Coconut Cream Fruit Dip

I found this recipe on the "Dessert Now, Dinner Later" blog here.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• One 15 ounce can of Cream of Coconut (this is in the drink mixers aisle--this is not coconut milk)
• 1 cup of whipping cream & 1/4 cup powdered sugar & vanilla to taste, whipped to stiff peaks (Or, to simplify, use 8 oz of Cool Whip, thawed)

Instructions:

1. Whip softened cream cheese until there are no lumps.
2. Whip in the whole can of cream of coconut until thoroughly blended.
3. Fold in the whipped cream (or cool whip) just until evenly mixed.
4. Serve with fruit, cookies, etc.  Refrigerate the leftovers.

This makes a LARGE bowl of this yummy dip!!  (You can half it, if you have something to do with the rest of that can of cream of coconut!)

June 2015 Rotation

Twix Caramelitas

Ingredients
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup of flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 milk chocolate bars (I used symphony bars)
24 caramels
1/4 cup evaporated milk
10 twix minis, chopped (I used bite sized, and chopped them in half-and did as many as would fit)

Instructions
1. In a glass bowl, unwrap the caramels and add the evaporated milk. Melt in the microwave in 30
second intervals, stirring between. Set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 350.
3. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. Stir to
combine and press 1/3 into an 8x9" pan. (I put them in a 9" pie plate.) Bake for 8-10 minutes and remove from the oven.
4. Lay the chocolate down, top with caramel and twix and sprinkle the remaining crust mixture on
top. Bake an additional 15 minutes and set aside to cool before cutting. Or serve warm, which is
our favorite but more messy.  (I think it would have been yummier with vanilla ice cream!)

http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/twix-carmelitas-recipe.html

Peanut Butter Brownie Caramelitas

Ingredients
1 cup butter melted, then cooled
4 eggs
2 teaspoons McCormick® vanilla
2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup peanut butter morsels
1 eleven ounce bag of Kraft® Caramel Bits
1 teaspoon McCormick® vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (I used whipping cream!) 

Instructions
1. Melt butter in microwave and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Sift together all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla. Add into the dry ingredients and gently stir.
4. Pour the melted butter into brownie mixture and mix until just incorporated.
5. Spread 1/2 of the brownie batter (about 2 cups) into a prepared 9-inch square pan and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Caramel Sauce
6. Place caramel bits in a medium saucepan and turn heat to medium-low. Add in milk and stir until all caramel bits are melted (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and add in vanilla, stir to fully incorporate.
7. When time is up, remove brownie from oven and cover with 1 cup of peanut butter morsels. (I used more than 1 cup)
8. Pour caramel sauce over over peanut butter morsels.
9. Cover caramel sauce with remaining two cups of brownie batter.  (This didn't really "spread" over the caramel sauce for me--I just dropped it in about 9 dollops around the pan...)
10. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until edges start to get a little dark. (It took more like 30-35 min to bake.)
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, at least 4 hours.

http://iambaker.net/peanut-butter-brownie-caramelitas/

May 2015 Rotation

April 2015 Rotation

March 2015 Rotation

February 2015 Rotation

January 2015 Rotation

December 2014 Rotation

Fruit Dip

1 c. brown sugar                   

1 tsp. vanilla

8 oz. cream cheese

Mix together until smooth. Serve with apples or any fruit.

November 2014 Rotation

October 2014 Rotation

September 2014 Rotation

Almond Butter Cookies With Raspberry Centers

1 c Butter
1/2 c Sugar
2 c Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Almond Extract

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and sugar.
Mix in remaining ingredients.
Form into 1" ball, roll in sugar, and place on cookie sheet.
If you want them to just be plain, flatten with a fork with a criss-cross mark.
I flattened the center of the cookies and baked them.  Then, while they're still hot on the cookie sheet, I spooned raspberry jelly into the centers.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

August 2014 Rotation

July 2014 Rotation

Shredded Beef for Tacos

3 lb chuck roast

1 can green chili sauce

1 cup beef broth (or 1 cup water and 1 beef bullion cube)

1 small can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 onion

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Place chuck roast in crock pot, pour green chili sauce, beef broth, and tomato sauce over the top and add cumin and garlic.  Cut an onion in half and place full onion rings on top of the roast to flavor (they will be removed when the roast is cooked and discarded).  Cook on low for 8-9 hours or until the meat falls apart easily.  Shred meat into a different container, strain juices from the crock pot and pour over shredded beef.  Enjoy!  :)

May 2014 Rotation

My super talented friend took this picture of the north end of our neighborhood...

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

Pudding:

1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 1/4 pounds white bread (2 loaves) (I used about 1 and a half loaves of Bainbridge Island Cinnamon Swirl bread.  If you cube it and let it get stale for a little while, it soaks up the custard better.)
1/2 cup caramel sauce (below)
--nonstick cooking spray

Caramel Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup corn syrup (it says you can also use maple)
1 1/3 cups heavy cream

Instructions:

To make the pudding:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the sugar, eggs, heavy whipping cream, milk and melted butter in a bowl and mix together until sugar is thoroughly combined.  Add the bread and fold it in (I put the cubed bread in the greased 9 x 13 pan and then dumped the custard over the top).  Put the mixture in a 9 x 13 pan that is sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour 1/2 cup of the caramel sauce over the top and bake at 350F for 30 minutes; check, rotate and bake up to 30 minutes more (or until golden brown).

To make the caramel sauce:
Combine white sugar, brown sugar, butter and syrup in a pot and cook over medium-high heat until all ingredients liquify.  Caution: this sauce gets very hot so be careful.  Remove from heat and add the cream.

Serve bread pudding hot, in a bowl with vanilla ice cream and more caramel sauce.

--Recipe from the Junior League of Ogden's Art of Cooking

April 2014 Rotation

March 2014 Rotation

February 2014 Rotation

January 2014 Rotation

December 2013 Rotation