Peppermint Fudge

Happy Holidays!!
I've been thinking about Christmas songs...
Like for the first time.
I've never really paid attention to the lyrics before, and they're actually really good! Next time you sing "O Come All Ye Faithful," or "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," or "Joy to the World," I challenge you to listen to the words. Phrases like "Mild he lays his glory by," and "Come let us adore him," and "He comes to make his blessings flow as far as the curse is found," are deeply beautiful, profound, and heavy.

Alright recipe time.

Chocolate and peppermint are the flavors of this wonderful season, and fudge is a great gift, wrapped in cellophane alongside sugar cookies and candy canes. This recipe is easily one of my new favorite classics because it is incredibly easy, thick and rich, and oh so tasty.
Not to mention it takes all of 3 minutes to make.


Ingredients:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (14 oz) package semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (10 oz) package Andes mint baking chips
about 3 candy canes to crush for garnish


Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the chocolate and mint chips.
2. Stir in sweetened condensed milk.
3. Microwave for 3 minutes and stir until smooth. (This is a good time to crush the candy canes)
4. Pour into a 9 x 9 pan (Yeah... I had a round 8" glass dish which worked great! But your fudge gets thicker for every downsize of pan)
5. Sprinkle crushed candy canes atop fudge, let cool, and enjoy.


Thanks to Vanessa from V and Co for the recipe!

Lemon Frozen Yogurt

I am not ashamed to say I love Disney.
I was never really into princesses when I was little (...yeah I know), but I filled that chasm with some of their more adventurous movies.
(In my defense I always loved the ones about animals like 101 Dalmatians and Aristocats and Lion King and Peter Pan and such.)
YET. I will always have a place in my heart for Disney Pixar. I am convinced that their movies are the crown of entertainment. Right next to Veggie Tales. <3
Anyway, I watched Ratatouille and got all inspired and stuff. Not just a desire for a critic-esque taste for good food, French music, travel, and just plain Paris. But Remy inspired me to make something.
But, you know how it goes, you eat dinner during the movie and ruin your appetite. And there's nothing in the house. And you don't want to make a giant proportion of something.
So I made frozen yogurt. Kind of. It was super sugary...


Ingredients:
1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp lemon juice (to taste)

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Cover and freeze, stirring every 20-30 minutes until it reaches desired consistency.
3. Go watch a Disney movie.

Thanks to Your Lighter Side, recipe adapted from there.

Barbecue Macaroni

This recipe is pretty self-explanatory. It's macaroni and beef drowning in barbecue sauce.

Which tastes a lot better than it sounds.
And just MIGHT be healthier than cheese-swimming macaroni. Maybe.

Yield about 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

3/4 lb ground beef

14 oz barbecue sauce (I used mostly Lucille's BBQ, with some of my homemade recipe)

14 oz water

6 oz elbow macaroni (uncooked)

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet.

2. Add barbecue sauce and water, stirring well. Bring to a slow simmer.

3. Stir in macaroni and simmer on low, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

4. Cook until macaroni is tender, about 30 minutes.

(You might have to let it sit for a few minutes before eating because in my case there was a lot of excess water)

Thanks to Kathy Sterling from Food.com for the recipe.

HOMEMADE BBQ Sauce!

I am so excited to share this recipe.

Like really stinkin' excited.

This is one of my first made-up recipes. 

Like how legit chefs do it. 

Like taste it and add more and hope for the best.

But the best always comes out 'cause of my street smarts, brah!

Aw.

Yeah.

How did I get this wondrous feeling, you ask? Well, I needed barbecue sauce for my pasta, of course! (Recipe here) No really. You don't do that? 

But I didn't have enough bottled goodness. So I scoured the internet (okay not scoured, but Google only shows one page of search results, right?) and found some tasty-sounding substitutes. 

But alas, I did not have everything they called for.

But I got the gist of what the flavor they were grasping for, so I began to make an educated guess. 

Or a hypothesis. 

Except unlike elementary school science projects, I guessed at the same time as the experiment.

So yeah. Barbecue sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp lemon juice (Yeah, I know. Weird, right? I thought it was done; it tastes alright without it, and then I saw this in the fridge. SO glad I did. It's too sweet without.)

Directions:

1. Place the ketchup in a bowl and work your way down the list, stirring and adding as you go. Mix until well integrated. (No brown sugar clumps or ribbons of mustard. Ew.)

(Somewhat) Spicy Hawaiian Burgers

What's summer without some grillin'?! And these are chicken with whole wheat buns, so they're on the lighter side, right? (yes I know they're 1/3 lb each... shhh...)
Something else I should mention... Oh yes. I have never attempted chicken burgers. I have never worked with ground chicken. I didn't know there was such a thing. And yet, these turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself!
Now, I know I labeled these spicy, but they aren't necessarily hot. But I'm not complaining-the barbacoa at Chipotle is enough to get my eyes watering. But for you spice-prone folk, I'm sure you could add more paprika and chili powder to spice it to your liking.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground chicken
1/4 cup less sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced (I accidentally left this out and they turned out great. Either way.)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chili powder

6 slices pepper jack cheese (Another reason it wasn't as spicy- they only had regular jack cheese at the deli)

6 pineapple rings or equivalent slices

6 whole wheat hamburger buns (I admit, I doubted these. But they were oh so good.)

Directions:

1. Combine the ground chicken, soy sauce, seasoning salt, cumin, garlic, 1/2 the paprika, and 1/2 the chili powder. Lightly mix with your hands and divide into 6 even balls. Form patties, making them slightly thinner in the middle and sprinkle with remaining paprika and chili powder.

2. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Coat grates lightly with oil.

4. Grill burgers about 6 minutes per side. They should flip easily when they are ready to turn. If they want to stick, give them another minute.

5. Top with cheese for the last minute of cooking time to melt.

6. Grill buns and pineapple until grill marks appear. (Both sides for the pineapple)

7. Assemble burgers and enjoy.

Thanks to Jen from Homemade by Holman for the recipe.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

Hey hey! Today I have yet another party post!! This is a cream cheese spread/dip that is GREAT with fruit, animal crackers, or graham crackers. I also noticed it kind of tastes like the inside of a white Costco cake, which just happens to be the best part of said cake. So this is definitely a keeper. Not to mention it's really easy.

I personally used this spread to go with a "cake sandwich" bar for my brother's birthday.
(He didn't want the cookie-cutter cake and ice cream for his birthday, if you'll excuse the pun) 
We had pound cake and angel food cake baked in loaf pans and different kinds of toppings and spreads: Nutella, hot fudge, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, cool whip, etc. For such an easy dessert, it turned out super tasty. Any type of build-your-own snack/dessert is a great idea for both picky and hungry crowds. This abstract idea went over surprisingly well! I wish I had pictures :( If I find some I'll post them later.

On to the spread recipe! Nothing is very exact; it's all to taste. I like it like this because it's not an overload of sweet, but if you prefer, you can add more sugar and vanilla if you prefer it sweeter. Let me know if you come up with a good variation! (hmm... maybe add some brown sugar?)


Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese (about half a package; I used the spreadable kind from Philadelphia so it was easier to stir)
4 oz Cool Whip (about half a normal tub)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Mix it all together, serve with fruit, cake, or anything else, and store in the fridge. (Ooh I wonder if it would be good frozen... Perhaps frozen in between graham crackers...)

BBQ Chopped Salad (Stonefire Grill Taste-a-Like)

I am SO excited to share this recipe with you!! :) It is superfluously tasty and the shopping list fills up your produce drawer. It's on the healthier side and totally great for summer because of the savory barbecue flavors and fresh, sweet veggies.
Plus, Stonefire Grill has an amazing BBQ Chopped Salad and this tastes a lot like it. I highly recommend their establishment.

This recipe is definitely one to save!

Ingredients:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup cooked and drained black beans (canned) (Optional. My family's not a fan, so they got left out.)
2 ears fresh corn, cooked and corn kernels removed (I absolutely love fresh corn from the cob and if I would change something about this recipe next time, I would add more, maybe another 1/2 head?)
3/4 cup chopped red cabbage
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Recipe called for Jack, but I only had a Mexican blend in the fridge and it worked fairly well; I would have preferred Jack though. I might add more cheese next time, also)
1 large tomato, chopped (I used about half the tomato, with the rest on the side to add if desired)
about 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken, tossed with 1 1/2 tsp BBQ sauce (Best part.)
3 Tbsp green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup crumbled tortilla chips/strips
1 cup bottled ranch dressing
2-3 Tbsp bottled BBQ sauce, to taste (I used Lucille's Original and it was great)


Directions:
(The recipe dictates how to do it so it looks nice and fancy, but in the end it'll get mixed up anyway. It's a salad, is the how-to really needed?)

1. Fill a salad bowl with a mixture of chopped lettuces. Place the beans, corn, cabbage, carrots, cheese, and tomato in sections atop lettuce in wedges like a wheel. Pile chicken in center and chill until serving time.
2. Just before serving, sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, and tortilla chips.
3. Toss with ranch mixed with BBQ sauce.

Makes about 5 servings. (Recipe said 8, but 4 people ate almost all of it)


Thanks to Stonefire Grill and Natalie Haughton of the LA Daily News for the recipe!

Summer!! Gooey Lemon Bars

Happy summer everybody!!! :D I know that it won't "officially" turn summer until the 20th, but it sure feels like the toasty season to me!

Well, summer means diet in my house, and my family isn't too keen on having bucketloads of desserts in the fridge. So I only get to bake when we have company.
*Notice my last two dessert posts were caused by company*

In search of something to celebrate the summer months, I remembered lemon bars! It's been AGES since my last lemon bar and I was super excited to make them. I found this recipe from the Blue-Eyed Bakers, which is ironic because I made this with a good friend of mine, Jeni!

^That's Jeni. On the right.

^That's her too. She's cool like that.

Oh the ironic part is that we are bakers, as seen above, and we both happen to have very blue eyes. (*o*)

Baking with friends is anywhere from 55-86% more fun.

So lemon bars. These turned out pretty stinkin' good! I was wary at first, but when refrigerated for a few hours, these turned out great! They have a fairly thick crust, which balances out the sweet/sour very nicely.
But be warned: they are very ooey. And very gooey. And very lemony.

Now on to the recipe....

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 eggs, room temperature

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 lemon's worth of zest

1 cup lemon juice

Powdered sugar for dusting (Yes, confectioner's sugar works, too, for all you fancy folk)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

2. To make the crust, mix butter, 2 c flour, powdered sugar, and salt with a mixer. (Note: after awhile, it will be plain to see that it's not mixing very well. At that point, feel free to smush with hands.)

3. Press into the bottom of the baking pan in an even layer and bake for about 17 minutes, until crust is just barely golden. Leave the oven on and allow crust to cool while you prepare the topping.

4. Whisk eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 c flour until combined. Pour over cooled crust and bake for about 28 minutes, until topping is just set. (Yes, it will be a little gooey.)

5. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Thanks to the Blue-Eyed Bakers, recipe adapted from theirs.

Peanut Butter Fudge Coffee Ice Cream Cupcakes

Whilst looking for a special recipe for company, a certain recipe popped up on my Pinterest. The title alone made my mouth water! I just HAD to try them. 
They don't look quite as pretty as the original recipe, but they don't look horrible, either! :) I felt super legit, making ganache like a Chopped chef and whatnot. ; D And they were a big hit with my family, too. So you pretty much have to try these. And let me know if you do. :) I know I'm putting a lot of smileys, but what can I say? These make me happy!! :) :)

Peanut Butter Fudge Coffee Ice Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 large egg

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/8 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 gallon coffee ice cream

10 oreo cookies, crushed/chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Set out ice cream to soften.

2. In a large bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth. Add milk, cream, butter, and vanilla, and mix until combined.

3. Combine dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth, then fold in chocolate chips.

4. Line a muffin tin with liners and spoon a large tablespoon into each cup. (MAKE SURE YOU DON'T FILL THE CUPS MORE THAN HALFWAY!)

5. Bake for about 12 minutes and cool completely.

6. Using a spoon, quickly but neatly spread ice cream on top of cupcakes into a mound. Repeat with remaining cakes and freeze for at least 2 hours. 

7. Once ganache (recipe below) has been made and slightly cooled, remove cupcakes from freezer and spoon ganache over the top of each quickly. (I had about a 1/3 cup extra ganache; it's okay, I lived.) Immediately top with cookies (You can make them as pretty as you want). Freeze for another hour or two and then set out for a few minutes before serving.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

Ingredients:

3/4 cup heavy cream

8.8 oz milk chocolate, chopped or crushed

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:

1. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles form on the sides.

2. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and peanut butter, continuously stirring until ganache is smooth and comes together.

3. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before spooning on cupcakes.

Thanks to Jessica from How Sweet It Is for the recipe!

Strawberry Cheesecake

Happy Memorial Day! In search of something festive, I found this! (hey, it's at least white and red) This is my first cheesecake and it's SUPER simple.
Be warned: it is not your traditional dense NY cheesecake. It is really more of a fluffy, cream pie-type thing... But it is super rich and magically delicious.

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
9 inch graham cracker crust
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz Cool Whip
12ish strawberries, hulled and halved/quartered lengthwise (after tasting it, it would go well with any type of berry, really. Especially blackberries... ooh...)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whip cream cheese, vanilla extract, and sugar with a mixer until fluffy.
2. Add Cool Whip and whip until smooth.
3. Spoon mixture into pie crust and chill for a few hours in the fridge until firm. (Careful spooning it in the crust; make sure to spread it to the edges)
4. Arrange strawberries on top and serve.

Thanks to Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny for the recipe.

Glazed Cashews

It's been way too long since my last post! So sorry. I actually made these awhile ago and lost the picture. But there's still a recipe! These are super easy and taste pretty good! I look forward to experimenting with different flavors. (Maybe add vanilla extract instead of cinnamon?) Let me know if you come up with a good combo!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 cup nut of your choice (We had cashews, original recipe called for almonds. Original called for raw nuts, but mine happened to be pre-salted. I think most anything works for this)


Directions:

1. Combine water and sugar in a small skillet. Place over high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until it comes to a boil.
2. Add nuts and reduce to medium heat. Keep stirring. (It will foam and stuff) I added the cinnamon somewhere in this process. Original said to do so at the beginning with the sugar, feel free to experiment.
3. When the nuts begin to caramelize and the water is mostly evaporated, remove from heat and turn nuts onto an ungreased baking sheet. Separate using forks and cool. Store airtight.

Thanks to Melinda Lee for the recipe, halved and modified from hers.

20-Minute Skillet Lasagna

Celebrating 100 pageviews on my blog! <3 Yay thanks!! Please comment if you stop by:) I accept suggestions!

I think this was one of my favorites so far! It was AMAZINGLY easy and actually turned out somewhat like the picture, too! I will definitely make this again, but I would recommend halving it... it made a lot.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 (12 oz) package bow tie noodles
1 (26 oz) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil (I ended up using vegetable oil)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (apparently it's good with more to taste...)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sour cream


Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package.
2. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large skillet.
3. After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in spaghetti sauce.
4. Add noodles to browned beef. Stir in seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow to combine on low heat for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

Thanks to Six Sisters' Stuff, recipe adapted from their blog.

Spicy Basil Chicken

Phew.... Don't you hate it when, as an amateur cook, you interpret recipes wrong because you don't quite have the lingo down yet?! Yeah.... A few things I learned this time around:
-Shallots = Scallions = Green Onions = FALSE
-"Sliced basil leaves? Oh, I'll just get them pre-sliced in bulk at Winco!" = WRONG MEASUREMENT
-1 lame glass cutting board + 1 lame knife from 50 years ago + a recipe that requires "mincing" and "thinly slicing" + 1 impatient cook = FRUSTRATION


Right, so recipe. So this one's pretty healthy! For a 3/4 cup serving (might be more than that in the pic), it's less than 300 calories!

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I accidentally minced these, too. Of course, when I say "mince," I mean cut fairly small until I give up)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Tbsp fish sauce (substitute=mix of soy sauce and Worcestershire)

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp lower-sodium soy sauce

1 1/4 tsp chili paste with garlic

1 tsp water

1/2 tsp cornstarch (I wasn't gonna buy a box of cornstarch for 1/2 tsp, so I used flour)

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup sliced basil leaves, if that. NOT 1/3 cup. 

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat.

2. Add shallots and garlic to pan and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Add chicken to pan; cook about 8 minutes or until chicken is done, with a slight charred look. (Recipe said 13 minutes, mine was done way before that; not exact.)

4. Combine fish sauce substitute, sugar, soy sauce, chili paste, water, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to coat chicken.

5. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Serves 2-3; can be eaten inside a pita pocket.

Thanks to Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny for the recipe. It's a great blog, but this one wasn't a complete success...

Cake Pops!

Sorry, no pictures for this one. :( I made them for a friend's birthday and they were gone super fast) Anyway, Cake Pops, as I'm sure you know, are the trending treat of the year. Luckily, they can be made without the sticks (even though pops are more fun).

Ingredients:
1/2 can cream cheese frosting (I'm sure homemade works wonderfully as well)
1 box strawberry cake mix (the birthday girl loved strawberry, but I give you permission to use other flavors)
1 package chocolate bark/chips


Directions:

1. Bake the cake according to directions for a 9x13 pan. Cool completely.
2. Crumble cooled cake into a large bowl with your hands.
3. Mix thoroughly with 1/2 can of frosting.
4. Roll mixture into quarter-size balls and lay on a cookie sheet.
5. Chill in freezer for about 2 hours.
6. Melt chocolate in microwave (or use double broiler) and roll balls in chocolate. Lay on wax paper until firm.
(Have fun with the decorating! There are examples of super cute seasonal pops all over Pinterest. Personally, I used the rest of the can of frosting in addition to the chocolate to make Neapolitan-type cake balls. Again, they were a big hit.)

Makes about 40-50.

Thanks to My Sweetest Dreams for the recipe, adapted from there.

Cuppa Coffee Cake

Coffee cake is amazing. All who differ speak now. *silence* However, who really wants a whole panful of it? (I refuse to ONLY have coffee cake with company.) BUT! Wait no longer! There's a recipe that serves one! (thanks again, Pinterest!) And, this recipe is so good, it COULD be served to company (and is easily doubled and divided among mugs for sleepovers). 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg (completely optional; great without)
2 Tbsp sour cream (I was low on this particular type of dairy, so it worked fine with only one Tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (about)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a smallish mug, soften 1 tablespoon of butter in microwave for 10 seconds; not melted, just soft.
2. Stir in sugar until it's fluffy and creamy.
3. In a separate bowl, break egg, stir it up, and add to mug along with sour cream, vanilla, baking powder, and 1/4 cup of flour.
4. In another separate bowl, soften the second tablespoon of butter. Add 2 tablespoons of flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix with fingers a bit.
5. Make the mixture in the mug somewhat even and top with the cinnamon mixture.
6. Microwave for 1 minute, then continue in 10-second increments until done. (My microwave worked at 1 minute, 30 seconds)
7. LET COOL!!! (I made the mistake of digging right in, and it was too doughy. Let set for about 2 minutes to get a real coffee cake texture.)


Thanks to Prudent Baby for the recipe

Mush Apple Topping

This is one of those, "I want to make my apples more exciting.... What's in the cabinet?" situations. It turned out good enough to share with y'all, but it's definitely not pretty... Especially when it's not the professional-quality pictures I usually have. But it's great for kids: easy, tasty, and messy. :) I'm also proud of one of my first original recipes :D But there's definitely some necessary modifications (like I originally used 1/3 cup of milk because my 1/4 cup was dirty and it turned out too runny). Have fun with it and feel free to make substitutions. Please comment with suggestions! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 apples, sliced
Cheerios (Honey Nut or Multigrain)

Directions:

Mix everything but Cheerios in a bowl. Spread over apple slices and top with Cheerios.
**Best on apples but can be used on other things as well, like pretzels or a spoon**

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

My Post-Lent-Midnight-Amazingness

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
16 oz milk chocolate candy coating (I'd also like to try dark chocolate coating)

Directions:

1. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl on high speed until light and fluffy.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
3. Add milk and vanilla to sugar mixture. Stir in dry ingredients with a spoon (or on low speed) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Cover and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or more.
5. When dough is firm enough to handle, form dough into 1" balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes. (Before completing this step, make sure your baking sheet fits in your freezer. I had to use a cake pan instead.) 
6. Melt candy coating in microwave according to package directions. Using forks or dipping tool, dip cookie balls into candy coating and cover. Tap fork on side of bowl to remove any excess coating, and return to wax paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set (about 15-20 minutes).
Store chilled in airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes about 3 dozen, which is like 3 servings :)

Thanks to Love and Olive Oil, recipe adapted from that blog.

Onion Dip

So, here's my little blogger rant. I had some friends over so I could show off my cooking skills (I mean, who doesn't?). The chicken and mac & cheese turned out GREAT; recipes below. But I wanted to try out this chips & dip recipe I saw on food network. And the chips were baked, not fried, so they would be somewhat healthy, right? So I tried it the day of company. I  neglected to remember my awful knives and ended up cutting the potatoes very uneven. They came out like fries, not chips. As long as you call them potatoes, not chips, they were okaayyy... very peppery. Hey, you can't succeed every the time. Anyway, you can check out that recipe here. Perhaps you will have better luck than I. With that said, the onion dip turned out pretty good!

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons olive oil

2 small onions, minced (I used red onions because the original recipe didn't specify)

4 scallions, thinly sliced, greens and whites separated (KEEP BOTH GREENS AND WHITES!)

3 cups nonfat PLAIN yogurt (I almost got vanilla o: or you can use 2 1/2 cups Greek yogurt)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium heat and add onions and scallion whites. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

(I don't appreciate greasy veggies, so I "drained" them with a paper towel in a bowl to get rid of the excess oil. Also, the original recipe says to thicken the yogurt with a strainer lined with a paper towel for 20 minutes. The yogurt wouldn't go past the paper towel!! If it works for you, please let me know how!)

3. Combine onions with yogurt, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and scallion greens and stir well to incorporate.

4. Chill for 1 hour or more to let flavors meld. Serve with veggies or potato chips. It went pretty well with my soggy potatoes, too!

Thanks to Ellie Krieger and Food Network for the recipe (doubled)

Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 box (16 oz) noodles (I used rigatoni because it looks more fun than elbow macaroni :)

2 Tbsp butter

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

12 oz grated cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar, and it gave it a great bite)

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons mustard (the original calls for dry mustard powder, but I used yellow mustard- shhh...)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper (whoops. left that out.)

Directions:

1. Boil pasta according to package directions, but reduce the time by 1 minute. Drain and pour back into pot.

2. Over medium heat, add butter and stir until melted

3. Mix the egg, milk, and spices and pour over the pasta. Stir until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

(I forgot the mixing part and just poured it all in; either way)

4. Remove the pan from heat and add cheese in four installments, making sure the first is melted completely before adding the next. (You may have to turn the heat back on to completely melt the cheese)

Serve immediately, it gets hard when cold. Serves 8-10 side dish servings.

Thanks to Evil Shenanigans for the recipe, doubled.

Honey BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

10 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

season salt

garlic salt

pepper

4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 bottle BBQ sauce (I used Jack Daniels and it turned out great)

1 honey bear

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

Directions:

1. Slice chicken in halves, roughly 1/2 inch wide. Place in a bowl of Worcestershire, in shifts to coat evenly.

2. Sprinkle with season salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a frying pan at med/high

3. In a bowl, coat pieces of chicken with flour and fry in pan until golden brown, again in shifts.

(When I made this, they didn't turn out quite as crispy as I would like; I will cook them longer next time)

4. Mix BBQ and honey in a bowl and preheat oven to 400 F

(When I made it, there was a lot of sauce leftover, but I couldn't use it because it touched raw chicken. I would suggest dividing it into two bowls, only using the second if needed. It is a great sauce and a shame to waste)

5. Place fried chicken on a cookie sheet. Brush BBQ mix over chicken and bake for 10 min

6. Remove chicken and baste again. Return to oven and make for an additional 10 min

Thanks to Cooks.com for this recipe, roughly doubled.