Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese #SundaySupper

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese is the classic dip in sandwich form and totally tasty! This Grilled Cheese sandwich is loaded with fresh spinach, artichokes, and lots of ooey gooey, melty cheese! It's a classic flavor combo, and I'm excited to share it with you in this tasty sandwich recipe!

Bechamel Sauce Recipe

Bechamel Sauce is a basic white sauce that consists of butter, flour and milk. It is one of the 5 'mother sauces' used in cooking. It's a good idea to learn how to make this simple sauce, as it is the base for a number of other sauces and can be used in many different recipes.

Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Homemade Garlic Alfredo Sauce is a little bit dangerous, because once you make this at home you'll never be able to eat Alfredo any other way! NEVER! No jars! No restaurants! Just homemade!

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes melt in your mouth! This might be my favorite breakfast ever! Loaded with homemade pumpkin puree, these pancakes are a delicious and nutritious way to start your day.

Cookie Butter Bars

posted by Marion@Life Tastes Good on 2013-07-21

 Move over peanut butter! I've found cookie butter (aka Biscoff Spread) and I'm SOLD!! Whoever thought to crush up cookies and make a spread is a GENIUS! The sweet taste with a subtle caramel flavor has won me over! I love it and I'm not ashamed of that! Don likes it too, but I told him I am NOT buying it again. I could eat that stuff right out of the jar! I DID eat that stuff right out of the jar - oh my gosh! it is so addicting!! In an attempt to get it out of the house, I decided to make something with it. I used it all up and now it's gone!

I miss my cookie butter :(

The crust is made of graham crackers, butter, and Biscoff Spread. This combo comes together nicely with the chocolate topping to create a wonderful flavor described best by one of Don's co-workers, 

"...it's like an angel descended from heaven and kissed a Twix bar!"

He nailed it!!

Ingredients

• 1 package crushed graham crackers (about 1.5 cups)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup Biscoff Spread
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons Biscoff Spread

Directions

1. Mix 1.5 cups crushed graham crackers, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1/2 cup Biscoff spread and press into the bottom of a square pan (9x9). I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper and allowing the ends to hangover for ease in removing.
2. Melt 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons Biscoff spread in a double boiler or the microwave. If microwaving do so slowly and stir every 30 seconds until smooth. Pour over crushed graham cracker mixture and spread evenly.  
3. Refrigerate several hours. Preferably overnight. Remove parchment from pan and cut into even squares. ENJOY!!  

Caramels

allrecipes.com Caramels

I'm in Winchester, VA this week visiting my family. One of my sisters lives here (I have 4 sisters!) with her husband and 2 teenage boys, along with our mom, too! They have a beautiful home that has a lot of history. It was the first and only schoolhouse in this little town for a very long time. My sister tells stories of people popping in to see their old schoolhouse and of the delivery folks who still think it is a building they can just walk in and drop off packages! One day my sister came home to find a note on her door from UPS. That's not so strange, right? The note was left on her BEDROOM door!!  Upon moving in and experiencing people just walking in whenever they please, my mom put up a sign alerting everyone that this is a residential home, and she keeps the doors locked (thank goodness)!

It's been a while since I've seen my family, and I'm so happy to be here spending this time with them. I've made dinner a couple times to show my appreciation, and I wanted to give my mom one of her most favorite treats - caramels! My mom calls them kär-məls, but I pronounce them ka-rə-mels. Of course we both feel the other is saying it wrong, even so everyone knows my way is the right way :o), I let mom think she's right because I'm the good kid...

Making caramels is time consuming, but the effort pays off big time! For the first half of making them you can put everything in the pot and walk away for about 30 minutes (I did laundry), but the rest of the time you'll be stirring and checking the temperature. It's a good idea to make sure you have a good hour at least to devote to the caramel making process. Burning the caramel would make you very sad. NOTE: Be sure the dogs have been out before you get involved with the process... learned that the hard way!

*It's a good idea to read the recipe through before making - I give lots of tip in the directions

Ingredients (this makes a lot!)
candy thermometer such as Taylor Classic Line Glass Candy and Deep Fry Thermometer
2 cups white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup evaporated milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (good quality such as Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract Madagascar 4 oz. )
pinch of sea salt
parchment paper such as Beyond Gourmet Unbleached Parchment Paper, 71-Square Foot Roll (not wax paper)
cooking spray

Directions
It is important to use a large stock pot. I used a pot for making pasta. You want to make sure to use a heavy pot with a large bottom. Try to avoid using a nonstick type pot. 

It is also important to calibrate your candy thermometer. Do this by checking the temp it reads in boiling water. Water boils at 212 degrees F., so your thermometer should read 212 when the water is boiling. If your thermometer is off (and many are), note by how much and adjust the caramel temperature accordingly.

Prepare a 13x9" dish by spraying lightly with cooking spray and lining with parchment paper. The cooking spray will help the parchment stick to the dish. don't spray the inside of the parchment where you are going to pour the caramel. Also, be sure to use parchment - wax paper is not the same and will stick to the caramel (that would be bad)

In your large bottomed, heavy pot combine 2 cups white sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 cup corn syrup, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 pint heavy whipping cream, and 1 cup butter. Put this over mid-low heat and stir well making sure the sugars are combined (my stove top was set to #2). Leave the pot over the heat for 30 minutes (set the timer so you don't forget!) 

After the first 30 minutes you'll need to stir pretty constantly for another 45 minutes (and longer sometimes) until the temp reaches 245-250 degrees F. 250 degrees is ideal, but you don't want to go over that if you want soft chewy caramels. I took mine off the heat at 245 degrees F. They seemed a little soft at first, but the next day they were a perfect consistency!

Once your caramel reaches the proper temperature, remove from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. Taste and add more salt if needed and then pour into parchment lined 13x9" dish. Let cool completely!

Use a pizza cutter to cut strips and then little caramel squares. You can cut parchment paper into squares (or use LorAnn Oils Twisting Wax Paper) and wrap each individual piece or you can line a storage container with parchment and place candies in a single layer (not touching) and then top with parchment and repeat single layer. Be sure to separate layers with parchment paper.

 This recipe makes a lot and is great for gift giving!

If you aren't into candy making, but you need some of these caramels (because they are that good!), just let me know and we can work something out :)

An Italian Feast

The Myers' family gathered at my house over the weekend to celebrate the matriarch's birthday. We were originally going to eat out at an Italian restaurant, but decided to stay home. I stayed with the Italian theme and it turned out to be an easy feast to make for a group

I was too busy cooking to get pictures of the food, but it was delish! I promise!

First things first! This dinner party was a last minute decision we made the night before, so I didn't really have the time or the energy to make homemade bread. I went with the next best thing - Bridgford Frozen Ready Dough. I took 2 loaves out of the freezer very early in the day and let it thaw a bit. These are very easy to make in a loaf pan. Just spray the pan and plop the frozen loaf into it. It will thaw and rise and will be ready to go in the oven when you are! I didn't want the mess of slicing the bread (I'm lazy like that), so I decided to make these into rolls. I sprayed 2 pie plates and pulled the dough into 8 pieces each. I rolled the pieces into balls (sort of - they look kind of rough but that is okay) and placed them into the pie plates. 8 dough balls in each one. Then I left them alone to rise until I was ready to bake them

I started the Red Sauce early in the day. I chose to make it in a slow cooker to save room on the cook top. This ended up being a wonderful idea. It is the first time I made this sauce in a slow cooker - it turned out really delicious. This is a wonderful sauce that I normally cook low and slow, but for some reason the flavors were intensified making it in the slow cooker - I will only make it this way from now on!

After the red sauce was simmering nicely, I mixed up the Meatball ingredients. I love these meatballs - the fresh basil really adds a nice flavor! I could eat these all day long! I popped these in the oven about 45 minutes before dinner was to be ready. I let them rest and kept them warm until ready to serve. At this time, you could put them in with the sauce if you desire, but I was concerned they would make the sauce greasy, so I decided against that idea

After I took the meatballs out of the oven, I let it cool down a bit to about 375 degrees. Now I was ready to cook the bread. I wanted to leave one set of rolls plain and one I dressed with a delicious parsley herb butter. We had steaks the previous night, and I made this butter to go with the steaks - it was so good! I knew it would be great on the rolls...

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 good sized garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon dry white wine

salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together. Give it a taste and make any necessary adjustments and then chill until ready to use

I melted about 1 tablespoon of this and then brushed it all over the rolls. I put both pans of rolls in the oven and cooked at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. I let them cool a few minutes, pulled them apart and served. Delicious!

While the bread was baking, I started heating the water for the noodles, and while the water was coming to a boil I started the Alfredo sauce.

 I absolutely love this Alfredo sauce recipe from Kittencal on food.com  I found this several years ago and have been making it this way ever since. I found the flour measurement to make this too thick, so I recommend using only 1/2 the amount of flour called for in the recipe. Other than that, make it just as stated and go on the heavy side for the thyme (I use fresh thyme)- it is a nice addition! Don't skimp on the garlic either! and don't try making it low-fat. It is Alfredo sauce and has lots of fat and calories - that is just the way it is. Beware! You won't ever eat Alfredo out again!

By this time my water was boiling and I was ready to make the noodles. I purchased the refrigerated noodles because they cook in boiling water about 2-3 minutes and they taste so much better than the dried - in my opinion (and I don't have the KitchenAid pasta roller/cutter set yet to make my own - hint hint to the hubs). I also picked up some cheese ravioli for something different

Everyone had arrived by this time and helped me get everything into serving dishes and set out on the table. Served with a salad and Italian dressing - It was an easy and delicious meal to enjoy with the family!

My brother-in-law and his wife Amanda brought a yummy key lime pie for dessert to round out our meal - it was so nice to have everyone together...well almost everyone...Madison is in GA and was missed!

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Photo courtesy of Madison Myers

Today is my father-in-law's birthday, so I wanted to make him a special treat. I learned he shares his birthday with a National Day of recognition! In addition to being my father-in-law's birthday, June 12th is also National Peanut Butter Cookie Day!  Who knew?  I sure didn't! But now that I do I will be sure to honor it every year by making my favorite Peanut Butter Cookies!

After all, It will be easy to remember!

Once again, I found this recipe on my favorite recipe site - Allrecipes.com. You can view the original recipe here.  I did not change the recipe too much, as it is perfect the way it is! However, this time around I did not have the quick cooking oats on hand, so I used regular oats and they turned out just fine! 

I really love these little sandwich cookies, and when I say little I mean it. The first time I made these - I made them sort of big because so many people really love those big cookies you get from bakeries - my daughter included! These cookies are so rich though, I recommend following the recipe to a 'T' and using a teaspoon to measure them. They turn out to be a perfect bite size piece of peanut buttery goodness! I prefer bite size cookies, so these are perfect as far as I'm concerned!

Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope it's great!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup quick cooking oats (or regular oats)
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Directions

In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. I like to beat this for 3-5 minutes until it is well mixed and lighter in color

See how much lighter it became after mixing for about 5 minutes? Add egg and beat well.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir just until combined. 

Add oatmeal and stir - I like to stir this in by hand

Drop by teaspoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet (or greased baking sheet), and press each mound down with a fork (or a spoon) to form 1/4 inch thick cookies. The dough is pretty soft so making the fork marks can be challenging unless you put the dough in the freezer or the fridge to harden up a bit.  I've always found cookies taste better if you refrigerate the dough overnight, so if you can resist baking these for a day you'll have an easier time of making those fancy fork marks for which peanut butter cookies are famous. Notice mine don't have the pretty fork marks...I couldn't wait! But I did reserve 1/2 the dough and filling to make tomorrow, so I'll make fancy fork marks with THOSE cookies! 

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies are a light brown. (mine were perfect after just 7 minutes)

 To Make Filling: Cream 3 tablespoons butter or margarine with the confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the cream. Spread filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half to form sandwiches.

Photo courtesy of Madison Myers

Photo courtesy of Madison Myers

You might also like Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars by The Foodie Affair

French Toast with Honey Vanilla Bean Butter

Happy Easter!  We are so blessed Madison came home from school for the holiday weekend, and we celebrated a wonderful family dinner on Saturday. The pink tulips (my fave) I picked up at the grocery that morning made a simple, yet beautiful centerpiece!

Before our  holiday dinner, we had an eventful Saturday morning that involved unexpected new tires for the car AND unexpected contact lenses for the hubs.

All of that took place before noon! Whew, what a morning! When they got home from their adventures, I made them a wonderful brunch. It was a new recipe, and it was sooooo delish I wanted to share it.

I found this recipe as part of my participation with the Allrecipe's Allstar Ambassador program. I have been volunteering with this program for almost a year. This month, Allrecipes has partnered with the America's Dairy Farmers in support of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

As an Allrecipe Allstar I was given several different recipes to try. I have made 3 of the recipes so far and by far my favorite is the French Toast with Honey Vanilla Bean Butter.  This recipe was soooo good it didn't last long!  Try it you'll love it!

We really LOVE butter in this household! When Madison was around 5 or 6 years old she was already experimenting in the kitchen.  Once when I was sick she decided to whip something up on her own (she's always been independent like that).  Seeing as I was in bed deathly ill, Madison decided to ask her dad for help.  She needed to melt some butter for whatever she was creating, and asked her dad if butter can be melted in the microwave.  At the time she asked him, dad was watching TV...er I mean working on something very important and may not have been paying full attention to her question. He said "sure, the microwave will do a fine job melting butter".  What Don didn't realize is that Madison was putting the butter in the microwave with the foil wrapper on it!  Fortunately, the child has always been very smart, so she turned off the microwave immediately when she saw the lightning bolts!  Thankfully, no harm was done to child or oven. She learned a lesson that day, but still went on to have several microwave mishaps in the years to come...explosions, fires, etc... you know, the usual stuff. Naturally, when she was asked to make a TOY out of paper and glue for her 3D design class - she decided to make a life size version of our microwave! 

French Toast with Honey Vanilla Bean Butter

original recipe Go Bold with Butter

Honey Vanilla Bean Butter

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup honey (I used Sourwood honey from Savannah)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 vanilla bean, seeded (My bean was a little on the small side, so I used the seeds from the whole bean)

Directions:

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, honey, sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla together until smooth.

Dollop the mixture onto parchment paper in a log shape. Roll the paper tightly and twist the ends to seal. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

French Toast

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

1/2 cup brandy (I omitted the brandy as I didn't have any on hand)

zest of one orange (or lemon)

French bread, sliced into 1-inch slices 

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Whisk together eggs, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, brandy, and zest. Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture to coat.

Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Melt butter. Add bread and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. The french toast should be golden brown. Serve immediately with a generous slice of honey butter and pure maple syrup.

NOTE: I made the french bread the day before. It was worth the effort!