Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies
Do you love peanut butter cookies? Check! Do you love chocolate chips? Check! Do you love M&Ms? Check! Combine all of that together and stuff an entire Reese’s peanut butter cup inside, and you have this cookie! This cookie is so, so good and so super easy.
I love a good cookie. I mean, who doesn’t? The perfect cookie for me needs to be a little crispy on the outside and super chewy and soft on the inside. I love a cookie for dessert, because it is super yummy and satisfies that sweet craving I might be having but it isn’t like I am eating an entire piece of cake or a rich piece of pie. Okay, here I am trying to convince myself that sugary cookies are good for you. Who am I kidding? This definitely isn’t calorie conscious, but I guess it IS better than eating a 1,000 calorie piece of cheesecake. Come on! Live a little!
I’ve recently learned a little trick to making a really good cookie with a little height. Try it next time you make cookies. All you do is chill the dough and cookie sheets for about 30 minutes before baking. This makes a firmer dough and ensures that the cookie doesn’t flatten and spread too much during baking.
Okay, let’s make our cookies.
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and melting 5 Tbsp unsalted butter in a mixing bowl.
Add 1 Tbsp vanilla.
Now, add 1 beaten egg.
Add 1 bag Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix.
And a heaping cup of chocolate chips. I used semisweet.
Stir well to combine.
Put your dough and greased cookie sheets in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill.
Unwrap about 12-16 standard sized Reeses peanut butter cups.
Remove dough from fridge after it has chilled. You are going to take 1 heaping Tbsp dough and put it on top of the peanut butter cup. Put another heaping Tbsp dough on the bottom of the peanut butter cup.
Now, press dough so you completely cover and surround the peanut butter cup. Ooo, yummy! What a nice surprise your friends will find inside the cookie!
Press mini M&Ms on top of the cookie dough ball. The mini M&Ms would be easier than the regular sized M&Ms, but I guess you could use the regular ones if you couldn’t find the mini’s. The mini’s are in a blug bag and are with the candy. I find them at Kroger and Wal Mart.
Cover the top completely with M&Ms. It adds such a nice crunch!
Repeat this process with all of the dough, and place the dough balls onto a greased, chilled cookie sheet. At this point, you can actually freeze the dough balls and bake a few at a time rather than making an entire batch. I did this with about half of my dough balls. They freeze and cook wonderfully. I didn’t worry with thawing them for very long either.
Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes.
Allow to cool on the cookie sheet completely before removing.
And, shh! Don’t tell your friends what’s inside. Let them find the surprise for themselves! 
They’ll love you for it, I promise!
Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Cookies
Adapted slightly from The Family Kitchen1 bag Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 heaping cup chocolate chips
Mini M&Ms
12-16 Reese’s peanut butter cups (standard size)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cookie mix, butter, egg, and vanilla until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough and greased cookie sheets for about 30 minutes. Unwrap peanut butter cups while chillind dough.
After dough has chilled, take 1 heaping Tbsp dough and put it on top of the peanut butter cup. Put another heaping Tbsp dough on the bottom of the peanut butter cup. Make sure the dough is sealed completely around the peanut butter cup. Press mini M&M’s all over the top of the cookie dough. Place on a chilled and greased cookie sheet. Repeat this process with all of the dough, then bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet. Enjoy!
From one nut to another,
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Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Salad
Are you noticing a trend? Yes, I am a big fan of Pioneer Woman. She is so quirky and funny, and she has an amazing blog. You should really go check it out. And, with recipes like those cinnamon rolls I previously posted, what is NOT to love about her!
This chicken salad is really good! And, if I’m saying chicken salad is good, it is GOOD! I’ve never really been that big of a fan of chicken salad, because I’ve never really been a big fan of mayonnaise. And, most chicken salad just tastes like chicken mixed with mayonnaise. But, this one is different. It has a depth of flavor unlike any other chicken salad that I’ve ever had. I kept my chicken chunky when I cut it up, and it made it really hearty and yummy. The crunch of the celery make it really good, and who ever thought to add bacon to chicken salad! That bacon makes it really good, but you could leave it out if you want.
The development of this chicken salad came because my husband was looking for some easy things to take to work for lunch…aka, I told him it was time to start saving some money on lunch. He is also picky about chicken salad and doesn’t like grapes or nuts in his chicken salad, so with my specifications (chunky chicken and lack of total mayo flavor) and his specifications (no grapes or nuts), I set out for a yummy recipe. That’s when I came across Pioneer Woman’s recipe. She usually comes through with some good recipes, and this was no exception. I love that you can flavor the mayo mixture with whatever seasonings you desire. The whole thing is pretty much customizable. Perfecto!
Okay, let’s start making it.
Okay, here is where I made it really easy. I just bought a rotisserie chicken from Kroger and took the meat off the bone. Or, you can do it like Pioneer Woman and boil an entire fryer chicken. Whatever floats your boat! Me? I like it easy!
I kept my chicken chunky, which I highly recommend!
Rinse and chop 2-3 stalks celery. Add to chicken. I again kept the celery a decent size to add some crunch.
Chop 3 whole green onions.
Here is where you can customize it to your liking. I added some Hormel Bacon Pieces (not bits, pieces…they are chunkier). You could add some grapes if you like or some toasted nuts. I think some toasted pecans would be really yummy, but my husband said no nuts…so I complied.
The bacon is a must, though. You could leave it out, but you’d be sorry.
Now, it is time to make your dressing. Mix together 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar, and seasonings to taste. I used some seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic salt, rosemary, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Pioneer Woman used dill, but I didn’t. Just make your dressing taste good. A good tasting dressing is the key to it. Keep tasting your dressing until you get it just right! Add a little bit of seasoning at a time, because you don’t want to oversalt it. But, you definitely don’t want to undersalt it either.
When you get your dressing to your liking, add it in. Keep a gentle hand while mixing. You don’t want to shred your chicken.
After mixing the dressing, whip out some good sourdough bread. Or, you could eat it without bread like me. You’ll love it! The lemon juice and brown sugar really do something for it. And, seasoning it correctly is key! Oh, and that bacon! Did I mention the bacon? Yummo!
My husband’s verdict? He loved it, too! I think I’ve made it three times since discovering it! And, this is the girl who doesn’t normally like chicken salad.
Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Salad
Adapted from Pioneer Woman1 whole, cut up fryer chicken (or 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken), chopped in large chunks
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
3 whole green onions, chopped
Bacon pieces, optional
Grapes, optional
Toasted nuts, optional
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
Seasonings to taste (Seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic salt, rosemary, paprika, cayenne pepper or whatever you like)
If you are lazy like me, cut up a whole rotisserie chicken. If you are adventurous like Pioneer Woman, rinse fryer chicken pieces thoroughly and place in a large pot of water. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done (about 45 minutes to an hour). When you are ready, remove the chicken from the pot and place on a plate. With your fingers or a fork, pull all of the meat off the bones, chop into chunks and set aside.
Chop your celery and green onions and place them in a bowl with the chicken. Add bacon pieces, grapes, and/or nuts.
In another bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, brown sugar, and seasonings to taste.
When the dressing tastes just right (you must taste test for appropriate saltiness especially), pour it over the chicken/veggie/fruit mixture and stir gently until everything is thoroughly mixed.
Allow the salad to chill for several hours (or even overnight). Serve on a bed of lettuce or in a sandwich or eat it straight out of the bowl with a serving spoon.
Try it soon – you’ll love it!
From one nut to another,
I’m Back…with Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls!
Well, I’m finally back. I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus…well, I’ve been a slacker. 
) It is hard when you are cooking a baby! And, guess what! It’s a GIRL! Woo hoo! I’ll now have one of each, and I am so super excited. As I told you, I prayed for a girl but would have been blessed by whatever God had given me. God is so good, and we can’t wait to welcome Aubrey Ellyn to our family sometime around the end of July. Her middle name is a combination of both of her grandmother’s middle names (Ellen and Lynn). She’ll be a double name girl unless she one day decides to just become Aubrey. I started having a lot of contractions around 17 weeks of pregnancy and was taken off work by my doctor and put on some medicine, but as long as I take care of myself and continue to take it easy, I hope to keep her cooking for a good bit longer. I’m 25 weeks and growing outward rapidly, but I’m feeling great.
Well, what better way to come back into the blogging world than to present you with the Pioneer Woman’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Even as I look at that picture right now, my mouth is watering, and I’m pretty sure I might need to make another batch for Aubrey Ellyn and me. I love cinnamon rolls. Gooey, soft, sugary, laden with butter and yummy cinnamon. What’s not to love! And, when you top it all off with maple frosting, even better!
I’ve tried before to make home-made cinnamon rolls, but all previous effots were less than impressive. The verdict on these? Super and wonderful and easy! Easy, you say? Yes, even though the recipe involves yeast, it was super easy and came together perfectly. I made them for Sunday School breakfast, and although a lot were eaten, I was thankful to have some to bring home. They were good at Sunday School, but they were even better hot out of the oven or hot out of the microwave. So much more gooey and buttery and delicious.
The actual recipe makes about seven round cake pans of rolls, so I decided to make three-quarters of a recipe. By the way, I’m kicking myself for not making a full recipe. The cooked rolls freeze wonderfully, and you could always share them with family and friends. Or, hey! Why not keep them all to yourself! Hide them so your husband and children can’t find them, and keep them all to yourself. These are that good!
Here’s how to make them. The instructions below are for a full recipe of cinnamon rolls. Like I said, this will make about 7-8 cake pans full of rolls. You can also half the recipe nicely or even make a three-quarters recipe like me.
Start by making the dough. Mix 1 quart (4 cups) milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, and 1 cup sugar in large stock pot. Heat the mixture, but don’t boil it. Turn off heat. If the mixture is really hot, let it sit a little while to cool. You want the mixture lukewarm to warm.
When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, sprinkle in 2 packages active dry yeast.
Let the mixture sit and proof for a little while. You’ll see your yeast start to bubble and look alive. Add 8 cups of flour. Stir the mixture together.
By the way, look at my little helper! Sorry about the cheesy grin. He really loves to “cheese it up” for the camera.
Cover your mixture and let sit for at least an hour. Mine probably sat for about an hour and a half.
After your rise time, the dough will have grown. If it hasn’t grown, stop everything and run to the store to get new yeast. Your yeast probably wasn’t any good.
See how mine has grown?
Add 1 more cup of flour, 1 heaping tsp baking powder, 1 scant (a little less than full) tsp baking soda, and 1 Tbsp salt.
Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to grow out of the pan, just punch it down. Or, of course, you can just go ahead and make the rolls.
I went ahead and made the rolls. Sprinkle a large surface with flour. Take the dough and form a rectangle. Then, roll the dough thin, maintaining a rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in length and width as you roll. You’ll want to keep your rolling pin floured, as the dough is pretty sticky.
Here’s my dough after I rolled it all out. If you don’t have a large enough workspace, you can roll out half the dough at a time.
Now, drizzle 1.5-2 cups melted, unsalted butter on the dough. That will be about 3-4 sticks. Wow, that’s a lot of butter, you might say. You’ll be sorry if you don’t use a lot. I think it is what makes them so good and gooey.
You really can’t tell from the picture below just how much butter I used. It’s a lot. Don’t worry about the calories! Just drink a diet coke with your cinnamon roll. It will cancel it all out.
Sprinkle 2 cup of sugar over the butter. I used 1 cup regular sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.
Then, sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon all over it. Don’t be shy. These are CINNAMON rolls.
The above picture was only 1 cup sugar, but after realizing I had not added enough sugar, I added another cup of sugar and a little more cinnamon.
Now, begin rolling the dough toward you in a neat line. Keep the roll as tight as you can as you go. Some of the filling may ooze out, but that’s okay. I just spread mine on top of the rolls. Pinch the seam together to seal it.
Grease 7-8 round cake pans. Then, begin cutting the rolls 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the greased pans.
Let the rolls sit for about 30 minutes to one hour to rise. Bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
While the rolls are baking, prepare your frosting. I made Pioneer Woman’s maple frosting. If you don’t have any maple extract, you can use vanilla extract and just make a regular frosting. But, the maple is REALLY good! I didn’t take a picture of the frosting preparation, because I was so excited when I tasted it that I forgot to!
To a mixing bowl, add 1 bag of powdered sugar. Add 2 tsp maple flavoring/extract and 1/8 tsp salt. Add 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/2-3/4 cup milk. I would start out with just 1/2 cup milk. Mix together. You want the mixture to be thick but pourable. Add more milk if needed. (Pioneer Woman actually uses 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup coffee. I’m not a big coffee person, so I just used milk.)
Drizzle that beautiful frosting all over your rolls. Don’t be shy. It is so yummy!
At this point, you can freeze the cooked rolls (frosted or unfrosted). I actually froze mine unfrosted. I sat them out the morning we wanted them for an hour and heated them in a 250 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I then spread that delicious icing all over them. You can also microwave the individual frozen rolls until warm.
However you eat them, make sure they are warm and gooey. Mmm…..look at that frosting and sugary cinnamon goodness. I can’t tell you how good these are!
Here’s a closeup. Eat your heart out!
I must make them soon! Aubrey Ellyn deserves a few of them. Don’t you think?
Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls
Slightly adapted from Pioneer WomanCinnamon rolls:
1 quart (4 cups) Whole Milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 pkg active dry yeast (0.25 oz packets)
8 cups (plus 1 cup extra, separated) all purpose flour
1 tsp (heaping) baking powder
1 tsp (scant) baking soda
1 Tbsp salt
1.5-2 cups unsalted butter, melted
2 cups sugar (I used half white and half brown sugar)
Generous sprinkling cinnamon
Maple frosting:
1 bag powdered sugar
2 tsp maple flavoring/extract (or use vanilla if you can’t find maple)
1/2-3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/8 tsp salt
Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 3-4 sticks melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 2 cups of sugar (all regular or half regular/half brown) over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Note: You can roll out half the dough at a time if you don’t have a large enough work space.
Now, starting at the end opposite you, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.
Grease seven to eight round foil cake pans. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.
Let the rolls rise for 30 minutes to an hour, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. I added 1/2 cup of milk and then added more milk as needed. It should be thick but pourable. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.
Notes:
- You can freeze the rolls, unrisen, in the pan. Cover them tightly with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Then you’ll just need to remove them, allow them to thaw and rise, and continue the baking and icing process.
- You can freeze the rolls, baked but unfrosted. Later, you can thaw them out, warm them for just a few minutes in the oven, and ice them while warm. This is how I did mine. I let them sit out on the counter for an hour and then heated them up in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes.
- OR, You can freeze the rolls completely iced and finished. Just allow them to cool, then cover with plastic wrap and foil. Thaw on the counter and oven, as directed above.
- The individual rolls can also be thawed and heated in the microwave.
Now, go forth and make cinnamon rolls.
From one nut to another,
Look What I’ve Been Cooking…
Well, as you have been able to tell, I haven’t posted in a while. Have I been cooking? Yes, I have been. I have just also been preoccupied with something else, too….
Yes, that’s right. We are expecting baby #2! I am a little over 9 weeks right now and officially due August 3. My first son, Hayden, was due on August 5 and was born on July 22 at 38 weeks…so I am betting this baby will also be a July baby. We are super excited, and I am super excited that I was able to keep a secret for 5 weeks from my family. Secrets aren’t usually my thing, but I wanted to have a Christmas revelation to the family. Hayden opened a gift with a “Big Brother” shirt and a big brother book. We had to wrap and re-wrap the gift several times.
Hayden is a typical 2-year old big brother. He knows there is a baby in my belly but probably doesn’t fully understand what is about to happen. He loves to lift up my shirt and talk to the baby. We might have to cut that out, because that really wouldn’t be appropriate in Wal Mart.
I give God all the glory and credit for this one. Of course, God should receive all the glory and credit for everything. It is just exceptionally obvious with this pregnancy. All of the “coincidences” and medical things that were overcome can only be attributed to God. Oh, and by the way, there are no such things as coincidences. There is only a great big God!
I have been super sick with this one, which has contributed to my lack of blog posting for a while. I was sick with Hayden but not this sick. I’m hoping it will subside in several weeks, but as tough as it is to be so sick and yuck, I know it is totally worth it. My mom was super sick with me all 9 months, and I know I was worth it. )
I knew Hayden was going to be a boy the entire time. With this one, I am wavering between boy and girl. I’m just not sure. Hayden hasn’t wavered from telling me that this is a baby girl/sister. My mom also thinks it is a girl. I prayed for a girl, but I will be happy and blessed either way. We’ll have to see!
As far as my lack of posting, I promise to get back on it soon. I have been so preoccupied with keeping a secret and this morning sickness that my brain just wasn’t into posting anything. I have lots of stuff saved up to post real soon. This is what you have to look forward to….hot corn dip, pepperoni lasagna roll-ups, a yummy cheese ball, white chocolate bread pudding, and pecan butter crunch cake.
From one nut to another,
Roadside Diner Cheeseburger Quiche
I’ve never cooked quiche. I’ve actually only eaten it twice in my whole life. I think of quiche as the kind of thing you eat at a dainty tea party with your little girl, and since I am surrounded by men in my house who prefer not to attend tea parties, I didn’t figure it would be the kind of thing that would go over well for dinner. When I saw this one, I had a feeling it would be a different kind of quiche, and I was right.
It is really more like a cheeseburger pie, but I guess the addition of the eggs in it cause it to be labeled as a quiche. It really did taste just like a cheeseburger, and I’m sure you could add or delete things based on what you prefer on your burger. I’m a plain jane cheeseburger girl myself. Give me the meat, cheese, and bacon and I’m good…none of this ketchup or mustard stuff for me. And definitely no mayonnaise for me…gross! The original recipe called for relish, but I’m not a big relish fan so I left it out. Although it included onions, I bet it would be good with some onion rings added or some of those French’s french fried onions. My mind is reeling for the next time I cook it.
The taste of this quiche/pie was wonderful! All of the men in my house loved it, and Hayden proclaimed, “Burger pie…mmm, good.” All of the meat in it and the size of it definitely made it a manly man quiche. My favorite part of it was the back part with the crust and the slightly browned cheese. I will definitely be making this again very soon. Serve it with french fries or your favorite dip. I served it with a hot corn dip, and the two were fantastic together!
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Brown 1 lb ground beef. Drain.
Add 1 medium onion (chopped) and about 1/3 cup diced tomatoes. Although the original recipe didn’t say to do this, I cooked it until the onions were slightly soft. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add crumbled, cooked bacon to the burger, onion, and tomato mixture. I also added a little bit of cheese to this…probably about 1/2 cup. Stir to combine.
Pour burger mixture into 9-inch deep dish pie crust. I used one of the frozen deep dish pie crusts and thawed it on the counter. You could also buy a refrigerated pie crust and press it into your own pie plate. Either way, make sure you get a deep dish one. There is a lot of filling in this pie.
Pour egg mixture over the meat. Use a fork to move the meat around, letting the meat settle in between. Fill it to the brim.
I had a little bit of the egg mixture left over, but it didn’t affect the quiche at all. It probably would have all fit if I used a refrigerated pie crust in my deep dish pie plate.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Uh oh, you’ll see some of my egg mixture flooded over. For this reason, I put a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to catch anything else that fell out. Be careful when you are transferring it to the oven. You don’t want to spill any more out than is necessary.
Bake at 375 degrees for 40-60 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. I covered the quiche with aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking to prevent overbrowning.
Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. I told you it was a manly man type of quiche. Look at the height of it!
And, here’s my favorite part. The browned crust with the yummy taste of cooked cheese and all of that burger and bacon flavor. Oh, yum!
Roadside Diner Cheeseburger Quiche
Adapted from Noble Pig1 refrigerated pie crust (or a 9-inch frozen deep dish pie shell)
1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
5 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese + 1/2 cup more for the burger mixture
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes and onion. I cooked it for a little while to allow the onions to soften. Turn skillet off.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Add cooked, crumbled bacon and 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the beef mixture. Transfer meat mixture into prepared pie crust. Pour egg mixture over the meat and use a fork to move the meat around, letting the egg mixture settle in between. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and then top with 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar.
Bake for 40-60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. I put a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any of the egg mixture that overflowed. I also added aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes of cooking to prevent overbrowning. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.
From one nut to another,
Grilled Chicken with White BBQ Sauce
Although I am from the South and have been a BBQ fan for a long time, I had never heard of white BBQ sauce until the last couple of years. I was introduced to it at a local chain restaurant, Newk’s Express Cafe, where my favorite sandwich is the Newk’s Q. The description of the sandwich? Newk’s white BBQ sauce, grilled chicken breast, Applewood smoked bacon, and Swiss cheese. My husband tried the sandwich first, and I immediately fell in love with the tangy white sauce. So, I decided to try to recreate it.
Apparently, white BBQ sauce is quite popular in Alabama, and Big Bob Gibson in Decatur, AL is the king of white BBQ sauce. Well, I’ve never had Big Bob’s sauce myself, but I quite like my own version. I came real close to the taste of Newk’s sauce. The sauce has a wonderful flavor…a tangy, zippy flavor made possible by a little vinegar and lemon juice. You could adjust the recipe and add more vinegar or lemon juice if you want, but I quite like my recipe. Don’t be afraid if you don’t like mayo or horseradish. I don’t like either, but I love the sauce.
The grilled chicken was perfect. I found the brining recipe, and it made a wonderfully juicy grilled chicken breast. Even though the breasts were boneless and skinless, the brine kept the chicken really juicy and wonderful. The chicken was good by itself, but the addition of the white BBQ sauce moved it from ordinary to extraordinary.
Big Bob might be the king, but I declare myself the queen of white BBQ sauce. Move over Bob!
Combine all of the brine ingredients. You’ll need to use a little elbow grease to get the honey mixed in. Brine chicken in refrigerator for 2-6 hours.
Combine all of the white BBQ sauce ingredients, and mix well. Refrigerate sauce.
Heat your grill. Grill brined chicken until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Oh, yum! That brine really helps the chicken out! It is so good. I’m not a pro griller by any means, but I was pretty proud of myself for grilling these myself. Look at the grill marks on this piece. Pretty, huh?
Slather that chicken in some BBQ sauce. Dip it, slather it, bath in it, do whatever you want with that sauce. It’s just good. You’ll really like it. I made my own version of a Newk’s Q for lunch the next day but used provolone cheese instead of swiss. It was super!
Grilled Chicken with White BBQ Sauce
Apple Brine from Delish; White BBQ Sauce created by MissyApple Brine:
Chicken breasts (I used 6)
1 cup apple juice
1 cup water
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp soy sauce
Juice of half a lemon
White BBQ Sauce:
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp apple juice
2 Tbsp water
4 1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
2 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp cayenne red pepper
Combine all of the brine ingredients, and mix well. Add chicken to brining solution, and brine for 2-6 hours in the refrigerator.
Combine all of the white BBQ sauce ingredients, and mix well.
Preheat the grill. Grill chicken until juices run clear or internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Slather chicken with white BBQ sauce.
From one nut to another,
Monterey Ranch Bread & A Blogging Injury
Bread…the thing that makes a good meal an even better meal. Butter…I could slather it on anything and probably have. Cheese…give me a hunk of it, and I can take it down. Ranch Dressing…my favorite salad dressing. What a beautiful list…all the things I love in a crazy good bread recipe. When I saw this recipe on Plain Chicken, I knew it would be mine. It was just a matter of choosing the perfect meal to try it out.
I decided to make some BBQ chicken with white BBQ sauce and hot baked potato salad (both of which will be blogged about soon) and thought this bread would go great with it. I was right, and now, I know this bread would go great with just about anything. You bite into it expecting to be overwhelmed with a ranch dressing taste, but the ranch dressing just provides a gooey, subtle, yummy addition to the bread. Chris’ reaction? ”It’s a winner.” That’s Chris speak for, “Wow! This is good!” Hayden’s reaction? His bread was gone in about 1 minute, but his bread is always gone in about 1 minute. He’s a bread lover like his mom. I raised him right!
Anyway, I sure am glad this bread was good, because it caused my very first blogging injury. Did you all know that an oven that has been on broil is really hot? That if you get close to the open oven door after getting out of the shower that it will burn your belly? Well, if you already knew all of that, you should have told me. I had to learn my lesson the hard way. Yep, that’s right, I got too close to the oven door and received a lovely 8-inch burn across my stomach complete with blisters and everything. I am surprised I got a clear picture of the bread, because I was in serious pain that night. The doctor declared it a 2nd degree burn, and after receiving some silvadene cream and a tetanus shot and strict instructions not to get near a hot oven again, I was sent on my way. This is a typical Missy thing to do. What can I say? I told you all I am a nut.
First, cut a loaf of french bread in half lengthwise. Melt about 3 Tbsp butter, and slather it on real well. Broil in oven until golden brown.
Mix 3/4 cup prepared ranch dressing with 2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese. Choose your favorite ranch dressing. Mine is the Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing in the green packet. Add some buttermilk and milk and the packet mix, and it is quite yummy!
Here is the bread after you have broiled the top. Be careful! That oven door is hot, ya know!
Slather the cheese/ranch dressing mix on top of the broiled bread.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley after you take the bread out of the oven.
Oh, wow! Even with a hurt belly, I was wanting some of this.
Hope you enjoy! And, stay away from hot oven doors!
Monterey Ranch Bread
Recipe from Plain Chicken1 loaf french bread
3 Tbsp butter, melted or softened
3/4 cup ranch dressing, prepared
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
Parsley
Cut bread in half lengthwise; brush with butter. Place on baking sheets. Broil from the heat until golden brown. Combine ranch dressing and cheese in bowl. Spread over broiled bread. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.
From one nut to another,
Blueberry Cake with a Lemon and White Chocolate Glaze
I am definitely a person who is a creature of habit. I think that is one thing that contributes to the fact that I could eat the same thing each and every day without getting tired of it, but it’s probably also not a coincidence that my Mom and brother are the same way. Right now, I have been on a grilled cheese for lunch kick. I have a really crazy creation that I eat before every meal every day - a vanilla wafer with peanut butter and 2 pretzel M&Ms on top…try it, it’s good! Lately, my everyday breakfast consists of a bowl of cereal. My favorites? Frosted Cheerios, Eggo Maple Syrup cereal, and Kelloggs Cinnabon cereal. If I am at home in Pelahatchie or anywhere near a Ward’s, I must have a sausage biscuit. They are so yummy!
There are occasions when I treat myself to something really yummy for breakfast and veer from my usual cereal breakfast. About every two months, I take breakfast to our Sunday School class and usually love to make something laden with sugar and butter. My choice for this month was a yummy Blueberry cake. Blueberries aren’t in season for much longer, so I chose to take advantage of some fresh Blueberries from Kroger to make this delicious cake. (By the way, I definitely recommend using fresh blueberries instead of frozen ones for this cake. The frozen ones usually just turn my batters purple and ugly, but if you don’t mind ugly purple batter, toss some frozen blueberries in some flour and throw them in. The cake will be purple, but it will be yummy.)
Although the actual cake was a recipe I found on the internet, I kind of created the lemon and white chocolate glazes and just hoped for the best. I thought it turned out great. The cake was super moist, and the lemon and white chocolate added a nice touch of freshness and sweetness to the cake. It wasn’t too super sweet..it was just right. I had two or three pieces left after Sunday, and the leftovers got even more yummy and moist.
First, melt some butter and generously grease a 10-inch bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Throw about 1/4 cup sugar into the greased bundt pan. Sprinkle it all over the sides. You’ll have some extra in the bottom of the pan.
Pour out the extra sugar after you make sure the entire pan is covered.
Now, it’s time to prepare your batter. Soften 14 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, or you can do the shortcut method like me. Throw the butter in your microwave until your finger makes a dent in the butter. Don’t melt it…just soften it.
Cream 1 cup sugar with the butter.
Add 3 eggs.
Mix eggs and creamed butter/sugar mixture. Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla. Oh, yum! I love vanilla.
Stir in vanilla. Add 1 cup flour and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Mix well. Add another 1 cup flour. That is 2 total cups of flour.
Mix well. Add 3/4 cup milk.
Stir in milk. Now, it is time for the star…blueberries.
Toss them in a couple of Tablespoons of flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of your batter.
Add them to your batter and stir. I also added 1 tsp lemon zest, but I don’t have a picture of that.
Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and smooth out the top.
Bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cake rest 10 minutes and then turn out. Now, this is where I messed up. I turned out the cake after 10 minutes, and it was beautiful. I then put the cake back into the bundt pan overnight so I could finish it the next day. It started sticking to the sides overnight, and when I turned it out the next morning, some of the cake stuck to the inside of the pan…so it wasn’t as pretty. So, make sure you turn it out after about 10-15 minutes rather than leaving it in your pan. It will make for a prettier cake.
See all the places on the right side where it didn’t come out of the pan? Oh, well!
Now, you will need to poke holes all over your cake. These holes will allow the glaze to soak into the cake and make it yummy and super moist.
Prepare your lemon glaze. Mix 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp milk, and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Pour over the cake.
It will soak into your cake and make it super yummy.
Prepare your white chocolate glaze. This one won’t soak into your cake but it will make it super pretty.
Melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips over double boiler or in microwave. Don’t burn the chocolate. Add 4 tsp milk. Stir until combined and glaze-like. Glaze-like? Anyway, you’ll be able to tell if it is too thin or too thick. Now, glaze that cake. (By the way, the glaze also hid all my cake’s flaws.) I did my glaze in a rush so it wasn’t perfect, but it really makes for a pretty presentation.
See the white chocolate-lemoney-blueberry goodness?
Just one bite and you’ll be in love.
Blueberry Cake with Lemon and White Chocolate Glaze
Adapted from so many places and in so many ways that I call it my ownBlueberry cake:
Butter and 1/4 cup sugar, for greasing bundt pan
14 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
Lemon glaze:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar
White chocolate glaze:
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
4 tsp milk
Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Melt about 2-3 Tbsp butter, and generously grease a 10-inch bundt pan. Add 1/4 cup sugar, making sure to coat the entire pan with sugar. Pour out extra sugar. Prepare cake batter. Soften unsalted butter at room temperature or in the microwave. Cream sugar with butter. Add vanilla, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup flour. Mix well. Add another cup of flour and mix well. Stir in milk and optional lemon zest. Mix blueberries with 2 Tbsp flour. This will keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom while baking. Fold into batter. Be gentle. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake for 10-15 minutes and turn out of bundt pan.
Poke holes in cake using a toothpick or fork. Prepare your lemon glaze. Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour over cake and allow it to settle into the cake.
Prepare the white chocolate glaze. Melt white chocolate chips over double boiler or in microwave, being careful not to burn them. Add milk and stir until smooth. Drizzle over cake. Enjoy!
From one nut to another,
A 30th Birthday Weekend
This past weekend, we celebrated a special day! I am now officially married to an old man, but I guess I can definitely say he is an oldie but goodie. Chris turned 30 this past weekend, and we had to celebrate in style…with his current favorite cheesecake – pecan pie cheesecake.
I haven’t told you all how much I love making cheesecakes. I don’t really know how it all began, but one day, I just started making cheesecake, and people started liking my cheesecake…and some people haven even paid me to make a cheesecake for them. After several trials and even some failed cheesecakes, I have gotten my baking and cheesecake making down pat. Down pat…is that a word they use anywhere except in the South? Anyway, I love making cheesecakes. I love eating cheesecakes. Chris loves eating cheesecakes. So, it only seemed appropriate to make him his favorite for his birthday.
I am going to be a little rude during this post and not share my recipe. I’ll say that you can find the recipe online pretty easily, but I have made a few subtle changes to the recipe and to my baking technique. My dream is to start my own little baking business on the side, so I guess I have to keep a few things a mystery. Is that fair? This cheesecake combines a yummy crust with some pecan pie filling and brown sugary cheesecake on top. Oh, and did I also mention how much I love decorating the top of a cheesecake? So, I top it all off with a caramel and pecan topping. Yum!
I was going to do much more to celebrate his birthday, but we wanted to go to the Mississippi State football game and cheer on our MSU Dawgs against Georgia. So, we decided to make it a weekend trip and visit my mother-in-law (aka…MaMaw) in Columbus. We had a birthday lunch and cheesecake, and Hayden even sang Happy Birthday to Chris. He has gotten on that kick lately and loves to sing Happy Birthday randomly. After a nap for Hayden, we were off to see the Bulldogs play. We had a great time at the game.
That’s my boy…pizza in one hand and cowbell in another. He is going through some kind of amazing growth spurt and ate an entire pizza by himself. Chris got some nachos later, and he ate about half of those. Oh, and don’t forget the cookie, too. I better start clipping coupons now.
The Bulldogs did great and pulled out a win over Georgia! Go, State! Woo, hoo! That was a good birthday present for Chris. We even managed to get a pretty good picture of us at the game.
Happy birthday, Chris! I love you…even though you are an old guy. (I guess I better not talk too much about being old…it will be my turn in November.)
Oh, and by the way, if you want a cheesecake for your family and live in the area, I’ll be happy to compute the cost and make one for you. I make all sorts of flavors.
From one nut to another,
Ice Cream in Brownies?
I love brownies! I love ice cream! I love brownies with ice cream! So, when I saw a recipe that combined the two in one recipe, I knew I would be trying it. Ice cream in brownies? Yes, these yummy brownies have ice cream added into the batter. Oh, and did I mention hot fudge, too?
Chris and I had a Sunday School get-together week before last, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out this new recipe. The wonderful thing about these brownies is that you can personalize it with your favorite ice cream. My favorite ice cream happens to be the Cake Batter ice cream at Cold Stone or Better Batter at Maggie Moos, but I knew if I went and got some of that ice cream that I would never have made it home with it. So, I decided to use some Cookies and Cream ice cream in these brownies and layer some Oreos in the middle of the batter. Yum!
The verdict? The brownies were a hit. Add a little Blue Bell vanilla ice cream on top with some chocolate syrup, and you have a fantastic ice-creamy (is that a word?) combination. The brownies also stayed soft for several days afterwards, because there isn’t anything worse than a hard brownie.
My Sunday School teacher made some fantastic enchiladas for the get-together. After eating Lisa’s yummy enchiladas and these brownies, we played some ultimate ping pong to work off some of the calories. I had never played ultimate ping pong, but I think Chris and I definitely need to build a house with a large wood-floored room and circular table just so we can play it all the time. It was super fun…and exhausting! And, I guess if we played ultimate ping pong every night that we could eat desserts like this all the time. What am I saying? We eat desserts like this all the time anyway!
How do you play ultimate ping pong? Grab enough ping pong paddles for everyone in your family. We played with about 8 people at a time, so you can do this with a large family or large group. You also need a table but no net. Clear out the chairs…this game gets dangerous! Number off….1, 2, 3, and so on. Player 1 will serve to player 2…player 2 to player 3..and so on. The last player will serve to Player 1. Player 1 will start by hitting the ping pong ball on the table. Player 2 must allow the ball to hit the floor only once before hitting the ball back onto the table. The return must bounce at least once on the table, but it can bounce more than once. Player 2 will hit to player 3….and so on. (How many times have I said ”and so on?”) Points are bad in this game. You get a point if your serve doesn’t hit the table, if you fail to return the ball on the tabletop, or if you allow the ball to bounce more than once on the floor before hitting it. 3 points and you are out of the game. Don’t stop play unless someone gets a point, so when you get good, the game is almost constant. It is your responsibility to place yourself so you can return the serve of the player that serves before you, so you will do quite a bit of running around the table to stay across the tabletop from the player that serves to you. You also have to remember who you are after, because if someone gets 3 points and is out of the game, you have to know who serves to you. We looked like idiots playing and running around the table, but it sure was fun! The last person standing is champion!
Try these brownies! Be creative….the possibilities are endless!
Preheat oven, and grease an 8×8 baking dish. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but leave out the water. My particular brownie mix (Ghirardelli Double Chocolate) called for one egg and 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Add a heaping half cup of ice cream and 1/4 cup of room temperature hot fudge to the mix. Stir to combine.
When you stir the mix, it gets super thick and yummy. I poured half of the brownie mix in the bottom of the dish and layered with Oreos. You don’t have to do this, but it sure was yummy! Don’t break up the Oreos…leave them whole!
Top with remaining batter and bake according to package directions. Mine were done before the time the box called for…you definitely don’t want to overbake them.
Let’s do a closeup so you can see how yummy and fudgey they get.
Imagine that baby with some ice cream on top! Have I convinced you how wonderful they are yet? Enjoy…and play a little ultimate ping pong afterwards. It makes you feel a little better about eating the brownies!
Oreo Ice Cream Sundae Brownies
Adapted from Picky Palate; Recipe from Kevin and Amanda1 box brownie mix
Eggs and oil (as called for by the brownie mix)
1 heaping half cup ice cream (I used Cookies and Cream)
1/4 cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temperature)
Oreos, optional
Preheat oven and grease an 8×8 inch baking dish. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add the ice cream and hot fudge and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, and top with remaining batter. Bake as directed on the back of the box, but you will want to check your brownies before this time to avoid overbaking.
From one nut to another,
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