No Bake Nutella Cheesecakes

I seriously cannot think of anything that has more of my favorites then this dessert.  I love Nutella and have been on a quest to find a great recipe that doesn't deplete the taste of the Nutella.  I found it!  This dessert is awesome. 

Every bite is that wonderful Nutella flavor with that little bite from the cream cheese.  Then the cookie crust gives you that Oreo crunch.  Man, I need to make this again soon. 

So easy to put together, it's just cream cheese and Nutella...

Mixed together and then add whipped cream.

Crush up some Oreo's (I tried those WhoNu cookies) and add some butter.  Press into the bottom of some individual serving dishes.  I used 6.

I put the filling into a resealable bag and cut the corner off so I could pipe the mixture onto the cookie base.  Right before serving I whipped up some more whipped cream and topped it with that.


No Bake Nutella Cheesecake
Found at "My Baking Addiction" here

For the Crust

12 Oreo Cookies, crushed into crumbs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup Nutella
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (4 ounce) heavy cream - whipped
sugar to taste (I used Stevia)

For the Garnish

whipped topping, optional
chocolate shavings, optional
toasted, chopped hazelnuts, optional


Begin by making the whipped cream - pour 4 ounces of heavy cream into the bowl of your stand mixer and whip using the whisk attachment until fluffy.  Add sugar (or Stevia) to taste, it doesn't need to be all that sweet since the Nutella has sugar. 


Clean the mixer bowl and put the cream cheese in the bowl.  Using the paddle attachment mix the cream cheese until creamy.  Add the Nutella and mix until well combined.  You'll probably need to use a spatula to get the bottom of the bowl mixed in with the rest.  Use the spatula to carefully incorporate the whipped cream into the Nutella mixture and incorporate well. 


In a separate bowl or a zip lock bag, crush the Oreo's.  In the microwave melt the butter and then mix in with the Oreo's.  Press a little of the cookie mixture into the bottom of the individual serving dishes. 


Take the filling mixture and put it into a resealable bag or a frosting bag and pipe equal amounts of the chocolate mixture on top of the cookie mixture.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  When ready to serve you can either top with additional whipped cream or chocolate shavings or hazelnuts and preferably all of the above. 

Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

Salt and Vinegar lovers unite!  We finally have a healthy snack that has the same flavor as the potato chips we love, Yay!  This snack is super easy to make and healthy and you can flavor any ol' way you want to.

Take a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drain and rinse them.

Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil or parchment paper.

Put the chickpeas in a small sauce pan and cover them with white vinegar (about 2 cups).  Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat and let sit for about 30 minutes.

Drain the chickpeas and pour onto the cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Turn the chickpeas over with a spatula halfway through so that they can get browned on both sides.  Watch them carefully so they don't burn for the remainder of the cooking time.

This is a great recipe but try your own favorite flavors!  You can't go wrong.

Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas
Recipe modified slightly from "Oh She Glows" found here

1 can chickpeas
2 cups white vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil or parchment paper

Drain and rinse the chickpeas with water.  Put in a small saucepan and cover with the white vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Once at a full boil turn off the heat and let sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Drain the vinegar off the chickpeas and spread them onto the prepared jelly roll pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and use your hands to roll them around so they all get covered in oil and salt.  Put in the oven for about 45 minutes.  After 20 minutes use a spatula to turn them.  Check in about 15 minutes after you turn them to make sure they're not burning, watch them carefully.  They are done when they are golden brown and glossy in color.  They will feel hard to the touch.  Let them cool before eating.

Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Marmalade

Someone please tell me to stop buying blood oranges and Meyer lemons.  I'm seriously addicted and every time I see them I buy them up like they're  never coming back!  I'm beginning to run out of ideas for these lovelies. 

You're going to need 3 Meyer Lemons and 1 Blood Orange.

Cut the ends off, then cut in half length wise and then slice thin.

Put the citrus into a pot of water. Boil. Add sugar. Boil. It's not very complicated, especially if you've never made jams before.

We loved this on whole wheat toast but I'd also love to try it on an English muffin or a bagel.

I love the color! Beautiful oranges and yellows.  I also love it when you bite into the peel and it's nice and soft and you get a burst of flavor.  So good!

Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Marmalade

Recipe found at the "New York Times" here

3 medium Meyer lemons, ends trimmed

1 medium blood orange, ends trimmed
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups Demerara (raw) sugar.

Place about three plates or saucers in the freezer - you'll use them later to test the marmalade.

Wash the citrus well under warm water.  Cut the ends off each lemon and orange and then slice in half length wise.  Take each half and cut in thin slices.  Remove any excess membrane and seeds.

Measure your citrus now, you should have about 2 1/2 cups.  If for some reason you don't; use the same volume of water and sugar (equal parts) as you have in fruit.  So for instance if you only have 2 cups of fruit then use 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar.  Bring the water and fruit to a boil and cook for about 20 - 30 minutes until the peels are very soft.

Add the sugar and turn the heat up to bring the mixture to a boil.  Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 more minutes or until the mixture is set. Start checking the mixture at about 15 minutes using the frozen plates.  Put a spoonful of the liquid on a frozen plate.  If the mixture looks like jam and not a runny syrup then it's ready.  Allow the mixture to cool and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.



Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these recently for our "Dinner Club - Theme Irish" and I frosted them with Mint Buttercream and placed a York Peppermint Pattie inside.  They were delish.  I think this cupcake is versatile enough to frost with most anything.  When I found this recipe on "Tracey's Culinary Adventures" she had them frosted with Peanut Butter frosting that I'm dying to try!  Wouldn't it be yummy to also drop a Reese's Peanut Butter cup inside?  Oh yeah!

See the York Peppermint Pattie on the bottom? The chocolate from the york pattie sort of melted and when you took a bite it had a different texture which I loved.  You could tell you were biting into a piece of candy. 

I have can't wait to make these again soon.

 

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Found at "Tracey's Culinary Adventures" here


8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

Move the oven rack to the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 350.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In heatproof bowl; put the butter, chocolate and cocoa powder.  Microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power and then stir.  Continue this until the mixture is melted and smooth.  Set the mixture aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

Use another small bowl to whisk the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together.

In the bowl of your stand mixer and using he whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and then add the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue whisking until fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk.  Sift 1/3 of the flour into the bowl and whisk gently to combine.  Add the sour cream (or yogurt) and whisk to combine.  Finally add the rest of the flour mixture and whisk to combine.  The batter will be thick.

Fill each muffin tin about 2/3's full and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

Cool in a rack for about 15 minutes and then remove each cupcake and place directly on the rack to cool completely.

Frost when completely cool.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Dinner Club - Theme Irish

Dinner club this month was hosted by Shannon!  Shannon made two wonderful dishes; an Irish Beef Stew that she made her own by incorporating several Irish recipes like Irish Stew, regular American Beef Stew and
The second dish she made was mashed potatoes with lots of green onions and butter.  Yum!

Shannon is known for just making up her recipes so I'm not sure I can get her to give me a recipe but I'll certainly try!

Melissa made a wonderful mint and chocolate cookie Trifle that was totally yummy.  She found this recipe here.

Our host Shannon making us Appletini's. So good!

My dinner plate, I ate every single crumb.

I brought these Dark Chocolate cupcakes with a york peppermint patty inside and mint buttercream frosting. I will post the recipe on a separate post soon.

Lynn brought this delicious potato/cabbage dish that had us going back for seconds.  So good!

Colcannon
Recipe by Tyler Florence modified slightly found here

3 pounds potatoes, scrubbed
2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups hot milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded
1 (1-pound) piece ham or bacon, cooked the day before
4 scallions, finely chopped
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

 In a large pot put  1/2 cup water, with 2 Tbsp butter and  chopped cabbage.  Cook on  medium low until  tender,  Mean time scrub  the potatoes,     but holes in them, wrap in foil and bake until soft.  When the cabbage and potatoes are done, scoop the inside of potatoes into the cabbage mixture.Cook 3 or 4 pieces of bacon and set aside. HEAT ABOUT 1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2 cream and put 1 stick of butter in with the milk.  mash the potatoes cabbage adding the cream a little at a time.  Once the mashing is done, gently stir in the cooked bacon or ham. the scallions and garnish with parsley.Season to taste with salt and pepper.  There you have it. ENJOY !

No Irish party would be the same without Soda Bread which I'd actually never had before!  I know there are a million ways to make it and I really enjoyed the recipe that Lynn chose.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp caraway seeds, optional
1 cup raisins
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and set the rack to the middle level.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt and mix well.

Add the butter and rub in until the butter disappears into the dry ingredients. Stir in the caraway seeds if using and the raisins.

In a smaller bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together and mix into the dough mixture.

Flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it.  Fold the dough over several times to cover it with flour and then shape into a round loaf.  Put the loaf onto a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan and cover with parchment paper or foil.  Cut a cross in the top.  Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.  The color should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.

Cool on a rack and serve with plenty of sweet butter.


I'd like to thank all the ladies for making these fantastic dishes for dinner club.  Irish food is awesome!!

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup

Here's another one I found on Pinterest.  Intrigued by the name since I adore lasagna I felt I had to try this and see if it did indeed taste like lasagna.  Amazingly it does!  Nobody was more surprised then I was believe me!  I'm really glad I saw the recipe and I've already told several of my friends about it. I will keep this in my fall soup reserves for sure.  I loved it.

The original recipe says you can put a piece of toasted baguette on top as well as cheese but I didn't have any and honestly didn't feel like it was necessary.  I felt very satisfied after eating it just the way it was.

This might have been the first time I've ever tried turkey Italian sausage before and I really enjoyed it. I will be incorporating it into other things.

I'm a huge fan of this soup.  I know it's spring time in most of the country but if you're from my hometown of Montana and you just got dumped on by snow - now's the perfect time to make this!

Tastes Like Lasagna Soup
Recipe from "Deen Bros." found here

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
8 Whole-wheat bread sticks or grissini (optional)

In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot (large) put the oil, sausage, onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook for about 8-10 minutes.  Break up the sausage and cook until it is no longer pink over medium high heat.

Add the broth, tomato sauce and tomatoes, salt and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. 

Break the lasagna noodles into small pieces and add to the soup.  Turn the heat up and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the noodles are done; about 10 - 12 minutes.  The soup should thicken slightly during this time.

Remove from the heat and add in the mozzarella, basil and Parmesan.  Serve with a baguette or bread sticks if desired.

Nutritional information provided at the link above. Makes about 8 cups.

Orange Cream Cheese Bread

Pinterest has become my new best friend.  I'm totally addicted and that's where I found this recipe.  I fell in love with the name and then after I baked it I fell in love with the bread too.  Very tender and moist.  I'm a fan of the hint of orange flavor that is not overpowering.  My husband loves walnuts so I added them but I think it would have been just as good without them.

This recipe makes two loaves so you can freeze one or share it. 

Orange Cream Cheese Bread
From "Just a Pinch" found here

1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp grated orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 375, grease and flour two 8 inch loaf pans.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the cream cheese and the shortening well until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, mixing well after each addition.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.  Gradually add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture a little at a time alternating with the milk.  Begin and end with the flour mixture.  Mix well after each addition.

Stir in the orange peel.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pans and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle the orange juice over the loaves.  Move the loaves to a wire wrack to finish cooling.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with Mint Frosting

How bout this, I'm actually going to get a holiday recipe out BEFORE the actual holiday arrives.  Man I'm getting better every day!

Yes I am patting myself on the back right now, why?

Anyway, I decided to try to come up with my own little St. Patrick's Day cupcake since it seems like everyone is being way creative.  I'm not sure this is WAY creative but I think they turned out pretty nicely.

Did I mention it involves Mint Oreo's?  Did I mention you can switch the Mint Oreo for a York Peppermint Patty if you want? Just sayin.  You have options.

This recipe is easy.  Just drop an Oreo or peppermint patty on the bottom of the cupcake liner before you fill it with batter.  Fill it about 3/4 full and bake as directed.

I topped mine with a Thin Mint broken in quarters.

I used the Devils Food recipe from here.
In addition, you will need 2 Pkg's of either Mint Oreo's or York Peppermint Patties.

Mint Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks of butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Green Food Coloring - optional

Put the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer and mix on medium until the butter is light and fluffy - about 5 minutes.  Turn the mixer to low and add the confectioners sugar and extract.  Mix for another couple of minutes until smooth and add the food coloring until you reach your desired shade of green.

Basic Devilled Eggs



Ever just want a quick and easy devilled egg recipe?  This is it.  Nothing fancy here but the basics.  Great for picnic's or gatherings.  I can't think of anyone who doesn't like deviled eggs and of course there are a million different ways to make a deviled egg but this one is delicious!

How to make a hard boiled egg: Place cold eggs in cold water in a saucepan.  Heat to a boil and time it for 3 minutes (at a hard boil).  Turn off the heat and let sit for about 10 minutes.  Pour cold water over the eggs.  This will help the shell come off easier and also make the eggs cooler and easier to handle.

Remove the yolk to a separate bowl, mash up with a fork.  Add Mayo, mustard and pickle relish. Stir together and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Use the back of a spoon to get out any large pieces and make the mixture smooth. 

I put the yolk mixture into a resealable back and cut the tip off the bag.  Then I piped the mixture back into the egg white "container". 

Basic Devilled Eggs

6 raw eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp classic yellow mustard
1 Tbsp pickle relish
Paprika - optional as a garnish

Hard boil the eggs by adding the cold eggs to a saucepan filled with cold water.  The water should just cover the tops of the eggs.  Heat to a boil and then cook at a hard boil for 3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 10 minutes.  Pour out the hot water and replace with cold tap water.  Crack each shell all the way around and begin peeling. 

When all the eggs have been peeled, rinse them quickly under some cold water to ensure there are no leftover egg shell pieces. 

Cut each egg in half with a sharp knife.  Carefully loosen the yolk by bending the white's a little and it should just pop out.  Be careful not to tear the whites if possible.  Use a spoon to get the yolk out if necessary. Place the yolks in a separate bowl. 

Using a fork, mash the yolks.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the lumps out.  You can use a resealable back to put the yolk mixture in, then cut off the tip and pipe the mixture back into the white part of the egg.

Garnish with paprika if desired.

An Alissamays Original Recipe

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Cupcakes anyone?  I know right? How silly of me. Everyone loves cupcakes and you'll especially love these.  I couldn't get enough of them and I seriously thought about taking a bath in the batter.  It looks so smooth and velvety when your mixing it and the smell is outrageous. If my house hadn't been full of witnesses I might have started scooping it out with a spoon.  

I am glad I waited until they baked into this chocolaty cupcake though because then I got to top it with a delicious frosting.  The picture above is topped with buttercream frosting.  If you're looking for a chocolate overload you could use a chocolate frosting of your choice.   

Devil's Food Cupcakes 

Found on "Tracey's Culinary Adventures" here

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder

3/4 cup hot water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

4 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Line cupcake pans with paper liners

In a small bowl mix the cocoa powder and water together and then set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the other dry ingredients.  Flour, baking soda and salt. 

In a medium saucepan add the butter and sugar, cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the butter has melted.  Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat for 4-5 minutes on medium low speed until the mixture has cooled.  Mix in the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.  Add the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and mix well.  With the mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients (in 2 additions) with the sour cream (all at once) and beat until just combined. 

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3's full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Transfer the pans to wire racks and let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing them.  Cool completely before frosting. 

Makes about 28 cupcakes

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of your stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the butter on medium high speed for 5 minutes.  Scrape the bowl as needed. 

Put the mixer on low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time.  When all the sugar is added and incorporated you can increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla.  Mix well.  Whip at medium speed for a couple more minutes until light and fluffy. 

Berry Green Smoothie

So, I'm on a green smoothie kick this week.  I've had one every day since I bought my new blender.  I'm sort of smitten with my new blender, I'm not gonna lie.  When you compare it to the ancient one I had before there isn't even a contest.  Anyway, back to the smoothies.  I was a little hesitant to have a smoothie that was green and even more hesitant that the green comes from spinach.  Well, I was relieved to find out that you don't even taste the spinach.  I like spinach and all, but I didn't really want to drink it.  Know what I mean?

My husband and I are trying to get the hang of this new smoothie in the morning thing in an attempt to get a little healthier and sneak in some things we might not otherwise get on a daily basis.  I'd love to get my daughter to drink this too and she will but only if it's not in a clear glass and only if it's mostly some other color besides green.

Start out with about 2 cups (or two small handfuls) of spinach.  I used baby spinach.  Add some frozen mixed berries, yogurt, 1/2 a banana and ice but only if the fruit you're using is fresh.  

Use your blender to puree the mixture.  I found that pulsing the "crush ice" button works well at first and then switch to the puree option.

Isn't that a pretty green color!  I promise you won't taste the spinach.  Trust me. 

Berry Green Smoothie

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 a large banana, cut into pieces

1/2 cup yogurt - I used vanilla low fat 

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

1 cup ice - only needed if you're using fresh fruit. 

Place all the ingredients in the blender and use the crush ice button to break up the ice or frozen fruit for about 30 seconds or so.  Switch to puree and blend until there are no chunks. 

Makes enough for two large glasses.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

I'm sorry for the lousy pictures.  It's a long story but I wanted to get this recipe out to you because it's super yummy. 

I'm always a little bit cautious when trying a vegetable recipe because I find that sometimes they can be too bland unless you are careful and add lots of flavors.  This one was great.  Not overwhelming with any one flavor but the crispy topping was delicious. 

I threw this together pretty quickly for some friends that were coming over one day after work for dinner.  The longest part of the process was just chopping everything.  Everyone at dinner really liked it and even my husband (who is leery of anything without meat in it) said it was a keeper.  This is a great recipe for your arsenal.  Quick, healthy, delicious.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin
Recipe from Martha Stewart found here
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium zucchini (about 7 ounces each), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 medium yellow squash (about 7 ounces each), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

2 shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup panko

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Use a large skillet to melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the zucchini, yellow squash, shallots and garlic.  Add salt and pepper.  Cook until the squash and zucchini is crisp tender. 

Add the cream and cook for about 5 minutes until thickened.  Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup of panko break crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Put the squash mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining panko and Parmesan. Season with additional Salt and Pepper.  Bake until the top is golden brown, about 8 - 10 minutes.

Country-Style Pork Medallions

My husband picked this recipe out of one of my new cookbooks so you can thank him for the reprieve from sugar.  We're both trying to eat healthier these days which is not an easy task when we're all surrounded by Girl Scout Cookies!  I have a bag of them in my freezer right now that I somehow get into every night.  I can't help it.  It would be rude of me not to eat them right? For the children's sake that is.  Poor little Girl Scouts....see I can convince myself of anything if I really try.

But I digress.  My husband and I both really enjoyed this recipe.  He enjoyed it for the pork and I enjoyed the rest of it.  We're a good team in that regard.  Just like when we eat pizza, I just throw my crusts on his plate and he takes care of them for me.  Isn't that nice?

Why can't I focus?

OK, let's try this again. 

This recipe is pretty simple to make and can be ready pretty quickly.  Perfect for a busy week night meal. I didn't pound out the pork like it instructs below.  I'm a rebel like that.

See all that cream sauce in the picture?  Yeah, we didn't use even a 1/4 of that.  The sauce is good, don't get me wrong.  I just didn't think this recipe needed to be swimming in it.

Your call though.

Country-Style Pork Medallions
Taste of Home "Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2011" page 133


2 pork tenderloins (1 pound each)
6 Tbsp butter, divided
2 small onions, sliced and separated into rings
3/4 pound small fresh mushrooms
2 small apples, cored and cut into rings

Apple Cream Sauce: (I recommend cutting this recipe in half, below is the full recipe)
1 cup apple cider or juice
1 pkg (8 ounces) cream cheese
1/4 cup apple brandy or additional apple cider
1 tsp dried basil

Cut the pork into 1/2 inch slices and then flatten to 1/4 inch thickness. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook pork in batches in 2 Tbsp butter until juices run clear. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
Continue with the remaining pork.

In the same skillet, saute the onions and mushrooms in 2 Tbsp butter until they begin to get tender. Add the apples and saute for another 3-5 minutes or until the apples are tender. Arrange over the pork.

In a saucepan add the cider and cream cheese and cook over medium heat, whisking until smooth. Stir in the brandy or apple cider/juice and basil; heat through. Serve alongside the pork and vegetables.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Why do I constantly have banana's on my counter that are overripe?  Why do I keep buying banana's if my family can't eat them fast enough.  My freezer if packed full of banana's and yet here I am buying more. I'll never learn. 

Lucky for me my family does enjoy and quickly eats things made out of bananas.  Like smoothies, breads and muffins so these didn't last long.  Plus, freezing muffins is a great trick.  I'm not sure why some people think you can't freeze them but you certainly can.  I just throw mine is a freezer bag and when I need one I pull it out and pop it in the microwave for about 45 seconds to a minute.  Saves time on busy weekday mornings.

I went online looking for a banana muffin of some sort and was happy when I found this one for a couple of reasons.  The addition of both peanut butter and chocolate chips.  I really can't think of any reason this recipe wouldn't work out with that line up.  I also loved how it has oatmeal in it.  I'm a fan of oatmeal anything and especially loved that fact that these added a little nutrition on the sly. The flavors were wonderful in my opinion.  Not too much of any one flavor but you can taste the banana, peanut butter and chocolate chips all at once.  So delish!  I brought some to my daughters daycare and all the kids loved them. Yay me!

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Found on "Dinners, Dishes and Desserts" here

1 cup flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup banana, mashed (about 2 bananas)
1 egg
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare your muffin pan by either using cupcake papers or by spraying the muffin cups liberally with cooking spray.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and then mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl.  Combine them and mix just until combined.

Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full and bake for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for a few minutes before putting on a cooling wrack.

Makes about 16 muffins.