Homemade Butterfingers

Homemade Butterfingers
Adapted from Plain Chicken

1 cup candy corn
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt candy corn in microwave on high 1 minute. Stir and continue cooking in 15-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Stir in peanut butter. Spread mixture in an 8"x8" pan lined with parchment paper. Cool completely. Melt chocolate chips in microwave.  Pour over candy corn mixture and let cool in refrigerator.  After 30 minutes to an hour, score the chocolate into the size of pieces you'd like to have.  This makes cutting the pieces up neatly much easier once it's completely cool.

Note: You can cut the candy corn mixture into squares and dip it in chocolate if you'd rather, but I find this way to be much easier.

Chocolate Fix Cookies

If you need a chocolate fix ASAP...make these!  They are slightly crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside and oh-so-chocolatey!  Even Cookie Monster approves.

Chocolate Fix Cookies
From Divine Baking

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided (I always prefer semisweet.)
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.  Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme.  Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. 

Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly.  (I skipped rolling in the sugar.) Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350 until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

Breakfast Enchiladas

Here's another recipe that I owe to MOPS!  It was my turn to bring a dish for brunch again, so I tried these tasty ham, egg and cheese breakfast enchiladas.  The whole pan was gone, so you know they were good!

Breakfast Enchiladas
From Tasty Kitchen

2 cups cubed, cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped green onion (I left this out)
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
flour tortillas (I used 13 fajita size)
2 cups half-and-half
6 eggs
1 tablespoon flour


Prep this the night before and cook in the morning.
Stir together ham, green onions and 2 cups of cheese. Use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop out cheese mixture onto a tortilla. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Roll up all tortillas and squeeze them into the baking dish.
Whisk together half-and-half, eggs and flour. Pour over tortillas. Cover and let sit overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over enchiladas. Bake for 10 more minutes.
 

Sweet Potato Chips

These could not be any easier and they are so yummy!  You have no excuse not to make them.

Sweet Potato Chips
From Our Best Bites

1 sweet potato
kosher salt
garlic powder
cooking spray

Peel the sweet potato.  (You don't have to, but I like to.)  Thinly slice sweet potato.  (I did mine in the food processor.)  Remove the rotating tray from your microwave.  Place a piece of parchment paper over the tray.  Place sweet potato slices on the paper in a single layer.  Lightly spray with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and garlic powder.  Go easy on the salt; a little goes a long way!  Place the tray back in the microwave.  Microwave on 50% power for about 8-10 minutes or until slices just start to turn brown.  Be careful not to overcook and burn!  Each microwave is different, so keep an eye on them.  Allow to cool slightly before eating.
  

Salmon with Adobo Sauce

I've never liked fish, but I'm trying to learn to like it.  So far I've only tried salmon, but it's not bad!  We (and by we, I mean Aaron) usually grill it, but I found this super simple recipe and baked it the other night.  It was good...and spicy!  I think this sauce would work for grilling too.  If you need a healthy and super-fast weeknight meal you should give this a shot!

Salmon with Adobo Sauce
From The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 lb. salmon fillet
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons adobo sauce (buy chipotle peppers in adobo and scoop out some sauce)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons chopped green onions (I left this out)

Combine salt, sugar and adobo sauce in a bowl.  Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush sauce over salmon.  Bake at 450 for about 13 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.  

Chalupa

This meal is probably the nearest and dearest to my heart.  Not because it's fancy or even the best thing I've ever tasted, but because of the many memories it holds.  Chalupa is the meal-of-choice of my mom's side of the family.  We ate it for holidays, birthdays or just as an excuse to get together and eat!  And laugh!  When I think of chalupa I can't help but think of my loud family gathered around tables in my Nanny and Papa's kitchen.  They sold their house more than a decade ago and my Nanny has since passed away, but eating chalupa is true comfort food to my soul.

Chalupa

2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery (I usually leave this out simply because I don't like buying a whole bunch of celery just for 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt (I usually season to taste)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce (such as Tabasco, I usually add to taste)
3 teaspoons chili powder (I usually season to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I usually season to taste)
1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes, undrained
1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1-2 cups pinto beans (tastes better if you soak and season dry beans, but a can of pinto beans also works)
tortilla chips
desired toppings (cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato, avocado, etc.)

Add all ingredients except chips and toppings to a Dutch oven or slow cooker.  If using a Dutch oven, simmer for 3-4 hours.  If using a slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Place chips on plate.  Crush them a little so that meat sauce will like flat (shouldn't look like nachos).  Top with meat sauce and desired toppings.

Note: This recipe freezes very well, so double or triple it when you make it!

Oreo Cake Bars

If you like Oreos, you'll love these easy cake bars!  By the way, I want to try these with Nutter Butter cookies and peanut butter chips instead of Oreos and chocolate chips.  Bet that would be good!

Oreo Cake Bars
Adapted from Picky Palate

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
1 egg
14 Oreo cookies (double stuffed certainly won't make this worse, and generic are just as good as name brand)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
chocolate chips (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, I used about 1/2 a cup)

Combine cake mix, butter and egg with a mixer.  Press dough into a 9x13" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Crumble Oreos over dough.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over Oreos.  Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over all.  Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.