Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

These were originally "salted caramel", but I didn't want to go overboard on the salt, so I cut it down a lot. It called for 1 full tsp, which seemed like a lot for an 8x8 pan.

Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

6 cups Rice Krispies
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or flaked sea salt
1 10-ounce bag of mini marshmallows, plus about 1 cup of additional mini marshmallows

Spray an 8x8″ baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. When it’s melted, reduce the heat to medium and add the brown sugar, whipping cream, and corn syrup and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the caramel from scorching.

When the caramel is thick and syrupy, add in the salt and stir to combine, then remove from heat and add the 10 ounces of marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are dissolved, then quickly pour in the Rice Krispies and stir quickly to coat completely. Add the last cup of marshmallows and mix to combine.

Press into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool completely and then cut into squares.

https://ourbestbites.com/salted-caramel-rice-krispie-treats/

BUTTERY GARLIC AND HERB PULL-APART BUBBLE BREAD

Definitely not a "light" bread, but everyone loved this.

BUTTERY GARLIC + HERB PULL-APART BUBBLE BREAD

TOTAL TIME 2 HOURS 10 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH:

·         1 1/2 cups warm water

·         1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)

·         2 tablespoons sugar or honey

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         3 to 4 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour, about 15-20 ounces (see note)

BUTTER MIXTURE:

·         1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 tablespoons) butter

·         1/2 teaspoon dried basil, lightly crushed between fingers

·         1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed between fingers

·         1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 cup grated Parmesan (or Asiago) cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1.      In an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl by hand), mix together the water, yeast, sugar, salt and one cup of the flour.

2.      Continue adding the flour until the dough just clears the sides of the bowl; knead for about three minutes. It should be soft and slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.

3.      Melt the butter and stir in the seasonings and garlic powder.

4.      Pat the dough into a thick 8-inch square (doesn't have to be exact). Cut into 8 strips and cut each strip into 8 pieces to end up with about 64 small pieces.

5.      Roll each piece lightly into a ball (should just take a second or two in the palms of your hands - it's ok if they look kind of rough and misshapen).

6.      Dip each dough ball in the butter/seasonings mixture (or dump several in the butter mixture at a time) and place in a single layer in the bottom of a bundt (or in two loaf  pans – it will look like you can fit it in one, but don’t – they’ll rise a lot) pan.

7.      Sprinkle the first layer of dough with Parmesan cheese. Repeat the process adding layers of butter-dipped dough, sprinkling each layer with a little more Parmesan cheese.

8.      The layers won't be super even or exact. That's ok! Don't stress. Sprinkle any remaining Parmesan cheese over the top of the last layer. Cover the bundt pan and let rise until very puffy, 45-60 minutes.

9.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

10.    Bake the bubble bread for 25-35 minutes until golden and baked through.

11.    Turn the bread out onto a serving plate or cooling rack (it can be served right side up or upside down). Pull off pieces of bread and enjoy!

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/GARLIC-PULL-APART-BUBBLE-BREAD/

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

Jeremy is a professed quinoa hater, but he admitted that he really liked this.

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

Prep Time25 minutes

Cook Time35 minutes

Total Time1 hour

Ingredients

·        1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed

·        2 cups water

·        1 tablespoon olive oil

·        1 small onion diced

·        3 cloves garlic minced

·        1 jalapeño seeds and ribs removed,diced

·        1 red bell pepper seeds removed, diced

·        1 orange or yellow bell pepper seeds removed, diced

·        1 cup corn frozen kernels

·        Juice of 1 small lime

·        1 teaspoon ground cumin

·        1 tablespoon chili powder

·        1/3 cup chopped cilantro

·        Salt and pepper to taste

·        30 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained

·        2 cups red enchilada sauce

·        2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

·        Toppings: Sliced green onions avocado slices, sour cream, optional

Instructions

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2.      Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa and set aside.

3.      In a large skillet, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the peppers and corn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4.      In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and black beans. Add the sautéed vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Pour in the enchilada sauce and stir. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

5.      Pour the black bean and quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and edges are bubbling. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with toppings, if desired. Serve warm.

6.      Note-this recipe freezes well! If you need the recipe to be gluten-free make sure you use a gluten-free enchilada sauce. We like to serve it with tortilla chips.

https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/black-bean-and-quinoa-enchilada-bake/

Black and White Creme Brulee

This. Is. Amazing.  Like, restaurant quality deliciousness.  It's easy and scrumptious...I highly recommend you try it if you like creme brulee.  And if you don't, I don't think we can be friends anymore.  ;)

Black & White Creme Brulee

2 1/2 C. whipping cream, divided
1 C. semisweet chocolate morsels
5 egg yolks
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. light brown sugar

Heat 1/2 cup whipping cream and chocolate morsels in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate melts.  Cool slightly.  Pour mixture evenly into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins.  Set aside.

Whisk together remaining 2 cups whipping cream, egg yolks, 1/2 C. granulated sugar, and vanilla until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth.  Pour evenly into prepared ramekins; places ramekins in a 9x13-inch pan.  Add hot water to pan to a depth of 1/2 inch.
Bake at 275° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set.  Cool custards in water in pan on a wire rack.  Remove custards from pan; cover and chill at least 8 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar over each custard; place custards on baking sheet.
Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat until sugar melts.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow sugar to harden. (If you have a kitchen torch, you can melt the sugar with that instead of the broiler.)
Yield: 6 servings

Recipe from one of my fav cookbooks - The All-New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Everyone loved these - all my kids had multiple servings.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Ingredients

·        4 cups all-purpose flour

·        2 teaspoon salt

·        1 teaspoon baking soda

·        3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

·        4 eggs separated

·        1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

·        3 1/2 cups buttermilk

·        1/2 cup butter melted

·        4 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup

·        2 tablespoons vanilla

Maple Cream Cheese Syrup:

·        8 tablespoons cream cheese

·        2 tablespoons butter

·        1 cup powdered sugar

·        1 tablespoon vanilla extract

·        ½ teaspoon maple extract

·        ½ cup milk

·        4 tablespoons maple syrup (real or fake)

Instructions

1.      In large bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon, set aside.

2.      In small bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form and set aside. In medium bowl, beat egg yolks, buttermilk, 1/4 cup melted butter, the syrup and vanilla; set aside.

3.      Make well in center of flour mixture. Add egg yolk mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in beaten egg whites.

4.      Spray waffle maker lightly with cooking spray. Spoon batter onto hot waffle maker, bake for 3-4 until steam stops and waffles are golden brown.

5.      For maple cream cheese syrup: In saucepan, beat together butter and cream cheese. Beat in powdered sugar, syrup, milk and vanilla. Heat on medium low until warm. A little goes a long way on the waffles, so just drizzle over the top. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Chocolate Citrus Cooler

We had this for dessert on Easter and it was nice and refreshing and not too filling after a large meal.  Also, the boys were in charge of dessert and they didn't want to make anything that takes effort until 6:30 pm when they decided they wanted to make sugar cookies.  ;) 
We didn't serve this over ice and we only put a little tiny scoop of ice cream in after the initial batch was mixed because we were almost out of ice cream. 

Chocolate Citrus Cooler

1 1/2 C. cold milk
1/4 C. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 Tbsp Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
crushed ice or additional ice cream (optional)

In a blender, place milk, juice concentrate, syrup and 1 scoop ice cream.  Cover and blend until smooth.  Pour into glasses over ice, if desired, and top with additional scoop of ice cream, if desired. 
Makes about 3 8-ounce servings. 

Recipe from the Hershey's Chocolate Lover's Cookbook