Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

This is such a tasty dessert! Who ever said that cupcakes must have a huge glob on icing on top has obviously never had these. They present so well too! All your friends will think that you spent loads of time making this gourmet dessert. (Just don't tell them that you use a cake mix... I promise not to tell.)

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 can(s) 20oz sliced pineapple drained, juice reserved 

1 bx yellow cake mix  (My cake mix was sugar free, and turned out great!)

1/2 c oil 

3 eggs 

1/3 c butter, melted 

2/3 c brown sugar

12 maraschino cherries cut in half 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray. 

2. Cut each pineapple slice into 4 pieces; set aside. 

3. In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, eggs and reserved pineapple juice with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. 

4. In small bowl, stir together melted butter and brown sugar. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons butter mixture into each muffin cup. Top each with 2 pineapple pieces. Place cherry half, cut side up, in center of pineapple pieces. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup. (My muffin pans seem small, make sure that you don't over fill your muffin tins. I ended up putting less than a 1/4 cup.)

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cupcakes to loosen; invert onto cookie sheet. Serve warm.  (I also ended up cutting a few of the muffin crowns off so that the cupcake would sit flat.)

Source

Creamy Hot Chocolate

We found this recipe several years ago and hot chocolate has never been the same! This recipe beats every homemade concoction we've tried--and there are some goodies out there.

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (we've used other brands and they work, too.)
1/2 Cup unsweetened Cocoa (we usually use Hersey's brand)
1.5 tsp Vanilla
1/8 tsp Salt
3 Cups Hot Water
3.5 Cups Milk*
Mini Marshmallows (opt)
Whipped Cream (opt)
Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Chili Powder (opt)

1. In a large sauce pan, over Medium heat, combine Sweetened Condensed Milk, Cocoa, Vanilla, and Salt. Mix Well.
2. Mix in the water and the milk. Heat through, stirring frequently. Do not boil.

Serve with mallows or whipped cream and a dash of spice. Questioning the chili powder? Ever seen the movie "Chocolat"? That's where we got the idea and it really is quite good.

*The original recipe called for 6.5 Cups Water, but we like it with the milk. It makes it creamy.

Source: All Recipes, with slight variation

Christmas Peanut Butter Crackers

      CAUTION!  CAUTION!  CAUTION!!  CAUTION!!  CAUTION!!  CAUTION!!  CAUTION!!

These are just about good enough to make you slap your momma!   Ha-Ha-Ha! No, seriously, these things are scrumptious and addicting.  We make these every year as part of our Christmas Treats Extravaganza! Some families probably just call that night Christmas Eve.  But, we call it our Christmas Treats Extravaganza!  (It's fun to say. Use your biggest announcer's voice.  Try it.)  We make a ton of different kinds of goodies/ treats and we eat them for dinner, and then we have plenty for our company that comes to visit.   You should try these, and I promise your family will love them! They almost taste like Nutter butter cookies!

Ingredients:
Creamy Peanut Butter
Ritz crackers
Almond Bark Candy
Wax Paper

Lay out a long piece of wax paper.  Spread peanut butter on a Ritz cracker and sandwich it with another Ritz cracker.  Make these using 1 whole sleeve of crackers.  Once you get this far, set them aside and break your almond bark into squares. Place them into a microwavable bowl, and melt them in the microwave for about 60 seconds.  Take the bowl out of the microwave and try to stir the squares and break them up as much as you can.  Then put the bowl back in the microwave for about 15 seconds.  Then stir and break up lumps. You will do this over if needed until the candy is all melted and smooth.  Then put a Ritz cracker sandwich into the candy and flip it over with the fork covering as much of the sandwich as you can.  You have to work quickly because the hot candy melts the peanut butter!  Then as you pick up the Ritz cracker sandwich with a fork (kind of scoop it up. don't stab it with the tongs!) , you can tap the fork gently on the bowl to get off excess candy.  Then put the Ritz cracker onto the wax paper you have layed out.  Finish the entire sleeve of cracker sandwiches you have made. 

You can get about 1 & 1/2 sleeves of Ritz cracker peanut butter sandwiches dipped to one package of almond bark candy.

Chocolate Peppermints

I recently made these little gems for a family gathering and they were quite tasty.  A great recipe for the holidays or for special events....or just because you want 'em!

Ingredients:
1 pound powdered sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1.  In a mixer, slowly add the sugar to the cream cheese, working in a little at a time, until well blended.  Add the peppermint extract and mix well.  Cover mixer bowl with a damp cloth.
2.  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.  Roll your peppermint "dough" into teaspoonful sized balls and place on wax paper.  Make an indentation in each ball, either with your finger or with the back of a 1/4-teaspoon.   Cover and refrigerate while you get the chocolate ready.
3.  Melt the chocolate chips in a disposable decorating bag in the microwave until fully melted.  Snip off the very end and fill each indentation.  (OR, if you don't have these bags--but you should cuz they're awesome-- melt the chips in a microwave proof bowl and then pour the chocolate into a ziplock bag, seal, snip the end, and fill the indentations).  Refrigerate until set.

Notes:

• Take them out of the fridge for a half hour to an hour before serving.
• While making the balls, keep the unused "dough" covered so it won't dry out. 
• Make the indentations as you go.  If you wait until you've formed all the balls, the dough will crack.

Source:  from Amy at She Wears Many Hats

Mom's Rolls

For my first recipe post I thought I would share one of my families favorite recipes.  Growing up we had these almost every Sunday.  They are light, buttery, and melt in your mouth.  Enjoy!

½ cup Warm Water

2 ½ T. Yeast

Mix together and set aside.

1 can evaporated milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 T. salt

½ stick butter softened

Mix above ingredients with 4 cups flour.  Add yeast mixture and 1 cup HOT water.  When mixed well add 4-6 cups flour, if the dough is too sticky (I like mine to pull away from the sides of the mixer but still stick to my finger) add flour ¼ cup at a time.  Knead for 2 min on medium speed.  Let rise until double.  Punch down and let rise until double again.  Punch down then separate into 4 equal parts. Roll 1 part of the dough into a circle. 

Spread about 2 T. of  softened butter onto the dough.

Cut the dough into 12 wedges.

Roll each wedge from the outside towards the center to create a croissant shape (My kids love to help me with this). Repeat with remaining dough.  Place 2 dozen rolls on a cookie sheet (this recipe will fill 2 sheets) cover and let rise until double again.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 min, or until golden brown.

NOTE: This recipe works well for cinnamon and orange rolls.  Instead of rolling into circles roll into rectangles and fill with either of the following:

Cinnamon:                                                  Orange:

1 stick melted butter                                  1 stick melted butter

1 c. brown sugar                                        1 c. sugar

1 t. cinnamon                                             1-2 t. orange zest

Top with cream cheese frosting               Top with orange frosting.  

Red Hot Apple Cider

Image by FreeDigitalPhotos.net/imagerymajestic

Oh my!  It's my day to post and I totally spaced it!  Husband is out of town on business and I have been cleaning and decorating and just playing, because I can be up late and not wake anyone up.  Looks like I could have remembered to blog a recipe, doesn't it?  So if you need a little warming up this afernoon/evening, then I have gotten this post up JUST FOR YOU!  We had dinner with some friends one night during the Christmas season and Trini served hot cider that was so yummy.  I asked her for the recipe and she just laughed.  When you see the ingredients you might laugh, as well, but once you taste it you will be like, oh my gosh.



Image by flickr.com/begautrea

Ingredients:
Apple Cider or Apple Juice
Red Hots candies

1.  Pour desired amount of apple cider or juice in a stove top teapot or in a saucepan.
2.  Pour desired amount of Red Hots into pot/pan, according to how spicy you want your cider.
3.  Heat to desired temperature.
4.  Pour into mug or cup and enjoy....you may want to put a cinnamon stick in for garnish.

Here's another fun hot drink tip:  Another friend, Adrianna, puts cinnamon sticks in her water when she is heating it for instant hot chocolate.  Kind of a quick way to sort of have Mexican Hot Chocolate.  Yummmm...also good when making instant oatmeal.

Source:  Trini Marquez, El Paso, Texas

Crock Pot Apple Butter

 I recommend thinking outside the box when using apple butter.  Mix it into oatmeal.  Spread on top of a plain or spice doughnut.  Mix it into your meatloaf.  THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!

Ingredients:

7 c. applesauce
2 c. cider
1 1/2 c. honey
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. ground allspice

Applesauce:  Preferably homemade, unsweetened, but a good quality commercial is ok.

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients in crock pot.  Cover and cook on low heat 14-15 hours or until mixture is deep brown.

2.  Pack while hot into 4 hot pint jars.  Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Source:  cooks.com