These Oreo Truffles are so easy, they’re hardly a recipe. Yet I’ve had so many requests for the recipe that I had to oblige. [What a tough obligation….haha]
I was first introduced to these delicious bites of chocolately goodness at a bridal shower thrown for me by my in-laws a few months before we got married. Then, my mom and sister made a batch for the bridal shower they threw for me the next month. This was back in 2009, and I’ve lost count of the occasions where these babies have made an appearance. Let’s see… multiple bridal showers, a tea party, New Year’s Eve, a church team meeting, and more, I’m sure!
friends 🙂
The most recent appearance made by my good friend Mr. Oreo Truffle was at my friend Allison’s wedding shower this past weekend. It was a great shower filled with fabulous friends, fun, and food…
food table... lots to enjoy!
I can’t wait for the wedding in May! But now… I’m sure you all can’t wait for the recipe. 🙂 Enjoy!
Oreo Truffles
Ingredients:
1- 18 oz. package of Oreos
1- 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1- 12 oz. package of white chocolate chips
Directions:
Crush Oreos completely using a food processor. Mix in cream cheese until thoroughly combined. [Alternatively, you can crush Oreos in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin and then mix in cream cheese in a bowl.] Roll mixture into 48 one-inch balls and set aside on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler or the microwave. Dip balls in chocolate, remove to sheet, and refrigerate or freeze for about one hour or until firm.
This is a guest post from my husband, Ben. Periodically, he has agreed to share some of his favorite recipes with you in a guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. Enjoy!
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Hello again. I’m here to share another recipe with you, man-style. For this edition, we’ll go the route of “breakfast for dinner.” This is a concept that my wife really enjoys. She could eat breakfast every meal of the day and this is not an exaggeration. We had breakfast food at our wedding reception. But even before I knew Sarah, I knew about breakfast for dinner. In college, one of my roommates (one Patrick Hinker) and I used to occasionally splurge and make
good eats, good man
breakfast feasts for dinner. This occasionally involved making 14 links of sausage, a dozen eggs, and a batch of pancakes…and consuming it entirely ourselves. Ah yes, those were the days. Now I have to think of something a bit more…mmm…refined to satisfy my roommate. [Sarah here… Ben just got kicked for that and said, “but I love you!” All was forgiven. :)] And so this recipe may not have been a hit four or five years ago, but now it’s a hit with my wife. The other reason I decided to make this recipe is because we’ve had a pound of ground sausage in our freezer for God only knows how long, and I wanted to do something about it.
6 slices bread (this can be of your choosing; you can pick what type of bread [we used Italian bread] and you can adjust the amounts depending on how bready you want yours [I probably would have cut back just a bit if I made it again]
1 lb sausage (mild or spicy, your preference)
1 chopped apple (I used Jazz)
8 eggs
1/2 c milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c cheese (guess what? you can choose the type of cheese too! I used cheddar.)
Directions:
Spray or grease a 9×13 cooking pan. Vent your frustrations on the bread by tearing into pieces, but don’t get too carried away. Keep those pieces of bread a halfway decent size. Put the pieces of bread in the pan. Brown the sausage on the stove and drain the excess grease. Put the sausage in the pan with the bread. Chop the apple and add that to the pan. Mix the ingredient around in there a little bit. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the casserole for 45-55 minutes. With about 5 minutes to go in the cooking, remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top. Put back in the oven to finish cooking. When it’s done, enjoy thoroughly.
Hanging out in the cool compression socks on Saturday! These things work!
On Saturday, I ran 20 miles in the pouring rain and thunderstorm as part of my training for the Cleveland Marathon. [As the worst part of the storm hit, I decided to call it a day and finish up the last 2.5 miles on the treadmill.] I know I haven’t talked about it very much on the blog, but running and school have pretty much consumed most of my free time since January. I am so ready for this semester to be over with, and I can’t wait for my marathon to get here so I can see what I can do! Last weekend I ran a local half marathon in 1:39:32, which is a nearly 10 minute PR… so I have high hopes for the marathon! But aside from all of that… I’ve just been really busy and really tired lately, which is why posting has been down. I hope to remedy that starting in May.
plate of deliciousness
Moving on to yummy things… I made this pasta dish a few weeks ago [before my first 20 mile run this training cycle, actually] and was wowed beyond belief. I know the The Pioneer Woman can cook, but this was absolutely phenomenal. I was a brave little girl and picked up some Kalamata olives especially for the occasion [I am not an olive fan] and Ben was a brave boy and faced his arch-nemesis: the red onion. Results? Bravery is awesome! What we loved about this simple dish was the pop of each flavor. The sauce kept the best attributes of each component [onion, garlic, tomatoes, olives, wine] without letting any one item overwhelm and overpower the others. Each bite was flavorful and fresh, without the addition of a million herbs or vegetables. I love those things, but sometimes basic is best. One of the greatest parts of this dish is that I think it’s totally customizable. Leave out the chicken if you’re a vegetarian, swap the chicken for shrimp or steak. Use chicken or vegetable broth if wine isn’t your thing. The possibilities are endless! Plus… this totally makes more than enough for two. I had leftovers after my run and was fully satisfied!
Bring a large stockpot to boil and then prepare linguine according to package directions. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to soften. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Stir in tomatoes with juice and olives until combined. Cook for an additional minute. Pour in wine and simmer, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a separate skillet. Season chicken with pepper and then cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through.
Arrange cooked linguine on a platter or large bowl. Spoon 3/4 of the sauce over the pasta. Place chicken on top, then spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the chicken. Sprinkle on grated Parmesan or Asiago and serve immediately.
Note:
Feel free to play around with this recipe. Swap chicken for shrimp or steak, or leave out altogether. Use broth instead of wine. The possibilities are endless!
Yes, it’s warm out. [It was 75 here yesterday!!] But that doesn’t mean comfort food has to go away. I mean, why would you want to make those creamy, cheesy, warm casserole dishes feel sad and lonely? Then they might not be so willing to rush to your side come dark, cold, rainy, snowy, icy nights. As if all those conditions could align simultaneously.
Traditional pot pies [or at least the store-bought variety that many of us think are traditional pot pies] are heavy and filling, tiny vegetables and chicken bits bathed in a heavy sauce covered with a greasy crust. Well, this version doesn’t exclude the vegetables, chicken, sauce, or crust, but it is certainly lightened up and more real than any store variety. The chicken is pan-fried in herbs and spices, and veggies abound in every bite. The crust is light and buttery [my favorite pie crust ever] and is the perfect topping for the creamy filling. Wanna know the best part? Because my chicken pot pie isn’t heavy, it is perfectly acceptable to make on a warm spring day or throughout the heat of summer… perhaps with fresh vegetables from your local farmer’s market! See? You can enjoy your comfort food year-round… just gotta work it in. 🙂 Enjoy!
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup Fordhook lima beans [mine were frozen]
1 cup corn [mine was frozen]
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup fat free half and half, at room temperature
Directions:
Make crust. I use this All Butter Crust and only made a top layer, but you could do a dual layer if you want. Be sure to make this crust at least an hour in advance, as it needs time to rest in the refrigerator prior to rolling out. Alternatively, you could use store bought crust or puff pastry sheets.
In a large bowl, stir together carrots, celery, lima beans, and corn. Set aside.
Heat olive oil [just enough to go once around the pan] in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to pan then season with lemon pepper and tarragon. Toss to coat, then saute chicken until fully cooked. Remove from heat and drain oil, if necessary. Mix chicken into the vegetable bowl. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan. Cook until golden brown and soft, about 4 minutes. Add flour and stir constantly, making a roux. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until roux darkens slightly. Slowly stir in chicken broth. Cook and stir for another 3 minutes or so while sauce thickens, then remove from heat and stir in half and half. Pour sauce over vegetable and chicken mixture, then transfer mixture to a large casserole dish [I used a 10 inch round casserole dish]. Dish should have a capacity of at least 2-3 quarts.
Roll out crust and gently place over filling, pressing the edges around the dish to seal. Brush top with a beaten egg for shine. Cut small slits in crust for ventilation, then bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, topping with foil halfway through. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
So, I know this dinner doesn’t look like much. But it tastes like a million bucks… like a trip to the tropics! Except much, much cheaper, albiet not as relaxing or as fun considering the recent springtime rain we’ve been experiencing here. 🙂
Succulent pork topped with a sweet and tangy pineapple glaze, paired with the nutty, refreshing flavor of toasted coconut-infused rice…. incredible! This dinner whips up in a flash and is great for a quick weeknight. It definitely satisfied our desire for vacation, and hope it does the same for you too! [Well, maybe not our need for vacation, but our need to get away for a moment… even if just for dinner!
Sweet and Tangy Pork Chops with Pineapple [from Robin to the Rescue by Robin Miller]
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 pork chops
freshly ground black pepper
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
2/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Directions:
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with pepper, then sear each side in hot skillet for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
In a medium bowl, whisk together pineapple, orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch, stirring until cornstarch dissolves. Add mixture to pan with pork chops. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes more, until pork is fully cooked and sauce has thickened.
Coconut Toasted Rice [from Robin to the Rescue by Robin Miller]
Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup white or brown rice, uncooked
one 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
Directions:
Toast coconut in a dry medium saucepan set over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until coconut is golden brown. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the rice, honey, and coconut milk, then bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes for white rice or 45 minutes for brown rice, until rice is soft and fluffy. Fluff with a fork before serving.
The Pajama Chef 