Chocolate Brownie Footballs

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?????????
I am....I lovvve this time of year..Cool, Crisp
mornings, beautiful color from the trees &
FOOTBALL SEASON!!!!!! And then all the great
traditions, family, & HOLIDAYS!!!!

Everyone is thinking about what kind of foods
to have at their next get together..whether a
"Tailgate Party" (or just having friends
over anytime..)

You don't want to be in the kitchen..you
want to be with family & friends..& enjoying
the memories your making. So with that being
said I am going to be giving you some recipes that
hopefully make a 'Touchdown" at your next get
together.

You can make these the day before. These Chocolate
Brownie Footballs are adapted from Betty Crocker.
Thanks Betty.

RECIPE
1 box of your favorite brownie mix (Lg size)
(water, eggs, & vegetable oil called for on mix)

1 tub of white frosting or icing in a tube

Chocolate Ganache
4 (1 oz) semi-sweet chocolate squares
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9"x 13" pan
with foil so that foil extends about 2" over
short sides of pan. Grease bottom only of
foil with cooking spray. SEE BELOW



2) Make & bake brownies as directed on box for a
9x13 pan using water, oil & eggs. COOL for 1 hr.

3) When cooled take out of pan with foil & flip over on to surface (breadboard, etc.) for cutting out the
footballs.

Peel off aluminum foil and make a template of a
"Football" (abt 3 1/2" x 2") SEE BELOW

If this is all you want to do then just use white icing

to put "Laces" on the football & your done.

OR

4) If you would like to make a ganache then proceed

with taking 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream, 3 Tbsp.

butter getting it hot on stove. (watching to not burn)

Add semi-sweet chocolate squares & blend together

to make ganache. SEE BELOW

It should have a beautiful glisten.

5) BELOW shows the way I did the dipping.
I hand dipped one side of the brownie & put on
cookie rack to dry.
Then after they have dried I put white frosting
into a icing bag (with a small round hole tip) &
decorated the footballs with "Laces." I was happy
with the way they turned out..and they were a big
hit with friends & family.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

Who can resist a Chocolate Peanut Butter
Brownie???? These are actually very similar to
the Chocolate Mint Brownies click here we
did a few months ago.

These turned out to taste really good...They
are a little rich but you can control that by the
the size you cut each one. Hope you like
them.. P.S. These would be a great addition
to any Super Bowl Party.
RECIPE
Bottom Layer:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
4 lg. eggs, beaten (FYI: the original recipe in
Cooking Light replaces 2 of these 4 eggs with
1/2 c. egg substitute...that's what I did for this
recipe)
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
8oz. chocolate syrup (1/2 of a 16oz. can)

Peanut Butter Layer
2 c. powered sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 Tbsp. milk (I used non-fat, but you can
probably use whatever you have)

Chocolate Glaze
3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
TO PREPARE BOTTOM LAYER:
Combine flour & salt..whisk set aside.
Combine sugar, 1/4 c. melted butter,
2 Tbsp. water, vanilla, eggs & chocolate
syrup in a medium bowl; beat with mixer
til smooth. Slowly add flour mixture to
chocolate stirring until blended.

BATTER WILL BE THIN! Pour batter
into 13 x 9 inch baking pan coated with
cooking spray.

BAKE at 350F. for 23 min. or until a
wooden toothpick inserted comes out
almost clean. COOL completely in pan
on wire rack.

PREPARE PEANUT BUTTER LAYER:
Combine powdered sugar, 1/2 c. melted
butter, peanut butter, & milk. SEE BELOW:

Make sure bottom layer is completely COOLED
before frosting..
Frost bottom layer with Peanut Butter filling as
seen BELOW:
TO PREPARE CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
Combine the chocolate chips & 3 Tbsp. melted
butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
MICROWAVE ON HIGH for 1 minute or
until melted.(stirring every 30 sec) Let stand
2 min.

Spread chocolate mixture evenly over the top.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut & Serve...and Enjoy the delicious taste.

How to make the "Best Honey BBQ Ribs" (in the oven)

Oh my Goodness........These ribs are the
Best I've tasted in a long time!!!! My husband
said "Honey these are the Best you've ever
made..ever"....3 times...in 1 minute!!!! The
rest of the family said the same thing!!! I 'll have
to make these more often if I can receive that kind
of appreciation....

I've made Country Style Boneless Ribs for a lot
of years but these are different...I experimented with
the recipe & found some Great flavors (the Dijon
mustard gives it a KICK) to blend in the sauce & a
different way to bake them!! Soooooooo..of course I
wanted to share these ideas with you guys....
Here goes: Pre-heat oven to 250F.

RECIPE
3 -3 1/2 lbs. of Country Style pork or beef ribs (I used boneless)
1 tsp. minced garlic
dash of garlic powder
dash of salt
dash of pepper
BBQ Sauce
2 c. Honey BBQ sauce
1 1/2 c. Brown sugar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Directions:
Line a 9 x 13" pan with aluminum foil
over lapping the sides enough to fold
over top of ribs.

Place Country Stye ribs in pan and sprinkle both
sides with garlic powder, salt, pepper, &
minced garlic. AS SEEN BELOW

Fold aluminum foil over & place in pre-heated
250F. oven and bake for 2 hrs.

While ribs are baking, mix together Brown sugar,

Honey BBQ Sauce, & Dijon mustard into a

beautiful basting glaze. SEE BELOW

After baking for 2 hrs. take ribs out of

oven, drain excess water and grease from

pan, & baste ribs with glaze....put back in

oven for 1 hr..Take out...Optional: baste 1

more time for an even thicker glaze and put

back in the oven for 10 more minutes.. Throw out any un-used sauce since you have been

using a brush back & forth touching raw meat..so for

health reasons you would not use any left

over sauce. After.. Tender, juicy & succulent!!!!

After you make these..you'll have to keep them

hidden or they'll be gone...Before dinner. That's

what my family told me..so be forewarned..

These would be a SUPER football party food.

The glaze could be even put over wings or chicken
legs. Deliciousssssssssssssssss.....Enjoy..

Cranberry/Coconut Cookies

Don't you just love the combo of coconut/cranberries
& walnuts...I do..so when I wanted a recipe for cookies
that had all that I tweaked some that I found to become
one of the most delicious cookies I make.

I also have been sticking to "using up what I have"
before buying more...So I needed to use up some
coconut, rolled oats, walnuts & I added my craving
to come up with these "Cranberry/Coconut Cookie
Charmers"

I knew what I wanted but could not find one recipe..
but found a few and created my own...which turned
out to better than I could have hoped for...

Today I brought some over to a friend that I visit
each month, (who's a fantastic cook herself by the
way) & soon after she called telling me how much
she loved them & wanting the recipe to make them
for Young Women in our ward tonite...so I thought
I'd better have it on the blog for any of the girls (or
their moms) who might like to try it out. They are
really "delish"...as Rachael Ray would say...

RECIPE
3/4 c. Crisco (R) Butter Shortening
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. Br. sugar
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. coconut
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375F. Coat baking sheet with
non-stick cooking spray or use a "Silpat Liner"
(one of my favorite kitchen items)

BEAT shortening, sugar & Br. sugar on medium
speed of electric mixer until blended. Beat in
eggs & vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda &
salt in small bowl. Beat into shortening mixture
until smooth. Stir in oats, coconut, dried
cranberries, & walnuts. As in Photo Below:



Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (I love to
use a Lg. Cookie Scoop..another Favorite
Kitchen Item) because it keeps cookies
round & the same size...

Bake: 10-12 min. or until light brown. Cool
for 2 min & enjoy!!

3 Bean Chili (Super Fast/Easy)

Don't you just love the crispness of Fall? I do..
Inside there are the aromas of an amazing Chili are
looming...This is soo great. It's nutritious...
filling..and warming to your insides...
Comfort Food. We even coupled it with Cheddar
Biscuits we made a couple days ago. Still
Delicious....

I took 2 completely different recipes from 2
different generations & mixed them together,
omitted some other ingredients & came up with this.
I wanted something that would be especially
nutritious for my family...Remember my
New Year's resolution (to eat more nutritiously
when possible)

My daughter let me know in past weeks how
much she loves black beans, & how good they
are for you sooo I wanted black beans, kidney
beans, & veggies in it plus some lean gr. beef..
but not too spicy.. This is what I came
up with.

I also wanted to start using Food from
our Food Storage on a more daily basis so
I'll let you know what comes of that, too.
Hope you enjoy this as I much as I had coming
up with it....


RECIPE
1 lb. lean ground beef, crumbled
1 yellow skinned onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 (14.5oz.) can of crushed tomatoes (not drained)
1 can of tomato soup
1 (15oz.) can of black beans (not drained)
1 (15.25oz.) can of kidney beans (not drained)
1 (16oz.) can of Fat Free refried beans
1 Tbsp. chili powder (more for a spicier chili)
1 c. water

Directions:
In a deep pot combine onions, ground beef, &
garlic. Brown these together (drain off any grease)
Add 1 can of tomato soup, can of crushed tomatoes,
black beans, & kidney beans. Cook on med. heat for
about 10 min. Season with chili powder (to your
taste) Blend in refried beans & water. Simmer
for 10 min or until all are ingredients are blended
together.. Taste...add more of any thing you like....

Toppings
shredded cheese
chopped scallions
tortilla Chips

P.S. Don't forget the Cheddar Biscuits..they are
great with this...Click here for Biscuit Recipe

Fantastic Cheddar Biscuits

We just celebrated my daughter's birthday &
so she got to choose the dinner she wanted
which consisted of Tempura Shrimp, veggies,
fries, & we had Fantastic Cheddar Biscuits!!
The kind that taste like a lobster place we all know
& love....I wanted you all to have a chance at tasting
these delicious gems...Adapted from F. Poste of
allrecipes.com

RECIPE

2 c. biscuit mix (I used Bisquick)
1/2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2/3 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter

Bake @ 450F for 11 min. or golden brown

Directions:
In a bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheese, onion,
& garlic powder (I added this INTO the mix..
the original recipe puts the garlic powder with
the butter to be brushed on afterwards) I think
it tastes much better mixed in with the other
ingredients...

Stir in milk until a soft dough forms a ball as ABOVE..

Using a large cookie scoop..drop rounded
tablespoons 2" apart onto baking sheet.
By the way...I love my SILPAT liners
from France. They are one of my Favorite
Kitchen items.

Melt butter & brush over warm biscuits...
Yummmmm...Melt in your mouth Cheddar
Biscuits...

Fast/Easy Chocolate Krinkles

Okay....Sometimes you just want a delicious,
chewy, gooey, Chocolaty cookie..& you don't
have a long time to make them...

That happened to me a few years ago..& I
came up with this idea out of necessity &
what I had on hand...

I will put the original recipe I have (that
is really good!) on the blog for those of
you who would like to make them from
scratch..

Chocolate Krinkles
(Fast/Easy)
1 pkg Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies
1 egg
1/4 c. canola oil
2 Tbsp. water
3/4 c. powered sugar

Bake @ 350F for 8-10 min.

Simple..huh??? Just follow the directions on the pkg. &
combine cookie mix, oil, water, & egg.. Use a cookie scoop
& make 1" balls...then roll in confectioner's sugar & put
on cookie sheet...SEE BELOW

Chocolate Krinkles
(Original recipe adapted from T. Hadley)

3 beaten eggs

1 1/2 c. sugar

4 sq. (4oz.) unsweetened chocolate (melted)

1/2 c. cooking oil

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

Combine eggs, sugar, chocolate, oil, baking

powder, & vanilla. Gradually add flour. Mix

until thoroughly combined. Cover & chill 1-2 hrs.

Shape dough into 1" balls. Roll in powered sugar.

Bake @ 375 for 8-10 min. on ungreased cookie

sheet.

Chicken/Cheese/Broccoli Soup w/Bread Bowl

What's for dinner??? When it's really cold
outside (like it has been here) There's nothing
better than comfort food..Something hot,
filling & tastes simply out of this world!!!

One of the great things I have found in doing
this blog for the last 6 months (besides finding new
wonderful people to have in my life..like all
of you!!!) is finding great recipes & rediscovering
old family favorites that have been handed
down from generation to generation.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to use up
the food we have & make meals from the
ingredients I have on hand...
This is one of those recipes..I had a lot of
broccoli, & chicken to use up..So this is what
I came up with...Hope you like it...

So let's begin to make this phenomenal
"Chicken/Cheese/Broccoli Soup"...and
Bread Bowl (next time the bowl will be from
scratch...I promise & I'll give you the recipe)

I love the eye appeal this has when using the
Sourdough French Bread as a "Soup Bowl."
This recipe is from Liz K. as adapted by Sister's
Cafe...

I have changed the recipe to include chicken
(I always like to have more protein if possible)
& mixed Mexican cheese I had on hand...

RECIPE
1 can chicken broth (about 2 cups)
1 small onion, diced

1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp.)

2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (sharper...better)
1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. Mixed Mexican cheeses
2-3 c. steamed broccoli florets (chopped in pieces)
3 chicken breasts (skinless/boneless/cooked) diced
1 Lg. Round Sourdough French Bread

Directions:
Simmer chicken broth & chopped onions for
15-20 min. in a covered saucepan, until onions
are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 min.

In a separate lg-size sauce pan, melt butter
& then add flour and pepper. See Photo Below..
Cook together for a couple of minutes until thickened..

Add warm milk until blended...Then add chicken

broth w/onions, cheeses, steamed broccoli, &

lg. pieces of diced chicken. Stir & heat together

on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken..

As shown in next 3 photos...

Ouuu..it looks sooo good & smells even better!!!!

I wish you could SMELL IT!!

Now for the Bread Bowl.....I had planned to make

them from scratch, but the afternoon flew by &

(I made Bread pudding instead..that will have to be

for another post) Wish you could smell that too!!!

Anyway I needed this done to take dinner into a dear

friend (& her family) who just came home from the

hospital..So I was fine with store bought...See Below:

Looking further below... shows how I cut the "Top"

off with an electric knife (It's easiest I think) & then

cut a circle around the loaf (leaving about 1/2"

of bread creating the "bowl". Then pull out (by hand)

the soft bread..

(You can use that to eat with the soup..Same with

the top..You can eat it with the soup or maybe with

some spinach dip like we did...)

It is out of this world....Try it & let me know what

your family thinks...

It is so delicious & Comforting on a Cold, Gray

day outside...It's nice to be cozy & warm &

have a delicious nutritious meal that you

know will leave your family cozy & warm on

the inside, too.

Delicious Chicken/Cranberry Braid

Ohhh...This is sooo good!!! My daughter
gave me this wonderful recipe for a
CHICKEN/CRANBERRY BRAID....

I changed the original recipe from Turkey
to Chicken.. Ham would work, too. The
flavors are sooo incredible...the Swiss Cheese
melting into the Chicken...the Cranberries
bursting with flavor & sweetness, along with
the crispness of Celery, crunch of Walnuts,
& the little bite that comes with the Dijon
mustard....Quite a WOW combination...

I don't even like celery but in this.....I love it....
I've made this 2 times in the last week..
It was that good!!!

This recipe comes from the"Season's Best
Recipe Collection" 2000 from Pampered
Chef...



Below: is the "Pampered Chef....Stone."
They have some great recipes & ideas...I never
knew what a "Stone" was to cook on until I was
invited to a Pampered Chef Party many yrs. ago.

Some of the things "a stone" does is to cook Pizza,
Cookies, & this Braid thoroughly.... You don't
have to worry about the middle being cooked
all the way through as well as the edges....It
just does it.....
Recipe
2 pkgs. Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 c. cooked chicken (chopped)
1/2 c. celery (sliced)
3 Tbsp. parsley (fresh or dried)
1 c. Swiss cheese (shredded)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts ( I used 3/4 c.)

1 egg (for gloss from egg wash on top of braid)
Bake @ 350F. for 25 min. (ovens may vary)

In a bowl mix all ingredients together...set aside

Unroll the pkgs of crescent rolls..Place triangle
pieces on stone layered (a little on top of each other)
as shown below....Put straight side down the middle
& pinch/push together to make stick...

Above: shows how to place the unwrapped crescent
triangles...& push them together so they stick...

Next Below: Mix the ingredients together


Now Below: Scoop the mixture onto the
dough (down the middle) A large Cookie
Scoop works great...

Next Below: Take one triangle at a time and

fold over (one side then the other) It looks

mummy like..Ha! It'll look great after you put on

the egg wash...

Above: Beat the egg with a fork or whisk and

use a pastry brush to brush back & forth over the

entire braid for a beautiful gloss & flakey crust.

And out of the oven it comes..Beautiful...

Doesn't it look delicious???? It tastes

as good as it looks...It would Great for

a Super Bowl party...It's great for Turkey

leftovers...Chicken... Ham...

Let me know how you like it......Yummmm...