Another Must Try Dessert

I told you that I had more than one recipe to share today!!! Here's another yummy one!

CARAMEL-FILLED CASHEW CUPS

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 C. Salted Cashews
2 Tbsp. Butter; melted
1/4 C. Light Corn Syrup
28 Caramels; unwrapped
2 Tbsp. Milk
1/3. C. Bittersweet Chocolate Morsels (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Finely chop Cashews using Food Chopper (I used Manual Food Processor). Combine Cashews, Butter and Corn Syrup in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well. Using Adjustable Measuring Spoon (about 1 Tbsp.) divide Cashew Mixture evenly among cups of pan. Gently press tops of cashew mixture with lightly floured Mini-Tart Shaper to flatten tops; bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Meanwhile, combine Caramels and Milk in clean Batter Bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove pan from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack. Gently press hot cashew mixture again with tart shaper to form cups. Let stand 5 minutes. Grasp edges of each cup and twist gently to loosen; remove cups from pan. Divide melted caramel among cups using measuring spoon. Place chocolate morsels in 1 Cup Prep Bowl; microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute or until mostly melted, stirring every 20 seconds. Spoon melted chocolate in resealable plastic bag. Trim corner of bag with Utility Knife; drizzle chocolate over caramel. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Here's my finished treat:

I haven't tried these yet, but they sure look delicious!

A Delish Dessert!

I recently received the brand-spanking new Season's Best Cookbook from The Pampered Chef. It is the Fall/Winter 2011 Edition and it has some very yummy recipes in it! Today I tried out three of them and wanted to share them with you!

MINI CARROT CAKE CUPS

INGREDIENTS:
MINI CAKES:
1 Small Pkg. Yellow Cake Mix (9oz.)
1 1/2 tsp. All Spice
1 Egg
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
2 Medium Carrots; peeled, divided

FILLING & GARNISH:
6 Oz. Cream Cheese; softened
3/4 C. Powdered Sugar
1/2 C. Cool Whip; thawed
Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. For mini-cakes, combine Cake Mix, Allspice, Egg and Oil in Classic Batter Bowl; stir until ingredients are moistened. (Mixture will be very thick. Grate carrots using Ultimate Mandoline fitted with grating blade. Stir 3/4 Cup of the Carrots into batter; set aside remaining carrots for garnish. Using Adjustable Measuring Spoon, divide batter evenly among cups, filling cups about two-thirds full; bake 11-13 minutes or until mini-cakes feel firm to the touch. Meanwhile, in clean Batter Bowl, whisk together Cream Cheese and Sugar until smooth; fold in Cool Whip. Spoon Cream Cheese Mixture into resealable plastic bag (I used Easy Accent Decorator); secure bag and set aside. Remove pans from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack. Press tops of mini-cakes with lightly floured Mini-Tart Shaper to make slight indentations. Cool in pan 3 minutes. Carefully remove mini-cakes from pan; cool 5 minutes. Trim corner of Cream Cheese-filled Bag with Utility Knife; pipe filling evenly into mini-cakes. Garnish with Chopped Walnuts and reserved Carrots, if desired.

Here's my finished products:

Don't they look FABULOUS?!?

A Great Summer Salad!!!

I have been asked by several people to share this AMAZING recipe, and apologize for taking so long to post it! I hope that you all have been enjoying summer and making the best of all of this heat!

TACO SALAD

INGREDIENTS:
1 Lb. Ground Beef
1 Pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 Head Lettuce; chopped into bite size pieces
1 small Onion; thinly sliced
1 small Green Pepper; chopped
1 large Tomato; cut into wedges
8 oz. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

DRESSING:
8 oz. 1000 Island Dressing
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Mild Taco Sauce
6 oz. Taco Chips (such as Taco Doritos)

Brown the beef with taco seasoning MINUS 1 Tbsp. Layer Lettuce, Green Pepper, Onion, Tomato and Cheese in a large bowl or 9x13 pan. Spoon Meat over top. Make dressing of 1000 Island, sugar, taco seasoning and tco sauce. Add dressing and 6 oz. Chips. Mix together and serve as is.

I hope that you will give this delicious salad a try!

A Wonderful Salad

I wanted to share a pasta salad recipe with you that has gone over pretty well whenever I've brought it somewhere. You can make it all yourself or cheat and buy one of the Simply Salads from Betty Crocker and they are virtually the same!

PASTA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box (6-12 oz.) Pasta Shells
1 Pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dry Seasoning Mix
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. Milk
2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes; halved
1 Small Pkg. Frozen Peas

Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse well with cold water. Mix the Ranch, Mayo, Milk, Tomatoes and Peas together. Add the Pasta and stir to mix. You could also add cubed ham to this recipe to add a little more color and flavor.

I hope that you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as we do!

A Burger You Won't Want To Miss

I received this recipe from a wonderful friend of mine, and we had them this week...I think they are the absolute BEST burgers I have ever had!!!! Seriously, they are THAT good! Originally this recipe was used for Meatloaf, but B. decided to try them as burgers and what a wonderful idea that was!

THE BEST BURGERS

INGREDIENTS:
4 Lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef
2 Boxes Stove-Top Stuffing (I used the Savory Herb)
1 Bottle Heinz 57 with Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 C. Spicy Brown Mustard
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/3 C. Fresh; chopped Onion or 5 Tbsp. Minced Onion
3 Tbsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning

Mix the Meat with the Heinz 57, and Mustard. Mix all the dry goods together and then add the Meat Mixture to that. Blend well. Place in bowl in Refrigerator for 30 minutes and let rest while heating the grill. From into patties of your desired size and grill!

I really hope that you will give these a try the next time you are going to grill some burgers!!!!

I also wanted to tell you about my friend Natasha's Blog...she does A LOT of wonderful things with coupons....and this girl is and EXTREME Couponer if I've ever seen one! She does a lot of good things with the items that she gets, such as donating them so that others who are less fortunate receive items they need! She has started a blog to help others be as good as she is with coupons. I've learned a lot from her so far and have GREATLY benefited. Like today I went to my local Meijer and had $120.97 worth of grocery items and I walked out of there after only having to pay $26.47!!!! That was after all of my coupons and the Meijer in-store 2 day sale where if I bought certain items in a certain quantity they would give me $5 off INSTANTLY!!!! So, I encourage you to check out her blog if you are coupon user and learn a few tricks from her....like how she went to Target today and had over $100 in product and paid $2...that's right, ONLY $2!!!! She's good!!!! Here is her blog: www.commoncentssaver.blogspot.com  Go and check her out!

And The Winners Are.......!!!!!!!!!

Wow, it's only 1:15p.m. and already it has been a very busy day here! Vacation Bible School started at our church this morning and this year I'm teaching 2nd Grade! It was a fantastic first day today, and so far I have 14 students in my class. It will definitely be a fun week, and I'm looking forward to it!!!

Okay, so...now on to the business at hand of selecting the winners from my Fabulous Pink Give-Away!!!! In the order that they were drawn:

1. Amber---Pink Zebra Coupon Holder (Message me your address on Facebook so I can get it out to you!)
2. Sarah VW---Pink Paring Knife (I will bring to VBS for you tomorrow!)
3. Emily---Pink Ceramic Spreader (I will bring to VBS for you tomorrow!), and how is it that you always manage to win???? LOL
4. Diane---Pink High Heel Cake Server (I will bring to VBS for you tomorrow!) I think that you are going to have some happy girls at your house! ;-)
5. Last, but not least---Kathy---Pink Microfiber Towel (I will send it to you next week!)

CONGRATULATIONS to my winners and a HUGE thank you to all of you that follow my blog and try my recipes out! I hope that your summers are progressing well and that you are able to enjoy it!

I Think It's Time For A Give-Away!!!!

UPDATE: So, being the nice person that I am...(I can hear the laughter...you all need to stop) I've decided that I will pick 5 winners and Give-Away all of the these items!!!! Just remember some of you could win more than one if you follow the rules!!!! I will be picking winners tomorrow (Monday June 13th) afternoon!!!!

So, I've been thinking that since I've been gone for so long from blogging that I should do a Give-Away! And with this Give-Away I will let the winners (yes I said winners. As in more than 1 winner!) pick one item of their choice!

Here's what I have to Give-Away:

These are Pampered Chef HELP WHIP CANCER pink zebra items. The first picture is of the 5 choices you have if you win. The second is a picture taken from the Pampered Chef website to better show the selection, and the third is of the High Heel Pink Zebra Striped Cake Server...that I think is absolutely adorable!!! :-) The heel is magnetic and can be removed from the 'shoe'! Too cute! The Pampered Chef comes out with exclusive Pink products in May every year to help with the fight against Cancer. They donate a portion of the sales of each item to the American Cancer Society! I know that it's now June, but I still thought that these would be neat to Give-Away.

The choices are:
1. Pink High Heel Cake Server
2. Pink Paring Knife
3. Pink Zebra Coupon Holder
4. Pink Zebra Micro-Fiber Towel
5. Pink Zebra Ceramic Spreader

Okay, now for details on how to win an item of your choice. To enter, leave a comment either here on this post or under the link for this post on my Facebook page telling me what recipes you've tried from blog, and what your favorite is! Also, please rank your item choices (prize choice) 1-5 in your comment. You can earn an extra entry by "sharing" my blog on your Facebook page and letting me know that you did so! I will randomly select 2 winners on Monday June 13, 2011! Don't worry, if you don't live close I will mail your item to you! GOOD LUCK!!!! Can't wait to hear your responses!