Bite Sized Pecan Pies

 

Bite Sized Pecan Pies

Yield: 120 pies

 

Ingredients:

 

120 Athens Phyllo Shells

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of Karo light corn syrup

1 stick of melted butter

3 large eggs (beaten)

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Chop your pecans roughly and portion out about 3/4 teaspoon to each phyllo cup.

2. Melt your butter in the microwave for about a minute.

3. In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat your eggs for about a minute.

4. Add in your salt, brown and granulated sugars, and melted butter. Mix well.

5. Add in your corn syrup and mix well.

6. Carefully pour your mixture over your pecans in each phyllo shell. Only fill half way!! I know it is tempting to cover the pecans with the mixture, but if you do the shells will overflow while baking.

7. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Only bake one tray of pies at a time.

8. Let your pies rest for at least an hour before serving, or let cool for serving. They refrigerate well and will last about 3-4 days in your fridge.

 

 

These Pecan Pie Bites are so much better than traditional pecan pie because you get all the "good stuff" from the pecan pie with out the feeling of it being so heavy. I surely didn't regret eating five last night, where as I would have regretted eating a whole slice for pecan pie. Ahh, the guilt we put on ourselves for eating yummy food.... Happy Holidays!

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Yield: 32 pies

Ingredients:

2 cans of Libby's Pumpkin Puree (15 oz each)

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ginger

1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice

4 large eggs

2 cans of evaporated milk (12 oz each)

32 unbaked mini pie shells

Directions:

1. In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat your eggs for about a minute.

2. Add in your evaporated milk, salt, and all your spices. Mix well.

3. Add in your sugar and pumpkin puree and mix well.

4. Place all your pie shells on a cookie sheet (or two) and make sure they are evenly spaced. Gently pour your pie mixture into each shell. Fill them right below the crust lip...does that make sense?

5. Heat your oven to 425 F and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temp down to 350 F, while your pies are baking, for an additional 20 minutes.

6. Let pies rest for at least one hour before eating warm or let cool and serve cool. You can store them in your fridge for a couple of days, but after about three days they start to get funky!

Enjoy! :)

These make for perfect neighbor gifts. I plan wrapping some pies up in cellophane and giving them to our neighbors today. Happy Holidays!



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Mudslides

Yield: 14 servings

Ingredients:

3 quarts of Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups of Irish cream (Bailey's)
2 cups of coffee liqueur (Kahlua)
2 cups of vodka
chocolate syrup

Directions:

1. Pull your ice cream out of the freezer and run under water for about a minute. Let it sit in the container and in the sink for about 10 minutes un-thawing.
2. Dump your ice cream into a large bowl.  Add in all your alcohol and mix well with a large spoon or spatula. It is okay to leave ice cream lumps.
3. Drizzle your chocolate syrup into your martini glasses and poor your mixture in. Top with whip cream and more chocolate syrup or leave it as is.

I picked up these martini glasses from the dollar store...for you guessed it $1 each! I had several containers of vanilla ice cream in my freezer that needed to get used so I mixed these up to serve at our Christmas Party last night. I'm really pleased with how they turned out.  I had planned on topping them with whipped cream, but I didn't whip enough cream to go with my cheesecake and the Mudslides. In all honesty, I didn't measure anything and I just dumped alcohol into my melting ice cream, but I am guesstimating that is how much I put in them. Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

 

 

Pumpkin Cupcakes

 

Yield: 22-24 regular cupcakes

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup of vegetable oil

1 can of Pumpkin puree (I used Libby's)

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups of granulated sugar

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon ginger

 

Directions:

 

1. In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add your eggs and oil. Mix well.

2. Add in your Pumpkin puree, vanilla, and all your spices. Mix well.

3. Add your sugar and mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together your flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add your flour mixture slowly to your pumpkin mixture on low.

5. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners and scoop out your batter with a 1/4 measuring cup. Add only 1/4 cup to each regular sized muffin tin.

6. Bake your cupcakes at 350 F for 20-22 minutes. Let cool before frosting with Cream Cheese Frosting.



 



 

I made this recipe up last night and I think they were a success! I made them for my son's Thanksgiving Feast at his Preschool today and all the little ones gobbled them up! I topped the cupcakes with my homemade Cream Cheese Frosting and some Wilton orange sprinkles and pumpkins I picked up at AC Moore this morning. There are four cupcakes left over that I have hidden in the back of my fridge and I am trying my hardest not to eat them!

 

 

 

 





Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

For those of you who have been following along my food journey, and for those that know me, know that the only chocolate I use is Ghirardelli. The other night I decided to take what I had in the pantry and in the fridge and turn it into ice cream. Oh MMM Gee! It turned out to be the best chocolate ice cream I have ever had! It is a small quantity, but large in flavor so you only need a little bit! I just made the recipe up as I was going along and thankfully things went smoothly!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate
1/2 cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa

 

I didn't end up using the Ghirardelli bar pictured

 

 

Directions: 

 

1.  In a medium saucepan, add your milk, cream, and vanilla. Let simmer on Low-Med for 15 minutes.

 

2. Add your sugar, chocolate, and cocoa.

 

3. Mix well with your immersion blender. If you don't have an immersion blender than dump into your food processor and then add back to your pot when blended.

 

 

4. Let your mixture simmer on Low-Med for another 20 minutes until it has thickened.

 

 

5. Let your mixture cool and then refrigerate over night.

 

6. The next day, turn on your Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and add your chocolate mixture to it. Let it run for 20-25 minutes.

 



 

7. Your mixture should like this when finished. Serve immediately or store in a freezer safe container and enjoy late! :)

Homemade Apple Sauce

Homemade Apple Sauce
Yield: 10-12 cups

Ingredients:

1 bag of Granny Smith Apples
1 bag of Gala or Honeycrisp Apples
1-2 tsp Cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of sugar if you want to add sweetener

Directions:

1. Peel and core all your apples. I bought a $20 apple peeler and corer from Bed Bath and Beyond (this one) three years ago and it is still going strong. Place all your apples in your Slow Cooker and it should be full to the brim with apples.

2. With your fingers, separate your apple slices and make sure there are no seeds hiding.

3. Sprinkle the cinnamon and salt across your apple slices.

4. Drizzle your lemon juice and water all over your apples.

5. If you choose to add sugar, do so now. I don't add sugar to my apple sauce.

6. Put the lid on your Slow Cooker and cook for 5 hours on low. Stir occasionally.

7. Enjoy your yummy homemade apple sauce served warm or chilled! Enjoy!

My 7 month old daughter chowing down on the apple sauce that I made for her!

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Bacon Wrapped Heaven

Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Serves 2 people
Ingredients:
3 thawed chicken breasts
Bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
Salt and Pepper to season

Directions:

1. Slice your chicken breasts in half longways. Season them with salt and pepper.
2. In a bowl, mix together sugar, garlic powder, cayenne, and paprika.
3. Dredge your chicken breasts in the dry mixture and make sure they are coated well.
4. Wrap a slice of bacon around each piece of chicken and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle the remainder of your dry mix over the top of your chicken.
6. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 F
My husband loves anything wrapped in bacon and devoured the entire meal in a matter of seconds. Enjoy!

Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken

Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 Jar of Newman's Own Salsa
1/4 cup of Water
4 minced Garlic Cloves

Directions:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. In a bowl add salsa, taco seasoning, water and minced garlic. Stir well and pour over chicken.
3. Cover all the chicken with the sauce and place the lid on.
4. Turn the slow cooker on for 8 hours on low.
5. After 8 hours have passed use a rubber spatula and gently pull the chicken apart. Once chicken is pulled stir to incorporate the sauce.
6. Serve with beans and rice, rolled into a burrito, or stuffed in a taco. Enjoy!


I typically set aside half for a future meal later in the same week. I have never frozen it, but it keeps well for about 3 days and is versatile enough to do two separate meals out of it!

Chocolate Chip Banana Walnut Muffins

Chocolate Chip Banana Walnut Muffins
Yield: 24 Muffins

Blend together:
4 very ripe bananas
1/2 a container of vanilla yogurt (about 16 oz)
2 eggs
2 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar

Mix together:
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Chop up:
2 cups of walnuts
1 square of Ghirardelli chocolate

Add:
1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Ghirardelli baking chips

I make the muffin batter in my Kitchen Aid Mixer and they are very easy to whip up in just a matter of minutes. I start by adding the bananas, then vanilla, oil, eggs, yogurt, and sugar. I let the paddle spin on medium creaming everything together. Then I add the dry mixture with the paddle spinning on the slowest setting. I add in the chocolate and nuts last and let the paddle do a few spins to mix in the nuts and chocolate in every bite.
Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.
Enjoy!