Orange Swirl Fudge

Orange Swirl Fudge

1 bag white chips (I used Nestle Premium white chips)
1 can white frosting (NOT whipped)
1 Bottle Orange Crush Ice Cream topping

Melt frosting in a saucepan over LOW heat until glossy. Pour in chips and continue melting over low heat, stirring until chips are melted and thoroughly blended with frosting. Pour mixture into a greased 8" x 8" pan. Drizzle Orange Crush Ice Cream topping over top and swirl through fudge using a fork or toothpick. Cool in refrigerator until set.

Optional combinations for different flavors:
Chocolate Fudge: Chocolate chips & fudge frosting
Peanut Butter Fudge: Peanut Butter chips & white frosting
Mint Chocolate Fudge: Andes Mint chips, Chocolate frosting & a little mint extract, to taste

CHICKEN CRISPY NUGGETS

CHICKEN CRISPY NUGGETS 

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup fat free milk (or coconut milk if want dairy-free)
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbps onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 /2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into 36 “nugget” shaped bites.
In a medium sized bowl, combine milk and vinegar. Add in chicken pieces, seal with lid or plastic wrap, and let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with an olive oil mister or non-fat cooking spray.
In a large Ziploc bag, combine both kinds of breadcrumbs, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, onion powder, paprika, parsley, salt and pepper.
Remove chicken pieces from milk, one by one, and place in breadcrumb mixture. *I did this in 6 batches of 6. So once I had 6 chicken pieces in the Ziploc bag, I sealed it. Shake bag to evenly coat chicken pieces, then remove chicken from bag, and place on baking sheet. Continue until all chicken pieces are breaded.
Give the chicken nuggets a light mist of olive oil spray (or cooking spray) and place in oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and breading is golden brown.

Root Beer Float Pie

Root Beer Float Pie

8 oz. reduced-fat frozen whipped topping, thawed
3/4 cup cold diet root beer
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
Maraschino cherries, optional
Directions
Set aside and refrigerate 1/2 cup whipped topping for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk the root beer, milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Fold in half of the remaining whipped topping. Spread into graham cracker crust.
Spread remaining whipped topping over pie. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Dollop reserved whipped topping over each serving; top with a maraschino cherry if desired. Yield: 8 servings

Bacon Cheddar Puffs

Bacon Cheddar Puffs

INGREDIENTS
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup (4 oz.) Sargento® Fine Cut Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese or Sargento® Fine Cut Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled
1/2 tsp. onion salt or powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1 Combine milk and butter in medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture is simmering. Add flour all at once; continue to cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat.
2 Beat in 1 egg until mixture is smooth. Repeat with remaining eggs, adding just 1 egg at a time, beating until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3 Drop heaping teaspoons of mixture onto greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cookie Dough Cheese Cake

COOKIE DOUGH CHEESECAKE

Cookie Dough:
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar 
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Set aside an additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips to fold into the batter with the cookie dough balls

Crust:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or chocolate cookie crumbs (like Oreos)

Filling:
4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Garnish:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Step 2 - For the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Add the milk, vanilla and blend. Mix in the flour, salt and the chocolate chips. The dough will be wet. Gently roll the dough into small teaspoons size balls and place them on a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Place them in the freezer to harden while making the rest of the cheesecake.

Step 3 - For the crust: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the graham crackers or cookie crumbs. Press onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.

Step 4 - For the cheesecake: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Be careful not to overmix – incorporating too much air into the batter can contribute to a cheesecake cracking on top during baking.

Step 5 - Pour half the batter into the prepared crust. Gently stir in the cookie dough balls and the additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips into the remaining batter. Pour into the pan, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and evening it out across the top. Make sure to try to evenly distribute the cookie balls so that every slice has some in it.

Step 6 - Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for one hour. Turn off the oven and prop the door open several inches (make sure no kids are around!). Let the cake sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled. For best results chill overnight.

Step 7 - For whipped cream garnish: Whip cream with sugar until soft peaks form.

Cheesy Ham Biscuit Pull Aparts

Cheesy Ham Biscuit Pull Aparts 

1 (16.3 oz) Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits (I used the buttery flavor).
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup diced ham
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 11 x 7 or 12 x 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat egg and milk with a wire whisk until smooth.

Separate dough into individual biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Gently stir biscuit pieces into egg mixture to coat evenly. Fold in ham, cheese, onions and granulated garlic. Spoon mixture into prepared dish, arrange biscuit pieces in a single layer.

Baked at 350 for 23 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. You can either cut into squares or just pull apart and serve.

Peanut Butter Brownie Oreo Patties

Peanut Butter Brownie Oreo Patties

-Ingredients:
Oreos
Peanut Butter
Box of Brownie Mix

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
-Take two oreos and stack them with peanut butter (A layer in the middle and on top).
-Place the stack in a cupcake liner.
-Place liners in a muffin tin.
-Make brownie mix according to box
-Pour brownie mix over cookie stack
-Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked
-Pull out of the oven and let cool
-Enjoy!

Breakfast Cupcakes~

BREAKFAST CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
1 20 ounce package pre-shredded hash brown-style potatoes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons flour
1 small sweet onion, coarsely grated
2 thick slices deli ham, chopped into small bits (about 1 cup)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 dozen eggs, scrambled*
chives for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F., and lightly spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix the first eight ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon potato mixture into each prepared muffin cup until about 1/3 full. Gently press the potato mixture down in the middle and up the sides of each cup. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. If the nests have puffed up too much in the center, scoop out a little with a teaspoon. Spoon a few tablespoons of scramble eggs into each nest and top with chives.

Bacon & Onion Foil Packet Potatoes

Bacon & Onion Foil Packet Potatoes

2 to 3 sheets of heavy-duty foil
1 packet onion soup powder
10-12 baby red potatoes, thinly sliced
12 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon
1 small onion thinly sliced and diced
1 cup cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
Sour cream for serving (optional)

Spray each sheet of foil with cooking spray. Top each piece with equal portions of potatoes, bacon, 1 packet onion soup powder and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to each serving. Wrap securely.

Grill for 20 to 30 minutes. Or you can bake it in the oven, at 350° for about 35 minutes or till done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve in foil, topped with sour cream if desired

Edible Worms

Edible Worms

Create tasty, edible worms. This recipe is simple and great for Halloween, April Fool's, or anytime you feel like snacking on wormy goodness! If you can make jello, then you can make these cool looking worms.
Ingredients
2 packs (3 oz) Raspberry jello
1 pkg unflavored gelatin (for extra firmness)
3/4 cup whipping cream
3 cups boiling water
15 drops green food coloring
100 flexible straws (or enough to fill your container)
Tall container (1 quart or 1 liter carton of milk)
Directions
1) Combine gelatin in bowl and add boiling water.
2) Let it cool to lukewarm and then add the whipping cream and 15 drops green food coloring.
3) Gather your straws (don't forget to flex them out) and put them in the container. It's important that the straws have a tight fit so the jello stays in the straws. For this reason, a 1 liter carton may be better; you will probably get longer worms since there is a tighter fit. If you have a bigger container, a rubber band around the straws is helpful. Or you could just add more straws to fill the container.
4) Add the gelatin mixture to the straw-filled container and let it set until firm.
5) There are multiple ways you can remove the worms from the straws. You can roll a rolling pin over the straws and squeeze them out or you can hold the straws over warm water. The worms will slip right out.
And voila! Jello worms are served.

Earthquake Cake

~~Earthquake Cake ~~

Ingredients:
1 Cup Flaked Coconut
1 Cup chopped Pecans
1 Box German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of one 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. Layer coconut and pecans in the bottom of pan.
3. Prepare cake mix according to package instructions and pour over pecans and coconut.
4. Combine cream cheese, butter or margarine, vanilla and confectioner’s sugar and beat until smooth. Pour over cake mix.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or more - check it to make sure the bottom part is cooked with the toothpick test - so the toothpick does not have gooey cake on it from the bottom
Sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top to the hot cake after you remove it from the oven

Berry White Sangria Pops

Berry White Sangria Pops

INGREDIENTS
1 cup hot water
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chilled white wine such as Pinot Grigio
1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh berries, such as blueberries and thinly sliced strawberries
1 In medium bowl, stir hot water and sugar until dissolved. Stir in wine, orange liqueur and lemon juice.
2 Divide fruit among 7 (5-oz) paper cups. Pour wine mixture into cups. Cover cups with foil; insert craft stick into center of each pop. Freeze 8 hours or until frozen.

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie -

Crust
1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Fudge Layer and Drizzle:
1 1/4 cups dark or semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter

Filling
1 1/4 cups milk
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait 99% Fat Free French vanilla yogurt
1 box (4-serving size) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix
3 tablespoons butter
1 bag (10 oz) peanut butter chips (1 2/3 cups)
Topping
4 Nature Valley® peanut butter crunchy granola bars (2 pouches from 8.9-oz box), crushed (3/4 cup)

Heat oven to 450 degres. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell using 9-inch glass pie plate. Cool on wire rack 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart heavy saucepan, mix all fudge layer ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup fudge mixture in small microwave-safe bowl for drizzle; set remaining mixture aside to cool.

In large bowl, beat milk, yogurt and pudding mix with electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes or until smooth and thickened. Set aside.

In another small microwave-safe bowl, microwave 3 tablespoons butter and the peanut butter chips on High 45 seconds. Stir; if necessary, continue to microwave in 10-second increments, stirring after each, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. On low speed, gradually beat peanut butter mixture into pudding mixture until combined; beat on high speed until filling is smooth and fluffy, scraping side of bowl occasionally.

Spread cooled fudge layer mixture evenly in bottom of cooled baked shell. Carefully spoon and spread filling over fudge layer. Sprinkle crushed granola bars evenly over top. Refrigerate until set, 3 to 4 hours. To serve, microwave reserved fudge mixture on High 15 to 20 seconds or until drizzling consistency. Drizzle over top of pie. Cut into wedges to serve. Store in refrigerator.

S'more Ice Cream Pie

S'more Ice Cream pie

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. + freezing MAKES: 4 servings
Ingredients
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2-1/2 cups rocky road ice cream, softened
2/3 cup marshmallow creme
3/4 cup miniature marshmallows

1 piece equals 467 calories, 21 g fat (12 g saturated fat), 54 mg cholesterol, 221 mg sodium, 68 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 7-in. pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Carefully spread ice cream into crust; freeze until firm. Spread marshmallow creme over ice cream. Top with marshmallows; gently press into creme. Cover and freeze 4 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, broil 6 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown. Yield: 4 servings.

Mint Brownies~

Ingredients for Mint Brownies:
2 cups butter – melted
3/4 cups cocoa
2 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs – beaten
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
Mint Chocolate chip brownies
www.mydreamsamplebox.com
Courtesy of Sister Stuff Blog
Ingredients for Mint Frosting:
Mint frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
5 Tablespoons milk
6 drops green food coloring
2 teaspoons mint or peppermint extract

Ingredients for Top Layer:
1 bag of semi-chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine the butter, cocoa powder, sugar and beaten eggs and mix well.
Add flour, salt, and vanilla to the mixture.
Pour into 9″ x 13″ pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 23-25 minutes.
Cool completely.
Make Frosting by combining butter and powdered sugar and then other ingredients, mixing on medium-high speed.
Spread frosting on chilled cake and then chill again.
Melt a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips by pouring into microwave safe bowl and microwaving on high 30 seconds and then stirring - repeat until melted.
Spread for top layer.
Chill.

Triple Decker Brownies with Bourbon Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

2 pouches refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
24 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1 box (18.3 oz) fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 jar (12 oz) chocolate fudge topping
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 13x9-inch pan with cooking parchment paper or foil; spray paper or foil with cooking spray.
2 Place cookie dough rounds in 6 rows by 4 rows in pan. Press dough into pan to cover bottom. Arrange sandwich cookies in 6 rows by 4 rows over cookie dough.
3 In medium bowl, stir together brownie mix, oil, water and eggs until smooth. Pour batter over sandwich cookies. Use spatula to gently spread batter evenly over cookies so that they are no longer visible.
4 Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
5 In small microwavable bowl or glass measuring cup, microwave fudge topping on High 20 to 30 seconds or until soft. Stir in bourbon. Drizzle over cooled brownies. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Armadillo Punch

Armadillo Punch

similar to the one from Texas Roadhouse is:
1-1/4 ounces Malibu rum
1-1/2 ounces orange juice
1-1/2ounces pineapple juice
1-1/2 ounces cranberry juice

Apple Pie Smoothie

Apple Pie smoothie

Ingredients:
2 medium apples
½ - 2 teaspoons cinnamon * For Apples 
2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
½ cup (120ml) Greek yogurt
¼ cup (60ml) milk
½ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon ** For Yogurt
⅛ - ¼ ground nutmeg
Directions

Peel and chop the apples coarsely. Put in a microwave safe bowl along with the cinnamon* and maple syrup. Stir and microwave for 2 minutes on high. They should be soft after the two minutes. Meanwhile, add the yogurt, milk, cinnamon** and nutmeg to the bowl of your food processor. When the apples are done, add half of them to the food processor and process about 30 seconds, or until thoroughly combined. Then with a spoon or spatula, stir in the other half of the cinnamon apples. At this point, it was about room temperature. Serve now, or chill, or even warm up in the microwave if you'd like it warm.

Homemade Salsa

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes, diced with chiles, drained
1 tomato, freshly diced
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1 Chop vegetables.
2 Combine the tomatoes, onions, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and lime juice in a mixing bowl.
3 Stir until evenly mixed.Store in refrigerator until ready to serve with chips or your favorite Tex-Mex dish.

Summer Picnic Punch

Ingredients

1 mini seedless watermelon
8 ounces lemon juice
2 cups frozen strawberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups ice
Directions

1 Slice the mini watermelon in half, using a spoon to scrape all of the fruit from the center of the melon. Place in a large blender.
2 Add the lemon juice, strawberries, sugar, and ice to the blender. Blend until pureed.
3 Pour lemonade straight from your blender, or pour into a pitcher. For an extra fun way to serve this drink, pour it into the two empty halves of the watermelon, add a skewered strawberry and lemon for garnish, then slurp your lemonade from a straw!