Easy Cheesy Sausage Dip

1 lb. of Jimmy Deans Pork Breakfast Sausage
2 boxes cream cheese
2 cans Rotel Tomatoes (and onion/peppers)

Cook sausage, add cream cheese and stir until melted.  Add in Rotel and stir.  Serve w/ bread or chiops.

Salted Caramel & Chocolate Bread Pudding

photo courtesty of www.imadedinner.net

Original recipe from www.imadedinner.net

Ingredients (Serves 10)

For the Caramel:

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon salt  (yes, this is a lot of salt but once it's on the bread pudding, its great)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
8 Tablespoons butter

For the pudding:

6 1/2 cups cubed challah or brioche
5 eggs
2 cups milk
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 Toblerone White Chocolate bar (3.52 oz), chopped (optional)
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup raw sugar (optional)

Instructions

For the caramel:

Mix the sugar, salt, and water together in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Set out your butter and cream. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, DO NOT STIR!!

Boil the sugar mixture until a caramel color develops. This happens quickly, so keep a close eye on it!
Stir in the cream and butter, and whisk until the foaming goes down. Simmer until it looks like caramel (a light brown color), then add 1 tsp. vanilla.  Transfer to a heat-safe container (NOT GLASS!!!!)

For the bread pudding:

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Toss the bread cubes with the melted butter. Make sure each cube has at least some butter on it. Layer in a large baking dish: Half the bread cubes, half the chocolate chips, the other half of the bread, and the rest of the chocolate chips and add the optional chopped up Toblerone bar sprinkled on top.

Mix in a bowl: milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar Pour the milk mixture over the bread. Allow it to sit a few minutes, pressing down on the bread to allow all of it to soak up some of the milk mixture. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pudding no longer jiggles and the top is brown. Pour the caramel sauce over the top of the pudding, return to the oven for about 10 minutes, then serve with fresh whipped cream.

Creme Brulee

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 1/2 slightly beaten egg yolks
1/3-1/2 C sugar (we usually do just a little less than 1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
extra sugar for creating the caramelized layer

Directions
In a heavy small saucepan, heat the cream over medium low heat just till bubbly.  Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, the sugar, vanilla and salt.  Beat with a wire whisk just till combined.  Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg mixture as soon as it becomes bubbly.

Place six 3/4 cup souffle dishes or 6 ounce ramekins in a rectangular baking pan.  Set pan on oven rack and pour custard mixture evenly into the cups.  Then pour enough hot water into the glass baking pan around the dishes to reach halfway up the sides of the dishes.

Bake the custards in a 325 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till a knife inserted near the center of each custard comes out clean.  Remove custards from the water bath; cool on a wire rack.  Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

Before serving, remove custards from the refrigerator; let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Sprinkle a layer of sugar on top of the custard and then, using a kitchen torch slowly and evenly heat the sugar until it becomes a nice hardened layer of caramelized sugar.

Mississippi Mud Brownies

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
½ cup chopped pecans

1 7-oz. jar marshmallow cream

Frosting:
½ cup butter, melted
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons milk
4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Grease and flour a 9x13 pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350. In large mixer bowl, beat eggs until thick. Gradually beat in sugar. Combine melted butter with flour, cocoa, vanilla, coconut and pecans. Add to egg-sugar mixture. Stir well with a spoon. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes or until done. Remove from oven. Immediately spread marshmallow cream gently on surface of cake. Prepare frosting. Spread frosting gently over warm marshmallow cream, swirling to give a marbled effect.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Malted Milk Chocolate Buttercream

From Love and Olive Oil blog

photo by lindsay from love and olive oil blog

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
3 1/2 ounces (1 bar) milk chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon malted milk powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until no traces of the dry ingredients remain, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is fully incorporated.

Drop dough by the tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Roll into smooth 1-inch balls, then flatten slightly with the palm of your hand, forming even 1/2-inch-thick disks. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until cookies are puffed and set. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet (they will deflate slightly), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare filling, melt milk chocolate in a microwave or double boiler over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add cooled milk chocolate and beat until smooth.

Combine heavy cream and malted milk powder in a small bowl and mix until powder is dissolved. Add to milk chocolate mixture, along with vanilla and salt, and beat until light and fluffy, another 2 to 3 minutes. At this point you may need to add more cream or more powdered sugar as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

To assemble, spread or pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling onto half of the cookies, then top with remaining cookies. Press lightly until filling spreads to edges. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Maple Pork and Apples

Ingredients

• 4 pork loin chops, cut 1/2-inch thick (about 1-3/4 lb.) 
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
•  12 baby carrots with tops, halved lengthwise 
• 1 medium apple, sliced and seeds removed
• 1/3 cup  pure maple syrup

 

Directions

• Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. In skillet melt butter over medium heat; add chops. Brown for 2 minutes, turning once. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add carrots, apple, and maple syrup. Cover; simmer for 8 minutes or until desired doneness
• Using slotted spoon, transfer chops, carrots, and apples to platter; bring syrup mixture to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over chops. Makes 4 servings.

   

Sarah's Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce
• 6 strips of bacon
• 1/2 of a 10 oz pkg. frozen peas
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (or 2 1/2 oz. cut into strips)
• 2/3 cups diced green onion
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip

Directions

1. Wash and drain lettuce. Dry thoroughly.
2. Dice and cook bacon until crisp; drain and cool on paper towel.
3.  Put frozen peas in a colander. Run hot water over peas to thaw. Drain peas.
4. Tear lettuce into bit sized pieces and place in salad bowl.
5. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and pepper over top of lettuce.
6. Add peas, cheese, green onion, mayo and salad dressing.  If making salad ahead of time, layer ingredients in order listed finishing with mayo and salad dressing. Do not mix the mayo and salad dressing in, just drop them on top of the salad, cover tightly and refrigerate.  Toss salad when ready to serve.
7.  Garnish with bacon. makes 8 servings.