Turtle Cookies

Looking for a new cookie recipe? After trying lots of different recipes I am happy to share this Turtle Cookie Recipe, because they were so, so good. Like stupid good. Thank goodness I have kids to help me eat them, otherwise I would have eaten them all!
My daughter is cooking with me all the time which is such a treat. It's so fun when the kids get old enough to help out.

Turtle Cookies

Cookie batter:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/8 tsp. salt

8 T. butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

2 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer to a low speed and add flour mixture until just combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm.

Coating:

2 egg whites

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Whisk egg whites until frothy.  Place chopped pecans in a separate bowl.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip half the ball in egg whites, and then roll that half in pecans.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

Caramel Filling:

10 caramel candies

2 T. whipping cream

Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 minute.  Once cookies are removed from the oven,  re-press the indentations.  Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. 

Chocolate Drizzle (optional):  

1/4 cup chocolate chips or white chocolate chips

1 Ziploc bag

Place chocolate chips in a small Ziploc bag.  Set the bag in a bowl of warm water to soften.  Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed.  Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag.  Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.

Tomato Corn Salad

It's been years since I first had Tomato Corn Salad. A friend of mine brought it over to a going away party they were throwing for us when we moved away from Portland in 2008. I was so sad to leave Portland and for whatever reason this dish is the thing that sticks in my memory from that time. Isn't it odd how people create memories around food. I've made this side dish many times since then and always get tons of compliments on it. Hope you like it!

Tomato Corn Salad

3 large tomatoes
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup green onions chopped
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp minced basil
1 tbsp minced cilantro
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups corn
3 garlic cloves pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dijon mustard

In a large bowl combine the first eight ingredients and set aside. In a skillet sauté the corn and garlic in olive oil until tender and then add stir in the dijon mustard. Add this to the first bowl and stir well. You can serve right away warm or chill if you'd rather have it cold.

Rudolph's Nose Cookies

Rudloph's Nose Cookies
1 box (18.25 oz) Devil's food cake mix

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted


1 egg

Vanilla frosting (about 1/2 tub per batch)

maraschino cherries (no stems)

Directions

Mix first four ingredients into a stiff dough. (Dough dries quickly and then is hard to roll--add a

 little oil to help with the dry-out factor:-) ) Roll in 1-inch balls. Press an indentation into ball (like

 with the round end of a wooden spoon or something like that). Place 2 inches apart on 

ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. If dough is puffed, use the 

end of a wooden spoon to recreate indentation. Cool for one minute. Remove from pan and

 continue to cool. Spread frosting in indention (or apply with star-tipped pastry bag). Top with 

cherry.

Texas Caviar

Texas Caviar (also referred to as cowboy caviar) is one of my most favorite appetizers. It's easy to make and tastes great.

Texas Caviar Recipe

16 oz corn
16 oz blackeye peas
16 oz black beans
1 bunch chopped green onions
3 tomatoes chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped

Mix together and add Italian dressing to taste.
Chill two hours before serving.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potato casserole is the perfect side dish, if it's done right. I got this recipe for sweet potato casserole 17 years ago from my great aunt Katie.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Casserole ingredients
2 cups sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1cup milk
2 eggs

Topping ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup pecans - chopped
3/4 cup corn flakes - crushed
1/3 cup brown sugar

For the casserole mix all ingredients with an electric mixer. Place the mixture in a greased casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until firm.

For the topping melt butter and add pecans, corn flakes, and brown sugar. Mix well and pour over the top of the casserole. Bake 10 more minutes at 400 degrees.

Related articles

• Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe 
• Broccoli, rice, cheese casserole 

Broccoli, rice, cheese casserole

Broccoli, cheese, rice casserole is one of my favorite things to make for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner. It's usually the first thing to go at dinners. I never seem to make enough.

Broccoli, Cheese, Rice Casserole

1/2 cup rice
10 oz package frozen broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup margarine/butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces of processed cheese
1 cup shredded co-jack cheese

Cook the rice and broccoli according to the directions. After cooking, drain the broccoli on a paper towel. In a large sauce pan melt the butter and sauté the onion and celery. Add rice, broccoli, soup, and processed cheese to the onion and celery. Cook until the processed cheese is melted. Pour into a casserole dish that's been sprayed with non stick spray. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and bake at 325 degrees until it's bubbly.

Related articles

• Frito Pie

Zuppa Toscana Copycat Recipe

Olive Garden has a soup I love, Zuppa Toscana, and it's surprisingly easy to make. This is a copy cat recipe for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana.
Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. ground Italian sausage 
2 large russet baking potatoes, cut up
1 large onion, chopped 
1/4 c. bacon bit (optional) 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
2 c. kale, chopped 
16 oz. cans chicken broth 
1 quart water 
1 c. heavy whipping cream

Brown sausage in a skillet. In a large pot combine cooked sausage with all the other ingredients, except the heavy whipping cream and kale. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Once the potatoes are soft stir in the heavy whipping cream and chopped kale. Let simmer 5 more minutes, then serve.

Related articles

• 14 Tex-Mex Recipes Appetizers Main Dishes Side Dishes Desserts

14 Tex-Mex Recipes

Is there anything better than Tex-Mex food? Not at my house there isn't! Here are 14 Tex-Mex recipes for you to enjoy.

Appetizers

• Avocado Hummus
• Casa Ole Green Dip
• Abuelo's Chile con Queso
• Abuelo's Guacamole 
• Abuelo's Salsa Recipe

Main Dishes

• Tacos Al Pastor
• Mexican Lasagna
• Taco Soup
• White Chicken Chili
• Corn Chowder
• Texas Beefaroni

Side Dishes

• Abuelo's Restaurant's Papas Con Chile 

Desserts

• Sopapilla Cheesecake
• Yum Yum bars (also known as Texas Gold)

Frito Pie

Looking for an easy meal that can be prepared in less than five minutes? Frito Pie is the easiest meal I know how to make. We rarely eat it, because well, it's not a healthy choice.



All you need is 4 ingredients. One can of chili, some Frito's, and shredded cheese. I also add chopped onions, because I like onions.

Heat up the chili in the microwave and layer in a bowl:

Frito's
onions
chili
cheese

How easy is that! Do you have an easy recipe? If so please leave a link to it in the comments. I would love to check it out.

Abuelo's Salsa Recipe

Salsa is hands down my favorite thing to eat and Abuelo's Restaurant has excellent salsa. They recently shared the recipe on their Facebook page. Here's their salsa recipe.

Salsa

1 – 14oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (reserve juice)

1 large fresh jalapeño, stem removed and cut into 3 pieces (the number of jalapeño’s may be adjusted for heat level. 2 yield hot, 3 very hot)

1 small clove garlic

2 TBS chopped onions

Cilantro to taste (about 2 TBS)

Salt to taste

Wash produce before using.

Place a small sauté pan on medium heat and cook jalapeño and garlic until slightly charred. Add all vegetables to a food processor and pulse to a coarse chop, adding the reserved juice. Salt to taste.

Related articles

• Abuelo's Chile con Queso recipe
• Abuelo's Guacamole

Abuelo's Guacamole

Abuelo's Restaurant is my favorite restaurant. Unfortunately, they do not have any Abuelo's restaurants in the the Pacific Northwest. So far I've found their recipe for Papas con Chile and Chile con Queso. A day or so ago I found Abuelo's guacamole recipe! Turns out it's a lot like the recipe I already use, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Abuelo's Guacamole

1 lb. Fresh Avocados

2 TBS of fine diced onion

¼ cup of seeded tomatoes, diced ¼"

1/8 tsp granulated garlic

1 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice

Salt to taste

Wash all produce before using.

Cut avocado in ½ and remove pit. Using a soup spoon, remove avocado meat from the hull and place into a mixing bowl. Mash avocado meat to desired consistency. Add the rest of ingredients and fold gently checking for salt level. If you desire a spicier guacamole, add de - veined and seeded fresh diced jalapeños or Serrano peppers.

Related articles

• Abuelo's Chile con Queso recipe
• Casa Ole Green Dip

Abuelo's Chile con Queso recipe

This is the Abuelo's restaurant's recipe for Chile con Queso. They graciously shared their exact recipe on their facebook page!

Abuelos Chile con Queso

1 lb. Velveeta - cut into a 1/4" small pieces

1/2 cup of whole milk

1 TBS of butter

2 TBS of diced Poblano Peppers, seeded

2 TBS of diced jalapeños (use more if more heat is desired) seeded and deveined.

2 TBS of diced onions

2 TBS of diced red bell peppers

Wash all produce before using.

Mix Velveeta with milk and melt in a double boiler (or you can place in a microwave proof bowl and microwave for approximately 45 sec., stirring once). While the cheese is melting, melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the rest of ingredients and cook until tender, being careful not to burn.

When cheese mix is melted add the sauté ingredients to bowl and using a plastic spatula fold together.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Related articles

• Red Velvet Pancakes 

Red Velvet Pancakes

Red Velvet pancakes are so good and they make a perfect Valentine's day breakfast. After having them at Cinnamon's restaurant on the island of Oahu I had to figure out how to make them. I looked up a lot of recipes, but wanted to be able to use the cake mix. I could make them from scratch, but it's more work. Here's the recipe I've come up with after a few tries.


Red Velvet Pancakes 1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup red velvet cake mix
1 TBS sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 - 2 1/4 cups of milk

Mix together flour, cake mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. You want the batter to be thinner than regular cake batter, because these cook thick if not. If you think the batter is too thick add the rest of the milk up to another 3/4 cups.

Preheat electric grill to 325 degrees. Be sure to grease the grill. I use coconut oil. Pour about 1/4 cups of batter onto grill and let cook until the pancakes are bubbly on top. Flip and cook for 1-2 more minutes.

Vanilla Glaze (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 TBS milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients and drizzle over pancakes.

Additional fun toppings:

syrup

sprinkles

whip cream

Now if I can figure out how to make Guava Pancakes!

Casa Ole Green Dip

Everyone has a favorite restaurant that they grew up eating at, for me it was Casa Ole. Casa Ole is a small chain Mexican food restaurant found in Texas. What made this Mexican food restaurant stand out from all the other Mexican food restaurants in Texas was their green dip.

Their green dip is so good and they seem to be the only ones making it. This dip is one of the things I miss the most about Texas. This should give you a solid idea of how awesome this dip is. So, imagine my delight when my friend Melanie told me she had the recipe! (I almost cried.) I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, but when you live in Oregon and you grew up on Tex-Mex..........
I made the dip and it was good! This copy cat recipe has to be close to the exact recipe, if not their exact recipe. Mine was quite a bit thicker then what they serve, but I wasn't sure how to go about thinning it. It was thick enough to hold my chip up. Feel free to leave a suggestion on how to thin dip.
Casa Ole Green Dip
4 Avocados; pitted and mashed

16oz Light sour cream

1 can Rotel original undrained

1tbsp Garlic powder

4oz can Green chili

2tsp Salt

1tsp Lemon juice

3oz Light cream cheese

2 Jalapeno peppers; diced

2 Tbsp Cilantro; chopped

In a food processor combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy.

• Potato Skins
• Avocado Hummus
• Sopapilla Cheesecake

• Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Ice Cream Cake
• Blueberry Cinnamon Roll crumble
• Yum Yum bars (also known as Texas Gold)

How to make Donuts using Biscuits

Did you know that you can turn biscuits into doughnuts? Making biscuit donuts with kids is fun and it's easy enough that they can help make them.

I make simple biscuit donuts. Meaning I took a can of biscuits punched out the middles with a medicine cup to make donuts and doughnut holes. Then I fried them and rolled them in sugar and cinnamon. They kids are able to help with all steps of this except the frying.

Biscuit Donuts
1 or 2 cans of small biscuits
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
vegetable oil

Lay out a piece of wax paper or a cutting board. Spread the biscuits out on the paper. Using a medicine measuring cup as a cookie cutter, cut out the middles of the biscuits. Use the round biscuit dough you just cut out to make donut holes. The biscuits missing the middle will now make perfect donuts.

Mix up the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil on medium heat in a frying pan/skillet. Once the oil is hot enough place your dough pieces in the oil and fry them until golden brown.

Once golden brown take them out of the oil and roll them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture. When you've coated them they are ready to serve and eat.

Related articles

• Blueberry Cinnamon Roll crumble 

Christmas Treats

This year we decided to try some new recipes. Here are two we tried: Chocolate Cake Batter Chex and Turtle cookies.


Chocolate Cake Batter Chex was really easy to make and it is so yummy. In Texas this is basically the same recipe we use to make Texas White Trash. This is a great recipe to do with your kids!

Chocolate Cake Batter Chex

5 cups corn chex
10 squares chocolate flavored almond bark
3/4 cup yellow cake mix
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Sprinkles

In a gallon size ziploc bag mix together the yellow cake mix and powdered sugar, set aside. In a large bowl measure out your  5 cups of chex and throw in some sprinkles. Melt the almond bark and pour over the chex and sprinkles. Once the almond bark and chex is mixed up pour it into the ziploc bag and shack it up with the cake and sugar mix. Once it's mixed up well that's it. Your done!

• To make this recipe into Texas White Trash just add pecans, pretzels, and peanuts.

Turtle Cookies are not as simple as the the other recipe. These are multiple step cookies, but they are quite delicious and worth the effort.

Turtle Cookies

Cookie batter:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/8 tsp. salt

8 T. butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg yolk

2 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer to a low speed and add flour mixture until just combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate until firm.

Coating:

2 egg whites

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Whisk egg whites until frothy.  Place chopped pecans in a separate bowl.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip half the ball in egg whites, and then roll that half in pecans.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

Caramel Filling:

10 caramel candies

2 T. whipping cream

Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 minute.  Once cookies are removed from the oven,  re-press the indentations.  Fill each indentation with 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. 

Chocolate Drizzle (optional):  

1/4 cup chocolate chips or white chocolate chips

1 Ziploc bag

Place chocolate chips in a small Ziploc bag.  Set the bag in a bowl of warm water to soften.  Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed.  Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag.  Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.

Related articles

• Blueberry Cinnamon Roll crumble
• Hazelnut Rice Crispy Treats

Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Crumble

Every Christmas I like to make something special for breakfast. By special I mean I make something instead of having the kids eat cereal. This year instead of making eggs and bacon or waffles, I decided to go all out and make a real treat. I call it Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Crumble.  Adapted from the Lady Behind the Curtain's recipe: Cinnamon Blueberry crumble. I didn't really change a whole lot, but I've never used the type of cinnamon rolls she mentions and based on the amount of blueberry pie filling I thought I could actually make way more and I did, three times more!

Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Crumble

2 cans Pillsbury cinnamon rolls 8ct.
1 large can blueberry pie filling
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup flour (or yellow cake mix)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1-2 packets of icing


Grease a baking dish large enough to hold 16 cinnamon rolls. Cover the cinnamon rolls with the pie filling. In a separate bowl mix the softened butter, flour, brown sugar, and pecans. Once mixed shake out over the pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the cinnamon rolls have completely cooked. Once it's done top it with the icing that came with the cinnamon rolls.

I decided to make this breakfast casserole for Thanksgiving morning, but instead of using blueberry I used Strawberry pie filling. It was just as good.

Related articles

• Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Ice Cream Cake (mommytravels.net)

Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Ice Cream Cake

A while back I bought an ice cream cake from Cold Stone and was a little taken back by the price. I wondered if I could make one. I wasn't sure how hard it would be. After searching Pinterest I realized how easy they are to make. They are way cheaper to make then they are to buy.

Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Ice Cream Cake

1 package brownie mix (get whatever kind you like best)
1 carton mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 package mint Oreos
1 package regular Oreos
1 jar hot fudge

Bake the brownie mix according to it's directions in a 9x13 pan. Make sure not to over cook the brownies. You want the brownie to be soft enough it will hold the Oreo mint cookies you press into it all along the sides of the pan. Once your brownie base has cooled enough add the cookies all along the side. The add an ice cream layer on top of the brownie base.

Next crush up some regular Oreos and sprinkle them across the ice cream. I tried to use the mint ones, but they do not crumble up well.
Next pour the hot fudge over the crumbled cookies and ice cream layer. Spread around the hot fudge.
Finally add another layer of ice cream and top it with some more crushed Oreos. Put it in the freezer until your ready to eat it.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished cake and it didn't last long once I got it out of the freezer. The kids gobbled it up in no time!