Peanut Butter Cup Cookies - Dangerous!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
40 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped (I like to put them in the freezer first before putting them in the cookies)

Preheat oven to 375F. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and milk. Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes (no longer, even if they look like they're not done). Remove from oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool and carefully remove from pan.

The peanut butter cups in the middle then become oo-ey goo-ey goodness...mmmm

"The Best Chocolate Chip Cake in the Whole World"

This is Liz's recipe, but since I just made it, I'll post it. :)

1 pkg. regular devil's food cake mix (not butter or pudding style)

*use these instructions instead of those on the box*
1 small pkg of instant chocolate pudding mix
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. oil
4 eggs
1 (8 oz) sour cream
6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1 c. pecans, walnuts, or almonds (optional)

1. Grease and flour bundt pan or 9x13 or 3 layer pans
2. In mixing bowl, combine the dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, and flour. Stir to blend.
3. Add oil, water, eggs, and sour cream.
4. Mix at medium speed for 2 min. or until well blended.
5. Stir in chocolate chips
6. Pour into pan and bake at 350* for 50-60 min. If using other pans, check after 30-40 min.
7. Can be served plain, with powdered sugar on it or frosting.
   

**Yes, I realize my picture looks like a giant donut -- shoosh. :)

creamy chicken & pasta bake

This one is from Kraft. We had it tonight. It was really good, but only makes an 8x8 dish, so don't plan on leftovers unless you double it. Ari really liked it, too. Photo from KraftFoods.com

1 1/2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked (the whole grain pasta we used was really good in it)

1 small bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 3 cups)

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I could have done with a little less chicken, maybe 3/4 lb?)

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 oz. cream cheese, cubed

1 cup mozzarella, divided (I realized last min. I didn't have mozz., but provolone was also good:)

2 Tbsp. parmesan

HEAT oven to 375º. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli for the last 3 min.

MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 min. or until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; simmer 3 min. or until chicken is done. Add cream cheese; cook and stir on low heat 1 min. or until cream cheese is melted. Stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella.

DRAIN pasta and broccoli. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon into 8-inch sq. baking dish; cover.

BAKE 15 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 3 min. or until melted. Let stand 5 min.

white chocolate raspberry cheesecake

I can't take credit for this recipe at all (it's from allrecipes.com), but it's yummy and I have to share! I've made it twice - num nyum.(this photo also from allrecipes, but this is exactly what it looked like ... except ours had cracks:)

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (we used whole oreos, crushed)
3 Tbsp white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp white sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
3 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 Tbsp sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 Tbsp sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
3. Preheat oven to 325*. In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 Tbsp raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 Tbsp raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to marble.
   
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.
6. Enjoy, and watch out, your husband will snitch the leftovers. :)

There are some good additional cheesecake tips there too, if you want to peek. Click here.

Smokey Ribs

1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2c molasses
1/4 c spicy brown mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 lb pork or beef (I use boneless) ribs

Mix ingredients. Put in the crock pot with meat. Cook 3-4 hours on high heat.

Creamy Italian Chicken

*Warning: this recipe is for a tiny crockpot meal for a tiny family! I added notes if you want to double it. I also added notes for my tasty reduced fat version.

I love good crockpot recipes! I've made this before, but just found a version that the kids and I devoured. I tweaked it a bit, and it takes little preparation for such a gourmet meal!

2 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 c. (fat free) Italian dressing (I actually didn't measure, I just dumped it in until it seemed good. By the way, not need for water, the chicken will make its own).

Put these in the crockpot on low for 4-5 hours (6 hours if you're doing 4 or more chicken breasts).

30 minutes before you're ready to eat, put on some pasta to cook. We used whole wheat penne, but fettucine would work. Pull out and shred/cut up the chicken. You could probably skip this step, but the little pieces seemed more moist as the sauce works its magic. Return the chicken to the crockpot and put in one can of cream of chicken soup and 1/3 block of (reduced fat) cream cheese. (For 4 or more chicken breasts, just add the whole block of cream cheese, no need to add more soup). Drain pasta and add to the crockpot with chicken and sauce.

Season the dish with garlic salt and parmesan cheese.

As a side dish, I steamed carrots and broccoli for color. Or you could probably add some other veggies directly into the chicken since this dish lacks veggies.

Yum!