Sunny's Crunchy Peanut Butter S'more Bites

I am sitting in the lab at work, of course not working because it is the tutoring center on campus. My roommate is next to me. I go on foodnetwork.com and I see the sponsored cookie recipe. They have a new cookie everyday because of Christmas. If you know me well enough you know I love peanut butter! My roommate Matt was like, we have to make those in his screaming trademark voice. Me just agreeing with everything just says "ok!". We agree on going to the store together since I needed parmsean cheese for my chicken parm I made earlier in the day.

We go to the A&P where Marybeth works and we agree to split the costs. We find everything we need easily and we both spend like eight bucks making them. We do the express self-checkout since we spent most of the time talking to Marybeth. The screen freezes because we forgot something I guess and we waited too long. We wait for the employees to help so the express lane is not too express after all, it is a scam!

We get back to the room, I make my dinner as he starts to mix the peanut butter (chunky), confectioners sugar, and butter. We did not have a whisk or electric mixer so Matt used his hands. I am glad he did that because it was messy. He basicly rolled them into balls and pressed them into circles, it looked tedious. We let them chill out as we chilled and drank.

For the first time ever I used a double boiler and I always wanted to. I melted the chocolate chips, this time not burning them like I did last year attempting to make peanut butter buckeyes, I failed. I only dipped half of the peanut butter coins in. Some fell to their own mercy in the melted lucious chocolate but they were lucky ones. Then I dipped them in grahm crackers and coconut and put them back in the refrigerator.

Here came the messiest part of all time. The directions said put fluff in pastry bag but who owns those? So like all cooks use we used a plastic baggie. Well sticky fluff plus plastic equals messy. Matt gave up and dropped the bag that looked like it was covered in glue back in the fluff container. I came later and did it, I tried with the bag it was too messy and slow so I spooned the fluff on the coins after they set.

With the left over stuff because we used half of the recipe I rolled the peanut butter in balls and dipped them in chocolate to make buckeyes then dipped them in the grahm crackers. I just had a buckeye so far and they were amazing! I am sure the orignal recipe will be great too. I have ton so who wants some?

Ingredients

2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 sticks butter
5 cups powdered sugar
24 ounces (4 cups) milk chocolate chips, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1 cup coconut flakes, optional
2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, add the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar and beat with a whisk or electric beater until smooth. Using a teaspoon measure, scoop the mixture and form into balls, then press into a coin shape the diameter of a quarter. Refrigerate to set up dough cookies, about 30 minutes.

To make bites, dip peanut butter coins in melted chocolate then toss in graham cracker crumbs until coated, double dip and double coat if you feel dangerous. Arrange the coated coins on a wire rack and refrigerate for about 30 more minutes to set. Add the marshmallow fluff to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Remove the coins from the refrigerator and squeeze about 1 teaspoon of marshmallow fluff into the center of half of the coins. If you don't have a pastry bag, use a plastic bag, fill it with fluff and cut 1 corner off and dollop that way. Then top each half with another coin to make a sandwich and place return to the refrigerator to set, about 1 hour.

Options: chop coconut flakes and add them to the graham cracker crumbs to use for coating.

Add puffed rice cereal into the peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar for a bit more texture and crunch.

Source

Easy Chicken Parmesean

So I decided I want to be more creative with this blog, which I am probably stealing the idea from the movie that I saw and book that I am reading Julie and Julia. The movie was great the book is always better, like always. So instead of just putting the recipe and a mediocre review I will right my experience while making and shopping for the food. Also, I will relate any antidotes that are funny and pertinent.

The funny thing with this chicken Parmesan is my roommate Matt made the same exact thing last night. This was not planned at all. He went shopping that day and made it, I planned this weeks ago. I am a big planner when it comes to cooking. Honestly it is the one thing I really enjoy!

So I made homemade tomato sauce, taught to me by my mom before my junior year, as oppose to jarred that my roommate Matt used. This is sauce . . I mean gravy. . . which one? There is always the debate with Italians if you call it sauce or gravy. My family has this debate a couple of times, and most of the time we are not even having sauce/gravy. So how it comes up I do not know. In fact, today I had this conversation (just proving how much of a debate it is) with a faculty member at my school, Ramapo College. She said "Oh you must not be a real Italian if you call it sauce." I guess I am not. What is a true Italian? The men from mTV's Jersey Shore, I hope not.

So I cut up a half an onion and sauteed it with minced garlic from a jar, easy and cheap for a college student. Did this until they were translucent. The smell made its way up the stairs and it was a glorious smell of garlic. I added my can of Rienzi crushed tomatoes and let simmer. I seasoned it obviously with salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes cause some like it hot. I let it simmer while my roommate and I went to A&P where our friend Marybeth works to get the ingredients, which was so time consuming and too good to be revealed until my next post.

When we came back I proceeded to continue the recipe, in fact, without the recipe for the very first time. I felt reckless and wild making the recipe blind. Granted I told my roommate how to make this and I better know how to make it if I can teach it. I took an egg and some milk and mixed them together in a dish with the most perfect lip around it that I feel was made for those meals that have a wet station and dry station. The chicken commuted from the wet station to the dry station lastly to its final destination the frying station. Now the recipe called for seasoned bread crumbs but I had plain so I improvised and added dried basil, oregano, garlic, and garlic powder.

I fried three batches of chicken, it could feed an army. Eight pieces in all. I put some sauce on the bottom of a pan because it will make it easier to clean. I cut huge slices out of a block of mozzarella cheese and used the rest which was grated and put on top. So the layers were sauce, chicken with slices of mozzarella, more sauce, grated cheese, and then some Parmesan. Bake it in the oven until bubbly.

I took a bite and it was the greatest chicken parm of all time because of the extra cheese and homemade sauce. It reminded me of being at a corner pizza place ordering their chicken parm. This recipe will stay in mind forever. I wish all of them did.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
seasoned bread crumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese
Preparation:

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish. Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread and a nice green salad.

Source

Tangy Surprise Burger

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs lean ground beef
4 pineapple rings
1/2 cup hot and spicy ketchup
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
4 kaiser rolls
Deli coleslaw

Directions

1. Prepare outdoor grill on high heat. Divide beef into four portions and form patties around pineapple rings so that none of pineapple is showing.

2. In saucepan combine hot and spicy ketchup, brown sugar, an mustard and heat until sugar dissolves.

3. Grill burgers about five minutes on each side or until well done. Spoon some of brown sugar sauce over burgers several times before serving. Place patties on role and top with 1 heaping tablespoon of coleslaw. Cover with top bun and serve immediately.

Source: Best Burger Cookbook, Mud Puddle Books, 2007.

Review: This was the first time I made burgers with no seasoning in them. I miss the taste of pure beef! The pineapple inside really added to the juicey burgers. The sauce on top I added some cilantro and let a whole jalepeno just simmer in there for the smokey flavor.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey

Special equipment
paper muffin cups and a 12-cup muffin tin

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Source

Review
I made these because my mom tried making cornbread for Thanksgiving and there were very dense and tasted like flour. Also, we have a whole bag of corn mean so I wanted to use some.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 tbs. all purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs. vanilla extract
1 can (1 lb.) mashed pumpkin (Libby's Brand is fine)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and yolks.

3. Add the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

4. Beat in the cream and the vanilla, then add the mashed pumpkin and beat at medium speed on an electric mixer until just mixed thoroughly.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees and bake for an additional hour. Turn off the heat, but leave the cake in the oven overnight to cool.

6. As indicated above, serve the cake either warm or chilled, with whipped cream.

Source: The Joy of Cheesecake, Barron's, 1980.

Review: I found this cheesecake cookbook in my basement, as you can see it is really old, older than me. I made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving. It was really easy to make and it made the house smell of fall.

Shortbread Crust (for cheesecake)

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (about 14 to 16) shortbread cookies, crushed
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

2. COMBINE cookie crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press onto bottom and 1-inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.

3. BAKE for 6 to 8 minutes (do not allow to brown). Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Source

Review: I used Lorna Doone shortbread cookies by Nabisco. It take about one box. I used more than 1 tablespoon of melted butter. I used this crust as oppose to making it from scratch for my pumpkin cheesecake.

Juicy Tasty Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
3/4 cup gruyere or swiss cheese (3 ounces)
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
kosher salt
black pepper

Directions

1. Oil grill grate.
2. Cook on medium-high.
3. Mix up the turkey, cheese, and garlic.
4. Form into 3/4 inch patties.
5. Make a shallow well in each patty so it cooks more evenly.
6. Season with the chili powder, salt and pepper (either right in the mix or on top of the burgers).
7. Cook em up, about 6-8 minutes per side.

Source

Review: My friend had some gruyere cheese so he asked me to find a recipe with it. Since I did not have much I wanted something simple so I found this burgers. The came out super juicy. Real quick and easy to make!