Sinful Brownies

Don't fall over....it's a post from the Cookin' Clucks!

I found this recipe linked somewhere and emailed it around because they looked so good. Here's the best part, Shaila actually made them so we know how good they are. True to the website they were found on, she said they are to die for. On that website they are called Better Than Crack Brownies, ha.

Better-Than-Crack Brownies

1 batch brownies (boxed mix or oooey gooey brownies)

1/2 cup salted peanuts (if don’t have salted, add sea salt)

1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups

1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.

While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Shaila added that you should use a box of brownies meant for an 8x8 pan but use a 9x13 pan instead so they are thinner on the bottom.

Go ahead make them and report back!

Chocolate Lava Cakes

This is one of my favorite desserts and it's SO easy! These little cakes are a little bit of heaven with vanilla ice cream. I made these for Marion and Shaila while they were here and Shaila suggested I put it on our blog.




Chocolate Lava Cakes

1 stick of butter
4 Squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1 C. Powdered Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks
6 T. Flour

Preheat oven to 425. Melt butter and chocolate in microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and whisk together until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Add powdered sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and flour. Butter 4 custard cups and divide batter evenly into cups. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until cake-like on top. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto plates. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ranch Turkey Burgers

These are good twist on a burger recipe and the kids love them. I have used both fresh ground turkey and the frozen chubs. The fresh is more expensive and to be honest neither Milo or I could tell a difference in the taste. It was just easier to already have the meat defrosted. When the fresh is on sale, go for it.

• 2 pound ground turkey
  
• 1 pkt ranch dressing mix (can use another 1/2 packet if you like a stronger flavor)
  
• 2 egg
• Garlic powder to taste
• Worcestershire sauce (about 1/8 c.)
  
• seasoned salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 c bread crumbs
  

The measurements on this aren't exact, to each his own on how strong you like your burger. The kids like to eat them on a bun. Tonight Milo and I ate them without a bun and sliced avocado on top and it was yum!

The original recipe was to grill these but since it's winter, I used my griddle and they turned out good. Ground turkey doesn't hold together as well as beef so you have to really pat them together and flip carefully. This recipe made 10 good size patties. (sorry I forgot to take a photo!)

Chocolate Eclair Cake

I was really craving those red velvet cupcakes that Melanie posted. I was all ready to make them today and realized, I didn't have any cocoa, and forgot it at the store!! I was in the chocolate mood, which is hard when you don't have cocoa. So this is as close to chocolate that I'm getting today. My sister in law Laura posted this quite a while ago and I've loved it ever since. Now go and make it and don't share it with anyone else. You won't be sorry!!Chocolate Eclair Cake

Crust:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Bring the water and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour. Beat in the eggs with a spoon one at a time. Bake in a 9x13 greased pan at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool.

Filling:
1 (6 oz) package vanilla instant pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
Mix the milk and pudding, fold in the cream cheese and pour over crust. Put in refrigerator until set.

8 oz. Cool whip

Top with cool whip.

Chocolate:

3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar

Melt together milk, choc. chips, butter. Add powdered sugar. Cool, then drizzle over cool whip. Refrigerate.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I know I've said this before about a recipe on a recipe blog because I haven't actually made these cupcakes but that doesn't mean I don't want to share it. I've only eaten them and they are sooooo gooooooood!! At Heidi's (my sister in law) brother's wedding reception her mom served these delish cupcakes and I thought I'd share just in time for Valentine's Day. Cute red cupcakes for the holiday, what a good idea. Thanks for sending the recipe on Heidi! (Sorry this is so spaced out, it's how it copy/pasted since I'm too lazy to retype it all. They come from this website)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 bottle (1 ounce) McCormick® Red Food Color

2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in sour cream, milk, food color and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup two-thirds full.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely. Frost with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened, 2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar until smooth.

French Breakfast Puffs

To say that I am obsessed with the Pioneer Woman would not be an exageration! I love her! I read her blog everyday! I have read her love story, "Black Heels To Tractor Wheels". I think that her and I are soul mates. This was solidified on the day she talked about her love for Diet Dr.Pepper.

Anyway, I found this recipe on her blog and decided to make it for my family for breakfast a couple of Saturdays ago. They were wonderful and full of calories, but we loved them! So here they are along with the recipe!

French Breakfast Puffs

3 C. Flour
3 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Ground Nutmeg
1 C. Sugar
2/3 C. Crisco
2 Eggs
1 C. Milk
1 1/2 C. Sugar
3 t. Cinnamon
2 Sticks of Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.




In a different bowl, cream together 1 C. sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.



Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden.




In a bowl, melt 2 sticks of butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, soak well, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Eat. Faint.

Creamy Tomato Penne

I feel torn between posting here and Matt's blog, so I'm just posting both places. I'm just figuring people don't look at both, so it won't be like I'm repeating this. Although I am going to copy and paste this so it will be exactly the same!
I got this recipe from Pioneer Woman. I love her site and read it all the time now, I think what draws me in regularly are her giveaways. She gives away Kitchen Aids, to cameras, to $250 gift cards. It's amazing, and I'll never win, but I can't help trying! This recipe has shrimp in it, and I'm not a seafood fan, let alone I barely eat meat, but I had to try it for Matt, and it just looked plain good! I really liked it, but eventually had to sift through the shrimp. It would be good with chicken too, although I still wouldn't really eat the chicken. I would also like it without any meat!
Creamy Tomato Penne

1 Pound Shrimp

3/4 Pound Penne Pasta

Butter

Olive Oil

1 Small Onion

2 Cloves Garlic

1/2 Cup White Wine

1 8oz. Can Tomato Sauce

1 Cup Heavy Cream

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Basil

Salt & Pepper

Cook the Penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse *under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 Tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple of minute until just opaque. Do not over cook them. Remove them to a plate and let cool for a few minutes.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.

In a large skillet heat 2 Tbsps. butter and 2 Tbsps. Olive Oil. Add the garlic and onion and saute,

stirring occasionally. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite-sized pieces and set aside. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit, add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low sodium chicken broth instead (about 1/2 cup).

Now add and 8 oz. can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup off heavy cram. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer while you chop your herbs. About a Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley and about the same amount of chopped basin or if you're feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.