Pecan Brittle

Peanut brittle has always been a favorite during the holiday season. I decided to make my own but all I had was pecans so I'm calling it "Pecan Brittle".

 

This is the first time I've tried this. For some reason, I had a recipe for brittle that only called for sugar and butter.???....Yea, I know, right?. I got it from my mom... I think. I knew this could not be right. I must have started writing a recipe and never finished or my mom knew some magic trick to it. She can always come up with the best recipes and most are in her head.

By now the craving for some brittle was getting more intense. What do I do? I logged quickly onto Pinterest and found a recipe, or should I say, "many recipes".

I didn't use only one recipe but got ideas from several and made my own. Well, mainly because I didn't have all of the ingredients to complete any single one so I scrapped it, and to my surprise, it turned out really good! The best part is that I did it in the microwave! Worst part? I had to chisel the remaining mess off my glass bowl! That was a job in itself!

Pecan Brittle

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup Karo syrup( light corn syrup)

1/4 Tbs salt

1 Tbs butter

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1 cup pecans (or any nut)

In a glass bowl, combine: nuts, sugar, syrup & salt.

Microwave 4 minutes. ( mixture will be bubbly).
Stir in butter and vanilla and cook another 4 minutes.

Quickly pour onto a greased baking sheet. (Be careful not to get any one you because it will blister you like a glue gun on steroids). 

Cool about 15 minutes then break into pieces and enjoy.



Ive shared this at:
inspire-me-monday at create-with-joy
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
kitchen-fun-crafty-friday at kitchenfunwithmy3sons
ladybug-blessings.

Deep Fried Strawberries

Now days people will deep fry anything.
I fried Strawberries.

Have you been to the fair lately? Unfortunately I have not been since my daughter was little, but I do know they have some unique foods and good ol fattening food too.

This year at the fair the newest thing was deep fried Kool Aid. I had my daughter bring me some back when she went. It was nothing like I expected. I thought it would be a crispy, sticky sweet hard candy like something on a stick. Instead, It was like a cherry flavored funnel cake. They just added kool aid too batter, deep fried it, and rolled it in powder sugar.

I have been trying to stay away from sweets, I have been eating a lot of strawberries dipped in sugar free cool whip as a snack. By the way, sugar free cool whip taste no different than the regular kind. It is delicious. You would never know its sugar free.

While eating a bowl of strawberries the other night, I thought id try to deep fry some. I mean, if you can fry a Twinkie, you can fry a strawberry. My mind was set in strawberry pancake mode. I just knew this could be done so I attempted it.

I like the way they turned out. There are a lot of possibilities with these yummy fruit fritters.
I added power sugar to mine but I think they would also be good with a glaze of honey or syrup. Maybe rolled in cinnamon or even some chocolate drizzle.

So much for staying away from the sweet stuff! Powder sugar is one of my weaknesses.
These would be great for a breakfast side.
Enjoy!!


Ive shared this at:
tumbleweedcontessa
lifewiththecrustcutoff
jaqsstudio
mizhelenscountrycottage

Easy Brownie Cake

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day. We ended the day by grilling some steaks, a loaded salad and a glass of wine. Afterwards I wanted an easy dessert. I didn't want to crank up the oven because its been a hot day. I decided to make this brownie cake.

Can you believe, this only took five minutes to bake and I didn't have to use my oven?  I used my microwave. Yep, I nuked it. Now, I'm not going to lie to you and tell you its the best cake I've ever had, but I will say its good. Its not as good as a real cake or real brownies. I think I could have possibly added some chocolate chips or pudding to the mix to make it better.

But it is easy!!

Easy Brownie Cake

 

Boil 1/2 cup water with 3 tablespoons sugar added. (set aside)

 

In a bowl, mix together

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup self rising flour
2/3 cup cocoa

Then add

3 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

(will be a thick mix)

 

Pour the mix into a buttered 8x8 casserole or 9 inch pan (Tupperware works too).

Then carefully pour the boiling sugar water in the center of mix (do not stir).

Cover with lid or plastic wrap

Microwave high for 5 minutes.

 

Top with your favorite topping.

If you make this and figure out a way to make it better, Id love to hear your addition.

Original recipe with nutrition and calorie facts found  HERE.


Ive shared this at:
terrific-tuesday at adventuresofadiymom
two-girls-and-a-party lifewiththecrustcutoff
made-by-me-94-linky-party jaqsstudio
kitchen-fun-crafty-friday at kitchenfunwithmy3sons
saturday-share at wijnker



Pecan Pie Muffins

Oh for the love!............Pecan Pie Muffins. I call them muffins because its a cupcake without icing.

One of my favorite (of many) desserts is pecan pie. Usually it hits the spot when I need a quick sweet fix. Those little mini pecan pies you get the convenient store will do the trick.

I made these little pecan pie cupcakes muffins the other night and "WINNER"

 

 

At first I thought they looked a little blahhh. Impatiently as I am, I had to have one hot right out of the oven. They were good but once they cooled all the way down....Delicious.! They are better cold. No icing is needed. They are good just they way they are and tasted just like pecan pie!!!

Now, grab a glass of milk and go make you some!

Pecan Pie Muffins

1/2 cup self rising flour
1 Cup packed brown sugar
2/3 Cup melted butter
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon coffee (optional)
1 Cup chopped Pecans

Preheat oven 350 degrees

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
Pour into muffin tins 3/4 full (spray tin with non-stick cooking spray).

Bake 15-18 minutes
Makes 12

Note: Once they are done, flip onto a cooling rack. If they cool to much in the tins, they will be hard to remove.

Ive shared this at:
twiggstudios Sunday-off-linky-party
kitchenfunwithmy3sons
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrykitchen *Featured*
marvelous-mondays at thisgalcooks
Handmade tuesdays at ladybug-blessings
Brag about it Tuesday at bebetsy

Pickle Snowball

I'm not a big fan of the shave ice things called snowballs. I just don't like the whole idea of the sticky, gooey, sugary syrup they put on top that's so sweet it will make your throat tickle. They are full of artificial coloring and flavoring.

Any way, we now have a new place in town called Pelicans Snoballs. When my daughter saw this, she got excited and told me this was a big thing when she was in college and I should try it.
So, this weekend, we decided to give it a try. I figured I could at least try it since they have over 100 flavors I was bound to find an interesting one.

Ashley is studying hard to figure out the one she wants.

 "Dill Pickle"-That's the flavor I picked.

I even had them add extra pucker on top.

 

I wanted to pick the craziest flavor they had. They even have "toothpaste" flavor but I'm sure that's just minty. It was a hard decision and I'm so indecisive possibilities were endless. My Daughter chose one of the newest flavors,"Reese Cup" with extra chocolate drizzle.



source
 

Ok, so this one does not look like the one in their picture.

But she said it was really good.

 

I just cant wrap my mind around the thought of any kind of chocolate on ice. eeesh. Ill leave that one on the hot cocoa or coffee side of things.

Here are a few interesting facts I seen posted on the building.

I don't believe the "no stain one".

Go check out the Menu. I may go back again just to try another kind. If you went here, what taste would you pick? You can even mix them up.

Carrot Cookies

Yes, Carrot Cookies but nothing like Carrot Cake.

I had another sweet tooth but tried to keep it healthy [fail]. I decided to make some cookies that my Mother-In-Law used to make. I love these things. They are so light and fluffy and will melt in your mouth like a hot Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut.

This is a great way to get you kids to eat vegetables. Don't let me fool you by trying to convince you that these things are healthy because they are still full of sugar. No, they are not really healthy but I guess they are more healthy than an Oreo. I mean, the main ingredient is carrots. I don't like cooked carrots by the way but you cant even taste the carrots in these cookies. Your kids will never even know. I personally think they tasted like a soft vanilla wafer or light sugar cookie.

You will fall in love with these and they go a long way. One batch makes four dozen so they would go great for party or shower.

CARROT COOKIES

1 cup sugar
1 cup Crisco
1 cup shredded, mashed or baby food carrots
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder*
1 tsp salt *
*OR just use self rising flour and omit the baking powder and salt (that's what I do).

Cream together sugar and Criso- Beat carrots, eggs and vanilla in to the sugar mixture-then add flour to mixture.  Drop by spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes*
*No need to check them, 10 minutes will do it. I made some on a shiny pan and a nonstick pan and they worked the same. They will be soft and lightly browned on the bottoms.

For the optional glaze- Make a mixture of Orange juice and powder sugar.

Oh and let me say too, they cool really fast so you can just eat them almost immediately. Don't just go and do that, Im just saying you can. I did because I have no will power when it comes to sweets. 

ENJOY!

UPDATE! Husband just informed me that he had strawberries and whip cream on top and it was like strawberry shortcake!

ENJOY! more

Ive shared this at:
marvelous-mondays at thisgalcooks
nifty-thrifty-tuesday at linda-coastalcharm
brag-about-it-tuesday at bebetsy
whatd-you-do-this-weekend at tumbleweedcontessa
simple-supper-tuesday at hunwhatsfordinner
adorned-from-above-blog-hop
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
blog-stalking-thursday at thecraftyblogstalker
kitchen-fun-crafty-friday-link-party at kitchenfunwithmy3sons

Banana Split Bread

Oh my goodness gracious alive! I just re-wrote my Moms banana bread recipe!

While we were out grocery shopping , I wanted to get the stuff to make a banana bread but I was also craving cherries. I asked my daughter if she thought cherries in the banana bread would be any good. She said "Mom, why not get chocolate chips, nuts and cherries and make it a banana split bread?" So , that's what happened. We have created a dangerously delicious dessert. After giving away a few pieces, it is now gone. It lasted, oh say, about 12 hours which we were asleep 8 of those hours.

Banana Split Bread
2 cups self rising flour

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick-melted)

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup maraschino cherries (cut in halves)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used caramel chocolate chips)

*more or less of the last three ingredients is ok

 

Mix Well

Pour into a well greased 4x8 loaf pan

Bake 350 for 50-60 minutes

 

 

 Just look at that ewey ooey goodness! Its a shame to call it "bread"!

 

 

I've shared this at:

Marvelous Mondays at thisgalcooks

terrific-tuesdays at adventuresofadiymom

brag-about-it-tuesday at bebetsy

lil-luna-link-party

adorned-from-above-blog-hop

full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage

tasty-thursdays at mandatorymooch

blog-stalking-thursday at thecraftyblogstalker

whatd-you-do-this-weekend-18 at tumbleweedcontessa/

kitchen-fun-crafty-friday-link-party

tasty-tuesdays at anyonitanibbles

Ice Cream Bread

Who knew you could make bread with only two ingredients?

Flour and Ice Cream!!!!

 

Why not? Ice cream has sugar, milk and eggs already in it.

I just had to try it. And it worked! It was delicious. Be in mind, this is "bread" not "cake" therefore its not as sweet. That's ok with me. I thought it was just the perfect bit of sweetness. This will go great with a cup of coffee.

I chose to use butter pecan ice cream because its one of my favorite flavors.

Here is simply how you do it.

ICE CREAM BREAD

2 cups softened ice cream

1 1/2 cup of self rising flour

  

Mix well (it will be thick)

Pour into a greased and floured pan ( I used a loaf pan) and bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.

Just use the ole toothpick test and stick one in there and if it comes out clean, its done.

It did not rise a lot but again, I think its perfect.

Just experiment with different flavors.
Next I'm gonna try it with rocky road!

ENJOY!

 

 

 

Ive shared this at:



full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
tasty-thursdays at mandatorymooch
wednesdays-adorned-from-above
kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday at kitchenfunwithmy3sons
freedom-friday at myturnforus
marvelous-mondays at thisgalcooks
brag-about-it-tuesday bebetsy  (FEATURED)

Two Ingredient Cake

I thought I'd make something sweet again but without all the calories. I'm getting burned out on strawberries and sugar free whip cream. So I made cupcakes!

While searching through Pinterest, I found this really interesting way to make a cake using only two ingredients.

1- box of devils food cake mix

1- cup non fat Greek Yogurt

and 1 cup of water (ok that's really three, but water don't count).

 

 

Mix all the ingredients together with a wire whisk and bake 350 until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. It took mine about 25 minutes. I ended up adding a tad bit more water to the mix because the texture was really thick and just didn't look like the soupy cake mix I'm used to. They didn't seem to rise as much as the regular way.

They turned out better than I thought they would. You can't even taste the yogurt at all. They reminded me of brownies.
Personally I did not like them, They were not as rich in taste and a bit gummy. But I would highly recommend this recipe if your allergic or trying to stay away from eggs. 

The original recipe can be found  HERE.

Cake Mix + Fat-Free Greek YogurtPER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 180 calories, 3.25g fat, 306mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 3.5g protein


Ive shared this at:
marvelous-mondays at thisgalcooks
mealtime-monday-recipe-link-up at couponingncooking.
terrific-tuesdays at adventuresofadiymom
creatively-tuesday at therusticpig
kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday at kitchenfunwithmy3sons

 

Grape Salad

We have been  having some really nice weather lately. We have sunshine and storms. I love storms in the spring. I have even able to keep my windows open to enjoy the fresh air. UNTIL, the pollen started. I have the worst allergies ever and this green gook is my enemy. I feel like clawing my eyes out for the pain and itching.

Speaking of green, I wanted to make a healthy (well not really) sweet dish. I found this recipe for grape salad and it was amazing.

 

GRAPE SALAD

2 lbs green seedless grapes

 1/2 (4oz) block cream cheese

4 oz sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts

 

 

Mix together all the ingredients except the grapes and nuts. Once everything is creamed together, add the nuts and grapes and toss until coated. Keep refrigerated. (This is actually good immediately. No need to let it set for a long period of time before eating).

 

My recipe is cut in half of the original recipe found HERE. Because I did not buy enough grapes.
I think you can put cream cheese and sugar together to create anything. In fact, I may try this same recipe using different fruits. What fruit do you think would be good made this way? I'm thinking Pineapple. Yea?

I've shared this at:
lil-luna-link-party
made-by-me-76-linky-party-and-features at jaqsstudio
showcase-your-talent-thursday at whatscookinglove
tasty-thursdays at mandatorymooch
full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage
freedom-fridays at myturnforus
get-schooled-saturday too-much-time.com
mealtime-monday-recipe-link-up at couponingncooking
marvelous-mondays at cookinforthesevendwarfs

Marshmallow Macaroni Cheese Cupcakes

Don't judge the taste by the name! This is actually good!

On of my favorite snacks is the Marshmallow and cheese things that mom used to make us when we were little. I know, Its sounds nasty but you put a marshmallow on cheese and a Ritz and its awesome! The combination makes a magical tastes put together. Try it!!! Everyone that I have ever gotten to try these things fell in love with them.

SO, that brings me to my newest experimental recipe.

"Marshmallow Macaroni and Cheese cupcakes". I call them cupcakes because they are more on the sweet side.

I have been seeing on Pinterest, these macaroni and cheese cups with Ritz crust and it donged on me that the only thing missing was the marshmallows. However, For some reason, I could not find the recipe. The picture never took me to one, so I figured it out the best I could imagine.

1. First I used a whole sleeve of finely crushed Ritz and poured 1/2 stick of melted butter into them and pressed in my muffin pan to make like a small pie crust.

I used reynolds aluminum liners but you can make these without any liners.

 

2. While I made my crust, I boiled 8 oz of macaroni. Once done, I combined the macaroni with 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon self rising flour, and about a cup of cheese (or more).

I always make my macaroni and cheese in a crock pot so I really don't know how to make the old fashion kind,  so just make it the way you would normally make it.

3. I put the macaroni and cheese in the Ritz crust and baked 375 for about 20 minutes.

4. Then I added a large marshmallow on top and toasted until it was....well....toasted.

 

Go ahead, try it! Don't have alot of time? Try just doing the Ritz thing I mentioned at the beginning of this post. It is still my favorite snack.



Ive shared this at:
sunday-show-off-linky-party twiggstudios
mealtime-monday at couponingncooking
terrific-tuesdays at adventuresofadiymom

Elmo Party

This weekend I attended a birthday party for my grand niece. She turned two. Her party was Elmo themed. This was perfect for her since shes at that age where its all Dora and Sesame Street.
Her party was held at an old school auditorium which was great for all the little party goers to run around and scream. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.

Can you find the birthday girl?

Her party was complete with a four foot Elmo balloon that followed everyone around, a real live Dorthy fish,

Elmo and friends cupcakes from Yi Ya's Sweeties and veggie trays made by the Mom (my niece).

 

and of course lots of presents. Including the big surprise, A Schwinn tricycle from her Nona and Pop Pop.

 

The party favors for each guest were made up of gold fish and crayons with tags that read "Elmo loves his goldfish and crayons too. Now here's both just for you. Love........."

 

She was just a little ball of fun.

Happy Birthday Brinklin!


Ive shared this on:
creatively-tuesday at therusticpig.com

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of my readers! Hope you can put behind 2012 and make 2013 a better year for you and everyone around you.

I start each new year off with a traditional family dinner with collard greens, black eye peas, pork, mashed potatoes and crock pot macaroni & cheese. My husband worked hard to fix the greens and meat while I did the rest. If you know me, you know i'm all about the sweets so I made two fruit cobblers. For the first time, I made a chocolate pecan cobbler! Read on, I posted the recipe at the end.

Ever wonder what this lucky meal means? Here is a little run down....

 

Pork: Usually consumed in Italy and the United States, where thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth and prosperity.

Collard Greens: Their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune and believed the more you eat the more wealth you will have.

 

Black Eye Peas: Symbol of money. Their small, seed like appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind.

Now the mashed potatoes and macaroni & cheese are just thrown in the mix for good eatin'. That's how we do it in the South.

 

My husband cooked the collard greens outside. We do eight bundles.

If you have ever cooked collard greens, you'd know why.

Then he grilled some BBQ Pork loins on the grill.

 I cut up ten pounds of potatoes.

Here is the black eye peas, mac n cheese, and potatoes cooking.

I always do a half and half cobbler. This was the cobbler before I cooked it.

I never got a picture of  "after". That's how fast it got gone.

 

 

Before we began to eat, my sweet daddy had a short family devotion.

He left his paper here so now Ill share it with all of you.

 

 

Then everyone found a place at the tables and dug in.

 

It's hard to get everyone in one picture but we had fifteen!

This is where my front living room turns into a dinning room.

 

 

OK now for my favorite part. Chocolate Pecan Cobbler.

 

 

This is the first time I made it and thought I'd give it a try. It turned out wonderful and I will probably have to add this to the menu every year from now on. I was lucky to snatch a piece for this photo. It was gone in no time.

 

CHOCOLATE PECAN COBBLER.

 

Melt 2 sticks butter and pour into 9x13 dish.

 

In bowl mix:

1 1/4 cup sugar 

1 1/2 cup self rising flour

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup milk

Pour the batter mix into the melted butter ( Do not stir)

 

In separate bowl mix:

1 cup sugar

6 Tbls cocoa powder

2 cups chopped or half pecans (optional)

Pour on top.(Do not stir)

 

Then pour two cups boiling water into it (Do not stir)

 

Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes or until nice and brown.

Serve warm with ice cream or whip cream.

Printable Recipe

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

 

Ive shared this on:

adornedfromabove

full-plate-thursday at mizhelenscountrycottage

kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday at kitchenfunwithmy3sons

Mealtime Monday at couponingncooking

creatively-tuesday at the rustic pig (featured)