7 Minute Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Place sugar, cream of tartar or corn syrup, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld electric mixer for 1 minute. Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. (If this happens, it could cause your frosting to become grainy). Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

Skinny Strawberry Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen
1 1/2 - 2 c. strawberries, hulled
1/8 tsp. almond extract, opt.

Slice bananas and place in an air-tight container and freeze overnight.  Add frozen bananas (break into chunks), strawberries and almond extract to a food processor or powerful blender and process until very smooth and creamy.  It will happen, just be patient.  It will take a few minutes.  Enjoy now as soft serve ice cream or place in an air-tight container and freeze until solid; several hours. Yield: around 3 cups of ice cream.

Chocolate Marshmellow S'mores Cupcakes

 

Graham Cracker Layer:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• pinch of salt

Cupcakes:

• 1 pkg. Devil's Food Cake Mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 2 cups marshmallow fluff
• 2 cans Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Frosting Starter
• 2 packets Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Chocolate Marshmallow Flavor Mix
• 2 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs
• 24 mini-marshmallows

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in muffin pans.

2. Mix 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar and salt in small bowl.
3. Place 2 tsp. of the graham cracker mixture in bottom of each cupcake liner. Use bottom of small juice glass to pack and flatten graham crust in liners.
4. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until graham cracker layer is golden. Let cool.
5. Meanwhile, prepare cake batter as directed on package. Scoop cake batter on top of graham cracker crust, filling cupcake liner no more than two-thirds full.
6. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean.
7. Let cupcakes cool for 5 minutes, then turn out of pans to finish cooling.
8. Cut a cone-shaped piece from middle of cupcake. Do not cut through graham cracker layer.
9. Put marshmallow fluff in a piping bag or plastic bag with the corner cut off and squeeze fluff into hollow of cupcake.
10. Pour 1 packet of Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Chocolate Marshmallow Flavor Mix into 1 can of Duncan Hines® Frosting Creations™ Frosting Starter. Stir until evenly blended. Repeat with second can and packet.
11. Frost cupcakes with the Chocolate Marshmallow frosting you just created.
12. Sprinkle tops of cupcakes with extra graham cracker crumbs and garnish with a mini-marshmallow.

13. Tip:

1. To replicate the cupcakes in the photo, pipe frosting using a piping bag and large round decorator tip.

Chocolate Marshmellow Frosting

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup marshmallow creme
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Sift sugar and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl.
2. Place the marshmallow creme, butter, and milk in heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
3. Stir until melted, 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
4. Pour the sugar-cocoa mixture over the marshmallow mixture and add the vanilla.
5. Stir until the frosting is smooth and satiny.

Taco Cake

 

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla or white boxed cake mix
• 1 (16-oz) can vanilla frosting
• Green food coloring
• Yellow food coloring
• 1 cup canned chocolate frosting
• 1 cup cornflakes
• 5 orange circus peanuts
• 5 red Swedish Fish
• 1 cup finely crushed vanilla wafer crumbs
• ½ cup chocolate-covered raisins or chocolate crunch candy
• Whipped cream

Directions

1. Bake 2 (8-inch) round cake layers from mix. Let cool.
2. Tint 3 Tbsp vanilla frosting bright green with green and yellow food coloring; tint remaining frosting light yellow with yellow food coloring. Spoon 1 cup canned chocolate frosting into a zip-top freezer bag.
3. Trim cake tops to make flat. Cut, sandwich, and arrange layers as shown below.
4. Microwave green frosting in a bowl, 5 seconds. Stir and toss with cornflakes (for “lettuce”); spread on waxed paper to dry.
5. Slice circus peanuts into strips (for “cheese”). Dice Swedish Fish into bits (for “tomatoes”).
6. Spread yellow frosting over both cakes. Press about 1 cup finely crushed vanilla wafer crumbs all over each and transfer to a serving platter.
7. Snip ¼ inch from 1 corner of zip-top bag and pipe chocolate frosting down center of each cake. 8. Top with chocolate-covered raisins or chocolate crunch candy. Sprinkle green cornflakes, circus peanut strips, and Swedish Fish bits over each. Top with whipped cream.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ball

 

 

 

Ingredients

• One 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• ¼ c cocoa powder
• ¼ c honey, or to taste (substitute agave or maple syrup for strict vegan)
• ½ c peanut butter
• 1 t vanilla
• Optional, about 1 c total of any of the following or a combination for coating the dough ball: chopped peanuts, milk, semisweet, or white chocolate, or peanut butter chips, chopped chocolate, etc.
• Cookies, crackers, tortillas, bread, etc. for dipping and spreading

Instructions

1. Combine the chickpeas, cocoa powder, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla in your food processor.
2. Process until a dough consistency forms, stopping to scrape down the sides, as needed.
3. Gather the contents of the food processor together in a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
4. Refrigerate at least an hour, or until firm.
5. Place your desired coating ingredients in a shallow pan and roll the ball in the coating, pressing firmly to adhere.
6. Return the dough ball to the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with fruit, crackers, etc., or on sandwiches or tortillas, as desired.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 

Ingredients

GOOEY CHOCOLATE FILLING:

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
COOKIES:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch pan and line with parchment paper, allowing enough overhang on the long side to lift the bars from the pan.

For the gooey chocolate filling:

Place the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a small saucepan over the lowest possible heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat, add vanilla, and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

For the cookie dough:

Place the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat well.

Whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Add to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Stir in the milk chocolate chips and the white chocolate chips.

To make the bars:

Using half of the batch of cookie dough, place dollops into the prepared pan and press down lightly to even it out.

Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the dough and then add small dollops of the remaining dough on top. Don't worry if the dollops don't completely cover the chocolate mixture. Just spread it together as much as you can, and let some chocolate peek through.

Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Refrigerate to make cutting the bars easier and then enjoy at room temperature or return to the refrigerator.

Lemon Pudding Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter cold
• 2 cups flour
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 (8 oz) package cool whip topping
• 3 cups milk cold
• 2 packages instant lemon pudding

Instructions

1. Cut butter into flour with a fork or pastry blender until well combined. Press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
2. Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar til smooth. Fold in 1 cup cool whip. Spread mixture over cooled crust.
3. Beat milk and pudding with a whisk for 2 minutes. Spread pudding over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining cool whip.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour before eating. Enjoy!

Lemon Sugar Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling cookie dough balls)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored cookie sheets with non stick spray and set aside OR line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 vanilla bean, seeded
• 1 envelope Dream Whip you can omit this, but it adds a nice texture to the frosting
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3-6 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

1. Cream butter in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add salt, vanilla, vanilla bean seeds and Dream Whip and beat to evenly incorporate.
3. Add powdered sugar and milk and beat, add more powdered sugar and milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
4. Frost cupcakes and eat up!

Coconut Crusted Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

• 6 1-inch thick slices of French Bread
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbs cream of coconut
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbs cream of coconut
• 1 1/2 cup of coconut flakes
• 1 tbs vegetable oil for cooking

Instructions

1. Preheat a saute pan on medium heat.
2. Slice the French bread slices in the middle but not all the way through.
3. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 tbs of cream of coconut until well combined.
4. Place coconut flakes in another shallow, wide bowl.
5. In a shallow, wide bowl, whisk eggs, 1 tbs of cream of coconut, vanilla and sugar until smooth.
6. Spread the cream cheese mixture in the middle of the bread slices.
7. Dip the bread in egg mixture and then into coconut flakes. Press the flakes lightly.
8. Cook the French toast on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes on each side. (If the coconut is toasting too fast, you may need to lower the heat a little bit.)

Zucchini Rollups

Ingredients

• 3 small zucchini squash, ends trimmed and sliced thin
• 1 small container ricotta cheese
• 1 T dried oregano
• ¼ red onion, finely diced
• salt
• pepper
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 1 C shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix the ricotta cheese, oregano, onion, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir well.
3. Place zucchini strips on a flat surface. Spoon a tablespoon of cheese mixture into the center of the strip and fold the ends over it.
4. Place ends down in a 13x9 casserole and continue until all strips are filled.
5. Pour pasta sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes.
7. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.
8. Serve hot.

Cream Cheese Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients

• 4 oz. cream cheese softened
• 5 Tbsp. butter softened
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 envelope Dream Whip
• 2 Tbsp. milk more if needed to reach desired consistency
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups powdered sugar more if needed to reach desired consistency
• 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Cream softened cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl.
2. Add brown sugar, vanilla and Dream Whip and evenly beat together.
3. Add milk, flour and powdered sugar and beat to evenly incorporate until smooth. (If you need to add a little milk to thin it, feel free to do so. I prefer my frosting thick so I never needed to)
4. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
5. I like to cover my plastic frosting bowl with saran wrap and stick it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. It thickens up pretty nicely :) You don't have to do that step though.
6. Frost cupcakes and eat up!

Crusty Bread

Crusty Bread (simplysogood)

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. Overnight works great. Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. 

No Bake Cookie Dough S'mores

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

pinch salt

3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

5 S'more Mallows (large flat marshmallows from Jet Puffed)

20 graham cracker squares

1 package chocolate CandiQuik (16 oz.)

sprinkles

Instructions

1. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the flour and salt and mix well. Stir in the chips by hand. Set aside.
2. Cut the marshmallows in half. Place the cut side down on a graham cracker square. Take a ball of dough and mold it into the shape and size of the marshmallow. Place on top of the marshmallow and top with another graham cracker square. Press down lightly.
3. Place the unwrapped tray of CandiQuik in the microwave. Heat for 1 minute. Stir. Heat again for 20-30 seconds. Stir until melted and creamy.
4. Using a fork, place the s'mores one at a time into the melted chocolate. Use a spoon to spread the chocolate all over the crackers. Gently remove using the fork. Hold over the chocolate tray and tap the wrist that is holding the chocolate. Do this very carefully so the cracker does not fall off into the chocolate again. When all the excess chocolate has dripped off, place on a piece of wax paper and top with sprinkles. Let set. Store in a loosely sealed container. Makes 10 s'mores.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

Yield: 1 loaf
Cook Time: 50-55 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups chopped apples, skin removed (we used Granny Smith)
Topping:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 4 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, all spice, and cloves. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add in oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Next, add the sugar and mix until well combined.
4. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until flour is barely combined. Gently fold in the apple chunks. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter in the loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen sides and remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Greek Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Rice

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
**vegetables like mushrooms, onion and zucchini, if desired

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice {about 3 lemons}
• 1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Instructions:

Trim chicken and cut into large chunks- mine were about 1.5" big and I got 4-6 chunks from each chicken breast.

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and thyme into Ziploc bag or plastic container. Add in chicken. Seal and squeeze bag or turn container over and shake gently so all pieces of meat are well-coated with marinade. Put into refrigerator and marinate 6-8 hours or more.

To get ready to grill, remove chicken from refrigerator, pull out chicken pieces and dump remaining marinade. Thread chicken onto skewers.  Spray grill with non-stick spray or mist with olive oil, then preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.

Grill skewers about 12-15 minutes, turning the first time as soon as you see nice grill marks. Souvlaki is done when the chicken is slightly browned and firm, but not hard to the touch. {If you use a meat thermometer, the temp should register 160 degrees. It will increase to 165 degrees even after you take it off the grill. I love using a thermometer as it really helps me not over-cook the chicken!}

**If you'd like to grill some vegetables along side your chicken, I highly recommend it! We did a skewer of mushrooms, plus we also sliced some white onion to thread along with the chicken. The mushrooms were amazing!! To marinate vegetables, if you just have a few, set aside 3-5 TBSP of the marinade prior to mixing with the chicken. Then just put vegetables & marinade in a separate ziplock bag in the fridge, turning the bag occasionally to mix it. If you're doing a good amount of vegetables, I'd double the marinade instead!

Greek Lemon Rice

Adapted from Kayln's Kitchen
Serves 4-5 as a side dish

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 TBSP olive oil 
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 TBSP lemon juice {I loved 3 TBSP but my kids preferred it less lemony}
• 2 cups hot chicken broth 

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. {Make sure pan has a lid!} Add in oil. After about a minute, add in rice and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't brown too much. Add salt and lemon juice to rice and saute 1 minute more.

Slowly add in chicken broth. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and put the lid on the pan. Cook for 30 minutes.

If all the liquid has been absorbed after 30 minutes, remove lid, turn off heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes prior to serving. If there's still a bit of liquid, let it cook without the lid on for another 5 minutes or so. Then turn heat off and let it sit for 10 minutes.

***I highly recommend making this rice the night before you're planning on serving! The flavors are so much better plus the rice is able to absorb the liquid and turns fluffier when it's had time to sit. I just heated it in the microwave just before serving and it was fantastic! 

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Ingredients
4 zucchini squash
2 roasted red bell peppers, diced
2 cups garlic croutons
1/4 cup sliced olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 lemon


Instructions

1. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Slice the ends off your zucchini and then slice them in half lengthwise. Place the zucchinis in the pot of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry.

2. Scoop out the flesh of the zucchini leaving the sides to form a boat. I find it easiest to just remove the flesh with the seeds. Chop up the removed flesh and put it in a mixing bowl. Place the boats on a baking sheet.

3. Combine the red bell peppers, croutons, olives, and feta in the mixing bowl with the zucchini flesh. Season with a little salt and pepper. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir. 

4. Scoop the mixture into the zucchini boats filling them as full as possible. You will probably have some leftover mixture which can be enjoyed by the spoonful.

5. Place the stuffed zucchinis under a broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown it off and "melt" that feta.

6. Remove from oven and squeeze lemon juice over it. Serve hot!

Root Beer Float Pie

 

Ingredients

• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 3/4 cup cold diet root beer
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
• Maraschino cherries, optional

Directions

• Set aside and refrigerate 1/2 cup whipped topping for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk the root beer, milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Fold in half of the remaining whipped topping. Spread into graham cracker crust.
• Spread remaining whipped topping over pie. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Dollop reserved whipped topping over each serving; top with a maraschino cherry if desired. Yield: 8 servings.

GingerBread Waffles

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 4 Tsp baking powder
• 2 Tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 to 1 Tsp fresh ground nutmeg (It smells so good and yummy when you grate it!)
• 1/2 Salt
• 2/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Cup of Canned Pumpkin
• 1.25 cups of milk
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Molasses

Mix the dry ingredients (Flour, baking powder, spices and salt) in a bowl and set aside.  Blend the sugar and eggs, and then add in the pumpkin, milk, butter and molasses.  The mixture will be very runny.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients and stir together.  You do not need to over mix the batter.  Pour into your waffle iron and bake.
MM and Frog gave the recipe high praise.  It was more of a Belgian waffle, fluffy tasting recipe than what we are served at Java Jive.  Java Jive tastes much more cakey in texture.  However, the seasoning was fabulous, and it made the kitchen smell wonderful.  I’m pretty sure that we’ll be making them again, and the recipe makes a lot, so it would be great on Christmas morning!  Now I’ve just got to learn how to make lemon curd!