Cinnamon Roll French Toast

Cinnamon rolls turned french toast! This recipe was very tasty. My french toast did not look as fluffy as the picture on the Pillsbury website, but I thought it was still very good. It also was very easy to make. I added cinnamon to the french toast egg mixture just to add another kick of cinnamon. If you can't already see from my blog already I love cinnamon! I think kids would love to see their favorite cinnamon rolls turned into french toast. This is not very healthy but a great treat to start the morning! I loved the icing. I would to use this recipe to top on regular french toast or pancakes.

Ingredients
1 can (12.4 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing (I used Cinnbon rolls and had cream cheese icing)
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash of cinnamon 

Directions
1. Bake cinnamon rolls as directed on package. Let rolls cool completely.
2. Spray griddle or 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat griddle to 375°F or heat skillet over medium heat. Slice each roll in half crosswise.
3. In shallow dish, whisk eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup, the vanilla and cinnamon until blended. Dip each cinnamon roll slice into egg mixture, turning to coat completely. Place on griddle. Cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
4. In small bowl, whisk reserved icing, the remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup and enough warm water to create a pourable syrup consistency. Serve over French toast.

Pillsbury Recipe

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake

 I love cinnamon rolls but wanted to add a twist to the store bought can. This recipe did the trick. With the pecans and orange zest it added a punch of flavor to ordinary cinnamon rolls.I loved the orange flavor that was infused into the rolls. Unfortunately, the brown sugar mixture stuck to the bottom of the pan. It tasted delicious but was difficult to scape off the bottom. The edges were a bit crunchy, but I didn't think this impacted the dish much. I would make these again, but I might not melt the brown sugar for as long as I did. I also thought maybe I could pour the sauce over the top.

Ingredients 
2 Tablespoons margarine, melted
6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
6 Tablespoons chopped pecans
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (17.5 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8X8-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In small bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and orange peel. Pour butter mixture into pan; top with 1/2 of the pecans.
3. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Separate dough into 10 rolls. Cut each into quarters. Place dough pieces in sugar mixture; toss to coat. Arrange in single layer in pan.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Drop icing by teaspoonfuls over top of coffee cake; sprinkle with remaining pecans. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve warm.


Pillsbury Recipe

Sausage and Potatoes Italiano

My next experiment in the kitchen was all about meat and potatoes; a staple in my diet!  I already had 1/2 lb of hot sausage in the freezer so this recipe came together pretty easily. I choose to half the recipe. After reading reviews of this recipe I was a bit concerned it would be too salty, but I didn't see how I could alter the recipe to fix this problem. I choose to just stick with the recipe as written. I found it a bit salty but not overwhelming. I actually thought it to tasted better when I reheated it the next day for lunch.  This recipe was outstanding and is a quick go to dinner. And great for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

1/2 lb bulk Italian pork sausage
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 box (4.7 oz) Betty Crocker® au gratin potatoes
1/4 cup chopped green onions (2 medium)
1 tablespoon sliced green onions (1 medium)

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 8x8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until no longer pink; drain.
 
2. In large bowl, mix water, milk and margarine. Stir in pouch of Potatoes and pouch of Sauce Mix. Stir in sausage and 1/4 cup green onions until well blended. Pour potato mixture into baking dish.

3. Bake uncovered 35 minutes. Top with 1 tablespoon green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. Let stand 5 minutes before serving (sauce will thicken as it stands).

Betty Crocker Recipe

Pizza Biscuits

 This recipe was so quick and easy to make. I didn't have any pepperoni so instead I added peppers and onions. I also didn't make two cans of biscuits so I couldn't make a wreath like in the original recipe. I decided to make a fun shape instead. I would recommend making this recipe for a party and using the wreath design. You really could get creative with this recipe and put in any of your favorite pizza toppings.

Ingredients 
1 can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits ( I used homestyle so I only had 8)
4 sticks (3/4 oz each) Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, each cut crosswise into 4 pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 jalapeno pepper 
1 slice of onion diced
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce

Directions 

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Separate can of dough into 8 biscuits;  Press each biscuit into 3-inch round
2. Place peppers slices and 2 pieces of cheese on each dough round. Wrap dough around filling, pinching edges to seal and form ball.
3. Arrange balls, sides almost touching (I made an S shape- if you used two cans I would stick with the original recipe and make a wreath)  Brush rings with beaten egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
4. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave pizza sauce, loosely covered, on High 45 to 60 seconds or until warm.


Pizza Biscuit Wreath recipe from Pillsbury

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Loaf

I love monkey bread and figured I would try out a different recipe. This one was okay. I had to use a bit more butter and extra cinnamon and sugar to cover all the dough. I decided to use a bundt pan to jazz it up. It only took minutes to prepare which is part of the reason I liked this recipe. However, when baking the top was baking much faster than the bottom. I covered the top with tin foil to keep it from over baking. Overall, this recipe is super easy to make but I wouldn't say it's the best monkey bread I ever had. One night I decided to eat some for dessert and melted a spoonful of frosting on top- that was pretty delicious!

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar 

2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon 

1/3 cup of butter  

1 (12-oz.) can  refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

 

Directions 

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Generously grease 8x4-inch loaf pan (do not use dark-coated pan). In small shallow bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; mix well.
2. Separate dough into 10 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Dip each quarter into melted margarine; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Arrange in greased loaf pan.
3. Bake at 400°F. for 19 to 27 minutes. Cool 2 minutes. Loosen edges; remove from pan. Place on serving plate. Serve warm.

Pillsbury recipe  

Potato and Sausage Quesadillas

 My next experiment in the kitchen was a twist on a quesadilla using a potato and sausage filling. I was surprised how good it tasted. Make sure you don't over fill the quesadilla or the filling may explode out of the sides. I made a few adjustments to the original recipe. I used hot sausage instead of chorizo just because I already had ground sausage on hand. I also left out the parsley simply because I didn't have any. I also used jalapeno cheese to kick up the heat a bit more. You could easily make a lot of variations on this recipe to better fit your liking.

Ingredients
1/2 lb ground sausage (used Jimmy Dean hot)
1 cup hot milk 
2/3 cup Betty Crocker® Potato Buds® mashed potatoes (dry)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
cooking spray
10 flour tortillas (6 inch), warmed
10 slices of jalapeno cheese 


Directions
1. In 10-inch skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown; drain.
2. In medium bowl, thoroughly stir hot milk, dry potatoes, onion, melted butter, garlic and salt until consistency of stiff mashed potatoes. Stir in sausage.
3. Spray griddle with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place 2 tablespoons filling on half of each tortilla; top filling with 1 slice cheese. Fold each tortilla over onto filling. Heat on griddle, turning once, until cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite salsa, if desired.
Betty Crocker Recipe

Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Squares

My next experiment in the kitchen was a chocolate chip-peanut butter square. I found this recipe on Pillsbury and figured I'd give it a try since I already had all the ingredients. I wish the directions from the recipe were a bit more clear. I wasn't sure if I should melt the peanut butter first and then blend in. Also, should I use a mixer or not. I chose not to melt the peanut butter and mix it by hand. I don't think the filling turned out the way it should have. It was crumbly. There also was not a lot of filling as compared to the picture in the original recipe. Also I only cooked mine for 20min. The cookie on the top browned pretty quickly. Even with all that being said I still thought it tasted pretty good and so simple to make.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 roll of cookie dough

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, peanut butter and vanilla until well blended.
2. Cut cookie dough in half. In ungreased 8- or 9-inch square pan, break up half of dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan. Press peanut butter mixture evenly over dough. Crumble and sprinkle remaining half of cookie dough over peanut butter mixture. Carefully spread as evenly as possible.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate 1 hour or until chilled. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 3 rows. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Recipe from Pillsbury

Even Better- Pecan Cookie Pancake Muffins!

My eleventh experiment came from my recipe yesterday- I had so much batter left over and didn't feel like flipping pancakes. I greased a mini-muffin pan and poured the remaining batter in. I cooked them in a preheated 350 oven for 10 minutes. I could tell the inside was done but the top a bit soft so I turned off the oven and left them in the for another five minutes. Perfection! They came out so good. The pecan and sugar dough combination is so tasty. And of course that butter is supreme. I'm very happy with this experiment..being lazy does sometimes pay off.

Pecan Cookie Pancakes with Honey-Cinnamon Butter

My tenth experiment in the kitchen was pecan cookie pancakes. I had sugar cookie dough and didn't want to make cookies so I found a recipe for cookie waffles. I didn't have a waffle maker so I decided to make pancakes instead. My first few pancakes did not come out very well. I don't think the pan was hot enough. I finally made a few good pancakes. There is a ton of batter left so I will probably be eating pancakes for the rest of the week. The waffles would have been easier to make. I also didn't chop the pecans which in hindsight more have made more sense since it was going into the batter. I  also burnt some of the pecans so watch over them while cooking. The honey-cinnamon butter was so delicious. I will being using this butter recipe to top on other breads and muffins. Overall, the pancakes were good, a bit sweet. I think next time I would just use traditional pancake mix and add toasted pecans and use the honey-cinnamon butter. I think cookie dough should proabbly only be used for sweet treats. So if you are intending to use this recipe as a dessert or part of a brunch it would be great. I found it a bit sweet for breakfast- don't want to start the day with a sugar high.

Ingredients

Honey-Cinnamon Butter

1/2 cup Unsalted or Salted Butter, softened

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon  Ground Cinnamon

 

Pancakes 

Waffles

3/4 cup chopped Pecans

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies

2  Eggs

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup half-and-half

 

Directions 

1. In small bowl, beat butter, honey and cinnamon with electric mixer on medium-high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until light and creamy; set aside.

2. In 10-inch skillet, cook pecans over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently until pecans begin to brown, then stirring constantly until light brown. Remove from skillet to plate to cool.
3. Heat frying pan on low-medium heat Spray with cooking spray
4. In large bowl, break up cookie dough; add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until smooth. Slowly add half-and-half, beating until batter is smooth and thin. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pecans.5. Poor mix into pan. (I used an ice cream scoop to measure out a good amount of batter) Keep pancakes warm in oven.
6. To serve, top each waffle with about 1 tablespoon honey-cinnamon butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the remaining pecans.
Waffle Recipe

Rainbow Chip Cookies

My ninth experiment was a rainbow chip cookie made from a boxed cake mix. This recipe is super easy and fast to make. I brought them to a party and were a huge hit. People said they taste like raw cookie dough- who doesn't love that!! I first found the lollipop cookie recipe and decided to alter it to be this rainbow chip cookie. I love cakes but they are so difficult to transport these cookies give you the cake taste without the hassle.
Ingredients 1 box of rainbow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Rainbow cake mix) 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs 1 container of frosting (I used Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip) Directions 1. Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheets). In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed until blended.
2. Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart.
3. Bake 8 to 11 minutes or until puffed and almost no indentation remains when touched. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost and decorate as desired. Lollipop Cookies Recipe

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

My eighth experiment was to help satisfy my snack craving while on another one of my diets. One day while searching the web for low fat topping ideas for popcorn I came across a recipe for popping your own popcorn using a brown paper bag. I went to the store picked up a bag of kernels and a package of brown paper bags. I popped 1/4 cup of kernels in the bag for about two minutes. I then added some spray butter (0 calories ), garlic powder and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. This popcorn is so good and cheap. I estimated the cost to be about $0.08 for 1 serving (about 5 cups). Some people may prefer to add more butter because it definitely isn't like your movie theater popcorn, but the toppings you can add to this popcorn is endless.

Directions

Place 1/4 cup unpopped kernels in a brown-paper lunch bag. Fold the top over tightly a few times; microwave on high for about 2 minutes, or until the popping slows (the timing depends on your microwave). 

Topping Ideas

Spray butter or oil 

garlic 

hot sauce

cinnamon 

Recipe

Other topping ideas

Mini Muffins

Blueberry

My seventh experiment in the kitchen was a present for Father's Day-  blueberry mini muffins. I found this great recipe on-line for the "Best Blueberry Muffins." I figured I would give this recipe a try. I am mailing these home for Father's Day so I figured I would make them mini to ship more easily in the tubberware. I also decided to make some chocolate chip muffins as well since I personally do not care for blueberries.  I made the batter as is but divided some batter out and added chocolate chips. I also used cinnamon in the topping. I just sprinkled the topping on top, but I think next time I would add more topping to each muffin. I allowed the muffins to cool for 20 minutes before removing them. The blueberry one slipped right out but the chocolate were more difficult. A few of the tops came off and pieces of the bottom were stuck in the pan.  The batter made 20 mini muffins. Overall these muffins are very tastey, but I'm not sure I would say they are the "best." I might have to try them as regular size muffins- might taste the "best" then. I also really enjoyed the batter so I might try to think of other ways to use it.

Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, at room temp
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or 2 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk

For Topping

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, mixed with
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

Directions

·  Heat oven to 375°

·   Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins).

·  In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.

·  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.

·  Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.

·  With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat.

·  Fold in blueberries.

·  Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle topping onto each muffin.

·  Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch

Best Blueberry Muffins

Buffalo Meatloaf

My sixth experiment in the kitchen is a buffalo meatloaf. I have never cooked buffalo before, but I saw the meat at the grocery store today and said why not. I have been eating turkey burgers all week so I didn't want to make another burger so I decided on a meatloaf. This meatloaf is by far the best I have ever had! The seasonings were spot on and the meat was cooked perfectly. I was a bit concerned the diced tomato would make the meatloaf too chunky but it blended well with the meat. I am now in love with buffalo meat. It is so much better and better for you than ground beef.

I altered the original recipe just a bit. I didn't have dry mustard so I used yellow mustard. I also wanted a kick so I added 1/8 tsp of red pepper. I also used plain bread crumbs instead of using a crumbled slice of bread.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
• 1/2 pound ground buffalo meat
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons canned diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 dash ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp red pepper 
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons ketchup
• 1 tsp of brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
2. Thoroughly mix ground buffalo meat, onion, egg, mustard, tomatoes, salt, pepper, red pepper and bread crumbs in a large bowl.
3. Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape about 8x4 inches and place into the middle of the baking dish.
4. Make glaze- stir together ketchup and brown sugar. Apply to the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in preheated oven until meat is no longer pink and ketchup forms a glaze over the meatloaf, 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Ellen's Buffalo Meatloaf recipe

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers

My fifth experiment in the kitchen is a new turkey burger. I love Jenny-O lean ground turkey and am always looking for new recipes to use it in. I really liked this turkey burger recipe because it seemed simple and easy to make. I put the burger on a flat 100 calorie bread, added a slice of 2% American cheese, a few pieces of lettuce and dollop of ketchup. I thought this burger was full of flavor and juicy.

I read the reviews on this recipe and made a couple of changes. I decided to add some Worcestershire sauce and a few dashes of red pepper flakes. I also did not have garlic or fresh parley on hand so I substituted those for garlic powder.

Ingredients 

• 1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons finely diced onion
•   1egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder with parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• few dashes of Worcestershire sauce 
• few dashes of red pepper flakes 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, onion, egg whites, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Form into 4 patties.
2. Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Or on the grill over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes per side. 

Turkey Burger Recipe  

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies

My fourth test in the kitchen was a combination of two recipes- white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and chocolate chunk blondies. I created my very own White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies! The flavors are fantastic together- just the right amount of sweet and savory. I wish I had cooked it a bit longer. I pulled it out at 18min because the edges were golden but the middle should have been cooked another few minutes. I will definitely try to perfect the cooking time on this one because it is so tasty! This recipe was so easy to make and took only minutes to prep.

Ingredients

1	box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® White cake mix
1/2	cup butter , melted
2	eggs
2	cups white chocolate chips (from 11.5-oz bag)
1	cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts- unsalted

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. 
2. Microwave white chips uncovered on Medium (50%) 3 to 4 minutes or until chips are softened. Stir chips until smooth; cool.3. In large bowl, mix cake mix, butter and eggs with spoon. Mix in melted chocolate chips. Stir in 1/2 cup of white chips and macadamia nuts 
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. 
5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining white chips uncovered until melted; stir. Drizzle over bars. Let stand about 30 minutes or until frosting is set. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Or for triangles, cut bars into 6 rows by 2 rows, then cut each bar diagonally in half to form triangles. Store covered at room temperature.

Chocolate Chunk Blondies Recipe  
White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies  

Homemade Crispy Seasoned French Fries

 My third experiment in the kitchen- french fries. This did not go so well. I first reduced the recipe to only one serving which seemed fine. The batter looked good. I heated up the oil and started dipping one fry in at a time...but was taking way too long. I started adding two fries. This lead to oil spitting all of over my kitchen including myself. I reduced back to one fry, but the fries were not cooking as well as I would like. The batter was browning too fast and the potatoes didn't cook as fast.

Overall, I liked the batter recipe. I just need to improve my deep frying abilities. This time the kitchen has won, but next time I will conquer!

Ingredients for 1 serving

• 5 ounces russet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon water, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

Directions 

1. Slice potatoes into French fries, and place into cold water so they won't turn brown while you prepare the oil.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, sift the flour, garlic salt, onion salt, (regular) salt, and paprika into a large bowl. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mixture can be drizzled from a spoon.
3. Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and place in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Fry Recipe

Hershey's Especially Dark Chocolate Cake

My second test in the kitchen was to satisfy my sweet tooth- chocolate cake with peanut butter filling and chocolate frosting. I baked the cake recipe off the Hershey's Dark Cocoa Powder can. I baked two 9 inch rectangle cakes.  I then decided I wanted to add a peanut butter filling. I found an amazing recipe. I then decided on a fudge frosting. It turned out to be like a giant peanut butter cup!

As you can see it is not the prettiest cake, but I think I should have let the cake cool longer before frosting. I got really excited and just wanted to finish it. At first I didn't think I had enough frosting for the entire cake but there was more than enough. It spreads very easily. This cake is very rich and a few bites will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. 

Ingredients for cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
   
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
   
3.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.     

Peanut Butter Filling  

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add a little extra confectioners’ sugar if necessary (Some peanut butters are less thick than others).
Spread peanut butter filling on top of one of the layers then place the other layer on top.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1/3 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat; add cocoa, stirring constantly until smooth.(Mixture will be very thick.) Remove from heat; pour into medium bowl. Cool slightly.

2 Add powdered sugar alternately with milk and vanilla, beating to spreading consistency. About 2 cups frosting.


Orginal Cake recipe
Peanut Butter Filling Recipe
Frosting

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

My first experiment in the kitchen was a hearty potato soup. Prep for this soup took me a bit longer than the original recipe called for because I choose to use fresh ingredients. The original recipe called for 1 bag (32 oz) frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes, thawed and 1/2 cup frozen chopped onion (from 12-oz bag), thawed. 

Other changes to the original recipe I made included:  using bacon bits and Mexican fiesta blend cheese. I would recommend using real bacon pieces. I think it would add another level of flavor. I also would recommend using more cheese.  I did season the soup with a bit of pepper.

Overall, the soup was super easy to make and tasted delicious. I also had plenty of leftovers which I froze. I think the soup will taste great when reheated on a cold rainy night. The only negative I found the soup to be a bit runny. I wish it had been a bit thicker. I'm thinking if I used whole milk instead of fat-free it might had made a difference.

Prep Time:30 Min

Total Time: 6 Hr 45 Min

Makes: 6 servings (1 1/2 cups each)

INGREDIENTS

5 medium russet potatoes,diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 medium stalk celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 carton (32-oz) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 bag (8 oz) shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 cups)

1/4 cup real bacon pieces

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

DIRECTIONS

• In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth and water.
• Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.
• In small bowl, mix flour into milk; stir into potato mixture. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese until melted. Garnish individual servings with bacon and green onions. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.

Original recipe taken from Pillsbury.com. slow-cooker-cheesy-potato-soup