Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I had heard about these cupcakes online. I had a batch of cookie dough already made so I thought I would just give it a go and WHOA it was wonderful. We were having a cupcake swap for Relief Society and I wanted to do something out of the norm so I made these. I only needed 12 cupcakes so my hubby took some of the leftovers to work and asked the guys to rate these. Out of a rating scale of 1-5 these babies were given a 6.5!!!!

So there is many ways to go about these.
1- make a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough
2- buy premade cookie dough in the refrigerated section at your grocery store.
Roll the dough into balls about the size of a quarter FREEZE THESE OVERNIGHT OR FOR A COUPLE DAYS.
Then make your favorite cupcake recipe:
From a box or a made from scratch recipe. Place cupcake liners in muffin tins. Fill 2/3 full with batter. Place one frozen ball of dough into each cupcake liner. Bake as directed on your box or recipe.

Now to frost these babies...
* if you use a yellow cupcake batter you can frost with chocolate frosting HOWEVER
I found a recipe for a frosting that has a cookie dough taste on thefrostedcupcakes.blogspot.com and I use it with a chocolate cake mix.

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 c. light brown sugar packed

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 c. all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. milk

2 1/2  tsp. vanilla extract

Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a bowl . Mix in the powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended. Frost cupcake then top with a chocolate chip cookie.

This is sooo yummy!!!!

BLT DIP (Betty Crocker) adapted by Rhonda

I have to tell you this recipe has kind of a funny story behind it, Rhonda made it for Super Bowl and brought  some down to my house (we had sick kiddos so we stayed home). Robin and Rhonda were just raving about it so my hubby and I tried it and thought "its ok".So Last night we had an Ultimate Ladies Night and had all kinds of booths set up for women... Miche Bags, Vault Denim,  a pedicure station, Scentsy, and a massage booth.We also had some yummy food.  So last night when she brought it I couldn't stay out of it and had to apologize to her lol. When I had eaten it at super bowl it was cold. Last night it was hot and fresh and OMGSH so Yummy!!! The problem before was I was thinking it was like a cheese ball so I didn't know you have to warm it up! So please eat it warm lol!  The food was a hit last night, therefore I will be posting the recipes over the next week. This one Rhonda made and her pan was cleaned out fast! I thought there was going to be a fight over who got to lick the pan clean lol! Everyone loved it!!!! But SO HERE IT IS LADIES!!!

2 1/2 lb. bacon cooked
2 cup mayonnaise
2 cup sour cream
2 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
3 cups cheddar cheese
2 tomato, seeded & chopped
2 bunches chopped green onions

Additional green onions, cooked bacon, tomato and lettuce for garnishment if desired (Rhonda did 1/2 lb bacon , 1 tomato, and 1 bunch green onions on top and left out the lettuce)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix mayo, sour cream, and cream cheese in a bowl until well mixed. Crumble bacon into bacon and stir. Add cheddar cheese, green onions, tomato and mix well. Pour into a cake pan and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Garnish with additional green onions, tomato, crumbled bacon etc. Serve with corn chips, or tortilla chips.


*Tip--- make sure you give the tomato a little squeeze to get rid of any excess juice so you don't have extra liquid on your

YUMMY EATS!!!!

Creamy Burrito Casserole (food.com) adapted by me

Around my house ground beef is always one of those things that can be pulled out at the last minute and browned. Then used in many recipes. I am always on the look out for recipes that can be used for these "last minute meals". This is one of those! FAST AND EASY!

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 (1 1/4 oz) package taco seasoning

6 large flour tortillas

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

2-3 cups shredded taco cheese or 2 -3 cups cheddar cheese

2 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

8 oz. sour cream 

optional- hot sauce to make it a little spicy

Brown ground meat and onion; drain. 

 Add taco seasoning and stir in refried beans.

Mix soup and sour cream in a separate bowl.

Spread 1/2 sour cream mixture in the bottom of a casserole dish.  

Tear up 3 tortillas and spread over sour cream mixture.

Put 1/2 the meat bean mixture over that.

Add a layer of cheese.

You could put some hot sauce on this now. 

 Repeat the layers.

Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 20-30 minutes

I have to have a little veggies with my burritos so I added tomatoes and avocado and served it with salad YUMMY!!!!

Chili Lime Steak Salad (Our Best Bites)

If I had a way to put scents on here for people to smell I would get 500 more followers just off this recipe alone!! I had some friends stop by to help us with something for a minute and I had them try the meat and they thought it was WONDERFUL!!!!

This recipe starts out as a steak then you can eat it that way or serve it on a salad like I did. I even think you could throw it in a tortilla like a fajita.No matter what you do with it, it will be amazing!

I got this recipe out of OUR BEST BITES new cookbook, this is an amazing cookbook! It is available through Deseret Book or on Amazon!

Chili-lime Steak

1-2 lbs boneless steak (flank steak works well)

Rub
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. granulated garlic (ok so I didn't have any of this so I found out you can use garlic powder but its not the same amount: 1/8 tsp. garlic powder= 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper*
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lime juiced ( about 2 Tbsp. lime juice)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* For a smoky rub, chipotle chili powder may be substituted for the cayenne pepper.

For the rub, combine all the spices together in a bowl. Add  lime juice and olive oil and stir to combine.
Place the steak in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the spice mixture over the steak and then rub it with your hands. Allow the steak to stand for 15 minutes. While the meat is standing, preheat your grill.
Place the steak on the grill over mdm-high heat and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side or until desired doneness is reached. Remove from grill and allowed to sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice steak against the grain into strips about 1/4" thick.

---Now I was wanting to have the meat all ready when I got home from church so I cut my steaks into slices first. Then I made the rub and poured it all all over the meat (in a bag) and let it marinade in it for about 4 hours. Turning and rubbing it every hour. Then I just cooked it in a skillet with a little evoo with an onion until it had reached desired temperature.

Now here's where you decide what to do with your meat! We decided to do a salad.

1 bag romaine lettuce
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed in cold water
1-2 avocados- sliced or made into guacamole
1 1/2 lbs. chili lime steak
cilantro for garnish (opt.)
crispy corn tortilla strips (opt. they also have a recipe for this in their book)

Creamy Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing (Our Best Bites)

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk or milk ( I used buttermilk, which you can make if you don't have any...1 cup milk, and 2 Tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice)
1 lime, juiced (about 2 Tbsp.)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix(ignore the directions on packet)
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup green salsa
hot sauce (like Cholula or Tabasco) to taste

Mix mayo, milk, lime juice, and the dry ranch dressing into a blender. Add garlic, cilantro and green salsa, blend thoroughly to mix all ingredients. Season with hot sauce, if desired. If possible refrigerate for several hours to allow the dressing to thicken and the flavors to meld.

As you can tell I did add a few jalapenos to my salad but you don't really need them it has enough spice!

Spicy bbq steak!!!! (my wonderful Father in Law Gil)

Over the week of my birthday last year my in laws came up to stay for my little mans baptism. We had so much fun together and my wonderful Father In Law decided he was going to cook steaks for EVERYONE!!! ( I know awesome right?) So he made this recipe and we all couldn't get enough it was the most flavorful steak!!!!! Since then it is a staple recipe in our home! This recipe is a little spicy but it is sooo good you don't need A-1 or any dipping sauce!

The best part about steaks is they can be seasoned different for each person but if you or your hubby likes spice try this out for sure!

1 bottle of Stubbs brand BBQ sauce spicy style (this is my favorite bbq sauce I am not a huge fan of bbq sauce but this is by far more than just bbq sauce! I use it all the time on everything even on burgers!!)
season salt
garlic salt or real crushed garlic
pepper

So its this easy : sprinkle the seasonings over the steak on both sides. Then cover and put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until your ready to grill them. Then cover the steak with the bbq sauce and grill until at desired temperature. You can also grill onions and mushrooms or peppers andd serve with it!!! MMMMMMM my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Guess I know whats for dinner!!!

Pork Tenderloin with garlic brown sugar glaze( food.com adapted by me)

This is a sweet and Spicy pork. My hubby's doesn't usually like sweet meat but HE LOVED THIS!!! His reasoning was that pork is naturally salty so this balances out well with just a little kick lol!! He literally ate 6-8 pieces

1 pork roast (about 5 lbs or  tenderloins)

4  tsp. salt

1/2 -1 tsp  fresh ground black pepper

1-1 1/2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

4-6 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze:

2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce  (or adjust to suit heat level)

In a small bowl stir together the salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon.

 Using clean hands rub the spice mixture over the pork to coat well.

Heat a large oven-proof skillet with oil over medium-high heat until very hot.

Add in roast  

 Brown the pork on all sides then leave in the skillet.

 Put in pork in crock pot then cover with glaze.

To make the glaze: Stir together brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco; pat onto the top of roast

Roast in the crock pot for 3-4 hours or until a thermometer registers 150°F.

 Let sit in the crock pot  for 10 minutes at room temperature (the temperature of the pork will rise to about 160F while standing for the 10 minutes). 

 Remove to a board and slice

Farmhouse Barbeque Muffins (Guest Blog Mindy Daley- contest winner)

Thanks Mindy for doing this you are great! This sounds sooo delish I am going to have to make it this weekend!!!! -Nikki

1 tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup ketchup

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Separate dough into biscuits, flatten into a 5 inch circles.  Press each into the bottom and up the sides of a greased muffin cup.  Set aside.  In a skillet, brown ground beef, drain.  In a small bowl mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and chili powder.  Stir until smooth.  Add to meat and mix well.  Divide the meat mixture among biscuit lined muffin cups.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from tin and serve! Yummy!

I recently tried them with shredded chicken and they were pretty good too. 

Thanks again Nikki for my prize.  I love it!

Min

Blog Award

We were given this award from Bartni  at salvesenvinylcreations.blogspot.com. We have never recieved an award before but we were honored to receive this!!! Thank you Bartni for this award!

7 things about us:

#1) I have been married to the love of my life for going on 13 years!!! I am one very lucky woman!-Nikki

#2) I am the mother of four of the greatest kids! 3 boys and 1 little diva! I am so blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom !!-Nikki

#3) I have a 2 MAJOR addictions, CHOCOLATE and RECIPES I cant get enough of these 2 EVER!-Nikki

#4) We are sisters and have always been very close!

#5) I am a single mother of 4 wonderful kids! 2 boys and 2 girls! I had my princes and then 9 years later had my princesses!- Yada

#6) I LOVE LOVE LOVE to sing! No matter what kind of music it is! - Yada

#7) I love to cook I am not as obsessed as Nikki is but I do enjoy trying new recipes!- Yada



Here are the rules:


The terms for accepting the award are:

1-) Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award...

2-) Share 7 things about yourself...

3-) Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers... and

4-) Contact the blogger and tell them about the award...

The blogs I pass this award onto are! This was really hard to do because I didn't know what ones were new!!!

Sharee http://www.shareesrecipes.blogspot.com/

Tansy http://tansydidit.blogspot.com/

Erica & Monica http://mycupcakejourney.blogspot.com/

http://www.babesinhairland.com/

Jen & Amanda http://hairbowsforgirls.blogspot.com/

Shiloh http://shilohsjunktofunk.blogspot.com/

Linda http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/

Brooke http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/

Shannon http://www.swainstonvinylanddezign.blogspot.com/

Kylie http://spontinuityphotography.blogspot.com/

Jamielyn http://iheartnaptime.blogspot.com/

Kristy http://illgetyoumypretties.blogspot.com/

Vanessa http://ourthriftyideasbecomeone.blogspot.com/

Amber http://ambersrecipebox.blogspot.com/

Kelsey  http://aspiceaday.blogspot.com/

THE BEST HOMEMADE FLUFFY PANCAKES EVER (allrecipes.com)

Ok so we have already establishes the fact that we LOVE breakfast for supper! I needed a new recipe for pancakes and found this. When I started making this my hubby looked at me and said VINEGAR in pancakes. I said just don't say a word until you try it. WELL after all was said and done the only thing anyone was saying was "is there more". But just so you know you cant even taste the vinegar !! Hope you love the picture my hubby took lol!

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons butter, melted

cooking spray

Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Let your mixture sit for about 5 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

This only makes about 4 pancakes so I had to triple it for my family of six and we had 3 pancakes left. WE ate this with the buttermilk syrup and fresh strawberries. SO YUMMY!!!