Raspberry French Toast Rollups with Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 16 - 20 slices sandwich bread (I used the long square shape loaf)
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Dipping Sauce
• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3 oz butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stack bread into stacks of 4 slices, then trim crusts from bread. Working with one piece of bread at a time, use a rolling pin to flatten bread to about 1/2 it's original size. Evenly spread 1 tsp raspberry jam just onto one half of the bread, then align a row of raspberries over jam. Roll bread to opposite end and set aside, seem side down. Repeat with remaining slices of bread.
• To a blender add eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Cover and blend on low speed 10 - 15 seconds until well blended. Pour into a bowl and dip roll ups into egg mixture, allowing to rest several seconds to absorb liquid. Make sure to seal the ends of rollups after dipping in egg mixture. Mine ended up leaking a lot of the jam out during cooking. I think sealing the ends would help solve this problem! Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet 
• 
• Bake in preheated oven 9 minutes, then remove from oven. Brush tops lightly with melted butter than rotate french toast roll ups to opposite side and brush lightly with melted butter (bottoms should now be upright). Return to oven to bake 8 - 12 minutes longer until cooked through.
• In a small bowl whisk together granulated sugar and cinnamon. Once french toast roll ups are cool enough to handle, immediately dip and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to evenly coat. Serve warm with cream cheese dipping sauce.
• For the cream cheese dipping sauce:
• In a mixing bowl, using and electric hand mixer, whip together cream cheese and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, milk and vanilla and whip until well blended and fluffy. Store in refrigerator.
• 
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy, inspired by Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice

Pumpkin better than sex cake

Getting excited for fall with these yummy pumpkin recipes!

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 14 oz pumpkin puree (NOT PUMPKIN PIE FILLING)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 8 oz. tub cool whip
• 1/2 bag Heath Bits
• Caramel Sundae Sauce

Instructions

1. Mix together the cake mix, the pumpkin puree (DO NOT add the other ingredients on the cake mix box), and the pumpkin pie spice until a batter forms. Using the 14 oz. can of pumpkin puree will yield a thicker batter. You can add up to 1 cup more pumpkin if you'd like a thinner batter (which will yield a slightly fluffier cake).
2. Pour batter into a well greased 9x9 (9x13 if you added more pumpkin) baking dish. Bake at 350º for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
3. Let cool completely after baking. Using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
4. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the cake, aiming to fill the holes. Refrigerate for 60 minutes or until the sweetened condensed milk has soaked into the cake.
5. Spread the cool whip over top of cake. Sprinkle on the heath bits, and drizzle caramel over top (just to your liking). Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or overnight (best).

Notes

DO NOT USE PUMPKIN PIE FILLING. YOU MUST USE PUMPKIN PUREE IF YOU WANT THE CAKE TO BAKE CORRECTLY. The cake mix + pumpkin puree version of pumpkin cake may not be for everyone. I like it just fine, especially when it's soaked in SCM and caramel. But if you're not sure about it, feel free to substitute your own pumpkin cake recipe as the cake base. DO NOT mix together the pumpkin, cake mix, and the other ingredients on the back of the cake mix box!!!! ONLY mix the cake mix and the pumpkin puree. You must let the sweetened condensed milk soak in all the way. Letting it sit overnight will yield best results. Use the bottom of a wooden mixing spoon to poke the holes in the cake-- it's just the right size.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

You Will Need:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (9 inch) prepared pie crust (or Graham cracker crust, whichever you prefer)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees 

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Loaded Chicken & Potatoes

Ingredients: 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1″)
6-8 medium skin on red potatoes, cut in 1/2″ cubes
1/3 c olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp hot sauce (more if you like it HOT) Topping: 2 c fiesta blend cheese
1 c crumbled bacon
1 c diced green onion
How to Make: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9X13″ baking dish with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and chicken and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes and chicken into the prepared baking dish.. 3. Bake the potatoes and chicken for 55-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until cooked through, crispy, and browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, fry your bacon (about half a pound). 4. Once the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked, remove from the oven. Top the cooked potatoes with the the cheese, bacon, and green onion. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve With: extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing or sour cream!

Mexican Lasagna

From Cooking Classy

Mexican Lasagna

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded*
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/3 cups fire roasted salsa, divided, recipe follows
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 (6-inch) white corn tortillas, cut into quarters**
• 1 cup fresh corn (or frozen and thawed)
• 4 oz finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese (1 cup)
• 4 oz finely shredded Cheddar cheese (1 cup)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl blend together sour cream, 1 cup salsa, green chiles, cilantro, chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in shredded chicken. Spray an 11 by 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1/3 cup salsa evenly in bottom of dish. Layer 15 tortilla quarters evenly over salsa, slightly overlapping each other (the flat cut sides of tortillas should be facing the rim of dish and rounded sides facing inward). Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture evenly over tortilla layer the sprinkle 1/2 cup corn evenly over chicken mixture layer. Spread 1/2 cup Monterey Jack and 1/2 cup Cheddar evenly over corn layer, the repeat this process once more (tortillas (you'll have 2 quarters left over), chicken mixture, corn, cheeses. Tent with foil and bake in preheated oven 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake 20 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes then cut and serve with fresh tomatoes, avocados (or guacamole), additional sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime juice and hot sauce as desired.
• *I cooked the chicken in chicken broth in the slow cooker.
• **Don't use flour tortillas, corn is a must for this. Also look for some that are fairly stiff and sturdy, not delicate and flimsy.
• Recipe Source: Adapted lightly from Food Network

• Fire Roasted Salsa

  Prep Time: 5 minutes

  Ingredients

  • 1 (14 oz) can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/3 yellow onion, diced into chunks (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 small jalepano, sliced into 4 pieces (seeded if desired for less heat)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to use.
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Delicious!!!

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.

I made two of these for our town's flea market this weekend, one with nuts and one without. So delish!

It comes from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• _____
• FOR FROSTING:
• 1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1-3/4 stick Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Slow Cooker Lentil and Pasta Stew

This soup was so delicious. I served it with some Pillsbury french bread. Comes from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup cubed peeled potatoes
• 3/4 cup sliced fresh carrots
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 cups beef broth
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 cup canned Hunt's® Diced Tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup uncooked ditalini or other small pasta(I used mini pinwheels)
• Shredded Romano cheese

Directions

• Brown kielbasa in oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. Cook and stir for 3 minutes over medium heat. Transfer to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the broth, lentils, tomatoes, bay leaf, pepper and salt.
• Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until lentils are tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir pasta into slow cooker. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle servings with cheese. Yield: 8 servings.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

This dish was absolutely yummy! I served it on a bed of white rice and had cut up fresh pineapple with it. It comes from Cooking Classy.

Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 Tbsp orange marmalade
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cold water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• Cooked long grain white rice, for serving
• Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
• Directions
  • Place chicken in a slow cooker, set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, light-brown sugar, honey, orange marmalade, ginger, garlic and pepper. Pour mixture over chicken in slow cooker, cover with lid and cook on low heat 4 - 5 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred. Strain sauce from slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. In a small mixing bowl whisk together 1 1/2 Tbsp cold water and cornstarch. Pour cornstarch mixture into liquid in saucepan and heat mixture over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to gently boil. Allow mixture to gently boil about 20 seconds until thickened. Return chicken to slow cooker and pour teriyaki sauce from saucepan over chicken. Toss mixture gently to evenly coat. Serve warm over cooked rice garnished with optional sesame seeds and serve with diced fresh pineapple if desired.
  • Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen