Macaroni Salad

I got this from a friend of mine many years ago.  It is one of my favorites.

Ingredients:
12 oz. small shell macaroni (cooked and drained)
1 cup chopped celery
1 green pepper (chopped)
2 green onions (sliced thin)
1 medium tomato (cut up)
1/2 cup cheese (grated)
1 can tuna (drained)

 Combine in a large bowl

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 tsp mustard

Mix dressing together and add to salad.  Mix well.

Cookie Cups

Makes 48 Cookies

These are a perfect little individual dessert.  Delicious.  Try some today.

Ingredients:

1 box Vanilla, yellow, or white Cake Mix

1 (3.4) ounce box vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional 

1 cup mini chocolate chips 

Filling: frosting, mousse, or your choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a  mini muffin tin with cooking spray. (Makes about 48 cookie cups.)

Mix cake mix, pudding mix (dry), eggs, and butter on low speed using an electric mixer. Beat until batter comes together, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla extract (optional).  Mix in the chocolate chips.

Scoop tablespoon sized balls into prepared pans. Press to fit. Bake 7-8 minutes.  Cool completely before removing from pans and adding filling.

You can fill these cookie cups with your choice of fillings.  I like frosting.  This link goes to my favorite frosting for this.  You can flavor it if you like. Mousse is also a good choice.  Try flavored frosting, such as raspberry, orange, lime or lemon. The cookie cups pictured have vanilla frosting.

No Bake Chocolate Caramel Bars aka Snickers

This is a repost.  It's so hot and summery.  Nobody wants to heat up the kitchen baking treats.  These are a wonderful alternative.  So delicious!
These things are very rich and delicious.  One is probably enough, even for a chocolate lover.  Super yummy candy.  I think you'll like them.

Makes one 9×13 pan
About 40 servings


Bottom chocolate layer:
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Thoroughly grease your baking pan. (Better yet, line the pan with greased aluminum foil.)  Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into the pan and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely. About 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Nougat layer:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow crème
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in marshmallow crème, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom chocolate layer and smooth out quickly. Let cool completely. About 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Caramel layer:
1 14-ounce bag of caramels, unwrapped, about 2 cups
1/4 cup whipping cream or evaporated milk

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth –about 10 minutes. Pour over nougat layer and spread smoothly. Let cool completely. About 45 minutes in the refrigerator.

Top chocolate layer:
1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour over caramel and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

 Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.  Lift out of the pan still on the foil.  Place on cutting board and then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get very gooey and the top chocolate layer tends to slide off.  It’s better to keep them refrigerated.

Italian Chicken and Tortellini

Easy dinner and almost no clean up since you cook it in a foil packet.  Great for summer. Cook it on the grill and keep your house cool. It's also great for fall or winter. Cook it in the oven and enjoy a great one dish dinner.

Ingredients:
2 sheets (12x18-inches each) aluminum Foil*
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1/2 to 3/4 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 package (9 oz.) refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
1/2 can (from a 2 1/4 oz. can) sliced ripe olives, drained (optional)

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-high or oven to 450°F.
Center one chicken breast half on each sheet of aluminum foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle each chicken breast with 1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Arrange 1/2 of the tortellini around each piece of chicken. Spoon 1/2 of tomatoes and 1/2 of olives over each serving of tortellini.
Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside.
Repeat to make two packets.

Cook:
Bake 30 to 40 minutes on a cookie sheet in the oven OR
Grill 14 to 18 minutes in a covered grill.

*I  use 4 pieces of foil and make two layers of aluminum foil to prevent the juices from leaking out.

Molten Chocolate Cookies

These are good at room temperature, but they are delectable warm. Eat fresh or just heat in the microwave for about 15 seconds. They will melt in your mouth.
Makes 16 cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups (12 oz package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Melt chocolate chips and butter in the top of a double boiler over low heat, stirring until smooth but thick.* Remove from heat; set aside to cool.
In the large bowl of your mixer beat eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla on high speed about 2 to 3 minutes until pale yellow and slightly thickened. Mix in chocolate on low speed. Scrape the bowl. Mix again.  Add flour and baking powder on low speed and mix just until incorporated, stop once to scrape the bowl. Don't mix too much.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Scoop 8-2 inch mounds onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet leaving 2 inches between cookies. I used my medium sized cookie scoop.

Bake one sheet at a time for 12 minutes or until crusty on the outside but soft in the center.
Cool on cookie sheet 3-5 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Best when served warm.
*Microwave Instructions:
Heat chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl at medium power for 1 minute. Stir, then heat for 10 seconds and stir again. Repeat until melted. The chocolate chips will not appear melted until you stir them.

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

This is SERIOUS deliciousness!

Makes 20 servings (1 cup each)

Ingredients:
1 fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips
2 packages (13 ounces each) miniature peanut butter cups (I've also used Miniature Snickers Peanut Butter Bars.)
4 cups cold 2% milk
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract (YES, that's 4 teaspoons.)
3 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° F. for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake).
Cool on a wire rack; then cut into 3/4-in. pieces. (These don't have to be exact.)
Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish.
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes(mixture will be thick). Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping. (I'll admit I hesitated to add the peanut butter to the pudding, but WOW that stuff was good.)
Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top.
Repeat layers twice. (You'll have three layers of each ingredient.)
Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups.
Refrigerate until chilled.

I layered these in clear plastic cups and used as individual servings.  They were a big hit.  Try them for a  shower or other party.  If you like chocolate and you like peanut butter, you can't go wrong with these.

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

These are the best chocolate cupcakes I have had.  Very moist.

 CUPCAKES:
1/4 cup butter, cubed
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
FROSTING:
1/2 cup butter, cubed
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a microwave, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth.  Cool for 10 minutes.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, water, sour cream and vanilla.  Combine flour and baking soda; add to the egg mixture and mix well.  Add chocolate mixture; beat on high speed for 2-3 minutes.

Fill paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth.  Cool for 10 minutes.  With a portable mixer, beat in the confectioners' sugar, sour cream and vanilla on low until smooth.  Frost cupcakes.  Store in the refrigerator.  Yield:  2 dozen.

Hugs and Kisses Cookies

These cookies look so good and they taste even better.  You'll get lots of compliments when you share these.  And they are super easy.
 
1/3 cup butter or margarine

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 package (1 lb 1.5 oz) Sugar cookie mix

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

60 Hugs candies, unwrapped (The white ones look best, but use whatever flavor you like.)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix the butter and chocolate. 

Melt until smooth, but not too hot.  Stir often.  Take off the heat as soon as it's melted enough to stir the butter and chocolate together.

Stir sweetened condensed milk into chocolate mixture.  Add the cookie mix and cinnamon and mix well.

Using 1 level tablespoonful of dough for each cookie, shape into 60 balls. (I use my small ice cream scoop.) Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.   

Bake 6 to 7 minutes or until edges lose their shiny look (do not over bake). 

Remove from oven and immediately press 1 candy into the center of each cookie.  Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.  

 

Try these.  You'll love them.