Black Forest Parfaits

Chocolate, Cherry & Whipped Cream. If you like this epic combination, then this dessert is for you!

 These parfaits are SO SIMPLE, yet so extremely delicious AND easy to make!

The Best part about this dessert, is that you can layer it in a large Trifle Bowl, for an Epic statement dessert for your next get-together OR you can make Epic Mini Desserts, so everyone can have their own epic little bite of heaven!

Try Topping these Epic Desserts with Mini sandwich cookies, cookie crumbs, chocolate syrup or even raspberry syrup (found at my local bulk food store).

I like to pipe my whipped cream with a piping tip for extra epic flair!

You will need:

2 boxes (3.4 oz.) chocolate pudding mix

Milk

2 (20 oz.) cans of cherry pie filling

1 package of chocolate sandwich cookies

1 16 oz. tub of whip cream

Piping bag with a star tip (if making epic mini desserts)

Optional: extra cookies, raspberry syrup, chocolate syrup, etc. for topping!

1. Combine pudding mix and milk according to package.

2. Crush chocolate sandwich cookies.

3. Layer pudding, cookie crumbs and cherry pie filling as desired.

*My favorite way to layer them is with the sandwich cookies between the pudding and pie filling.

4. Scoop whipped cream into piping bag affixed with a star tip. Pipe whipped cream onto mini desserts OR spread with a spoon if you are making a large trifle-style dessert.

5. Top with desired toppings.

I hope you enjoy this epic dessert!

Grandma's Lebkuchen Cookies

Lebkuchen cookies are a German cookie passed down farther back than I can remember. The recipe has adapted to fit the makers; it used to have molasses, white icing and decorated with colored sugar, now we use corn syrup, a light glaze and an almond flower on top!

As a family, the girls get together every year during deer hunting season to make these. They are a huge hit for our family! They taste great when you are done making them, but they are the BEST right out of the freezer! (my dad loves to let them "age" for a year, he says they taste better.....if there are any left!)

This is how many we make....i think its about triple the recipe (we have a BIG family) :D

Ingredients:

1 cup of shortening (heated)

1 cup dark corn syrup

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 lb. orange peel (ground)

1 lb. citron peel (ground)

1 cup almonds (ground)

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup sour cream

flour enough to make dough stiff (5-7 cups)

Glaze:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

heat in double boiler until it starts to thicken, add 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

Instructions:

Heat shortening, add brown sugar, corn syrup and beat.

Add eggs, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, soda and baking powder. beat/mix.

Add ground orange and citron peel and ground almonds and sour cream. beat/mix

Add flour enough to make stiff.

Use cookie cutter to make circles, squares or other shapes. Use 5 slivered almonds to make a flower on top (press in gently).

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes OR 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Glaze and let cool.

Enjoy!

Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 cups diced & browned chicken breast
9 cooked lasagna noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 can of milk
2 cups shredded cheddar
cottage cheese
parmaesan cheese

Instructions:

Combine soup, milk, cheese and cooked chicken in a large saucepan.

Layer:

noodles

chicken mix

cottage cheese

parmaesan cheese

repeat.

Last layer: noodles, chicken mix, sprinkle of parmaesan.

Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees. Let stand to cool for 10 minutes.

**I added mushrooms to the top of half of it....because unlike my dad, I am not a fungus fan :P

Sheet Cake

Now, as much as my mom makes the peanut butter sheet cake (for everything), it has an EVIL twin....we call this the Chocolate Sheet Cake.....

This recipe ACTUALLY came from my mother's side of the family....go figure!

Ingredients:

1 cup of oleo

4 tbsp. of cocoa}melt together

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup of milk

2 cups of flour

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of water

2 eggs

Instructions:

First melt oleo and cocoa together; then mix all ingredients together and pour into prepared sheet cake pan. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Frosting:

1/2 cup of oleo

4 tbsp cocoa}melt together

1 tsp. vanilla

6 tbsp. milk

3 1.2-4cups of powdered sugar.

First melt oleo and cocoa together; then mix all ingredients together (this frosting will be thinner than the peanut butter one, so if you are attempting to make them both; like my mom, just keep that in mind). Spread frosting on cake when removed from the oven. Sprinkle with a handful of milk chocolate chips OR white chocolate chips (the white chocolate gives it a nice contrast). Warm in oven.

Enjoy!

**I also suggest if you are making the cakes at the same time, make the peanut butter one first (because it bakes at a lower temperature) ....that's a tip from the pro (my mom)**

Peanut Butter Cake

Pretty much anyone and everyone who knows my mom, knows about and absolutely LOVES her peanut butter sheet cake, it is to DIE for! She makes it for every: open house, wedding, family reunion, chuch get together, you name it, she's probably made one for it. The most HILARIOUS part is, even after giving people the recipe, they find that for some reason, NO ONE, and I mean no one, can make it like my momma! But what's even better, this recipe came from my DAD's side of the family....AMAZING HUH? This one is for you mom! I LOVE YOU!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix in a bowl:
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Bring to a Boil:
1 stick oleo
1 c. peanut butter (HEAPING, seriously.....momma uses a lot :P)
1 c. water

Pour mixture that you have boiled over dry ingredients. Add 1/2 c. buttermilk (1/2 soda and 1/2 c. milk=buttermilk). Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 eggs. Stir with a spoon. Pour into a greased baking sheet cake pan and bake for about 20 minutes in 350 degree oven (or until it can pass the toothpick test).

Frosting:

1 stick oleo
1/2 c. peanut butter (heaping again)
5 tbsp. milk
1 lb. or 4 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla

Melt oleo, peanut butter and milk. Bring to a rapid boil and remove from stove. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. (you may need to add more powdered sugar; if it is too thin, or more milk if it is too thick) mom judges her frosting based on thickness and color :D...Spread frosting on hot cake, top with a handful of chocolate chips and warm in oven (to let the chips set in, so they dont fall off)...thats it!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have!!!!! :D

Orange Streusel Loaves

This Epic-ly AMAZING recipe used to be on the back of the Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Orange Supreme Cake Mix and with a name like that, it HAS to be amazing!!!!

This recipe makes 2 regular loaves OR 4 mini loaves :D

(these are the mini loaves) I absolutely love this recipe and it is actually pretty simple...I like making four that way I have plenty to share be careful though, because they don't last long at gatherings! (they like to dissapear!)
Cake
1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Orange Supreme Cake Mix, reserving 2 tablespoons of mix
1 package (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup oil

Streusel
2 tbsp. reserved cake mix
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. margarine
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons of milk OR orange juice (I like to use OJ, it brings out the orange flavor even more!!!!!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.

FOR CAKE, combine remaining cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream and oil in a large bowl. Beat at a medium speed with an electric mixer for abotu 3 minutes. Pour batter into pans.

Sprinkle with streusel mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 15 minutes. Loosen loaves from pans. Invert onto cooling rack. Turn right side up and cool completely.

FOR STREUSEL TOPPING, place 2 tbsp. cake mix, brown sugar, cinnamon and margarine in medium bowl. Mix well with fork until crumbly. Stir in pecans, set aside.

FOR GLAZE, combine powdered sugar and liquid in small bowl. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over cooled loaves.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!!!!

Italian Pasta Salad

This recipe is a great one for all of you pasta salad lovers out there!

Ingredients:
9 1/2 ounces cherry tomatoes
1 mozzerella ball (4-5 oz.) (you can use string cheese instead!)
1/2 bunch basil
1 shallot
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper as desired
a pinch of sugar
1 clove garlic
5 tbsp. olive oil
9 1/2 ounces penne pasta

1. Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Dice the mozzerella cheese. Strip the basil leaves from the stalks. Peel and finely dice the shallot.
2. Mix the vinegar with the salt, pepper and sugar. Peel the garlic and press into the vinegar. Beat the olive oil into the dressing with a whisk. Mix the prepared ingredients with the dressing and leave to stand for about 30 minutes.
3. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water until 'al dente', then drain, refresh in cold water and drain thoroughly. Carefully stir the tomato and mozzerella mixture into the pasta.

Enjoy!

Minecraft Creeper Cake

I made this cake for my boyfriend's birthday last year and he loved it! The best part was, it was super simple!

For those who dont know, in the game Minecraft, the creeper is exactly that "creepy", they creep up on un-suspecting players, blowing up which kills you and them and you lose everything you are carrying and have to respawn, which really stinks....

I had every intention of making this cake just a regular creeper head, but I am no pro baker, and I have never been able to figure out how to frost a cut edge (which I had to do because EVERYTHING in Minecraft is square, so I couldn't possibly have a rectangle creeper cake, that just wouldn't do....) without making an EPIC mess :/ so i used that edge to my advantage :D

All you need is:

cherry chip or any other red box cake mix (or you can use white cake with red food coloring)

green frosting

black decorating gel (which you can buy from most stores in the cake aisle)

green decorating gel (optional) for words

1. cut the cake so it is a square (i just eye-balled it).

2. Frost the entire cake green (except the cut edge)

3. With the cut edge towards you make 2 squares for the eyes, 1 square nose (which connects the two eyes) and then an upside down squared-off U shape frown for the mouth (connected to the nose)

Simple as pie! ....well or in this case, cake :D Enjoy!

Oriental Salad

This is a great salad for open houses and other large gatherings of people (as since we are now officially in open-house season, i thought it would be a perfect time to share it!)

***This recipe consists of 3 parts, which NEED to stay seperate until you are ready to serve it***

Part 1:

1 stick of butter
2 packages of Dry Ramen Noodles (no seasoning packets)
1 1/2 cups of Spanish or Dry Roasted Peanuts

Melt butter in a skillet. Brown crushed noodles in melted butter until lightly golden. Add peanuts at end and brown. WATCH carefully as peanuts burn quickly!!!

Drain on a paper towel lined cookie sheet and cool completely, before transferring to a ziploc bag.

Part 2:

16 oz. shredded coleslaw mix
2 large bunches of green onions chopped.

Combine in a large covered bowl.

Part 3:

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

Shake together in a seperate, sealed ziploc bag.

***Remember, keep all parts SEPERATE until ready to serve!!!***

When you are ready to serve, dump it all together in the large bowl RIGHT BEFORE serving. The dressing wont look like enough, but it is.

This recipe is perfect for when you have to travel somewhere, I just pour my onions and slaw mix in a bowl and set the ziploc bads with nuts and dressing inside the bowl on top of the coleslaw. When I arrive, I just dump it all together :D

*For big crowds we quadruple all but the onions! Enjoy!

Someone made this for my open house and it's been in the family ever since!

Almond Joy Layer Cake

I got this recipe from "EveryDay with Rachael Ray" magazine. I have a few family members that absolutely LOVE Almond Joys, it turned out to be an amazing cake :D

Man this cake is really photogenic!

It looks even better on display!

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt plus a big pinch
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 bag (14 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut (4 packed cups)
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees . Butter two 8-inch-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment and butter the parchment.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring 2/3 cup water to a boil. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Whisk in the butter and chocolate over low heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk in 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Pour in the chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in 1 packed cup coconut. Divide the batter between the pans and bake in the lower third of the oven for 35 minutes or until firm in the center. Let cool in the pans on racks for 10 minutes, then invert onto racks to cool completely.
4. While the cake cools, spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 12 minutes; let cool.
5. In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup cream, the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and pinch salt and simmer, stirring, over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla and 3 packed cups coconut. When cool, fold in 1 1/2 cups almonds.
6. Split the cake layers to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer cut side up on a cake stand and spread with 1 cup of the coconut-almond mixture. Top with the second layer cut side down and spread with 1 cup more of the mixture. Repeat with the remaining 2 cake layers and filling, spreading the filling on the top. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours to firm up.
7. Whip the remaining 2 1/4 cups cream with the confectioners sugar until stiff. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle the top with the remaining almonds.

Smoky Potato Rounds

What you need:

2 potatoes

BBQ sauce*

Shredded Cheese

Bacon

Toppings:

Sour Cream

Green Onions

*you can use Ranch instead

1. Scrub and pierce potatoes. Bake them at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

2. When potatoes cool, cut each potato width-wise into circles. Place them on a greased (or lined) baking sheet.

3. Brush the potatoes with BBQ Sauce; sprinkle with cheese and bacon.

4. Bake 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cheese is melted.
5. Top with sour cream and green onions.

Garlic Asparagus Pasta Bake

*Just a note to everyone out there that when I make up my own recipe as I go, I dont like to measure anything while I make it, so bare with me* :D

I made this the other night on a whim and my dad really enjoyed it....he said it coulda used more asparagus, but honestly I just added it because I know it is healthy, not because i wanted to taste it :P

Ingredients:

Bacon
Asparagus
Rotini Pasta
Pepperoni
Garlic & Herb Pasta Sauce
Parmaesan Cheese
Bread Crumbs
1 tbsp. Celery Flakes
2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
Shredded Cheese

Mix Sauce with parmaesan cheese and a small amount of garlic powder. Cook noodles and add to sauce mixture. Cut asparagus into tiny pieces, add. cut/break up bacon and pepperoni, add them too :D ...Mix well. Cover with shredded cheese. Mix bread crumbs with a small amount of garlic and celery flakes. Cover the top. Bake it at 400 degress until the crumbs are brown and the top is bubbly :D

Mexicana Dip

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite dips. We would get it anually on our way to Grand Rapids, MI. and we just COULDN'T GET ENOUGH :D so we decided to make our own.

Yep, there is only 2 ingredients! All you need is 8 ounces of your favorite salsa* for each 8 ounces of cream cheese that you add.

Mix well (if the cream cheese is softened a bit before hand, it mixes together a LOT smoother) :D

*thick and chunky works best, otherwise it may become runny!

Serve with Tortilla chips :D

BBQ Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

So you see, I have this problem. I love pizza, in all its forms. BUT I have two favorites that I can NEVER choose between.....BBQ Chicken Pizza, and Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza....well today at work, I got this B-R-I-L-L-A-N-T idea to combine the two! THIS is my new favorite pizza :D

So you will need:

Pizza crust-I used Pilsbury as I was in SUCH a hurry :D
Ranch
BBQ Sauce
Cheese
Chicken (cooked)
Bacon (fried)
1 Red Onion
Parmaesan Cheese.

Prepare your dough according to package directions. Mix approximately 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup ranch and a tablespoon of parmaesan cheese in a bowl. Spread this sauce mixture onto the dough, add cheese, onion, bacon and chicken.

Bake according to package instructions and enjoy!

*my chicken was frozen, so I heated it up in the leftover bacon grease.....heart attack on a platter.....but it was worth it!

Good Morning Biscuits

What an amazing way to start off your morning, or even better yet BREAKFAST FOR DINNER!

You will need:

Refrigerated Biscuits (or your own home-made)

Mozzerella Cheese

Salad Dressing (about 2 tablespoons)

Toppings: Sausage or Bacon, or if you want to be epic, USE BOTH!

Spread the biscuit dough in greased muffin tins. Mix salad dressing, cheese and toppings (You just need enough dressing to make it creamy). Make a depression in the dough, and place mixture inside. Bake biscuits according package instructions. Enjoy!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

or at least, that is what my cousin affectionately called it. We wanted to make a chicken parmaesan with more of a "chicken alfredo feel" ......

Sauce:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

pinch of basil

1 cup of milk

parmaesan cheese (the sprinkle kind)

shredded cheese (as desired)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together over heat until you get a sauce-like consistency.

Place the Sauce atop your favorite noodles (cooked of course) top with chicken, I chose to use popcorn chicken due to lack of time finally top with more cheese, you can never have too much of that, unless you are lactose intolerant, in which case i feel for you......Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This is one of the first things I have ever made without a recipe, which would mean that it is my own recipe....wow what a thought, all the AMAZINGNESS that is Chicken Cordon Bleu in a CASSEROLE. What could be better than that???????? nothing!....

I used:

26 oz. can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 box of lasagna noodles broken into pieces
shredded cheese, i used colby jack
3 individually wrapped string cheese things
thin sliced turkey/ham/or both cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, finely diced
popcorn chicken to cover the top

Start by covering the bottom with approximately 1/3 can of soup, and layer the rest of the ingredients to your liking. Cover the top with popcorn chicken, sprinkle with MORE cheese. Because who doesn't love cheese? Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes....Enjoy!