Peanut Butter Lover’s Pizza

by penji1

 

And one last recipe for Chelsea, hopefully she likes one of these but if not just let me know Chelsea and I’ll post more.  Not sure where this recipe came from, had it too long to remember!

1 yellow or chocolate cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup flour

1 small box vanilla or chocolate instant pudding

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup peanut butter

3 small Butterfingers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, M & M’s or Reeses Pieces, chopped

Heat oven to 350.  With a spoon, mix cake mix, egg and butter together.  Mix in flour.  Spread dough thinly to cover a lightly greased jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.  Bake 10 – 14 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges.  Allow to cool completely.  Beat pudding mix, milk,  yogurt and peanut butter together.  Refrigerate at least 5 – 10 minutes.  Before serving, spread pudding mixture over top of cooled cookie layer.  Sprinkle top with candy.

Peanut Butter Bon Bons

by penji1

 

Here is my second suggestion for Chelsea.  I used to make these with my friends when we were teenagers so this recipe comes from memory, let’s hope there aren’t any problems with it.

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 – 4 cups Rice Krispies

2 cups powdered sugar

Melt chips in microwave, adding shortening as needed to thin chocolate to correct dipping consistency.  Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.  Form into balls by hand and dip into melted chocolate, using a spoon to roll balls around to cover completely.  Place balls on wax paper to let chocolate set.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

by penji1

 

My friend Chelsea just sent me an email asking for some chocolate and peanut butter dessert recipes that she could make for her husband Tyler for Valentine’s Day (I’m guessing Tyler loves choc and pb!).  So I’ve got three in mind and this is my first choice.  This recipe comes from Kraft and so does the picture.  If you need any Valentine’s recipes, just let me know!

12 Nutter Butter cookies, divided

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 (12 oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed and divided

2 squares semi sweet chocolate, melted

Crush 8 cookies in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin.  Mix cookie crumbs and butter together.  Press in bottom of foil lined 9 x 5″ loaf pan.  Mix cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla on medium until well blended.  Gently stir in 3 cups of Cool Whip.  Spoon 1/2 cup of mixture into small bowl and stir in melted chocolate until well blended, set aside.  Spoon 1/2 of remaining mixture over crust.  Top evenly with chocolate mixture and cover with remaining cream cheese mixture.  Freeze 4 hours or overnight until firm.  Invert onto plate.  Remove foil, re-invert onto serving platter so that crumb layer is on bottom.  Coarsely break remaining 4 cookies.  Top dessert with remaining topping and cookies.

Making Molded Chocolates with Transfer Sheets

by penji1

(brand new)

Since I started as a Dove Chocolate Discoveries Chocolatier, I’ve acquired some candy making equipment that I’ve been dying to try out and so I decided that today was the day!  So here is a crash course in making molded chocolates with a tempering unit and transfer sheets.  I have two magnetic molds, a circle and an oval (there is also a heart shaped one but I don’t have it yet!).

They are magnetic which is awesome because the top and bottom come apart

making it possible to put a transfer sheet between the two pieces

which, when you pour the chocolate on top will transfer to the chocolates giving them lovely designs!  And looking like they came from a fine chocolate shop but no, they came  from your kitchen!

I didn’t have enough Dove white chocolate on hand so I used Wilton Candy Melts for the white chocolates and the pink polka dot transfer sheets and I used Dove Milk Chocolate for the chocolate ones with the white swirly transfer sheet.

I melted the candy melts in the microwave but I used my new tempering unit for the milk chocolate

I was intimidated at first but there is a video on You Tube that tells you exactly how to use the tempering unit (I think I just searched “Dove Chocolate Discoveries” and it came up).

Here is the process from start to finish:

1  Separate molds into 2 pieces, cut a transfer sheet to fit in the mold, make sure rough and not smooth side of transfer sheet is facing up, place in mold and snap mold back together.

2  Melt chocolate in either microwave or tempering unit.

3  Fill molds with chocolate using either a ladle or spoon and then use a scraper to smooth excess chocolate from molds.

4  Place in fridge for 30 – 45 minutes or until chocolates are set.

5  Remove from fridge, carefully pull molds apart, carefully peel transfer sheet from candies, carefully pop candies out of molds!  Ta da!  Done!

Mini Valentine Fondant Cakes/Death By Chocolate Cake Recipe

by penji1

the very first one I did, not bad for a rookie!

My friend Melonie has taught herself how to do fondant cakes and she had pictures of them up on Facebook and so I asked her if she would teach me how to do it and she said “Yes!” and so yesterday we got together and made 12 mini fondant covered cakes for Bunco at my house tonight and they came out so cute!! Thank you again Melonie for showing me how to do it!  I am feeling brave enough to try it again so maybe next month for Courtney’s birthday I will try making a regular size cake especially since Melonie said she would help me again.  The cake under the fondant is this Death By Chocolate Cake recipe and the frosting under the fondant is my favorite Buttercream Frosting that is already on the blog several times.  I baked the round cakes in Melonie’s large cupcake pan and the small square cakes I baked in my Pampered Chef Stoneware Mini Loaf pan and then cut them in half.

3/4 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 chocolate cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup chocolate chips (I left these out for the fondant cakes because I didn’t want any bumps or holes which chocolate chips will sometimes do)

powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350.  Beat sour cream, eggs, water and oil.  Add cake mix and pudding mix.  Stir in chips.  Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake 45 – 55 minutes or until fork inserted in cake comes out clean.  Sift powdered sugar over top of cake.

(This recipe was enough for all 12 of my mini cakes so 4 large size cupcakes and 4 mini loaves.)

Layered Meatball Bake

by penji1

I got this recipe in an email this morning from Kraft foods so decided to make it for dinner.  It could not have been any easier to make!  I made the variation version which you will find at the bottom of the recipe.

1 (6 oz) package Stove Top stuffing mix for Chicken

1 (10 3/4 oz) can reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

1 (1 lb) package frozen meatballs

2 cups frozen peas (decided to use frozen green beans instead since my family likes them better)

1 cup Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1  Heat oven to 400.

2  Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions, using light prep directions.

3  Mix soup and milk in 13 x 9″ baking dish.  Stir in meatballs and peas then top with stuffing and cheese.

4  Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until heated through.

Variation:  Prepare as directed, substituting 1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes for the soup, omitting the milk and using Italian flavored meatballs and Kraft Shredded Low Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese.

Chipotle Chili Cornbread Bake

by penji1

I kind of decided at the last minute to make this for dinner so I didn’t have all the ingredients but I went ahead and made it anyway.  It came out really spicey between the Chipotle seasoning and medium salsa so Bob is the only one who ate it and he loved it.  It’s a Pampered Chef recipe made all in the microwave in their deep dish stoneware baker so it was super easy and super quick to put together.  Next time I’ll try a little less chipotle seasoning and mild salsa and then maybe it won’t be too spicey. (I put up the picture from the recipe card for this because it looks so much nicer than the pictures I took!)

1 medium green bell pepper (didn’t have)

6 green onions with tops, divided (didn’t have)

1 pound 90% lean ground beef

1 (16 oz) can chili beans in sauce, undrained (didn’t have so used a can of Hormel chili with beans)

1 cup chunky salsa

2 tablespoons Chipotle Rub

1 (8.5 oz) package corn muffin mix

1 (8 oz) container sour cream

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tomato, seeded and diced (didn’t have)

1  Coarsely chop bell pepper.  Thinly slice green onions, separating white and light green bottoms from tops.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the onion tops for garnish.

2  In Deep Covered Baker, combine pepper, onion bottoms and beef and mix well.  Microwave, covered, on high 7 – 9 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles halfway through.  Remove baker from microwave and carefully pour off juices.  Add beans, salsa and rub to beef mixture and mix well.  Cover and microwave on high 5 minutes or until hot.

3  Combine muffin mix, sour cream and egg and mix well.  Scoop muffin mixture evenly over chili and spread evenly to edges of baker.  Microwave, covered, on high 7 – 9 minutes or until center of cornbread springs back when lightly pressed.  Sprinkle cheese over cornbread, cover and let stand 5 minutes.  Garnish with reserved onion tops and tomato.

Winners of Dove Chocolate Discoveries Recipe Binders Announced!

by penji1

Congratulations to the following 2 subscribers who have each won a Dove Chocolate Discoveries Recipe Binder!

JENNIFER HARMON (my friend and Pampered Chef director!)

and

DRAMA QUEEN’S MUM!

Jennifer, I will bring your binder to you this week!

Drama Queen’s Mum, I need you to email your name and address to penji@comcast.net so that I can get your binder in the mail to you this week!

Congratulations to both winners and thank you to all of you for subscribing to my blog.

I will be doing another giveaway in March to celebrate 1 year of blogging so don’t go away.  Not sure what to give away to celebrate that big event, any suggestions?

Nestle Toll House Swirled Semi-Sweet Chocolate and Premier White Morsel Cookies

by penji1

Bought these swirled white and semisweet chips and this recipe was on the back of the bag, basically the Toll House cookie recipe updated a little to showcase the swirly chips.  My niece and her husband are arriving late tonight from Idaho so I thought I’d make them some cookies for when they arrive, that is if there are any left by the time they arrive!  Bob said these are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made, wow!

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 2/3 cups (10 oz bag) Nestle Toll House Swirled Semi-Sweet Chocolate and Premier White morsels, divided

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts this time)

1  Preheat oven to 350.

2  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.  Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in 1 (heaping) cup morsels and nuts.  Drop by medium scoops onto ungreased baking sheets.  Top dough with remaining morsels.

3  Bake for 11 – 13 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 2 minutes before removing from sheets to wire rack to cool.

Recipe says makes about 4 1/2 dozen, I got about 3 1/2 dozen.