Chocolate Oreo Cookie Dreams

Apparently these are awesome, because I ran out of cookies for our small groups at church tonight. Part of the reason is because Matt took a few on his road trip to A&M, but in general, I guess I just didn’t make enough cookies!!

I was craving Oreos earlier this week and bought a package to snack on. After I had my Oreo fix, I thought I’d use the leftover Oreos to make cookies for our monthly life group dinner.

I’ve mentioned before that dream cookies are my all-time favorite cookie recipe. I guess my life group knows that, because I’ve gotten them hooked on dreams as well and they hope I bring them each month!

“Dream” cookies are extremely soft and chewy cookies with a secret ingredient: instant pudding mix. The pudding mix makes them super soft. After a week, they would still taste as fresh as they did on day one…. except they normally don’t last past two days.

You can literally make hundreds of combination of dream cookies. Simply change out the instant pudding mix and use various add-ins. Below are some of the dreams I’ve made before:

Chocolate Chip Dreams (your regular chocolate chip cookie with instant vanilla pudding)
Double Chocolate Dreams (double the chocolate, using instant chocolate pudding)
Oatmeal Dreams (a soft oatmeal cookie with instant vanilla pudding)
Doodle Dreams (a snickerdoodle cookie with instant vanilla pudding)
Double Butterscotch Dreams (an extremely rich and buttery cookie with instant butterscotch pudding)
CocoMac Dreams (a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie with instant vanilla pudding)
Toffee Pecan Dreams (just like the name sounds, with instant vanilla pudding)
White Chocolate Cranberry Dreams (my favorite dream cookie, using instant french vanilla pudding)

Now to add to the list will be these Chocolate Oreo Cookie Dreams! I will warn you, they are sweet! Basically you are eating a cookie within a cookie. 🙂 You could use regular Oreo cookies, but Double Stuf yields larger chunks and more of a cream-filled center.

As I said, my church group loved them. Unfortunately Robin, Molly and Penny were the only three girls that didn’t get to try them. We were all talking and eating our dinner leisurely and didn’t realize the group (the boys “a-hem”) finished them off!

I told them next time I’ll make two batches of dreams. Maybe I’ll even try a new rendition of them, and add M&Ms or some other candy bar.

Feel free to add and substitute for whatever pudding and toppings of your choice. It might be fun to try an instant Oreo pudding mix. I used chocolate because that is all I had in the pantry. Enjoy!

Chocolate Oreo Cookie Dreams

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Total time: 18 mins

Serves: 3 dozen

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup packed light brown sugar (I used 2/3 cup light brown and 1/3 cup dark brown, but I think I like the taste of all light brown sugar best).
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped Double Stuf Oreo cookies

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, pudding mix, baking powder, soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, shortening, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl.
On low speed or using a wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended. By hand, fold in Oreos.
Using a cookie scoop or spoons, drop tablespoonfuls (15 mL) of dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until set around the edges, but slightly soft in the center.
Immediately slide parchment paper onto a wire cooling rack. Cool cookies for 5 minutes, then transfer from parchment paper to cooling rack and cool completely.

Spicy Oyster Crackers and Ski Trip

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND MATT! He turns “old” today. Not really, but I do make fun of him since he’s 7 years older than me… 8 years if you count today. 🙂

Second, now that it’s finally in the 70s here in Texas, I kind of wish for the freezing temperatures that most of the nation has experienced this winter. NOT!! But, when you have freezing temps, you might as well make the most of it, and that’s what we did last week in Breckenridge, Colorado.

A group of us from church thought it would be fun to take a ski trip to Colorado and we literally couldn’t have planned it for a better time.

Breck got TONS of snow!!!! Here’s a picture of us driving in. The picture doesn’t do it justice but there was snow everywhere!

Day 1: Putting on our gear and ready to hit the slopes.

There was soooo much snow, that both Jeff’s truck and Chris’ suburban got stuck in the driveway at our condo. It took them an hour to get out, and as you can see from the picture above, we learned our lesson and had to buy some chains for the back tires. I think it was the first time us Texans ever had to put on chains, and it took the guys about 45 minutes to learn how. LOL.

While we were away, the midwest was hit by another Polar Vortex, Dallas got another ice and snow storm with schools that were cancelled, and Breckenridge got record snowfall! In just 48 hours, they got over 26 inches of snow!

Breckenridge, CO — Day 1: Group picture!

Day 1 of skiing was a blast. Although it was blizzard conditions, and un-groomed runs, there was plenty of snow and we all had a blast.

Day 2 of skiing was perfect. We saw blue skies, groomed runs, and explored even more runs than the first day.

As the guys say, “It’s time to shred some pow pow!”. haha.

We had a gorgeous condo for the week. Even though both cars got stuck in the driveway for an hour on the first day, everything else went smoothly. We even had a two-car garage to park both cars.

One of my favorite memories was our group breakfasts and dinners at the house. Robin and I bought a Stouffer’s lasagna, salad, and garlic bread and we had a home-cooked dinner on the first night, along with birthday cake cupcakes for both Ashley and Robin’s birthdays.

On the second night, we also stayed in and Katie made hearty chili in a crockpot along with chips and queso. The girls then curled up on the couch to watch Juan Pablo on The Bachelor while the guys played some pool.

Another night we hit downtown Breckenridge and ate out. There’s actually a pretty good steak restaurant in Breck called Kenosha Steakhouse. It wasn’t one of those super fancy steakhouses like Pappa’s Bros; instead it had a laid-back atmosphere, with steak, burgers, chicken sandwiches, soups, and salads on the menu. It was pretty good!

Last day of skiing and Fatty’s pizza for lunch!

On our last day of skiing, we woke up to Ashley’s yummy homemade breakfast sausage casserole. Yum…. I need to get her recipe!

We only skied for a half-day since we were all exhausted. Plus, a storm was blowing in. Instead of eating on the slopes, where the food is outrageously expensive (one slice of pepperoni pizza cost $10.99), we decided to eat in town at a place called Fatty’s Pizzeria, which was recommended to us by two of our friends from back home in Texas.

I guess they call it “Fatty’s” for a reason, because the pizza very cheesy, greasy, and large! It was actually extremely good pizza, and moderately priced for restaurant in a resort-destination. Matt and I each got a slice of pizza (one slice was only $2.75 plus $0.25-0.50 for toppings). The others split large pizzas for about $22/pizza.

Now, let’s get to the Spicy Oyster Cracker recipe!

When I say we had A LOT of food in the house, I am not joking. Each couple brought snacks and treats that probably could of lasted us two weeks!

Robin made Spicy Oyster Crackers, that look similar to my pictures. I LOVED them and was hooked, so the moment I returned to Dallas, I set out to make some crackers on my own.

These crackers are perfect for a road trip snack or with a large bowl of pipping hot soup. They really are spicy from the red pepper flakes and have a wonderful flavor from the Ranch dressing mix.

This isn’t Robin’s recipe exactly, but it is very similar. I found a few Spicy Oyster Cracker recipes online, but eventually made up my own. I actually got pretty frustrated because every recipe online says to use a “package of oyster crackers”. That doesn’t tell me anything! Is it a 10 ounce bag, 12, 16 or 20 or what???

My solution? I bought the cheapest bag of oyster crackers I could find at Kroger, which was 10 ounces, so I figured that would work. The recipe also called for 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix. Unfortunately, I had halved my Taco Soup recipe from the week before, so I only had half a packet of the Ranch dressing mix on had. Oh well, I made it work by halving the rest of the recipe and the crackers turned out well.

Don’t get too addicted to these. Enjoy!

Spicy Oyster Crackers

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 package (10 oz) Kroger Value Oyster & Soup Crackers
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 packet (1 oz) Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions

Mix together vegetable oil, Ranch dressing mix, red pepper flakes and garlic powder in a small bowl.
Put crackers in a gallon Ziploc bag, and pour mixture over crackers.
Toss in bag every 15 minutes for an hour.

Meatless Mondays: Chickpea and Edamame Salad

If you participate in Meatless Mondays (we don’t, but I like the concept), you’ll love this easy to make Chickpea and Edamame Salad.

Last summer my mom discovered an amazingly healthy and conveniently prepackaged Mediterranean Salad called Cedar’s Chickpea Salad at Central Market.

The great thing about this salad is not only is it healthy (it’s packed carrots that loaded with vitamin A, edamame which contains fiber, protein and vitamins, olive oil for healthy fats, and low-fat chickpeas for protein, energy-providing complex carbs and fiber), it’s also goes great with anything!

Serve it as a salad with leafy greens such as arugula, pile it in a pita with shredded chicken, lettuce and hummus, or eat it as a snack with Central Market’s all-natural hummus (Spicy Texas Hummus is my favorite), or with Baked Lentil Chips with sea salt. Yum!!!

Toast chickpeas with a little olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized skillet.

Since the nearest Central Market is about 20 minutes away, in addition to have to pay a ridiculous amount of tolls, I was only able to get this chickpea salad when I visited my parent’s house on occasion. (Central Market is just 5 minutes from my parent’s house, and with no tolls).

Since I don’t have time to drive so far to a grocery store, I decided to made my own version of Cedar’s Chickpea Salad so I could have it anytime I wanted. Plus, I found out that the homemade version is waaaay cheaper and super simple to make!

Add the edamame. You can use frozen edamame beans if you wish.

Cedar’s Chickpea Salad is all natural, so it wasn’t very difficult to figure out the ingredients I needed to make this salad. “A fresh blend of chickpeas, edamame beans, red and green peppers, carrots, a sweet touch of dried cranberries, and dressed lightly with olive oil and spices”, was the description according to Cedar’s packaging. I could definitely make this!

While my recipe omits the green and red bell peppers, I have pretty much everything else that makes this salad so tasty. I went light on the dressing, only using 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you want more oil, it’s easy to add and doesn’t involve cooking.

I also added Parmesan cheese, which gives the salad a slightly cheesy and subtle nutty taste that I love. Italian seasoning was also added, but you could substitute oregano and/or basil if you wish.

After chopping up the carrots, and combining all the ingredients, you are done. Enjoy!!!

Chickpea and Edamame Salad

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup edamame beans
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat a medium-sized skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chickpeas and edamame. Season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly toasted and chickpeas are golden, about 5 minutes. (You may want to use a splatter screen because the chickpeas will start to pop).
In a large mixing bowl, add chickpea and edamame mixture, carrots, dried cranberries, remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

White Chocolate Puppy Chow

A few weeks ago Matt and I hosted a Super Bowl party at our house. Everyone brought finger foods and I of course made the desserts. I had been craving Puppy Chow and was going to make it the old-fashioned way with semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I had leftover Vanilla Flavored Almond Bark from making the White Chocolate-Dipped Oreos, so I thought I’d change it up a bit.

I actually made two batches of Puppy Chow: a regular chocolate version and a white chocolate version, and let me tell you…the white chocolate version blew the doors off the regular version!

I can’t believe you don’t see more recipes out there using white chocolate because it makes the Puppy Chow much sweeter and creamier! This will definitely be my go-to recipe in the future.

Combine the melted white chocolate with peanut butter and chex mix cereal. Toss with powdered sugar in a large bowl or plastic bag.

As was mentioned in my post yesterday, Skippy is one good dog! During the “photo shoot”, he sat there patiently awaiting a little bite.

Not only does Puppy Chow have the name “puppy”, it also contains peanut butter – Skippy’s favorite food of all time. 🙂

I ate waaaay too much of this stuff, but it was well worth it. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Puppy chow

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 2-3 dozen

Ingredients

9 cups crispy rice cereal squares
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white chocolate
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate; add peanut butter and mix until smooth.
Remove from heat, add cereal and stir until coated.
Pour powdered sugar into large plastic bag, add coated cereal and shake until well coated. Store in airtight container.

White Chocolate-Dipped Oreos

Talk about a good dog!! I know everyone says they have the best dog in the world, but does your dog have as much patience as Skippy, our 10-year old chihuahua, pictured above?

I mean, talk about self control! Look at Skippy….just eying the cookies. Waiting patiently for the cookie he will never get. They say chocolate can kill dogs, but if it did, Skippy would not be alive to this day!

Four years ago when I was teaching school, my students gave me a few bags of candy for an upcoming holiday (it was either Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or my birthday…unfortunately I can’t remember). In the clear, cellophane-wrapped bags were Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and M&Ms…. all chocolate!

Well, I put the candy in my school bag, and when I got home, I placed my school bag where I placed it every day – tucked away in the corner near the kitchen table.

It was a Friday night and Matt and I went out to eat as we always do on Friday nights. When we came home, you’d thought someone had broken in with all the mess that was on the floor! There were silver Hershey’s Kisses wrappers and brown Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup wrappers torn up in a thousand little bitty pieces scattered all across the floor.

DSCN2154 - Version 2 — #tbt This picture is from 2008, before Matt and I were married. Look how young we all look!

And then there was Skippy. His face pled guilty all over! While we were out, he had gone through my school bag, opened the cellophane bag containing all the candy and then proceeded to open and eat nearly 3/4ths of my holiday candy!

Not only was I upset that Skippy ate the good stuff…there were no Reese’s left…. I was also upset that he would die from since “chocolate kills dogs”. Fortunately Skippy survived. 🙂 Not only did he NOT get sick, but he didn’t even have an upset stomach!

If you know Skippy, you’ve heard that he LOVES peanut butter…hence the name “Skippy” peanut butter right? lol. (We adopted him and his name was already Skippy). I think he smelled the peanut butter in the Reese’s and just couldn’t resist….plus he was bored, apparently.

While Skippy is extremely obedient in person, (hence not eating the Oreos in the picture above), he is revengeful behind your back. He will act up when you are not around, so watch out!

Anyways, if you’re a white chocolate and Oreo cookie fan, you’ll love these White Chocolate-Dipped Oreo cookies. I know they sell these pre-dipped at the store, but the homemade version is so much better.

white chocolate dipped Oreos — Melt your white chocolate bark (or vanilla almond bark) in a microwave. Dip 3/4 of the Oreo cookie in the white chocolate and place on parchment paper.

Using whatever you have on-hand, you can decorate with any colored sprinkles while the chocolate is setting up.

I made these for the 2014 Super Bowl party that we hosted and they were a hit. Super simple and super popular. Enjoy!

White Chocolate-Dipped Oreos

Serves: 50 cookies

Ingredients

1 (14.3 oz) package Nabisco Oreo sandwich cookies
1 package Vanilla Flavored Almond Bark (I used Kroger’s brand)
Decorative sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

Melt vanilla flavored almond bark according to package directions. I melted the bark via the microwave.
Dip three-fourths of an Oreo cookie into the bark and place on parchment paper to set and cool. Repeat until you use all Oreo cookies.
While the cookies are setting up, decorate using colored sprinkles of your choice. I used black sprinkles.

Cherry and Hazelnut Granola with Clusters

There’s not really a unique story about this granola other than the fact that homemade granola is one of my biggest weaknesses.

My sister discovered this recipe via The Vintage Mixer not too long ago and made it when she came home from Michigan over the holidays.

Homemade granola is actually super simple to make and well-worth the time, especially over the boxed kind. All you have to do is mix up the ingredients, bake it on a cookie sheet for 40-45 minutes, let it cool, and then break into large clusters or chunks of granola.

It makes for a quick breakfast in the morning served atop plain greek yogurt or simply by itself for a snack.

Enjoy!

syrup in granola — Mix coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses and brown sugar in a pot over medium heat. Stir in vanilla after removing from heat.

granola mixture — Mix together oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, hazelnuts, cinnamon and salt.

granola before baking — Fold egg whites into the oat mixture and pour out onto the baking sheet.

Cherry and Hazelnut Granola with Clusters

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 5 cups

Adapted from: The Vintage Mixer

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups thick rolled oats
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
1 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg white
1 cup dried cherries, blueberries or other dried fruit

Instructions

In a pot over medium heat, mix together coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses and brown sugar. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix together oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, hazelnuts, cinnamon and salt. Pour the hot oil syrup mixture over the oats. Then, using a whisk, whip the egg white until its frothy. Fold the egg white into the oat mixture.
Line a large baking tray with foil then pour out the oats onto the baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden. Don’t stir this during baking or the clusters will break up.
Let cool completely, then add in cherries/dried fruit and store in a large jar.

Notes

The secret to making clusters in your granola is folding in an egg white before cooking, then not stirring the oats during baking. Also, do not toss the granola or break it up until after it has completely cooled.

Neil’s Pancakes

We had our family Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve instead this year, so when we woke up on Christmas Day, there was absolutely no pressure of cooking a large meal. Instead, we woke and had a delicious and savory brunch with leftover ham, fruit, coffee, orange juice and these amazing pancakes!!!

Don’t get confused by the name because Neil is neither a relative nor family friend. Neil Kleinberg is actually the owner of Clinton Street Baking Co & Restaurant, in which his pancakes were voted best in New York.

This pancake recipe is from the “Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond from New York’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant” by DeDe Lahman, Neil Kleinberg and Michael Harlan Turkell; and if you don’t have the book, it’s definitely worth looking in to.

I honestly thought these were the best homemade pancakes I’ve ever tasted. The batter was light, airy, and buttery. The recipe called for whole milk, but we didn’t have any and thus used skim milk. The pancakes were already outstanding, but I can only imagine how they would taste had we used whole milk!!!

Neil's pancake batter — Fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Whip the egg whites and mix them in with the batter.

One secret is that the egg whites are folded into the batter. By applying French techniques – that is, you make a cake lighter by folding in whites (almost like a soufflé) – Neil was able to make the batter lighter, but have it retain its springy resiliency that yields one perfect pancake.

The other secret is to avoid over mixing, which creates gluten in the flour and makes them tough.

One common mistake among many cooks is that they don’t heat the griddle long enough, which is why the first pancake is usually a dud. Make sure the griddle is very hot, then put the butter on. A teaspoon or tablespoon is just fine, but make sure you use enough so the pancakes don’t stick.

Neil's blueberry pancake batter — Optional: add 1 tablespoon of blueberries or sliced bananas and 1 teaspoon walnuts before turning the pancakes. Never add the fruit to the batter; always add the fruit to the pancakes once they’re on the griddle.

Neil's pancakes — When the pancake is golden brown on both sides, remove with a spatula. Repeat with remaining pancake batter.

These pancakes don’t just have to be served on Christmas Day. We definitely plan on making these next weekend and Saturday mornings to come. Enjoy!!

Neil’s Pancakes

Serves: 18-20 (3-inch) pancakes

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
6 large eggs, separated
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (12 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tsp. unmelted for the griddle
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups blueberries or sliced bananas and 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar or cinnamon sugar for dusting (optional)
Pure maple syrup

Instructions

Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, milk, melted butter and vanilla until combined. Whisk yolk mixture into flour mixture until just combined; the batter will be slightly lumpy.
Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or whisk by hand, until *medium peaks form. Gently mix half the egg whites into batter with a rubber spatula. Gently fold in remaining whites. The egg whites should not be fully incorporated into the batter.
Heat a griddle until hot, about 350-375 degrees. Add remaining unmelted butter to hot griddle. Add 1/4 cup pancake batter and let set. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon blueberries or sliced bananas and 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts, if using, over pancakes. When bubbles begin to form, lift pancake; if golden brown, turn. Cook until golden brown on remaining side.
Transfer cooked pancake to a plate and keep warm. Repeat process with remaining batter, fruit and nuts. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar for blueberry pancakes and cinnamon sugar for banana-walnut. Serve warm with pure maple syrup.

Notes

*Peaks are “soft” when you put your finger in the whites and they fall over. Peaks are “medium” when you put your finger in and they drip over a bit and stand up. “Stiff” peaks develop when you whip the whites longer and they stay up.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!!

buche de noel cake — Buche de Noel Cake from Frosted Art Bakery and Studio in Dallas, Texas….and might I add that it was absolutely delicious!!!

Chili in a Biscuit Bowl and Dallas Ice Storm

It’s FREEZING outside, literally freezing!!! If you don’t believe me, take a look at the pictures below!

Dallas got hit with a winter storm on Thursday night. As crazy Texas weather can be, it went from 80 degrees at 3 pm on Thursday to 32 degrees just 12 hours later! We’ve been stuck inside since Friday, but it’s actually been kind of fun.

Just make sure you have food! I stocked up earlier this week so we’ve had chili in a biscuit bowl, Hebrew National hot dogs, chicken enchiladas, pb&js, and coffee by the fire. Yum!

dallas ice storm — 2 inches of solid ice! We’re stuck in the neighborhood for the next few days!

Take a look at the ice I’m talking about below. Two inches of solid ice!! We tried to get out of our house today, but our car got stuck in the alley way and so we had to park it on the street since we can’t get it back in the garage. Oh well, let’ just hope a tree limb doesn’t fall on it!

weber grill — Maybe I should grill and melt off some of that ice!

Since there is nothing to do other than watch Netflix, blog, cook and work on the computer, Matt and I had to get a little fresh air. Our “neighborhood electric vehicle” came in handy! Since we don’t have a car or truck that’s all-wheel drive, this saved our life! Okay, not really…but if we run out of groceries, we’re taking it to Kroger to stock back up!

As mentioned, there’s nothing else we can do inside except watch TV and cook. Last night I made chili in a biscuit bowl, sans the biscuit bowl. Matt’s not a huge biscuit person, and requested crackers instead. He’s crazy… who doesn’t like biscuits???

These biscuit bowls are so impressive and easy to make that I usually make one just for myself, even though Matt will eat his with crackers. 🙂

We’ve got an outstanding beer bread recipe that goes perfectly with chili!! Plus, the bread is super easy. Click HERE for the recipe.

This chili doesn’t get any easier, so enjoy, especially if you’re iced or snowed in like we are at the moment.

Chili in a Biscuit Bowl and Dallas Ice Storm

Serves: 6

Adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
2 (10-oz) cans Rotel original diced tomatoes & green chilies
1 (15-oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
Toppings: sour cream, sliced green onions, cheddar cheese

Instructions

FOR THE CHILI: Cook beef, onion, and bell pepper in a dutch oven over medium heat until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in Rotel, beans and chili powder.
Bring beef mixture to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes. Spoon into biscuit bowls and serve with desired toppings.
FOR THE BISCUIT BOWLS: Stir together biscuit mix, milk and red pepper. Turn dough onto a surface sprinkled with biscuit mix. Shape into a ball, knead 3-4 times. Divide into 6 portions.
Invert 6 (6-ounce) custard cups several inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. (Or use an inverted muffin pan.) Coat outsides of cups with vegetable cooking spray.
Roll or pat each dough portion into a 6-inch circle. Place each on a custard cup; press into a bowl shape.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly; remove biscuit bowls to a wire rack.

German Chocolate Bars

Tis the season for a little something sweet, right? As mentioned, I write a monthly resident recipe article for our 70-page full color neighborhood magazine. For the month of December I’m featuring a wonderful *pecan coconut bar recipe submitted by this super sweet family who live just down the street from us.

*I actually changed the name of these bars from “Pecan Coconut Bars” to “German Chocolate Bars”. With a chocolatey crust and a sweet coconut filling, after just one bite, they will definitely remind you of a german chocolate cake, in dessert bar format.

Below you’ll find an excerpt from the article:

Spread the holiday cheer this year with sugar, savory pecans and lots of butter with these delicious pecan coconut bars submitted by Faozia and her three kids. Bringing a smile to her family and friends, these tasty bars are always a hit at parties. Faozia adds, “Baking in our house is a wonderful activity for my kids to have fun, learn how to cook and for me forming fond memories when we do it together. These pecan coconut bars are decadent and part of what makes life more enjoyable!” Happy Holidays and enjoy!

German Chocolate Bars

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 24

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sifted flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped roasted pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
FOR THE CRUST: In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press mixture on bottom of ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly.
FOR THE FILING: In a medium bowl, combine eggs, condensed milk, coconut and roasted pecans. Pour over partially baked crust. Bake 18-20 minutes or until set in center. Cool and cut into bars and enjoy!