Cake Batter Blondies

I am not afraid to admit I like shortcuts sometimes. When I find a dessert recipe that uses a cake mix I am all for it. I have a bad habit of buying cake mixes when they go on sale and then they just sit in my cabinet until they expire. So when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it....besides, who doesn't like funfetti?!

From Six Sisters' Stuff

INGREDIENTS
1 box yellow (or Funfetti!) cake mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 – 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles (if you use a yellow cake mix, add these in)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips 

DIRECTIONS

Combine the cake mix, oil, and egg in a large bowl. Add the milk slowly – you want the batter to remain as dense as possible. Then mix in white chocolate chips.

Spray pan (either 8x11" or 9x9" pan) with non-stick cooking spray. Dump batter in pan and spread to the edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. They will be a little soft/gooey in the middle- just let them sit for about 20-30 minutes and they will set up.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

I love jambalaya and love it even more when I can throw everything into the slow cooker and walk away. This was full of flavor and the perfect dinner to come home to after working all day. All I had to do was cook up some rice...I used flavored rice for an extra punch of flavor.

From Plain Chicken

INGREDIENTS

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
white rice or instant rice (I used 2 packs of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice - Garlic & Butter flavor)

DIRECTIONS

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.  

Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Mix in cooked rice cook for about 15 minutes to warm through.

Eggnog Eclair Dessert

 

It is that time of year for eggnog to be back on the shelves...and this is something you must make while you can get your hands on it!

Slightly adapted from Kraft

INGREDIENTS

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 cups eggnog         

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding       

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg         
2-1/2 cups  thawed cool whip whipped topping, divided         

78 NILLA Wafers         
2 squares  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate                 

    
DIRECTIONS

BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix, extract and nutmeg; beat 2 min. Gently stir in 1-1/2 cups cool whip.

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Arrange 15 wafers, top-sides down, on bottom of pan; cover with 1/4 of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers 3 times. Top with 15 of the remaining wafers. Refrigerate 3 hours.

INVERT dessert onto plate; remove plastic wrap. Microwave chocolate and 1 cup of the remaining cool whip in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 25 sec.; stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Cool 1 min. Pour over dessert. Garnish with remaining cool whip and wafers.

Garlic Studded Pork Tenderloin

I haven't posted in well, forever...but I made this recipe last night and it was so amazing I had to get back on here to share it. The marinade ingredients are all strong tastes, but when you mix these all together it gives you an unforgettable flavor combination. I always worry about my pork being dry, but the end result was the moistest pork I have ever made, or had for that matter. This is worthy of a dinner party or even a holiday.

From:  Foodie Sisters

INGREDIENTS

1 package of pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins total about 2-2.5lbs)
4 garlic cloves, quartered/sliced/slivered
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon country dijon mustard (whole grain mustard)
4 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or Herbs de Provence
freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Take tenderloins out of package. Rinse and pat dry. Spray a 9x13 baking dish and place tenderloins inside.
Use a paring knife and poke holes on the top side of the tenderloins, about an inch deep. Place a garlic piece into each hole.

Make the marinade next. In a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together everything except for olive oil. Then slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking.

 

Pour marinade over tenderloins.

 

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting once halfway through cooking process.

Once removed from the oven, let pork rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting in.

Don't forget to pour the sauce over the pork, it is amazing!

Baked Lemon Donuts

From A Bitchin' Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

For the donuts:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 6-oz container Lemon Greek Yogurt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup milk
Zest of one lemon

For the glaze:

Juice of one lemon
1 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare donut pan by spraying with non-stick baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together egg, yogurt, oil, milk and lemon zest. Gradually add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, while mixing, until just combined. Using a pastry bag, pipe batter into prepared donut pan. Bake 10-15 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the donut comes out clean. Cool donuts on wire baking rack. 

While donuts are cooling, prepare glaze. Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar, and whisk together. Drizzle glaze over cooled donuts, or dip each donut into the glaze for complete coverage. 

Sweet Corn Mac 'n' Cheese

 

From The Food Network

INGREDIENTS

Two 8-ounce cans creamed corn

1 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon onion powder, optional

1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch

Pinch ground nutmeg

Salt and ground black pepper

3 dashes hot sauce, optional, plus more for serving

2 cups elbow macaroni

8 ounces grated mild yellow Cheddar

12 ounces grated mozzarella

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup croutons (I used panko breadcrumbs)

1 tablespoon olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Move one rack to the top of the oven.

In a saucepan, simmer the corn with the milk and onion powder, if using, for 5 minutes.

Combine the cornstarch with about 2 tablespoons water and stir well. Add the cornstarch to the corn mixture and whisk over medium heat for 3 minutes. Season the corn cream with a little nutmeg, salt, pepper and hot sauce if using. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.

Boil the elbow macaroni in full rolling salted water for 4 to 6 minutes. Drain the macaroni well and add to the corn cream. Add the Cheddar, half of the mozzarella and the egg. Stir well. Pour into a 4-cup casserole dish or 12-inch cast-iron skillet and top with the remaining mozzarella.

In a zip-top plastic bag, lightly crush the croutons using a small mallet or rolling pin. Stir together the oil and crushed croutons and spread over the top of the macaroni and corn mixture. Cook on the top rack until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with hot sauce.

Oreo Truffle Brownies

 

Pretty much everyone has had brownies and most people have had Oreo truffles...so when you put them together you can imagine how rich are fantastic they are. I did cheat and used a brownie mix since I had one sitting around, but the original recipe does call for brownies made from scratch.

From:  Chef In Training
INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package Double Stuffed Oreos

4 ounces cream cheese softened, add more as needed (I used almost all 8 ounces)

10 ounces Dipping Chocolate

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and blend well. Add vanilla, salt, cocoa and flour. Don’t overbeat. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely.While brownies are cooling, make Oreo truffle layer. Crush Oreos finely in a food processor or by putting them in a ziplock bag and smashing them until finely ground with a rolling pin. When Oreos are finely crushed, using hands (or a spoon, I just think hands are faster), mash softened cream cheese and crushed Oreos until well combined. Start with 4 oz and keep adding until desired consistency is reached. When Brownies have cooled completely, place layer of Oreo truffle on top.Melt dipping chocolate (you can use chocolate chips or other chocolate candy coating) and pour and spread evenly over the top of the Oreo truffle layer. Cover and put in fridge until set.

Recipe Rewind:  Peanut Butter Cups Sugar Cookie Cups

Baked Spaghetti Lasagna

 

All I can say about this is you must make it....now! And it makes a ton of gooey goodness.

From Cassie Craves

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) spaghetti

8 cups (32 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup half and half, milk, or heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper


2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Salt and pepper, and any other seasonings, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.

In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, cream cheese, half-and-half, mozzarella, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and half of the parmesan cheese. Add spaghetti and toss until well coated.

Pour the spaghetti mixture into a 9 x 13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Top spaghetti with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover dish aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes.

While the pasta is baking, prepare the meat sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet; add onion and sausage and saute until the meat is cooked through and the onion is translucent. Add spaghetti sauce, adjust for seasoning, and simmer until the pasta is ready.

Remove the pasta from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the pasta into squares and top each serving with the meat sauce.

 

Recipe Rewind:  Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas