Christmas Sangria

Isn't it beautiful?? Sorry I didn't get a better picture. If you are looking for the simplest and most delicious tasting sangria, this is it! I've served this for a brunch and a cookie swap and gotten rave reviews. It's so simple and so delicious! Once you make this, it will be your go to drink. And it's so cute served in my mason jars with an added ribbon and sprig of evergreen.  The adorable straws came from Target! Here's the super simple recipe:

1 bottle pinot grigio (or other white wine, not too dry)
1 bottle sparkling cranberry juice (25 oz)
apples ( I mixed red and green to be festive) - diced
cranberries - frozen

I cut up my red and green apples early in the day and poured one bottle of white wine over them to keep them from turning brown. When it was party time, I poured one bottle of sparking cranberry in with the wine, gave it a stir and it was ready to go. The container I used held 2 bottles of each, which I recommend starting with because it goes fast!  I used frozen cranberries in each glass to keep the drink cold.

As an added touch, I froze some regular (non bubbly) cranberry juice with cranberries in the trays to keep the pitcher cold. It looked cute floating in there.

Viola! Simple and delicious. Now you can mark one thing off your list!

Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

One thing I love is a chocolate chip cookie warm out of the oven. I mean who doesn’t really? I also love an Oatmeal Raisin cookie. Who knew I could combine the two and have the best cookie ever made?? Well, thank goodness I listen to my friend Ina all the time. If you’re unsure who that is, I mean Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa….duh, right? She and I are close (in my head). I decided to browse through her new cook book that Eli and Henry gave me for Mother’s day and came across this delicious concoction. When I tell you these are the best chocolate chip cookies on earth, believe me! You should stop what you are doing and make these right now! Let me show you how….

Ingredients:

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups old-fashioned oats (I used Quaker)
¾ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped in chunks
¾ cup dried cranberries (optional and I chose to omit)
Fleur de sel (Ina says to use this, I didn’t have any so I used kosher salt and they were perfect)

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment paper. I use parchment paper when Ina tells me too, but I’m sure you’ll be fine spraying a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

 

Take your chocolate bar and just chop into chunks. This part was fun!

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. On low speed, add the vanilla then the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl again. You want to be sure to keep all the goodness mixed well in the bowl.

Just try and stop me from sticking my finger in there!

Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Mix in the oats. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. If you're like me, stand back so the powder doesn't hit you in the face. Ina always says “don’t overbeat it”! With a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate (and cranberries if you so choose) until the dough is well mixed. With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the sheet pans. Like so....

 

 

Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt or fleur de sel if you are fancy. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until nicely browned. Serve warm out of the oven for maximum pleasure!

Tip from Ina……If you prefer cookies thin and crisp, bake them straight from the mixing bowl. If you prefer them chewy in the middle and crisp outside, chill the balls of dough. She has great tips so I have to include them.  Let me know how you like these!  Makes about 2 dozen cookies sent from heaven.

Velveeta Rotel Dip

Happy New Year Everyone! I apologize for slacking off in January, I’ll try to get better! I’m starting back the new year with an easy, go-to appetizer. I thought this would be appropriate since it's Super Bowl Sunday too. I was hesitant to blog about the best cheese dip of all time because I thought everyone knew how to make it, but apparently I was wrong. I was surprised when a friend of mine had never tasted nor made this delicious Velveeta Rotel dip. What? How can that be? I thought this was a world-wide treat. Is that not so?? It would be an injustice if I didn’t share this with everyone I can. I am here to spread the good news of Velveeta cheese, combined with Rotel tomatoes and sausage! Shout this recipe from the mountain tops! Okay, maybe you don’t have to get that extreme, but please make this and share with your friends. We need to get the word out and let everyone know what goodness you can create in a bowl within minutes! Here’s what you need:

 

16 ounces of Velveeta cheese – don't roll your eyes at my fake cheese, it’s delicious

1 can Rotel tomatoes

8 ounces ground sausage

(P.S. Velveeta nor Rotel is paying me for this blog)

How cute is that tiny Velveeta?? The store was out of 8 oz so I had to buy two 4 oz. So cute.

 

That’s it! Three ingredients. How awesome is that? Oh, you will want some chips for dipping. I recommend scoops! You can get more cheese goodness with each bite.

 

Directions:

 

Brown sausage in a pan – it’s that easy.

 

Cube Velveeta and place in microwave safe bowl. Pour entire can of Rotel over cheese, juices and all.

 

Microwave for 2 minutes, remove and stir. Once sausage is cooked, drained and add to microwave safe dish.

 

Microwave everything together for 2 more minutes, stir and enjoy. If you still have some cubes of Velveeta, just keep microwaving for a minute at a time until it’s hot and bubbling. You can also choose to serve this in a small crock pot to keep it warm. It cools down pretty quickly.

 

Now grab a chip, scoop up some dip and enjoy! Taste test and choose your chip wisely. It's the most important tool used to get cheese dip to your mouth!

 

Isn’t that the best and easiest appetizer you’ve ever seen? If you already know about this dip, just pretend like this is the best thing you’ve ever read. Thanks for playing!

 

Share with friends and Enjoy!

Crockpot Dulce de Leche Sauce

Okay so this is possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! I was watching one of my favorite weekend shows, on the Food Network of course, and Katie Lee taught me how to make Dulce de Leche sauce in the crockpot. Yes, you heard me right. I said in the CROCKPOT! What?? Now I love my crockpot but who knew I could make a yummy, creamy caramel sauce in it? And did I mention that you just need one ingredient? This recipe still blows my mind! I made it today and will be trying it drizzled over some apple pie shortly. So far I’ve only tried it drizzled over my finger. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed licking it off my finger but I think it will be even better drizzled on ice cream, pie, or added to coffee. Let’s just get down to this easy recipe.  Here’s what you need:

 

Crockpot

mason jars – I used three 8 oz jars
condensed milk – I used two 14 oz cans
water

 

Easiest directions ever:

Equally pour the 2 cans of condensed milk in the three mason jars. Seal lid securely.

 

Place jars in crockpot and fill crockpot up to the lids, without covering.

 

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I cooked mine 9 hours and it was the perfect caramel color. You can cook longer for a deeper caramel color. If you keep peeking at the color by removing the lid, like I did, then you probably need to cook a little longer.


Remove jars from crockpot with tongs. They will be very hot. Let cool for a bit on a dish towel. Remove lid, stir to combine, and then eat a big spoonful! Okay, maybe not a whole spoonful, but at least get a little sample to make sure it's delish.

 

Look how beautiful it turned out! I’m totally giving this to a couple of friends as Christmas gifts. Did I mention that I made this in the crockpot??? I'm still amazed!


This will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. Just remove lid and heat in microwave or you and just scoop some out and microwave a little at a time.

 

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

This is going to be one of the simplest recipes you’ve ever made. This is great for a holiday party treat, or really just for any Thursday night. I’m pretty sure I’ve never made a recipe with just two ingredients other than this one. How about you? Can it really get any easier than two ingredients?? This is also one of my favorite cookies. How can it not be when it’s made with peanut butter cookie dough and a mini Reese’s cup?? Two of my favorite things.

 

Some people will make a homemade cookie for the cookie base, but I’m a fan of making this one quick and easy and using prepared cookie dough. If you want to make it a more difficult and time consuming recipe, then go ahead and whip up some homemade cookie dough. While you do that, I’m going to show you how to make it with two easy ingredients. Here’s what you need:

 

1 tube of prepared peanut butter cookie dough

12-24 (more or less) Mini  peanut butter cups

You can decide the quantity. If you just want to make a dozen to sit on the couch and devour with your husband, then you can......I cannot confirm or deny if that has ever happened. Or you can make 2 dozen or more for a party.

 

Directions:

 

Slice the cookie dough about 3/4 inch thick, then slice into fourths

 

Place each fourth in a mini muffin cup. Do not shape to fit pan, just lay the portion in each cup. Be sure you are using a mini muffin pan, not full size

 

Peel wrapping off your desired amount of peanut butter cups and get ready to use......but not yet

 

Place mini muffin tin in oven according to package and bake for 7-10 minutes. You don’t want them to get hard like a cookie. I usually stick around the 7 minute mark. The cookies are perfectly puffed up in the muffin tins. Still soft enough to press a peanut butter cup into.

 

Remove from oven and immediately press one peanut butter cup in the center of each muffin cup, pressing down until the top of the peanut butter cup is even with the top of the pan. The cookies start to hug the peanut butter cup....I can say that I really blame them. Move quickly to get them all pressed in before the melting starts to happen.

 

Now some people leave them on the counter to cool, letting the peanut butter cup melt, but I put mine in the fridge for about 5-10 minutes and let them set quickly. You might have learned that I’m a bit impatient.

 

Now, pop one of these babies in your mouth and enjoy a little taste of heaven. I’ve been making these for years. They are so easy, so delicious, and the perfect party dessert. Hope you’ll enjoy for years to come too!

Nutella Pochettes

Now that we are pretty much settled in our Georgia home, I’ve been trying some new recipes.....and Thank God I did! I mean, just WOW! These Nutella Pochettes are to die for! Don’t worry, I didn’t know what a pochette was either. It’s basically a turnover, but this is a Nutella filled turnover? What?? Yes, delicious dough filled with the chocolaty deliciousness of Nutella! Thank goodness I've had time to watch more Food Network and find this little treasure. Yes, I know I have a recent blog with Nutella, but who can have too much Nutella?? No one!

We had our own little Superbowl party and I made these for our dessert and let me tell you, these will make you want to slap somebody! Take a bite of them fresh out of the oven.....YUM! Well, honestly, I did burn my lip just a little when the chocolate oozed out so I think I’ll recommend waiting just a few minutes, if you can. They are just the perfect little treat AND I made homemade dough! I know, I can’t believe it either, but I did! It was super easy too. Just three ingredients and I had a flaky and delicious dough. Should I see how many times I can use the word “delicious” in this blog? Okay, I guess you got the message, these are really really really good! I’m happy to share my recipe with you. Here’s what you need to get started:

 
Ingredients:
 

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• about 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• Water, as needed
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

 

Directions:

 
In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy. Add the flour slowly until the dough forms. Do not over-mix!

Shape the dough into a ball and cover. That's my homemade dough ball. :-) Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Look! I made dough!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F while we get started on assembly.

On a lightly-floured surface, using a lightly-floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.

Keep rolling until it's a little thinner

Using a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Form the scraps into a ball and reroll to make more circles. I didn't have a regular biscuit cutter, much less a fluted one, so I used a glass. Anything that is a circle will most likely work.

This made about 15 for me, but the recipe said it should make 32. Hmmmmm.....I think I’ll roll the dough a little thinner next time.


Fill each dough circle with a small spoonful of the chocolate-hazelnut spread.  Don't overfill or spread around. Trust me, a spoonful is plenty and it will fill out the pasty shell.

What a beautiful sight!

Dip your finger in tap water and spread on the edge of half the circle to help create a seal. Fold the dough over to create a crescent.

Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool, then sift the confectioners' sugar on top and serve. Don’t sprinkle sugar on until cool, it will appear wet and gummy on top.

Don't those look pretty? Wait until you sprinkle with powdered sugar!

If you decide to share these, you will have some happy friends and family! Enjoy!

Pizza Dip

 

Hi everyone! I’m so sorry that I’ve been gone for so long! I have a good excuse though.....well, it’s all I have right now so let’s all pretend it’s a good enough reason to have neglected my blog for 2 months! I’m so sorry! I know you’ve been dying for my blogs, wondering what I've been cooking. Your life is nothing without me. Okay, maybe I went to far, but hopefully someone has missed my blogs. :-) We moved back home to Atlanta from Richmond, VA. In case any of you were wondering, packing and moving is no fun. Not even a little bit. But lets not focus on my move, let’s get back to my blog since I’ve neglected you for so long. I promise to never let this happen again. And for a special little treat, I’m going to give you a super simple recipe for one of the best dips you’ve ever tasted. This will be your go-to dip recipe from now on. Trust me. A neighbor of ours, Maria, brought this to a party and we devoured it! She was kind enough to share the recipe with me.....a few times because I kept losing it. Thanks Maria!

 This is a tasty pizza dip. It’s so easy and you can add ingredients to really kick it up a notch. Let’s start simple first, since that’s what I promised you. Here’s what you need to make a little bit of heaven:

 Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

 
Mix cream cheese, sour cream, pepper flakes and garlic powder together and spread on pie plate forming a bottom layer.

Top with 1/2 cup pizza sauce

And 1/2 cup of mozzarella shredded cheese to top, make sure top is covered with the cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Serve with bagel chips, triscuits or pita chips. Delish!


Could it get any easier than that?? You could also add pepperoni to a layer or add feta to the topping for more flavor. Either way you make it, you and your guests will love it! Enjoy!

Sausage & Cheese Muffins

I’m always looking for a good appetizer recipe to take to parties or serve to my guests. When I saw this one on Pinterest, it caught my eye.....anything with sausage and Bisquick HAS to be good, right?? These two ingredients combined can’t possibly make a bad recipe. The recipe calls it “all purpose baking mix”, but we all know it’s Bisquick. No pantry should be without it. You never know when it will come in handy. These taste very similar to my sausage balls, but the fiesta cheese soup gives it a different flavor. A perfect breakfast treat or a great appetizer as well. It’s super easy to throw together too, which is always a plus in my book.  Let’s get started with this tiny little treat.

Ingredients:

 

• 1 lb. hot ground pork sausage
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 3 cups all-purpose baking mix (aka Bisquick)
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup milk (water will work too)

Directions:

Cook sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium to med-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and no longer pink. Drain and cool.

Preheat oven to 375. Combine sausage, baking mix, and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir together the soup and milk; add to sausage mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon until lightly greased mini muffin tins, filling to tops of cups.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until they look like lightly browned little morsels from heaven. This recipe made 5 dozen mini muffins. Share and enjoy! 

 

Crescent Pepperoni Roll-Ups

How awesome are crescent rolls?? One of the best creations ever! You can make so many tasty treats with them. You have found a few crescent roll recipes on this blog and  here’s another one, thanks to Pinterest! This one is a great appetizer, or even for lunch, and so easy to make. I made a double batch for a party and everyone loved them. Who doesn’t want a little individual pizza all rolled up and baked to perfection?  That sounds delicious to me. I kinda wish I had one right now. If I can’t have one now, at least I can teach you how to make them. Let’s get started so I can get a snack.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

40 slices turkey or regular pepperoni

4 pieces of mozzarella string cheese, each cut in half

garlic powder (optional)

pizza sauce

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles.  Place 5 slices of turkey pepperoni on each crescent roll.  Top pepperoni with string cheese half and roll up.  Tuck the lose edge around one end to keep the cheese inside as much as possible.

 

 

Sprinkle crescent rolls with a little garlic powder for extra flavor.  As you see, I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper because I knew it would be running out.

 

 

Place rolls on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

 

Look how yummy those look with the cheese running out. Serve with a side of warm pizza sauce.

Apple Dumplings

Don't let my poor photography skills deter you, this is the perfect treat!

I was feeling like I needed to try a new dessert today so I got out my new cookbook that the hubby gave me for Christmas, The Pioneer Woman. Love it! Ree and I are such good friends, so I thought I should make something that she recommends. Well many things caught my eye, but I love me some apple pie and this apple dumpling recipe sounded de-licious! I love, love, love apple pie and all things baked with apples. If you are a reader of my blog, you know this about me. I was a little skeptical about one of her ingredients, but she said to use it, so I did. If I can cook with Mountain Dew, then you can too. Yes, you read that right, this apple dumpling recipe has Mountain Dew in it! Sounds crazy I know, but trust me, try this and you will thank me later. I can’t wait for you to try these little heavenly morsels and tell me how much you love them too. They are so delicious! David and I almost finished the whole pan in one night.....just the two of us. Don't judge us! You'll do the same. Okay, I’ll share mine and Ree’s recipe with you:
 

Ingredients:

• 2 whole Granny Smith Apples, peeled
• 2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1-1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 – 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
• Cinnamon, To Taste
• 1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda (I used 8 ounces, because I was scared to use the whole can)

Directions:

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. 

Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. You want this mixture to be grainy so don't dissolve the sugar. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples.

 

Now here’s the crazy part.....Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Stop shaking your head and just do it! Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. You could serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top, but I'll take mine just straight up. But you might still want to spoon the extra sauce over the top. It is so delicious!

I'll be expecting your thank you notes in the mail!