I tend to think of Sundays as my baking day. I also tend to think of Sundays as my lazy day. Aside from the Sunday Scaries (click here if you'd like a full explanation), Sundays are a great day for recovering, relaxing and enjoying that you have less obligations than you did on Saturday. The chaos of the Sunday grocery shopping experience completely interferes with my laziness and my overall relaxed state-of-mind. Next thing you know, I've put off grocery shopping and it's too late to bake and take pictures of things.

That's where a recipe like this comes into play. There are few things better when preparing to bake than finding a recipe and realizing you have all of the ingredients on hand. There are very few things better than realizing this, and then discovering the delicious recipe you want to make only takes five minutes to prepare. This is my second five-minute recipe post in a row. Obviously I'm all about time-savers this summer!

I've made this recipe three times in the past few weeks. It is incredibly easy, and the cookie cups are gooey, flavorful, and, if they last you this long, will still taste good even after a few days in. The other day I made them when I got home from work at 6pm, worked out and still made it to a dinner at 8pm (with freshly baked cookie cups, no less!). How many homemade desserts can you do that with?

Try them out. Fall in love with them. Embrace the laziness of Sundays by avoiding the grocery store and eating these on the couch. That's how you get your summer beach body, right?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
Recipe from Averie Cooks

Yield: 12 cookie cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: about 11 to 12 minutes
Total Time: about 30 minutes, for cooling

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I recommend storebought and not homemade which is much runnier)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 12-count standard-sized muffin pan extremely well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan (I prefer cosmetically to not use liners); set pan aside.
2. In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high-power.
3. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don't scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, peanut butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don't overmix.
5. Stir in 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips; reserve remainder to place on cookie tops before baking.
6. Distribute dough equally among the 12 muffin pan cavities; each will approximately be filled to about three-quarters full. The cookies don't rise much (nothing like muffins) so it's okay if dough seems high in the cavities.
7. Evenly divide remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips by placing a few chips on each cookie top, which creates a nice visual appeal.
8. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until tops have set and are pale golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Depending on your climate, muffin pan, brand of ingredients, taste preferences, etc. baking times will vary. Watch your cookies and not the clock; bake until done. Allow cookies to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before removing them. If they have stuck to the pan, gently wedge the tip of a soft spatula into the muffin cavity to dislodge the cookies, rather than rimming with a knife so you don't scratch your pan. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

I have a confession to make. I've been slacking on posting in December because I keep making the same things over and over again. I bookmark new, exciting holiday recipes...and then I remember how easy some of my favorites are, and I opt to make those instead (ahem, saltine toffee). I'm not sure where everyone else finds the time to bake so much in December. It's a crazy month between work and holiday festivities. Thankfully I'll be taking all next week off to return back to NC, and I will therefore be baking up a storm for all of the holiday events back home. The challenge will be posting every red and green, holiday-themed recipe in the limited time before Christmas. Then we will all switch back to disliking the red and green color combination until November 2014.

Thankfully, my baking tendencies have rubbed off on Brooke (my roommate), who, for better or for worse, now bakes a good amount as well. She even introduced me to the peanut butter fudge I've been obsessed with this past month. I like to think it's a positive thing that she bakes now, but I'm sure she has mixed feelings about finding herself scanning baking blogs and coming home from the grocery store with bags of chocolate chips and butter instead of normal items.

Because I've been stuck in my rut of remaking all of my favorites this past month, I took some pictures of this delicious peppermint puppy chow Brooke made last night. She also made two batches of the saltine toffee. So, I guess I have no excuse not to make saltine toffee and something new. I love puppy chow, and it's a very easy thing to make a large batch to put in bowls at holiday parties and such. It's also incredibly addictive, but diets don't start until January, right? (Forewarning: I don't make New Year's resolutions, so I apologize in advance for ignoring all common courtesies around not posting unhealthy things in January.) The candy canes give the puppy chow an added crunch, and she used the red and green striped ones to jazz them up a bit---a perfect holiday dessert!

Enjoy!

Peppermint Puppy Chow

Ingredients

6 cups Rice Chex cereal

2 cups white chocolate melts or white chocolate chips melted

1 1/2 cup crushed candy canes

1 cup powdered sugar

*Use something that is meant to be melted and used for candy, most white chocolate chips don't melt down thin enough.

Directions

1. Place Chex in a large bowl

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave (if in microwave, do it in 30 second intervals - white chocolate burns easily).

3. Once chocolate is melted, pour over cereal and carefully stir to blend.

4. Put chocolate covered Chex in a large plastic bag (I use a clean trash bag...if this doesn't bother you it works like a charm.)

5. Add confectioners sugar and crushed candy canes.

6. Shake bag, making sure to focus on breaking up any clumps you can feel. As you do this, the powered sugar will help pull the white chocolate away from the sides of the bag. The end goal is to have all pieces thoroughly covered.

7. Let cool and enjoy! 

 

It seems strange to do a post the night of Thanksgiving for a dessert that’s not a Thanksgiving dessert, but I'm still recovering from my food coma and don't think I can handle posting the Thanksgiving recipes tonight. I'm also pretty obsessed with this saltine toffee.

One of the many wonderful things about the holidays is that you are always cooking for a crowd. That’s when you want desserts like this. It is SO easy and SO good. I made it last Saturday night, and we had finished all of it by Sunday night. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that the crowd I made it for wasn’t all that big, but after a few glasses of wine we weren’t counting how many pieces we were eating.

It’s an incredibly simple recipe with ingredients you might already have at home. I was skeptical about the Saltines, but the airy crunch mixed with the solid chocolate layer is perfect. I made another batch last night just to have as an option if we got tired of eating pumpkin desserts. There was really no need for another dessert around here, but 1) I’ve been missing it in my life for the past four days, 2) I enjoy baking significantly more when I’m back home because I don’t have to pay for ingredients and 3) who doesn’t like options?

Decorate it with anything you’d like – candy, sprinkles, toasted nuts of some sort. I chose M&Ms and sprinkles. I’ll probably change up the sprinkles to red and green once December hits (when yes, I will inevitably be making this again).  If you use candy I’d recommend crushing it up a bit like you can see I’ve done with the M&Ms. I stored the finished product in the fridge because I thought it was delicious cold, but storage is up to you!

Enjoy! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Saltine Toffee

Recipe from Cooking Classy

 

Ingredients

• 40 saltine crackers (I recommend using Nabisco Saltines with Sea Salt)
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips (whichever you prefer, milk, semi or bittersweet. I used half milk chocolate half semi-sweet)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla
• 3/4 cup chopped, toasted nuts of choice - pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts (optional)*
• Sprinkles (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Align crackers side by side in a single layer along baking sheet, set aside.
• In a medium saucepan combined butter and brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it reaches a boil stop stirring and allow to boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla bean paste then immediately and carefully pour mixture over crackers in an even layer (spread out as needed). Transfer to oven and bake 5 to 6 minutes until bubbly.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle top evenly with chocolate chips. Let rest 5 minutes then spread chocolate into a smooth even layer. Sprinkle with nuts or sprinkles. Transfer to freezer and allow to chill 20 minutes or until chocolate has set. Remove from freezer and break or cut into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
• *I just toasted the nuts in a skillet over medium heat several minutes until fragrant and toasted (while the crackers were baking). Toasting them is optional though.

As I've said before, I'm not ashamed to make a recipe that uses a boxed mix.  Sure, you can't call something truly homemade if there's a boxed mix or premade cookie dough in it, but sometimes a little shortcut can be a great thing. I especially love finding a good boxed mix recipe on days where I'm baking multiple things. Having one item that only takes a few minutes to assemble feels like a blessing when it's thrown in with more time consuming desserts. 

If you're one of those people who has never uttered the words "too sweet" this recipe is for you. It's sugar overload. I mean, just look at the ingredients. You know what you're getting yourself into when you make these. The best part is that they are ready to go in the oven in a matter of minutes. I also love that this recipe is extremely versatile. Just check out the Crazy for Crust blog and you'll see what I mean. She has made at least 10 variations of these. I've been drooling over these Caramel Apple Gooey Bars for the past week. It's probably next on my list. Next time you're pressed for time but feel a sweets craving coming on..this is your solution!

Enjoy!
 
Funfetti Gooey Bars
Recipe from Crazy for Crust

Ingredients

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup sprinkles, divided
• 1/2 cup (from a 14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9” pan with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray.
2. Add cake mix, butter, and egg to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix until a thick dough forms. Add 1/3 cup sprinkles and stir until incorporated.
3. Press about 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips and remaining 1/3 cup sprinkles. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top. Separate remaining dough into small balls and evenly space over the top of the bars. Press down to flatten.
4. Bake bars for about 30 minutes, or until they just begin to brown. Cool completely before slicing, otherwise the mixture will be too gooey to cut. Optional: eat straight from pan with a fork.

Homemade Rice Krispie Treats are probably one of the most well-known dessert recipes in America. They are on the back of every box of Rice Krispies and have been a staple at cookouts, potlucks and birthday parties since long before I was born (I was going to say 'since I can remember,' but truthfully that's not all that long). Yet, somehow even with three ingredients, Rice Krispie Treats seem to come in all shapes, sizes and textures. 

Not that I'm a connoisseur of these treats or anything, but I'm here to tell you there is a right way and a wrong way to make them. I myself was in the dark until last week when I realized my Rice Krispie Treats (which I always thought were delicious) were not reaching their full potential. The key is that no one likes a "krispie" Rice Krispie treat. They are supposed to be soft and chewy with just a slight crunch. Usually I love them for the first 12 hours after I make them, but they require finishing off quickly because they'll dry out in a heartbeat. I accepted that as a fact of life until last week. Now I know the trick: the marshmallows are added in two parts. 

Somehow this little alteration in process produces a gooey (gooey--not sticky), soft, flavorful, wonderful batch of Rice Krispie treats. I made two batches in three days because the first batch was gone so quickly. I only used one bag of marshmallows for the batch shown in the pictures. I adjusted the recipe slightly and used ~2 tablespoons of butter and only four cups of Rice Krispies. I think a 9x9 would be a great sized pan for thick treats, but you can use whatever you'd like. The ones in the pictures were made in a 13x9 that I sectioned off with foil to make it more like a 10x9 or or 11x9.

Enjoy!

Perfectly Chewy Rice Krispie Treats

Recipe from Deliciously Declassified

Ingredients

6 cups (1 1/2 – 10 oz. bags) mini marshmallows, divided
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
3 tbsp butter

Directions

Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium-low heat
Once the butter is melted, add in 4 cups (1 – 10 oz. bag) of mini marshmallows
Melt the marshmallows over LOW heat, stirring frequently
Once the marshmallows are completely melted, add in the cereal 2 cups at a time, mixing well after each addition
Once the cereal and marshmallows are well combined, toss in the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows and fold them into the marshmallow cereal mixture
You can keep the heat on low or totally turn it off – it depends on if you want the mini marshmallows to melt a little bit or not (I usually keep the heat on for a bit while folding in the mini marshmallows)
Spray a 9×13″ baking dish (for thicker treats, just use a smaller dish) with nonstick spray (I use PAM for baking) and transfer the Rice Krispie treat mixture into the dish
Press the mixture down with your fingertips (it helps if you get a little of the nonstick spray on your fingers so they don’t stick to the marshmallow) or you could also use some wax paper to press it down firmly into the pan
Allow the mixture to cool before cutting into squares

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups  (1 1/2 – 10 oz. bags) mini marshmallows, divided
• 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 3 tbsp butter

HOW TO MAKE IT

• Melt the butter in a large skillet, over medium-low heat
• Once the butter is melted, add in 4 cups (1 – 10 oz. bag) of mini marshmallows
• Melt the marshmallows over LOW heat, stirring frequently
• Once the marshmallows are completely melted, add in the cereal 2 cups at a time, mixing well after each addition
• Once the cereal and marshmallows are well combined, toss in the remaining 2 cups of mini marshmallows and fold them into the marshmallow cereal mixture
• You can keep the heat on low or totally turn it off – it depends on if you want the mini marshmallows to melt a little bit or not (I usually keep the heat on for a bit while folding in the mini marshmallows)
• Spray a 9×13″ baking dish (for thicker treats, just use a smaller dish) with nonstick spray (I use PAM for baking) and transfer the Rice Krispie treat mixture into the dish
• Press the mixture down with your fingertips (it helps if you get a little of the nonstick spray on your fingers so they don’t stick to the marshmallow) or you could also use some wax paper to press it down firmly into the pan
• Allow the mixture to cool before cutting into squares

- See more at: http://deliciouslydeclassified.com/2013/07/02/how-to-make-perfect-rice-krispie-treats/#sthash.GQSAU4N4.dpuf

I think everyone needs a few easy snack-sized desserts in their repertoire. This recipe is my new favorite, and I'm almost positive it'll be yours as well. 

Salty and sweet is the perfect combination. Two mini pretzels sandwiching a peanut butter/brown sugar/powdered sugar mixture and dipped in chocolate. It's the ideal manifestation of salty and sweet, and you literally have to pry yourself away from them. It doesn't help that they are bite sized. Seriously, they are too good.

I first made these a week and a half ago and I've made them three times since then. I just made another batch tonight and doubled it, so I guess that's four. I've been in England for the past week where apparently it's not so easy to find pretzels. I had to search three different grocery stores for them. Another interesting thing I've observed in England--none of the chocolate seems to be sold in bulk. I've had to either buy chocolate bars to melt down or 100g bags of chocolate chips (about a cup).  I usually work from a Costco sized bag of chocolate chips, so 100g bags seem a bit absurd, but then again, I guess a 72oz bag is even more absurd.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it is incredibly easy. The sandwiches require zero baking and zero baking skill. My apologies to your summer diets, but you're welcome for all the people who will love you for bringing these to cookouts, potlucks, etc. I have no idea who to give credit to for this amazing recipe because it's all over the internet, but whoever came up with this was a genius.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches

Makes 45-55

1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

2 Tablespoons Softened Butter (unsalted or salted) 

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Cups Semisweet Chocolate (dark, milk, or bittersweet work as well!)

One Bag Salted Pretzels 

1. Beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth and creamy.

2. Add the brown sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Roll peanut butter mixture between your hands into tablespoon balls (approximately...or roughly the size of a cherry), and sandwich between two pretzels. Place all pb sandwiches on a plate in the freezer for roughly 20 minutes.

4. While pretzels are in the freezer, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler until smooth and melted.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

6. Remove pretzels from the freezer, and dip half of each sandwich into the melted chocolate. Place on parchment. If you want to decorate them with mini chocolate chips do it right after dipping so that the chocolate hasn't had a chance to harden. Chocolate drizzle also looks nice over the dipped side.  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. If you want to speed up the hardening process put the pretzels in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

This might be the best dessert I've ever made. I don't usually make statements like that, but I also don't remember the last time I had something that was this amazing. It's shockingly good. So good, in fact, that my roommate and I finished off the entire thing in just over 24 hours. We were ashamed. I also was working from home the day after I made it, which meant I was sitting at home with it in the fridge just calling my name. You'd be surprised how many times I can justify eating dessert in a day. As I was copying over the recipe I just noticed it says it yields 12-16 servings. Good lord. Let's move on, shall we?

Here's what always gets me: it's the easiest recipes that are the best. I'm not sure I can even call this homemade because it's just an array of pre-made ingredients layered on top of each other. You don't have to be even a slightly good cook to make this. It's also one of those recipes that is guaranteed to make you friends. Unfortunately, Brooke (roommate) and I only shared a small bit with one other friend, so we didn't test this theory out, but I'm pretty certain of it. Again, I admit that we were ashamed.

The concept is simple. It's a layer of Oreos and butter, a layer of a peanut butter, cream cheese and cool whip blend, a layer of chopped Reese's Cups, a layer of a chocolate pudding, confectioner's sugar, milk and cool whip blend, and more crushed Oreos. I don't know what my favorite part was about this giant parfait of sorts. The chocolate pudding/cool whip complements the Oreos and the Reese's Cups complement the peanut butter/cool whip. It's honestly just heavenly. I've forbidden myself from making it again until I have a crowd because obviously I have zero will-power. Make this dessert. Now.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Yum
Recipe from Taste of Home
(Originally seen on Through A Country Mother's Eyes)

Ingredients

20 Oreo cookies, divided
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter*
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
20 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
1 cup cold milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
 
Directions
 
Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.
In another large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping.
Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.


*Even though I love JIF, I prefer Peter Pan Creamy for this recipe because it's not as thick as JIF. This helps the Cool Whip layer be light and airy. Also, in case the ingredient list makes you feel like this recipe is diabetes just waiting to happen, I use reduced fat pb, 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat Cool Whip.

I like to store things in giant ziplock bags. It's not what I would call entirely organized, but it's as organized as I can get. As long as I confine my ziplock bag use to baking goods it's not a problem. Things got a little crazy when I decided it was a brilliant storage device when moving. The next thing you know I had jewelry bags, junk bags, paper bags, pen bags..etc. Those ziplocks have yet to be unzipped. Anywho, in my kitchen I have a sprinkles bag. I don't know why at 22 years old I still gravitate towards sprinkles and bright colors, but I've accepted it. I'm a seven year old at heart.

Of course, for these I decided I wanted to use my favorites, the dinosaur sprinkles. So I guess I'm a seven year old boy at heart. Aside from opening a bag of cake mix all over my kitchen, these are a breeze to make. I bought a tube of crescent dough at the grocery store, but everything else I had on hand. My only advice would be to make sure the icing is a bit runny. I didn't measure (whoops) and proceeded to use the thicker icing instead of adding more milk (read: I was lazy). It covered up the cute little swirled tops. Lesson: don't be lazy, use your better judgment.

Enjoy!

Mini (no yeast) Cake Batter Cinnamon Buns
Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

• 1-8oz tube crescent roll dough
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Betty Crocker Supermoist white or yellow cake mix (or any brand white or yellow cake mix)
• 1/4 cup sprinkles
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• cake batter icing (recipe below)
• sprinkles for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350F (or whatever your tube of crescent roll instructs). Spray 16 tins of a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Roll out half of the dough (4 triangles) and close the seams together by pinching. Flip over and pinch those seams together as well.
3. Sprinkle the dough with half of your sprinkles and smooth out with a rolling pin. You want the dough to be totally seamless and the sprinkles to be pressed into the dough as much as possible. I do not have a rolling pin in my tiny apartment, so I covered the dough with parchment paper and rolled over it with a glass cup. The dough needs to be completely smooth and 1/4″ thick.
4. Brush dough with 1 Tbsp melted butter and cover with 2 Tbsp of the cake mix. Brush 1 Tbsp melted butter over the cake mix and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp brown sugar.
5. Roll into a log and cut into 8 equal buns.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 with the other half of the crescent roll dough.
7. Place 16 buns into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the buns are lightly browned.
8. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and spoon icing (recipe below) over top each bun. Top with sprinkles.

Cake Batter Icing

• 3/4 cup SIFTED Betty Crocker Supermoist white or yellow cake mix (or any brand white or yellow cake mix)*
• 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp half-and-half (or milk)

Whisk together sifted cake mix and half-and-half until fully combined.  Add more or less half-and-half depending on how thick you want the icing.  Spoon over warm cinnamon buns and top with sprinkles. Store cinnamon buns in fridge.

In my humble opinion, there is absolutely nothing better than good, southern food. I think the overall explanation is that we southerners use everything in excess. No southerner ever cooked keeping in mind the old saying, "Everything in moderation." Nothing is in moderation in southern cooking. Nothing. That's why it's all so delicious. I also believe there's a great deal of love put into southern cooking (yes, an excess of love if you will). It's the kind of love only a grandmother could produce. I think that's why nine times out of 10 your grandma will make it better. It doesn't matter what "it" is, your version will not be as good.

That brings me to my grandmother's pimento cheese recipe. Let's be real: adding mayonnaise to cheese is excessive. But my grandma makes pimento cheese ALL the time. I doubt there are many occasions when she doesn't have a batch of it in her fridge. I foolishly waited 21 years of my life to try pimento cheese despite this occurrence. I will never know why. Thankfully I broke down and decided to have it on a burger last year. Talk about life-changing. Now I've had pimento cheese on everything. Sandwiches, burgers, mac and cheese, tater tots, etc...as you can see it's quite the healthy lifestyle change.

Maybe you're not a southerner. Maybe you've never tried pimento cheese. Maybe you think the idea of combining cheese and mayo is disgusting. But then again, maybe there's a part of you that thinks you could add a little southern spice to your life and it's at least worth a shot. After all, it's only three ingredients and southern food is all the rage these days in the foodie world.

That being said, my grandmother has very specific thoughts about these three ingredients. She may never have used exact measurements for the recipe, but there are a few finite rules to making her pimento cheese: it must be Duke's Mayonnaise, Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar (gold package), and diced pimentos (no brand, just don't get sliced). No, this is not any sort of endorsement. I wish. It's just tried and true southern cooking.

Let me know if you have any great ways to use pimento cheese that you think I probably haven't tried!

Grandmother's Pimento Cheese

1 10-oz package Cracker Barrel Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Duke's Mayonnaise
1-2 tbs diced pimentos

Combine grated cheddar, mayonnaise and pimentos in bowl. Mix with a spoon (or clean hands) until thoroughly combined. Add mayonnaise or more pimentos to suit your taste. Store in refrigerator.

Pimento cheese works well in all sorts of foods. Swap out regular cheese for pimento cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich. Fill celery with it. Use it as a dip with chips. Top burgers with a tablespoon or two when they come off the grill. The list goes on.

To make a grilled cheese (as pictured), slather the outsides of two pieces of bread with butter. Spread pimento cheese on non-buttered side of one piece. Top with the other piece, keeping the butter on the outsides. Place on a pan over medium heat and flip to desired brownness on each side. Grab napkins. Slice and enjoy!

I've never been scared off by the risk of salmonella in raw cookie dough. I will undoubtedly be the incredibly rare case of someone who becomes violently ill from cookie dough because of this. Death by cookie dough. I used to buy rolls of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough at the grocery store and snack on it with friends. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Who needs cookies when you can just eat the dough and call it a day?

Along with the many perks of living at home before I move in a few weeks (more space, bigger TV, my dog...my parents, obviously) I've also found that I can't get away with quite as much. For example, the other day when my mom walked in and saw me making these she looked at me, only half surprised, and said, "Again?!" I acted like it was completely normal to have made these twice in three days and said, "Yes?" Only about five percent of the things I do on a daily basis are remotely normal. Sometimes it just takes being called out to realize it. Alas, I made them again anyways.

These are going to be my new go-to party dessert. They're easy, delicious, cute and egg-free for anyone worried about salmonella. I like the chocolate drizzle on them, but if you want to make it simpler just roll them in some mini morsels and voila! Bite-sized, amazing cookie dough bites.

Bring these to a party. Share with strangers. Make friends. It's that easy!

Also, I've noticed the dough is much easier to form if you pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes or so after making it.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Recipe from Cooking Classy

Yields about 30

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips, chopped (the idea is to get them to be about 1/2 - 1/3 their original size)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped

Optional Topping:
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt until pale and fluffy about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in cream and vanilla extract. Add in flour and mix just until combine (dough will seem dry at first but it will come together). Mix in chopped chocolate chips. Scoop dough out 1 equal tablespoon at a time and roll into balls. Place on parchment or wax paper.

If drizzling with chocolate, place 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe container and microwave on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a small ziploc bag, seal bag and cut a very small tip off the corner of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over tops of truffles. Place truffles in freezer for several minutes until chocolate sets and hardens (mine only took about 3 minutes), then enjoy! For more firm cookie dough bites, chill 1 hour in refrigerator. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

I have a good one for you today. A homemade cake that is absolutely perfect for the busy days when the last thing you want is to deal with a long list of ingredients and a sink full of bowls (and the first thing you want is chocolate cake). This cake batter is mixed in the pan. What a concept! I was skeptical, but oh my...this cake is good.

The cake itself is super moist and fluffy, undoubtedly homemade, and it's just as easy to make as its boxed counterpart. You've done it again, Martha Stewart. Seriously, I was slightly disturbed by the size of the piece I just ate. The seven-minute icing is a classic recipe that goes back decades (or so I'm told). I'm living back with my parents for the next month before I make my way up to DC. This basically means I'm baking up a storm before I get cut off and thrown into the real world. I'm ok with paying for my housing, transportation, etc., but I am incredibly worried about paying for my own groceries. I've been watching extreme couponing to prepare myself. How does this all relate to this wonderful, simple cake? It's dirt cheap and you probably already have everything on hand! This will be a new dessert staple.

Enjoy!

Busy Day Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Dinners for Winners (adapted from martha stewart)

• 1 1/2 cups  flour (all-purpose)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 6 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 TBSP white vinegar **
• 1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an 8-inch square baking pan, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and coarse salt.

Making a well in the center of the pan, add remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined, taking special care in the corners of the pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out cleanly. Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

** DO NOT LEAVE THIS OUT! It does not affect the taste, and it is essential to the recipe.

Seven-Minute Frosting
Adapted from Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 TBSP water
• 1 TBSP light corn syrup
• 3 large egg whites, room temperature

Bring first three ingredients to a boil in a small, heavy saucepan, stirring, making sure sugar dissolves. Once boiling, cook without stirring until 230 degrees on a candy thermometer. Occasionally wash down sides of saucepan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent any sugar crystals.
Meanwhile, whisk egg whites with a stand mixer until soft peaks form. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230 degrees, with mixer running, pour in a slow, steady stream down the side of the mixing bowl. Really slowly. Raise mixer speed to high and beat until thick and shiny and cooled, 5 to 10 minutes (about 7, i’d say!). Turn off the mixer and lick the beater. You have created a masterpiece.

I don't think I could ever get tired of pizza. It's been a staple throughout my college years (is this where the nostalgia sets in..when I talk about food?). I feel I've moved up the ranks in my pizza obsession in these last four years. It started out as it would with any young, naive freshman, ordering late night pizza from the greasiest place in town, Gumby's. There is honestly nothing better than Gumby's "Pokey Stix" at 2am. They're garlicky, greasy and delicious. You can also smell them from a mile away and get an XXL for $10. It was an essential part of making friends. The problem is, you only enjoy Pokey's for the brief time you are actually eating them. Guilt sets in about five minutes later. Then slight nausea.

So, then it came to sophomore year. Sophomore year I chose the more traditional route: Domino's, Papa John's or pizza from one of our great local places. I hoarded coupons to keep things cheap. By sophomore year you scoff at the freshmen ordering Pokey's and pretend like you weren't doing the same thing a year before. Junior year I discovered pizza bread. That's when I started making my own pizza...all. the. time. That's healthy. A week ago (aka one week to go in my senior year) I discovered these. Good heavens. It was a long and, at times, treacherous journey, but it was all worth it if this is the pinnacle of pizza perfection. Yes, I know I could go and get amazing pizza from a restaurant, but I'm young and broke.

I've been up working on a final exam since 5am this morning. I only made it to 6am before I had to go down and heat up two of these. Do I stop getting away with odd eating habits once I graduate? That's unfortunate. As an awkward side note, I had to sprint through campus to turn my take home exam in on time and ran right past my professor who immediately called me out. So much for cool, calm and collected to close out senior year.

You've probably seen something similar to these without the sauce and garlic in the bread. I've made those a few times in the past. I've never posted them because I don't really like posting things I don't love, and they're good, but not great. But I found the missing link. Also, I did not measure out anything. Pizza is all about personalization. I tried to guess out about how much I put of everything, but if you use more or less that's fine!

Enjoy!

Pizza Rolls

Ingredients
1 batch pizza dough *
50 pepperonis, cut in quarters
1/4 cup pizza sauce
Minced garlic spread (I use California Style Minced Garlic)
6 ounces shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
Italian seasoning

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate (a cake pan will also work fine if you don't have a pie plate). 
• Divide the dough into 10 roughly equal pieces. Take the dough pieces, one at a time, and flatten them out into a small circle about 4 inches wide. 
• Spread about 1/8 teaspoon minced garlic across the dough. You are not trying to overwhelm anyone with garlic, it's just for a slight kick. 
• Dab roughly a tablespoon of sauce on, but don't spread it out to the edges. 
• Place a few pepperonis on top, and sprinkle about a tablespoon of cheese on. 
• Pull the edges around the contents and pinch closed. If you put on too much sauce, the sauce will start dripping out and you'll never be able to seal the dough, so be careful with amounts! 
• Place seam-side down around the outside of the pie pan. 
• Repeat this process, placing the sealed rolls side by side. One or two might have to go in the middle, this is ok. 
• Lightly brush the tops of the dough with olive oil, then sprinkle Italian seasoning and parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm, with ranch or marinara (or both!). 

*I happen to stockpile frozen pizza dough like it's my ticket to surviving the apocalypse. My recommendation, buy it in bulk when it's on sale for 99 cents at the grocery store. When you get home, pop what you aren't using in the freezer. You can either thaw it by setting it out on the counter for ~6 hours, or thaw it in the fridge overnight when you are ready to use it. If you have time and want to try homemade pizza dough go for it! I just like shortcuts.

Has anyone heard that Dr. Pepper Ten radio commercial that asks all these questions starting with "Have you ever...?" The gist of the commercial is that women are supposed to answer "No" for this list of questions because we do womanly things and those are manly things. Blogging about bacon is apparently on the man list. Oh please!

Here's my "manly," brief blog about bacon. I love bacon. I love bacon on pretty much anything and everything. Bacon and eggs, bacon on cupcakes, chocolate covered bacon, bacon in pasta, scallops wrapped in bacon, filet mignon with bacon (red meat, extra man points!), cheddar bacon burgers, blts, etc. One last thing, I really love bacon in dips. Especially this hot and cheesy bacon dip.

The dip is super easy, and it so delicious. I'll be honest, I would sit there and eat a dip I thought was just average for 20 minutes without thinking twice (I'll blame it on the salt in chips). However, this dip is WAY above average. In fact, it is one of my new favorites. Prepare to be hooked!

Sorry the pictures aren't great. I have yet to find a good way to take pictures of dips. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

Hot and Cheesy Bacon Dip
Recipe from Heather Likes Food

1 C Mayonnaise

1 C Sour Cream

2 C Grated Monterrey Jack Cheese

1/2 C shredded Parmesan cheese

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic from the fridge)

1 tsp dried tarragon, rubbed between your palms to release some of the oils of the herb

a few dashes Chipotle Chili Powder, more if you like it spicy! (I used Cayenne Pepper since I didn't have this on hand - just a dash or two)

Preheat Oven to 400°

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and transfer to an 8×8″ baking dish. Bake for 15-20  minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Serve with chips, veggies, or bread. 

Note: I got a little cheese crazy and added it on top as well the most recent time I made this (pictured). This makes the top very oily. I think the Parmesan is fine to do this with (what I did the first time), but the Monterrey Jack is not.

Last week was Spring Break. This week is my birthday. It's 75 degrees in North Carolina, and March Madness is upon us. All is well.

You'd think that after a week of boozin and cruisin (for lack of a better way to sum up spring break), I would be in detox mode. Kind of like most girls were dieting in the weeks leading up to Spring Break and I was eating mac and cheese. Nope. I made this. And it's amazing.

I love finding easy recipes, and this is one of the easier breakfast recipes I've come across. If you haven't noticed, I love me some Pillsbury crescents and biscuits. While I'd prefer homemade biscuits (who wouldn't?), these do the trick for a quick fix in a recipe. My step sister and brother-in-law are starting a food truck in Nashville that serves fresh biscuits and biscuit sandwiches. Now, if I were closer and had the option to have the family make me delicious homemade biscuits I wouldn't have to resort to the blue tube, but such is life. If you live around the Nashville area check out www.biscuitlovetruck.com. Nom.

Although senior year still doesn't seem to be giving me as much time as I'd like for me to blog, I'm going to get back on my post a week schedule. Any suggestions for what I should make myself for my birthday? I know, I know. It's my birthday, I shouldn't be doing the baking..but that's just no fun.

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring
Recipe from All Things Deliciousness

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
 * I used one tube Grands. One and a half would've been ideal, but one worked great as well.

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, opt. (I opted out on both of these. Per usual.)

1/4 C. chopped almonds, opt.

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.
Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring.
Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.
Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!

This is a perfect example of the kind of food I simply cannot have around my house. It's effortless, bite-sized and addictive. I have a theory for puppy chow: it is 10x better when you double the toppings and keep the amount of chex mix the same (it's truly a wonder that I'm not 400lbs by this point in my life). Still, if you want to make the best puppy chow around, try it out. No one likes digging around in the bowl for the pieces with the most topping.

This lemon puppy chow reminds me of lemon cooler cookies from the grocery store (their real name is escaping me). I'm enjoying them as a nice break from chocolate, but I will also be happy when the bag of them isn't tempting me in my kitchen. I've grabbed a handful pretty much every time I've been in there...and I'm in the kitchen a lot. If you're ever looking for something quick and easy to bring to a party, this is it. I'm the type to spend days coming up with what I will contribute to a buffet, but I'm also finally coming to the realization that it's often the easiest things that get the best reviews. Enjoy!

Chex Lemon Buddies
Recipe from Joyful Whimsy

9 cups Rice Chex cereal 
1 1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips 
1/4 cup butter or margarine 
4 tsp grated lemon peel 
2 Tbsp lemon juice 
2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on high for 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 more seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into a 2-gallon re-sealable food storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar, seal bag and shake until all the cereal is well-coated.