Monday, June 11, 2012

Baked S'mores


Anyways, 


Start by making your crust by creaming butter, sugar, then adding vanilla and egg. Finally add the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt. 




Once the dough is made, divide it in half and press one half into the bottom of the pan for the bottom crust. 




**Note the main recipe calls for an 8 by 8 but I stretched mine to a 12 by 8 pan with one extra chocolate bar just fine! So pictures are with a 12 by 8 not 8 by 8. 


Add the large Hershey's bar, 2 or 3 depending on your pan size. I even threw some chocolate chips around the edges just to make sure every bite was perfectly chocolatey. 



Next spread a jar of this good stuff on top of the chocolate. Just try to not get sticky. It's impossible! 



Now comes the trickiest part but it's still easy. 


Put the remaining dough in a gallon size Ziploc bag and spread it to the size of your pan. Then you will cut the bag open like a book and drop the top dough crust on top [you can't spread it out because of the sticky marshmallow creme] 




That's it! Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut into squares. Using an 11 by 7 will give thinner bars, 8 by 8 will be fatter bars. The recipe says to let cool all the way but let me tell you they were divine like this:  cooled for 30-45 minutes but still melty. 


Lasagna Roll Ups



Lasagna Roll Ups
Yields 12


Ingredients:
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I'd recommend Contadina Brand)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


1 (15 oz) container Ricotta Cheese
1 large egg
1/3 cup fresh flat leaf parsley (aka Italian Parsley, its about 1 small handful), chopped
2 1/4 cups freshly grated Mozzarella Cheese, divided
3/4 cup freshly, finely grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/3 cup freshly, finely grated Romano Cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


12 uncooked lasagna noodles


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil into a large non-stick fry pan.  Heat over medium high heat, crumble ground beef over oil, add chopped onions and cook mixture stirring occasionally and breaking up meat, until browned.  Drain fat from beef.  Pour beef mixture into a food processor and pulse for about 5 seconds until it is ground into fine pieces.  Pour beef mixture back into fry pan and add crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, oregano and 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir.  Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste then cover with a lid and simmer over low heat while preparing pasta and cheese mixture.
Cook lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling water along with 1 tsp salt and 2 tablespoon olive oil to al dente according to directions listed on package.  Once noodles are cooked, drain and immediately line noodles in a single layer on waxed paper or cookie sheets.  
Prepare cheese mixture (I do this while pasta is cooking) by stirring together Ricotta cheese, egg, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper with a fork in a large mixing bowl until well combine.  Stir in chopped fresh parsley.  Add in 1 3/4 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese and 1/3 cup Romano Cheese, stir mixture until well combine.
Stir meat sauce and spread 1/3 cup evenly into a 13x9 inch baking dish by tilting pan back and forth.  Spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto each cooked lasagna noodle, then spread 1 heaping tablespoon meat sauce along the top of cheese covered noodle.  Roll noodles up jellyroll style and arrange seam side down in baking dish.  Cover rolled noodles with remaining meat sauce (about a heaping 1/8 cup over each) then sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese evenly over roll ups.  Tent lasagna roll ups with foil (don't allow foil to rest on cheese or it will stick you just want to loosely tent to prevent the cheese from browning) and bake for 35 minutes in preheated oven.  Serve warm garnished with additional chopped fresh parsley. 


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Monday, January 16, 2012

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I’ve tried many recipes over the years, but this version comes closest to the flavor and consistency of the tortillas I like.

Makes 12 tortillas

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra for rolling the tortillas
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, lard or 2 1/2 tablespoons of each (for the most authentic version)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup very warm tap water
Directions

Combine the flour and shortening in a large mixing bowl and work the shortening into the flour with your fingers until completely incorporated. If this isn’t done thoroughly (until no particles of shortening remain visible), the tortillas will have an irregular texture. Dissolve the salt in the water and pour about 2/3 cup over the dry ingredients and immediately work it in with a fork; the dough will be in large clumps. If all the dry ingredients haven’t been dampened, add the rest of the liquid (plus a little more, if necessary). Scoop the dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth. It should be a medium-stiff consistency – not firm, but not quite as soft as most bread dough either.

Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball. Set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes – this makes the dough easier to roll.

Heat an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat.


Flatten a ball of dough, flour it, then roll forward and back across it; rotate a sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again; continue rotating and rolling until you reach a 7-inch circle, lightly flouring the tortilla and work surface from time to time.

Lay the tortilla on the hot griddle (you should hear a faint sizzle and see an almost immediate bubbling across the surface). After 30 to 45 seconds, when there are browned splotches underneath, flip it over. Bake 30 to 45 seconds more, until the other side is browned; don’t overbake the tortilla or it will become crisp. Remove and wrap in a cloth napkin placed in a tortilla warmer. Roll and griddle-bake the remaining tortillas in the same manner – stack them one on top of the other in the warmer.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

The ingredients for this meal and my shopping list consisted of: cream cheese, enchilada sauce, green chiles, scallions, and tortillas. Yes, that was all I had to buy. I never realized until the past two weeks how stocked my kitchen is before going to the grocery store. And how many different and delicious things I could make without leaving home.
But regardless of what your pantry looks like, buy whatever ingredients you do not already have and make this. Very easy to prepare and it cooked while I got ready to meet up with friends for drinks. I definitely took a moment to slow down and enjoy this delicious thing that I put on my plate before going off into the night with a full and happy belly!


Ingredients:

5 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light sour cream
10 oz. can of enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (canned corn works just fine, but drain it first)
4 oz. can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper
4 scallions, thinly sliced
8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray.
In the bowl of your mixer cream together the cream cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 of the enchilada sauce. Stir in 1/2 cup of each type of cheese.
In a second bowl toss together the chicken, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper, green chiles, and half of the scallions. Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and combine well.
Spread about half of the remaining enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.
Spoon the filling into each tortilla, roll the tortilla up, and place in the baking dish with the seam down. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the filled tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve.
Source: Buns In My Oven

Oreo Cookie Balls | Chocolate Recipes | Just A Pinch Recipe Club

Oreo Cookie Balls | Chocolate Recipes | Just A Pinch Recipe Club