BACON & CHEESE DEVILED EGGS FOR EASTER BRUNCH

If you are looking for a deviled egg recipe that is just a little different, this is a good one. The filling has crisp bacon and cheddar cheese in it and it is a great change. The filling is done in the food processor which produces a very creamy texture. I forgot to take a better photo of these before they went on the party table, but I quick snapped this one to give you an idea of how I decorated them.
12 hard boiled eggs
½ cup favorite salad dressing (I use mayonnaise)
4 strips of crisp fried bacon
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used medium)
1 level tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
2 tablespoons pickle juice (favorite flavor)
extra bacon for decoration (optional)
Cut the boiled eggs in half and put the yolks, salad dressing, bacon, cheese and mustard into a food processor. Process until it starts to get smooth, then...while running, pour in the pickle juice and process for another 20 seconds. This extra processing time will chop the bacon and cheese small enough AND it gives the filling a wonderful feel on the tongue.
Fill the egg white halves and top with a small piece of crisp bacon.

LIGHT AS AIR DONUT HOLES FOR THIS WEEKEND

This recipe comes from the April edition of Cooking Light...go figure. Why a fried donut recipe is in a magazine called Cooking Light, I'm not sure, but it is...I tried it, and they were delicious...light as air.
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6 tablespoons warm water (see note)
¼ cup granulated sugar
1+ 1/8 teaspoons dry active yeast (I used 1¼)
6.75 ounces flour (about 1½ cups) divided (see note)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 cups peanut oil (I used vegetable oil)
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Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, let stand for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Weigh, or lightly spoon 5.63 ounces (about 1¼ cups) flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife, add salt.
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Add sour cream and lightly beaten egg to yeast mixture and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until a moist dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 3 minutes); add enough of the remaining flour (1 tablespoon at a time) to prevent dough from sticking to your hands. (dough will feel slightly sticky). See note.
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Place dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place (85 degrees) for 1 hour or until almost double in size. (see note)
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Punch down dough. Divide into 36 equal portions; roll each portion into a ball. Cover dough with plastic wrap coated with cooking spray; let sit 30 minutes.
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Fry in 375F oil, for 2 minutes or until golden and done. Drain donuts on paper towels. Glaze or roll in sugar.
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OK, now that was their instructions...here's mine: I ended up using two cups of flour because their recommendation was simply not enough. I shaped the donut holes and placed them on a square of parchment paper that I had sprayed with cooking spray and then wiped off with a paper towel. This allows you to pick up each donut hole without deflating it.
Yeast dough's only cooperate with you if they are kept warm, so, either bring the egg and sour cream to room temperature before you use them, or sit your bowl of dough (and later your pan of shaped donut holes) over a large bowl of very warm water (the hottest water coming from your kitchen sink).

This dough was supposed to take only an hour to raise the first time. However, I didn't use room temperature ingredients, so it took almost 2 hours. Once I sat it over the bowl of warm water, the dough became beautifully light and fluffy.

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I find that an electric skillet works well for frying donuts because you can set the temperature and it doesn't take all that much oil. Just make sure you flip them over every 30 seconds for a total fry time of 2 minutes.

Drain them, initially, on several layers of paper towels. Once drained, dip the hot donuts in a glaze or roll them in sugar.
Glaze

1½ cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons warm water

(I added a half teaspoon vanilla)
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NOTE: Recipe starts with 6 tablespoons warm water. You can actually use fairly hot water in this step because the granulated sugar will cool down the water before you mix in the yeast.
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NOTE: This recipe needs a lot more flour than is called for. I used two cups of flour (lightly spooned into a measuring cup and leveled off with a knife), and I didn't put it in 1 tablespoon at a time, like directions suggest, I just dumped it in.

INSTANT ITALIAN FLAT BREAD

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked for this recipe. They are quick to fix (out of ingredients that are always on hand) and they reheat well.

 

This super-simple recipe starts with a refrigerator biscuit that is rolled out flat and topped with a cheesy-herb mixture and baked. It's a great "go with" for any dinner..
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10 ounce tube of refrigerator (flaky) biscuits
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (packed fairly tight)
1/4 teaspoon of dry basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon of dry oregano leaves
3 tablespoons of thinly slivered green onion tops1 clove of garlic (minced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
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Mix everything together well (except the biscuits) and set aside. Separate refrigerator biscuits and roll each one out into a circle approximately 4” across.

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Using your fingers, press on the center of the biscuit’s a little more, leaving the outer edge just a little bit thicker than the center (like a pizza). Divide cheese mixture evenly between the biscuits and spread it around (staying back from the edge).

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Bake on lightly sprayed cookie sheet, at 350° for about 15 minutes or until golden around the edges.
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NOTE: Change the kind of herbs if there is something you like better.

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NOTE: I usually cook them for about 14½ minutes then turn the broiler on for about 30 seconds to give them just a little extra color (but watch them carefully). ..
NOTE: Don’t flour your counter before rolling out these biscuits.

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NOTE: I've always used mayonnaise, I'm sure how Miracle Whip would taste.

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NOTE: Any style of refrigerator biscuit will work.

SHORTBREAD MELTAWAY COOKIES

My Hubby has started a new hobby...wood turning and I couldn't be happier. I am quickly accumulating beauties like the piece below which is made out of birch (he harvests wind-fallen birch and spruce trees from the forest behind the house). He used to teach college level hand thrown pottery, so I'm guessing some of those skills have carried over to his new wood turning attempts. In any case, I am very happy with the results.

Today's Shortbread Meltaway Cookies are quick, easy and they literally do, melt in your mouth.
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1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup powdered sugar
¾ cup butter (room temperature)
1 teaspoons vanilla
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Cream the butter, in a stand mixer, until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until the dough is well mixed and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
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Roll dough into one inch balls and roll them in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and lightly press down with a fork. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes or until the outside edges of the cookie start to turn golden. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

PINEAPPLE SQUARES - THE PERFECT POTLUCK DESSERT

The great cooks over at Mennonite Girls Can Cook posted this recipe a few days ago. Their original recipe was for a 9" x 13" pan (I made a pie). It was a little soft for a pie, so next time I'm definitely making the 9"x13", but man-o-man is it delicious!!! It is super simple to throw together and it keeps beautifully in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. If you have a potluck, family gathering, or company coming this weekend, I hope you give this recipe a try; it will be a big hit with everyone from the little guys to Grandpa!! CRUST
2½ cups graham cracker crumbs (see note)
½ cup melted butter
(I added ¼ cup of white sugar)
Mix and press into a 9" x 13" baking dish and bake at 350F for 12 minutes then cool.
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PUDDING LAYER
1 box vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
Cook per box directions and spread over cooled crust
NOTE: I used a 3.4 ounce of instant pudding
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PINEAPPLE CREAM LAYER
1 large can of crushed pineapple drained well
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons white sugar
Whip the cream, vanilla and sugar together until you get stiff peaks. Fold in the pineapple (I squeezed it dry with my hands) then spread the pineapple-cream over the pudding layer. Chill in the fridge for several hours before serving.
NOTE: The original recipe on the MGCC site, said to reserve ¼ cup of the graham cracker crumbs to sprinkle over the top of the pineapple cream layer (for decoration).

KATY'S CHICKEN

Katy is one of the sweetest souls I've met in the blogging world. Her web page is called Food for a Hungry Soul; do yourself a favor and check out her recipes. I especially enjoy her chicken recipes because her "Ole Sweetie-Pi" and my "Picky-picky Hubby" have very similar taste when it comes to anything more elaborate than red meat and potatoes.

Katy's original title for today's post was Oven Fried Chicken with Honey Butter Sauce...however at our house, we just called Katy's chicken and it is delicious!! Thanks for sharing the recipe Katy.

1 tender frying chicken, cut up for frying
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 cup butter

SAUCE
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice (I used pineapple)
(I added a pinch of dry red pepper flakes)

Dip chicken pieces into mixture of flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Melt one stick butter in a shallow baking pan in a hot oven (400 degrees). Remove pan from oven. Arrange chicken in single layer in pan, turning to coat with butter. Bake skin side down at(400F) 30 minutes. Turn chicken.

For the sauce, melt 1/4 cup butter and add the honey and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over chicken and bake another 30 minutes or until fork-tender. Baste often, with the sauce, during last 15 minutes of baking,

I decided to use 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken. Assuming I wouldn't need as much flour mixture, I followed Katy’s directions (well almost) and made only half of the flour mixture. I also substituted pineapple juice for the lemon juice. I baked the floured chicken breasts 25 minutes at 400F and then covered them with the sauce and baked them for another 20 minutes (basting them with the sauce every 5 minutes or so).

This recipe is so simple yet produces an extremely tender and juicy chicken breast. I made a few extra and we are looking forward to making some great chicken sammie’s tomorrow.

(TWIX COPYCAT) CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL-SHORTBREAD COOKIES

A few days ago, I spotted an intriguing recipe on someones web page, however, in my haste I didn't take note of who's page it was (thank you to everyone who helped with page suggestions). Instead I found a similar recipe and gave it a try (with a couple minor changes). My first "taste testers" were a group of old grizzled snowmachine groupies in Hubby's shop and the treats disappeared instantly.


Next, I made some to take to our granddaughters 14th birthday party; they were a hit there as well. It is unfortunate that these cookies are called Twix cookies, because they are vastly better than ANY Twix candy bar I've ever eaten. There is a sweet crispy shortbread cookie base, topped with a nice thick layer of caramel made from sweetened condensed milk, and then they are topped with your favorite flavor of melted chocolate. These cookies are totally addicting and the recipe is going straight into my FIVE STAR recipe folder.

COOKIE BASE
1 cup cold butter
2 generous cups all purpose flour
heaping ½ cup brown sugar (I used dark)


Put all the of cookie ingredients into the food processor and pulse until it just starts to bind together. It won't go completely together, but if you watch it while you pulse, you will see the consistency change and small "clumps" appear.


Press this mixture into a parchment paper lined 9x13 baking dish (I left the ends of the parchment paper long, so I could grab them and lift the final product out of the pan for easier cutting). Bake in preheated 350F oven for 20-25 minutes or until edges are light golden. (see note below)

While the crust is baking, make the caramel filling:

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¾ cup butter

generous ½ cup brown sugar (I used dark)

3 tablespoons Karo corn syrup

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

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In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix all of the caramel ingredients. Heat (and stir constantly) on medium high heat until it comes to a boil. At first, the melted butter will sort of float on top, but as it cooks (and you stir) it will incorporate. See note below for burner temperature suggestions. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over pre-baked cookie base. Refrigerate until caramel layer is cold and firm to the touch.

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Melt 12 ounces of your favorite flavor chocolate (I used milk chocolate) + a teaspoon of butter. Stir until smooth and pourable (I just melted mine in the microwave for 60 seconds). Spread over cooled caramel and return to the fridge to let the chocolate set (I actually speed set mine in the freezer).

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Cut into small squares and serve. These are really rich, so I cut them into squares just a little bigger than 1" x 1".

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NOTE: The recipe calls for "2 generous cups of flour"...whats up with that? I measured my flour and sugar in the standard way then added a tablespoon extra per cup. I'm not sure if that is what the original recipe meant, but it worked well for me.

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NOTE: The ingredient amounts for the cookie crust are way off track in the original recipe. I only used about 2/3 of the crumbs for the cookie base and it was perfect. If you like a thick cookie base, use all of the crumbs.

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NOTE: My burner settings go from 1 to 10. I brought the caramel ingredients up to a boil at setting 8 (medium high), then quickly turned it down to setting 5 (medium) for a couple of minutes, and finally ended up on setting 3 (low); cooking for a total of 6 minutes. The caramel will be pretty thick, so keep reducing the heat until the caramel. The caramel traps and holds the heat for a long time, so start turning down your burner before it gets to that wild-boil stage.

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NOTE: I found this recipe (dated 2008) on a web page called The Domestic Side of Life.