Breakfast Casserole

I like this dish more than my husband or kids. It's CRAZY delicious- which isn't really surprising since it's loaded with cheese and butter. It's great for showers or family get togethers because it's good warm or room temperature. It's really great to make this for Christmas breakfast. You can prepare it all the night before and then bake it off in the morning while everyone is opening presents.

10 eggs

1 lb grated cheddar cheese

1 stick of butter, softened or melted

1 pint cottage cheese

2 cups ham or bacon

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 7oz can of diced green chiles

Mix all ingredients and bake, in a 9x13 pan, for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown. 

Chocolate Cheesecake

I think pie is gross. I've never liked it and was always bummed come holiday celebrations that there weren't any desserts I liked. So now that I'm the adult in charge of menu planning I decided to make cheesecake instead of pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. We made this for Thanksgiving and it was rich and delicious and definitely a tradition in the making.

• Crust:
• 2 9-ounce package of chocolate cookies (such as chocolate wafers, graham crackers or teddy grahams)
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
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Filling:
• 10 ounces good quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped 
• 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs- room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Chocolate curls for garnish
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        Directions

1. For crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Process the chocolate cookies in a food processor until they are finely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl and mix in the sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom only of the prepared pan. Bake just until set, about 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling. Keep the oven heated at 350 degrees.
2. For filling: Melt the 10 ounces of chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler until melted and smooth. Cool the chocolate until lukewarm but ensure that it is still warm enough to be pourable. In a large bowl (or with a stand mixer), blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Mix in lukewarm chocolate. Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust; smooth the top. Bake until the center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife around sides of cake to loosen. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
3. For topping: One hour before serving (or up to 3 days ahead of time), stir cream, 6 ounces chocolate, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge and filling any cracks. Chill until the topping is set, about 1 hour.
4. When ready to serve, release the springform pan sides. Transfer the cheesecake to a platter. Top with chocolate curls. It is preferable to let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

 

Biscuits

Gage LOVES biscuits. Every time we go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast he orders them- and he's very particular about how he eats them. He eats one with butter and one with jam- but he puts the butter or jam on top, not in the middle. He's always happy when I make biscuits at home. These are quick and tender and yummy.

2 1/2 Cups Self Rising Flour - Make certain that it is Self Rising Flour! 
2 teaspoons of Sugar
1/2 cup of Butter - Cold, cut into pieces
3/4 to 1 cup (or more) of milk


Preheat your oven to 450F

Stir together your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl:
2 1/2 cups Self Rising Flour
2 Teaspoons of Sugar

Using pastry blender or fork, cut in  1/2 cup butter until mixture is crumbly

Stir in 3/4 to 1 cup of Buttermilk until dough leaves side of bowl.   If dough is dry, add buttermilk a teaspoon at a time until it looks right.  

Gently roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut biscuits into 1.5 inch (or whatever size you want) circles and place them on a cookie sheet.

When the oven is at temperature, put the cookie sheet with the approximately 10 to 12 biscuits into the oven at 450. Bake 10 minutes of until golden brown. 

Freeze leftover biscuits. 

Fancy Frozen Drinks

Equal parts raspberry (or whatever flavor you like) and sparkling apple cider. We make this for New Year's Eve and it's festive and delicious.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake

I made these cupcakes for a relief society dinner where the dessert was a table full of cupcakes. These were such a hit, I've never had so many people ask me for a recipe before. Pretty looking and so so delicious.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Cupcake:

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    1 tsp baking soda

    ¼ tsp salt

    ½ cup granulated sugar

    ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

    4 tbsp room temperature butter

    1 room temperature large egg

    1 tsp vanilla

    ½ cup lukewarm water

    ¼ cup buttermilk

    Mini reese’s peanut butter cups

Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, beat the sugars and butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the water and buttermilk. Add the flour mixture beating on low speed until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium-high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overeat.

Fill each muffin cup about half full.  Add a reese’s cup to each cup. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting: 

    4 tbsp room temperature butter

    2 tbsp milk

    Pinch salt

    2 tbsp cocoa

    1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

Mix with beaters until fluffy and smooth and spoon into one side of a pastry bag.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

    4 tbsp room temperature butter

    2 tbsp milk

    Pinch salt

    ¼ cup peanut butter

    1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

Mix with beaters until fluffy and smooth and spoon into other side of a pastry bag. Frost cupcakes and top each with reese’s cup pieces.

Salt Dough Ornaments

We made these several years ago and we still hang them on the tree every year. They hold up really well and are super cute.

Recipe:
2 cups flour, plus more for surface
1 cup salt
1 cup warm water

1. Combine flour and salt. Slowly mix in water. Knead for 7-10 minutes on a floured surface. Roll out to 3/8-inch thickness. Freeze for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Use cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Insert screw eyes at top of shapes (I just poked holes to tie a string through.) Freeze for 30 minutes. Bake for 4-6 hours. Let cool.

3. Mix craft glue and craft paint to desired color. Outline shape with colored glue and then "flood," or fill in, the surface with colored glue. (For most of mine I just used a paint brush and painted a thick coat on.) For a solid glitter effect, coat paint/glue immediately with glitter. For a layered look, let first coat of glue dry overnight, then apply a second color for details, adding tinsel or glitter as desired. Use wire or hooks to hang.

Sparkly salt dough ornaments.

Kirsten's Cookies

I wanted a really easy to remember cookie recipe and came up with these. They are my favorite chocolate chip cookie and they're the base for almost every kind of cookie I make. They are soft, brown sugary, and perfect. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter at room temperature 
1 cup brown sugar 
1 tablespoon vanilla 
1 egg 
2 cups flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 bag of Hershey's Mini Kisses 

Mix the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg until smooth. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix in the chocolate chips. Bake rounded tablespoons of dough for 10-13 minutes (depending on preferred doneness) at 350 degrees. Cool for a few minutes before removing from pan- they're kind of fragile. Makes 2 dozen. 

*** Add 2/3 cup peanut butter with the wet ingredients for some crazy good, and rich, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.