Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Here is a nice no-bake-one-bowl dessert for you all.  Seriously minimal effort here with big time results.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

From Cookies and Cups 

Ingredients

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup peanut butter

4 cups rice krispies

1 cup mini marshmallows

1. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or double boiler.  Stir in peanut butter. Add in rice krispies and marshmallows, stir to combine.

2. Press into a foil-lined, greased 9x13 inch pan*.

3. Chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge until set, I just rested mine on the counter for an hour or so.  Cut into bars.

*When I pressed my bars into the pan I was nervous that I wasn't able to pack the mixture dense enough.  If you feel you are having a similar issue, I wrapped a cookbook in plastic wrap and placed it on top of the bars while they hardened.

These bars are perfectly decadent!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were so freaking good.  Also, they have fruit in them so you can totally eat them for breakfast.  Perfect, right?

Before I get to the recipe I wanted to show you guys a neat little trick.  If you don't have any brown sugar in the house, you can make your own!

All you need to do is add molasses to granulated sugar.  For 3/4 cup of sugar, add 3/4 tbsp of molasses.  Mix it all together with a fork and voila! DIY brown sugar!

 Now on to the cookies!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted From Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375. Mix butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl. Add in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Slowing add flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips and dried cherries.

2. Place heaping tablespoons on dough onto a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Let cookies cool on a rack before serving.

The cookies will stay nice and chewy for a solid week if you put them in an air-tight container.  This recipe makes about 30 cookies, depending on how large you make them.  Enjoy!

Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich Copycat Recipe

YOU GUYS! I DID IT! I CAN BARELY GATHER MY THOUGHTS TO TYPE OUT A COHERENT SENTENCE!

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I made a spicy chicken sandwich in my own kitchen and it tasted just like Wendy's!!!

Can you even handle how incredible that is!?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ok. I'm going to take a breath and try to type out the recipe so you too can enjoy this wonder.

Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich!!!!

Ingredients
vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp water
1/3 cup hot sauce
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
4 rolls
lettuce
tomato

1. Heat an inch and a half of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a pie plate mix hot sauce with 1/3 of water. In another pie plate combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder, and paprika. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of water into the flour mixture.  Mix in water with your hands until water is incorporated and shaggy pieces have formed.
3. Pat cutlets dry.  Dip in hot sauce, then flour mixture, then hot sauce and flour again.  Let cutlets sit on a wire rack while the oil heats up.
4. Cook 2 cutlets at a time for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.
5. Serve chicken on rolls with lettuce and tomato.  Go nuts with some mayo if you like, but I stay as far away from mayo as possible at all times.

There you have it guys, the most amazing thing I've made all year.

Shrimp Scampi

This recipe is perfection.  It's from Ina Garten so you know it's the real deal too.  Of course she wants you to use the "good" oil and the "good" butter so don't use that bad stuff you have in your pantry, ok? Ok on with the recipe!

Shrimp Scampi

Adapted From Ina Garten

Ingredients

1 lb spaghetti

1 lb large shrimp

4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 lemon, zested
juice from 1 lemon
1/8 tsp hot pepper flakes

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large skillet heat oil and butter. add the garlic and hot pepper and cook 1 minute.  Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper. Saute 2-3 minutes on each side, until pink.
3. Remove from pan from heat and mix in lemon juice, zest, and parsley. Add drained pasta to pan and stir until combined.

Garlic + butter + lemon + shrimp = perfection

Do yourself a favor and cook this one up right quick.  It's a cinch to make, tastes amazing, and it's gorgeous. It's the whole package!

Caramelized Onion, Brussel's Sprouts, and Potato Pizza with Balsamic Reduction

This is one of those posts where I'm just going to boast a bit.  I'm not even going to bother with typing out a recipe here for you all.  We are just going to sit back and enjoy the food photos. K? K.

It all starts with a balsamic reduction.  I used probably 1/2-1 cup of balsamic and reduced it down to this spectacular syrup.

I caramelized some onions and Brussel's sprouts and placed them atop thinly sliced potatoes.  All toppings got covered in mozzarella cheese.

Give that whole pie a healthy splattering of balsamic reduction when it's all done cooking.

Eat up!

Chef Help on Demand

Hey guys! In case you haven't noticed there's a new button on my blog page.  It's a new service called TalkToChef.

It's your life-line for when you get stuck on a recipe.

Click it and you will be connected to a professional chef who will work with you to on your culinary dilemma.

You will be paired up with a chef based on the cuisine, diet, and method of cooking.

TalkToChef uses the latest in two-way streaming video streaming technology to provide you with instant culinary support,

TalkToChef not only solves your kitchen woes on demand, they can also help you decide what to make for dinner and how to make a recipe healthier.

Come see what they're all about here.

Like the TalkToChef Facebook page and meet some of the chefs that are on call to help you.

Or just dive right in and click on that little red rectangle on the side of my page!



*This post is sponsored by TalkToChef (ACK! My First EVER sponsored post!)

Brie, Apple, and Apple Butter Grilled Cheese

I CAN'T EVEN HANDLE HOW DELICIOUS THIS SANDWICH WAS.

THAT'S WHY I'M WRITING IN ALL CAPS.

SO GOOD.

SERIOUSLY.

Brie, Apple, and Apple Butter Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

Italian bread

brie

thin sliced apples

apple butter

butter

1. Butter both sliced of bread.  Place one slice, butter side down in a skillet. Top with apple butter, apples, and brie. Top with buttered bread.

2. Cook until golden brown on both sides.  I used a cast iron press to mash my sandwich down, you could stick it in a panini press or weigh it down with a plate and a heavy can.

This is one classy grilled cheese, y'all.