Cookie Dough Truffles

I am excited to show you all the yummy Christmas goodies I've been working on!  My husband's family loves to give away goodie treats to their neighbors, and if that's your kind of thing...here are some ideas to fill those up!  

These truffles are very good and are eggless, so no worries about getting sick from eating raw cookie dough :)

Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.

Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 5-1/2 dozen.

Recipe Source: Taste of Home

Pecan Pie Bars

Alright, lets be honest...I have not forgotten about my little blog.  Somewhere between church obligations, traveling, too much time spent in the car going from here to there, making food, and holiday shopping, my blogging has been put on the back-burner.  But I have not given up!  

I was in charge of some dessert for my husband's Thanksgiving potluck at work a few weeks ago, and thought these bars would go a bit further than a pie.  The shortbread crust was yummy, and the topping was just as to be expected...gooey and nutty, just like I like it :)  They were all gobbled up, and that's usually a good indicator to me how good a recipe is.  Enjoy!

Pecan Pie Bars


For crust:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt

For topping:
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9x13-inch pan with foil, leaving enough for a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

First make the crust by creaming together the butter and brown sugar until fluffy in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add in the flour and salt and mix until crumbly.

Press the crust into the foil-lined pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan and stirring it over medium heat. Simmer the mixture for 1 minute, then stir in the chopped pecans.

Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust spreading it to cover the entire surface.

Return the pan to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the pan and allow the bars to fully cool in the pan.

Use the foil overhang to lift out the bars and transfer them to a cutting board. Peel off the foil, slice into bars and serve.

Recipe Source:  Just A Taste

Eggnog Pie

Here is a post I shared over at Kiki Creates last week.  Click the button to see lots of fun ideas for the holidays!

The best part of Thanksgiving is the desserts, in my opinion.  I love me  good pumpkin, pecan, or apple pie...but today I have something new for you in case you are wanting to switch things up a bit!  I was looking for a pie that used up one of my husband's holiday favorites...eggnog, and ran across this recipe.  I knew he'd love it right away!  I had good intentions of making my own crust for this pie, but my time constraints on Sunday forced me to bust out the store bought version.  It was still great, and I can't wait to try it with a homemade pie crust!  

The eggnog flavor is subtle, if you ask me.  It's a sure crowd pleaser, and is super simple!

Eggnog Pie

2 cups eggnog

1 cup milk

1 package (4.6 ounces) cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix

1 tablespoon rum or 1/2 teaspoon rum extract

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked

Whipped topping and additional ground nutmeg, optional

In a large saucepan, cook the eggnog, milk and pudding mix over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Stir in rum and nutmeg. Pour pudding mixture into crust. Chill until set. Garnish with whipped topping and sprinkle with nutmeg if desired. 

Recipe Source:  Taste of Home

Enjoy!

Spasagna

It's spaghetti, it's lasagna, it's....SPASAGNA?!  You betcha :)  This dish has all the goodness of a lasagna with a bit less work.  The recipe below makes a TON of food. I halved it and still had leftovers for a few days :)  So give this a try for a great, comforting meal.

Spasagna


1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) spaghetti
8 cups (32 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup half and half, milk, or heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound Italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Salt and pepper, and any other seasonings, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.

In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, cream cheese, half-and-half, mozzarella, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and half of the parmesan cheese. Add spaghetti and toss until well coated.

Pour the spaghetti mixture into a 9 x 13 pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Top spaghetti with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover dish aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes.

While the pasta is baking, prepare the meat sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet; add onion and sausage and saute until the meat is cooked thorugh and the onion is translucent. Add spaghetti sauce, adjust for seasoning, and simmer until the pasta is ready.

Remove the pasta from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut the pasta into squares and top each serving with the meat sauce.

Recipe Source:  Cassie Craves

Pecan Pie Brownies

Here's a post I shared over at  earlier this week!  Go check out some of her cute Christmas ideas :)  Anyhow...on to the post and the food! 

Ahhh...November. The start of so many great holidays and get togethers with friends and family! This month I hope to share with you some dishes that will be worthy of taking to your holiday festivities (or share with your small family at your house).

This week is a yummy treat that reminds me of Thanksgiving in a way. It combines the deliciousness of a store-bought brownie mix with the holiday favorite...pecan pie!



Pecan Pie Brownies

1 package brownie mix and ingredients listed on the box (Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x9-inch pan (if you have an 8x8-inch pan, you will have to adjust cooking times).

Mix together brownies according to package directions. Spread in 9x9-inch pan.

Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, flour, corn syrup, vanilla and eggs. Stir in chopped pecans.

Carefully spoon pecan pie mixture over uncooked brownies.

Bake 30-35 minutes (if you have an 8x8-inch pan, check at 40 minutes, could take as long as 50 or 55 minutes. If the top or edges start to get brown, cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent further browning and burning).

Cool and cut into 12 or 16 squares.


Recipe Source: Plain Chicken

 Happy start to the holidays!

britni