Day 24: Labor Day Spinach dip

- 1 package of vegetable soup mix (dry)
- 1 container of sour cream (large)
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 box of frozen spinach (chopped, thawed and drained)
- 1 small can of tiny shrimp
- 1 small can of crabmeat
- green onions (chopped)*
- cheddar cheese (shredded)*
- 1 round bread loaf (large)

Day 23: Friday Lasagna Night!

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 32 ounces cottage cheese
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 9 lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat brown the ground beef. Drain the grease. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, eggs, half of the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper.
3. To assemble, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of the sauce mixture. Cover with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 cup water to the edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F(175 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

from Pillsbury

1/2 C butter, melted
2 C graham cracker crumbs (32 squares)
1 8 oz. bag toffee bits
1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 12oz. bag chocolate chips
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 T butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Grease 13x9 baking dish and heat oven to 350.

Have the roll of cookie dough sitting out for around 10 minutes to soften up.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup of melted butter, 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and 3/4 cup of toffee bits. Pour mixture into the greased pan and press evenly until mixture covers bottom of pan. Refrigerate for around 15 minutes.

In a 2 qt saucepan, heat the milk, chocolate chips and the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Stir frequently until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Spread the mixture over the graham cracker crumb mixture.

In another medium mixing bowl, break up the cookie dough and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs until blended. Crumble the mixture evenly over the chocolate layer and the sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup toffee bits on top.

Bake for about 25-35 minutes or until it's golden brown. Cool completely before cutting, probably around 2 or more hours.

Day 22: S'more cupcakes!!!

I woke up this morning at 6:30am.  Honestly the reason why was because yesterday night I was up until midnight.  Just so you all know, I am by far too old to be staying up until the wee hours in the morning.  Especially since I have 2 young children.  I drug all day... until I had a lightbulb moment and decided to get a triple grande latte from Starbucks to give myself a zing.  Well... it did give me a zing but I'm still fidgety from it... at 9 o clock at night.  Crazy!!  3 Shots of expresso didn't used to effect me this way... or I don't recall it doing so.  Any who.... Onto the recipe!!!!

I made cupcakes tonight... surprise surprise right?  I love cupcakes.  Believe it or not I usually only try at most a bite of my finished product.  It's funny when you start making them all the time they lose their charm.  I give this cupcake recipe a medium in difficulty just because they take so dang long to make!  3 and a half hours later I was packing them in pyrex containers for Jon to take to work tomorrow.  Too long if you ask me!!  Also, the recipe called for a cream cheese buttercream icing... and let me reiterate that cream cheese icing in general rather "buttercream" or other wise SUCKS.  SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS.  period.  You just don't get that wonderful consistency that you get when you use shortening instead.  So... keep that in mind when you see my piping onto the cupcakes.  Runny icing is an understatement... But... Jon said they were awesome and that people at his work would eat them.... so there you go.  All of my cupcakes either have a problem with the cake moistness (my wreck of a margarita cupcake) or the icing is too runny or doesn't taste right.  Perfecting the art has taken longer than expected.

Cake Recipe

1 ¾ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder                          

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup boiling water

Graham cracker crumbs (fine crumbs)

Marshmallow Cream Centers:

4 oz cream cheese

½ cup marshmallow cream

1 ½-2 cups powdered sugar

Graham Cracker Buttercream:

8 oz cream cheese

½ cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (fine crumbs)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 tablespoons whipping cream or milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 360 degrees and line cupcake pans with liners (24).
Mix sugar, brown sugar and oil for 3 minutes until smooth.

3.   add sour cream and vanilla extract stir well.

4.    Add eggs one at a time and mix only until incorporated. 

5.    In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

6.   Add dry ingredients and boiling water to sugar mixture alternating between the two. 

7.    Spoon ¾ teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner.  Shake pan to spread evenly. 

8.   Fill liners ¾ full and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


This is what the cupcakes looked like when they were done:

9.   Mashmallow Cream Centers: Beat cream cheese, marshmallow cream and powdered sugar.  Add more powdered sugar to taste.  (This mixture should not be thick like a buttercream, because it will be in the center of your cupcake.)

10. When cupcakes are cooled, cut out a small area from the top of the cake and pipe marshmallow cream into each cupcake.


This is what the cupcakie centers looked like:

mmm!!  Now let me show you a picture of the "piping bag" I used... it was simply a sandwich ziplock with the corner cut off:

11.   Graham Cracker Buttercream: Beat cream cheese and butter until light and creamy.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and graham cracker crumbs.  At this point, the buttercream will look like cookie dough.  Add heavy cream a little bit at a time until buttercream consistency is reached. 

12.  Pipe onto cooled, marshmallow filled cupcakes.


The Cupcakes looked awesome except for the horrid icing :)  Here's a finished pic:

l p
They are ok cupcakes.... but my own homemade recipe was much better.  I'm still perfecting my art.  But I love cupcakes.  It's a passion. :)  until next time!  xoxo