australian desserts: cherryBLOX

Showing posts with label cherryBLOX. Show all posts

Gingerbread Magic Cookies

Love magic cookies? Then you'll go crazy for this Christmas version of the classic! That's right, it's Gingerbread Magic Cookies, complete with a gingerbread crust, cinnamon chips, and white chocolate. It's just as good as the original ... hmmmm, perhaps even better!

It just so happens that classic 7-Layer {Magic} Cookies are a staple of my mother-in-law's Christmas day cookie tray. So when I decided to mess around with the original classic recipe to create a more 'Christmas-y' version, I braced myself to get in 'trouble' with my husband. I mean, mess with a classic from his Mom? ... What was I thinking, right?

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Marbled Peanut Butter & Chocolate Shortbread Bars {& cherryBLOX Engraved Cutting Board Give-Away!}

Whip up beautifully-marbled Peanut Butter and Chocolate Shortbread Bars. A simple shortbread crust is layered with white chocolate and peanut butter, and topped off with a marbled swirl of semi-sweet chocolate. They're little bars of pure deliciousness!

Can you believe Christmas is only about 5 and a 1/2 weeks away? Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?? Well, I have bought exactly one gift. ONE. That's it. But I'm happy to say, it's a fabulous one! ... a personalized, engraved cherry wood cutting board for some foodie friends of mine from the wonderful folks at cherryBLOX.

And guess what!! YOU could have one, too! ...That's right, if you're the winner of this great cherryBLOX give-away presented by me and my bloggy friend Dorothy at Crazy for Crust, you'll get to create your very own cherryBLOX custom-engraved cutting board as your prize. How cool is that?

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Baked Acorn Squash with Maple Glaze

Tender baked acorn squash with a pure maple syrup glaze make for one of my all-time favorite fall side dishes. Its simple deliciousness will make you smile.

One of my all-time favorite flavors is maple. Since I grew up in Vermont, that probably comes as no surprise. I mean, Vermont is, like, practically the maple syrup capital of the world, after all. And one of my {many} favorite ways to enjoy maple is as a yummilicious glaze on acorn squash.
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Tender baked acorn squash with a pure maple syrup glaze make for one of my all-time favorite fall side dishes. Its simple deliciousness will make you smile.

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Apple Fried Rice

It's an apple-icious twist on a classic! Chopped apples, celery, and pecans combine to create this flavorful, seasonally-inspired Apple Fried Rice.

One of my favorite things about fall is fresh apples. See, I'm kinda picky about my apples. They've got to be super crunchy ... and on the tart side. Soft and mealy textured? Won't touch 'em. Little soft spots or shrively skin? Nope - no way. Sweet? Won't do that either. I know, it's one of my weird little food 'things' ... please tell me I'm not the only one.

It's an apple-icious twist on a classic! Chopped apples, celery, and pecans combine to create this flavorful, seasonally-inspired Apple Fried Rice.

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Pork Tenderloin & Pimento Cheese Crostini Melts

Pork tenderloin and pimento cheese, broiled together and topped with crumbled bacon. These Pork Tenderloin and Pimento Cheese Crostini Melts are one very tasty way to enjoy pimento cheese.

Southerners loooooooove their pimento cheese! Even transplanted Southerners, like me. But I have to admit ... it is one of those things I had never even heard of until I moved South. When my brother's mother-in-law ... a true Southern lady ... asked me if I liked pimento cheese, I had no earthly idea what she was talking about. I'm super glad that I do now.

And at one of our {former} local restaurants, I discovered this incredibly delicious way to enjoy pimento cheese.

Pork tenderloin and pimento cheese, broiled together and topped with crumbled bacon. These Pork Tenderloin and Pimento Cheese Crostini Melts are one very tasty way to enjoy pimento cheese.

And at one of our {former} local restaurants, I discovered this incredibly delicious way to enjoy pimento cheese.

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Fresh Green Bean, Walnut, & Feta Salad

Fresh Green Bean, Walnut, and Feta Cheese Salad dressed with olive oil and fresh mint vinaigrette. It may sound bizarre, but it's one amazingly delicious flavor combination!

The flavor combination of this salad may sound a tad bit, well ... strange ... to some, but believe me, it's aMAZing. The snap of fresh green beans, with the crunch of chopped walnuts, the saltiness of crumbled Feta, and refreshing zing of fresh mint pair just beautifully. In a most surprisingly wonderful way.

Fresh Green Bean, Walnut, and Feta Cheese Salad dressed with olive oil and fresh mint vinaigrette. It may sound bizarre, but it's one amazingly delicious flavor combination!

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Slow Cooker Meatloaf

With this Slow Cooker Meatloaf, you can whip up the classic comfort of meatloaf with slow cooker convenience.

Wow! ... was it ever a gorgeous fall weekend here in North Carolina! While I did spend some time outdoors to enjoy the beautiful weather, strangely enough the pleasantly cooler weather made me want to be in the kitchen. Oh, who am I kidding? ... pretty much any weather {except high-temperature scorchers} makes me want to be in the kitchen.

So I spent most of Saturday doing initial trial runs of three new recipes {which didn't go so great, by the way} and whipping up a classic comfort food dinner, including this Slow Cooker Meatloaf.

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With this Slow Cooker Meatloaf, you can whip up the classic comfort of meatloaf with slow cooker convenience.

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Glazed Poppy Seed Tea Bread {& Announcing cherryBLOX!}

Enjoy deliciously moist and flavorful Poppy Seed Quick Bread with Fresh Citrus Glaze. Your tummy will be glad you did!

I'm super excited to share today's post with you ... for two fun reasons. First, because this super moist and super flavorful Poppy Seed Tea Bread is one of my absolute favorite quick breads. And second, because I get to announce a fabulous new partnership between The Kitchen is My Playground and cherryBLOX!

Enjoy deliciously moist and flavorful Poppy Seed Quick Bread with Fresh Citrus Glaze. Your tummy will be glad you did!

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Peanut Butter Granola {with Honey-Roasted Peanuts}

I'm not a picky eater. Well, except for just a few things. Like fish. And black olives. And caraway seeds. And peanut butter.

Yes, I'm extremely picky when it comes to peanut butter. I like it best straight-up on a spoon, just scooped out of the jar.

Just plain, slathered on a piece of bread? Okay. On toast or an English muffin? ...

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3-Ingredient Crescent Sausage Bites

Shoooooo! Cold weather has finally hit down here in the South. And I. Don't. Like it.

Okay, now I know I really don't have anything even remotely close to being okay to complain about. 'Cause, truly, temperatures in the 20s and 30s are not actually cold. I grew up in Vermont. I do understand what true cold is.

But now ...

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16 Sweet Treats for Your Christmas Cookie Tray {Playground Round-Up}

I've decided to start a new 'thing' on The Kitchen is My Playground ... the Playground Round-Up, where I'll periodically highlight treats from the blog related to a particular theme or ingredient.

I figured what better way to kick off the Playground Round-Up than with a focus on Christmas cookie tray sweet treats! (Oh, and I use the term 'cookie tray' loosely, 'cause the Christmas day sweets certainly don't have to be limited to just cookies! Right?? Right.)

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Insanely Delicious Turtle Cookies

There. Are. No. Words.

Nope.

Absolutely no words to describe how insanely delicious these cookies are.

Honestly, THE best cookies I've ever had. Of course, when a recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen, I expect no less.

Soft, chocolate-y, pecan-y cookie filled with smooth-&-creamy caramel. Oh, and drizzled with chocolate drizzle if you so desire. (I so desired. So I added a touch of chocolate drizzle to the original recipe.)

'Nuff said.

I think I'll just let the pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

And these insanely delicious beauties are actually pretty easy to make.

Whip up a chocolate dough. Chill it and roll scoops of it into balls.

Dip each ball in egg whites, ...

... and pecans, ...

... squish an indentation in the middle, and then bake.

Melt some caramel candies and cream together, ...

... and put a dollop of caramel in each cookie's indentation.

Yum.

You could stop there. But I didn't.

Melt some semi-sweet chocolate with a tiny bit of shortening. I just put these in a zip-top baggie and place the baggie in a bowl of warm water until melty.

Then gently massage the baggie until the chocolate is melted and ready for drizzling.

Snip a very tiny hole in the corner of the zip-top baggie and drizzle away.

Mmmmmmm. A little chocolate drizzle makes everything better.

Make these. Seriously. It's truly insane how delicious they are.

I invite you to follow The Kitchen is My Playground with Google+, Pinterest, Facebook, Google Friend Connect, bloglovin', or Feedburner. Buttons are in the right sidebar. I'd love to have you back soon!

Turtle Cookies
Source: Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, as shared by Pixelated Crumb

Ingredients

Cookie:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white

2 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped

Caramel Filling:

14 soft caramel candies (I used Kraft Traditional Caramels)

3 T. heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle (optional):

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I used 2 squares of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate)

1 tsp. shortening

Directions
Prepare the Cookies:
1. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.

2. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined.

3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

4. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy. Place chopped pecans in another bowl. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, and then roll in pecans. Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.

5. Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

Prepare the Caramel Filling:
6. Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

7. Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations. Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the Chocolate Drizzle (optional):
8. Place chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag. Set bag in a bowl of warm water to soften. Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed.

9. Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Enjoy!

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The Kitchen is My Playground is proud to partner with cherryBLOX, makers of gorgeous custom-engraved cherry cutting boards ... which make the perfect personalized gift. Visit cherryBLOX today to create yours!

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Enjoy these other favorite cookies from The Kitchen is My Playground ...

7-Layer Cookies

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

German Chocolate Chip Cookies

This post is linked with Share Your Creations Thursday, Sweet Treats & Swanky Stuff, Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday, Inspiration Friday, Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday with Diane Balch, Sweets for a Saturday, Strut Yourself Saturday, Weekend Wrap Up Party, Sundae Scoop, Think Pink Sunday, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sunday Showcase Party, On the Menu Monday, Mangia Mondays, This Weeks' Cravings, Tuesday Tutorials, Crazy Sweet Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Whatcha Whipped Up, Cast Party Wednesday, Sunday Linky Party @ Petite Hermine, Mix It Up Monday, Marvelous Mondays, Wow Us Wednesdays, Show Off Your Stuff Party, Chic & Crafty Party, Get Schooled Saturday, Or So She Says ~ Your Great Idea Party, Lil' Luna Link Party, Saturday Show & Tell, Make the Scene Monday, Serenity Saturday, Friday Follow Along Party.

'Nuff said.

I think I'll just let the pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

And these insanely delicious beauties are actually pretty easy to make.

Whip up a chocolate dough. Chill it and roll scoops of it into balls.

Dip each ball in egg whites, ...

... and pecans, ...

... squish an indentation in the middle, and then bake.

Melt some caramel candies and cream together, ...

... and put a dollop of caramel in each cookie's indentation.

Yum.

You could stop there. But I didn't.

Melt some semi-sweet chocolate with a tiny bit of shortening. I just put these in a zip-top baggie and place the baggie in a bowl of warm water until melty.

Then gently massage the baggie until the chocolate is melted and ready for drizzling.

Snip a very tiny hole in the corner of the zip-top baggie and drizzle away.

Mmmmmmm. A little chocolate drizzle makes everything better.

Make these. Seriously. It's truly insane how delicious they are.

Turtle Cookies
Source: Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, as shared by Pixelated Crumb

Ingredients

Cookie:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white

2 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped

Caramel Filling:

14 soft caramel candies (I used Kraft Traditional Caramels)

3 T. heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle (optional):

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I used 2 squares of Baker's semi-sweet chocolate)

1 tsp. shortening

Enjoy!

****************************

Enjoy these other favorite cookies from The Kitchen is My Playground ...

7-Layer Cookies

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

German Chocolate Chip Cookies

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No-Bake Chocolate Eclair Dessert

I've actually posted this deliciously creamy, comforting dessert before. Back in the first couple of months of the blog. When I had like 2 followers. And I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. (Not that I really know what I'm doing now, either ... but I have learned at least a little bit in the past year!)   So since this is one of my all-time favorites, I decided it was worthy of posting again.

And since it is one of my all-time favorites, I decided it was the perfect thing to post in conjunction with letting you know that I've updated my 'About Me' page. Yup, I figured it was time. After having the blog up and going for a year now, I think it's time I share a little bit more about myself with you. So please click on over to the new-and-improved 'About Me' page to check me out!  Not literally, of course ... just to check out a little bit more about me.

And now back to our Chocolate Eclair Dessert.

I mean seriously, can you say comfort food? And super easy? And super yummy? And chocolate-y?? Well, all those things are wrapped up together in this one creamy dessert. This is one of those been-around-forever recipes.  Somehow, though, I didn't learn about it until just a couple of years ago. I was introduced to it by my mother-in-law, and after just one bite, I knew exactly why it's been around forever. Because it tastes so good!

Just look at those gorgeous, creamy layers. And a chocolate topping sure doesn't hurt.

Now, I love to bake, and I certainly don't shy away from complex dessert recipes. But sometimes I want something tasty that just so happens to be easy, too. How 'bout you?

For this dessert, you start with graham crackers, vanilla pudding, and Cool Whip. Mix the pudding and Cool Whip together - then resist the urge to dive in with a spoon and eat it all up at this point ... wait for the final product ... it's worth it, I promise. Then layer this fluffy pudding mixture with the graham crackers. You just lay the whole graham cracker sheets in the pan and spread them with the pudding. How easy is that?

Once you're done your graham cracker and pudding layers, boil together some sugar with cocoa and milk, and then add some butter and vanilla. Pour all that over the top graham cracker layer.

Now lick the spoon ... and the pudding bowl ... you deserve it.

Refrigerate the dessert over night, and then dig in!

You'll be surprised how yummy and satisfying this super-simple concoction is. It's totally fabulous for pot-lucks. And in our house it's not at all relegated to dessert ... Mark says it makes a great breakfast! I wouldn't know. (Okay ... I may be fibbing about that ...)

I invite you to follow The Kitchen is My Playground with Pinterest, Facebook, bloglovin', or Feedburner. Buttons are in the right sidebar. I'd love to have you back soon!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

Source: My Mother-in-Law

Ingredients

Filling:

2 (3.5 oz.) boxes vanilla instant pudding

3 c. milk

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip

Graham crackers

Topping:

1/3 c. cocoa

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter (or margarine)

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

For the filling:

1. Combine pudding mix and milk; beat. Stir in Cool Whip.

2. Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13" dish. Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Repeat with another layer of graham crackers and pudding; then top with a final layer of graham crackers.

For the topping:

3. Bring cocoa, milk, and sugar to a full rolling boil; boil about 1 minute, stirring very frequently. Remove from heat and cool one minute. Add butter and vanilla; stir until butter is melted.

4. Pour chocolate topping over the top layer of graham crackers.

5. Refrigerate over night.

Enjoy! (Seriously, enjoy! ... this stuff is soooooo good.)

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Enjoy these other scrumptious no-bake desserts from The Kitchen is My Playground ...

Classic Oreo Icebox Dessert

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

This post is linked with Anything Goes Linky hosted by Bacon Time, Sweet Indulgences Sunday hosted by A Well-Seasoned Life, Think Pink Sundays hosted by Flamingo Toes, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Addicted to Recipes, Just Something I Whipped Up hosted by The Girl Creative, Mangia Mondays hosted by Shine Your Light, Cure for the Common Monday hosted by Lines Across My Face, Mix It Up Monday! hosted by Flour Me With Love, Crazy Sweet Tuesday hosted by Crazy for Crust, Tuesday Talent Show hosted by Chef in Training, Totally Tasty Tuesdays hosted by Mandy's Recipe Box, These Chicks Cooked hosted by This Chick Cooks, Cast Party Wednesday hosted by Lady Behind the Curtain, It's a Keeper Thursday hosted by It's a Keeper, Share Your Creations hosted by Kristen's Creations, Show Me What You Got hosted by Our Delightful Home, Foodie Friday hosted by Rattlebridge Farm, Weekend Bloggy Reading hosted by Serenity Now, Inspiration Friday hosted by At the Picket Fence, Sweets for a Saturday hosted by Sweet as Sugar Cookies, Strut Your Stuff Saturday hosted by Six Sisters' Stuff, Savvy HomeMade Monday hosted by Home Savvy A to Z, This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking, Sunday Showcase Party hosted by Under the Table and Dreaming, What's New Wednesday hosted by Grateful Belly, Trick or Treat Tuesday hosted by BruCrew Life, Foodie Friday hosted by Simple Living with Diane Balch, Showcase Your Talent Thursday hosted by What's Cooking, Love?, Whatcha Whipped Up Wednesday hosted by DJ's Sugar Shack, Weekend Wrap Up hosted by Tater Tots & Jello, Weekend Potluck hosted by The Country Cook, Nifty Thrifty Sunday hosted by Nifty Thrifty Things, Sweet Treats & Swanky Stuff hosted by Something Swanky, Overflowing with Creativity, Marvelous Monday, Great Idea Party, Lil' Luna Link Party, Chic and Crafty Party, Two Cup Tuesday, Gooseberry Patch Recipe Round-Up, Saturday Dishes, Foodtastic Friday Competition, Saturday Show & Tell, Sweet & Savory Saturday, Creativity Linky Party, DELISH.

Now, I love to bake, and I certainly don't shy away from complex dessert recipes. But sometimes I want something tasty that just so happens to be easy, too. How 'bout you?

Once you're done your graham cracker and pudding layers, boil together some sugar with cocoa and milk, and then add some butter and vanilla. Pour all that over the top graham cracker layer.

Now lick the spoon ... and the pudding bowl ... you deserve it.

Refrigerate the dessert over night, and then dig in!

I invite you to follow The Kitchen is My Playground with Pinterest, Facebook, bloglovin', or Feedburner. Buttons are in the right sidebar. I'd love to have you back soon!

Chocolate Eclair Dessert

Source: My Mother-in-Law

Ingredients

Filling:

2 (3.5 oz.) boxes vanilla instant pudding

3 c. milk

1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip

Graham crackers

Topping:

1/3 c. cocoa

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. milk

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter (or margarine)

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

For the filling:

1. Combine pudding mix and milk; beat. Stir in Cool Whip.

For the topping:

3. Bring cocoa, milk, and sugar to a full rolling boil; boil about 1 minute, stirring very frequently. Remove from heat and cool one minute. Add butter and vanilla; stir until butter is melted.

4. Pour chocolate topping over the top layer of graham crackers.

5. Refrigerate over night.

Enjoy! (Seriously, enjoy! ... this stuff is soooooo good.)

****************************

Enjoy these other scrumptious no-bake desserts from The Kitchen is My Playground ...

Classic Oreo Icebox Dessert

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

reade more...

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