Nutella Brownie Bites

Rich, moist, chocolaty flavor.  Definitely need a glass of milk with these little brownie bites!!

I got this recipe off of a blog I follow, which said this recipe comes from Sunset Magazine, but when I tried to find it there, had no such luck.  

Nutella Brownie Bites

1/2 cup butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup Featherlite Flour Mix
½ tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter 8 muffin cups in muffin tin. Microwave 1/2 cup butter to until melted. Add chocolate, stirring until melted. Add sugar and cocoa. Whisk in egg, vanilla, and salt. Add flour and stir until smooth. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups. Using a small spoon, make a depression in each portion of batter and spoon 1 tbsp Nutella into each brownie. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool for 10 minutes then remove brownies from muffin tin.

** I just sprayed my muffin tin with nonstick spray and I used my mini muffin tin and got 20 brownie bites. I used about ½ tsp Nutella per brownie bite

Homemade Refried Beans

Tuesday is 'Taco Tuesday' at our house and the best part of that meal is the homemade refried beans.  After eating these homemade beans, I can't bring myself to eat the 'stuff' they sell in the cans!  This recipe took me a few times to get the flavor right to our liking.  The more garlic powder and dried onions, the better!  I am able to cook  2 C of dried pinto beans in my 4 quart crock pot on high in 4-5 hours.  My crock pot cooks things really fast, so this time frame will vary with every crock pot.  The amounts I have listed for the garlic, onions and salt are just a starting point.  This is something you will have to experiment and adjust to your liking.

Refried Beans
Yield: 4-5 C refried beans
2 C dried pinto beans
2 1/2 quarts of water
1-2 TBS garlic powder or fresh minced garlic (This amount is really a personal preference)
1/4-1/3 C dried onions (This amount is really a personal preference) 
2-3 tsp salt (This amount is really a personal preference)  (but do not add this until after the beans are cooked and drained)


Place beans, garlic, onions and water in crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
When beans are soft, drain and reserve juices.  Place beans in blender, add salt.  If beans are to thick, add some of the reserved juices.  Beans will thicken up as as they cool.  May serve hot or refrigerate until needed.

Seriously the best beans ever!!

Bears on Cloud Nine (Jell-O Dessert)

We are BIG Jell-O fans at our house!  There are so many fun things you can do with Jell-O.  This recipe comes from KRAFT foods.

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water

2 pkg.  (3 oz. each) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

4 C ice cubes

1/3 cup  bear-shaped gummy candies (2 oz.)

Directions:
Add boiling water to gelatin mixes in medium bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add ice; stir 2 to 3 min. or until gelatin is slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice.

Pour all but 3/4 cup gelatin into 12 (5-oz.) clear plastic cups. Beat remaining gelatin with mixer on high speed 30 seconds or until fluffy and doubled in volume. Spoon over gelatin in cups.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm. Top with Gummi Bears.
.

Love Floats

A friend of mine posted this idea on Facebook and it was too cute to pass up.  It makes a great gift for teachers, friends or maybe even your spouse!  I would have preferred to use white taffy, but could not find a store that had enough for the amount I needed to make this sweet treat....so I just used pink and red taffy.

This is what it should look like before you start gluing on the taffy...

Supplies Needed:

Glass cups  ...  any style or size...can be bought at the dollar store

Styrofoam balls cut in half (make sure you get a size to fit the glass you bought)

Pixy Sticks for the straw

Candy for the bottom of the glass (Hot Tamales, M&M's, Conversation Hearts, Sweet Tarts, Kisses)

Wrapped Salt Water Taffy (White would be preferred choice, but can do coordinating Valentine's colors)

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Directions:

Fill the glass with candy, right up to the top.  Make a hole in the styrofoam and slide pixy stick through.  Hot glue styrofoam half to top of the glass.  Hot glue taffy to the styrofoam ball in layers starting at the bottom and working your way to the top.  Very easy and a fun project to do with the kiddos!

Happy Valentine's Day.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

A friend of mine had a Hot Chocolate party the other day and it was the most amazing hot  chocolate I have ever had!!  It definitely puts the boughten stuff to shame.  She shared the recipe with me and I had to pass it on!  Enjoy...

Homemade Hot Chocolate
¾ C sugar
¼ C (heaping) cocoa powder, plain or dark chocolate depending on preference
Dash of salt
1/3 C hot water
4 C milk
¾ tsp vanilla

Place first four ingredients in pot on stove. Have milk and vanilla ready to add. Cook and stir on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, still stirring. Add milk, cook and stir until back up to desired  temperature. Add vanilla, stir and remove from heat. Add marshmallow if desired.

**Can use 3 ¾ C milk and ¼ C heavy whipping cream.