Roasted Banana Pudding

We had a great Easter weekend! My parents and grandmother were here for the holiday and we quickly ate and shopped our way through the town all weekend long. Some of our friends had their parents in town too, so we hosted everyone at our house last night for a North Carolina BBQ feast. Some argue that North Carolina BBQ is some of the best in the country and after moving here I, too, have started to agree with this statement. After gorging ourselves on BBQ, ribs, baked beans and slaw, we finished off the meal with banana cupcakes and this roasted banana pudding!

Adapted from: Cooking Light August 2011

You Will Need:

• 5 ripe unpeeled medium bananas
• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (12oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
• 45 vanilla wafers, divided

Here We Go:

• Preheat oven to 350°
• Place bananas on a jelly-roll pan covered with parchment paper
• Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
• Remove 3 bananas; cool completely
• Peel and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Bake the remaining 2 bananas at 350° for an additional 20 minutes
• Carefully peel and place the 2 bananas in a small bowl, and mash with a fork until smooth
• Combine milk and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat
• Bring to a simmer (do not boil)
• Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt, and eggs in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk
• Gradually add hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk
• Return milk mixture to pan
• Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly
• Remove from heat
• Add mashed bananas, butter, and vanilla, stirring until butter melts
• Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until mixture comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally
• Fold half of whipped topping into pudding
• Spread 1 cup custard evenly over the bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish
• Top with 20 vanilla wafers and half of the banana slices
• Spoon half of remaining custard over banana
• Repeat procedure with 20 wafers, banana slices, and custard
• Spread remaining half of whipped topping evenly over top
• Crush remaining 5 wafers; sprinkle over top
• Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled

Serves 10
Happy Feasting!

TC's Apple Cake with Caramel Butterscotch Frosting

If you are like me, then the past few weeks have been filled with Christmas cookies, breakfast casseroles and too much wine. With that being said, I am sure that your New Year's resolution is too eat less, drink less and maybe even to get more sleep. Well, before the New Year is in full swing,  I had to post this scrumptious apple cake that has been in my family for years. This was my grandmother's apple cake that has since been passed down to my mom and now subsequently me. It is heaven in a cake and the butterscotch,caramel frosting puts this cake in a category of it's own. I know that technically your New Year's resolution probably does not include this indulgent cake, but if you make an exception you will not be disappointed. This will be worth each additional calorie and you can start your health kick tomorrow!

You Will Need:

For the Apple Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into tiny pieces
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 2 eggs, beaten well
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon (or more if you like for taste)
• 1 cup broken walnut pieces (optional)

For the Frosting

• 1 lb light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

Here We Go:

For the Apple Cake

• Combine sugar and apples and let stand for 3 hours or overnight
• Add oil, eggs, and vanilla to apple mixture
• Sift flour, soda, salt and cinnamon together
• Add second mixture to first
• Fold in nuts with wooden spoon, if desired
• Pour into 2  greased and floured  9 X 13-inch baking pans
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until center toothpick test comes out clean

For the Frosting

• Combine sugar, milk, sour cream and vanilla
• Cook over medium temperature stirring constantly
• Add chips as mixture cools
• Watch carefully as mixture can stick or burn easily
• Be sure all ingredients come to full boil
• Pour hot liquid on warm cakes that have been punctured with a toothpick

Makes 2 Cakes
Happy Feasting!

Peanut Butter Nugget Cookies

Who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate? Throw some almonds and toffee on top and I'm sold. Taste of Home says, "Baking cookies to share doesn't get much easier than this. Stir together four ingredients. Bake. Top with a nugget." I couldn't agree more with that statement. Share these cookies with neighbors and friends this holiday season and they will surely thank you.

Adapted from Taste of Home Nov. 2011

You Will Need:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 toffee nuggets; halved

Here We Go:

• In a large bowl, cream peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy
• Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until ingredients are blended
• Roll into 1 1/4 inch balls
• Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets
• Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until top are slightly cracked
• Immediately press one chocolate nugget halve into the center of each cookie
• Cool for five minutes before removing from pans to wire racks

Makes 2 dozen cookies
Happy Feasting!

Halloween Peanut Butter and Toffee Candy Bark

Happy Halloween!!!

Adapted From: bon appetit

You Will Need:

• 1 lb semi- sweet chocolate chips
• 3 2.1-oz Butterfinger candy bars, cut into irregular 1-inch pieces
• 3 1.4-oz Skor or Heath toffee candy bars, cut into irregular 3/4-inch pieces
• 8 0.55-oz peanut butter cups, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1/4 cup honey-roasted peanuts
• Reese's Pieces and/or yellow and orange peanut M&M's

Here We Go:

• Line baking sheet with foil
• Stir chocolate chips in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and warm (not hot) to touch
• Pour chocolate onto foil; spread to 1/4-inch thickness (about 12x10-inch rectangle)
• Sprinkle with Butterfinger candy, toffee, peanut butter cups, and nuts, making sure all pieces touch melted chocolate to adhere
• Scatter Reese's Pieces and M&M's over, making sure candy touches melted chocolate
• Chill bark until firm, about 30 minutes
• Slide foil with candy onto work surface; peel off foil
• Cut bark into irrgular pieces

Makes Roughly 30 Pieces

Happy Feasting!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

It doesn't get much better than a peanut butter and chocolate combination. Cookies, cakes, pies or brownies - I love them all! These blondies are so easy to make and I can almost guarantee that these will be your new favorite dessert (at least for this week)! Creamy peanut butter and melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate chips make these cake like blondies pretty much perfection . I will say, that my husband and I think they are best served warm. Make it an extra special treat and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Source: Two Peas & Their Pod

You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Here We Go:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside
• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth
• Remove from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter, until creamy and combined
• Set mixture aside to cool
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
• Add the eggs, one at a time, to the peanut butter mixture, mixing well after each addition
• Add the vanilla extract and stir to combine
• Pour the mixture into the prepared dry ingredients, and stir until batter is smooth
• Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, reserving the rest for sprinkling on top
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading the batter evenly to the edges of the pan
• Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and lightly press them into the batter
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden and the edges are slightly browned
• Remove blondies from oven and place them on a wire rack to cool
• Once cooled, cut into squares and serve

M&M Cookies

What a weekend! Not only did we get our new yellow lab puppy this weekend, but I was also at a bachelorette party in Charleston, SC. Although I feel a little sleep deprived this morning, from staying up too late with girlfriends and a crying puppy last night, I thought I would share these M&M cookies with you this morning. No matter how tired you might have been this morning when you woke up, or how long your work week might seem ahead of you, these cookies are sure to put a smile on your face.

Source: The Joy of Baking

You Will Need:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanillaextract
• 1 cup M&M's^® candies

Here We Go:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Place one oven rack in the top third of the oven, and one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt
• In another bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes) with wooden spoon or hand mixer
• Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until well combined
• Beat in the vanilla extract
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated
• Gently fold M&M's^® into the dough mixture
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed
• Form dough into balls, using tablespoon for each cookie
• Bake the cookies for about 10 - 13 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time
• The cookies are done when they are light golden brown in color and just set
• Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool
  

 

Makes roughly 40 cookies
Happy Feasting!

Toffee and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last night we had our neighborhood summer picnic. Being that we are new to the neighborhood, we thought that it would be a good idea to go and meet some of our neighbors. It ended up being great fun, despite the miserable heat, and we got the chance to meet a lot of people. Everyone was asked to bring a dish and I thought that cookies might be a good thing to make since whatever I made would be sitting out in the ninety degree weather all evening. These cookies were quite the hit if I might say! Kids and adults seemed to gobble them up. This recipe will make about 45 cookies and when we left the party I would say that there were about 5 still on the plate. So if you like english toffee and chocolate chips then you are sure to love these cookies!

Source: Love and Olive Oil

You Will Need:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups english toffee (I used Heath bar candy bits)

Here We Go:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk to combine and set aside
• In another large bowl, cream the butter and the sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes and add the egg and mix well
• Add the vanilla extract and the flour mixture and beat thoroughly
• Stir in the toffee and chocolate chips
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned
• Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to a rack to cool completely

 

Makes roughly 42 cookies
Happy Feasting!

Frozen Key Lime Tarts and a Graduate

Yesterday my husband graduated from the Darden School of Business at The University of Virginia. It is hard to believe that it has already been two years, and we will be leaving Charlottesville headed for North Carolina in a matter of a few weeks. Although we are excited about what new adventure lies ahead in Winston-Salem, we will definitely miss our time here in C-ville!

After the festivities were over yesterday, we had both of our families back to our apartment for a graduation celebration. We had quite the spread of bbq, cole slaw, potato salad, deviled eggs and baked beans. We finished the meal off with key lime pie since that happens to be the graduate's favorite dessert. These mini tarts are delicious and refreshing. Serve them straight from the freezer and you have this wonderful dessert that is a cross between key lime pie ice cream and good ole' key lime pie. They are the perfect summer treat!

Adapted from Ina Garten

You Will Need:

For the Filling:

• 6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 Tbsp grated lime zest
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes)

For the Decoration:

• 1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Thin lime wedges

Here We Go:

• For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick
• With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice
• Pour into store bought mini graham cracker crust tart shells
• For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form
• Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm
• Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime
• Freeze for several hours or overnight

The hubs walking up to get his diploma!

Happy Feasting!

6 Ingredient Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are so easy and delicious. With only six ingredients, I almost guarantee that you have everything you will need already in your pantry. One of my friends made these cookies and after my first bite I knew I had to get the recipe (thank you Alison!).If you are in need of a chocolate and peanut butter fix, give these cookies a try - you will love them!

You Will Need:

• 1 (18 oz) jar crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 (11.5oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Here We Go:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Stir together first 5 ingredients with spoon or spatula
• Add chocolate chips
• Roll into small balls and bake for 8-12 minutes

Makes 30 Cookies (depending on size)

Happy Feasting!

Cadbury Mini - Egg Rice Krispie Treats

Like millions of other people I, too, suffer from the addiction of Cadbury Mini Eggs. It doesn't get much better than that crispy, crunchy outside shell and the initially hard yet creamy milk chocolate center (although now they make a dark chocolate as well!). When Easter is over, it is so sad to think that it will be an entire year until the shelves are stocked with that pretty purple bag once again.

I have seen numerous recipes for Cadbury mini-egg cupcakes and cookies and I know that either of those would for sure be a crowd pleaser. I, however, opted for a Cadbury mini-egg rice krispy treat and let me tell you it is wonderful. So with Easter only one week from today, I think everyone should go ahead and make this treat before there are no more Cadbury eggs until next year!

You Will Need:

• 1 10oz bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs
• 3 Tbsp margarine or butter
• 1 10oz Package of mini marshmallows
• 4 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies

Here We Go:

• Grease an 8x8 square baking pan
• Melt margarine or butter in large saucepan over low heat
• Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted and remove from heat
• Mix in rice krispies and stir until well coated
• Stir in 1 cup of crushed Cadbury mini eggs
• Spread mixture using a buttered spatula or waxed paper evenly into the greased baking pan
• While mixture is still warm top with remaining Cabdury mini eggs
• Cut into 2 inch squares once cooled

Makes 12 Treats
Happy Feasting!



Cran - Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

It has been raining ALL day today! I have ventured out of the house once and I feel no reason to go out again. I've been wanting to make oatmeal raison cookies and I figured, without much else to do today, why not make them. I decided to use half as much raisins as the recipe calls for and add in some craisins. The sweetness of the raisins mixed with the tartness of the craisins was the perfect combo!

Adapted from two peas and their pod

You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup craisins

Here We Go:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth and creamy
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and blend until combined
• Stir in the oats, raisins and craisins
• Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough into a round ball, leaving space between each cookie
• Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes
• Take them out when they are golden at the edges but still a little under baked in the middle
• Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to cooling rack

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Happy Feasting!