Pear, Walnut, and Bleu Cheese Salad on Endive

Ingredients:
2 heads of endive
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 pears
1 cup bleu cheese crumbles
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
In a small bowl whisk together the strawberry jam, oil, and vinegar until it forms a vinaigrette.  Peel the pears and dice into small cubes.  Toss in the vinaigrette with the cranberries and store in the refrigerator for a half hour.

Peel the endive leaves away carefully from the core and rinse.  Arrange on a platter.

Take the pear mixture out of the refrigerator and stir in the walnuts.  Spoon a tablespoonful on the end of each endive leave.  Top with bleu cheese and serve!

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Red Velvet Brownies

Ingredients:
Brownies:
4 oz bittersweet chocolate bar
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1oz bottle red food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.

Microwave the chocolate and butter together for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted.  Stir every 30 seconds to prevent burning.  Whisk in the sugar and allow to cool for 2 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time and whisk completely until blended after each addition.  Gently stir in the flour.  Add the baking powder, vanilla, and salt.  Finally stir in the food coloring.  Be careful to not get it on clothes!

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes.  Cool completely.

In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla together until it forms a frosting consistency.  Once brownies are cooled remove from the pan and cut into squares.  Frost each one with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting.  Enjoy!

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Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1/2 cup mini milk chocolate morsels
• 1 9 inch deep dish unbaked pie shell

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave for a 60-90 seconds.  . While butter is melting, add beaten eggs to a medium sized bowl. Stir in brown sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and corn syrup until combined. Add butter when just melted.

Mix in the pecans and chocolate morsels. Mix all together. Pour mixture into pie shell.

Place on a sheet tray and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

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Chocolate Cake with Caramel Frosting

Last weekend was my birthday and my mom asked me what cake I wanted HER to make me!  Being the baker that I am I decided baking my own birthday cake would be the best option! I decided on a chocolate cake with caramel frosting and decorated it cheetah print! It is not as difficult as you might think, I promise!

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more as necessary
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 16-ounce box confectioner’s sugar

Decoration:
milk chocolate frosting
black gel icing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add brown sugar and cream.  Cook over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and add vanilla. Transfer to a large bowl.

Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.  If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream at a time until consistency is right.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Once cake is completely frosted, chill in the freezer for a half hour.  Take a butter knife and smear dots (spots) onto your cake with the chocolate frosting sporadically.  Once you have done this to the entire cake, freeze for another half hour.  Then outline half  or 3/4 of each spot with the black gel icing.  Refrigerator until service.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay pumpkin seeds in a flat layer in a baking pan.  Drizzle with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon.  Toss around until everything is completely coated and lay in a flat layer.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Serve and enjoy!

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Artichoke Bread

Ingredients:
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts
2 garlic cloves
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 loaf italian bread

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the artichokes from the can and chop into bite sized pieces.  Mix this with the chopped garlic cloves, cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Make sure everything is evenly combined and distributed.

Cut open the loaf of bread lengthwise.  Slather both sides of bread with the artichoke mixture coating every piece of bread.  Sprinkle with a little bit more mozzarella if you would like.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.  Slice and enjoy!

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Chicken Nuggets with Homemade Honey Mustard

Everybody loves chicken nuggets, but honestly they are one of the most unhealthy things you can eat.  Between the mystery meat, preservatives, and frying, they aren't really worth it.  My chicken nugget recipe is made from all natural ingredients and its also baked.  No calories from oil but no wasting your time standing by a hot stove and frying.  And they are way better than the store bought kind.  I swear you get a crispy crust on the outside which is what always makes me nervous when I bake something instead of fry it.

Ingredients:
Chicken Nuggets:
4 chicken breasts
2 eggs
5 rosemary sprigs
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
cooking spray

Honey Mustard:
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1/2 cup mustard
1/4 cup honey

Directions:
Cut the chicken breasts into chunks or nugget sized pieces.  I usually did about 4 strips and then cut each strip into about 4 cubes.

In one bowl, beat the eggs with 1 teaspoon of water. Mix so everything is homogenous and the yolks are not separate from the wipes.  In another large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, chopped rosemary sprigs, salt, paprika, garlic powder, lemon zest, and cornstarch until everything is evenly distributed.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray evenly with cooking spray.

Dip each nugget into the egg and shake off the excess.  Then put into the bread crumb to make sure everything is evenly coated.  Put on the baking sheet.  Once all of the nuggets are done, cover the baking sheet with foil and refrigerate for about an hour.

For the honey mustard, mix the mayo, mustard, and honey all together.  Make sure to taste it, some people like sweeter sauce and others like more tangy.  Set aside for later.

One the nuggets are finished chilling, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Liberally spray the nuggets with cooking spray.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until outside is golden and crunchy.

Serve with honey mustard and enjoy!

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