Friday Recipe: Peanut Butter Cake

Take your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe.
Embrace your "I don't want to actually make cookies" laziness.
Put entire batter into (well-greased) pan.
Bake.

Share with the pups if you're so inclined!

Which is basically what happened when I wanted peanut butter cookies but was too lazy to make the cookie. The cake is denser than cookies, obviously, but it's just as delicious!

This is the recipe I used from Food.com. Yes, it's for dogs, but note lack of sugar! I did add a little local honey for sweetness, but since I don't add honey/sugar to my PB & J sandwiches, why should I to my cookies/cake?

• 2 ¹⁄₂ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• ³⁄₄ cup milk
• 1 cup shortening (I used unsalted butter)
• 1 cup peanut butter

 

These are their directions for actual cookies.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Shape into walnut size balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Press criss cross into each ball with fork.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Let cool completely.
7. Feed to your special puppy.

These are MY directions for PB cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Grease pan (your choice as to what kind)
4. Press every ounce of dough you don't eat into pan
5. Bake for 20 minutes. (Or until the tester stick comes out clean--my over is gas & old so I never go by these times.)
6. Let cool completely. (Or until you can't wait any longer!)
7. Share with the puppy who smelled the peanut butter a mile away and has patiently waited until you deigned to share.

Friday Recipe: Chia Seed Brownies

I took this brownie recipe from All Recipes but instead of the eggs, I substituted chia seeds. Yes, that Ch-ch-ch-chia! Apparently chia seeds are all sorts of delicious and healthy. They also make a good egg substitute for those with egg allergies.

 

I  made these for a family party and everyone loved  them except the child with the egg allergy. Apparently that had more to do with the chewy factor. (He preferred cake-like brownies to the chewy kind even though he's never had a brownie in his life!)

 

Egg substitute: for each egg mix 1 tablespoon chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 5 minutes.

 

I just baked them in as is, because I couldn't find my food processor to crush them. It was fine, but if you want to make chia meal instead of seeds, that's doable, too. I'd show you a picture but they went before I thought to take one.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, and mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the vanilla and stir in walnuts if desired. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are firm. Cool before cutting into squares.

Friday Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Squash

I love squash. Planted some in my garden and can't wait for it to grow so I can have fresh squash. And anyone who reads my Friday Recipe blog knows how much I love my slow cooker. Combine the two? Perfection.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes Servings: 6

Ingredients:

4 pounds yellow summer squash, sliced 1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup butter, cubed 1/4 pound processed cheese food cubed (I used block cheese)

Directions:

1.	Place the squash and onion into a pot, and pour in enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and simmer the vegetables until tender, about 10 minutes. Do not stir. Drain the squash and onion in a colander set in the sink.
2.	Gently layer the cooked squash and onions, cubes of butter, and cheese food cubes in a slow cooker. Set the cooker on Low, and cook until the squash are very tender and the butter and cheese have formed a creamy sauce, about 1 hour. Do not stir.

Friday Recipe: Vitamin Smoothie

I was looking for different smoothie recipes for the summer. Though I really like mine, I wanted a change. My recipe is simple: bunch of fruit (including but not always: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, grapes (red or green), apple, and cherries) , 1 full beet (cleaned and baked, then frozen), 2 pinches kale (cleaned, chopped, then frozen), 1 banana, 1 cup plain organic yogurt, 2 tablespoons flaxseed, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, 1 cup green tea mixed with avocado, 1 cup V8 Fusion juice. Blended well.

Most of my berries I freeze. Either I buy them frozen during the winter months or I wash (using a vinegar and water rinse), dry, and tray freeze them for future use. But I was looking online for a couple new ones and found this I thought I'd share. It's from Dr. Oz's site. He had a few, and while I think I'll stick to my recipe for now, it never hurts to have options!

Ingredients

• 1 cup papaya
• 1/2 cup kale
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 green apple

Directions

Put all ingredients into blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Friday Recipe: Blueberry Cream Muffins

A couple years ago I posted a blueberry muffins recipe. I was going to make them again but then a friend forwarded this. Because who doesn't like creamy blueberry muffins?

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 24

Ingredients:

4 eggs 2 cups white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups sour cream 2 cups blueberries

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2.	In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda.
3.	Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Friday Recipe: Mediterranean Roast Turkey

 I'm currently making this now. Well, it's in the slow cooker, has been since before I went to work. 7 hours is a long time, but just read this recipe. It sounds worth it! Mediterranean Roast Turkey doesn't sound like a slow cooker recipe, but it anything I can make and now have to be around to stir or flip or whatever goes into my recipe book.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup julienne-cut drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning mix (such as McCormick's)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4-pound) boneless turkey breast, trimmed
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 9 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup broth and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Cut turkey into slices.
 

  Note:This recipe has been retested for Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight, 2012 

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 4 ounces turkey and about 1/3 cup onion mixture)

 

Friday Recipe: Sausage Pasta

I was going to post the Sausage Bread I made but I used the same recipe as I'd previously posted. So today's recipe is Sausage Pasta, since I had some sausage left over from the sausage bread and this sounded very easy.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ready In: 45 Minutes Servings: 6

Ingredients:

3/4 pound pasta 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound spicy Italian sausage 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.
2.	In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid.
3.	Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender.
4.	Add pasta to skillet and mix together. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Friday Recipe: Glazed Cinnamon Apples Recipe

I was actually looking for a winter recipe to spice up my work week dinners. I found this instead. How can you go wrong with cinnamon, apples, ice cream, and little to no work? Recipe is from Taste of Home.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours (in the crock pot)
Serves: 7

Ingredients:

• 6 large tart apples
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

• Peel, core and cut each apple into eight wedges; transfer to a 3-qt.
• slow cooker. Drizzle with lemon juice. Combine the sugars, flour,
• cinnamon and nutmeg; sprinkle over apples. Drizzle with butter.
• Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until apples are tender.
• Serve in dessert dishes with ice cream. Yield: 7 servings.

Nutritional Facts: 2/3 cup (calculated without ice cream) equals 285 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 26 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 1 g protein.

Friday Recipe: Blue Cheese, Bacon and Pear Brunch Sandwiches

Bacon. Need I say more? Yes? I know there's a bacon craze these days, but I can only eat a very small amount before...well, anyway. Small amounts of bacon. But oh, this bacon and pear on bread recipe is too delicious not to share!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ready In: 25 Minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 Bosc pear, thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups apple juice 6 slices bacon

2 rosemary focaccia bread, or other square rolls, split 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1.	Place the pear slices in a skillet, and pour in the apple juice. Cook over medium heat until the pears are soft, about 5 minutes. Drain pears and reserve; discard juice.
2.	Meanwhile, place the bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
3.	Preheat the oven broiler.
4.	Place the focaccia bread slices on a baking sheet. Divide the pear slices evenly among the bread, and top evenly with the bacon, and then with the blue cheese.
5.	Broil the sandwiches in the preheated broiler until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Friday Recipe: Maple Peanut Butter Balls

I love peanut butter balls. Especially rolled in sugar and with a Hershey's Kiss melted in the center. Yum. But with a teaspoon of maple extract? Heavenly. OK, so I used maple syrup because I had no extract and couldn't see buying it for one recipe. It worked out pretty well, I had no complaints!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cups peanut butter 4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon maple flavored extract 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.	Combine the butter, peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and maple flavoring. Cream well and knead well.
2.	Melt the chocolate chips over low heat. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Dip into melted chocolate chips.
3.	Refrigerate overnight (or at least for about 15 minutes) on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Friday Recipe: 5-Minute Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Grande

Found this under a slideshow of easy Super Bowl recipes. I like easy! And I like cheese, chicken, and enchiladas. It's perfection.

Prep Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup shredded cooked chicken or pork1 flour tortilla (10-inch), warmed

½ cup prepared enchilada sauce 

½ cup shredded cheddar jack cheese

Directions

1. Spoon the chicken down the center of the tortilla. Top with half the enchilada sauce and half the cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down onto a microwavable plate. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.
2. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute 30 seconds or until the cheese is melted.

Flavor Variation: for a Cheesy Enchilada, omit the chicken and use 1 cup cheese. Place 3/4 cup cheese down the center of the tortilla. Top with half the enchilada sauce. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down onto a microwavable plate.  Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.  Microwave as directed above.

Friday Recipe:Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

This may be the easiest recipe I've ever seen for cookies. A couple steps, one of which is to pre-heat the oven, another is to let the cookies bake. Can't beat it! I don't use white sugar, I use unbleached, but that's just a preference.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 12 Minutes

Ready In: 52 Minutes Servings: 15

Ingredients:

2 cups peanut butter 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs, beaten

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional) 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheet.
2.	Combine peanut butter, eggs, and sugar and mix until smooth. Mix in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Spoon dough by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet.
3.	Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 5 to 10 minutes before removing.

Friday Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip

My sister-in-law makes the best Buffalo Chicken Dip I've ever tasted. This is the recipe she uses. It's mouthwatering addictive, and yes; we've been known to stand around the table and just scoop it up. Great cook, my sister-in-law!

Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ready In: 45 Minutes Servings: 20

Ingredients:

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained (can also use crab meat) 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup Ranch dressing 3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese   1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces 1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

Directions:

1.

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Friday Recipe: Pecan Turtle Bars

I'm not a big fan of pecans, but let's face it: chocolate and caramel make everything taste better. This wasn't difficult at all, except for making the caramel, that took a bit of doing. I was distracted! I wonder if melting caramel would do it? Or would it make a sticky mess instead? If anyone makes these by melting caramels instead, let me know.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup pecan halves 2/3 cup butter 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1.	Combine flour, 1 cup brown sugar and softened butter in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pat mixture evenly onto bottom of ungreased 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly over crumb mixture.
2.	Combine 2/3 cup butter and remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar in small saucepan. cook and stir over medium heat until entire surface is bubbly. cook and stir 1/2 to 1 minute more. Pour into pan, spreading evenly over crust.
3.	Bake in 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven 18 to 20 minutes or until entire surface is bubbly. Remove from oven; immediately sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes to allow chocolate to melt; use knife to swirl chocolate slightly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Use sharp knife to cut into 48 bars.

Friday Recipe: Savory Sausage, Cheese and Oat Muffins

Muffins. So tasty, so versatile, so darn delicious!What's not to love? These Sausage, Cheese and Oat Muffins are like eating an entire meal without, well, making an entire meal. Soo, so good!

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 25 Minutes Servings: 12

"A low fat, vegetarian and hearty muffin that is wonderful for breakfast, brunch or snacks."

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder

1/3 cup reduced-calorie margarine, melted 1/2 cup egg substitute 1 cup nonfat buttermilk 3 meatless breakfast patties, cooked and crumbled 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
2.	In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted margarine, egg substitute, and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Fold in the crumbled patties and Parmesan cheese. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
3.	Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in muffin tins on a wire rack.

Friday Recipe: Slow Cooker Black Forest Cake

The title says it all: It's a dessert made in the slow cooker! This came in my email and anything in a crockpot means I'm totally there. And apparently it's supposed to look like a dark gooey mess. Which mine was. The problem was that I don't actually like pineapple. But everyone else did so I consider this attempt a success!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix

Directions:

1.	Melt the butter in a small saucepan, and mix with reserved juice from the can of pineapple. Set the mixture aside.
2.	Spread the crushed pineapple in a layer on the bottom of a slow cooker. Spoon the cherry pie filling in an even layer on top of the pineapple, and empty the dry cake mix into the slow cooker on top of the cherry filling. Stir the butter and pineapple juice mixture, and pour it over the dry cake mix.
3.	Set the slow cooker to Low, and cook for 3 hours. Spoon the dessert into bowls, and let cool about 5 minutes to cool the hot pie filling before eating.

Friday Recipe: Campbell's Thai noodles and Chicken

Why choose this? I had all the ingredients and needed to do something with the chicken I'd taken out of the freezer and had been mocking me in the fridge for several days. And I've already expressed my love of garlic!

 

The picture is from their site, because it was so pretty. Much neater than mine!

Beware people with peanut allergies.

 

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 package (6 ounces) refrigerated fully-cooked grilled chicken strips (about 1 1/2 cups) 1/2 of a 1-pound package vermicelli pasta, cooked and drained 2 cups coleslaw mix (which I did not use because I don't like coleslaw!) 1/3 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat the soup, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and red pepper in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Add the chicken and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.  Remove the skillet from the heat. 

2 Add the pasta and coleslaw mix to the skillet and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with the peanuts and cilantro, if desired.

Friday Recipe: Garlic Chicken

I'm often on All Recipes, most if not all of the recipes I use come from there and I have an extensive list I've saved to their site. I never stay logged into any site (so unsafe!) so whenever I go to there, I'm greeted by their scroll of new and popular recipes. Last week it was Garlic Chicken.

I've made it before, I may have even posted about it before. Chicken is normally easy and garlic, well garlic goes with many, many meals. Yum.

An easy recipe, they promise start to finish 55 minutes. Pft. Clearly they had no interruptions! Or maybe they moved faster than I do. Either way, it still didn't take me long to prep.

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 55 Minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons crushed garlic (Which equals 2 cloves; I used 4 cloves because I *heart* garlic) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2.	Warm the garlic and olive oil to blend the flavors. In a separate dish, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil and garlic mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Friday Recipe: No-bake Peanut Butter Bars

I do apologize for those with peanut allergies, but this was too good to resist. And no-bake! Perfection. Peanut Butter Bars from All Recipes--they were kind enough to email this one to me. I guess they know my baking tastes!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, melted 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup peanut butter 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 4 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions:

1.	In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
2.	In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Friday Recipe: Chicken and Rice L'orange

My mom forwarded this to me last week from Better Recipes. I think it came out pretty tasty! OK, the only marmalade I had was sweet orange marmalade, so it was really sweet, but otherwise the chicken was moist, the recipe easy, and I had all the ingredients in my kitchen! Next time I'd definitely use regular.

Ingredients:

1 cup	Uncooked Rice
1 cup	Orange Juice
1 cup	Water
1 tsp	Salt
⅓ cup	Golden Raisins
3 Tbsp	Butter, divided
¼ cup sliced	Almonds (didn't use them, don't like the flavor of almonds in cooking)
4	Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
¼ cup	Orange Marmalade
¼ cup sliced	Green Onions

Directions:

1. Combine rice, orange juice, water and salt in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; stir once or twice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. When rice is done, stir in the raisins.
2. While rice is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds and cook and stir until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove almonds and set aside.
3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add chicken; cook on both sides until no pink remains. Add orange marmalade to skillet and stir to coat chicken. To serve, spoon rice onto plate, top with chicken. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and green onions.

Helpful Tips:

Nutrition Facts: Calories 524, Total Fat 17 g, Cholesterol 99 mg, Sodium 774 mg, Total Carbohydrate 59 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Protein 33 g