My baked goods arrived!!!

My wonderful foodie/Facie friends and I decided to do a baked goods exchange every month since we are all so into cooking now. It is so much fun! Anyway, mine arrived today from Lori and they are so yummy looking! She said she was making enough for our family and I know she had to have thought of the kids as well when she made these treats which is so sweet. :) They arrived at the door and Sheridan looked in the box and said, "Which friend sent you these?!" and I said, "Lori did," and she said, "Well, Lori is my favorite friend of yours now!" LOL : ) So whoever gets my name in next month's exchange has something to live up to according to my kids!

Goodies were:

Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 pkg. jet puffed mini marshmallows

1 pkg. (13 oz) of Rice Krispy Cereal

Directions

Microwave - butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted. Add marshmallows. Toss to coat. Microwave 1 - 1 1/2 minutes or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 seconds.

Add cereal, mix well...(it may look like it is never going to stick together, but it will). Press firmly into a greased foil lined 13x9 inch pan.

Cool completely to firm and cut into squares.

Wrap leftovers tightly and store cool

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

Ingredients

1 bag of chocolate chips

Sprinkles

Pretzels, fruit or anything you want dipped in chocolate

Directions

Microwave one bag of chocolate chips in a small bowl on high for about 1 1/2 minutes stirring at the 45 second mark. Chocolate should be completely melted. Dip in pretzels one at a time. Drip off the excess chocolate and immediately sprinkle. Lay to dry on piece of wax paper.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup of sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until combined scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and chill dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees after the dough has been chilled. Combine 2 tbsp. of sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar - cinnamon combination to coat. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until edges are golden, transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

I'll update the ratings once we eat some of this awesome stuff!!!

Pig Rating:

Mrs. Pig Rating:

Little Pigs Rating:

Recipes from Lori, pictures from my goody box! : )

Chocolate Trifle

My mom insisted that I needed a trifle bowl as one of my many wedding gifts from her, and at the time I wasn't much into cooking so I was thinking...um, okay. However, now I am happy that I have it! I love how pretty desserts look in a trifle. We are having dinner with some friends and their kids tonight so I wanted something yummy and kid friendly. We have the kids this weekend so Sheridan actually did most of this on her own - I kind of instructed her and helped her with the presentation of it, but she was super proud of herself. : )

Ingredients

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I used light)
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (1.5 ounce) bar chocolate candy

Directions

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and sweetened condensed milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 ounces whipped topping until no streaks remain. (A tip that I read and used was to use heavy whipping cream instead of the cool whip to fold in. I used 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, whipped it for 10 minutes and folded that in with about 3 tbsp. of cool whip).

In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 ounce container of whipped topping. Repeat layers. Shave chocolate onto top layer for garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

I'll update the ratings after we eat it tonight : )

Pig Rating: The pig liked it. I think it was pretty sweet though and he isn't a huge sweets person.

Mrs Pig Rating: AWESOME. :) If you like chocolate and sweet, rich desserts, than you HAVE to try this one. So good. It looks pretty, it's easy to make, and it tastes good.

Little Pigs Rating: They both liked it. Sheridan was ready to eat it the next day again : )

Friends of the Pigs: Loved it!! They had seconds and their kids loved it as well. They couldn't quit talking about how good it was. Success! : )

Recipe from allrecipes.com, picture from my kitchen

Kat's "Fast Fancy Chicken"

My friend Kat always has great recipes on her blog -I have so many on my list that I want to try! She is a nutritionist so the good thing about most of her recipes is that they are healthy. And yummy! Double score! : )

Tonight we tried her "Fast Fancy Chicken". My menu is all out of order this week, but oh well.

Ingredients

6 Boneless Chicken Breasts
6 Slices Swiss Cheese
1/4 lb. Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 Cup White Wine
2 Cups Herbed Stuffing Mix
1 Stick Butter/Margerine

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350. Place chicken in lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Top each piece with a slice of swiss cheese. Arrange mushrooms over cheese. Mix soup and wine and pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Note: I only cooked 2 chicken breasts as it was just DH and I. Therefore I halved the wine, margarine, and soup.

Pig Rating: The first thing he said was, "Wow baby, that looks impressive! Did you take a picture?" LOL : ) He really REALLY liked this a lot. He said it might even be better than smothered pork chops which is his favorite thing I have made so far. Thanks for the recipe Kat! If the Pig is happy, I am happy!

Mrs. Pig Rating: This was REALLY good. I will definitely be making this one again. I served with zesty red potatoes and corn. Such a good meal. The chicken turns out really juicy and full of flavor. If you like chicken, you HAVE to try this one.

Recipe from http://anirishgirlwhocancookanddrink.blogspot.com/; Picture from my kitchen

Menu: Week of November 4 - November 10

Sunday: Chicken Marsala
Monday: Kids - tacos
Tuesday: Chicken & Mushrooms in roasted garlic sauce, salad, bread
Wednesday: Kids - Catfish, baked potatoes, something else... ?
Thursday: Spicy marinated pork chops, spicy red potatoes, salad
Friday: Kids - Kat's Fancy Fast Chicken, mashed potatoes, another veggie
Saturday: Kids - Chicken nachos

Chicken Marsala

Yes, another pasta and chicken dish...no surprise there, huh? : ) And pasta and chicken with wine nonetheless...how me! Tommy eats this sometimes at our favorite Italian restaurant and I came across a recipe for it on another foodie blog so I thought I would give it a shot.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 but used the same amount of sauce)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

kosher salt (I used regular salt)

ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 slices of bacon or pancetta, chopped

2 cups white or cremini mushrooms

2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp.)

1 tbsp. minced shallot

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 1/2 cups Marsala wine (sweet)

1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (1 small lemon)

4 tbsp. unsalted butter cut into 4pieces, room temperature

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place large heatproof dinner plate on oven rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot (you can hold your hand 2 inches above pan surface for 3 to 4 seconds), about 3 minutes. Pat chicken breasts dry. Meanwhile, place flour in shallow baking dish or pie plate. Season both sides of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper; working one piece at a time, coat both sides with flour. Lift breast from tapered end and shake to remove excess flour; set aside.

Add oil to hot skillet and heat until shimmering. Place floured cutlets in single layer in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip cutlets and cook on second side until golden brown and meat feels firm when pressed with finger, about 3 minutes longer.

Transfer chicken to heated plate and return plate to oven.

2. Return skillet to low heat and add pancetta; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits until pancetta is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel--lined plate. Add mushrooms and increase heat to medium-high; saute, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and shallot Saute for 1 minute. Add cooked pancetta and tomato paste. Stir while sauteing, until tomato paste begins to brown, about 1 minute. Off heat, add Marsala; return pan to high heat and simmer vigorously, scraping browned bits from pan bottom, until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Off heat, add lemon juice and any accumulated juices from chicken; whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

My tips: I will add some cornstarch and cold water next time after the butter to make the sauce a little thicker. I will also use thinner chicken breasts next time (or beat them a little more than I did with the mallet) as they were not finished cooking in the oven on only the 200 degree heat. I had to crank up the oven a bit to get them to cook all the way through.

Pig Rating: He thought this was really good! He agrees that thicker sauce and thinner chicken breasts would make this dish perfect. Definitely a keeper.

Mrs. Pig Rating: I liked this one pretty well. My tips are above but I think those will make this a real winner. It is in my box of things to make again!

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

I have been dying to make these iced pumpkin cookies that Nikki has on her blog. I have had the stuff for awhile and just haven't had the time to do it, but I got off of work early yesterday and it was Halloween, so what better day to do it?! :) I made these and took half of them to my in-laws on Halloween evening and I took the other half to work today. I can not tell you how many compliments I got on these cookies. People at work could not stop talking about them. I will definitely be making these again in a week or two I have a feeling!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Pig Rating: The Pig doesn't like pumpkin too well so he wasn't chomping at the bit to try these. He now says he wishes he would have tried one just to see what all the fuss is about. Maybe next time Pig! : )

Mrs. Pig Rating: Oh.My.Gosh. This is the best cookie that I have ever made. So moist and full of awesome flavor. I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, etc. and this is just another good one to add to the list. These are my new favorite dessert. I only allowed myself 3 of the whole batch, but I think that was the hardest thing I've done in a long time. I will be making these again VERY soon!

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com, picture from my kitchen

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I made these cookies for Kat for the BGEX because she told me that she really liked oatmeal and she really liked peanut butter, so what better cookie than this?! These cookies are super duper good and Kat said they were great for dunking :)

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, 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, 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 teaspoons onto greased baking sheet, and press each mound down with a fork to form 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) 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.

Pig Rating: The pig didn't eat any of these - he isn't a huge peanut butter fan. More for me (and Kat!)

Mrs. Pig Rating: These were super yummy! I love peanut butter cookies as well as oatmeal cookies. I will definitely make these again!

Recipe from allrecipes.com, picture from my kitchen