Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

Yield: About 4 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

16 ounces sour cream
16 slices (12-ounce package) bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions or chives

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow flavors to meld together. Garnish with extra shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped chives. Serve with your favorite potato chips or pretzel crisps. Dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

PETAL PULL-APARTS

They will simply fly off the plate. Let me show you how easy these Petal Pull – Aparts are to create!

Grab your frozen bag of Rhodes Dinner Rolls.  Follow the back of the package for easy directions on thawing the rolls. They need to be thawed but still cold.

You will combine two rolls into one ball to form the center of the flower.  You will use 1 roll for each petal. My flower has 8 petals, because I used the Texas rolls. They are just a bit larger than the Dinner Rolls.  If you are using the Dinner Sized rolls for your petals, you will use 9 or 10 rolls.

Roll 2 rolls into one large ball and place it in the center of a large sprayed baking sheet, parchment lined sheet or silpat.  Shape the remaining rolls into petals and place around the center ball, allowing a bit of room for them to rise. Press the centers of each petal in with your finger.

Take some melted butter and brush the top of the flower.  Be a bit generous.

I also sprinkled my flower with turbinado sugar. This is optional, but it sweetens up the dough just a bit – prior to rising.

Cover your flower with plastic wrap.  It’s a good idea to Spray the side that faces the flower with a non stick spray. After all . . . it’s looking beautiful!

Let your flower rise until double, about one hour or so.

Take a nice clean lemon and zest it.  You only want the yellow of the lemon.  The white pith is bitter!

Mix your lemon zest with about 1/3 cup of sugar. I also grabbed a jar of jam from my freezer.

Just take a spoon and combine the sugar and the zest together.  You can use jam or pie filling, and any flavor your family likes. I’m using my homemade Raspberry Huckleberry jam.

Your flower should be looking gorgeous by now.  If it’s doubled in size . . . you’re ready to roll.

I should say PRESS!  Depress the center of each petal again with your finger.

Just like this.  For good measure . . . I brushed the flower again with more melted butter.

Grab your bowl of sugar & lemon zest and sprinkle it over the top of your flower.

In each depression:  Spoon in one or two teaspoons of jam or filling.  Don’t overfill, or you’ll end up with a mess!

Bake your Flower at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

While your flower is baking:  Prepare the Glaze.

You will need:  powdered sugar, vanilla, melted butter and hot water or milk.

Hint: If it’s not quite the right consistency for you, simply add more powdered sugar or add a bit more water or milk.

I like to pour the glaze into a squeeze bottle.  It makes it really easy to apply it just where you want it.  You can also drizzle the glaze with a fork or spoon.

Once your flower is nice & golden, you’re ready to drizzle the glaze over the top.

Stand back and admire your Petal Pull-Apart.  It smells divine!

Grab one of those sweet petals fast . . . or you might not even get one!

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the lavender, mint and lemon zest. Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt; mix into the batter until well blended. Divide dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten to about 1inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, about 1hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Cookie stamps will work well on these too. Place on cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, just until cookies begin to brown at the edges. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Amount Per Serving Calories: 186 | Total Fat: 11.6g | Cholesterol: 31mg

Chocolate-Cranberry Treats

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 3 cups crispy brown rice cereal, such as Nature's Path Crispy Rice
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped
• One 4-ounce chocolate bar, finely grated

Directions

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Set aside.

Whisk the honey, vanilla, butter and egg together in a 5-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the rice cereal, cranberries and almonds until combined. Let the mixture cool for 45 minutes.

Place the grated chocolate in a small bowl.

Firmly press the rice mixture together into 36 balls, each about 1-inch in diameter, using slightly damp hands. Roll the cookies in the chocolate until coated and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Directions

Beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cupcocoa powder, 1/3 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until fluffy. Spread in a chocolate cookie crust. Beat 1 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form, then spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with shaved chocolate.

Crab Zucchini Cakes

Ingredients
2 teaspoons cooking oil
1 cup zucchini, coarsely shredded
1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced
1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup seasoned fine dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon snipped fresh lemon thyme or thyme
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 ounces cooked lump crabmeat, flaked, or one 6-ounce can crabmeat, drained, flaked, and cartilage removed (about 1 cup)
cooking oil
8 (1/4-inch thick) slices, red and/or yellow tomatoes
green onion, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions:
In a medium skillet heat the 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Cook zucchini and the 1/4 cup green onion in hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes or just until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates. Cool slightly.
In a medium bowl combine egg, breadcrumbs, mustard, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Add zucchini mixture and crabmeat; mix well. Using moistened hands, shape crab mixture into eight 1/2-inch-thick patties.
Lightly brush a grill pan with additional oil; heat over medium heat. Cook crab cakes for about 6 minutes or until golden brown and heated through, turning once. If cakes brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium low.
To serve, arrange crab cakes on top of tomato slices.

Corn Fritters with Maple Butter

3-4 ears fresh or cooked corn, kernels removed from cobs

3 eggs

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons cornmeal

Salt and pepper

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup canola oil

Whisk corn and eggs together. Add flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Mix. Add green onions and Cheddar. Mix again until all ingredients are incorporated.

In a deep ftying pan, heat oil to medium. When oil is hot, add a rounded tablespoon of batter. Flatten and fry for two to three minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Serve plain or with maple butter.

Camper's Quick Cocoa

Camper's Quick Cocoa 
This is a great hot chocolate recipe! Nice to make up ahead of time and keep in an airtight container. 
Ingredients:
• 4 qts. dry powdered milk
• 1 lb. Nestle's Quick
• 3 1/2 oz. coffee creamer
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Mix together and store in tight container. Use 4 Tbsp. mix to 1 cup hot water.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad Recipe

Ingredients
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
3 cups fresh cauliflowerets
1 medium green pepper, julienned
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup small pitted ripe olives, halved
1/2 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese

DRESSING:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 cup sunflower kernels

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, salad dressing, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and dill. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Just before serving, sprinkle with sunflower kernels.

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK SLOPPY JOE

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK SLOPPY JOE

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 lg onion (chopped)
1 md green pepper (chopped)
2 Tbsp steak sauce
1 c beef broth
salt and pepper
1 pkg dinner rolls
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 c milk
1 c provolone cheese (shredded)

Directions

1 In large skillet over medium-high heat add the oil and then brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes.
Add the onion and green pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef broth, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.
2 Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside.While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese.
3 To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Crispy Green Curry Chicken Wonton Bites

To make the wonton cups, place oil brushed wonton wrappers into a mini muffin tin.

Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.

Then make the Thai green curry chicken salad, by mixing main players like chicken, green curry paste, cilantro, lime juice, and coconut milk:

Spoon the salad into the little cups:

Garnish with some snipped chives, and admire their greatness:

And as you eat, note the different flavors going on in your mouth….that’s my favorite part. Green curry, lime, coconut, mmm.

9 Layer Dip

Ingredients

• 2 strips lean bacon
• 1 16 ounce can plain refried beans
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup guacamole (frozen or prepared is fine)
• 1/3 cup diced tomatoes (about 1 romano tomato)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced green onions

Instructions

Fry diced bacon until done; add refried beans and cook slowly, stirring frequently until the bacon and bacon drippings are mixed through (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside. Mix taco seasoning with sour cream and set aside.

To built 9 layer dip, place ingredients in this order:

Refried beans, placed on a serving platter and spread out to 1ñ1 1/2 inches thick.

shredded cheese

prepared sour cream/taco seasoning

guacamole

diced tomatoes

diced cilantro

black olives

sliced green onion

1/4 cup cheese for garnish, if desired

Serve with crisp corn chips and a very cold beverage of choice. Makes a great snack or light lunch.

Ranch Crackers

This stuff is so addictive! 1 (1 oz) package ranch dressing mix 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil 1/2 t garlic powder (or to your taste) salt to taste 1 box or bag oyster crackers Preheat oven to 250°. In a large mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and mix well. Stir in oyster crackers mix to coat. Pour crackers onto a large cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Cool and add to a covered container.

Ranch Pork Chops

Pork chops, 1 packet of dry Ranch Style Dressing Mix and 1 can of cream of chicken soup along with 1 cup of liquid (apple juice/water/beer/wine, etc.) Put chops in pot and mix the ingredients and pour over chops. Cook on low for 4-8 hours, depending on size of crock pot and how many pork chops. Can use chicken.

Kit~Kat Cake

Kit-Kat Cake

Printable recipe

Cake recipe from allrecipes

Yield: 18 servings

For the cake: 

½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

4 eggs

1 (18.25 oz.) box golden butter cake mix

2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour two 9-in. cake pans. Set aside.

In an large bowl, cream the peanut butter and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Add half of the cake mix and ⅓ cup of water. Mix until just combined. Add remaining cake mix and remaining ⅓ cup of water; mix until just combined. Pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Allow cakes to cool 10-15 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 

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For the Peanut Butter Frosting: 

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

3-4 tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream the peanut butter and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add sugar, 3 tbsp. milk and the vanilla extract. Mix with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix until well combined and fluffy. Add the additional tablespoon of milk if frosting needs thinned out. 

For the Chocolate Frosting: 

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups confectioners' sugar

⅓ cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add cocoa powder and blend on low speed until well combined. Add the sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix until well combined and fluffy. Add more sugar or milk 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary. 

To assemble:

11-12 full-sized Kit-Kat bars

1 bag (17.25 oz) Reese's Pieces candy

Ribbon

Place one layer of the cooled cake on serving plate. Top with ⅓-½ of the peanut butter frosting. Spread close to, but not over the edge. Combine remaining peanut butter frosting with the chocolate frosting. Coat the outside of the cake - top and sides - with the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Frosting. You may not need all of the frosting. Carefully break each Kit-Kat bar in half along the lines into 2 piece sections. Start placing the Kit-Kat sections around the edge of the cake. When you get to the end you may need a 1-piece section to fill in the gap. Wrap the ribbon around the Kit-Kats and tie into a bow. Fill the top of the cake with Reese's Pieces.

Refrigerate until serving time. Remove from refrigerator about 10-15 minutes prior to serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

*** You could choose to mix the Chocolate and Peanut Butter Frosting right from the beginning. We wanted the inside to be all peanut butter - the cake and frosting ... and the outside to be chocolate-peanut butter frosting! This would also be fun with M&M's, Red Hots, Lemonheads, Mike and Ike's, Hot Tamales, Junior Mints ..... Let your imagination run wild! You can pick coordinating cakes, frosting and ribbon for your candy .... ah, the possibilities are endless! 

I hope you enjoy!