Flatbread Herb Bread

Ingredietnts:
Pizza dough or crescent dinner rolls (8 oz. refrigerated can) or your own pizza dough or roll dough
1/2 C fresh basil leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 egg, beaten
1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C grated Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into 2 long rectangles. Place one rectangle on ungreased cookie sheet. Place basil leaves on dough. Then sprinkle rosemary on top of basil. Place second rectangle over the herbs. Flatten a little with rollling pin or bottle. Brush egg over top. Sprinkle on the cheeses (you can also add other cheese you like). Bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon No-Salt salt
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 (6-ounce) skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Combine ketchup and next 3 ingredients (through mustard) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Rub spice mixture evenly over chicken thighs.
4. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 12 minutes. Turn chicken over. Brush with half of ketchup mixture; cook 12 minutes.
5. Turn chicken over. Brush with remaining ketchup mixture; cook 2 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Be sure your thermometer does not touch the bone when taking the temp.

Chocolate-Peppermint Bark

Ingredints:
12 oz chocolate chips
1 pound white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup peppermint candy, crushed

Directions: .
Preheat oven to 250. Line a 9x13 pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides. Spray foil. Pour the chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until almost melted. Remove from oven, smooth with an offset spatula or knife. Place in refrigerator until cold and firm, about 20 minutes.
Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don’t let bottom of bowl touch water), until chocolate is almost melted. You can use your microwave for this if you’re brave! Remove bowl from water and stir until completely melted, stirring in extract. Let cool a little bit so it doesn’t melt the chocolate layer when you pour it on top. Pour this over chocolate layer, and, working quickly, spread to cover. Sprinkle with crushed candy.
Chill until both layers are firm. Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy. Trim edges. Cut into 2” wide strips. Peel bark from foil and cut each strip as desired. Chill in covered container. Makes about 2 pounds.

Brownie Burger Cupcakes & Sugar Cookie French Fries

From Bakerella:

You will need:

1 brownie cake mix

1 yellow cake mix

1 cut-out cookie mix (see directions for making them cut-out) or pre-made dough

sugar

frosting & food coloring

sesame seeds

Go here to print out the templates: http://www.bakelove.com/bakerella_fathers_day.pdf

To make the fries: Cut the sugar cookie dough in thin strips with a sharp knife and then a long cut down the center. The varied lengths are fine because you don't want all your french fries exactly the same size. Remove the alternating strips so it won't bake into one giant blob. (Reserve dough strips and repeat) Sprinkle sugar on top of the dough. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.These spread more than I had hoped they would for rolled sugar cookies. I know. I know. The mix thing. But, no problem. Just take your knife and cut each "steak fry" down the center for "skinny fries." Do this right when they come out of the oven. Sprinkle more sugar on top while they are still warm, too. Lightly rub it on to make sure it sticks good.And voila……A big pile of fries.

Bake the brownies and let cool completely.

Bake the yellow cake mix into small cupcakes. Use liners to keep the sides from browning in the muffin tins.
Now it's time to assemble. Cut each cooled cupcake in half or thirds depending on how tall it is. Cut out 24 circles from the completely cooled brownies and place in between the cupcake bun.I used my ever so handy graduated circle cutters to do the trick. Size 2" for uniform burgers.

Divide the canned frosting in three bowls. Two can have equal amounts for the mustard and ketchup. The third - a little more for the lettuce. The colors I used to tint were, Wilton Leaf Green, Wilton Golden Yellow, and Americolor Super Red. To make the red a little deeper, use a tiny bit of violet when you mix. Place each color in a ziploc bag and snip a small tip off one corner.

Gently squeeze out the mustard and ketchup first. Then the lettuce in more of a squiggly design. Place the top of the bun on and press gently.Now for the finishing touch. Brush a very thin layer of water over the top of the bun or either dab a few drops of water on with your finger. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and they'll stick.

Mexican Grilled Corn

Ingredients:

6 ears corn, husked
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup crema Mexicana (can be replaced with low-fat or regular sour cream)
6 lime wedges

Directions:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
2. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, salt and pepper.
3. Place corn on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cook 12 minutes or until corn is lightly browned, turning frequently. Place corn on a platter; drizzle with crema. Sprinkle with chili powder mixture. Spritz with lime juice.
Oven Directions: If you need to roast the corn in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and place the corn (in its husks) on the middle rack for about 30 minutes.

Lovely Lemon Bars

Ingredients:

Lemon Bars Crust:

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:

1 1/2 cup plain sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degreesGrease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

To make crust:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar
Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
Press mixture into bottom of pan.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:
While crust is baking, prepare topping.
In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate. Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups 1% milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, at room temp

Directions:
Warm milk and cream on stove over medium heat. Once steamy add in vanilla and sugar, and stir to dissolve. Whisk yolks in a seperate bowl and temper with hot milk mixture. Pour all back into pot and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Strain into a bowl with cream cheese and whisk to bring together. Cover and refrigerate until very cold. Churn according to manufactures directions. Layer ice cream with blueberry sauce in a freezer proof container and allow to freeze for serval hours before serving.

Blueberry Sauce
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)
3 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)
1 tsp lemon zest
Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and over medium heat brng to a simmer. Squish blueberries with a back of a spoon to break up if needed. Remove from heat, put into a different container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Seasoned Fish Crackers

Ingredients:

3 packages (6 ounces each) bite-size cheddar cheese fish crackers
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
3 teaspoons dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Place the crackers in a large bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients; drizzle over crackers and toss to coat evenly. Transfer to two ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake @ 250 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

5 quarts popped popcorn-unbuttered (more if you want it less gooey)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 225 degrees. Place popcorn in a large roasting pan; set aside.
2. Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses and salt in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees or small amount of mixture dropped in ice water forms a hard ball. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. The caramel will foam up a little and turn a lighter color when you add the baking soda.
3. Carefully pour hot mixture over the popcorn. Using a wooden spoon, stir until all popcorn is coated. Place in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir to evenly coat the popcorn. Return to oven. Continue cooking for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately spread caramel corn onto waxed paper. Let cool completely. Break into bite-sized pieces. Store in tightly covered container.

Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and white sugar and confectioner's sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Cover or wrap dough and chill for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into halves. Color one half red by mixing in the food color. Roll a small amount of each dough into 4 inch strips. Roll them together in a twisted rope and curve the end like a cane. Place onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed candy cane and remaining white sugar. Roll hot cookies in the sugar mixture.

Cookie Bouquets

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
lemon zest (optional)-for the most flavor, rub the zest into the sugar before adding it to the butter

Directions:
Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for a minute or so, until smooth. Beat in the sugar and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and pale. Add the egg and yolk and beat for another minute or two; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and steadily add the flour mixture, mixing only until it has been incorporated-because this dough is best when worked least, you might want to stop the mixer before all the flour is thoroughly blended into the dough and finish the job with a rubber spatula. When mixed, the dough will be soft, creamy and malleable.
Turn the dough out onto a counter and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic. The dough must be chilled for at least 2 hours. (Well wrapped, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll out dough between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper to a thickness of 1/4" (5/8" to make cookie bouquet), lifting the plastic or paper and turning the dough over often so that it rolls evenly. Lift off the top sheet of plastic or paper and cut out the cookies. Pull away the excess dough, saving the scraps for rerolling, and carefully lift the cookies onto the baking sheet with a spatula, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cookies.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the sheet at the midpoint. The cookies should feel firm, but they should not color much, if at all. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely before glazing.

Glace' Icing
1 lb powdered sugar (about 3 3/4 cups)
1/4 C + 2T Whole milk (low-fat actually works, but use whole if you can)
1/4 C +2T light Corn Syrup
1 t extract (I used almond)
With a whisk, combine sugar and milk until smooth (no lumps!). Then stir in corn syrup and extract.
You will use this same recipe for both glazing and piping. The way it is right now is the consistency you want for glazing. For piping just thicken with more powdered sugar.

Triple Berry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh or frozen berries**
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Directions:
1. Grease 9x9x2 inch or 8x8x2 inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 3/4 cup sugar and beat on med-high until light and fluffy. Add egg, beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to beaten egg mixture, beating until smooth after each addition.
3. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with berries. In another bowl combine the 1/2 cup flour, the 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over berries. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 9 servings.
**Raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. The triple berry mix at Costco is great when you don't have fresh berries. (The mix is blueberries, raspberries and marionberries)

Stuffed Shells with Ricotta, Spinach, and Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1 large portobello mushroom, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 15 oz ricotta cheese - I used low fat
1 egg
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (divided)
1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and chopped (use a potato ricer to get rid of the water)
1/2 tsp dried basil
Dash of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper

About 3 cups of marinara sauce

About 18 jumbo pasta shells, cooked al dente, read box instructions

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish or Pyrex 9 by 13 pan with cooking spray. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the onion, cook until soft. Add in garlic, mushrooms, and red peppers. Remove from heat and cool.
In a large bowl combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, stir well. Add in the egg, spinach, dried basil, crushed red pepper,salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Mix well until creamy. Add the mushroom, onion, red pepper mixture.
Pour 1/2 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of your sprayed baking dish. Place the cooked shells in the pan. Make sure they are spaced out evenly. Stuff each shell with cheese/veggie mixture. Use a spoon, it might get messy:)
Pour the remaining sauce over the stuffed shells. Add the leftover mozzarella and Parmesan.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. You want the shells to be bubbling with goodness. Let cool for a few minutes and serve warm.