Death By Chocolate Trifle

So good!! I was afraid to make one of these because they always intimidated me but it wasn't bad!!  The only thing I did different is that I didn't do a mousse but I just made an instant chocolate and vanilla pudding.  So one layer of each  in the trifle. I also added health Bar crunch instead of Reese's pieces.  I think tho you can add some Kahlua to the Cake once you've crumbled each layer. Just enough to moisten it (I'll be doing that next time). Oh and I only tried this because I got a free Trifle bowl from my Pampered Chef party!  Score: 9.5




Here are all of my ingredients:

~ Chocolate cake mix (+ ingredients to prepare as directed)

~ Mini Reeses Cups

~ Kit Kat bars
~ Reeses Pieces
~ Chocolate syrup
~ Large Cool Whip (you'll want it thawed for this recipe)
~ Large box chocolate pudding
Once the cakes came out I crumbled them by hand into the bottom of my Trifle Bowl. My layers went like this:

1. Crumbled chocolate cake
2. Cool Whip
3. Assortment of three candies, sprinkled over Cool Whip
4. Crumbled chocolate cake
5. Half of mousse-like concoction
6. Assortment of three candies, sprinkled over mousse
7. Crumbled chocolate cake
8. Second half of mousse-like concoction
9. Assortment of three candies, sprinkled over Cool Whip
10. Crumbled chocolate cake
11. Remaining Cool Whip

Crock Pot stuffed Peppers

So i've made these before but not in the crockpot.  The great thing about doing it this way is that the peppers cook perfectly. You don't have to worry about boiling them first or anything.  I used 5 peppers and instead of tomato sauce I used tomato soup (canned).  Trust me it gives it a better taste.  My mom puts tomato soup in other things like sheppards pie etc and you would be amazed how much better it tastes.  My friend Lorie just made it and liked it !  I also added 1/2 cup of parm cheese to meat mixture.  Anyways this recipe came out perfect and I served it with mashed potatoes! yum!
Score: 9

• 6 large green peppers
• 1 lb. ground beef, browned
• 2 T minced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 c. cooked rice
• 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• 3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

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1. Cut peppers in half and remove seeds.
2. Combine all ingredients except peppers and cheese.
3. Stuff peppers with ground beef mixture; place in crock pot.
4. Cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
5. Sprinkle with cheese during last 30 minutes.
Happy Crocking!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

This recipe was really simple and tasted good.  The only thing I would recommend would to add a light glaze on top.  Just powdered sugar and milk.  Oh and I added 2 cups of strawberries instead of 1 1/2.  I made these twice and just substituted the milk for plain yogurt. (added a tad of milk to loosen the batter.) Tasted good both times and Anthony liked them too !  Score:8.5




Fresh Strawberry Muffins
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and mix well.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to butter mixture. Add vanilla. Gently stir in strawberries.

Spoon batter into muffin pans.

Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes.

Makes one dozen muffins. (Make sure you eat them the day you bake them. They aren’t so great the next day.)

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

This was the easiest recipe! And it turned out so good!!  I also added one whole onion sliced with a whole green pepper sliced the long way.  I made this recipe for 3 and used just 2 chicken breasts and had plenty of leftovers.  I still used a whole packet of taco seasoning and a jar of salsa (any brand is fine)..  I would definitely make this again!.. Score:10




Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Serves: ~12 people

1 Envelope Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso Reduced Sodium)
6 Pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa (I switch between brands, but Newman's Own is my favorite)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and/or sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

 

 

 

Homemade Fuit Roll Ups

Ok so this recipe,, one didn't tell you what temp or how long to cook it. I had to research other peoples recipes online to figure it out.. Its the lowest temp your oven can go which is prob 170 and you bake for 6 hours.   Well this didn't work at all!  And if you think about it if you put plastic in any heat it MELTS.  So everything turned out to be a mess. After 4 hours it looked like a crispy plastic mess.  It's not worth your time or electric bill to run the oven this long for homemade fruit roll ups.  Just go to the organic section they have em for 3$... it def cost me way more to make these considering the strawberries were $3.00 a container.   Score: 0





You start by dicing up the strawberries into small pieces. (about a whole regular container from the grocery store)
Then They go in water with a squeeze of Lemon Juice.

Then you stew them. Mostly covered, until they are very very soft and mushy.

Next you place some plastic over a sheet tray and brush it with olive oil.

Taste it and if you think it could be a lot sweeter add some sugar. And blend some more.

But before you go and add a lot of sugar, keep in mind, that as the fruit leather dries, it will concentrate the natural sugars in the fruit and it will become sweeter on its own.

Pour the mixture on the plastic covered tray.

Then it goes into the oven for what seems like years, but is really just many hours on a very low temperature. So low in fact, that you may need to keep the oven door partly opened.

It will peel right off.

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Hmmm.. so this recipe was interesting.  They overloaded the lemon. I love lemon in everything (well besides my water) but it was too tart.  I would suggest for the lemon glaze on top to not mix it with lemon juice and just use milk and a tsp of vanilla or almond extract.  We ended up giving half it away to my parents cuz it was just too much.  And i cooked it the whole cook time and had to add another 5 mins cuz it was a tad raw. I prob won't make this again but i will be on the hunt for another lemon blueberry recipe. My husband admitted he was just eating it so it'd make his Oreo Cookie cookies for him.... I didn't torture him and made him stop eating it.  lol  Score:5

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Zingy Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Loaf made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, yogurt and plump blueberries is lightly brushed with a lemon syrup then drizzled with a lemon glaze. Bursting with lemony flavor and fresh blueberries, this melt in your mouth will leave you begging for more.

Yield: 1 9x5 loaf

Ingredients:

For the Loaf:
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed
For the Lemon Syrup:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
For the Lemon Glaze:
1 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush again. Let the cake cool completely.
To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lemon glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.
Recipe Notes:
This recipe will also yield about 12 standard muffins or 36 miniature muffins, baking time adjusted.
It could be doubled and baked in a well-greased and floured bundt pan, baking time adjusted.
This recipe could also be baked in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round, to create a thin cake (approx. 1 1/2 inches tall), baking time adjusted.

Source: adapted from Smitten Kitchen originally adapted from AIna Garten

Baked Coconut Shrimp

This recipe came out pretty good.  Note to self do not over whip the egg whites!!  They turned into stiff enough peaks that when you dipped the shrimp in them they didn't move and the shrimp came out clean! Definitely bake them a full 17 mins and if you want flip them around 10 min mark to get all the sides crispy.  I didn't make the pineapple sauce to go with it but I'm sure it's good. My friend Chrissy ended up bringing Sweet Chili sauce from Trader Joes which went perfect.   Score: 8

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper
• 1/2 cup pineapple preserves
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp peeled and deveined

• 2 egg whites
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

1. Combine lime juice, jalapeno pepper, and pineapple preserves in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl beat egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.
4. Place cornstarch and coconut on two separate plates. Hold shrimp by the tail and dip and coat the shrimp with cornstarch. Next, dip the shrimp in the egg whites and finally in the coconut coating well.
5. Place shrimp on the cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until coconut is a golden brown. Make sure to turn it once halfway through (around 8 minutes into cooking time) to make sure both sides brown.
6. Serve with pineapple dipping sauce.

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