Bacon Wrapped Smokies

So I was at a baby shower last night and there was this dish there that I kept eating, and I'm sure if no one was watching (or judging!) me then I would have eaten the whole plate! The recipe is way simple and honestly I've written the recipe the same way my friend said to make them, so just have fun making and EATING this!

A package of Lil' Smokies
A package of bacon, uncooked
Brown Sugar

Wrap 1/3 to 1/2 of a slice of bacon around each Smokie and secure with a toothpick. Put all bacon wrapped Smokies in a 9x13 dish (or whatever size fits the amount you are making) spacing them apart a little. Sprinkle a ton of brown sugar over the top of them and bake at 350 until bacon is crispy and brown sugar has started to carmelize. So yum-o!

UH OH!

Okay everyone. I have some serious get fat treats here. I can feel the weight gain already! These cookies are extremely moist and 100% better the next day. HAHAHA! READY?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (or 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp ground nutmeg. Your choice.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

2. Add vanilla and chocolate chips.

3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

4. EAT!

VARIATIONS:

You can also add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. AND I also experimented and made some with out chocolate chips or nuts and made this frosting for the cookies.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar (4 1/2 - 5 cups)

1 stick of melted butter

1 8 oz. melted cream cheese

Beat until smooth. Frost cookies when they are cooled.

See here's where my biggest UH OH comes in. Next, I want to try the cookies with the chocolate chips AND the frosting! If I look like this next time I see you, don't laugh.

Peach Oreo Dessert

Well, if there's something I know...it's how to make something healthy unhealthy! And, now that we're in the thick of peach season--give this one a try! It's so light and yummy!!

1/2 lb Oreos
8 individual graham crackers
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup
2 eggs
8 peaches
3/4 pt whipping cream

Crush Oreos and graham crackers. Spread 3/4 of mixture in a 9x13 pan. Cream butter, eggs, and powdered sugar. Layer carefully on top of crumbs. Peel and slice peaches and layer on butter mixture. Whip the cream and sweeten with vanilla and 2 tbsp sugar. Spread over peaches. Cover with remaining crumbs. Refrigerate overnight (optional).

The person who makes this recipe recommends using an extra egg and a little more powdered sugar because it makes it creamier and easier to plop down on top of the crumbs. When I had hers, it was delicious!! It almost tasted like a pudding...very creamy. Yum!

Vanilla Cream Puffs

I can't believe I haven't posted this before. My sister-in-law, Melanie, made these for a family dinner once and they are one of my favorite desserts to make. However, I substitute ganache made with semi-sweet chocolate for the chocolate sauce, but you can follow the recipe. They are so good!

VANILLA CREAM PUFFS

Puffs:

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes!)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Filling:

1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 pkg. (5.1oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups cool whip

Chocolate Glaze:

6 Tbsp semi sweet choc.chips
1 1/2 tsp. shortening
3/4 tsp. corn syrup
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a large saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls - 3 inches apart- onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Immediately split puffs open, remove tops and set aside. Discard soft dough inside. Cool puffs.

In a mixing bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and extract on low speed for 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fold in cool whip. Fill cream puffs. Replace tops.

In heavy saucepan (OR MICROWAVE) combine glaze ingredients. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. (I usually have to add more corn syrup to make it runny) Drizzle over cream puffs. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield-1 dozen.

Chip Dip

This recipe comes from my sis-in-law, Kristen. It is so yummy and always disappears quickly.

1 pkg cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup salsa
1 Tbsp taco seasoning

Combine and serve with chips. You can alter the measurements to suit your liking. Yum-O!

Speedy Chicken Stir Fry

This is from the Kraft magazine that just came in the mail. I saw this on the cover and had to try it. It was so unbelievably easy. I had it on the table within 20 minutes or so. And it's also easy to change up a bit or make vegetarian too, just sub in what veggies you have, like carrots or snow peas, or add a lot of veggies to take the place of the chicken. And the salad dressing you use in the sauce is way good on salads too.

8 oz. angel hair pasta, uncooked
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp each ground ginger, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the salted boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time. (After 3 minutes I put the broccoli in a bowl of ice water- it's called "shocking" it- in order to keep it crisp and not mushy, and then you add it into the dish at the very end to warm it through again).

Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally.

Drain pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into four serving bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts.

**I just added my noodles straight into the pot with sauce so I didn't dirty more dishes. Also, don't skip the peanuts. They really add to the dish. I also used thin cut chicken (cutlets) since they cook a lot quicker than regular chicken breasts do. Enjoy!