with it at all. But... that was during the summer, I worked full time, and came home to a meal made by my mommy. But now, I actually have time to do this.

I'm up for round two. Ding ding ding.
A little about me:

I'm 20 years old, and live in western Pennsylvania. I'm going to school for Information Systems and minoring in Business Administration. I'm obsessed with cooking, baking, etc. I'm also obsessed with good Italian food, chocolate, ice cream, bread, carbs, anything terrible for you.
That should be good for now. I'll get this up and running in no timeee.