Fruit salsa and cinnamon chips

This is a super yummy fresh treat!  

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Salsa: 2 kiwis, peeled and diced 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced 8 ounces raspberries 1 pound strawberries 2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 tablespoons raspberry preserves, seedless Chips: 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas butter flavored cooking spray OR melted butter 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator. If you prefer not to make your own chips, you can use Stacy's Cinnamon Pita chips. They're delicious and will save you some time.
2.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3.	Coat one side of each flour tortilla with melted butter or butter cooking spray.  Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray or lightly brush with butter.
4.	Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled salsa.    (Adapted from allrecipes.com) Tips:  I use the store bought pita chips unless I have extra time to make the cinnamon chips. Also, feel free to substitute the fruit called for with those you prefer. This is also great with nectarines, peaches, blackberries, blueberries...

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Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Guess what I learned last week.  You can make your own microwave popcorn.  Seriously.  After intensive research, I found that the best results were had from the combo of 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Orville Redenbacher popcorn kernels and a kraft treat bag, about 6"x9".  That's it.  Just put the popcorn in the bag, fold the top over about 1/2", 2 or three times and secure with washi tape or a staple.  Pop for 1 and 1/2 minutes.  (That was the magic time in our microwave.  You might have to adjust for your own microwave's idiosyncrasies.)  Your bag is just the right size for an individual snack, or you can share if you are both feeling really generous.  Or not very hungry.  We sprinkled melted butter and salt on ours.  Yum.  Here's a printable label to add to your bag if you want to give it away.  

popcorn label link

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Kitchen Confessions

Okay, here it is.  I don't like pie.  I know!  Crazy, huh?  Especially since my last name is Pyper.  I, of all people,  should love pie.  I have really tried to like pie.  I have made all kinds of pie, pie in a jar, pie pops, all to no avail.  This is what I discovered:  I really only like the filling.  I don't like crust.  It is a necessary evil to keep all that luscious filling together in the oven.  I have tried all kinds of crust.  Finally, I found one that I love.  It is made of cake mix and butter.  That's it.  And let's face it, anything with butter is going to be good.  

Some people call this recipe Dump Cake.  This makes my husband laugh for some reason.  I prefer to call it Easy Cobbler.  Or, pie-that-must-not-be-pie.  Whatever you call it, you will want to eat it.  Right out of the pan.  For breakfast the next day.  Every time you pass through the kitchen.  It is that good.  So here goes:

The huge ingredient list is as follows:

1 box yellow cake mix

2 cans pie filling (I like cherry)

1 1/2 - 2 sticks butter

Preheat the oven to 375 F and then spread the pie filling in a pan-this is a 10x10, I think.

You can use a 9x13, but I like a little thicker crust.

Then, sprinkle the cake mix all over the filling.  

Finally, slice the butter into slices about 1/4 inch thick and put them all over the top of the cake mix.

Put in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until the crust is turning a nice golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

I don't pretend to know what kind of wondrous alchemy takes place between the butter and the cake mix, but it is magical.  Buttery, sweet, chewy and crispy--and then all that luscious filling!

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

And cold for breakfast, with diet Coke.

Enjoy this non-pie from the Pied Pyper!

linking up to thirtyhandmadedays.com

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What's for Dinner?

So since this is supposed to by my version of a journal, I thought it would be a good idea to keep track of some of my daily stuff.  Like cooking.  Which we all have to do several times a day.  I love a good roast chicken.  So here is a naked chicken!  I am probably breaking some kind of chicken nudity laws, so let's dress it up a little!

Rub it all over with olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper, and 400 F and about 1 and 1/2 hours later...

Voila!  Yummy roast chicken!  Now what to serve with it?  Thank goodness for Pinterest!  I found this great recipe to try on there the other day--parmesan roasted potatoes.  

Gather your ingredients,  yukon gold potatoes, paprika, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.

Cube the yukon potatoes and then toss with the 

olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, and cheese.  

This is what you end up with...yummmmmmm.

Of course, every good meal needs some greens--this is one of my favorite and easiest salads

Gather up some mixed greens, with spinach preferably, feta, dried cranberries and pecan pieces.

Yummy greens,  now add the toppings:  pecans, cranberries and feta.  Which for some reason I didn't take a picture of.  Just pretend there are some crumbly bits of white cheese on there.

And now the secret weapon:

This dressing is FABULOUS!  Girard's champagne vinaigrette-- and the best part is, you can get it right here in Enid, OK in our little ol' Walmart!  It really enhances the tart of the cranberries and the sweetness of the pecans....Go get some!   And enjoy!  And have some tomorrow for lunch!  Now, what is for dinner tomorrow?

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Kitchen Treats

So we all know that I love to create.  And cook.  And often I create through cooking.  I love to make things that bring happiness to other people.  So when I saw this fabulous idea for hot chocolate on a stick, I knew I had to try it!  So here is my first attempt at making this treat.  

I just used ice cube trays for the chocolate mold-not super cute, but the only thing I had to use.

So maybe I don't have a bright future as a chocolatier, but I know where to find cute stuff to wrap treats in!

Glassine bags from garnish, one of my favorite new online stores!  Even their receipts are cute!

And of course, I had to put the marshmallows in cute packaging as well!  I used peppermint mini marshmallows, and vanilla caramel marshmallows.

clear candy tubes from garnish

I put everything in this super cute kraft box and tied it up with a bow!  Who wouldn't be excited to get this in the mail?  I hope it tasted all right.  Although, I think some of my nieces and nephews just ate the chocolate right off the stick instead of making it into cocoa!  :)  Whatever works!

kraft boxes from garnish

I hope to send a few more treat packages out this year.  Just for fun!  So you know that I am thinking of you!

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Peanut Butter Cupcakes in a Jar

I thought it would be fun to send college boy some homemade goodies and I came across this recipe online.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes in a Jar

First, you need some 8 oz. canning jars.  These are the wide mouth ones, so they are short and squat.  Grease with shortening or spray with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  

 Then make your peanut butter mixture.  I thought this would be super complicated.  It's not!  It is just peanut butter and powdered sugar.  Mix well.

 Next, make your cupcake batter.  I cheated and just used a devil's food mix.  You can use your favorite recipe for chocolate cupcakes,  if you want.

 Fill each jar with 3-4 tablespoons of cake batter.  

 Then add a scoop of the peanut butter goodness.  About a 2 inch ball.  It should look like this.

 Then add a few more tablespoons of batter on top of the peanut butter stuff.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the top springs back when you touch it. 

And then...
I should have a picture of the finished product here, but I forgot to take one.   When they come out of the oven, you could frost them, or pour melted Dove chocolate over them.  I topped them with chocolate chips, thinking that they would melt and spread.  Didn't happen.  So next time, Dove chocolate it is!  They were still pretty tasty!  And I was able to just twist on the lids, wrap them in bubble wrap and mail in a flat rate box.  That is important, since they were heavy and I didn't want to spend 40 dollars on shipping!


Here is the complete recipe:

12 8 oz canning jars with lids
Canola oil spray
8 oz. peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 recipe cupcake batter
8-10 oz dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray the inside of the jars with oil.  Mix peanut butter and sugar until smooth.  Roll or scoop into 2 inch balls.  Scoop 3-4 T batter into each jar, then the peanut butter ball, then top with 2-3 T. batter.  Bake on cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes.  Remove and put chocolate on top.  Spread.

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yummy treat

We had some friends come for dinner and I made this awesome ice cream cake!  The recipe was from southern living august.

  Yum.  It is 106 F right now. I could sure go for this.
Here is the recipe and the link for southern living.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

• Parchment paper
• Devil's Food Cake Batter ( I used a box cake mix)
• 1/2 gal. mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened
• 10 chocolate wafers, coarsely crushed
• Chocolate Ganache 
• Garnishes: sweetened whipped cream, thin crème de menthe chocolate mints

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Prepare Devil's Food Cake Batter, and spoon into pans.
• 2. Bake at 350º for 12 to 14 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, peel off parchment paper, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
• 3. Place 1 cake layer in a 9-inch springform pan. Top with one-third of ice cream (about 2 1/3 cups); sprinkle with half of crushed wafers. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining cake layer and ice cream. Freeze 8 to 12 hours.
• 4. Remove cake from springform pan, and place on a cake stand or plate. Prepare Chocolate Ganache, and spread over top of ice-cream cake. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Southern Living
AUGUST 2011

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spring treats

So, since it is spring break, I thought it would be fun to make some spring treats with the girls. Here is my attempt at white chocolatedipped oreos. I tried to say T hearts V, but I don't have a very steady hand. They still turned out cute, though! And Vaughn ate them all. :) Here are some other variations we tried, pink with white pearls, white with pink pearls, chocolate with sprinkles.

Then we did rice krispy balls--and dipped them in chocolate and/or sprinkles. My favorite was the Ghirardelli chocolate melted with peanut butter. Mmmm.

Then we had to try this cute cute idea I saw on a party blog: bacon and eggs! Made with 2 pretzels, a dab of white chocolate, and a yellow m&m. I think I need to have some people over for brunch just so I can make these for favors!

Here is partner in crime #1, Bekahroo!

And partner in crime #2, Ellie!

If you need something sweet, just let us know! We will send you some!

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What to do on a snow day

I love comfort food. And hibernating. And cooking with my kids. (Okay, maybe not so much the last one, but it is getting better now that they don't throw the flour all over the kitchen.) So I love it when we have a snow day like we did last week. We made homemade chicken and noodles. Yum. Here is my noodle apprentice Bekah, rolling out those morsels of goodness.

Here are the noodles drying on the counter. Andy actually made half of them. Impressive, huh?

Tender noodles and broth.

The finished product--chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes with peas. Mmmm.

Here is the recipe for your next snow day:

Homemade Chicken and Noodles

Place one whole chicken in a large pot with an onion, some large carrots, and half a bunch of celery. Toss in a generous pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, and then turn heat to medium low. Simmer until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth. Take all the chicken off the bones and set it aside. Discard veggies. Meanwhile make the noodles.

I make a large batch:

5 eggs

4 cups of flour

4 teaspoons kosher salt

4 Tablespoons milk

Mix well with fork, and then with hands until it forms a ball. Roll out about 1/4th of the dough at a time. Roll as thin as you can get it, frequently dusting with flour. Cut into several widths and stack them on top of each other. Start at one end and slice the noodles as thinly as possible. Repeat with remaining dough. Let dry on the counter while soup is cooking.

When broth is ready, bring to a boil and put all noodles in the pot. Bring to boil again and then turn heat down to medium. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add chicken and chicken bouillion or chicken base, to taste. Also, salt and pepper if desired.

Make some mashed potatoes and then put the whole thing together. Put your pjs on before eating because you will go into a carbohydrate coma. This is fabulous with petite peas right in the bowl and with homemade rolls.

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YUMMY!

So lately, I have been avidly following my new favorite blog,http://www.bakerella.com/ . I saw these awesome cheesecake pops and just had to try them! First you start with a cheesecake. I baked mine, but I think it would be just as good with Sara Lee! Then after the cheesecake was refrigerate for a while, I used a small Pampered Chef scoop to make little balls. See! Here they are. I put them in the freezer for about an hour until they were nice and firm.

While those were chilling, I unwrapped some chocolate. The recipe called for almond bark, but I just couldn't do that to my yummy cheesecake. So Dove chocolate it was. I wasn't sure how well it would work.

Here are some naked Doves. I melted them in the microwave for about 90 seconds, stirring in between.

Then, I stuck a lollipop stick into a cheesecake ball and dipped it into the melted chocolate. Try not to "sample" too many. Really. I dare you.

I put them on waxed paper and put them back in the refrigerator for a few more minutes.

Here is the finished product! I was very happy they weren't a disaster, and my tummy was happy, too!

If you need a cheesecake recipe, this one is fabulous! I just didn't make a crust, since I was going to scoop it all into cheesecake balls.

Cheesecake (from http://www.bakerella.com/)

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

3 eggs

8 oz. sour cream

1 Tablespoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cream the sugar, cream cheese, and flour with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy.
On medium low, add eggs one at a time, mixing well with each addition.
Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until just combined.
Pour in 9x13 pan and bake for about 45 minutes.
Remove and cool.

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Salty Caramels

A couple of you asked me for this recipe-- I totally stole it from my SIL Laurie's blog. She is a fabulous chef! We spend lots of time talking about food! :) Anyway, here is the recipe-- I think we are making another batch tonight or tomorrow.


Mary's Caramels
2 C heavy cream
1/2 C sweetened condensed milk
2 C sugar
2 C light corn syrup
1/2 C butter
kosher or sea salt for sprinkling
Combine cream and condensed milk in a double boiler and scald. {We did this step in the microwave.} Combine sugar and syrup in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Let mixture boil with lid on for 2 minutes. Remove lid, add butter. Gradually add cream mixture a tablespoon at a time to boiling syrup, stirring constantly. Do not let boiling cease. This process should take approximately 20-25 minutes. Cook to 230 degrees or until a firm, soft ball is formed in cold water. {This usually takes about 20 minutes after all the cream is added.} Remove from heat and pour into a buttered, shallow pan about 11x16. Sprinkle lightly with kosher or sea salt. Wait till cool and firm, then cut with a buttered knife into small pieces, wrap with waxed paper.


Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

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Recipes

Yes, I know I am really behind on this, but a couple of you asked for some recipes, so here they are!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

1 can whole kernel corn, drained (15 3/4 oz)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (15 oz)
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro
4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. lime juice
1 T. kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Adjust salt and lime juice to taste. Refrigerate until serving time.

***A couple of things about this recipe:
This is actually half of the original recipe, if you make the full amount it is a ton of salsa.
Microwave your limes for about 10 seconds before you juice them. They will release so much more juice this way!


Tami's Famous Korean Hot Wings

5 lbs chicken wings or drummettes
flour
salt
pepper
oil

Mix flour with salt and pepper. Coat wings with mixture. Fry until golden brown. Dip immediately into sauce.

Sauce
1 cup soy sauce (kikkoman is the best flavor--don't use lite!)
3/4 cup sugar
1T. minced garlic
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1/2-1 T. crushed red pepper flakes--adjust heat to your preference

Whenever I make these for a party, fini flight, etc., they go like hotcakes. Make a double or triple batch if you are serving a lot of people. Especially young pilots or missionaries!



Outrageous Brownies (without coffee!)

1 lb. unsalted butter
1 lb. plus 1 package (12 oz) semisweet choc. chips/divided
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 T. non-dairy creamer
2 T. vanilla
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. flour, divided
1 T. baking powder
1 t. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. diced walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 13x18x1 1/2 pan.

Melt butter, 1 lb. choc. chips, unsweetened chocolate. (I do this in the microwave in 1 minute increments). Cool slightly. Stir together eggs, creamer, vanilla and sugar. Add to warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temp.

Mix together 1 c. flour, baking powder and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Toss walnuts and remaining 12 oz. chocolate chips with 1/4 c. flour. Add to batter. Spread in pan and bake for 30 minutes. Halfway through baking , lift pan slightly and drop to remove some air from batter.

Cool completely before serving.




Enjoy! Let me know if I forgot anything!

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