Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

You all probably know of my chocolate/peanut butter obsession by now. Well, my husband likes it, but he loves mint and chocolate together. These cupcakes were right up his alley. I made my mom a Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Filling and Chocolate Frosting last night. I decided to double my chocolate cake recipe to make multiple things. I used half for mom's cake, 1/4 for cupcakes, and the other 1/4 for my chocolate peanut butter cake bites. So anyway, I made a mint frosting to put on the cupcakes. They're pretty great. You could garnish them with mini chocolate chips or shaved chocolate. Austin requested them with just the frosting so that's how they're pictured. But, you do whatever makes you happy!!

-3 c. powdered sugar

-2 sticks butter, softened
-2 t. Mint Extract
-1-2 T. heavy whipping cream
-1 drop green food coloring
Beat sugar and butter until it comes together. Then, whisk for 3 minutes until it gets really light and fluffy. Add mint and food coloring. Whisk for another minute. Add the cream a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Mint Chocolate Cupcake

Mom's Cake

Spaghetti Pie

This was definitely an experimental thing. Experiment turned out awwwesome! Why not combine two of my favorite things (not chocolate and peanut butter this time)- spaghetti and pie. Sounds creepy when I put it like that. Does spaghetti and pie crust sound better? I don't know, probably not. But it was amazing and oh, so easy! Gotta love that. It's pretty much a spaghetti meat mixture stuffed inside a -non-sweetened pie crust. Kind of like a pot pie, but different ;-)

-1 lb. ground beef
-2 c. spaghetti sauce (use your own or use a pre-made one.. I love Ragu Traditional.)
-1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
-1/4 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
-pie crust- try my homemade one! It's easy peasy. I made it over a lunch hour one day. You can also use a refrigerated crust though if you're incredibly pressed for time.

These are the pans I used

Brown hamburger in a large skillet. While hamburger is cooking, start rolling out your pie crust. How you roll out your crust depends on how you plan on baking it. If you want to make one big pie (in a pie plate or regular springform pan), divide dough in half and roll out onto a floured surface. If you want to make individual pies, use smaller portions to roll out at a time. I used about a half cup of dough at a time. I baked mine in mini springform pans. So, roll your dough out according to how you're going to make your pie(s). Spray your pans with some non-stick cooking spray. Put pie crust in pans. Use your hands to press the dough on the bottoms and sides. Perfection not required.

 If you have grease in your hamburger skillet, drain it off. Add spaghetti sauce and cheeses. Stir until all combined.

Meat Mixture

Fill crusts with  meat mixture. There were 4 pans in the set of mini springform pans I bought, so that's how many I made. They were pretty full with the meat divided evenly. Cover with another crust, or however you prefer. I tried 2 different ways, just for fun.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until top crust is lightly golden. Like I said, this was experimental...when I do this again I will probably up my temperature to 400 or 425 to see if I can get them baked in less time. Serve these with a salad or a veggie if ya want!

Pie Crust

This recipe is so easy and versatile. If you are using it for actual pie, sprinkle a little sugar onto it before filling it. If you are doing a double crust, dust the top crust with sugar also.
-3 c. flour
-1 1/4 c. crisco
-1 egg
-6 T. cold water
-1 T. vinegar
-1/8 t. salt
Mix flour and crisco together with fork until it has come together in coarse crumbles. Make a well in the middle. To do this, use your hands and scoot the flour mixture to the sides of the bowl, leaving a hole in the middle (so it will be funnel shaped). Beat egg in the hole. Add water, vinegar, and salt. Beat together. Some of the flour mix will probably start falling in there- that's okay! Then, mix all together until just combined. Don't overmix. Overmixing can cause it to be tough.
-Makes 2 crusts

Cheesy Surprise Biscuits

These were a totally random thing I decided to make. I was having a little carb craving. I love my carbs most when they're swimming in butter and cheese. Okay, these don't "swim" in butter and cheese, but they are delicious. Super easy to make. Austin loved them, and he isn't a big fan of biscuits! *happy dance happy dance* I didn't take a a picture of the ingredients for the simple fact that these were a last minute, throw together, sort of thing. I'm sure everyone is familiar with these ingredients though! If not, it's time you become best friends.

-1 package Flaky Layers Biscuits (I used Great Value brand, and they were great)
-2 T. butter, melted (I used butter from a tub for these, but either will work great on this recipe)
-1/2 t. garlic powder
-cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide each biscuit in half. They don't have to be perfectly in half- just pull them apart into two pieces! Mix melted butter and garlic powder together in a little dish. Brush half of the biscuits with melted butter. Sprinkle each buttered piece with a little cheddar cheese. Put the non-buttered halves on top of the buttery/cheesy halves. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Bake on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the biscuits are golden brown. Try not to eat all 8 of them. Or, go for it! ;-)

Cheesy Biscuit half, plain half

Happy marriage of dough, cheese, and butter

Baked

Cheesy surprise in the middle! YUM!

Banana Flax Muffins

I decided to get a little creative this morning. I keep trying to find things to eat that are filling, yet low in fat/calories/blah blah blah. So with a couple attempts, I created this muffin recipe. If you are looking for a sugary, bakery style muffin (which I also love..too much)- ya might want to walk away from this recipe. This is a hearty muffin. The banana I had wasn't very ripe yet. I would suggest letting it get fairly brown before making these. I just got a little too anxious and HAD to make these today... oh well! They're still good :) So if ya feel like gettin your healthiness on, bake away!

-1 large banana
-1/2 c. light applesauce or a little single serve applesauce cup
-1/2 c. Splenda (or Apriva, kroger brand)
-1 egg
-1/3 c. milk
-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
-1/3 c. all purpose white flour
-1 c. quick oats
-1/2 c. milled flax seed
-3/4 t. baking soda
-1 t. baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non stick cooking spray. Beat banana and applesauce with a mixer until banana is no longer in chunks. Add in sugar, egg, and milk. Mix well. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Scoop into muffin tin (using a cookie dough scoop is the easiest).

This is what the batter will look like. It's thick!

Bake for 15 minutes. These muffins won't rise a ton. Touch the top of one gently to check to see if it's done. If it springs back, it's done. Let them cool just a couple minutes.

Baked

Then, remove muffins from the tin to a cooling rack. You can eat these muffins plain. You can spread a little peanut butter on the tops while they're still warm. I also tried mixing a little fat free Cool Whip with a little PB2 and put that on the top. I liked them best with the Cool Whip/PB2 topping! Makes 12 regular size muffins.

Plain

Peanut butter 

Fat Free Cool Whip + PB2

Stuffed Peppers

I, Chelsea Baker, will actually eat bell peppers when made this way. It's true! For those of you who do not know me, I am not into veggies. At all. I wish I loved them, but I don't. I'm trying, little by little though! These whip up pretty quickly. I've taken them a couple places and they tend to be a hit each time! At least I think they are... If not, my friends and family are all really good liars ;-) I know some people cut the tops out of the peppers and stuff them that way. That's fine, but that's not how I do them. I cut them length wise.  You end up with halves instead of the whole pepper. Much easier. I've done these with red and green bell peppers, and both are great. I think I like the green a little better, but the red come in at a very close second! Try 'em out!

Forgot to put the red pepper in there!

-1/2 lb. ground beef

-1/2 c. rice

-1/2 c. water

-1 c. spaghetti sauce

-1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

-parmesan cheese, for topping

-3 bell peppers

-garlic, salt, pepper- to taste

This recipe can easily be doubled if you are making these for many people as a meal. It can also be served as an appetizer! Brown your ground beef in a medium sauce pan (sauce pan is nice for when you add in the rest of the ingredients). While it's cooking, cut your peppers. You don't have to do this, but it makes them easier to cook/serve/eat. I cut them in half length wise (like little pepper boats). Remove the stems. I use a paring knife to do this. It also gets the seeds out at the same time. Rinse them out and set them aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After your hamburger is cooked, drain grease, if any. Add rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the water is gone. Stir in sauce. Season with garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in mozzarella cheese.

This is what it looks like before spooning into peppers.

Spoon mixture into peppers. Place peppers in a baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the peppers start to curl in a little. There will still be just a slight crispness to the peppers at this point. If you like them to be completely soft, bake for another 10 minutes.

before baking

oooohh, hello you

after baking

You can see how the edges are slightly curled inward in this picture = done!

Blueberry Banana Pancakes

Ahhh, finally... pancakes I don't feel guilty about! Our nephew stayed the night last night, which means that I made a big breakfast for him and Austin this morning. They had blueberry waffles, chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and fried and scrambled eggs- of course, a combination of those things. Anyway, let's not forget about my constant journey to lose weight. Lose weight = eat healthier. So, I made these blueberry banana pancakes up this morning. They are made with a pancake mix as a base so they are super easy. I didn't feel one bit guilty eating a couple of these this morning! Woot woot!

-1 c. Krusteaz Pancake Mix

-2/3 c. water

-1/2 c. blueberries, pureed

-1/2 banana, pureed

-1/2 c. ground flax seed

-1 t. vanilla extract

Mix pancake mix and water together first. Puree blueberries and banana in a food processor. You can use a blender too, but it may not become as smooth. Or, you can leave the blueberries and banana chunkier if you prefer them that way in your pancakes. Add blueberry-banana puree, flax, and vanilla to pancake mixture. Mix well. Cook on a griddle or in a skillet over medium heat. I got 8 3-4 inch pancakes from these amounts. You can eat these plain, but they're also really good with a thin layer of peanut butter on them! Having my peanut butter obsession, I HAD to have them that way :)
*You can probably use whatever kind of pancake mix you have/like. I would assume it would work. I like the Krusteaz brand quite a bit. You only have to add water, which makes them incredibly quick and easy. I know there are better pancake recipes out there than "Krusteaz Pancake Mix"...but it works for us! I added a little less water than what the bag called for. So if you use another brand, use less liquid. I was making way too many things at once this morning to get a picture of the ingredients. The flax I use is Hodgson Milled Flax Seed, fyi. You may also notice that these don't puff up as much as a normal pancake. THAT is normal for these! Remember they've got that blueberry and banana weight in them!

This is what the batter looks like. Kinda strange, yeah.

Plain and cooked

With peanut butter!! YUM!!

Beef Dips

First, I feel the need to say that I did not make this recipe up! I found it on another blog. I've made it twice, and it's just too good not to share! It's so incredibly easy, too. Mr. Crock Pot gets to do most of the work :) This is basically a french dip sandwich. I think with most french dips, the meat is thinly sliced...you can do that with this recipe or you can shred it (like I do). I think shredding it is the easiest because it tends to fall apart on its own anyway.

-3-4 lb. Beef Rump Roast

-1 packet Au Jus Gravy Mix

-1 envelope Onion Soup Mix

-1 can beef broth

-Whichever bread and cheese you prefer. I used Deli Sub Rolls and Sargento Provolone Mozzarella Slices

Ingredients for Roast

Bread and Cheese

Put the roast in the crock pot. Mix the Au Jus, Onion Soup, and Beef Broth together. Pour over roast. Cook on low for about 8 hours. Mine cooked for 10 hours because I left for work around 8 and didn't get home until 6. So, the roast won't be upset if it cooks longer. Take the roast out of the crock pot to shred it/cut it. I like to strain the juice from the crock pot because I don't like onion chunks. If you like onions, leave them in there :) Shred or cut all the meat up and put it back in the juice. I turn my crock pot to "keep warm" at this point. If yours doesn't have that setting, keep it on low. Let it sit in there for at least another 30 minutes. We like to toast our bread for these sandwiches. Cut the rolls in half lengthwise. I use spray butter, but you can use whatever butter you want on them. Put the halves on a baking sheet in the oven and set to "broil" low. This usually takes at least 5 minutes, but keep a close eye on them so they don't burn. However, if you do burn them a little, here's a little trick! Use a sharp paring knife to just scrape off the burnt stuff. Works like a charm. Scoop out some of the meat and put it on one half of the roll. Top it with a piece of cheese (I tear a piece in half to make it fit better). Put the halves with meat on them back in the oven to let the cheese melt. It will only take a minute or two. Then just top it with the other half! You can use some of the juice from the crock pot if you'd like to dip your sandwich. Just a little heads up- the sandwiches are pretty moist without dipping! They're ooooh so good!

What it will look like when you pour broth mixture over it

Roast is cooked!

Meat is shredded (it looks a little nasty, but it's heavenly)

You can eat it this way ...

...or this way!

Chicken Pesto Pasta

This is one of the easiest meals that you can just throw together quickly!! I finally made Austin his birthday dinner tonight- fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn.

Looks delicious huh? Yeah well, this isn't a "cheat day" for me, so I made myself something a little better/healthier. It's not as healthy as a head of lettuce, but it's not a mound of potatoes, butter, and cream either. So these measurements are for one person. If you're making this for more than just yourself, increase your ingredient amounts.

-meat from 1 chicken breast; baked, grilled, or boiled

-1 serving (2 oz.) whole wheat thin spaghetti

-about 2 T. Classico Traditional Basil Pesto

-a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese

Boil the pasta until it's done, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the chicken up into bite sized pieces. Strain water off pasta. Stir pesto in with noodles. Add in chicken. Stir all together until the chicken is coated in the pesto, too. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. 

I realize that is not the best photo of a meal. I was too hungry to keep trying to get a perfect shot. :) Guess you'll just have to make this for yourself to really see what it looks like! haha. This meal was actually easier than my recipe led on. I had bought a baked chicken breast from Dillons and decided to use the meat from that in this recipe. I just tore it off the bone and away from the skin. All I truly had to do as far as "cooking", was boil the noodles. So voila, life just got easier.

Honeyed Fiber Stacks

I created these little things today. My original thought was to make something as a little pick-me-up sort of snack. After tasting them, I realized these could be dessert! YOU MUST MAKE THEM! They're too easy not to try :)

 -1 c. Fiber One 80 Calories Cereal- Honey Squares
-1/2 c. Old Fashioned Oats 
-3 T. honey
-2 T. PB2
-1 t. water
-1 t. regular peanut butter
-1 T. chocolate chips (optional)

On wax paper

 Mix the cereal and the oats in a mixing bowl together. In a small dish, mix the PB2 and the honey. If it's not mixing well, add the water. Pour over cereal mixture and stir together. Stir in the regular peanut butter (this makes the cereal stay together better). Line a plate with wax paper. Scoop the mixture out onto wax paper in 8 equal portions. You may have to mold them together a little bit. You can either leave them like that, or you can incorporate the chocolate!

Without chocolate

Perfection!

If using the chocolate, put the chips in a small ziploc bag and melt for 20 seconds in the microwave. Smoosh together. If not melted yet, do another 10 seconds until melted. Cut the corner (a TINY corner) off of the bag. Squeeze the bag to drizzle chocolate over the stacks. Store in the refrigerator.


When I made these, I put them in the fridge for about oooooh 5 or so minutes and then tried them. What can I say? I have very little patience :) Anyway, they weren't totally set up yet. So, be strong and wait 20 minutes (or just eat one over a plate or something).
*These end up being about 80 calories a piece- that's with the chocolate! They also have about 2 g fiber, which isn't too bad considering they're only 80 calories and taste amazing :)
**If you don't have PB2, you can use regular peanut butter. Use 2 tablespoons and mix it with the honey before mixing it into the cereal. You don't need the additional 1 teaspoon. Using regular peanut butter will increase the calories, but they will still be delicious!

Breakfast Burritos

Let's make life a little easier. I make these breakfast burritos for Austin so that he can quickly eat something (with sustenance) before he goes to work in the morning. When he's waking up at 4:30, these become very convenient. I put quite a bit of filling in the tortillas, and it ends up making 8.

I forgot to put the cheese in the picture!

-8 Burrito size Tortillas
-1 lb. package pork sausage
-8 pieces of bacon
-8 eggs
-1 c. cheddar cheese






You'll want to cook everything before combining them together. I bake my bacon on a stone in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. While the bacon is cooking, get the sausage going in a skillet. Chop it up so it will be in crumbles. Cook until no longer pink. Strain off grease. Put in a mixing bowl. Don't rinse skillet. Crack all eggs in a separate bowl. Whisk together. Add a splash of milk and a dash of salt and pepper and whisk again (this is optional)! Pour into the skillet. 

cooked bacon

   Cook eggs until they're no longer runny. Add scrambled eggs to the sausage. Crumble bacon (or cut with kitchen shears!) into mixing bowl. Mix all together. Add in cheese and stir again. Spoon mixture evenly into each tortilla. Wrap up (long side, both ends, roll up). Wrap well in plastic wrap. Put all burritos in a labeled, large ziploc bag. Freeze. Put a burrito in the fridge the night before you want to eat it to defrost a little. We've found that works better for when you heat them. Then just heat in the microwave for 1:30-2:00 or until center is hot. *Of course, you can eat these the day you make them instead of freezing them! **To make these healthier, use turkey sausage, turkey bacon, egg whites, reduced fat tortillas, and reduced fat cheese. Or, slim them down by using less... less cheese, less bacon...you get the point.

I only had 5 burrito tortillas, so I used 3 other tortillas I had!

Up close and personal

Meatloaf

Crank up that "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" or maybe a little "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad". NOW, you're ready to make some meatloaf! *nerd* Meatloaf is probably one of the easiest things to throw together quickly. There are so many ways to make it, so ya really can't screw it up. You can even make it in pretty much any kind of pan. You can do a traditional loaf pan, muffin tin (pretty popular now), or my favorite- a cake pan! Depending on how thick you like your meatloaf will determine which size of cake pan to use. I use an 11X7 pan and it ends up being about 1 inch thick. So if you like a little thicker- a square 8X8 cake pan would be great. If you're going for very thin- a 9X13 would be your best bet. So I guess I make.... meatcake...creepy sounding, I know. Anyway, here's how I make mine! (Sorry I didn't take pictures of the process, but it's pretty self explanatory!)
-1 lb. ground beef
-1 egg
-1/4 c. milk
-1/4 c. ketchup
-splash of Liquid Smoke
-1/4. barbecue sauce (I use KC Masterpiece)
-1/2 t. garlic powder
-1/2 t. pepper
-1/8 t. Lawry's Seasoning Salt
-1/2 c. to 3/4 c. bread crumbs (You can use whatever type you like. My favorite to use is Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs, but I also like Italian Bread Crumbs.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg like crazy in a mixing bowl. Add milk, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and liquid smoke. Mix well. Add in garlic powder, pepper, and seasoning salt, and stir. Mix in ground beef. I use my Pampered Chef Mix N' Chop (best thing ever) to make sure the sauce is thoroughly mixed into the beef. You can use a fork, too. I know some people mix their meatloaf with their electric mixer with the beater blade attached. So, suit your own fancy. Add in 1/2 c. of breadcrumbs, and mix well. If the mixture is in one big blob at this point, you don't need to add more breadcrumbs. If it's still falling apart a little, add in another 1/4 c. of the breadcrumbs. Spray whatever pan you are using with a non-stick cooking spray, unless you're using stoneware! Dump the meatloaf in the pan, and spread it out so it's pretty even. I bake mine for about 35-40 minutes. If you use a loaf pan, you'll need to increase baking time. If you use a muffin tin, your baking time will be closer to 25 minutes. The reason I use a cake pan is because our faaaaaavorite part of a meatloaf is the ends, where it gets a little crisper. So, using a cake pan allows more crispy edges!

Top with some ketchup, barbecue sauce, cheese, or just nothing! Serve with cheesy potatoes or mac n cheese and green beans or peas!

What to do with left over Almond Bark?!?

I use a lot of almond bark for dipping. Sometimes I have a significant amount of almond bark leftover that I've already melted. So, I just dip random things in it to use it up!

-Peanuts or any other kind of nut to make nut clusters
-Pretzels
-Graham Crackers
-Animal Crackers
-Strawberries
-Marshmallows

...just a few ideas :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Bites

These are definitely little bites of happiness! I made these for Austin's birthday, which is today! I love cake bites because of their versatility and ease. You can do so many different flavor combinations. They are easy to take places. You don't have to worry about forks, spoons, knives, etc. SOOOO easy! So please, give em a try! I used my Chocolate Cake recipe and my Peanut Butter Frosting/Filling   recipe to make these (found under the recipes tab). I baked the cake in a 9X13 pan. While the cake is baking, make the frosting. For these cake bites, I made the peanut butter filling (it has more cream so it is a little thinner). When cake is done, let it cool about 30 minutes. Crumble the cake in a bowl. Add the entire batch of peanut butter filling. Mix together until all the cake is moistened. Roll into 1 inch balls. Freeze in a container on wax paper for at least 1 hour. Doo da doo...getting hungry for them....ok, times up. Melt 1/2 package of Chocolate Almond Bark according to package directions. *You will probably end up melting the whole package, but if you do 1/2 at a time it won't set up too quickly.* Dip the balls in the chocolate. Slide a fork underneath to get them out. Tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Let set up on wax paper. Repeat with all balls. Drizzle with white Almond Bark to make them look prettier :) Enjoy these bad boys!

P.S. Put a lollipop stick in these to make them cake pops! You can do it at the end, but you might have flat bottoms then. I would suggest putting them on a stick and then dipping them. When I made them before, I stuck the sticks in a piece of styrofoam to let them set up and dry. Oh, the possibilities!