What is on your menu this week?

This is one of my family's favorite dessert to make on Sundays.  Both my husband and I grew up making it and now our kids love making it too. I posted the recipe here on my blog four years ago, but thought that it deserved an update.  Although there is a cute picture of my little, then six-year-old, daughter holding her bowl of brownie pudding.  Where does time fly? This dessert is truly magical and super yummy tasting.  First you make a brownie batter, then pour "chocolate water" on top.  While baking, the magic happens and underneath the brownies a chocolate sauce is hiding. Super yummy topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or eaten plain.  Don't count on any leftovers. Brownie Pudding printable recipe makes about 6 servings 1 c. flour 3/4 c. granulated sugar 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 c. milk 2 Tbsp. canola oil ...

Three years ago I posted my recipe for Creme Filled Chocolate Cupcakes that our a family favorite around Easter-time.  I'm giving the cupcakes a new, updated post with some better pictures and instructions.  You can see my first post here ...     My husband's family has a fun tradition of having a Easter picnic on the desert the day before Easter. Lots of family comes and meets at their "Eastering" picnic spot. The food always includes marinated grilled chicken/turkey (recipe to come), hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, etc. and if you're lucky there will be some of these cupcakes too.      Aunt Shaunna is the one that would make these fabulous cupcakes. I'm still trying to perfect the art of piping the creme filling into the center.      I tell my kids that these are "surprise" cupcakes, because it will be a surprise how much filling there is inside. You never know until you take a bite.   Creme...

Since it's Friday, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes.  I posted this recipe for chocolate chip cookies four years ago .  I can't believe it's been that long.  I still really love them.  So, I thought I'd share the recipe with you, just in case you missed it four years ago . This cookie is listed in my " BEST Recipes " tab under the "BEST Dessert" category.  Enjoy! Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe from my friend, Elise Yield:  2 dozen   Ingredients 1/2 cup  brown sugar 1/2 cup  granulated sugar 1/2 cup   butter 1  egg 1/2 tsp.   vanIlla 1/2 tsp.   baking powder 1/2 tsp.  baking soda 1 3/4 cup  flour 6 oz.  chocolate chips (I love mini chips) Directions Cream butter and sugars together until very well combined (when sugar doesn't feel crystally). Add egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients seperately and add. Add chocolate chips. Form into balls and bake at 350 for 10...

My mother-in-law, Marianne, makes the best brownies!  I can't believe that I haven't blogged about them yet.  Probably because they are always gone so fast that I forget about taking a picture of them.  I've been making them for almost eleven years.   I haven't found a recipe that I like better than Marianne's.    I've played around with these brownies, substituting applesauce for butter.  But they're just not as good.  I make them with the original recipe and they turn out perfectly!  The middle pieces are slightly doughy with a thin crispy top and the edge pieces are still most and yummy.  I can't decide if I like the edge pieces better than the middle pieces.  Heavenly Brownies recipe from Marianne (from one of her cookbooks) 6 Tbsp. coca 1 c. butter 2 c. sugar 4 eggs 2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. vanilla chopped walnuts (optional -- I've never added these)...

My kids love muddy buddies (aka. monkey munch or whatever you call it at your house). A few years ago we discovered the muddy buddy popcorn version, called Poppy Chow, on Tasty Kitchen. I blogged about it a few years ago, but didn't include the picture or recipe, so I thought I'd give it it's own, new post. Poppy Chow recipe from Tasty Kitchen and Two Peas and their Pod 9 cups Air-Popped Popcorn (unpopped kernels removed) 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips ½ cups Natural Peanut Butter 4 T. Butter ( I used 2 T.) 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 1-½ cup Powdered Sugar In microwave or double boiler, melt chocolate, peanut butter, and butter until melted. Stir in vanilla. Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture over all. Stir until evenly coated. Add the powdered sugar and stir until each piece is covered. Spread out on cookie sheets to set the chocolate or refrigerate if you're in a hurry to eat it.

Making doughnuts is one of my favorite Halloween traditions.  We haven't done it every Halloween, but I think it's a fun tradition.  I figure why not eat a few more calories on Halloween and work it off later?   We made some doughnuts last year, but this year we used a new recipe and it didn't disappoint!  My kids loved helping me make them and eat them! My kids loved the chocolate glazed doughnuts...  and they loved the plain glazed too. Buttermilk Doughnuts 1 pkg active dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp.) 1/4 cup warm water  1 tsp. sugar 1 c. buttermilk 1/4 tsp. soda 1 tsp. salt 1/2 cup sugar 3 Tbsp. shortening 2 1/2 c. flour Dissolve yeast in water, add 1 tsp. sugar & set aside... In saucepan heat buttermilk until just warm, add soda, salt, sugar & shortening. When luke warm, add yeast mixture & flour--knead until smooth & satiny. Cover, let rise in warm place until double in size,...

I made this eclair cake for book club that I hosted last night and wanted to share the recipe with you all.  My family made eclair cake a lot in my growing up years, but I haven't ever made it since I've lived on my own (12+ years).  It is four layers of deliciousness:  buttery crust, pudding, whipping cream, and chocolate.  This is a wonderful dessert to make for a crowd, since you make it in a cookie sheet. I saw a recipe for eclair squares on the Sisters' Cafe blog and wanted to make it.  Their recipe is a little more "grownup" than the recipe that I used when I was younger.  The cool whip and Hershey's chocolate syrup that I used to use are replaced with real whipping cream and a chocolate glaze drizzle. Eclair Cake recipe from Sisters' Cafe and also from my childhood recipe box Crust: 1/2 cup butter 1 cup hot water 1 cup flour 4 eggs Boil water and butter until butter is melted.  Mix (in mixer with wire whisk attachment).  Add ...

I saw this recipe on Two Peas and Their Pod the other day and knew that my kids would love them.  I whipped them up yesterday before we headed to the pool for the morning.  There weren't any left by the end of the day.  Yum! Peanut Butter Granola Balls recipe from Martha Stewart and found on  Two Peas and Their Pod 1/3 c. honey 1/4 c. natural peanut butter 2 T. unsalted butter 1 c. crisp rice cereal 1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats 1/4 c. dried craisins or raisins 1/4 c. chocolate chips In a small saucepan over medium, heat honey, peanut butter, and butter.  Stir until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cereal, oats, and dried fruit.  Let cool for a minute, then mix in chocolate chips. Drop mixture by the tablespoon into mini paper cupcake liners or on wax paper lined cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.

Can you believe I'm actually posting a recipe?  I think it's been at least two months since I've done it.  We've been really busy this summer and it's been too hot to do much cooking.  Which is why I made ice cream this weekend... Chocolate Ice Cream recipe from Rival's Owner Guide makes 1 quart 1 1/2 c. whole milk 2/3 c. sugar dash salt 2 ounces semisweet chocolate squares, finely chopped (I used 2/3 c. chocolate chips instead) 1 egg, beaten 1/2 c. half and half (I used fat-free) 1/2 c. whipping cream 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract Combine milk, sugar, salt and chocolate in saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture almost boils.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten eggs.  Add the eggs to remaining hot mixture.  Cook and stir over low heat until slightly thickened (2 minutes).  Stir in half and half, whipping cream, and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate for ...

These are my new favorite cookies.  I've made them several times in the last few months.  I love cookies that have pudding mix in them.  Especially these chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding in them. I posted a while ago about these Death By Chocolate Chocolate cookies that I made using the recipe from Stephanie's Kitchen .  Then I tried these chocolate cookies from Picky Palate (without the marshmallows and pb chips).  I love both these cookie recipes, so I combined them and made up my own version. Chocolate Pudding Cookies recipe adapted by me from Stephanie's Kitchen and Picky Palate 1 1/2 cubes butter (3/4 c.) 1/2 c. granulated sugar 3/4 c. brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 2 1/4 c. flour 4 oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix 2 c. chocolate chips (I use a mix of milk chocolate, semi-sweet and white chocolate chips) Cream butter and sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  In se...

I saw this recipe on Picky Palate the other day and thought it would be fun to try.  They are kind of like rice krispie treats with oreo crumbs instead of rice krispies.  Can't go wrong there. Mine didn't work out as well as they should have.  I used mini marshmallows and I don't think I used enough of them because I had a lot of extra cookie crumbs.  My kids loved them though and gave me two thumbs up!

I'm always on the lookout for a new and improved chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I already have a post on my blog about my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe , so I had to name this post my other favorite chocolate chip cookies. This recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe uses melted butter, which kind of reminds me of making congo squares , but in cookie form.  I loved the way the cookies turned out.  And will make them again.  Who knows, maybe they'll stay my favorite recipe.

Seven layer bars are one of my favorite desserts ever.  I only make them when I am planning on sharing them with people other than my family.   I tried the recipe from my new favorite cookbook,  The New Best Recipes Cookbook .   I love this cookbook because I love reading about what they tried to finally end up with the "best recipe".  It's pretty much the same as my other recipes for seven layer bars, except that this recipe added white chocolate chips and toasted the coconut. Seven Layer Bars recipe from  The New Best Recipes Cookbook   (in my words) 1/2 c. butter, melted 9 graham crackers, crushed 1 c. coconut 1 c. chopped walnuts 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 c. butterscotch chips 1/2 c. white chocolate chips 1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use fat-free) Spread coconut onto baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes in 350 degree oven until lightly toasted. Mix butter and cracker crumbs together, then press in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  T...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone !  To celebrate, I made these fabulous peanut butter bars.  Actually, I made them yesterday and I just remembered I forgot to put them in my daughter and hubby's lunches.  Oops!  Hopefully I don't eat them before they get home from. These are one of my favorite bar cookies to make ever.  It's a good idea to make these to share with lots of people, so you don't eat the whole pan by yourself.   Have a great day and don't forget to post your menus for the week (because I LOVE THEM )! Peanut Butter Bars 1/2 c. butter (I use 6 T. butter, 2 T. applesauce) 1/2 c. peanut butter 1/2 c. white sugar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 c. flour (plus a little more if needed) 1 c. oats Press in bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes. Frost with chocolate frosting.  Chill in fridge. Chocolate Frosting: 1 c. + powdered sugar 2 1/2 T. cocoa 1...

I made these peanut butter cup brownies the other day using my new whisk.  It was fun whisking in lots of peanut butter and chocolate.  These brownies and yummy, but very, very rich.  So, whip up a batch, cut them in little squares and share them with your friends and family. I got the recipe from Becky Bakes .  Give it a try!

I saw these cookies on another blog a while ago and thought about making them sometime.  Yesterday I whipped them up for our Family Home Evening treat.  The kids loved them, especially since they have hot chocolate mix in them.  We've been drinking a lot of hot chocolate lately. I think it's funny that I found this recipe that has hot chocolate in them.  A year or so ago, I was away from home for a meeting or something.  While I was gone my hubby and kids made some brownies.  My hubby didn't know where the cocoa was, so he used hot chocolate mix instead.  The brownies turned out great and were really yummy!  Maybe he should have blogged about it.   Hot Chocolate Cookies  recipe found on  Tasty Kitchen blog ,  Your Home Based Mom , and  Real Mom Kitchen 1 c. salted butter 1 c. white sugar 2/3 c. brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 3 1/4 c. flour 4 packages (1 oz. packets, NOT sugar-free) hot chocolat...

I saw these cookies on Stephanie's Kitchen a few weeks ago and added it to my TO MAKE list.  I was excited to see that they have chocolate pudding mix in them.  I love cookies with pudding mixes in them, especially this recipe  that uses vanilla pudding. I made these today and was very impressed.  I was so impressed that I ate wayyyy to many of them.  Maybe I'll exercise twice today. :) You should make them too!  Find the recipe here .

After another minor- peanut-brittle -making mishap, I decided to be safe and make some pretzel hugs instead. (I melted one of my bowls a little bit while making peanut brittle .) My daughter and I made these cute pretzel hugs together. Super easy and yummy. Pretzel Hugs Place pretzels (checkerboard or small twist) on waxed-paper lined cookie sheet. Top each pretzel with a Hersey HUG. Bake pretzels in a 200 degree oven for 4-6 minutes, until chocolate is melted. Remove from oven and top each pretzel with one M&M. Let cool. Share with your friends and enjoy!

I love chocolate sheet cake.  It's one of my favorite desserts.  It's super easy to make and makes a lot, so it's perfect to take to a potluck or to feed a crowd.  My almost 11 year old loves to make this for dessert on Sundays. Texas Sheet Cake printable recipe Cake: 2 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup water 1/2 cup butter (1 cube) 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk (see tip below) 1.  In Kitchenaid combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. 2.  Boil 1 c. water (in microwave or in a separate saucepan). 3.  In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in cocoa powder. Add boiling water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. 4.  Add butter mixture to the flour/sugar mixture in the kitchenaid and mix.  Add 1/2 c. buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Pour into greased cookie sheet. ...

I love to try new chocolate chip cookies that people say are their favorite.  I saw this recipe on the Sisters' Cafe and gave it a try.  I made these for my hubby to take to church to give to the men in the class that he was teaching.  (I also made some Neiman Marcus cookies too, just in case these cookies didn't turn out).  The cookies turned out great!  I'll definitely make them again. Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe from the Sisters' Cafe 1 c. butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 2 1/2 cups flour 3/4 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda Mix butter, shortening and sugars - do not over mix. Add vanilla and eggs. Sift together dry ingredients and add them next. Mix until everything is combined. Add one package of milk chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Take them out when they are barely brown.