Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

by penji1

This recipe comes from the cookbook, “101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 Minutes” which I highly recommend.  I’ve made the cupcakes before but this is the first time making this frosting.  After you make homemade frosting and realize how easy and tasty it is, you’ll never want to use that canned stuff again!

Cupcakes:

1 box dark chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together all ingredients.  Pour into paper liners, filling 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 for 15 – 18 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Remove from oven and cool completely.

Frosting:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature (2 hours out on the counter was just right)

1/3 cup cocoa

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 – 4 tablespoons milk or cream (I used 4 tablespoons milk)

2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.  Stop mixer before adding cocoa and sugar to avoid a big mess.  Add cocoa, sugar, 3 tablespoons milk or cream and vanilla.  Beat frosting starting on low speed and add up to 1 more tablespoon milk or cream if too thick.

I topped these with Pampered Chef Sweet Caramel Sprinkles and Wilton White Sparkling Sugar Sprinkles.

Easy Taco Soup

by penji1

This goes fast so if you want some leftovers, you might want to double the recipe.  Not sure where I got this recipe from.

1 (15 oz) can chili with beans and meat

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn with liquid (or without liquid if you like your soup thicker like we do)

1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes with liquid (I used the kind with chilis in it for an extra kick)

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can black beans with liquid (or without liquid depending on how thick you like your soup)

1 1/2 – 3 tablespoons dry taco seasoning mix

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 6 – 8 hours.  Top with sour cream, cheese and fritos if desired

Antipasto Vegetable Pizza

by penji1

Another easy and tasty Pampered Chef recipe

1 (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup (4 oz) grated Provolone cheese (Mozzarella also tastes good on this pizza)

1 (6 – 7.5 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, undrained

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 small yellow or zucchini squash

1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced (sometimes I leave these out)

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (not a big parsley fan)

Heat oven to 400.  Unroll pizza dough onto pizza stone, shaping into a circle (I just cook mine on the rectangle stone).  Roll dough to edge of stone.  Drizzle oil over dough and spread evenly.  Bake 16 – 18 minutes or until golden brown.  Immediately grate cheese evenly over pizza.  Meanwhile, drain artichoke marinade into a bowl.  Add seasoning and garlic and mix.  Coarsely chop artichokes (I use my Pampered Chef Food Chopper).  Cut squash in half lengthwise then thinly slice.  Slice olives.  Slice tomatoes in half then remove seeds and dice.  Add artichokes, squash, olives and tomatoes to bowl and mix well.  Spoon vegetables over pizza, draining as much marinade as possible.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Bow-Ties with Tuna and Olives

by penji1

Another Courtney favorite – I’ve decided that I need to double the recipe because between Courtney and Zach, they can eat the whole bowl in one day!  The recipe comes from Ladies’ Home Journal.

1 pound bow-tie pasta

1/4 cup olive oil (because I don’t buy tuna packed in oil, I double this to 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I also double this for  a little extra kick)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (you can leave this out and the salad will still taste great)

2 tomatoes, chopped (I prefer to use grape tomatoes, cut in half)

2 (6 oz each) cans tuna in oil, drained (you can use tuna packed in water, just double the oil – see above)

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced (you can just use regular olives if you like; sometimes I make this with olives but most times I leave them out)

1/4 cup sliced basil leaves (I usually leave these out too!)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a large bowl, combine rest of ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes.  Add pasta and toss.

Three Chip Cookies

by penji1

Is there anything better than a chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven?  I think not.  Here is one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes from Nestle.

I went for a lot of years refusing to bake cookies because they never came out the way I wanted them to, light and fluffy and not thin and crunchy.  I’ve experimented a lot so in this recipe I’ve included the tips that I’ve figured out over the years for making almost perfect cookies.

4 cups flour (I’ve found that name brand flour works better than the store brands)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter (use real butter, your cookies will turn out so much better!), softened (you need to soften the butter so the batter will have the right consistency, leave out for a couple of hours or cut sticks into quarters and microwave just briefly for 10 – 12 seconds but leaving out on counter works better)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar (fresh brown sugar works best)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla (use real vanilla, it’s worth the extra money)

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (I always use walnuts)

1  Preheat oven to 375.

2  Whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda.

3  In your mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until well combined and creamy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

4  Gradually beat in flour mixture, several spoonfuls at a time.  (At this point your cookie batter should be not too dry and not too sticky, add more flour if it is really sticky and you can add just a tiny bit of milk if it is too dry.)

5  By hand, stir in chips and nuts (batter should be thick and somewhat difficult to stir.  When he’s home, this is Bob’s job!).  Using a cookie scoop (a cookie scoop is an essential cookie making tool, if all your cookies are the same size like they will be with a scoop then they will cook better and more evenly), drop dough onto ungreased cookie sheets (I use stones as I’ve found they bake cookies better than metal), 12 to a sheet or if you want to make jumbo cookies, drop dough by level 1/4 cup measures 2″ apart.

6  Bake 12 – 14 minutes or until light golden brown (I take my cookies out of the oven just a few seconds before they look done.  They continue to cook a bit on the stones when they are out of the oven).

7  Cool on sheets 2 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Bacon, Linguini and Tomato Toss

by penji1

A brand new Pampered  Chef recipe which is delicious – tastes like a dish you’d order at an Italian restaurant!  And the Pampered Chef estimates it at around $2.00 a serving.

12 slices bacon, divided

4 cups chicken broth

2 (14.5 oz each) cans Italian style diced tomatoes

1 medium onion

4 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

12 oz uncooked linguini pasta

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, divided

4 oz cream cheese

1 oz Parmesan cheese

halved grape tomatoes

1  Slice bacon crosswise into 1/4″ strips.  Place in large skillet and cook over medium high heat 8 – 9 minutes or until crisp.  Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.  Drain skillet, reserving 1 tablespoon dripppings.

2  Meanwhile, place broth and diced tomatoes in microwave safe dish and microwave, covered, on high 6 – 8 minutes or until hot, carefully remove from microwave.  Finely chop onion with Food Chopper.  Return skillet to heat, add reserved drippings, garlic and pepper flakes.  Cook 10 – 20 seconds or until fragrant.  Add onion and cook 2 – 3 minutes or until onion is tender.  Carefully add broth mixture, pasta, half of bacon and salt.  Simmer, covered, 9 – 10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm, stirring occasionally.

3  Finely chop parsley and reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish.  Cut cream cheese into cubes.  Grate Parmesan cheese.  Cut grape tomatoes in half.  Remove skillet from heat.  Stir in parsley, cream cheese and grape tomatoes.  Let stand, covered, 5 minutes or until pasta is tender and sauce is thickened.  Serve with remaining bacon, Parmesan cheese and reserved parsley.

I omitted the red pepper flakes and parsley and I totally forgot to add the grape tomatoes (I was hungry and it smelled so good!).  The next time I make this I will stir in the bacon right before serving so that it stays crisp and crunchy.

Mediterranean Cafe Salad

by penji1

“satisfying, somewhat fancy main dish salad” #4 for my sis in law Mary and, as you’ve probably already guessed, a Pampered Chef recipe

dressing:

1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 clove garlic

salad:

1 medium cucumber, sliced

1 can medium olives, sliced if desired

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small red onion, sliced

2 – 3 cups cooked chicken (again, I’ve used a can of Costco chicken here as well)

1 head Romaine lettuce, cut

1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

Combine all ingredients.

Grilled Chicken Bistro Salad

by penji1

“satisfying, somewhat fancy main dish salad” #3 for my sis in law Mary, this one comes from my Pampered Chef director, Jennifer Harmon.

dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon dried dillweed

1 large clove garlic, pressed

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Grilled chicken:

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Montreal or Kansas City steak seasoning

Sprinkle chicken with seasoning and grill uncovered over medium heat 12 – 15 minutes.  Cool slightly then slice.  (If I’m in a hurry, I’ve used a can of Costco brand chicken in this salad as well.)

salad:

8 cups mixed Romaine and red leaf lettuce

3/4 cup seedless red grapes, halved

1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1/4 cup toasted almonds or pecans

Combine all ingredients.

Easy Summer Salad

by penji1

“satisfying, somewhat fancy main dish salad” #2 for my sis in law Mary, also a Pampered Chef recipe

dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon basil flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

salad:

baby spinach

Romaine lettuce

sliced cucumbers

sliced mushrooms

sliced green onions

Feta cheese

Craisins

Mix dressing and set aside.  Combine salad ingredients and top with dressing right before serving.

You can make this salad as big or as small as you choose.

Colossal Chopped Salad

by penji1

My sister in law Mary has requested some recipes for “satisfying, somewhat fancy main dish salads” for an event so here is #1, a Pampered Chef recipe.

1 (16 oz) package uncooked penne pasta

1 head Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced

2 cups diced cooked chicken (when I’m in a hurry, I just use a can of Costo brand chicken)

1/2 cup sliced red onion

1 yellow summer squash or zucchini

2 plum tomatoes

1 large carrot, peeled

1 (3.5 oz) can pitted ripe olives, drained

1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 cup Italian or Ranch dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse under cold water and put in large serving bowl.  Thinly slice lettuce (using a metal knife will make the lettuce turn brown so if you have a knife that is not metal, that’s the one to use) and dice chicken.  Slice red onion, squash and tomatoes.  Cut carrot into julienne strips.  Slice olives.  Top pasta with all ingredients.  Drizzle with dressing and toss.

Head’s up – this makes a lot of salad!