CopyCat Eskimo Bars

Happy Birthday to me!  Yes I did make my own birthday dessert in case you are wondering.  I did try to convince my husband that he could make these for me and I would talk him through it, but I don't think he heard it over the laughing and rolling on the floor that ensued. Yea, so I made them myself.

My inspiration for this dessert came about from The Food Network's show called "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". Giada was talking about her time in Jackson Hole Wyoming at a place called Snake River Grill.  After watching that episode I could think of nothing else but getting my hands on these babies.  Sadly, this isn't the kind of thing I would just whip up for myself so I waited,  and I waited, and I waited some more and finally my birthday rolled around and decided that my big day was a perfect time to celebrate with this unique dessert.  It encompasses all the things I love.  It does take some time and planning ahead so give yourself a day to prepare it.

They might not be very pretty, but looks aren't everything.

They aren't difficult to make but they are time consuming.  Totally worth it.

These little gems would be a show stopper at a dinner party for dessert.

Kids LOVE them!

My daughter skipped the caramel dipping but the rest of us were in love with the combination. 

I hope you're noticing the wonderful nail polish in my thumb there, I let me daughter paint them. Looks nice doesn't it? 

I need a manicure. 

For this first attempt I used boxed brownie mix (Ghirardelli Double Chocolate) and store bought ice cream (Breyer's Natural Vanilla).

I promise you that these are so worth the effort.

CopyCat Eskimo Bars

From the Alissamay's kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 Box Brownie Mix (just a basic one)
• 1/2 gallon ice cream, softened
• 1 bag chocolate chips (I used Hershey's special dark)
• 1 tsp shortening
• 1 recipe or jar of caramel sauce

Cooking Directions

1. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
2. Bake the brownie mix according to the manufacturers instructions but use the 9x13 inch pan instead and bake for about 20 minutes. My pan was metal, cooking times might vary using glass.
3. Let the brownies cool to room temperature and then freeze for about 30 minutes or until completely cold.
4. Soften the ice cream until it's soft serve consistency. Empty the contents of the vanilla ice cream on to the top of the brownies. Spread out and smooth out on top so it's as flat an even as possible.
5. Freeze again for about 30 more minutes or until the ice cream is completely frozen.
6. While the ice cream is hardening in the freezer, use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips. Add the shortening and stir into the melted chips until smooth.
7. Let the chocolate cool to room temperature, keep stirring so it remains soft.
8. Once cool, bring the brownie/ice cream out of the freezer and use a very sharp knife to cut them into the size bar you want.
9. Freeze the bars on a cookie sheet so they are very cold.
10. Remove about half the bars from the freezer - hold onto the brownie portion of the bar and dip the ice cream part in the chocolate. Move quickly because they melt fast.
11. Once dipped immediately put back onto the freezer and continue with the remaining bars until all have been coated.
12. Keep in the freezer until right before you are ready to serve. Serve with caramel for dipping.

Caramel Sauce recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod

Make this caramel sauce slightly ahead of when you plan to serve it, you want it to be at room temperature. 

Bread and Butter Pickles

With the current bounty in our garden I've been on the search for recipes, and as soon as I found this one I jumped on it and made it immediately. My husband and I both love bread and butter pickles.  We put them on sandwiches and eat them right out of the container.  They are both sweet and savory, and have remained crunchy in the refrigerator for a week.  They are almost gone, and I will make more.

If you're not sure if you like this type of pickle, it's sort of a hard flavor to describe.  You get the vinegar flavor but it's sweet also, the celery seed definitely adds another layer of flavor but isn't overpowering. The onions aren't strong at all, they mesh perfectly with the cucumbers. The turmeric turns the pickles the golden color. 

This recipe is nice because unlike dill pickle recipes, you can have these in about 24 hours. If you're impatient like me, this is heaven.

I will make sure to have a container of these pickles in my refrigerator at all times this summer.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds) thinly sliced cucumbers
• 1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp celery seeds
• 1/8 tsp ground turmeric

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the sliced cucumbers and the salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. Drain the water, rinse well and return to the bowl.
2. Add the onion slices and mix well.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat to a simmer over medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves.
4. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumber and onions and let sit for 1 hour.
5. Refrigerate for 24 hours in a covered bowl.
6. Keep in an airtight container for two weeks.

Fruit Dip

 I hope you all had an excellent weekend!  Did anyone do anything super fun?

My weekend sort of starts today, why you ask? Because today is my birthday.  My husband and daughter are taking extra special care of me today so I'm going to enjoy every minute of it!  Before I run off for my pampering, I will post this delicious recipe.  It's my birthday gift to you. :)

Some of the best recipes are the most simple ones, don't you agree? I brought this over for some friends to enjoy and it was well loved.  Great way to fancy up a fruit tray!

Fruit Dip
Found at Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients

• 1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
• 1 - 7 oz jar of marshmallow cream

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients until smooth.  Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. 
2. Serve with your favorite fruits.  

Guest Post: Sugarless Sweet Potato Craisin Pie

My dad, as you may know, is a awesome cook who loves to experiment and come up with his own recipes from time to time. This is one of his creations.  He's been able to lose 75 pounds by modifying his diet over the last 10 months.  Sweet potatoes as you know, are extremely healthy.  He was living in the South for several years and came to love Sweet Potato Pie, but it's not exactly health food in it's true form.  He was able to come up with this recipe so he could still enjoy the taste of Sweet Potato Pie without all the calories added by using sugar.  He kicked it up again by adding the Craisins. You could top this with some Truvia sweetened homemade whipped cream and never miss any of those extra sugar calories.

He describes the taste to be very much like the original but the added Craisins add depth and texture that he loved.

Sugarless Sweet Potato Craisin Pie

Recipe by John Frelich

Ingredients

• 1 (1 pound) sweet potato
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup Truvia sweetener
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 1 bag Craisins

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the sweet potatoes in their skin for about 40-50 minutes or until tender.
2. Run under cold water to stop the cooking process and then remove the skins.
3. Smash the potatoes in a bowl and add the butter, mix with a hand mixer or use your stand mixer.
4. Add the Truvia, milk, eggs, Craisins, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth.
5. Pour the filling into an unbaked 9" pie shell.
6. Bake at 350º for 55-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pie will puff up at first but will sink while cooling.

PD's Saturday Night Vidalia Onions

So what do you do with a bag full of Vidalia Onions? Well you could do what I did and go on a hunt for a simple easy recipe, there are ton's of them out there. I think I might have stumbled on one of my favorites so far.  Leave it to Paula Deen!

This recipe is very simple and if you're a fan of French Onion Soup you will love this.

 Start with four onions - well as many as you want really, why stop at four? You cut the very tops off and then peel the skin off but leave the root end in tact. Use a small knife to make a little cone in the top of each onion and then cut it in quarters but only going down to the root to about 1/2 inch.

You only need four ingredients total and that includes pepper. How easy is that? Spread out some of the layers and stuff in some butter, cram a beef bouillon cube in the middle, top with pepper and then wrap it tightly in some tin foil

After baking for about 45 minutes, open the foil in a bowl so you don't lose any of those juices. I cut it into bite sized pieces and discarded the root end.

This is how I ate mine.  Take a piece of baguette and toast it, top it with your favorite cheese, pour the onions and most importantly the juice onto the bread and eat it up.  I couldn't get enough of this.

If you're going on a camping trip anytime soon you have got to remember this one.  Heck, even if you're not it's one of my new favorite side dishes!

PD's Saturday Night Vidalia Onions

Recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 4 large Vidalia onions
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 beef bouillon cubes
• Fresh ground black pepper

Cooking Directions

1. Either prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or heat your oven to 350º
2. Slice the tops off each onion, leaving the root end in tact.
3. Peel each onion keeping the root end in tact.
4. Cut a small cone shape in the top of each onion.
5. Cut each onion in quarters from the top down, stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom root end.
6. Place butter in between some of the sections and push a bouillon cube into the top cone part.
7. Sprinkle with pepper
8. Wrap tightly in heavy duty tin foil and place directly on the coals, or on the oven rack.
9. Cook for 45 minutes, turning every so often.
10. Serve each onion in a bowl because it will produce a lot of broth that tastes like French Onion Soup!

Sour Cream Blueberry Pie

This is the dessert I made for my husband for Fathers Day.  He liked it. He's a huge blueberry lover so I thought this would be a nice change from the blueberry pie I usually make. I think it was a refreshing change and I'm glad I tried it.  If you're not much of a sour cream fan then don't worry, it's not a overpowering sour cream flavor. The blueberries were definitely the star and the sour cream just added the creaminess.

I recommend refrigerating or even slightly freezing it so it cuts well, otherwise it did sort of spread out a bit.

I hope all you fathers out there had a great day!

Sour Cream Blueberry Pie
Recipe from Cinnamon Freud via Bon Appetite Desserts

Ingredients

• 1 fresh or frozen pie crust
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Cooking Directions

1. Partially bake your pie crust for about 6 minutes. 
2. Turn the oven to 400º if it's not already there. 
3. Whisk all of the ingredients (except the blueberries) in a large bowl.
4. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Pour filling into the warm pie crust and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
6. The filling should jiggle slightly in the middle but be set on the sides.
7. Cool to room temperature.

Chicken and Wild Rice

How is your summer going? Getting nice and tan and loving all these bathing suit pictures that keep surfacing? Me either.

Well Father's Day is this Sunday, have you figured out how you're going to celebrate it? Here's a suggestion, one of my husbands favorites is chicken and rice.  The nice thing about this version is it's done in your crock pot so there's no pressure immediately before you sit down to eat.

And don't you think it's too hot to hang out over your stove? I do.

After my husband tasted this he immediately wanted it on record as one of his favorites and made me promise to make it again.

Like I have some sort of habit about making things once and then never making them the same way again....OK that part is true but jeez, that's why I HAVE a blog!  So I can remember what the heck I did.

Anyway, You can certainly omit the mushrooms if you're not a fan of them but we LOVE them and leaving them in nice big slices is the way to go here. The rice was nice and creamy and perfectly cooked and the flavors blended perfectly.  I'm going to have to look around for the chicken broth that has roasted garlic because I do think that would be lovely in this recipe.

Definitely a keeper.

Chicken and Wild Rice

Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (about 4) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 (6 ounce) packages long grain and wild rice
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth with roasted garlic (I just used regular chicken broth)
• 2 (10 1/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts (optional)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
• 2 Tbsp butter

Cooking Directions

1. Brown the chicken in a large pan with some oil, then remove and cut into 1 inch pieces.
2. in the same pan used for the chicken, add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until tender.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a 5 quart slow cooker and then stir in the chicken and veggies.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.