Recipes – Page 68 – The Pajama Chef

Red Velvet Marshmallow Bites

February 14, 2013February 13, 2013 Sarah

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day came a little early to our kitties! Ben and I had a little coffee/shopping/errands date last Friday night and went to the pet store for some kitty toys. Now, don’t get me wrong, our cats are spoiled little girls. They don’t get along so we have to keep them separated unless we are around, so we do have to have multiples of most cat items just to keep ’em happy. But we’re suckers for making sure they have exactly what they want [right down to the milk out of our cereal bowls], so when Misty’s favorite toy broke recently, we had to get her a replacement.

Of course, we had to get Sheba a toy too… how could we not? Yes, we are crazy cat people in case you were wondering. 🙂

Not sure if you can see the detail, but it’s pink with white hearts! How appropriate for Valentine’s Day, huh? And speaking of appropriate for Valentine’s Day… check out these Red Velvet Marshmallow Bars!

I didn’t get these made far enough in advance for you to make them before today, but if you’re looking for a super fast and tasty holiday treat, these are just the ticket! With a thick, brownie-like red velvet base, these bites don’t really need anything else to be delicious, but topping them with gooey marshmallows and a few chocolatey M&Ms makes them even better!

The original recipe made these miniature sized treats in bar form, but since I made these to take them today to my class and for Ben to take to work, I decided I didn’t want to mess with cutting a whole pan of Red Velvet Marshmallow Bars into nice pieces. Mini muffin cups are my BFF sometimes! If you would prefer to make them in a pan, you can totally do that–just click over to the original recipe for altered times and quantities. But I personally love anything miniature, I think these are just perfect… and I think you will too!

Hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day! What are your plans? My sweet husband is cooking me dinner and making me a pie! I can’t wait! 🙂

Red Velvet Marshmallow Bites [slightly adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 [18.25 ounces] box red velvet cake mix
1/4 cup canola oil [or melted butter]
1/4 cup water
1 egg
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cups Valentines M&Ms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare two mini muffin pans by spraying with nonstick cooking spray or lining with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cake mix, oil, water, and egg. Mix on low until fully combined, scraping the sides as needed.

Scoop thick batter into mini muffin cups in generous tablespoon increments [a cookie scoop would be helpful if you have one]. If batter is not smooth, use a spatula coated with a little cooking spray to spread it in place.

Bake for 14-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Press in 3 mini marshmallows and top with 3 M&Ms, then return to oven for 2 minutes to allow marshmallows to melt.

Time: 35 minutes total time, 15 minutes active time.

Yield: 38 bites.

Breakfast, Pancakes, Recipes

Go-To Pancakes {Repost}

February 13, 2013February 19, 2016 Sarah

So, I used to post once a month on a blog called Today’s Housewife. Last fall, the group decided together to stop posting due the busyness of life and families and such. Though sad, I enjoyed being part of the group. As of early January, the blog was officially taken down. But I don’t want to lose my recipes, so periodically I will be reposting them on here. Enjoy!

from November 10, 2011…

In my house, we love pancakes. Well, let me rephrase that. I love pancakes. My husband tolerates them [and sometimes is in the mood for them]. The cat just tries to steal them. That’s how it goes.I realized today that while I have six different pancake recipes on my blog [update! now it’s 10 wow!], I haven’t yet posted my go-to pancake recipe. This go-to pancake recipe was a conglomeration of several different recipes from the internet and cookbooks that I started making back in the summer of 2009 when Ben and I were first married. I wrote it down in my recipe journal next to the likes of other household classics like my crockpot chunky applesauce.

My perfect, tried & true pancake recipe. Go-To Pancakes are great alone or with your favorite mixins! We make these alllll the time. :)

It’s the perfect tried and true pancake for any variety of mix-ins, and is great solo to allow toppings to shine. Sometimes to fancy it up, I’ll add a little vanilla extract or cinnamon to the mix, but it’s not necessary at all. These pancakes are a hit any way they’re served because they bake up thin with nice crispy edges–everything a pancake should do, in my opinion. I hope you like them as much as we do!

… and I totally should have posted these yesterday, since it was Fat Tuesday. Alas. Hope you enjoy them anyways! 🙂

Go-To Pancakes

Servings: 12-14 pancakes
Time: 30 minutes
Print

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
sprinkle of salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cup skim milk, at room temperature
1 egg, at room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled [can sub oil too]
oil for cooking
mix-ins if desired [chocolate chips, blueberries, sliced bananas, chopped apples, etc.]
butter and syrup for serving

Directions:

Preheat skillet over medium heat.

In a medium size bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center. Measure out milk in a measuring cup and then add egg. Beat gently with a fork. Add [cooled] butter and stir again. Pour liquid ingredients into well of dry ingredients, then stir gently to combine. Don’t worry if batter is lumpy.

Pour batter onto hot skillet in 1/4 cup increments, topping with mix-ins as desired. Cook for a couple minutes on the first side until bubbles form, then flip and cook on other side until golden brown. Keep warm on a dinner plate covered with an aluminum foil tent until all are prepared, then serve with butter and syrup.

Notes: My “syrup” in the photo is actually leftover raspberry sauce from my Lime Yogurt Cake. It is not 100% necessary to let milk and egg come to room temperature, but it yields better results. Recipe can be easily doubled with good results!

Breads, Recipes

60 Minute Sandwich Buns

February 12, 2013February 5, 2016 Sarah

Over the years, I’ve tried several recipes for homemade sandwich buns. They were all okay, but I never became loyal to a single recipe. Too dry, too chewy, too time consuming, too sweet, too tough. I think that just might have changed… and here’s why:

Oh my yum. These are the best sandwich buns I have ever made!! They are soft and fluffy, but substantial enough to hold drippy, savory, spicy pulled pork [watch for this recipe coming soon!] or even a store-bought chicken patty, just like you enjoyed at lunch in 5th grade [gasp! My guilty pleasure, purchased by my sweet husband as I freak out about finishing my thesis.]. For this batch, I used about 1/3 whole wheat flour, but plan to try to increase that gradually as I make them in the future for even more of a nutty, hearty sandwich bun.

And you know what’s awesome about these sandwich buns? They come together so quickly that they are totally do-able on a weeknight so you don’t have to suffer through tasteless, dry, papery store-bought buns, thanks to an abundance of yeast [fyi this is NOT a packet of yeast, but 2 tablespoons]. No sireebob. You can even make these while writing a master’s thesis, they’re that easy. I’m definitely gonna be making them again soon and think you should too… even if you’re scared of yeast. Just pay attention to the measurements and the temperature of the water. And use fresh yeast… that is VIP!

Enjoy!

60 Minute Sandwich Buns

Servings: 8
Time: 1 hour
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barely adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water [110-115 degrees F]
1/3 cup canola oil + more for brushing
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 – 2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Pour in 1/3 cup oil and sugar, then stir and let rest for 5 minutes.

Add egg, salt, whole wheat flour, 2 cups bread flour, and vital wheat gluten. Using the dough hook, let mixer knead the mixture on medium speed for 3-5 minutes until a soft dough is formed. Add up to 1/2 cup more flour if the dough seems too wet or sticky.

Next, immediately divide dough into 8 pieces. The best way to go about this is to divide dough in half, then divide each piece in half again [making 4 pieces total], then divide each of those pieces in half again. Roll into a ball, then place 3 inches apart on greased or lined [with parchment paper/Silpat] baking sheets. Brush with oil and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. After dough is finished rising, bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to cooling racks until cool. Store in covered container for up to a week.

Linked with: Weekend Potluck.

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

February 6, 2013September 14, 2015 Sarah

So, if you’ve never checked out Megan’s blog, What Megan’s Making, you’re missing out. I’m not sure how I first found it but I’m glad I did. Everything I’ve made from her blog has been incredibly delicious… and my most recent love are these Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies! They are seriously in hot contention for the best thing I ever ate. An indicator? I rarely make the same recipe twice, but this recipe was first posted in March 2012 and I have made them at least two, if not three times since then. For me, that equals a spot on the bus to Crazytown, USA. No joke.

I know it’s a little redundant but the best way to describe these brownies is to say that they’re uber peanut buttery, chocolatey, and chewy. I don’t use the word “uber” lightly, so when I say all those things, imagine I’m screaming it. And if you know me in real life, you know that me screaming is pretty rare. Sooooo… emphasis should be noted. 🙂

Even though these brownies are rich, I’d be lying if I said you just had to eat a small piece to be satisfied. You won’t. Don’t worry, if you’re anything like me, you won’t have any self control around these insanely addicting brownies. They’re nothing fancy–just a buttery and soft brownie with nutty, caramely peanut butter flavor. And the best parts are the bites with the melted bits o’ fudgy chocolate. Oh wait–that’s each bite. Whoops! They are definitely not for sharing… unless you want to make a second batch tomorrow. Enjoy! 🙂

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

Servings: 12
Time: 40 minutes
Print

from What Megan’s Making

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips [or 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips + 3/4 cup peanut butter chips]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 baking pan with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together peanut butter and butter. Add sugars and vanilla. Then mix until creamy, scraping the sides as needed. Next, add egg. Beat on low until light and fluffy.

Slowly add flour and baking powder and beat until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth out with spatula.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting.

Appetizers, Recipes

SRC: Baked Jalapeno Popper-Ranch Dip

February 4, 2013May 6, 2015 Sarah

This month for the Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Wendy’s wonderful blog, The Weekend Gourmet. As I’ve said before, numerous times, I absolutely love being part of the SRC. It’s a fun way to try new blogs and recipes and be part of a fun community. If you’ve missed my past SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog… all while keeping your assignment a secret! Everyone else posts about their secret blog the same day. It’s fabulously fun to try out new blogs. If you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

Anyway, when I first visited Wendy’s blog I was overwhelmed by the number of fabulous recipes there. Wendy is from Texas, and is as warm and welcoming as can be. I mean, how could she not be… she’s from Texas after all. Plus, she has a cat. Nice people always have cats. 🙂 I could hardly decide what to make. Peppermint White Hot Chocolate? Cranberry-Nut Caramel Popcorn? Citrus-Walnut Brown Rice Pilaf? Mmm, I wanted to make them all. In one day. What a delightful day that would have been! But I asked Ben, my chief culinary consultant what sounded good to him, and then we got to talkin’ about appetizers. Our church small group takes turns bringing snacks each week, and if left to my own devices, I would always bake something. But Ben wanted to do something different, so we settled on Jalapeno Popper Dip. But not just any Jalapeno Popper Dip… Baked Jalapeno Popper-Ranch Dip.

This dip is, in a word, awesome. Spicy and creamy and cheesy. Yum. In another word, addicting. It’s great hot right out of the oven [but beware… Wendy calls it hot lava right out of the oven, and I agree]… and it’s equally as good cold out of the refrigerator [ask me how I know… it’s a great 11 pm snack to finish off peppermint tea… ha!]. And in a last word, forgiving. The recipe I’ll give you will be Wendy’s, through and through… even though my version was laden with “mistakes.”

There were so many! I misread the recipe and put all the ranch seasoning in the cheesy mixture, instead of splitting it between the cheese and the topping. I forgot to buy the green onions so those were omitted. I accidentally used up the plain green yogurt in another recipe, so had to substitute some sour cream and mayo instead. I also rubbed jalapeno juice into some tiny cuts on my hand, which was fun. But you know what? Even with all that craziness, this dip was just SO good. It was just demolished by everyone who tried it, even an adventurous two year old. 🙂 You should totally make it for your next appetizer need… I wish I could have posted it before the Super Bowl, but alas… Ben loved it and says you can eat it anytime!

Enjoy, and be sure to check out Wendy’s blog for more recipe inspiration. Thanks for a great recipe, Wendy!!

Baked Jalapeno Popper-Ranch Dip [from The Weekend Gourmet]
click to print

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened [I used Neufchâtel]
6 ounces plain greek yogurt [I used 4 ounces sour cream + 2 ounces mayo]
1 – 1 ounce package dry ranch dressing mix
1 small can chopped jalapeno peppers, drained [I used 3 fresh jalapenos, about 1 heaping cup, and deseeded 2 of them]
2 sliced green onions
1 cup shredded co-jack cheese
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a shallow casserole dish [I used a 10 inch dish].

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese, yogurt, and half of the ranch seasoning. Mix on low until everything is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the jalapenos, green onions, and cheese. Mix again, then spoon into prepared dish.

In a second bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and the rest of the ranch seasoning. Spread on top of the cheese mixture, then spray or drizzle on olive oil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and dip is bubbly. Turn dish around halfway for even browning.

Cool for 5 minutes before serving with tortilla chips.

Time: 40 minutes.

Yield: serves 10-12.

Be sure to check out other great SRC recipes here, and have a great day!