[Whoopie. In a Pan]

Can you go wrong with Sex in A Pan??  I think not.  Feeds a small army - or just one *wink*.

Sex In a Pan

Crust
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup flour
Cream cheese layer
• 1 8 oz package cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar (use 1/2 cup for less sweetness)
• 1 cup whipped cream or cool whip
Vanilla pudding
• 1 package of instant vanilla pudding (5.1 oz or 144 g)
• 3 cups milk (use 2 cups if you want a firmer pudding)
Chocolate Pudding
• 1 package of instant chocolate pudding (5.1 oz or 144 g)
• 3 cups milk (use 2 cups if you want a firmer pudding)
Last layer
• 2 cups whipped cream or cool whip
• shaved chocolate

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
2. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a mixer mix all the crust ingredients together and press the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake it for about 20 minutes.
5. Prepare the vanilla pudding as per the instructions on the package.
6. Prepare the chocolate pudding as per the instructions on the package.
7. In a mixer add the cream cheese, powdered sugar and the cup of whipped cream. Mix until light and fluffy.
8. Let the crust cool. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust evenly. Spread the chocolate pudding over the bottom crust, then the vanilla pudding. Top with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the chocolate.
9. Refrigerate for a couple hours so that it sets.

[Backyard Red Potato Salad]

With 47 family members coming over for a BBQ ... THIS was the perfect new recipe to try.  Honestly .... KILLER good.

• 2-1/2 pounds small red potatoes
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh tarragon

Directions

• Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a
• boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10 minutes. Drain; cool
• slightly. Cut each in half.
• In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2
• teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat. Arrange cut
• sides down on a grilling grid; place on a grill rack. Grill,
• covered, over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are
• tender and lightly browned, turning occasionally. Chop onion. Place
• onion and potatoes in bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, sugar,
• garlic and remaining oil, salt and pepper. Add to potato mixture;

[Thai Peanut Noodles]

We have fussy eaters in this home - partly because I've made the mistake of catering to their palettes.  So, I'm branching out into other ethnicities, but with milder flavours so not to overwhelm the kids.  Yet *grin*.  This one went over super well ... they even ate their veggies.

Thai Peanut Noodles

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup light Thai dressing (it's a vinaigrette, at speciality stores.  You can use Lite Italian instead)
1/4cup crunchy peanut butter (I used Adam's smooth - less sugar)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp ground ginger

carrots, peppers, green onions, zucchini, red onions ... chopped to stir-fry - as much as you want.

angel hair pasta for 4 (one 8oz package)

**optional  2/3 cup chopped peanuts
** use sesame oil to cook

Directions:

- coat chicken with 1/2 cup of salad dressing.  Refrigerate for 30min.
- whisk together remaining 1/2 cup of salad dressing, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, and ginger until smooth.
- sautee chicken in sesame oil, until 2/3 cooked.
- boil water for pasta; cook pasta.
- add veggies, complete cooking.
- drain pasta and add to veggies and chicken.
- toss with peanut sauce until warmed through.
- sprinkle with peanuts, if desired.

Serves 4.

[Snickerdoodle Mini Muffins]

Ok.  I haven't posted a recipe in MONTHS and had to laugh that my last post was a Snickerdoodle cookie recipe LOL.  I'm sensing a theme here!!  Got this recipe from a cookbook series called Gooseberry Patch ... and they were a HIT.  They will be perfect for lunch boxes and simple snacks.  Obviously, not the healthiest - but they freeze well and at least are not full of preservatives.  That's how I like to think anyways *grin*.

Snickerdoodle Mini Muffins

1+1/2cup all purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats, uncooked

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup margarine, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4cup white sugar + 1tbsp cinnamon for topping

Directions:

- combine flour, oats, sugar, and baking powder; mix well.

- in a separate bowl, combine margarine and egg; gradually add milk and vanilla - blend well.

- add to flour mixture.

- fill greased mini muffin cups 2/3 full.  

- sprinkle with sugar+cinnamon mixture.

- bake at 400F for 12-14minutes. 

[Snickerdoodles]

I didn't grow up on these, like so many.  In our house - it was my mom's chocolate chip cookies - or an Oreo *wink*.  But for the last 3 weeks, I have made batches of various Snickerdoodles - trying new recipes, different recipes ... trying to find the PERFECT one.  This was it ... 

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:  (yield 24-30 cookies)

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 and 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

topping:

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp cinnamon 

(small batch :: yield 12-15 cookies)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 and 3/8 cups flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

- preheat oven to 350F.

- mix butter, sugar and eggs thoroughly in a bowl.

- combine flour, creamt of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

- blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.

- chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-15minutes in the fridge.

- meanwhile, mix 3 tbsp sugar and 3 tsp cinnamon in a small dish.

- after chilled, coop 1 inch globs of cookie dough into the cinnamon mixture.

-  coat gently by rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.

- place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 12minutes.

- remove from pan immediately.

[Garlicky Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin.]

Another recipe tried ... to which Siah looked at me tonight and said, "Mommy.  This is delicious.  I love you."  Pretty sure I'll be making this again.

Ingredients:

pork tenderloin (1)

2 tbsp coconut oil

Sauce:

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp tarragon

1/4 tsp thyme

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp tomato paste

Others: 

1 small onion, sliced

4 small yams, chopped in chunks

4 medium carrots, chopped in chunks

Directions:

1.  Heat up coconut oil in hot pan, and brown tenderloin.  Remove from heat.

2.  Combine sauce ingredients.

3.  Place onions and yams in the crockpot.  

4.  add brown tenderloin on top, followed by the carrots.

5.  pour sauce over.

6.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low 6-8 hours.

[Crockpot Orange Chicken.]

I bought a "gluten-free-crock-pot" cook book last week.  I actually bought a couple of them.  Ok.  Three.  And this was the first recipe I tried ... and it was a hit.  On to my "virtual" cooking-index-card it goes ... 

Orange Chicken

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup orange juice ( I used mango )

3 tbsp orange marmalade 

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce (gluten-free ... I just used regular)

1 tsp dijon mustard

** 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp hot water

Directions:

1. grease the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.  Add the chicken and the onion to the slow cooker. 

2. Mix the remaining ingredients (minus the **cornstarch mix).  Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.

3.  Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.  About 1- minutes before serving, whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Uncover the slow cooker, turn the temperature to hight and continue to cook for 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.