Recipe Archives - Page 44 of 46

Cherry Chocolate Bars

May 1, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

When we lived in Utah, there was a HUGE, old cherry tree in the yard. About fall-time every year, hundreds of cherries would be perfect for picking (at least the ones we could reach)….and as much time as we spent, we never even got close to getting them all. What do you do with that many cherries? Get creative and try new things, of course! My hubby’s favorite are these Cherry Chocolate Bars!

Ingredients:

1 cup Margarine, softened
¾ cup Granulated sugar
¾ cup Brown sugar, firmly packed
2 Eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups All-purpose flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 12-ounce package Vanilla milk chips
1 12-ounce package Chocolate milk chips
2 cups Dried tart cherries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan, set aside.
Combine margarine, sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla to sugar mixture. Mix in.
In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder, then slowly add to mixture. Stir in milk chips, cherries and nuts.
Spread evenly into pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly brown. Let cool before cutting.

Notes: I used a fork to mix instead of an electric mixer, and it worked great, plus easier to clean. We serve this warm with vanilla ice cream over it; a nice little fruit and chocolate addition!

Tangy BBQ Sauce

January 19, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

I’m thrilled when I find a good dip, marinade or sauce recipe. This Tangy BBQ Sauce is so flavorful, I love using it with a lot of my grilling and BBQ recipes. It’s just so easy, and versatile – and we were all licking our fingers clean with our ribs I cooked up to enjoy with!

Ingredients
2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 cup Onion, chopped fine
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
3 tsp. Chili Powder

Directions
In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the Onion and Garlic, and saute for 1 minute.

Stir in the Ketchup and Vinegar. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low. Mix in the Worcestershire sauce, Brown Sugar and Chili Powder. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat.

Use for grilling or dipping – basically with anything you want a BBQ Sauce bursting flavor!!!

What’s YOUR favorite meal to serve with BBQ sauce?

Sweet Crescent Rolls

January 19, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

One summer we spent a week on my great-aunts houseboat at Lake Powell with some other relatives. One morning they made these delicious Sweet Crescent Rolls for breakfast, and they’ve been one of my favorites ever since. Of course, with marshmallows for breakfast, what kid could resist? It’s like Marshmallow Mateys or Lucky Charms, but kids actually eat the entire thing, instead of just picking out the marshmallows and leaving anything of value!

Some of you may know this recipe as ‘Empty Tomb Rolls’, but we’ve just always called them sweet crescent rolls because we don’t just enjoy them around Easter. Whatever the reason, though, they’re a huge hit with the whole crowd!

Ingredients:
1 package Crescent Rolls
8 regular sized Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. On a sprayed baking sheet, lay out the crescent rolls. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar on each. Place one marshmallow on the wide end of each roll.

3. Roll up the triangles so they mostly surround the marshmallow. The better covered the marshmallow is, the less will get messy over the baking sheet. Sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar over the top.

4. Bake for 8-15 minutes, depending on your type of rolls, until golden brown.

5. Serve and enjoy, along with wet wipes or paper towels!

Parmesan Pepper Bites

May 1, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Adapted from Kraft Busy Family Recipes

I love easy meals, don’t you? I mean, I know this is a site aimed for busy women, so it’s natural you’d like easy meals. You know the best kind of meals, though? The ones that are easy AND delicious! This is one of those, and it turned out so great that my husband wants me to make them again….already!

Ingredients:
8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cans Refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 Red pepper, chopped
¼ cup Parsley

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix cream cheese and ¾ cup Parmesan until well blended.

Take the crescent rolls, and place them on a sprayed baking sheet. Keep two triangles together, though, making them each a rectangle instead of triangles. Pinch the seems together.

Spread the cheese mixture on the open rolls, then top with the peppers and parsley.

Fold each rectangle lengthwise into thirds to contain the filling. Cut each into 4 squares. Top with remaining Parmesan.

Bake 13-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes: If you want a full roll, more for a meal, instead of the bites, skip cutting them each into 4 squares and just leave them whole.

Grilled Steak with Sweet Peppers

May 1, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Adapted from Weeknight Fresh + Fast

• Soy Sauce ¼ Cup
• Olive Oil ¼ cup & 2 tbsp.
• Honey 3 tbsp.
• Small Shallot minced
• Rosemary 2 ½ tbsp.
• Balsamic Vinegar 2 tbsp.
• Red Pepper Flakes ½ tsp.
• Steak of choice 2 lb., about 1 inch thick
• Large red bell pepper
• Large green bell pepper
• Large yellow bell pepper
• Small red onion
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In shallow pan, mix soy sauce, ¼ cup oil, honey, shallot, 1 ½ tsp. rosemary, ½ tsp. salt, and black pepper. Place steak in the pan, coating with marinade. Rotate every few minutes to get both sides. Move on to step 2 while it marinates. If you will be using a charcoal or gas grill, get it warming now.

2. Cut the peppers and onion. My family cuts them into bite sized pieces, but some prefer it in strips (as in picture above); it is your choice. In a large frying pan, use the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Put in the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until tender; this takes us about 9 minutes, but we prefer ours really tender for our little ones. Add the remaining rosemary and pepper flakes. Cook for another minute, then add the vinegar and stir until it’s absorbed; remove from the heat.

3. Put the marinated steak onto the grill and cook to your preference. When cooked, put on clean working surface and let sit for a few minutes. When it’s cooled a bit, cut the steak as desired. Some do it in thin strips, but we cut ours smaller for our children. Mix with the peppers and serve.

Notes: This is a great meal to get a variety of colored vegetables. My children and I are not huge fans of onions, so I do cut those in large slices so they can be picked off those plates. There are no green peppers shown in the photo above because they were eaten ahead of time by unknowing family members.

Pasta with Vegetables and Herbs

May 1, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Ingredients
2 Zucchini, cut into fourths lengthwise
1 Red bell pepper, cut into fourths
1 Green bell pepper, cut into fourths
1 Yellow bell pepper, cut into fourths
Olive oil for brushing
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ lb. Penne pasta
4 tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. Mixed herbs: basil, oregano, marjoram
½ cup Olives, chopped
¼ cup Walnut, chopped
½ cup Feta Cheese, chopped

Brush vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on charcoal or gas grill on high heat, cover and cook until tender and slightly brown. While vegetables are cooking, bring a large pot ¾ way full of salted water to a boil. Add a tiny bit of oil, to keep pasta from sticking together. Add the pasta and cook until preferred tenderness.

When vegetables are done, remove from the grill and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Drain pasta and put in mixing bowl. Add the vegetables, olive oil, herbs, olives and walnuts. Mix until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta cheese and toss lightly to combine.

Notes: Some people prefer more seasonings, some less, so pour the herbs in slowly to get what meets your family’s preferences. We added a Roasted Garlic Balsamic Dipping Oil over our dish, and it was absolutely wonderful, if you like balsamic.

Chocolate Monster Cake

March 8, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

Adapted from bon appetit

Okay, so I know this site is made for busy women, and that the majority of my recipes are quickly prepared. However, there are occasions when I find a recipe that just sounds so delicious and unique, that it just might be WORTH the extra time it would take. This was one of those times. Flipping through my recipes, magazines, books and trying to find something amazing to bake for the weekend, I came across the most drool-worthy photo of a chocolate cake. It was settled, I was going to bake this, regardless of the almost 2 hours of prep work (this actually takes about 20 hours total, if you count that it must be refrigerated overnight, but only 2 active hours).

To my absolute delight, I found it to be completely worth the time and effort! My family agreed, of course…except those who don’t like chocolate COUGH (hubby) COUGH! So, if you don’t have the time, definitely pass on this recipe; I do recommend it if you have some time and want to create something exceptional!

Before making this, please read over the entire instructions FIRST, so you’re familiar with the process, as it’s a bit complicated. Don’t be intimidated, though; if I can make this, so can you!

Chocolate Monster Cake

Ingredients:
6 tbsp. Plus 3 tbsp. Plus 1 1/3 cups Ovaltine chocolate malt mix
1 ½ oz. White chocolate, chopped
4 oz. Plus 2 oz. Bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. Mild-flavored molasses
Salt
½ cup Heavy whipping cream
½ cup plus 3 tbsp. Light corn syrup
¼ cup plus 2 ¼ cup plus 3 tbsp. Sugar
1 1/3 cup plus ½ cup All-purpose flour
¾ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. Baking powder
¾ cup plus 6 tbsp. Unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Large eggs
¾ cup Buttermilk
1/3 cup Vegetable oil
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
½ cup Whole milk
2 cups Mini marshmallows
¾ cup Nonfat dry milk powder
2 tbsp. Cornstarch

Milk Crumbs:
Preheat oven to 275 F.
Line baking sheet with parchment.
In a bowl, mix all milk powder, ½ cup flour, 3 tbsp. Sugar, allCornstarch, and ¾ tsp. Salt until well combined.
Add butter and stir with a fork until clusters form.
Spread mixture evenly on sheet.
Bake until crumbs are dry and crumbly, but still pale (about 10 minutes).
Cool completely on sheet.

Chocolate Malt Crumbs:
In bowl, mix milk crumbs and 6 tbsp. Ovaltine.
Put white chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring occasionally.
Drizzle chocolate over crumb mixture and toss to coat.

Malt-fudge Sauce:
Put 1 1/3 cups ovaltine, 4 oz. Bittersweet chocolate bits, all molasses, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Mix all heavy cream, ½ cup corn syrup and ¼ cup sugar in saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Pour cream mixture over chocolate mixture in a bowl.
Let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth and glossy, about 2 minutes.

Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Coat three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Line with round parchment, then coat parchment with nonstick spray.
Place 2 oz. chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring every 15 seconds. Set aside.
Sift 1 3/4 cups flour, 3/4 cup cocoapowder, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp.salt in medium bowl.
In large stand mixer, combine 3/4 cup butter, 2 1/4 sugar and 3 tbsp. corn syrup. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and pale (about 2 minutes). Scrape sides of bowl.
Add eggs. Beat until mixture is fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape sides of bowl.
Add melted chocolate. Beat until well-blended (about 1 minute).
Add 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup oil and 1 tsp. vanilla. Beat until pale brown, about 2 minutes.
Add flour mixture. Beat on low just until blended (about 1 minutes).
Divide batter among pans, smoothing the tops.
Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 20 minutes). Cool completely in pans on racks.

Final Creation:
Stir milk and 3 tbsp. Ovaltine in small bowl.
Invert 1 cake form pan onto flat plate and peel off parchment. Place top-side down in 8-inch springform pan.
Brush cake with 2 ½ tbsp. Ovaltine-milk mixture, letting it soak in.
Drizzle 1/3 cup malt-fudge sauce over cake, spreading evenly over the top.
Sprinkle ½ cup chocolate malt crumbs over sauce.
Drizzle 1/3 cup malt-fudge sauce over crumbs.
Scatter 1 cup mini marshmallows over sauce.
Use a kitchen torch to toast marshmallows.
Repeat with second cake layer (ovaltine milk mixture, sauce, crumbs, sauce, marshmallows).
Remove third cake and place top side down on marhsmallows on second layer.
Brush with remaining ovaltine milk mixture.
Cover cake with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Cover and chill fudge sauce in microwave-safe bowl.
Next day, run knife around sides of pan to release cake and remove pan sides.
Place cake (still on springform pan bottom) on plate.
Rewarm sauce until pourable, and pour over cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Mound handful of marshmallows in center of cake, and toast with kitchen torch.
Sprinkle remaining crumbs over cake.
Let stand at room temperature 3 hours before serving.

Notes: Use a springform pan; I don’t know how it would work otherwise! I honestly didn’t own one before this, now I’m SOOO glad I have a few! Milk crumbs may be stored up to one week in an airtight container. Malt-fudge sauce may be stored, covered and chilled, for up to one week (rewarm until pourable before using). In the stand mixer, it’s best to use a paddle attachment. The final product will rise well above the edge of the springform pan. This cake is VERY rich, so have a glass of milk handy, or serve with vanilla ice cream!

Sweet Pork Burrito

March 8, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

I love Costa Vida. Seriously, I’d eat there every week if my budget would allow! I wanted to make an attempt for an at-home, simple-yet-still-so-delicious Sweet Pork Burrito. If you don’t believe ME that it was so darn close you could fake it, just ask the dozen family members who we shared with at lunch: they absolutely loved it!

Sweet Pork Burrito

Ingredients:
3-4 lb. Pork roast
2 tbsp. and 1 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Red cayenne pepper
2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Salt
1 can Dr. Pepper
2 Chicken bouillon cubes
1 clove Garlic, minced
½ small Yellow onion, chopped

Night before:
In bowl, mix 2 tbsp. brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin and salt together. Rub all over roast. Place in crock pot on LOW all night.

Next morning:
Add Dr. pepper, bouillon cubes, garlic and onions. Keep on LOW.
An hour before serving, shred pork roast and add 1 cup brown sugar.
Serve in tacos, burritos, or salads. Melt cheese with a tiny drizzle of the sauce on top for ‘smothered’.

Notes: Some say to use Coke, but I used Dr. Pepper because it’s what we have in abundance at our home. We had a 3 ½ lb. roast, and it was enough for ten adults, plus plenty of leftovers.

For our portion of the leftovers, I made this:
In 9×9 pan sprayed with non-stick spray, place one tortilla.
Cover with one cup pork roast leftovers.
Add one cup shredded lettuce and diced tomato combination. Sprinkle with cheese.
Repeat layer, putting ½ cup pork roast sauce and ½ cup cheese over top.
Bake in oven at 350 F for about 30 minutes, or until warmed throughout.

Key Lime Cheesecake

March 3, 2016 by Kelly Dedeaux

My hubby loves sour things, such as lime. His mother even more so! When she was up visiting, I found some lemon and lime juice in the fridge and decided to try one of her favorite things to get at The Cheesecake Factory: Key Lime Cheesecake. I’d never even made cheesecake before, so I was a bit nervous, but it turned out nicely creamy and smooth.

Ingredients:
1 prepared Crust (I used a premade graham cracker)
32 oz. Cream cheese
1 ¼ cup Sugar
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
4 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Lime zest
1/3 cup Lime juice
1/3 cup Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 300 F.
In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, lime peel and cornstarch until fluffy and smooth.
Beat in the eggs, on at a time, until smooth.
Add the lime juice and lemon juice, mixing by hand just until smooth.
Pour into prepared crust
Bake for about 60 minutes, or until set. Let the cheesecake stand in turned-off oven about 30 minutes, with the door open a few inches. Remove from oven and refrigerate overnight.

Notes: Try it with a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce, or some whipped topping.

Cherry Party Mix

January 19, 2018 by Kelly Dedeaux

Who doesn’t love a good snack mix for a gathering? With so many different options, why not mix up the classic and try this Cherry Party Mix recipe for a change – it’s so delicious, and the whole crowd will love it! Plus, cherries add such a good flavor dynamic to the mix that it’s sure to be a winner.

Cherry Party Mix

Ingredients:
1 cup Corn cereal (Corn Chex)
1 cup Rice cereal (Rice Chex)
1 cup Wheat cereal (Wheat Chex)
1 cup Small pretzels
2 tbsp. Margarine or butter, melted
½ tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Chili powder
¼ tsp. Garlic powder
2 cups Dried tart cherries

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Mix cereal and pretzels in a large bowl. Set aside.

In separate bowl, mix melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder and garlic powder. Drizzle over cereal mixture. Toss to coat evenly.

Pour mixture in a baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven, stir in cherries.

Easiest Pasta Casserole

December 24, 2020 by Kelly Dedeaux

Sometimes I’m in such a hurry, I want to just throw stuff together, pop it in the oven, and call it good. This Easy Pasta Casserole is one of those recipes that turns out delicious AND healthy, despite the quickness! I love that the ingredients are easy to stock up on, so it’s great for an ’emergency’ or ‘back up’ meal on those nights I just flat out forget to get dinner ready.

Contains affiliate links that help support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure for more info.

Ingredients

1 bag Penne pasta
1 jar Rague of choice (we use veggie)
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1-2 bags Veggies of choice, frozen
Poppy seeds (as desired; we use about 3 tbsp because we love them)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cook the pasta until almost soft.
Pour into sprayed 13×9 baking dish.
Pour in veggies, cheese and sauce. Mix well.
Cook, covered with aluminum foil, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes.

Notes: You don’t HAVE to use that much cheese, but oh it’s so good! Also, you really can use any type of pasta, I’m sure; we just use penne so the sauce gets inside and makes it even tastier! I like to use Normandy blend veggies, plus green beans or corn.

Other Easy Dinner Recipes…

Smoked Paprika Chicken

December 24, 2020 by Kelly Dedeaux

Contains affiliate links that help support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure for more info.

Adapted from Weeknight Fresh & Fast

I don’t have a grill myself, but really want one, and use a small counter top one until I’m able to afford a large outdoor grill. There’s just something about that smoky flavor that I really enjoy, and has the comfortable feeling of home to it. We got my dad’s hand-me-down charcoal one several years ago, but when we moved from Utah we just couldn’t bring it with us.

For those that DO have a grill, here’s another great grilling recipe, perfect with that smoky touch to it!

Ingredients

4 Chicken breasts
1 tbsp. Paprika (smoked, if possible)
1 tbsp. Ground cumin
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
3 tbsp. Lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ½ tbsp.. Grated lime zest
1 ½ tbsp. Thyme

Directions

In bowl, mix the paprika and cumin. Add the lime juice and olive oil.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet, and brush with olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken on the grill, until cooked through.
Sprinkle with lime zest and thyme. Serve!

Notes: This goes wonderfully with grilled corn, if you have some!

Ingredients:

Directions

What’s YOUR favorite meal to serve with BBQ sauce?

Chocolate Monster Cake

Sweet Pork Burrito

Cherry Party Mix

Ingredients

Directions

Other Easy Dinner Recipes…

Ingredients

Directions

Other Yummy Chicken Recipes…