Bailey's Mint Chocolate Chip Cuppy Cakes

Nothing quite welcomes a person to town like desserts and drinks, right?  So, why not combine both (and like it hasn't been done in every other one of my cuppy cakes..)?  Imagine end of winter when the cold still has you in its grips, and you fight it off with a delicious cup of hot cocoa with Bailey's.  Num :)

Bailey's Mint Chocolate Chip Cuppy Cakes
Cuppy Cake Ingredients:
1 1/3 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 C butter, softened (Crisco)
1 C sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C Bailey's with 1/2 tsp Peppermint Schnapps
1/4 C milk
2/3 C mini chocolate chips

How To:
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tin with liners or grease it up.
2. In small bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. 
3. Beat in eggs one at a time.
4. Add vanilla, then Bailey's and Schnapps.
5. Mix in the flour.
6. Don't forget to add those chocolate chips!
7. Fill muffin tins about 2/3 ful and bake 18 min or until toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter, softened
2 C powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk or cream
1 tsp Peppermint Schnapps

How To:
1. Mix all together until smooth.
2. Spread a layer on top of each cooled cupcake.

Bitter Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:
2oz unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp butter

How To:
1. Melt together chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl in the, who-da-thunk-it, microwave.  Stir every 30 seconds until smooth.
2.  Let cool a few minutes, then transfer to ziplock baggie.
3.  Cut a hole in the corner of the baggie and drizzle over cuppy cakes.

Blue Moon Cuppy Cakes

Forwarning: I am the only one to have tried these cuppy cakes, even though they were made for a fellow grad student's birthday.  No, sad to say I did not devour them all.. I caught the flu and food was not allowed to leave my apartment..  So I sent him a picture!  It's the thought that counts, right?

Blue Moon happens to be one of our groups favorite beers, so hell, why not make a cup cake with it?!  Here goes, and please, if anybody makes this, let others know they are delicious!

Blue Moon Cuppy Cakes
Cuppy Cake Ingredients:
3/4 C unsalted butter, softened (Crisco)
1 3/4 C sugar
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, room temp (quickly brought to this temp by walking around with them in my sweatshirt pouch!)
1tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 C Blue Moon beer
1/4 C milk

How To:
1. Preheat oven to 375.  Prep muffin tins with grease or liners.
2. In large bowl, beat the butter until a bit fluffy.  Add the sugar a bit at a time, beating until all is incorporated. Then beat a few minutes longer!
3. Add eggs.  Beat.
4. Add vanilla and orange zest and keep on mixing!
5. Add milk.
6. Add beer.
7. Add flour!
8. Fill cupcake tins 2/3 full.  Bake 18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frothy White Frosting Ingredients:
2 egg whites, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 C water

How To:
1. In saucepan, mix sugar, water, and cream of tartar.  Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbly.
2. In large bowl, beat egg whites, vanilla, and OJ until soft peaks form.  Slowly add hot sugar mixture while beating continuously.  Beat until stiff peaks form (5-10 minutes).
3. Frost the cooled cupcakes.  To be honest, when I did this, I could not get the frosting to spread!  So, I just dipped my cupcakes upside down into the frosting and they came out with cute little hats!

*If this recipe sounds like it's not your thing, you can try a cream cheese frosting like I will next time!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Do you ever get those cravings for that one specific food?  Well, one night, I was yearning for the spicy deliciousness experience while in New Orleans (and once at Fat Tuesday, a Cajun restaurant in Des Moines!).  I wanted Jambalaya to beat back the chill from the windy winter day.

As I dug through my freezer, I came across fajita seasoned pork.  The fridge held peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes... Man, was I ready for this!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Ingredients
   1 pound whatever meat you happen to have on hand, cut into cubes
   1 pound of sausage, if you have it
   1 28oz can diced tomatoes with juice (I can't totally recall what I used)
   diced onions
   1 C chicken broth
   2 tsp oregano*
   2 tsp parsley*
   2 tsp minced garlic
   2 tsp Cajun seasoning
   1 tsp cayenne pepper
   1/2 tsp thyme*
   white rice or instant rice
     *to be honest, I also don't recall the herbs I used since many of mine are mixtures of them)

How to
1.  In slow cooker, mix the meat, tomatoes with juice, herbs, broth, basically everything but the rice.  Cover and cook seven to eight hours on low (3-4 on high). 

2.  Mix in cooked rice about 15 minutes before serving to let all get warm and flavorful!

Coconut Cream Pie (at Papa's request!)

Way back when there was snow on the ground and Christmas carols were abound, I ventured into making my first ever cream pie...  Just for Papa.  As it is his favorite dessert and he had made the trip to join us for the holidays with two of his daughters, I favored him and his sweet tooth!

First off, I will admit that I don't think I made the crust..  If memory serves me correctly, I had bought pie crust in the refrigerator section at the grocery store.  Like I said, my first pie and I wanted at least a part of it to taste properly!  Prepare the crust according to directions.

The Filling
Ingredients
   1/2 C granulated sugar
   1/4 C cornstarch
   1/2 tsp coarse salt
   1 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (from 13.75oz can).. I for one was not expecting what I found
        in the can..
   1 1/4 C whole milk
   4 large egg yolks
   3/4 tsp vanilla extract
   1 C shredded sweetened coconut

To make filling
1. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan.  Whisk in the freaking coconut milk after you have dug it out from the solidified layer on top (is that normal?) as well as the whole milk.  Cook over medium-high heat until bubbling and think while you stir continually.  Whisk egg yolds in a bowl.  Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the yolks in slow, steady stream, whisking until completely incorporated.  Return to saucepan and the heat.  Bring the mixture again to a boil while stir, stir, stirring!

2.  The recipe called for the baker to strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl...  I did not have such a sieve and it turned out just fine!  Stir in vanilla and shredded coconut.  Pour that mixture you just made into the pie crust and smooth even.  Wrap in plastic and refridgerate until set.. Any where from four hours to two days.

The Topping
Ingredients
   1/2 C large-flake unsweetened dried coconut
   1 1/2 C heavy cream
   2 tbsp. sugar

To make topping
1.  If using un-dried coconut and attempting to bake them, turn the oven to 350.  Place coconut on a cookie sheet in an even layer.  Bake 5 minutes, mix, and then bake for a few more minutes.  Keep an eye on these buggers, for I recently had a batch burn on me ridiculously quickly!
2.  Beat together cream and sugar with a mixer until soft peaks form.  Tope pie with cream, sprinkle with toasted coconut, and serve!!

My papa and dad thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas dessert! (The rest of enjoyed my staple cheesecake with a peach syrup topping!)

Coconut Cream Pie (at Papa's request!)

Way back when there was snow on the ground and Christmas carols were abound, I ventured into making my first ever cream pie...  Just for Papa.  As it is his favorite dessert and he had made the trip to join us for the holidays with two of his daughters, I favored him and his sweet tooth!

First off, I will admit that I don't think I made the crust..  If memory serves me correctly, I had bought pie crust in the refrigerator section at the grocery store.  Like I said, my first pie and I wanted at least a part of it to taste properly!  Prepare the crust according to directions.

The Filling
Ingredients
   1/2 C granulated sugar
   1/4 C cornstarch
   1/2 tsp coarse salt
   1 1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk (from 13.75oz can).. I for one was not expecting what I found
        in the can..
   1 1/4 C whole milk
   4 large egg yolks
   3/4 tsp vanilla extract
   1 C shredded sweetened coconut

To make filling
1. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan.  Whisk in the freaking coconut milk after you have dug it out from the solidified layer on top (is that normal?) as well as the whole milk.  Cook over medium-high heat until bubbling and think while you stir continually.  Whisk egg yolds in a bowl.  Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the yolks in slow, steady stream, whisking until completely incorporated.  Return to saucepan and the heat.  Bring the mixture again to a boil while stir, stir, stirring!

2.  The recipe called for the baker to strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl...  I did not have such a sieve and it turned out just fine!  Stir in vanilla and shredded coconut.  Pour that mixture you just made into the pie crust and smooth even.  Wrap in plastic and refridgerate until set.. Any where from four hours to two days.

The Topping
Ingredients
   1/2 C large-flake unsweetened dried coconut
   1 1/2 C heavy cream
   2 tbsp. sugar

To make topping
1.  If using un-dried coconut and attempting to bake them, turn the oven to 350.  Place coconut on a cookie sheet in an even layer.  Bake 5 minutes, mix, and then bake for a few more minutes.  Keep an eye on these buggers, for I recently had a batch burn on me ridiculously quickly!
2.  Beat together cream and sugar with a mixer until soft peaks form.  Tope pie with cream, sprinkle with toasted coconut, and serve!!

My papa and dad thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas dessert! (The rest of enjoyed my staple cheesecake with a peach syrup topping!)

Smoked Turkey

Right before Easter I was organizing the freezer!  I found a few turkey breasts and Paul decided he wanted to make a turkey for when Sannie came home.  (Plus we had Ham and Sammy's Pizza).  This is one recipe I love to eat and don't have to make at all! 

1     cup        Morton Tender Quick Salt
1     cup        white sugar
1     cup        brown sugar

Directions: De-skin turkey.  Sprinkle mixture on top & leave up to 8 hours.  Baste with solution.  Smoke at 165 degrees.  4 hours for 9 lbs.

Pizza Hotdish

This recipe is one of our family favorites!  I got this recipe many many years ago from my college roommate's sister. 

 

1            can                    crescent rolls1            can/jar               pizza sauce           
1            pound                ground beef, browned
1            4 ounce pkg.     shredded mozzarella cheese

1            4 ounce pkg.     shredded cheddar cheese

 

Directions: Lay 4 crescent rolls in 8 x 8 inch greased pan.  Combine ground beef & sauce.  Lay on top of rolls.  Sprinkle cheeses over mixture.  Top with rest of crescent rolls.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  (I usually double this when I make it for 4). 

Coconut Buttermilk Pound Cake

Well - today is another crappy day in Duluth!  April 14th and we are getting another snow storm!  Since the weather is terrible, I thought I would catch up on my blogs and recipes!  Sannie has a huge list and I am anxious to read her recipes!  I wished I could have tried many of them. 
 
My first recipe is Coconut Buttermilk Pound Cake.  I made this cake for a co-worker's birthday.  Unfortunately, a snowstorm hit after I made it and the College was closed the next day.  And now it is just Paul and I here to eat this yummy cake.  :(
 
Coconut-Buttermilk Pound Cake
from Martha Stewart

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk, at room temperature, divided
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.

Spread the coconut in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the coconut is golden brown. Don't walk away, it can burn *very* quickly. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the coconut cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Maintain oven temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 8 minutes (scrape down the bowl as necessary). Stir in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and 1 cup of the buttermilk in two additions, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, mix in 1 1/4 cups of the toasted coconut until evenly distributed. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with the spatula to make sure all of the ingredients are well combined. 

Transfer the batter to the pan and spread in an even layer (it will almost completely fill the pan). Bake for about 1 hour, or until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Remove the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 1 hour before turning it out to cool completely. 

To make the glaze: Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of buttermilk with the confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth - the mixture will be thick. Pour the glaze over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup toasted coconut over the cake.

Vanilla Chai Cuppy Cakes

Wa la!  Look at this!  I already had this recipe written up for my P.I.!  These were made for my friend Quin's birthday!

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

Ingredients for Cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (I used Crisco)
2 C sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract (can replace with vanilla vodka :) )
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 C buttermilk
½ batch chai spice mix

Ingredients for Chai Spiced Buttercream Frosting:
4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch of salt
2-3 tsp. vanilla extract (again, get that vanilla vodka out!!)
½ batch chai spice mix
5 C powdered sugar

Ingredients for Chai Spice Mix:
3 tsp. ground cardamom
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:
1.   Combine the chai spice mix.  Reserve half for the cupcakes and half for the frosting.  Set aside.

2.   Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners and lightly spray with cooking spray.

3.   In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Scrape down the bowl.  Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

4.   In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and half the chai spice mix.  In three parts, alternatvely add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with dry.  Mix until just combined.

5.   Fill muffin liners 2/3 full.

6.   For regular cupcakes, bake 24-26 minutes (about 30-32 cupcakes).  For mini cupcakes, bake 10-11 minutes (about 100 cupcakes). 

7.   Cool completely before frosting.

8.   For frosting, beat butter salt and vanilla until light and fluffy. 

9.   Add the chai spice mix and mix until combined. 

10.  Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat until light and fluffy.

11.  Frost cupcakes and enjoy.

Recipes are coming!

Well now, time has just flown by!  I see that Mom has been kicking my butt in updating her deliciousness, but I have quite the list to add to the num nums (I apologize for the increasing delays in my posts... grad school has me busy, busy, busy!!)!

Okay, so here is what I have coming soon to posts near you..

1.  Vanilla Chai Cuppy Cakes
2.  Coconut Cream Pie
3.  Blue Moon Cuppy Cakes
4.  Mint Bailey's Cuppy Cakes (can you tell I like cuppy cakes!)
5.  Ham and Cheese Braid
6.  Jambalaya
7.  Devil's Food Cake with Bailey's Gnache
8.  Cheese and Ham Chowder
9.  Turkey Tetrazzini
10.  Ice Cream Cake

Oof-da!  I have work cut out for me!  Cross your fingers that I'll make it to these buggers soon..

Until then, have a good one!
SO

Chocolate Guinness Cake

I found this cake on pinterest.  I had Rumchata frosting in the freezer from a previous cake and decided to use that for the frosting!  The Cake is delicious!  Heavy and tasty!  The frosting adds a ton of flavor!

Chocolate Guinness Cake
The icing on the top of the cake resembles the famously frothy head that sits on top of a pint of stout!

for the cake:
1 cup Guinness
2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed or sliced (I used salted)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

for the topping:
11 oz  Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)
1/2 cup heavy cream (double or whipping cream)

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 inch springform tin.

Pour the Guinness into a large pot. Add the butter cubes or slices and heat until the butter melts, then whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, then pour into the beer and butter mixture. Lastly, whisk in the flour and baking soda. Pour the cake batter into the greased tin and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it’s quite a damp cake.

When the cake is completely cold, sit it on a flat platter or cake stand to ice it. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the confectioners’ (icing) sugar and then beat them both together. (Alternatively, you can do this in a food processor, putting the unsieved icing sugar in first, and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese.) Add the cream and beat again until it’s a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage

Since we couldn't be in Ireland for St. Patrick's Day like we were 2 years ago, we needed to find a way to celebrate it at home!  Paul wanted Corned Beef.  Oh Yum (NOT! - I had boneless chicken wings).  We invited the "Neighbors" over to celebrate and help Paul eat the Corned Beef & Cabbage.  The main recipe came from Allrecipes.com and then he added a few minor changes.  Penny & Jeff brought us a wonderful bottle of Jameson to enjoy with Gingerale & Lime Juice.  We also had wine and Guinness Beer.  And a Guinness Cake! 

The recipe for the Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage is:

Original recipe makes 8 servings

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces

10 baby red potatoes, quartered

1onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

4 cups water

1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet

6 ounces beer

1/2 headcabbage, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker, pour in the water, and place the brisket on top of the vegetables. Pour the beer over the brisket. Sprinkle on the spices from the packet, cover, and set the cooker on High.
2. Cook the brisket for about 8 hours. An hour before serving, stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour.

My last new recipe for Saturday was - Vermont Cheddar Bread and Carmalized Onion Bread.  Both recipes come from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day!.  I am not going to type the recipes as they are too long - but Those that liked Onions - enjoyed the buns.  I did leave the onions off of several for cheddar buns and I also made plain white buns with a white bread recipe in the bread machine.  here are the pictures for them. 

These bars are absolutely delicious!  I found 3 different recipes with 3 different names but the same ingredients!  Except one had pecans in the crust!  If you want a very sweet dessert - try these!

Nieman Marcus - Chess Squares - Bayou Brownies

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar

1 cup chopped pecans (this was in the recipe named Bayou Brownies)

 

Preheat oven to 300 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough (add pecans here if you want pecans). Press into the bottom of the pan. Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of crust. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Next recipe that I have been wanting to try.... Pumpkin Crumb Cake!  This was delicious.  Next time I would put it in a 9x9 pan.  There were too many crumbs for the loaf pan plus it took longer to back! 

Cake Batter
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour    
1 1⁄2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
       (or 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp cloves)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup milk
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) - I skipped this!

Topping
2⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions
・ Preheat oven to 350°F.
・ Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
・ To make the topping, combine 2⁄3 cup oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add butter and cut in until crumbly. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oats. Set to one side.
・ Sift the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
・ In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar and 1 egg at a time.
・ Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract to the wet batter mix.
・ Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the batter. Slowly add the milk and stir in the walnuts (optional). Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread with the topping.
・ Bake the loaf cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
・ Turn the cake out onto a rack and cool completely.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apricot Bourbon Barbeque Sauce

Wow - it has been a while since I have cooked anything new and since I have blogged!  The holiday's, puppy and Kiefer's graduation from Navy Bootcamp have just pre-occupied me!  Well this past saturday was the chance to try out a ton of new recipes!  Kim and Dave came for a wonderful visit and they got to sample the recipes. 

The first recipe came from a co-worker of Paul's.  Of course I had to alter it a bit.  No onions, no garlic and no chile pepper!  Next time I will also cook the pork the way I normally do.  In the crockpot with no Dr. Pepper.  It seem to make the pork tougher.  hmmmm.  The recipe was great!  :) 

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apricot Bourbon Barbeque Sauce

For the pork:
2-3 lb pork tenderloin (I used about 4 pounds)
2 cans of Dr. Pepper

For the Sauce
2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large jar (18 oz) apricot preserves
1 cup (12 oz) Heinz chili sauce
2 T molasses
1/2 cup plus 1 T bourbon
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4  cup packed light brown sugar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T mustard (Dijon, spicy or whole grain preferably)
½ - 1 medium serrano or jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped

Preparation
To make pork:
1.  Put the tenderloin into a crockpot and cover with the Dr. Pepper.  Cook on low 7-8 hours.  (If you want to cook over night - put on lowest setting and cook for 10 hours).  
2.  Remove the pork from crockpot.  Dispose of Dr. Pepper.  Allow to cool a bit until it can be handled.
3.  Using 2 forks, shred the meat.  If it does not come apart easily, cook longer.

To make sauce:
1.  Melt the butter in a 3 qt heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add the chopped onions and saute for at least 5 minutes until they start to brown.
2.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.  Approximately 1 minute.  
3.  Add the remainder of the ingredients except for 1 T of bourbon.  Cook for 20-30 minutes on low until well blended and thickened.  Remove from heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon of bourbon.  Mix well.  4.  Cool slightly and add to the shredded pork.  Depending on how much pork you have, you may have extra sauce.  

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

With the holidays being so chaotic - I almost forgot this recipe I made on Christmas Morning!  it was yummy!  I only used 2 eggs and added a little more cinnamon and nutmeg.  Oh and of course - left off the pecans!  

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury flaky cinnamon rolls
4 eggs
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (half & half works too)
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Icing from cinnamon rolls
Powdered sugar, if desired

1. Melt butter and pour into 9x12 baking dish.
2. Open cinnamon rolls, slice into eighths and place in buttered dish.
3. Beat eggs with cream, cinnamon, nutmeg (optional) and vanilla and pour over cinnamon rolls.
4. Sprinkle with pecans and then bake on 375˚ on lower rack for 30-35 minutes.
5. Remove bake from oven. Warm icing in microwave for 30 seconds and pour over bake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Chicken and Roasted Red Potatoes

January 21st!  Martin Luther King Day - meant no work for me!  It was also the inauguration of President Obama!  Spent the day at home with Ole waiting for the Dishnetwork guy to fix my reception!  It was bitterly cold outside which meant it was a day to figure out a meal to cook in the oven!  PINTEREST - Here I come!  On my board of recipes to make - poultry - I found Chicken and Roasted Red Potatoes.  Ingredients - Potatoes - check, chicken - check, ranch dressing - check (sorry not Kraft), bacon - check (microwave kind), cheddar cheese - check, onions - no check but because I don't like onions - no problem!  Oh and I skipped the parsley and used plain shredded cheddar cheese!

Here is the recipe - courtesy of Pinterest which is courtesy of Kraft.  :)  
http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-roasted-red-potatoes-132470.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20120320-_-1023&cm_lm=D56E5397C186FC3D277384E63837EF9A

ingredients

1/4

cup  KRAFT Classic Ranch Dressing

6

large  bone-in chicken thighs (1-3/4 lb.), skin and visible fat removed

4

slices  OSCAR MAYER Bacon

1-1/2

lb.  red potatoes (about 5), cut into 1-inch chunks

1

 onion, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1

cup  KRAFT Shredded Triple Cheddar Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA

2

Tbsp.  chopped fresh parsley

Directions

POUR dressing over chicken in shallow dish. Refrigerate 30 min. to marinate.

HEAT oven to 400ºF. Cook bacon in large skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels.

ADD potatoes and onions to reserved drippings; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Crumble bacon. Add to potato mixture; mix lightly. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken over potato mixture.

BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until potatoes are tender and chicken is done (165ºF). Top with cheese and parsley.