Yields: 1 dozen muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup whole milk
1large egg, beaten
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, eggs, and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined; fold in the chocolate chips.

Coat a nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray (or line with muffin liners). Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with batter. Bake 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Best served same day.

Source: Adapted from Real Simple

So I hear there’s a big football game coming up? I honestly do not care about football especially pro football. I do love me some Aggie football, although recently we haven’t been too good and it can awfully hard to watch. I do occasionally ”watch” the superbowl with friends but I’d say that’s only once every 3-4 years if that. So forgive me my football loving friends!

When I do “watch” the game, its usually more of an excuse to have a party and cook up some good eats. These make a great game-day appetizer (especially since they can be made in advance and frozen) or a great food for the little ones. I baked these up recently for a family at church who’s newborn is in the hospital. They have two little ones at home, including one picky-eater who loved these! I was surprised actually how much I enjoyed these. If you’re fixing them for the freezer, I’d recommend doing at least a double batch. They were a bit addictive!

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
Yields: 48 mini puffs

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1 1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or italian cheese blend)
8 ounces pepperoni, cut into small pieces (about 2 cups)
1 cup marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease two 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and italian seasoning; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Freezer-instructions: Freeze baked puffs in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to freezer bag. To reheat: bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray

I’ve seen this recipe float around the interwebs for quite some time. I’ve been meaning to give it a try and finally did — just in time to share with you before you start your superbowl menu planning. With the start of the new year, and new year’s resolutions, I thought it’d be a good time to try to lighten up this recipe a little bit. Obviously, its not healthy but at least its not quite as bad for you as the full fat version and its still very tasty!

This was really tasty — definitely a crowd pleaser! It was really creamy with a bit of heat. If you like heat, go for ‘hot’ diced green chiles or jalapenos — the cream cheese will help with the heat. I’ve tested it with reduced fat cream cheese, light mayo and 2% Greek Yogurt. You could cut the calories further by using reduced fat cheese too. I don’t typically recommend using fat free cheese; the texture is a bit odd and I’m just not a fan of fat free cheese but reduced fat cheeses would work great if your looking to cut back on the calories further.

Serve this up with tortilla chips, crackers, baguette slices, vegetables, or whatever fits your fancy. We tried a bunch of different crackers and chips with the dip and my favorite were actually Ritz. The buttery Ritz were delish with creamy heat, although Ritz are kinda crumbly so sometimes the crackers fell apart but I can deal with that Enjoy!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese*, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise*
2/3 cup Greek yogurt*
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
4 ounces canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, greek yogurt, jalapenos, green chiles, mexican cheese, and mozzarella cheese.  Mix thoroughly with a spoon until smooth and evenly combined.  Spread the mixture into a 9×9 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the panko and shredded parmesan and stir until combined. Top cream cheese mixture with panko mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm.

*Recipe has been tested before with reduced fat cream cheese, mayo & 2% greek yogurt with successful results.

Source: Adapted from My Baking Addiction

I first blogged this recipe in 2007. It blows my mind away that I’ve been going at blogging for over 5 years now. I really really don’t know where the time goes. What started as a little way of sharing recipes with just a handful of friends has really grown over the years. Oh how I’ve come to love blogging. I’ve missed it over the last year. First it was the nausea, then it was the pregnancy exhaustion and being super busy at work, then the baby arrived… excuses excuses. I’m back now though. I’ve got a bunch of recipes/posts lined up as well. Its good to be back.

Back to this recipe, I thought it was time to revisit this recipe. To this day, my original Salmon & Asparagus pasta post remains one of the most popular posts on this blog. I get more emails/comments about this recipe than any other, and there’s a good reason — its good y’all.

I’ve tweaked the instructions a bit below from the original recipe. If you’re looking for something creamy and more alfredo-ish, then double or even triple the butter & heavy cream. I purposely kept the heavy cream to a minimum. It adds a little bit of richness but lets the  flavor of the salmon & asparagus stand out rather than drowning in cream. But creamy can be good too. You can also obviously use two different pots for the asparagus & pasta, but it works to just use one and I’m all for saving yourself time and not unnecessarily having two pots to wash

I’d forgotten just how good this dish was. Hubby ‘mmmmm’d through this meal just as he did the very first time. Its Its going back into our rotation for awhile. Yum.

Fresh Salmon & Asparagus Pasta

1 small bunch thin asparagus, trimmed
8 oz. thin spaghetti
1.5 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
freshly cooked Salmon, cut into small pieces
salt & black pepper to taste

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender but firm, 1-3 minutes. Using tongs, remove asparagus from boiling water and put in an ice bath to stop cooking. Return water to a boil, add pasta and cook until desired firmness. Drain when done. Trim cooked asparagus into one inch pieces.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Meanwhile, trim cooked asparagus into one inch pieces. Add asparagus tossing just to coat. Add heavy cream and lemon pepper. Heat until cream begins to thicken. Add cooked pasta, salmon, and parmesan cheese. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and salt. Toss and serve hot.

Baked Garlic Salmon

2/3 lb. fresh salmon fillet
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried parsley
kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and place salmon skin side down. Season salmon with parsley, minced garlic and salt & black pepper, to taste. Add parsley & minced garlic. Bake ~12 minutes until flaky.

Baby cuteness aside, I really didn’t blog much this year. Sorry y’all. Thanks to those of you who have stuck around. Based on stats, the following recipes were most popular in 2011:

Ham & Swiss Sliders

Mock Champagne

Mini Key Lime Scones

No Fuss Focaccia

Looking forward to getting back into the groove! Happy New Year! Wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2012!

How is it already Christmas week? Seriously… this year has gone by way too fast! I feel like I’ve barely set foot in the kitchen this year; let’s hope I do better in 2012 now that I’m kinda figuring out how to balance being a working mom & wife. I’ve been trying out my crock pot a bit too although I haven’t found any blog-worthy recipes yet but I will be back soon with some new savory recipes as well!

I whipped up these cookies awhile ago. Hubby is a sucker for all things little debbie (well actually all things sweet and sugary). I’ve had homemade little debbie type treats on my to-do list for years for him. I’ve already made homemade hostess cupcakes (chocolate cupcakes with cream filling) and moon pies before. Now it was finally time to tackle Oatmeal Cream Pies! These were easy to put together and delicious! Definitely a treat for all you oatmeal cookie lovers!

Oatmeal Cream Pies

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulatedsugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

For filling:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

In large mixer bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, honey and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix just until incorporated. Stir in oats. Chill dough in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Drop tablespoon sized dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes just until the edges start to brown. Cookies will seem moist in the middle but they will set up. Cool on baking sheet until set and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For Filling: In a double boiler, add egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar and heat over simmering water. Whisking frequently, heat until egg whites become very frothy and sugar is dissolved (approx. 160 degrees). Carefully add egg mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for several minutes until egg mixture will hold stiff peaks and is light in texture. Carefully fold in vanilla until incorporated.

Assemble Cookies: Spread filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container.

Source: Macaroni and Cheesecake, originally Homemade by Holman

I started making this a couple years ago. When I first heard about it, I thought the saltines were incredibly strange but they give the “toffee” a good texture and the salt from the saltines are great in contrast to the sweetness of the sugar & chocolate.  Over the years this recipe got a new nickname… I started calling it crack cause its so good (not that I actually know what crack is actually like) and totally irresistible. Its always a bit like Christmas year around… aka Christmas Crack.

Not only is it only 5 ingredients. Its so easy and quick to make and everyone always raves about it! Its one of my go-to homemade gifts for the holidays. You can use all kinds of chocolate, dark chocolate is my personal fave but semi-sweet is my go-to as I typically have a bag of semisweet chocolate chips in the pantry. Top it with nuts or toffee bits, sprinkles or whatever else your heart might desire!

Go make this now. You won’t regret it. Well your waistline might but your tastebuds won’t

Saltine Toffee aka Christmas Crack

4 ounces saltine crackers (1 sleeve)
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4- 1 cup dark brown sugar
12 oz (or 2 cups) chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a 15×10 by 1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Line pan with single layer of saltine crackers.

In a saucepan, combine the butter and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high and boil for 3 minutes without stirring. Immediately pour over saltines to cover crackers completely.

Bake for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before spreading melted chocolate evenly across crackers. Top with chopped nuts.

Cool completely and break into pieces.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

I’ve been slow getting into the flow of baking with pumpkin this year. You see, its still hot in Texas! Not 100+ degrees hot anymore, Thank God! But it is going to get above 80 again today. Its Thanksgiving week; this weather is just cruel!! I’m ready for scarves and boots, and hot chocolate and pumpkin! But we’re still hanging onto summer and I’m having a hard time feeling the holidays yet! But there’s no stopping them, Thanksgiving is in fact this week whether or not I’m ready for it. We’ll be heading out to see my folks for Turkey Day this year! I’ll help in the kitchen but I’m not doing much planning or anything which is a bit of a relief after the fall that I’ve had.

A couple of weeks ago we had a bit of a cool spell so I rushed to bake something up with pumpkin. These were tasty although I’ll be the first to admit that I still like our good old fashioned pumpkin roll more than any other pumpkin baked goodie (sorry that post is still missing the photo I lost several years ago!) These were good though and everyone always loves whoopie pies! Perfect treat for Thanksgiving to have alongside your pie since they’re not too big and a sampler of desserts is always the way to go Enjoy!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For cream cheese filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets.Bake for 10-13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For Cream Cheese Filling: Beat softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

Assemble cookies: Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Source: Very Best Baking

A baby changes everything. I’ve always thought its a silly statement — I mean seriously, Sherlock? Of course a baby changes everything but in the best ways. It is such a blessing and honor to be a mom. I love it, more than anything! I’ve been neglecting this poor blog because when I’m not at work — I spend every moment I can soaking up our sweet baby boy. There’s nothing more rewarding than being a momma. I was thrilled when I heard Amy of Sing for Your Supper was expecting! Amy is one of my favorite bloggers out in the blogosphere! (Don’t let it go to your head, Amy). She’s sweet and down-to-earth and I just love her blog. She’s also particularly special because she’s an Aggie, well an honorary one. She didn’t attend Texas A&M but she did the next best thing… she married an Ag!

Anyway, Kelsey of Apple a Day approached several bloggers awhile ago about hosting a virtual baby shower for our fellow blogger and friend, Amy. I knew I wanted to participate in Amy’s honor but I struggled with what to make — for some reason I just could not get scones out of my head. Mini scones are such a good baby shower food! At the time I was also incredibly focused on margaritas so I merged the ideas — Key Lime Mini Scones. If you lack self control like I do, I’d recommend making a double batch.

To see what everyone else whipped up for this virtual baby shower, pop over to Apple a Day or Sing for Your Supper to see the full roundup of sweets in honor of Amy’s sweet baby girl. Congrats Amy, and we can’t wait for your arrival sweet baby girl!

Glazed Mini Key Lime Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
1/4 c. key lime juice
1/4 c. heavy cream (or half and half)

For the Lime Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. key lime juice

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Add the cream and key lime juice, processing until just combined. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead just until the dough is combined enough to shape into a ball.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Roll out dough until it is about a 1/2″ thick. Let dough rest in refrigerator for 15 minutes. With a knife, cut the dough into small triangles. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top. Move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and key lime juice. Add more or less key lime juice for desired consistency. Spoon glaze over scones and allow to dry.

Source: Adapted from Cooking during Stolen Moments

I have to say, I really admire you working mommy bloggers who manage to keep up with your blogs. I’ve been back at work full-time for a few weeks now and I just can’t keep up! How do you do it? I miss blogging! I miss my blogosphere friends but by the time I get home from work all I want to to do is spend time with the little man and take care of all the cleaning and all that fun stuff! I’m sure I’ll figure it out at some point… in the meantime, bear with me as I find a new balance.

Hubby has a serious love of all things sweets. Most of the time when I do some baking its a treat with him in mind, and these moon pies are no exception. They’re one of his favorite rare treats (the store variety that is) so I thought I’d give it a try and make him some. I honestly didn’t expect to love these as much as I did. These were fantastic. Well worth the effort!

Moon Pies

For the Cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt

For the Marshmallow Filling:
2 egg whites
Pinch cream of tartar
Pinch salt
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

For the Chocolate Coating:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
¼ cup vegetable oil

To Make the Cookies: In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat at medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and the 1 whole egg. Add the 2 1/4 cups of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and beat until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in two thin disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Working with one disk at a time, roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2½-inch diameter round cutter, cut out the rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets, about ½ an inch apart. Refrigerate the cookies (on the baking sheets) for 10 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pans for a couple of minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

To Make the Marshmallow Filling: Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the the egg whites with the cream of tartar and the salt until firm peaks form, gradually increasing from medium-low speed to medium-high speed as the egg whites gain volume. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil the corn syrup over high heat without stirring until it registers 230-235°F on a candy thermometer. Slowly drizzle the hot corn syrup into the egg whites and beat at high speed until glossy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, beat in the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar.

Assemble Cookies: On cookie sheets that fit in your freezer, line up half of the cookies. Using either a pastry bag or a spoon, mound marshmallow filling on half of the cookies. Top each cookie and press lightly to spread marshmallow to the edges. Place cookie sheets in freezer.

Meanwhile, using a double boiler or in the microwave on 50% power and in 30 second increments, melt the chocolate and vegetable oil together until completely smooth. Place the assembled cookies on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax paper. Spoon the melted chocolate over each cookie so that it runs down the sides and covers most of the cookie. Allow to set at room temperature for about 2 hours (or pop in the fridge/freezer to speed up the process). If desired, once chocolate has hardened, flip over and spoon melted chocolate over the other side to completely coat cookies. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker