C :: Week 10 :: Mounds Brownies

This week I made some Mounds Brownies.  Here's the recipe:


Mounds Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 Family Size (9x13) pan of brownies, prepared
• 5 1/3 Cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 14oz Can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 ½ Cups powdered sugar
• 1 Can of chocolate frosting

Directions:

1.   Prepare brownies and let cool completely.

2.   In the bowl of your mixer combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered sugar until all ingredients are incorporated.

3.   Spread coconut mixture over brownies.

4.   Place can of frosting in the microwave for 10 seconds (please be sure to remove foil liner and lid) until pourable.

5.   Pour frosting over the coconut mixture. Let cool and set up.

They were good.  I think I would reduce the amount of sugar - because they seriously could put you in a diabetic coma!  They are so sweet.  I didn't have a can of frosting so I just made some - and it turned out pretty good!

C :: Week 9 :: Taco Bell Quesadillas

One of my most favorite take out food items are the chicken quesadillas from TacoBell!  I just love that sauce!  Anyway living in a foreign country makes it difficult to find these, so I found a recipe to make them at my house!

Sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons minced jalapenos, slices
2 teaspoons jalapeno juice, from minced jalepenos
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash salt

Quesadillas
4 flour tortillas
4 chicken tenderloins
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
2 slices processed cheese

1. Combine sauce ingredients and stir until smooth.
2. Grill chicken in vegetable oil and cut into thin slices.
3. Preheat skillet over medium heat.
4. One at a time, lay tortilla into hot skillet and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of each shredded cheese and 1/2 cheese slice on one side of the tortilla.
5. Arrange about 1/4 cup chicken slices over tortilla on the same half covered with cheese.
6. On the empty side, spread about one tablespoon of sauce.
7. Fold over, and press gently with spatula.
8. Cook until cheese is melted and slice each into 4 pieces.


These were super yummy!  Super easy to make and everything!  The only thing I would change, would be to reduce the amount of sugar - it was a little sweet for me.  And I didn't use the processed cheese, I just used some yellow cheddar & white cheddar. :)

C :: Week 8 :: Chick-fil-A Nuggets

I made Chick-fil-A nuggets.  


Here's the recipe:
2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
peanut oil (is best) or canola oil

In a medium bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from chicken. Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in milk mixture,and cover. Let it 'marinate' for 2-4 hours in the fridge. This will make the chicken very nice and tender. In a gallon size resealable baggie combine flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Seal and shake to combine. Place about 2 inches of oil in a medium deep pot. Over medium high heat (more towards the high side) heat oil until hot. If using a thermometer let the temperature reach 375°. If you don't have a fancy gadget like most people, I always test my oil by dropping a few drops of water into it. You want it to sizzle and not pop too much. Adjust your heat if necessary. Using a fork or tongs remove cut chicken from milk mixture and place in the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated. Place about a 6-8 nuggets into hot oil and let them cook until golden brown, turning half way through once the edge of your chicken starts to turn white. About 1 minute each side. Always double check to see if any chicken you make is cooked through. I always just make a tiny cut to see if it's pink. Remove and drain on a paper towel. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked. Serve with your favorite sauce!


Here are my pictures:

So my opinion on these chicken nuggets is that they were okay.  I used olive oil because that's what I had, but next time I'll try it peanut oil or canola oil, and then hopefully they will taste better.  It definitely was simple to make, so that was nice.

D Week 12 ~ Taco Soup

Mmmm... So I went over to the new pastor's house and his wife made this amazing taco soup! So I stole it from her and made it myself! So amazing!

Ingredients:

1 Can with juice of each corn, diced or stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce.

1 can of kidney beans and or black beans - rinsed & drained

1 lb ground beef or turkey, cooked and drained

1 onion, chopped

1 pkg taco seasoning

Directions:

Cook the meat and drain off the fat.

Open all the cans and dump them in a pot. Add meat, onion & taco seasoning then simmer for 20 minutes.

Cooking the turkey

I dumped the turkey grease on my dogs food... she wasn't happy that I left it to cool down for a bit! 

I dumped the turkey grease in an empty can.

Once its cooked, serve it up with lots of cheese! MMMM so yummy!

D ~ Week 11 ~ German Brownie Torte

 My mom's birthday was this week. After seeing this recipe in a Woman's Day magazine, Mom was sooo excited to have this for her birthday! Well, life got crazy last week so I ended up finishing it on Sunday... I still say it counts as last week's recipe. 


So good! In the heavy cream I didn't add quite the total amount in of powdered sugar, and added some almond flavoring. Divine!

Ingredients

·         1 1/2 cups (5 oz) sweetened flaked coconut

·         1 1/2 cups (6 oz) chopped pecans

·         1/2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar

·         1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter, melted

·         1 box (21 oz) Family-Style Chewy Fudge Brownies mix

·         2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

·         1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

·     Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a 15 x 10-in. rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty foil, letting foil extend above pan on both ends. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

·     Mix coconut, pecans, brown sugar and butter in a bowl until well blended; set aside.

·     Prepare brownie mix as package directs for cake-like brownies. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Top with coconut mixture.

·     Bake 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

·     Lift foil by ends onto a cutting board. Cut brownie crosswise in thirds. Beat cream and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed until moist, stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted.

·     To assemble: Place 1 brownie layer, nut side up, on a serving platter. Spread top with 1 cup whipped cream. Repeat with remaining layers and cream, ending with cake. Frost sides with remaining cream. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. 

·     To serve: Cut with a serrated knife in 1-in. slices; cut each slice in half.

C :: Week 7 :: Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

I made these mini cheesecakes for a Valentine's dinner.  They were super cute, and amazingly yummy.  The only thing I didn't do was add the extra 12 cookies to the batter.  I didn't buy enough oreos for that.  But it was a super yummy dessert and not super sweet at all!

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes
Source: original recipe by Martha Stewart; via Cookin' and Kickin'

42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds (32 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard muffin pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving. Best served really cold! You can garnish with fresh whipped cream and crumbled Oreos if desired.

Makes 30 cheesecakes.

C :: Week 6 :: Rajas con Queso

Well this is one of my most favorite Mexican meals/dishes!  And this seriously turned out amazing.  Rajas con Queso rocks!

I made this one up.  Without a recipe.  :)

So you take about 12 fire roasted peppers, the fresh ones are the best.  Wash off the seeds and the fire roasted skins.  Cut of the top, and then slice them with your knife into little strips or tear them - super easy!  Set those aside.

In a skillet heated on low or medium-low, add about 12 oz. of sour cream and then add like a 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese - I used a white one.  And make sure to melt cheese,  then add the rajas (pepper strips) and heat through.  Then add some drained corn.  And you have it.  All done.  You can eat it with some tortillas! :)

Super yummy.  Simple.  And ready in like 15 minutes. :)