Coffee Cake in a Mug

COFFEE CAKE IN A MUG

I have made this a few times, but every time I end up eating it before I remember to take a picture. So I took this picture from the site where I found the recipe. To be fair, mine looked similar. As soon as I take my own picture, I'll replace it, but I definitely don't want to lose this recipe. My kids eat it up and you don't have to make a huge cake that will go to waste.

CAKE

1 TBSP butter, softened, not melted

2 TBSP sugar

Half an egg, slighlty beaten

2 TBSP sour cream

A few drops of vanilla, literally

1/4 C flour

1/8 tsp baking powder

*Place butter in your favorite mug. If it's straight out of the fridge microwave it for 15-20 seconds. Stir in butter with a fork until it's creamy. Add some egg. It's easiest to make two at a time, that way you can just mix up an egg and divide it between two mugs. Stir in sour cream and a few drops of vanilla, just a few. stir in flour and baking powder. Now for the topping.

TOPPING

1 TBSP butter

2 TBSP flour

1 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

 

*In a separate bowl add butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix together with a fork or your fingers. I like to add a little to my cake mix so that the cinnamon flavor goes throughout. Add the rest to the top of the cake and microwave for about 1 minute 10 seconds. Now you have an easy coffee cake in a mug. YUM!

Pancake Squares

PANCAKE SQUARES

 

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I have probably made it 10 times already. It's a lot quicker than making individual pancakes and less messy. My boys just eat them up!

 

 

3/4 C milk



2 TBSP butter, melted
1 large egg
1 TBSP sugar
1 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl combine milk, butter and egg. Add sugar, then gradually beat in flour. Carefully stir in the baking powder and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. This recipe also doubles well, just put it in a 9x13 dish.

What it looks like fresh out of the oven.

Yummy Granola

GRANOLA

I love granola and this recipe looked really easy so I had to try it. The original recipe called for dried fruits, which would be good, but I opted to not put them in mine.

 

4 C old fashioned oats

1/2 C sliced almonds

1/2 C coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 C coconut flakes

1 tsp ground cinnamon

a pinch of salt

1/3 C vegetable oil

1/4 C honey

1/2 C light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

 

*Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine oil, honey and sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle over oat mixture and toss until evenly coated. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly. Bake, stirring occasionally until golden brown (about 25 minutes). Let granola cool completely. Break up and store in an airtight container.

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

COCONUT OATMEAL COOKIES

This was yet another great find from pinterest. If one day pinterest no longer exists I will have this blog to keep my favorite recipes. Besides I always modify recipes slightly. These cookies were so easy to make. They just take a few minutes to whip up and come out perfectly chewy.

1 C butter

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 C flour

2 C oatmeal

1 1/2 C coconut

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together until smooth. In a separate bowl combine salt, baking powder, baking soda and four. Sift together then add to butter mix. Stir in oatmeal and coconut. Spoon onto greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Seeing as we live in a higher altitude I added a little extra flour than the original recipe called for. I also love coconut so my recipe includes a little more than called for. I also thought it was a little weird that the original recipe said to grease the cookie sheet, however greasing the cookie sheet turned out perfect. 

These cookies would also be good with nuts and chocolate chips. I think pecans and semisweet chocolate chips would be good or white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

Pizza Puffs

PIZZA PUFFS

I made these for my boys one night and I think I ate more than they did. Oops. They were just so easy to make and eat!



3/4 C flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
a pinch of salt
a generous pinch of red pepper flakes (I like a little spice)
3/4 C milk
1 egg lightly beaten
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1 C pepperoni, cur up or I used mini pepperoni
1 C store bought pizza sauce

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes. Whisk in milk and egg. Stir in mozzarella, parmesan and pepperoni. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir batter and fill muffin cups 3/4 full (this recipe will make more than 24 puffs). Bake until puffed and golden, about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile microwave pizza sauce just until warmed.

Ready to eat!

Easy Mac and Cheese

MACARONI AND CHEESE

This was seriously so easy and yummy. I made a few modifications from the recipe I was trying because it was what I had in my cupboards. This was the first time I tried this recipe and I loved it!

2 C uncooked elbow macaroni (I used ziti because that's what I had)

2 C milk

1 TBSP butter

1/2 tsp mustard powder (I used actual mustard because I didn't have mustard powder and it worked)

1 tsp salt

a dash of nutmeg

1 1/2 C grated cheese plus more for topping (I used Mexican cheese blend because we always have that on hand)

Bread crumbs for topping (optional)

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish. Place raw macaroni in a colander and rinse quickly. Let drain and place in a medium saucepan along with milk, butter, mustard powder and nutmeg. On medium heat, slowly bring saucepan ingredients to a simmer while frequently stirring the macaroni. This will keep the macaroni from sticking together. Don't leave the stove! The milk will boil very quickly and you don't want it running over. Once mixture comes to a simmer, immediately turn down heat to low. The macaroni will slowly cook in the milk. Continue stirring macaroni frequently so macaroni cooks evenly. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until milk has been absorbed. Stir in cheese until it has mixed in evenly. It doesn't need to be completely melted. Turn off heat and place macaroni in prepared dish. Sprinkle with a handful of cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese on top has been melted and bread crumbs are golden brown.

Fruit Salsa

FRUIT SALSA with CINNAMON CHIPS

To be honest I didn't really follow the recipe as far as the amount of fruit that was put in. I just sort of put in what I had and what I thought sounded good. It just took a lot longer than I thought because I wanted the fruit to be chopped up really small so it really resembled salsa.

SALSA

4 kiwis, peeled and diced

1 fuji apple, cored, peeled and diced

1 pound of strawberries, diced

2 white peaches, cored, peeled and diced

1 mango, cored, peeled and diced

1 tsp white sugar

1 tsp brown sugar

3 TBSP simply fruit raspberry preserves

*Combine everything and mix it all up. Simple enough, right? I really liked the apples and peaches for the crunch.

CINNAMON CHIPS

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas

butter flavored cooking spray

1 C white sugar

2 TBSP cinnamon

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a gallon sized freezer bag and mix it up. Spray both sides of each flour tortilla and cut into small triangles. Throw those in the bag and shake it up. Spread out onto ungreased cookie sheet until cookie sheet is full. Do not over lap chips. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool about 10 minutes. They will crisp up a little after they have cooled. Serve with chilled fruit salsa. SO YUMMY!!!!

Raspberry Crumb Bars

RASPBERRY CRUMB BARS

I had some leftover raspberry filling from my sister's wedding and thought that raspberry crumb bars would be a GREAT way to use up that filling... Plus, I already had all the other ingredients.

1 1/2 C flour

2 1/2 C oatmeal

1 1/2 C brown sugar, packed

1/2 C finely chopped pecans

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 C butter melted

2 C raspberry pie filling

1 tsp ground cinnamon

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix flour, oatmeal, pecans, and baking soda using pastry blender or fork. Stir in butter until well mixed. Reserve 2 C of the oat mixture for the topping. Firmly press remaining oat mixture in the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until crust begins to brown. Carefully spread filling over warm crust. Stir cinnamon into the reserved oat mixture and sprinkle over raspberry filling. Lightly press into filling. Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is deep golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour) before cutting.

These were really good. I think I could have gotten away with using less butter. The crust was also pretty thick that a little extra filling wouldn't have been a bad idea either. These were really good though. Something I will definitely make again!

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

 YELLOW CUPCAKES WITH RASPBERRY FILLING and VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

I'm not going to write down the recipe for the cupcakes because, well, I just used a box of cake mix and made them according to the package directions. Oh, but I did add some raspberry filling that made them oh so good.

FROSTING
1/2 C butter, room temperature
8oz cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 C powdered sugar
1-4 TBSP heavy cream or whole milk

*Combine all ingredients in electric mixer. Cream together until well combined and fluffy. About 3 minutes. If you are piping it you don't want to add too much milk or it will be too runny.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

*If you are making carrot cake cupcakes or red velvet I would recommend adding an additional 8oz of cream cheese and a little more powdered sugar if needed.

Batman Cake

 BATMAN CAKE

Malakai asked for this for his birthday for about 6 months. He was thrilled when I finally made it.

CAKE

1 (16.5oz) box Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake mix

1/3 C dry instant chocolate pudding and pie filling

1/4 C flour

1 C water

4 eggs

1/4 C mayonnaise

1/3 C vegetable oil

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9 inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray with flour. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Divide evenly into the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 24-29 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Take out of pan and set face down on wire rack. Once completely cooled, wrap in saran wrap and freeze over night. This just makes it easier to cut and decorate. Next day cut off the top of cake to make a flat even surface.

FROSTING

1 C butter

1 C shortening

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp butter flavoring

1 tsp clear vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1TBSP meringue powder

about 2 lbs powdered sugar

*Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Cream together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add meringue powder and a little bit of the powdered sugar. Mix together and continue to add powdered sugar. I use almost a full 2 pound bag. Beat on medium high for 3-5 minutes.

I put my cake on a cardboard round. Cut the edges leaving about 1/4 inch of cardboard around the cake. Spread a small, thin amount of frosting on the cardboard to act like glue. Place one of the two cakes face down on the cardboard. Spread that layer with frosting and place the other cake on top, face down also. Spread frosting over entire cake. This time I used a store bought fondant and dyed it yellow to save time. Roll the fondant out and place on top of cake. Slowly smooth fondant over cake and cut off any excess fondant. For the Batman symbol I just printed off a symbol that I liked, placed it over a sugar sheet and cut out the design. the sugar sheet was really easy to use. I highly recommend it for decorating. My friend Amy had some leftover edible paper that we put around the cake. Honestly I wish I would have just used my sugar sheet because the edible paper was so hard to work with and I didn't like the look of it.

I thought the cake was perfect for what Malakai wanted and it wasn't too difficult to make!

Sticky Bun Bars

 STICKY BUN BARS

This is the first time I tried these and I really liked them. I made them for breakfast, but they were a treat that I would make again any time of day. I also messed up a couple things and it still turned out great.

1 box butter recipe yellow cake mix

1/3 C melted butter

1 TBSP milk

2 eggs

3/4 C packed brown sugar

1/3 C melted butter

3/4 C chopped pecans

1/3 C caramel topping

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl beat cake mix, 1/3 C butter, milk, and eggs with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute or until blended. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 8 minutes (I somehow didn't read this when I was making it and skipped this direction). Meanwhile in medium bowl, mix brown sugar, 1/3 C butter, pecans, caramel topping and cinnamon. Pour over partially baked crust.

Before going in the oven.

Bake about 23-25 minutes longer. It will still be jiggly in the center, but it will set up once cooled. Cool completely before cutting.

Out of the oven. Cooling.

I didn't bake the crust and I also forgot to add the cinnamon and I thought it was still really good. I might try it with cinnamon next time, but I thought it turned out great.

Indoor S'mores

INDOOR S'MORES

I love these. They don't taste much like s'mores to me, but they sure are tasty. It's hard to stop eating them!

8 C Golden Grahams cereal

5 C miniature marshmallows

1 1/2 C milk chocolate chips (I used semi sweet this time and it was still yummy)

1/4 C light corn syrup

5 TBSP butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C miniature marshmallows

*Measure cereal in a large bowl. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. In a large microwavable bowl, microwave 5 C marshmallows, the chocolate chips, corn syrup, and butter uncovered for 2-3 minutes stirring after every minute until melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal and toss around until completely coated. Stir in 1 C marshmallows and press evenly into prepared pan. Let stand uncovered at least 1 hour or refrigerate if you prefer a firmer bar. I always put mine in the fridge for a bit because I can't wait to eat it! (I made these again using milk chocolate chips and it was much better and it did taste more like s'mores)

Mini Pizzas

MINI PIZZAS

I really just wanted to write this recipe down so I can remember how long to cook the pizzas. There's not much to it, but it was really fun for the kids!

Rhodes rolls (however many you want), thawed

Corn meal

Pizza sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Any toppings you want. I used

-Mini pepperonis

-Sausage bits

-Mushrooms

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread some corn meal on a small plate. Flatten out thawed rolls to small rounds. Press the bottom of the flattened rolls onto the corn meal then place on ungreased cookie sheet. Poke the tops of the mini pizzas with a fork to prevent bubbling. Bake for 10-12 minutes then let cool slightly.

Spread the sauce on the partially cooked dough. Sprinkle with cheese and the toppings of your choice. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes, or until edges are browned and cheese is melted.

Cream Cheese and Green Chile Chicken

CREAM CHEESE and GREEN CHILE CHICKEN

This is a recipe that I took from the Lion House cookbook and modified it a little. We like it more runny so we can eat it over rice. Honestly we made this a while ago so hopefully I remember everything I did differently. This is another one of my favorite dishes that has very few ingredients. It's easy to throw together last minute and my family loves it!

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1 (7oz) can diced green chilies

1/8-1/4 C milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Cornflake crumbs (optional)

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place cubed chicken breast in prepared dish. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, chilies, milk and a little salt and pepper. We like ours a little more runny, but it depends on how you like it. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done and cream cheese mixture is bubbling. As an option the last 5-10 minutes you can add some cornflake crumbs on top of the dish to give it a little crunch.

Creamy Corn

CREAMY CORN

Not to be confused with creamed corn, this tasty little side dish is so easy. I love corn by itself, but this is one way to get your kids to eat it if they don't like it. I usually use this as a side dish to my Cream Cheese and Green Chile Chicken (recipe coming soon). Believe it or not, this recipe actually came from a walmart cookbook and I just changed it a little.

 

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 C milk

2 TBSP butter

2 (15.25oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained

salt and pepper to taste

 

*Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly.

 

Easy, huh?

Chocolate Chip Caramel Cake

CHOCOLATE CHIP CARAMEL CAKE

This is really moist and yummy. I liked it way better the day after it was made so if you are making it for something I recommend making it a day in advance. Also the second time I made it it turned out a lot better and fluffier.

1 box devil's food cake mix

1 1/3 C sour cream

1/2 C vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 C semisweet chocolate chips

1 C caramel topping

Icing (powdered sugar, milk, vanilla) optional

*Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix cake mix, sour cream, oil and eggs with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds then on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Hand mix in the chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan. Bake 35-43 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Spray meat fork, or long tined fork, with cooking spray and poke warm cake all over. Pour caramel topping all over cake and cool completely. If desired mix up a little powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Drizzle over the top of the cake. I did it more fro presentation because the cake itself doesn't need anything more.

The first time I made it, I think I took it out of the oven a little too early and the center fell. Then I didn't want to wait for it to cool all the way before I ate it so the caramel hadn't even soaked in yet. I am not a patient person. It was really good, but even better the next day.

Peanut Butter Layer Bars

PEANUT BUTTER LAYER BARS

These bars are pretty easy to make. It just takes a few steps but it kind of takes a little time. They are really rich, a little bite goes a long way. These are definitely for the peanut butter lovers.
COOKIE BASE
1 pouch (1lb 1.5oz) peanut butter cookie mix
3 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP water
1 egg
FILLING
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C creamy peanut butter
2 C powdered sugar
2 tsp milk
FROSTING
1 C semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 C butter

*Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl mix all cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom of pan using floured fingers. Bake 15 to 18 minuted or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. In a small bowl beat all filling ingredients with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. spread mixture evenly over cookie base. In microwaveable bowl combine frosting ingredients and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes then spread over filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set.

Just before cooling.

Hibiscus Cookies

HIBISCUS SUGAR COOKIES

These were fun to make and pretty easy. I wanted to keep it simple by just doing a few colors.

SUGAR COOKIES

2/3 C butter, softened

3/4 C sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 TBSP milk

1 tsp vanilla

2-2 1/2 C flour

*In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together. Add baking powder and salt. Mix together. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until combined, scraping sides occasionally. Add flour, starting with 2 cups and mix. mix in remaining flour if dough feels too sticky.

For stiffer cookies, or cookies that won't change shape as much when cooked, add more flour, but not so much that the cookies loses it's sugary taste.

Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. If you chill it over night let it sit out and room temperature for a little bit before rolling it out or it will be pretty tough to work with.

Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out flowers with cookie cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm. Note: the edges don't have to be brown for these cookies to be done.

ROYAL ICING

2 C powdered sugar

4 tsp meringue powder

3-6 TBSP warm water

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

food coloring

*Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. For thinner icing use more water. I prefer 4-5 TBSP. Using a paddle attachment beat all ingredients on high for 5-10 minutes. This icing dries out very quickly, I like to cover it with a moist paper towel when I'm not using it. Separate the icing and add food coloring if desired.

Love these cookies. Can't wait to make them again. They'll look better next time.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

 

This isn't the best picture but I waited too long to take a picture and this yummy cake got eaten up so fast. This was my last chance to take a picture of the cake.

 

2 C flour

1 1/2 C sugar

4 TBSP cocoa powder

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C milk

2 tsp vanilla

4 TBSP butter, melted

2 C chopped nuts (optional)

2 C brown sugar, packed

1/2 C cocoa powder

3 1/2 C HOT water

 

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl combine flour, sugar, 4 TBSP cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add milk, vanilla, butter and nuts if you are including nuts. Mix well and pour into ungreased 9x13 baking dish. In a separate small bowl combine brown sugar and 1/2 C cocoa. Sprinkle Brown sugar mixture on top of cake batter. Pour HOT water over everything. Bake 45 minutes. Serve cake while warm.

 

I think it it is best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. When you first pull it out of the oven it will be pretty runny under the crust. This is normal. If you like it set up more just let it cool a bit. You can even spoon the hot fudge over the ice cream. This recipe easily cuts in half. Just place it in a small square baking dish.

HOT FUDGE PUDDING CAKE

Leprechaun Cookies

LEPRECHAUNS AND SHAMROCKS

I had fun making these cookies even if they didn't turn out as tasty as I would have liked.

Cookies
1 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
1 egg
3 tsp almond flavoring
2 3/4 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
*Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter and powdered sugar. Add egg and flavoring, mix together. add remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut and bake for 7-8 minutes. This recipe does not need to be refrigerated, but I thought it tasted too much like a biscuit, it wasn't sweet enough for me.

Royal Icing
4 C powdered sugar
3 TBSP meringue powder
6 TBSP warm water
*Beat all icing until it forms a peak, about 7-12 minutes depending on your mixer. For a stiffer icing, use less water. I then separated the icing and added food coloring.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 C ranch salad dressing
1/2 C Frank's Redhot Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese, plus a little more on top
1 (12.5 oz) can chunk chicken breast in water, drained

*Heat oven to 350. Combine cream cheese, ranch and wing sauce in medium bowl. Stir together until combined. Stir in cheese and chicken. Sprinkle with a little more cheese if you would like. Bake 20 minutes or until dip is heated. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

Marinara Chicken

MARINARA CHICKEN

This is a quick and easy meal for the crockpot.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 (26.5 oz) can of your favorite marinara sauce
1 C mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C onions, chopped
1 TBSP garlic, minced
1/2 C parmesan cheese, shredded
1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded

*Place chicken in crockpot and turn it on high. In a small skillet saute the mushrooms onions and garlic. Pour over chicken, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover with marinara sauce. Cook for a couple hours then top with mozzarella cheese and cook for another hour.

I put this over rice, but I think I prefer it on top of noodles instead.

Cubed chicken

Covered with parmesan cheese

Ready for the last layer of cheese.

Sweet and Spicy Chili

This is a recipe that I got from the Lion House cookbook and modified it a little. It is Vinnie's favorite chili recipe.

20oz ground turkey
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 (14.5oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (7oz) can diced green chilies
3 (14.5oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 C tomato soup
1 C tomato juice
3/4 C brown sugar

*In a large pot, brown the ground turkey. When the turkey is almost completely browned add peppers, onion, garlic and spices. Mix thoroughly and let cook for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you prefer it less sweet or less spicy cut back on the brown sugar or cayenne pepper.

Black Bean Soup

This recipe is SO easy. I think this is one of my most requested recipes. It's really good and good for you!

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (14.5oz) can chicken broth
2 (14.5oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5oz) can corn, drained
juice of 1 lime
garlic salt and pepper to taste
cheese
avocado

*Combine everything in a pot and simmer about 20 minutes. You'll know it's ready once the cilantro turns a dark green and the onions are transparent. Easy, right?

Here is everything in the pot.

And this is what it looks like when it's ready.

It can be eaten just like that, but it is best topped with cheese and avocado.

Brownie Bites

BROWNIE BITES

These are one of my favorite things to make. They're pretty easy too.

1 box of brownie mix
oil, egg and water called for on box
1 (8oz) pkg Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 to 1 C Powdered Sugar

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Make the brownie mix as directed on the box. Scoop brownie batter into prepared pan. Only fill each spot about half way. If your brownies over flow, they will be much harder to get out and will most likely break. Bake them about 12-15 minutes. They bake pretty fast since they're so small.

Just out of the oven

While they are still warm, take the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon and press an indentation into the brownies. Let them cool a few minutes before removing from pan. I usually use toothpicks to get them out of the pan. If they're fresh out of the oven, they may still be a little gooey, so let them sit a few minutes. Move to cooling rack and let them cool completely.

While they are cooling make the frosting. Whip together cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar. I don't know exactly how much powdered sugar I use I just mix it until it's a good thick consistency.
After you have whipped the frosting put it in a piping bag. If you don't have a piping bag you can you a plastic baggie and cut one of the corners. Just be sure the other end is tight so the frosting doesn't just come out when you squeeze the bag. Keep refrigerated. They are really good chilled.

These are great for special occasions because they are bite sized. I make these for baby showers all the time. Just tint the frosting pink or blue, depending on the gender of the baby of course. They are also easy to make ahead of time and can stay refrigerated for a few days.