RECIPE: Chocolate Truffles

This week for the FNCCC, we're working on recipes from Warren Brown.  I loved his show Sugar Rush on Food Network, mostly because I love desserts and love to bake goodies.  So after looking through his recipes, I chose to do my take on his Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles.

I halved his recipe and used a recipe I was taught while taking a class at the Viking Culinary School. 

Truffles

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

10 oz semi sweet chocolate (It matters because of the amount of milk solids in the chocolate.)

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoon liqueur (I used Kahlua when making these)

Heat the cream in the microwave for 2 minutes, cream should be boiling at this point.  Pour the chocolate over the cream and start stirring until it has completely melted.  Add the butter and liqueur of your choice (I've used Chocolate Vodka, Kahlua and Rum, but I know Peppermint Schnapps and even Orange or Raspberry Liqueurs would be great!), stir until well combined and glossy.

Place in the fridge until hardened.

Scoop into balls (you may need to hand roll but be quick because it gets messy as they start melting with your body temperature) and place on a sheet tray and freeze until hard, about 2 hours.

Coatings:

Melt white bark, white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate or milk chocolate (whatever you like).  Using a fork and butter knife, drop the hardened truffle balls into the chocolate and quickly lift and shake off the excess using the fork.  Using the knife, push the truffle back onto the sheet pan.  Work quickly because the truffles will start to melt.  You can do this in batches and keep half in the freezer while working on the other half.  Melt more chocolate as needed, freeze to harden the shell.  If using white bark or white chocolate, don't worry about the truffle melting into the chocolate and making it brown.  You will double dip these anyway.

After the 1st coating has hardened, should only take a few minutes.  Melt more chocolate and dip again.  Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar to make them pretty and place any extra chocolate into a food baggie, cut the corner and drizzle over the top of the truffles.  They are so pretty and super delicious!

You can also forgo the double-dipped coating and roll the truffles in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, coconut or even chopped pecans.  You decide what makes you happy and go with it!

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what others are making this week.  This is our last FNCCC and I have to admit I'm a little sad.  I have enjoyed making recipes from the Food Network Chefs.  The Food Network is my favorite channel and all the "chef-ies" are great.  I'm looking forward to the The NEXT Food Network Star coming out in June.  I'll probably continue to share recipes on Monday and Tuesday, who knows, maybe I'll just start over and work my way back through some of the chef's recipes...

Enjoy!

This post has also been linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge  
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam 
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
• Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom  
• Talented Tuesday at My Frugal Family
• Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy 
• Stop and Smell the Chocolates

RECIPE: Homemade Chocolate Pudding

This week for the FNCCC we're working on recipes for Tyler Florence.  I love his show Tyler's Ultimate.  We love chocolate, I mean what female doesn't?  So we decided to make his Chocolate Pudding.  Of course, I had to tweak it since I didn't have cocoa powder.  Here's what we did:

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

3 egg yolks

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla (I totally forgot to add this in!)

Warm the milk, sugar and chocolate chips over medium low heat, stirring to melt chocolate being careful not to scorch. 

In a separate bowl, mix yolks with cornstarch and salt.  

After the chocolate chips have melted and the milk resembles chocolate milk, temper the yolks with the mixture.  Adding a little of the milk to the yolks and whisking to warm them.  Then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the warm chocolate milk whisking until combined.

Increase temperature to medium heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until it's thickened.  Don't forget to add the vanilla extract before pouring into serving dishes.  As for my "serving dishes", I don't own the cute little ramekins.  I collect tea cups and thought they would look pretty.  Refrigerate until ready to eat.  Then serve with whipped cream or cool whip.  

These are DELICIOUS!!!  I will definitely be making them again!

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what others are cooking up this week!

This post has also been linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge  
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam 
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
• Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom  
• Talented Tuesday at My Frugal Family
• Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy 
• Stop and Smell the Chocolates

RECIPE: "Sunflower" Pumpkin Pies

This week for the FNCCC we're working on recipes from chef Sunny Anderson.  I had some pumpkin puree leftover from OAMC day so decided it would be great in this recipe for Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies.  I love pumpkin pie.  My husband is not fond of it so when I make it, I eat the whole thing.  Not a good thing.  The next best thing?  Make little ones and I won't feel so guilty about eating them.  

I totally tweaked the recipe so I could use my sunflower cookie cutter.  I saw on another blog how to use the sunflower cookie cutter as the crust and thought it was so cute!  I can't remember which blog it was, so if it was you, please leave a comment so I can link back to show the adorable lemon cups you made!  So excited!  I found the site:  visit Jamie Cooks It Up for the Lemon Tart recipe using this cutter!

Let me apologize for the iPhone picture.  My camera is officially out of commission and my Momma needed hers back, so I'm left snapping shots with the cell phone.

Here's what I came up with:

"Sunflower" Pumpkin Pies

refrigerated pie dough

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.  Using 1 pie crust, roll it out to accommodate a 4" cookie cutter.  Punch out shapes and press into the muffin tins, gathering the scraps and re-rolling and punching out more shapes.  I got 9 out of it.

In a mixing bowl, combine egg and yolk, corn syrup, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract and cinnamon.  Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop and pour into the pie shells.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until centers are set.  Remove from oven and immediately position the chocolate chips in the centers of the pies to resemble the centers of sunflowers.  Cool completely and enjoy!

This was fun to make.  Especially since our sunflowers have sprouted in the garden!

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what others are cooking up for the FNCCC.

This has been linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam 
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
• Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom  
• Talented Tuesday at My Frugal Family
• Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy 
• Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

RECIPE: Mini Strawberry Meringues

This week for the FNCCC we're cooking recipes by Sandra Lee.  She has a couple of great cooking shows on the Food Network.  She seems very sweet and passionate about her cooking roots.  We decided to make Strawberry Meringues.

Mini Strawberry Meringues

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon strawberry extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup powdered sugar

2 drops pink food color

Preheat oven to 215 degrees F.  I sprayed tin foil with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.  In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg whites, strawberry extract and cream of tartar on medium speed until frothy.  

With mixer still running, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time to the bowl.  

Add food coloring and continue beating until stiff peaks. 

Transfer to a gallon food storage bag and clip the corner.  

Pipe mixture into 2" spirals on the tin foil.  

Bake for 30 minutes and then rotate pans to continue baking for another 30 minutes.  Turn oven off and allow meringues to dry out for another 10-12 minutes.  Remove from tin foil and allow them to cool completely.

Yum!

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what others are cooking up for the FNCCC.

This post has also been linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam 
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
• Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom  
• Talented Tuesday at My Frugal Family
• Tuesday Tastes at Crazy Daisy

RECIPE: Berry Banana Smoothie

Today, two of my girlfriends and I took a little field trip to the Dekalb Farmers' Market in Atlanta.  Wow!  It was incredible!  I can't believe I haven't been there before.  While we were there, I picked up some fresh blueberries, purple potatoes, organic milk, dill weed, bananas, regular potatoes and fresh mint.

This week for the FNCCC at I Blame My Mother, we're working on Chef Robert Irvine's recipes.  I love his show Dinner Impossible.  He has to create dinner on the fly for usually a large group of people.  He comes up with some really great ideas.  

I kept it simple this week since we have a ton of strawberries to use up.  I chose to make his Berry Banana Smoothies.  I didn't have any frozen yogurt so we just used our regular yogurt.  But I used some of the frozen strawberries so that made up for the lack of ice and frozen yogurt.  I also halved the recipe since I was just feeding the kids and I.

Berry Banana Smoothies

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup chopped frozen strawberries

1 ripe banana, broken into pieces

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup milk

3 teaspoons fresh mint

Combine all ingredients in a blender (or your fabulous Magic Bullet) 

and blend until smooth.  

Serve immediately.  

These were really good.  

I would never have thought about adding the mint 

but it added a nice subtle flavor.  

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what recipes others are whipping up!

This post has been linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge  
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam 
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

RECIPE: Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni with Ham

This week at I Blame My Mother, we're working on Rachael Ray recipes for FNCCC.  I learned to cook easy and delicious meals by watching Rachael Ray on Food Network about 7 years ago.  If it weren't for her, I'd probably still hate onions (I still don't like this raw or boiled...I have to cook them until they are "caramelized").  I was so excited to learn she was coming to Atlanta for a book signing in November 2004.  So my sweet husband drove me and two of my girlfriends to Peachtree Street:

I was really disappointed in her as a person.  On her show 30 Minute Meals, she was so bubbly and fun, but in real life, she had a very bad attitude.  I still watch her show, but not as faithfully as before.  

I have several of her cookbooks.  The recipe I'm using today is partially from Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni from her Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals 2 cookbook and from her Macaroni and Cheese with Ham recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes and drained

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons flour

1-1/2 cup whole milk

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 slices of deli sliced ham

In a medium size pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour.  Gently cook for two minutes.  Slowly add milk while whisking.  Gently bring milk to a simmer, whisking frequently.  Once it has thickened, add cheddar cheese and stir until melted and smooth.  Season with nutmeg, ground mustard and salt.  Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well.  Chop deli ham and stir into the pasta and cheese sauce.  Serve warm.

The kids loved this! 

I made extra cheese sauce and going to try to freeze it into quart bags.  We'll see how it thaws out.  I've heard it can become really watery.  We'll see...

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what everyone is cooking up this week!

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge  
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam 
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap
• Saturdays with Rachael Ray at Taste and Tell 

RECIPE: Baked French Toast with Praline Topping

This week for the FNCCC at I Blame My Mother, we're recreating Paula Deen's recipes.  I love this lady, she is the epitome of the South.  We lived in Savannah for a while in 1998-2001 and I met her once at a Home and Garden Show.  She was offering to autograph her recipe book.  At the time I didn't know who she was and didn't have her sign anything...dummy me!  Oh well...

I decided to make her Baked French Toast Casserole.  I followed the directions until we reached the Raspberry Syrup.  We had fresh strawberries and decided to use those instead.  This is so delicious and very sweet.  My husband didn't care for it, he said it was a little "too mushy"...I loved it and didn't think it was mushy at all.  I decided to half the recipe since it's just us and and the little kids wouldn't eat much of it. 

Baked French Toast Casserole

1 loaf French bread - I made my own loaf bread today

butter, for the pan

4 large eggs

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup milk

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

dash salt

Praline topping (recipe follows)

Slice bread in 1" thick slices to fit the bottom of a buttered 8x8 casserole dish (I used 4 pieces to line the bottom and placed 2 more pieces on top in the middle.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and whisk together until blended but not too bubbly.  Pour mixture over bread slices.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight (I left mine in the fridge for about 3 hours.)

To bake:  preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread Praline Topping even over the bread and bake for 45 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden brown.  

Serve with Sliced Strawberries and sprinkle of powder sugar.

Praline Topping:

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and then spread over the bread as directed above.  (I left out the nuts because we didn't have any and it was still really good.)

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what others are cooking up!

Enjoy!

This post has also been linked to:

• Life as Mom - Ultimate Recipe Swap:  Brunch Recipes

RECIPE: Warm Bacon Potato Salad

This week at I Blame My Mother, we're working on recipes from The Neelys.  They love all things barbeque (and who doesn't!).  I decided since I had most of the ingredients in the cabinet and fridge, I make their Warm Bacon Potato Salad.

Here's how I made it:

Warm Bacon Potato Salad

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (recipe said to use white wine vinegar)

1 tablespoon honey mustard (recipe said to use coarse-grained mustard)

1 tablespoon sugar

2-1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1/2-1" cubes

salt

6 slices bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dill weed, plus more for garnish (recipe said to use fresh)

Make the vinaigrette by mixing the vinegar, mustard and sugar together and set aside.  Next add potatoes to salted cold water.  Bring pot to a boil and reduce to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough.  Drain and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile add bacon to a skillet and cook until crisp over medium heat.  Drain on paper and set aside, reserving the grease in the skillet.  Add onions, pepper and garlic to bacon grease and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.  Add vinaigrette to onions and cook until reduced and thickened about 5 minutes.

Pour vinaigrette dressing mixture over warm potatoes.  Add bacon and dill and toss until evenly coated.  Season with salt and pepper and garnish with more dill and leftover bacon.

This was so good!  I love bacon and the tang of the vinegar and mustard were absolutely divine!  The kids loved it too.  Picky-eater-hubby had boiled potatoes (I reserved before pouring the dressing over the taters) with crispy bacon and butter.  He was in heaven.  Simply things, I tell ya!

I was thinking if you are doing any kind of outdoor events or parties, this would be a great dish to take since it doesn't need refrigeration and can be served at room temperature.  

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what others are cooking up for the FNCCC!

Enjoy!

This has been linked to:

• The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

RECIPE: Ritzy Chicken Nuggets

This week for the FNCCC we're working on chef Nigella Lawson's recipes.  She has some really wild recipes out there!  I especially was loving the recipes on her site, Nigella.com but was too impatient to do any conversions from metric to standard.  

I ended up choosing her Ritzy Chicken Nuggets since my kids LOVE chicken nuggets and we are forever trying new lunch ideas.  And besides, I was able to get 6 boxes of Ritz crackers at CVS the other week for only $.18!

Cheap ingredients when using COUPONS and SALES!

Make an assembly line to cut down on the mess.

Crispy goodness!

Cheaper than Micky D's!

Ritzy Chicken Nuggets

2-3 lbs of chicken breasts (I used 3 breasts with bone and removed the skin and bone), cut into cubes or pieces $2.56

1 cup buttermilk (I used milk and added white vinegar) $.50

1-3/4 Ritz cracker crumbs (I used 1 sleeve) $.03

Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. (I used two small baking racks that fit on top of my large baking sheet.  I sprayed them with non-stick cooking spray.)

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and cover with buttermilk.  (Recipe says you can leave it in the fridge for up to 2 days, I let mine sit on the counter for about 15 minutes while I cleaned up the chicken mess and changed a diaper.)

Pour the cracker crumbs into a separate bowl.  Gently shake excess buttermilk from the chicken pieces and coat in the cracker crumbs, then place on the prepared baking sheet (and/or racks).  Continue until all the pieces are coated. 

Bake at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.  (The recipes says you can freeze the coated and uncooked chicken pieces.  Bake from frozen adding 5 minutes to cooking time.)

Since we have leftovers, I'll experiment with freezing them from the cooked stage and reheating in the oven.  ***UPDATE*** I heated these in the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes and they were fantastic!  Definitely a great OAMC meal. 

The kids LOVED these.  Haylei ate hers with honey mustard and Hunter ate his with ketchup.  I ate mine with BBQ sauce.  They were so good!  Definitely a keeper!

And it's a cheap eat since the chicken was on sale $.99/lb. The Ritz crackers were on sale and I used coupons and store rewards to make them even cheaper.  I don't know about you, but there aren't many places you can get almost free Ritz Crackers!  

This recipe made 27 chicken nuggets and only cost $3.09 (about $.12 each)!  I got the cheese free at Kroger a few weeks ago and the apples ($.21 each) came from the Farmers' Market last week.  This lunch meal was only $.47. And it was pretty healthy since I baked them and didn't fry them.

Be sure to visit I Blame My Mother to see what others are cooking up for the FNCCC.

This post has been linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge  
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam 
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Chicken Recipes at Make Ahead Meals

Enjoy!

RECIPE: Baklava

I've never made baklava from scratch before.  The last time I ate this was probably back in 1990 visiting my friend's house and she made some from scratch.  This week for the FNCCC we are working on Michael Symon's recipes.  He has a Greek-ish flare to his meals and they look so yummy.  But you know I'm a die-hard dessert person, and I had all the ingredients on hand to make his baklava.  I halved the recipe and baked it in a 5x9 casserole dish.  I don't like pistachios so I used a combination of almonds and pecans.  I had some homemade breadcrumbs in the freezer, so I used them too. 

Baklava

1/2 pound coarsely ground pecans and almonds

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 sticks melted butter

16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed, cut in half

For the syrup:

1-1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven 350 degrees F.  Combine nuts, cinnamon, breadcrumbs in a bowl; set aside.

Brush the casserole dish with butter.  Butter and layer 10 sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the casserole.  Sprinkle about 1/2 cup nut mixture over the phyllo.  Butter and layer 4 sheets of phyllos and top the nuts.  Repeat two more times.  Butter and layer the remaining 10 sheets of phyllo on top and brush the top with extra butter.  With a very sharp knife, cut diagonal slices about 1-1/2" apart to create diamond shaped pieces.  Bake until golden brown, about 45-60 minutes.  

Make the syrup:  Bring sugar, honey and water to a boil over medium heat and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and boil another 2 minutes.  Let the syrup cool.  

When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the syrup over the baklava and let it soak for 6 hours or overnight.  

This is super sweet and I think we might die of sugar overload, but it was really good!

Enjoy!

Share in the fun at I Blame My Mother and see what others are whippin' up in the kitchen.

This post has been linked to:

• Wordful Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus
• The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

RECIPE: Breakfast Energy Bars

This week at I Blame My Mother, we're working on a recipe by Michael Chiarello for FNCCC.  He's typically the Napa Valley Italian chef.  His recipes are wonderful when the tomatoes and other fresh vegetables are in season.  It's still cold here in Georgia and vegetables have a few more months before they are at their peak.  So I decided to make Michael's Energy Bars.  I don't like a strong molasses flavor and didn't have some of the ingredients he called for in the recipe, but according to the comments, I didn't need to worry.  And they were right.  They turned out really good.  They are very much like a breakfast bar, so that's what I called it.

Breakfast Energy Bars

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup pecans

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup butter, room temperature + more to butter dish

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Place oats, almonds and pecans on baking sheet.  Toast in oven for 10 minutes.  Set aside.  Turn oven to 325 degrees F.  Place raisins, cranberries, oats and nuts in the food processor.  Pulse about 10 times until coarsely chopped.  Set aside.  

In a bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and egg until light and fluffy.  

In a separate bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the butter mixture.  

Then pour in the milk and mix thoroughly.  Add oats mixture and mix again.  

Butter a 13x9 pan and pour batter and spread evenly.  

Bake for about 30 minutes, until set and slightly golden brown.  Cool in pan.  

Cut into 18 bars 1" x 4".  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.  

These are delicious for a breakfast treat.  They are not like granola bars.  They are more cakey, but not quite like a muffin.

Complete directions (no pictures):

Breakfast Energy Bars

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup pecans

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup butter, room temperature + more to butter dish

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Place oats, almonds and pecans on baking sheet.  Toast in oven for 10 minutes.  Set aside.  Turn oven to 325 degrees F.  Place raisins, cranberries, oats and nuts in the food processor.  Pulse about 10 times until coarsely chopped.  Set aside.  
In a bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and egg until light and fluffy.  
In a separate bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the butter mixture.  Then pour in the milk and mix thoroughly.  Add oats mixture and mix again. 
Butter a 13x9 pan and pour batter and spread evenly.  

Bake for about 30 minutes, until set and slightly golden brown.  Cool in pan. 

Cut into 18 bars 1" x 4".  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. 

Don't forget to enter the $25 Kroger Gift Card Giveaway!

This post has been linked to:

• FNCCC at I Blame My Mother
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge
• Tuesday at the Table at All The Small Stuff
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam
• Ultimate Recipe Swap (Flour) at Life as Mom 
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

RECIPE: Crispy Potato Cake

I love potatoes and I love everything that Melissa D'Arabian has prepared on Food Network.  I've made her Potato-Bacon Torte and it's so good!  I love to use her recipe for pie crust for my Freezer Apple Pie.  It's delicious!  And I genuinely like her $10 Dinner concept.  It's reasonable and makes sense.  So this week for the FNCCC, we had our choice of Melissa D'Arabian, Morimoto or Mary Nolan, it was a no-brainer for me.   I knew I was going to make a Melissa recipe.

I chose her Crispy Potato Cake.  I recorded her show and was able to see her make this one. 

Crispy Potato Cake

2 tablespoons bacon grease (don't have a heart attack!)

2 Idahoan potatoes (I know 3 are pictured...but I only used 2)

salt

onion powder 

sour cream (optional)

Grate the potatoes and put them into a tea towel to squeeze out any liquid.  

Fluff up the "dried" grated potatoes and sprinkle with salt and onion powder.  Heat bacon grease in a non-stick skillet and press the grated potatoes into the bottom of it.  Let cook undisturbed for 8-10 minutes.  

Gently flip the cake onto a plate and then place it back into the skillet so the other side can brown up.  Cook another 5-10 minutes.  Cut into wedges and and serve.  

I wish we had fresh parsley but I didn't make it to the store and just used what I had on hand.  I put a dollop of sour cream in the middle of the plate and me and my daughter DEVOURED these in a about 5 minutes flat!  They were so good.  Haylei kept saying "mommy, these are A-lish-ous!"  (interpretation of 3 year old talk:  Delicious).  I might have taken a better picture so the sour cream wasn't "glowing" but like I said, one bite and we didn't stop!  Yummy afternoon snack!

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:

• FNCCC at I Blame My Mother
• $5 Dollar Dinner Challenge
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Tasty Tuesday at Beauty and Bedlam
• Tuesday at the Table at All the Small Stuff 
• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
• Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom
• Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap