Cinnamon Donut Drops with Cream Cheese Icing

This recipe is actually supposed to be for homemade biscuits, but I have adapted it to be donut holes. You can make this same recipe using canned biscuits if you have them. :)

For homemade biscuits:
2 cups flour (sifted)
5 tablespoons butter
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk

Cinnamon
Sugar
Cream Cheese

For homemade biscuits:
Sift flour into a large bowl. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Cut in butter 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is like coarse sand and pebbles.
Add in milk slowly until the mixture becomes a soft dough and mixed well.
Flour a cutting board or counter and knead the dough for about 1 minute.
Roll the dough out flat about 1/2 inch thick. If you are making regular biscuits, use a biscuit cutter or a circle cookie cutter to make biscuits. For the donut holes, I rolled the dough out flat about 1/4 inch thick, and then used a pizza cutter to slice it into strips, and then into strips again the opposite way, making 1inch by 1 inch squares. Take each square, roll it into a ball.

For canned biscuits:
Remove biscuits from can and quarter each biscuit into 4 pieces. Roll the pieces into balls.

In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar about half and half.
Roll each ball in the mixture until coated and place on a cookie sheet (coated with cooking spray)
Bake at 400 for about 12 minutes.
Drizzle with cream cheese icing recipe below, or dip them.

1/2 block cream cheese- softened (20 secs in microwave)
1/4 cup sugar
teaspoon cinnamon

Idiot Proof Sugar Cookies

These are by far the simplest sugar cookies I have ever made, and SO delicious!


All you need:
1 1/2 cups butter (softened but not melted)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups All Purpose Flour


In mixing bowl- cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla.
Add in baking soda and salt, and then gradually add in flour one cup at a time until mixed well. 


Take the dough and divide into two sections. Roll into two 8 inch logs and wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours. Then you simply slice them into 1/4 inch slices and place on an ungreased baking sheet. 

If you wish to use cookie cutters, Pat out the rolls prior to putting in the fridge, and then starting at one end, roll them up into a log. Then after they get cold (about an hour), unroll the log and cut into whatever shapes you would like. 


If you do not wish to slice or cut, you can simply drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet without refrigeration. 


Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until set. Do not brown. Let cool on a wire rack or cutting board. 

These cookies need no icing, but you can use a simple confectioners sugar icing or a glaze recipe posted below if you want to ice them. 
 Enjoy!


Icing:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup shortening
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
food coloring

Glaze: (which is what I prefer)
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
10 drops food coloring

My Bestie Callie's Cheesecake Recipe

Callie sent me her family's famous cheesecake recipe, so I decided to share it with you!

Crust: (9" pan)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar

Blender:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix for 2 minutes and then add
1 pound cream cheese (softened)
Add 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar

Pour in crust
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and then broil the crust until lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Creamy Spinach Chicken Bake

2 cups diced boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used  3 boneless skinless chicken breasts)  1 10 oz package of frozen spinach 1/2 cup of Sour Cream (you can use fat free) 1/2 cup Mayo (or light) 1/4 Mozzarella cheese 1 cup Parmesean Cheese  2 tsp garlic powder

Cook chicken either on the grill or in a small skillet with a drizzle of extra virgin oil and season. I used garlic and herb seasoning. Cook chicken covered until done and skin is browned. Let cool and then chop into small pieces. 

While chicken is cooking, combine mayo, cheeses, sour cream, and garlic powder. Set aside.

Microwave spinach until thawed. Drain between paper towels until no moisture is left. 

Mix the spinach in well with the chicken pieces. 

In a small casserole dish, spread half the cheese mixture in the bottom. 

Layer the chicken and spinach mix over the cheese, and then top with the remaining cheese. 

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until top is browned, bubbly and cheesy. 

Serve with rolls. 

Enjoy! 

Sopapilla Cheesecakes! So quick and delish!

What you need:
2 can of crescent rolls
2 blocks cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter
cinnamon and sugar
Pumpkin Spice (optional)

This is SO easy!
Soften your cream cheese at room temp, or in the microwave for 15seconds. In a bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin spice.
Spread one can of the crescent rolls out in the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan. Press it down to connect all the triangles and create one solid crust.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust.
Unroll and spread remaining crescent rolls over the top.
Spoon melted butter over top crust and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until crust is browned.
Serve with vanilla bean ice cream!


I halved my recipe because I only had one can of rolls and one block of cream cheese (and I only used half the block of cream cheese cause I wanted to use the other half to stuff chicken breasts haha!) I used 4 crescent rolls on the bottom and 4 on top and used a square 9x9 pan instead of 13x9.

Enjoy!

Foil-Pack Chicken and Broccoli

Saw this on a friend's blog today and it looked yummy, so I thought I'd share. Might make this one night this week!

Source: TheBigOven



Ingredients
1 packageStuffing mix; chicken flavor
1 1/4 cupWater
24 ounceBoneless skinless chicken breast; 6oz each
4 cupsBroccoli Florets
1 cupShredded chedar cheese
4 slicesCooked bacon; crumbled
4 tablespoons Ranch dressing

How to Prepare Foil-Pack Chicken and Broccoli Dinner
Oven to 400Top stuffing with a 6oz. chicken breast half.
Combine stuffing mix and water.
Spray 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil with oil.
Top chicken with 1 c. broccoli.
Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese and 1 slice of bacon, crumbled.
Drizzle with 1 T. ranch dressing
Bring up foil sides and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside
Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake 25-30 mins
Remove packets and let stand 5 mins
Cut sits in foil for steam before opening.
Spoon 1/4 of the stuffing mixture onto the center of each foil sheet.

Enjoy! 

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

this is a complete accident recipe because I bought a big tub of PLAIN yogurt instead of the vanilla I usually buy.
Took the big tub of plain yogurt, dumped it in the blender with one small jar of strawberry jam (homemade from my mother in law, but you could use smuckers haha). Added in one banana, and blended. Poured it back in the original container, stuck it in the freezer, and froze overnight or until almost solid. Yum!

You could do this with any flavor of jam or jelly OR use fresh fruit, but you need a lot more. Peach, cherry, blueberry, or you can add chocolate flavoring to make it more like chocolate ice cream.

Enjoy!

Homemade Granola- a healthy on-the-go snack!

I made some of this this morning and it turned out delicious! Great on top of yogurt!

What you need:
2 cups of rolled oats
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
cinnamon
brown sugar
pumpkin spice (if you like it, great this time of year)

Optional add ins:
any type of nuts
shredded coconut
*THESE add ins go in with the mixutre PRIOR to baking

any dried fruits or berries
chocolate chips
*THESE add ins go in the mixture after it has baked and been broken up


Preheat oven to 400.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray (Pam).

Put your oats in a large mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan, melt butter and honey. Add in spices and vanilla and simmer until almost boiling.
Pour butter mixture over oats and toss until well coated. Add in any optional nuts or coconut.

Spread the oats onto the lined cookie sheet and spread with a spatula until you have a thin layer.

Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Let cool and then use the foil to remove the granola from the pan and break up into pieces.

At this point you can add in more nuts, chocolate chips, berries, dried fruit, etc.
Store in a airtight container and serve with fresh yogurt, fruit or berries. OR you can eat it like cereal, which is what I did. :)

Banana Pumpkin Spice Bread (or muffins)

• 4 beyond ripe bananas, smashed
• NOTE- I store bananas that have turned brown/black in the freezer until ready to use, then thaw them out and drain off the excess water that comes from them having been frozen. 
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup but why would you want to do that?)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Spice 
• 
  
• For crumble topping: 
• 1/2 cup of butter NOT melted
• 1/2 cup of sugar (I used brown sugar for this)
• 1/2 cup of flour
• Place ingredients into a bowl, then cut together with a pastry cutter until crumble mix is crumbly. Set aside
• 
  
• You do NOT need a Kitchen Aid mixer for this, it is easily mixed with a wooden spoon. 
• Mash bananas completely, and add in melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and baking soda. 
• Stir in flour a little at a time. 
• I ended up adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour because of the extra liquid from my bananas being frozen. Rule of thumb- you don't want the mixture to be runny. Add about 2 tablespoons more flour at a time until it is thickened enough to stick to a spoon. 
• Add in spices. I went a little extra on the pumpkin spice because I LOVE pumpkin flavor. If you love pumpkin and have some on hand, you can add in some pureed pumpkin along with the bananas. 
• Mix together and pour into greased/buttered loaf man or muffin pans. Fill about 3/4 full. This recipe should make one loaf or 12 muffins ( I doubled it to get rid of bananas and made both haha). 
• Once in the pans, sprinkle the crumb mixture on top and place in the oven at 350 for 1 hour. 
• Muffins only take about 30 minutes, the loaf will take closer to an hour. Wait until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and top and edges are a deep brown. 
• Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack and serve with butter. 
• Enjoy! 
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin - food.com

4 tbs butter

2 tbs honey

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an ovenproof pot, heat butter and honey over medium heat until melted.  Sprinkle  pork tenderloin with Cajun seasoning and black pepper.  Brown each side for 5 minutes.  

Place pan in oven and roast for 7 - 10 minutes.  Transfer the pork to a plate covered with foil to rest. Add water to pan and stir over medium heat.  Simmer until sauce is reduced to about 1/2 cup.  Slice pork on the diagonal and drizzle sauce over top to serve.

Stuffed Shells!

12 oz.	jumbo shell pasta
15 oz.	part skim ricotta
4 oz. (1 cup)	shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup	basil pesto
1 large	egg
2 cups	fresh spinach (optional)
1 Tbsp	cooking oil
3 cups (1 jar)	pasta sauce

STEP 1: In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, pesto and the egg (the egg keeps the filling from getting too runny when cooked). Roughly chop the spinach and stir it into the cheese mixture. Refrigerate the filling until you are ready to use it.

STEP 2: Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box (boil for 12 min.). I added 1 Tbsp of cooking oil to the boiling water to keep the shells from sticking to each and the pot. You will still need to gently stir a few times during cooking. Be careful not to over cook the pasta or else it will rip easily and be too mushy after cooking with the filling and sauce. Drain the pasta and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process. Let the pasta drain.

STEP 3: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. The shells roll up tight (see photo below) when they are cooked so use the fingers on one hand to hold them open as you spoon about 3 Tbsp of pesto cheese mix into the center of each. There should be enough pesto cheese mix to fill the shell so that it stays open just slightly (the edges should be about 1/2 inch apart). Fill as many shells as you can with the cheese mix.

STEP 4: Spread one cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish. I used a 9.5x14 inch dish because that was all that I had available at the time but it was too big for 22 shells. You want to pack them in tightly in a single layer. If you space them too far apart, they will dry out during the cooking process. Place all of the shells in the baking dish as close together as possible and pour the remaining 2 cups of sauce over top. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the sauce is bubbling up around the edges.

Homeade Pizza Crust!!

The Perfect Pizza Curst
Source: Annies Eats (great blog!) orginally from Baking Illustrated
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

• 1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) instant yeast
• 1 1/4 cups water, at room temp
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plug more for dusting
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Cornmeal
• olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing bowl

Directions:

1.      Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes.Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed. Slowly add the liquid ingredients and continue to mix at low speed until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook.Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.
3. To bake, place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500° for at least 30 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form both pieces of dough into smooth, round balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
4. Working with one piece of dough and keeping the other covered, shape the dough and transfer to a pizza peel or round of parchment dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Top as desired. Slide the dough onto the pizza stone. Bake until the crust edges brown and cheese is golden brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining ball of dough or freeze for later use.

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Chicken Pesto Pizza Adapted from Annies EatsIngredients:

• 1 perfect pizza crust (recipe above)
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto (store bough or homemade)
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. To roast the garlic: Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic. Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. Remove garlic gloves and smash with a fork.

Spread roasted garlic over pizza dough. Do this to taste. I used almost the whole (small) bulb, but I LOVE roasted garlic. Spread the pesto on the pizza. Add the sliced, cooked chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Top with fresh grated parmesan. Bake on preheated pizza stone for 8 - 12 minutes

Garlic-Lime Chicken

Garlic-Lime Chicken
Adapted from All Recipes

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons lime juice

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Mom’s Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta

Mom’s Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta

1 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat shells)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.), diced
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
5 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. Set a large pot of water to boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil, salt it and cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, heat the olive oil then add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides – about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and simmer with the chicken until it’s fragrant and begins to turn golden – about 3 minutes.

Add the salt. spinach and white wine to the skillet and cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes, or until the spinach begins to wilt. Toss the contents of the skillet with the pasta and place in a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and bake for 25 minutes.l juices run clear.  If you're 

Honey Lime Chicken

Honey Lime Chicken

Marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes), plus the zest of both limes

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 pounds of chicken (I used boneless skin-on breasts, but use whatever suits you)

In a large zip top plastic bag combine all of the ingredients except the chicken. Seal bag completely and mix well. Add chicken to bag, turn to coat and reseal. Place in refrigerator overnight.

Heat grill (either outdoor grill, or indoor grill pan) to medium high. Grill chicken for approximately 6-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. 

Grilled Chicken Rigatoni Florentine

This dish is Italian-inspired comfort food at its finest. It's a long recipe, but the results are well worth the effort. Although the concept is simple, it's largely made from scratch. You could certainly substitute more pre-packaged ingredients, but the result won't be the same.

Ingredients

8 Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

1 1/2 lb Dry rigatoni

16 oz Frozen spinach, thawed

16 oz Heavy whipping cream

4 cups Milk, 2%

8 oz Sour cream

1 cup Italian three-cheese blend (Parmesan, Asiago & Romano)

2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted

2 Tbsp Canola or vegetable oil

2 Tbsp All-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, minced

2 tsp Garlic salt

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh

1/2 tsp White pepper

Dash Cayenne

Dash Nutmeg

Method

Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs.

Season both sides of the chicken evenly with the garlic salt and the black pepper.

Set aside and let sit 30 minutes at room temperature.

Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking at medium-high heat (400-450º).

Cook the pasta per the package directions until it is just shy of al dente, then drain it well.

Note: You want the pasta a little underdone because it will finish cooking when it's baked.

While the pasta is cooking, brush the chicken with one tablespoon of the canola/vegetable oil and grill it over direct heat for three minutes per side.

Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Pour the thawed spinach on top of the draining pasta and stir to allow it to drain simultaneously.

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Add the butter and the other tablespoon of canola/vegetable oil and let heat 30 seconds.

Add the flour and whisk constantly to make a roux. You want a blonde roux, so cook it until it just starts to give off a nutty aroma.

Add the cream to the pan and bring just to a slight boil, whisking constantly.

Add the milk, salt, garlic, white pepper, cayenne and nutmeg to the pan and bring back to a slight boil, whisking constantly.

Add the cheese and sour cream to the pan and bring it back to a simmer, whisking constantly.

Remove the sauce from the heat.

Note: The sauce will be a little thin, but that's intentional, as it will thicken when baked with the pasta.

Slice the chicken to 1/4" and add put it in a large mixing bowl.

Add the pasta and spinach to the bowl.

Add the sauce to the bowl and fold to combine all of the ingredients

Pour the pasta mixture into a very large baking dish.

Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake 40 minutes.

Plate the pasta with shaved Parmesan. Serve and enjoy!

Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese

Spinach Pesto (aka Spanakopita Pesto)

(makes 1 cup)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup baby spinach (packed)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (chopped, I used a combination of parsley, dill and mint)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons walnuts (toasted)
1/4 cup feta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
salt and pepper to taste

GRILLED CHEESE:

Directions:
1. Place everything into a food processor and blend.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons spinach (aka spanakopita) pesto
1/4 cup graviera or gruyere (grated)
2 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich and grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

By jgreghenry Published November 21, 2009

Ingredients:

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 sli bacon
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 0.5 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c sour cream
• 0.25 c chives, minced
• 2.5 c cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 t kosher salt
• 0.5 t pepper

---

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.
3. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately