Maple Monkey Bread

Hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas!  My friend, Carrie, recently introduced me to Pinterest.  It is an awesome website with a lot of recipes.  I have tried a couple from there and made this one this morning for breakfast.  It was really good and super easy!

1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
3 Tbsp.. butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c. pancake syrup
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  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 to form a ring.  Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for one minute in the pan, then carefully invert onto a serving platter and enjoy.

Peanut Butter Toffee Cheesecake Brownies

I wasn't quite sure how my treat day was going to turn out at work today.  I was trying out two new recipes and that can be a little scary.  I brought a bunch of clementines as a back up in case something was a flop.  By the way, I think clementines must be in season right now because they are wonderful.  This was the desert I chose to make.

1 box brownie mix
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. water
2 eggs
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
8 oz. Heath toffee chips
1 c. milk chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. whipping cream

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9x13 pan.  In a bowl combine brownie mix, oil. water and eggs and spread in pan.  Set aside pan.  In another bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy.  Mix in milk and peanut butter, then stir in 1 cup of toffee chips.  Spoon this mixture over the brownie mix in pan and try to spread out as much as you can.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until cheesecake mixture is set.  Let cool and place in refrigerator.  After they have cooled some, combine chocolate chips and whipping cream and microwave for 40-60 seconds til smooth.  Spread over the brownies and sprinkle with remaining toffee bits.  Store in the refrigerator.

McDonald's Peppermint Hot Chocolate

So have you tried the new McDonald's peppermint hot chocolate?  I made the mistake and gave in and tried last week Friday, and only because I had a full punch card so I got it free (kind of).  It was very good!  Tonight I tried to replicate it and I must say I thought it turned out really good although I did not do a side by side taste test.

First, I want to say that I always use chocolate milk to make hot chocolate.  Growing up at the truck stop in town our favorite waitress (I think her name or nickname was Bee) would always make it for us this way instead of the powder.  We always felt special when she did that.

So, to start I heated some chocolate milk in a mug in the microwave until hot.  Then I added 1-2 Tbsp. peppermint flavoring syrup (the kind of stuff you add to your coffees) and stirred.  If you were going to do it up like McDonald's you would swirl some whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top.  Me, I opted for lots of mini marshmallows. 

Yum!!

"Shout From The Housetop" Apple Dumplings

I was really anxious to try this recipe and tonight was the night.  This recipe makes 16 little dumplings, more than a family of three really needs to eat.  So I thought I would share with my parents and sister.  Wasn't long after I dropped them off and I was getting a text looking for the recipe and telling me I should "shout it from the housetop".  Well, my mom is a good cook so these must be good.  I even got Tristan to try one after telling him about the "secret ingredient".

2 whole Granny Smith apples (I used Honeycrisp because that is what I had on hand)
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cinnamon, to taste

And now for the "secret ingredient"...
6 oz. Mt. Dew

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel and core apples.  Cut each apple into 8 slices.  Roll each slice in a crescent roll and place in a greased 9x13 pan.  Melt butter and stir in sugar until just combined.  Add vanilla, stir and pour over the apples in the pan.  Pour the Mt.Dew around the edges of the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake for 40-50 minutes and serve with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Mine seemed a little runny when I took them out of the oven.  I did drain some of the liquid and returned them to the oven for just a little bit longer.

Vicky's Jalapeno Wraps

Boy it has been a long time since I have posted a new recipe.  Here is a new one that we tried this week that was really good.  Depending on the pepper it can be a little spicy.  But if you are daring, give them a try.  I was talking to a gal, Vicky, that I know and she was the one that shared this recipe with me.  She said that her and her husband sometimes like to have them as a meal.  There is not a true recipe, just some steps to put them together.

Jalapenos, as many as needed, stems removed, cut in half the long way and seeded.
Cream cheese in the tub, she uses onion & chives, I used the garden vegetable which I thought was really good.
Pre-cooked bacon that you can buy at the grocery store.
One tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough, or as much as needed depending on the amount of jalapeno halves.

Once you have your jalapenos cleaned out, take the cream cheese and fill the inside of the jalapeno.  I had to microwave my cream cheese a little to soften.  Cut or tear one of the pieces of pre-cooked bacon in half and place one half on top of the cream cheese stuffed jalapeno mostly covering the cream cheese.  Now you will want to take off one crescent roll and cut it in half so you have two triangles.  Take one of the triangles and roll it around the stuffed jalapeno.  Please cheese side up on a cookie sheet and bake as directed on the crescent roll dough package.

Super Yummy Rhubarb Custard Cake

I know, I know I have not shared a recipe in a really long time.  This does not mean I have not been trying new ones; just haven't found one to share.
Rhubarb is in season still and this has to be one of my favorite rhubarb recipes.  Besides being super simple and quick it tastes delicious!!

Yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to make on box
4 c. rhubarb, chopped
1 c. sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream.

First, make the cake according to the directions on the box.  Pour the cake batter into a 9x13 pan.  Directly on top of that spread out the chopped rhubarb, then the sugar and lastly pour over the heavy whipping cream.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 

During the baking process those ingredients on the top will fall to the bottom and make a really yummy custard.  My family likes this served with a dollop of Cool Whip on top.

Nicole's Holiday Bars

So, I'm sitting here at a scrapbooking retreat.  Although I don't scrapbook, I'm spending the weekend working on crocheting a blanket that I have been working on for Tristan for a really long time.  Everyone brings along a snack to share.  Here are some really good bars that Nicole brought.

1 stick butter
1 bag mini marshmallows
4 c. Crispix
4 c. pretzels
1 c. M&M's

Melt butter and stir in the marshmallows until melted.  Pour over the Crispix and pretzels in a bowl. After that is combined, add M&M's. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Yum!  The prefect mix of sweet, salty and crunchy.