Blueberry Cobbler

This is another fantastic Pioneer Woman recipe.  I had seen it originally in her first cookbook, but didn't have any desire to make it until I saw her make it on the first season of her show on Food Network.  I've actually already made this a couple of times, but am so excited to eat it, I forget to take a picture.  I don't like typical fruit cobblers.  This one is sorta a twist between a cake and a cobbler.  I have always made it with frozen blueberries and served it with vanilla ice cream.

The case

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar 
• 1 cup self-rising flour 
• 1 cup whole milk 
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries 
• Whipped cream and/or ice cream, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter. 
3. Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream or ice cream . . . or both!

Angel Sugar Cookies

I'm determined to try all the recipes I want to try in Pioneer Woman's cookbook before her new cookbook comes out.  If you've read any other of my baking posts, you know one thing I hate to do is bake.  I don't have the patience to measure out everything perfectly, especially when I take the time and then my food is a disaster.  These things don't happen with cooking.  When you cook, you simply adjust flavor.  

The case:
Angel Sugar Cookies from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1 cup Canola Oil
• 2 sticks Butter, Softened
• 1 cup Sugar, Plus Extra For Sprinkling
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons, All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Cream Of Tartar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together eggs, oil, butter, sugars, and vanilla. 
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate dough one hour. 
4. Using a cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. 
5. Smear a dab of butter all over the bottom of a glass, then dip the glass in granulated sugar. Use the glass to flatten each ball of dough, dipping again into the sugar each time. Repeat until all are flattened. 
6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until cookies are just barely turning brown. Don’t overbrown! 
7. Allow to cool before eating. Cookies are ultra crumbly! 

Angel Sugar Cookies Printable

The ruling:
These are some of the lightest, crispiest cookies I've ever had period.  I love how thin they are, yet still chewy!  I'm going to try to add icing tomorrow.  What could be better?

Poppy Seed Bread

One of my favorite blogs is Our Best Bites.  It was created by two friends to share recipes with each other and their friends.  They are my kind of cooks!  A couple weeks before Christmas while browsing their site, I noticed they had a cookbook! I immediately called my mom and told her I wanted it for Christmas.  Believe it or not this was the present I was the most excited about getting.  And let me tell you it does not disappoint!  I know all the financial gurus (David Ramsey, etc.) say not to buy cookbooks.  Why would you with the internet these days?  But as a book lover, there is something about turning the pages, and seeing the recipes, that inspires me in a way that the internet simply doesn't!  I can't tell you how many recipes I want to try in this book. Finding those on the internet just wouldn't be the same.

The original recipe is Almond Poppy Seed Bread (found here) but since I don't care for almond extract, I left it out, therefore took off the Almond from the name here.  

The case:
Ingredients:
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/8 c. canola oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. butter flavoring

GLAZE
3/4 c. white granulated sugar
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. butter flavoring

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, and flavorings and beat for 2 minutes. Alternate adding in flour mixture and milk and then mix until just combined. Add poppyseeds and mix until just combined. Pour into prepared pans (5 mini pans or 2 regular loaf pans) and bake (35-40 minutes for mini pans, 1 hour for large pans; keep an eye on them). When done, place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. While cooling, prepare glaze by combining all glaze ingredients. Drizzle over loaves and allow to harden.

 Okay there is one thing I left out.  I actually tried 2 recipes from Our Best Bites today.  The only thing that could possibly make this cake better, any bread for that matter, is honey butter.

The case:

Honey Butter

Ingredients:

2 sticks real butter, (close to room temp- works best when slightly chilled still.)
2/3 C honey
¾ C powdered sugar

Directions:
(If your butter is too soft, you’ll end up with a gooey mess, so I just leave it out on the counter for about 20 minutes or so before beating and it turns out nice and fluffy)
Just place it all in a bowl and beat with an electric hand-mixer for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed.  Serve at room temp

The ruling:
I'm in love with this bread!  It would be good as a dessert or a sweet breakfast.  It would be fabulous alone, but with this butter, oh my word.  It's incredible!  It has to be the powdered sugar.... I think I'm going to go eat another piece!

White Chocolate Smore Bars

One of my top favorite recipe blogs is Picky Palate.  I'm not even a big dessert person, but I'm always pinning her desserts to try.  Now I happen to not be a big dark chocolate fan, but I LOVE white chocolate!  I always wanted the cookies and cream Easter bunny growing up.   I'm excited to see what this combination of ingredients turns out like.

The case:
Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 full graham crackers
10 ounce bag white chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with tin foil that’s been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure foil goes all the way up and over the edges for this one. It will be a full pan 
2. Place cake mix, egg, and butter into a large mixing bowl. Mix with hands until a nice dough forms. similar to a cookie dough. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
3.  Layer with graham crackers, white chips then marshmallows.
4.  Top with remaining half of dough pressing evenly. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over top.
5.  Then bake for 28-33 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on top. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes then take a plastic knife and run along edges to loosen marshmallow (this will make your life easier when pulling foil out of pan to remove bars. Let cool completely then remove bars from pan with foil edges. Cut off all edges if desired, about 1/2 inch each side. I save the edges to snack on too. Cut bars into squares and serve. They are delicious room temperature or chilled. 

The ruling:
These were a royal pain to make, but absolutely delicious! Man, this dough is sticky.  I cringe whenever I see a recipe that says mix with hands.  I couldn't get a lot of this mess off my hands so I didn't have enough to spread over the top.  I ended up making a second batch of dough and spreading about a 1/4 of it over the top.  It reminded me a lot of my cake batter blondie recipe.  Next time I make them, I'm going to pour some evaporated milk over the top. 

Cake Batter Blondies

Michael and I both love cake batter ice cream.  So when I saw these on Pinterest, I knew I had to try them right away.  They originally came from a blog called Girl Meets Life. 

The Case:

ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/3 – 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

directions: Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add the milk slowly – you want the batter to remain as dense as possible. Then mix in the rainbow sprinkles and white chocolate chips. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

The Ruling:
There isn't much to say except these are yummy delicious fabulousness. I cooked them for 5 additional minutes after some comments claimed they seemed to mushy.  I will be using this recipe for many years to come. 

Kentucky Butter Cake #29 & Vanilla Icing #30

I stumbled upon this recipe on All Recipes the other day.  I'm going to add an icing recipe I've been wanting to try for a while.  

The case:
Cake Recipe:
Ingredients
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, 2 cups sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Blend in buttermilk, 1 cup of butter, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 4 eggs. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Prick holes in the still warm cake. Slowly pour sauce over cake. Let cake cool before removing from pan.
To Make Butter Sauce: In a saucepan combine the remaining 3/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and the water. Cook over medium heat, until fully melted and combined, but do not boil.

Icing Recipe:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter

Directions
Melt the butter and add to rest of ingredients. Mix until creamy.

The ruling:
This is one of the most moist cakes I've ever had.  I love that is is made from scratch.  I love the simple flavors.  The icing is a good basic recipe.  I added a little more milk to thin it out and it's still plenty thick.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad#28

One of my favorite sides of all time is strawberry pretzel salad, at least it is when it's good.  If it's mushy, especially the pretzel part, I'm not a fan.  For some reason, I've never tried to make it on my own.  I found this on All Recipes.

The case:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.

Ruling:
This strawberry pretzel salad is hands down the best I ever had.  After reading the reviews, I left the strawberry mixture in the bowl and placed it in the fridge for 30 minutes before I constructed the salad.  At first, I thought this was a huge mistake, but everything ended up being perfect.  Each layer was separate and burst with flavor.  The pretzels were still crunchy, the middle perfectly sweet, and the top a punch of strawberry flavor!

Whatever Floats Your Boat Brownies #16

Even though I'm not a big chocolate eater, I love brownies.  These come from food.com.  They were on the list as a bonus recipe of the top 100 recipes of the year.  Not sure if that means they were #11 or what, but needless to say, that is how I found them.  I've never tried making homemade brownies before.  So, I'm excited to try these.  I've really been craving sweets lately, which is shocking for those who know me.  I'm much more of a salty/appetizer loving gal.  I guess it's this pregnancy thing.  I'm not complaining though, there are much worse side effects. :)

The case:
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT: 1 -2 cup chocolate chips (semisweet, white, butterscotch, peanut butter) or 1 -2 cup raisins or 1 -2 cup chopped maraschino cherries or 1 -2 cup choppednuts or 1 -2 cup M&M's or 1 -2 cup Reese's pieces or 1 -2 cup miniature marshmallow

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease an 8 inch square pan or line with foil.
3. In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.
4. Add sugar and mix well.
5. Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.
6. Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour (do not overmix).
7. Fold in "WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT
8. Spread in pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes. DO NOT OVER-BAKE -- your brownies will come out dry. Adjust time/temp accordingly for your oven. If you do the knife/toothpick test, it should come out with moist crumbs, not clean.
9. Cool completely before cutting into squares.  For double recipe, bake in 9x12 pan and add 5 minutes to baking time.

The ruling:
For my first whatever floats your boat try, I used 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips.  And yes there will be a 2nd try because these brownies are Super Fantastic!  I had to bake them about 28 minutes and they came out perfectly.  There is no more reason to buy the boxes.  One of the greatest things about this recipe (besides the taste obviously) is I always have all the ingredients at home.  I bought Andes mint chips around Christmas time and never made anything with them.  I'll be trying them in these brownies within the next few days!

Lori's Awesome Cookies #12

Okay, I've pretty much given up with the monthly goals.  I just don't have time to organize all that these days.  I'm just going to post what I'm cooking!

I pretty much made these because of the name. :)

The case:
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coffee flavored liqueur
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups candy-coated milk chocolate pieces

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugars using an electric mixer. Mix in the eggs, vanilla and coffee flavored liqueur.
Measure the oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until blended, then stir in the candy pieces. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to turn golden.

The ruling:
I thought these were okay, but Michael loved them.  The only problem I had was that I should have grinded up the oats better.  I will probably make these again.

Cinnamon Flop Brunch Cake #10

Yet another recipe from Kittencal.  This one like most of her others that I make came from food.com. I've included Kittencal's comments because they are always full of helpful hints.  I usually try to incorporate these into the recipe, but there were just too many this time.

The case:
Kittencal's Comments
"Except for the the milk and small amount in the egg, the cake itself has very little fat and using low-fat milk will keep the fat to a minimum, I have stated the egg as optional, I strongly suggest to add it in for a more cake-like texture -- If you are looking for a fancy cake to serve then this is not it however for the ease of this cake it is darn good and makes a great weekend brunch cake, it's like a combination of a cake and cinnamon bun all in one, ridiculously simple to make as it's all mixed by hand and takes like 5 minutes to throw together, try adding in some chopped strawberries, apples or blueberries, raisins or dried cranberries, this recipe is a blank canvas, so go ahead and add in fruit, nuts chocolate chips whatever you wish, and to kick this up a notch drizzle recipe#120835 on top :) --- servings are only estimated"

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar ( add in more for a sweeter taste)
1 1/4 cups milk
1 -2 teaspoon vanilla (optional) or 1 -2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 large egg

TOPPING
1/2 cup brown sugar ( can use more or less)
1 -2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
chopped walnuts (optional) or pecans (optional)

Directions
1. Set oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish, or two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans (although the batter will seem like it will fit into only one 8 or 9-inch pan, this flop rises very high and will run over the sides if baked in just one pan).
3. In a bowl mix the 2 cups flour, 1-1/4 cups white sugar, milk, vanilla or almond extract, baking powder, pinch of salt and egg (if using) until just combined careful not to overmix.
4. Pour into prepared baking pan/s.
5. Generously spread brown sugar and cinnamon on top.
6. If desired sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans over top.
7. Drizzle melted butter over top.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes for 8 or 9-inch round cake pan, and about 30 minutes for a 13 x 9-inch pan.

Icing:
Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted ( please sift to remove any small lumps)
1/4 cup whipping cream ( any amount to desired texture start with 1/4 cup, or use 18% table cream)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Directions
Whisk all ingredients in a bowl adding whipping cream until desired texture is achieved (do not make it to thin, or it won't stick on cakes!).

The ruling:
Just go ahead and throw all these ingredients together and make this.  And pour yourself a huge glass of milk!  This is simply delicious!  I love, love, love sweet cinnamon brunch dishes, and this is one of the best I've had!  It took me more than 5 minutes to make including prep, but these are ingredients I always have on hand- and it's all from scratch!  The only change I made was to the icing, I used milk instead of whipping cream.

Lemon Delight Trifle #104

I found this while going through my old Taste of Homes magazines.  I love lemon cookies and this looked easy so I figured I could make it for Christmas Eve dinner.

The case:
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups cold milk
2 (3 1/2 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
12 ounces Cool Whip, thawed, divided
1 (12 -14 ounce) packages lemon cream-filled sandwich cookies, crushed

Directions
1.  Whisk milk and pudding for 2 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes or till soft-set.
2.  In another bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar till smooth. Gradually stir in pudding till blended.
3.  Set aside 1/4 cup each of Cool Whip and cookies for garnish. Fold remaining Cool Whip into pudding mixture.
4.  Place half remaining cookies in 3 quart glass bowl; top with half the pudding. Repeat. Garnish with reserved Cool Whip and cookies. Refrigerate till serving.

The ruling:
This reminds me of banana pudding with Nilla wafers, but it's lemon pudding with lemon cookies.  I thought it was tasty.  Michael thought it was lacking fruit, so he added strawberries and thought it was great.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This is my favorite homemade ice cream recipe.  I made it for Senior Saints at my church the other night, but completely forgot to take a picture.  Several people asked for the recipe so I figured I would go ahead and post it on here.  I guess I'll just have to make it again soon and post the picture. :)


Ingredients
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
In a large bowl, stir together the milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours.

Honey Bun Cake #85

I was craving something sweet, so I searched allrecipes.com until I found something with good reviews that I had all the ingredients for!

The case:

Cake Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon


Icing Ingredients
2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs and sour cream. Stir by hand approximately 50 strokes, or until most large lumps are gone. Pour half of the batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
3.  Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter in the cake pan.
4.  Spoon the other half of the batter into the cake pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon. Twirl the cake with a butter knife or icing knife until it looks like a honey bun (or whatever design you want to make).
5.  Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Frost cake while it is still fairly hot. Serve warm.
6.  To Make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.

The ruling:
Oh me, oh my!!  This is spectacular!  I just can't get enough of it.  It's sweet and savory.  It's part sweet like a cinnamon roll but the cake is also savory from the sour cream.  The middle was warm and gooey.  I added maple extract in with the vanilla.  I believe the maple added a lot more flavor.  I couldn't have had a better night- honey bun cake, a tall glass of milk, and cuddled on the couch with my husband watching The Bachlorette!

Yellow Cupcakes with Sticy Chocolate Icing #82

I recently found a list on Pioneer's Woman's website of all her recipes.  It is a wonderful little page to bookmark, if you're like me and like to visit all the time.  Overall, this recipe stood out the most to me.  I am one of the few people on Earth that just don't care for chocolate.  I know it's weird, but I do like homemade chocolate icing on white cake for some reason, and these look just about as good as it gets!  I just wish I could get my pictures to look as good as hers.... one day.

The case:
Ingredients 
FOR CUPCAKES
2 cups Cake Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
¾ teaspoons Salt
½ cups Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 cup Sugar
3 whole Eggs Room Temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla
¾ cups (plus A Tad More) Whole Milk
_____
FOR THE ICING:
¾ cups Sweetened, Condensed Milk
6 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate
2 Tablespoons Butter

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3.  With an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl and mix for a few more seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Mix to combine.
4.  Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk in three batches, mixing for a few seconds after each addition.
5.  Scrape sides of bowl, then mix one final time.
6.  Fill paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until poufy but not brown. Cool before icing.

Sticky Chocolate Icing:
1.  Mix ingredients together in a small/medium saucepan. Melt ingredients over medium low heat, stirring gently. Icing is ready when all ingredients are melted and combined.
2.  Spoon warm icing over warm cupcakes, stirring icing to smooth after every third cupcake or so. Allow iced cupcakes to sit at least ten minutes before serving.

The ruling:
Mollye really enjoyed this cupcake as you can see!  I really liked this icing, but the cake was a little heavy.  I'm not sure if this is because of my horrible baking abilities or the recipe.  The flavor is good, I just like my cake lighter and fluffier.  

Cinnamon Roll Pizza #80

I just love the internet.  I love sharing recipes and reading other people's recipes.  I would do anything to find a way to do this stuff full time.   The Picky Palate is one of my absolute favorite food blogs.  As many of you probably know, I can be a picky eater.  Her slogan is to "dress up" family recipes so that even the pickiest eater will enjoy it.  This is my theory also, I like things plainer than most people, but I still want to have stand out flavor of all ingredients.  As soon as I saw the post for cinnamon roll pizza, I knew I couldn't go another day without trying it!  Okay that is really sad, but it's also true....

The case:

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes

1/2 Cup packed brown sugar

13 oz pizza dough of choice

4 Tablespoons room temperature butter

1/2 Cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 Cup powdered sugar

4-5 Tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray pizza pan with cooking spray and layer  with butter cubes and brown sugar.

 2.  Gently place dough into pan over butter and brown sugar then spread butter over tops of dough.

 3.  Layer with brown sugar and cinnamon.

 4.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pizza crust is cooked through.  Let cool for 10 minutes or until butter and brown sugar have set.  (This part is torture!) Cut into wedges.

5.  Place powdered sugar and cream into mixing bowl and stir until smooth.  Drizzle over warm slices of pizza and serve.

The ruling:

I am officially 80% of the way to my goal, and out of those 80 new recipes I've tried in 2010, this is my favorite!  It is yummy, delicious goodness!

Buttermilk Chess Pie

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes. This recipe came from Allrecipes.  The only change I make is to only use 4 eggs.

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)
In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Beat in the eggs and buttermilk until blended. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Pour filling into the pie crust.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until filling is set.

Yoo-hoo Ice Cream #73

My friend Susie Mantooth gave me this recipe.  I was immediately intrigued!

The case:
Ingredients:

• 6 cans Yoo-hoo
• 1 can Eagle sweetened milk
• 1 pint half and half

Directions:
Put into a ice cream maker, and let it work its magic.

Ruling:
I have 2 small ice cream makers, so I used both.  My ice cream never completely froze.  Michael said I should have refrigerated the Yoo-hoo first.  I am going to freeze it now, but so far it is an awesome milkshake!  Michael isn't the biggest chocolate fan, so he doesn't really care for it.  He says it is too chocolaty.   It sorta reminds me of a frosty.

The Best Sugar Cookies

I made these for the first time right before I started my blog.  They are absolutely the greatest sugar cookies I have ever had.  Yes, they require some work.  I don't typically like to bake, but these are so much fun to decorate I am willing to do the work.  Both recipes came from allrecipes.com and I make them exactly like they're written. 

Sugar Cookies:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
1.  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

Icing:
Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
assorted food coloring

Directions
1.  In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2.  Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

I didn't have much time tonight.  These are very time consuming.  I plan on making more tomorrow.  I'll upload pics then!