Parmesan Crisps

One of the reasons I love my Silpat is because NOTHING sticks to it! In fact, you can bake cheese right on it and it will slide right off. Enter... a parmesan crisp. I made them to put atop a chicken caesar salad, but they are delicious on top of any salad, really. Alone even.

Just preheat your oven to 400 degrees and dump heaping tablespoons into piles onto your Silpat. Press them down slightly and bake them for 6-8 minutes. Make extra because these go quick!

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes With Salted Caramel Frosting

Updated: I added another chocolate cake recipe.

I was asked to make mini cupcakes for a baby shower. After drilling the new mama, I found out she loves chocolate teamed with a delicious frosting like peppermint, caramel, or molasses. I opted for the caramel and am glad I did! These are so delicious.

Demarle sells all natural food products. Here is one of the sea salt options. It works perfectly for this recipe.
Check out these delicious morsels! This is the most moist cake you'll ever eat. The original recipe calls for chocolate chips, which I would happily add if I weren't making minis or if I didn't make an extremely sweet frosting to top them with.

Chocolate Cake

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 (5.9 oz) package chocolate pudding

1 C sour cream

4 eggs

1 C vegetable oil

1/2 C warm water

Combine cake mix and pudding. Add in sour cream, eggs, oil and combine. Stir in warm water. Scoop into mini muffin tray and bake at 350 degrees until set and a toothpick comes out clean (about 10-12 minutes)

Let them cool all the way before frosting them.

After the shower, I ended up with a bit of frosting left and didn't want it to go to waste, so I whipped up another batch of cupcakes. This time, I used a different recipe, and made them in the brioche tray. They were equally if not more delicious than the first ones!

Amazing Chocolate Cake

2 C sugar

1 3/4 C flour

3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 C vegetable oil

1 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 C water, boiling

Dump all dry ingredients into a mixer and combine. Add eggs, oil, milk and vanilla. Beat for 3 minutes. Pour in boiling water and stir in by hand.

Pour into brioche tray and bake at 350 degrees until set (about 12-15 min.).

Notes: This is a very runny batter, but have no fear!

Also, only fill the cups 3/4 full.

And, let them cool before removing them from the tray.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1 package cream cheese, room temperature

1 C butter, room temperature

1/2 C caramel sauce (homemade or store bought)

3 1/2 C powdered sugar

sea salt

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add in caramel sauce and mix until combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Set your mixer at a high speed and walk away for 3 minutes.

At this point you could add in 1/2 tsp of sea salt. I prefer to sprinkle it on the top after I've piped the frosting. Up to you! Can't lose either way!

These recipes (cake and frosting) make a lot, so be prepared to share them with friends or gain a lot of weight. Add an extra drizzle of caramel on the top to push it over the edge.

Don't forget to sprinkle on the sea salt if you didn't add it in the frosting.

I think I've found a new love...

Family Tuscan Pizza Bowl

We love pizza at our house and this recipe allows us to enjoy it while getting in a dose of veggies. I altered the original recipe found in the Demarle catalog and added a pound of browned Italian sausage for my husband, Mr. Meat Eater.

Did you know that Demarle sells all natural food products as well as flexible bake wear?

To make this recipe I used 1 package Demarle in the Kitchen Herb Pizza Dough Mix which requires 1 cup of milk and some olive oil. Once the dough is ready to use roll it out on your Roul'Pat and lightly baste it with oil. Place a grande mold upside down on a perforated baking sheet and lay the dough on it, oil side down, and bake for 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees.

While the crust is baking, prepare the vegetables. Chop 6 stalks of asparagus, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 7 green onions, 1 cup of spinach, 1 vine tomato, and 1/2 cup fresh basil and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon Demarle in the Kitchen Sel Gris Sea Salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Place the chopped ingredients into the crust on a perforated baking sheet. Top with 2 cups shredded mozzarella, 1/4C shredded Parmesan and 1 tablespoon Demarle in the Kitchen Roasted Garlic and Chive Herb Blend. Sprinkle on 1 pound of browned Italian sausage (optional).
Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Removed from the oven and drizzle with Demarle in the Kitchen Apple Pear Balsamic Vinegar. Slice and Enjoy!

Avocado Chicken Pita Pizza

This is a huge hit every time I make it! It's delicious and on the healthier side, so the kids are happy and so is mama.

Remember how I showed you to roast a chicken? Use some of the leftovers for this recipe. Dice up a tomato and shred some Monterey Jack cheese. In a small bowl smash up two avocados and add some salt, garlic powder, lemon juice and a few teaspoons of taco sauce.
Place the pitas on a Silpat and bake them at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. (note: if you are using a regular baking sheet you will need to brush them with oil before baking)
Once they have a crisp outside top them with the avocado mixture then layer with a bit of cheese, chicken, tomato and little more cheese.
Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted.
Slide them onto a cutting board and cut into the 4 pieces. Enjoy!

Oatmeal and M&M cookies

What do you do with the large bag of M&M you received for Christmas? Make cookies, of course!

I tried out a new recipe I found, but I modified it so much, I'm going to claim this one as my own. :)

Starts with butter and ends with M&Ms. What could go wrong?

Oh yeah! We have two friends that have egg allergies, so I substituted flax meal instead. (FYI: 1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp of water = 1 egg)

Oatmeal and M&M Cookies

1 C butter, room temperature

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

2 tbsp flax meal

6 tbsp water

3 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 C flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 C quick cooking oats

2 C M&Ms

Cream Butter, brown sugar, sugar.

Add in vanilla and combine.

Mix flax meal and water in a separate bowl then pour into dough and mix.

Add in flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined.

Add in oats and M&Ms. Mix gently.

Scoop out onto a Silpat on a perforated baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 1/2 - 10 minutes.

Heck, make these for Valentines day and any other time you end up with an extra large bag of holiday M&Ms. They're that good!

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

1 Pie Crust (top and bottom)

1/2 C butter

1/2 C flour

3 C chicken broth

3 C cooked chicken, chopped

1 1/2 C mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, diced

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 potatoes, diced

1/2 C frozen peas

salt and pepper

In a sauce pan saute onions, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms until slightly tender.

Add in celery and stir.

In a separate sauce pan melt butter, add in flour. Stir.

Add in broth until combined and boil until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Combine vegetable mixture, sauce, chicken and peas.

Place one pie crust into the Pie Mold and cover with pot pie mixture.

Cover with second pie crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Let cool slightly before serving.