Monday, September 24, 2012

Cinnamon Churro Chex

My kids have never had a churro, but every time we go to Costco and get an ice cream, I see the churro's and wish so badly I could buy one for them.  Well, here is the next best thing!  This little treat was so delicious and very quick and easy to make.  I know that cinnamon chips (made by Hershey's) are a seasonal item at most stores.  I just picked up a whole bunch at Walmart the other day, so keep your eyes open for some at your local store!


Cinnamon Churro Chex

9 cups rice Chex cereal
3 cups cinnamon chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pour Chex cereal into a bowl. Set aside. Combine sugars and cinnamon in another small bowl. Set aside.

Melt cinnamon chips on stove top in a double broiler.  (I just use a small sauce pan, fill it half way with water and place a heat safe bowl that will rest above the water on the saucepan.) Melt chips until smooth and creamy.  Pour over cereal and stir until cereal is well coated.

Sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Toss to coat. Pour out the cereal onto a cookie sheet. Continue to sprinkle and toss the cereal with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Enjoy!!

Recipe came from here.



Dijon Mustard Chicken

I am so in love with how many great recipes are on Pinterest.  I have a bunch on file to try over the next little while.  I quite enjoyed this dish.  You definitely have to like mustard for this one!




Dijon Mustard Chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Rosemary
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together mustard, syrup, and vinegar. Place chicken breasts into sprayed 9×13 baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour mustard mixture over chicken.  Bake uncovered for about 30-40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Season with rosemary. 
Recipe came from  here.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Better Than Anything Cake


Couldn't decide which picture to use to showcase this amazing dessert, so I used them all.  
It was that good!






Better Than Anything Cake


1 Betty Crocker GF devil's food cake mix
1/2 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces caramel ice cream topping
3 bars chocolate covered toffee, chopped (I used one Hershey’s chocolate bar cut in to pieces and ½ C Health English Toffee bits
1 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
1.      Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.
2.      In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm.
3.      Let cake cool completely and then top with whipped topping. Decorate the top of the cake with some more chocolate toffee bar chunks and swirls of caramel topping. Refrigerate and serve right from the pan!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Mini Funnel Cakes

Just got back from the State Fair so funnel cakes were on my mind.  Started surfing around on Pinterest and guess what popped up?  That is right!  A recipe for mini funnel cakes.  All I did was switch out the flour and add xanthan gum.  Oh my goodness!  They were amazing and delicious!  What I love about them most, well two things actually...they are super easy and quick and because they aren't the size of a dinner plate!   I made some changes to the preparation of the recipe.  If you would like to see the original recipe it can be found here at Taylor Takes a Taste.



Mini Funnel Cakes
Makes about 15-20 4in diameter cakes (will vary depending on how much batter used in each cake)
Dry ingredients
1 1/2 cups GF Flour Blend (featherlite)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum

Wet ingredients
1 1/3 cup milk
1/4 tsp lemon zest (did not use)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Place wet ingredients into a blender and blend.  Add dry ingredients and blend until smooth.   Using a funnel, pour batter into a squeeze bottle. The batter is thick so be patient for it to flow into the bottle. You may also pour the batter directly from the blender into the plastic squeeze bottle.  (I just poured mine into a Ziploc bag, closed it and snipped the very corner off, allowing me to squeeze the batter into the oil.)
In a large pan, pour in your favorite frying oil until it is about 1/2 inch deep, and heat to 350F (I used peanut oil). Place 4 in metal ring into pan. (**I used a metal cookie cutter) Depending on the size of the pan, you can fit 1-4 rings. Squeeze batter into ring and cook until funnel cake will stay together when metal ring is removed.  (30 seconds-1min). Using tongs, remove metal ring and let cakes float. Flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds to a minute or until a nice light golden brown. These cook very quickly so be careful not to burn. Try experimenting with your first few to find a cooking time that works best for your oil and pan set up.
Once golden brown, remove from pan and place onto brown paper bags to let the excess oil drain. Immediately top with powdered sugar. Best if eaten when still warm right after frying.

Sprinkle with favorite topping…
Powder sugar, chocolate syrup, caramel