Homemade Nutter Butters

I found these yummy cookies here and made them for Seminary Kick-off. I renamed them homemade Nutter Butters and they were yummy! I doubled the recipe and it made about 3-4 dozen sandwich cookies. It's a fun one for the kids to help with because it doesn't matter if the filling gets spread perfectly or not! Don't be shy when spreading the filling... it makes plenty! Also, it helps to chill the dough a little.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup quick cooking oats
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and beat well.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir. Add oatmeal and stir.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until cookies are a light brown.
To Make Filling: Cream 3 tablespoons butter or margarine with the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the cream. Spread filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half to form sandwiches.

Chipotle Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Mini Quesadillas

I've been a mood for Chipotle flavored things... I found this great little recipe on one of my favorite recipe blogs, The Picky Palate .
The picture is of the ones I made for a Baby shower. (I made them with 4 inch corn tortillas that I found at my Fresh & Easy Grocery Store and I kind of rolled them up like little taquitos) They were a big hit! Let me know if you try them, or if you try any of the other recipes on her site. The Monkey Bread looks good!
Here's the recipe, with my comments in paranthesis!

Chipotle Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Mini Quesadillas

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
30 (3 inch) round flour tortillas, cut with round cookie or biscuit cutter (I liked the 4 inch corn tortillas)
2 Cups diced cooked chicken (I just boiled chicken breasts and then shredded them)
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from can (We don't like it too spicy, so I only added one! This wasn't as hard to find as I thought it would be... maybe because I'd never heard of it)
1/4 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (I totally forgot to buy this, but they still tasted fabulous!)
1 fresh corn on the cob, kernels removed (I used a cup of Trader Joe's frozen corn)
1 Cup drained black beans
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 Cups light sour cream (I only used a cup of sour cream)
2-3 Tablespoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place tortillas onto a baking rack placed over a baking sheet. Brush tops of each tortilla with oil and bake for 5-7 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Remove and set aside.

2. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil into large skillet over medium heat. Add cooked chicken, chipotle peppers, cilantro, corn and beans until heated through, about 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese over each bottom tortilla. Spoon a heaping Tablespoon of chicken mixture over cheese layer then sprinkle with a pinch more cheese. Lightly press a tortilla round over top. Repeat this process until chicken and tortillas are used up. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cheese is melted. Combine sour cream and chipotle in a small bowl. Serve with a cilantro leaf garnished plate and top with chipotle sour cream if desired.

Thai Panang Curry

1 clove of garlic
1lb of pork, chicken or shrimp
1 can coconut milk
1 med onion
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 frozen peas
1 - 2 Tbsp of peanut butter
1 - 2 Tbsp of fish sauce
1 lime
1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth (can be used to extend no. of servings
1 - 2 tsp. of red curry paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 - 2 Tbsp of peanut or vegetable oil
cilatro

Brown meat and set aside. Chop garlic into very small pieces and brown. Add chuncks of onion next and cook until almost translucent. Add sliced pepper and curry paste and stir. Add coconut milk and bring to a slow boil while stirring. Add meat and broth, peanut butter and brown sugar and stir. Add frozens peas, dash of fish sauce and lime juice and stir. Garnish with Cilantro or fresh Thai basil. Serve over Jasmine or Basmati rice.

He wrote this down kind of quickly, but I tried it and made my own adjustments and loved it. It was very soothing, like a twist on good ole chicken and rice. Kind of sweet...yummy yummy.

Creamy Rice Pudding

I had leftover rice after dinner tonight, so I found this rice pudding online at Allrecipes.com. It doesn't require baking and is absolutely delicious!!! (and easy!)

Creamy Rice Pudding SUBMITTED BY: Erica G.
"This is my mom's recipe for Rice Pudding. It's the best I've ever tasted and it gets rave reviews from everyone I serve it to. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon, if desired. For creamier pudding, use short or medium grain rice."

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup COOKED white rice
2 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creamy-Chicken-and-Wild-Rice-Soup/Detail.aspx

my sister found this recipe a while back and has been raving about it, this past week I was at her house and she made it for me and it was possibly the best soup I've had ever. Def. top five. We ate it with Tuscan Panne (?) bread which went perfectly. She added carrots, celery that she boiled a little before putting them in and sauteed portabello mushrooms. She also cut some of the cream and replaced it with milk. Nummy Nummy!

Strawberry Cake

Another easy one. It's so good, I get requests from the kids teachers whenever they are in need of cupcakes. :)

1 White Cake Mix, plus ingredients listed on box
1 single serving strawberry yogurt (I like the fruit on the bottom one)

Mix cake mix according to box directions, blending in the yogurt last.
Bake according to box directions. You HAVE to have it with this frosting:

Cream Cheese Cool Whip Frosting
1 small box vanilla pudding
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
8-12 ounces Cool Whip

Blend all ingredients together, blending the Cool Whip in last. I use the most Cool Whip to make the frosting go farther, especially when I make cupcakes. I use a pastry bag with a large icing tip to swirl it up, just like the ones in the store that mom's spend a fortune on ---okay I've bought them too in a pinch! :)
Anyway, top off your frosted cake with some of those sugar sweetened frozen sliced strawberries. Yum!
Oh, I use this frosting for other stuff too. It's the best for Fruit Pizza!

Banana Cake

If you have bananas you need to use and you're tired of banana bread, try this.

1 White Cake Mix plus the ingredients listed on the box
2-3 ripe bananas (I like bananas, so I use 3)

Mash bananas, set aside. In a separate bowl mix up the cake mix according to the directions on the box. Stir in bananas. Bake according to box directions (9x13, cupcakes, etc). Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. You can use canned frosting or here's a homemade one:

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 box powdered sugar
1 stick butter/margarine
1 (8-oz) block cream cheese
Cream all together til smooth.

I know someone who has done this recipe with a chocolate cake mix. I've never tried it but it sounds good.