Simple Baked Bay Scallops

I bought a bag of frozen bay scallops a while ago with no idea what I was going to do with them. Finally, I decided to be brave and experiment with them. This delicious recipe is adapted from Sauce & Sensibility.Simple Baked Bay Scallops

1 lb. bay scallops, thawed, rinsed, and patted dry

4 T. melted butter, divided

16 ritz crackers, crushed

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. dried parsley

Divide 2 T. melted butter among 4 individual casserole dishes (you could also use one large casserole dish.)

Divide scallops among dishes in a single layer.In a small bowl, combine remaining melted butter, cracker crumbs, cheese, garlic powder and parsley. Mix well.Sprinkle crumb mixture on top of scallops.Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes or until top is browned.This is such an elegant dish that would be great for a dinner party...or for New Year's Eve! Enjoy!

Oatmeal Banana Cookies

This recipe is adapted from one I got from my mom. These little cookies are so good and are full of healthy ingredients. Oatmeal Banana Cookies

1/2 c. coconut oil (or butter), melted

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

3/4 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 c. mashed, overripe bananas

1 t. vanilla

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

2 1/2-3 c. oats

1 1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. ground flaxseed

1 c. chpped walnuts (optional)

Combine coconut oil, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and bananas. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Drop onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes.

These make such a great snack or even breakfast. Enjoy!

Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

I found these delicious, multi-colored fingerling potatoes at Costco last week and they are perfect for this easy side dish. You can easily substitute any type of potato you like.

Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

2 lbs. potatoes, washed and cut into bite size pieces

1/3 c. parmesan cheese

2 T. butter

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. dried rosemary

salt

In a large pot, boil potatoes until tender (about 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.) Drain and transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl. Add cheese, butter, garlic powder and rosemary. Toss and add salt to taste. Serve warm.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

This recipe comes from My Baking Addiction and it is very good! The only thing I did differently is the white chocolate drizzle on top.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

2 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. butter

2 eggs

1 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1 t. ground cinnamon

pinch ground nutmeg

2 t. baking powder

2 2/3 c. flour

2 T. sugar

2 t. cinnamon

Cream brown sugar and butter.

Add eggs and mix well.

Add salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder. Mix well.Add flour and mix.Press dough into a greased 9x13" pan. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. sugar and 2 t. cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of dough.Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.Drizzle with melted white chocolate if desired. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Gooey Bars

If you love peanut butter as much as my family, you will love this recipe. These bars are so rich and good! I got the original recipe here. Next time I'm going to try them with a chocolate cake mix.

Peanut Butter Gooey Bars (adapted from Love Veggies & Yoga)

crust:

1 box cake mix (white, yellow, butter flavor, or chocolate)

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

1 t. vanilla

1 egg

middle:

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2/3 c. marshmallow cream

2/3 c. peanut butter

1 t. vanilla

top:

1 c. chocolate chips

2/3 c. reeses pieces

frosting:

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. peanut butter

3 T. butter

For crust, mix cake mix, butter, vanilla and egg until you get a stiff dough.

Press into a greased 9x13" pan.

For middle layer, combine sweetened condensed milk, marshmallow cream, peanut butter and vanilla.Pour over crust.Sprinkle with chocolate chips and reeses pieces.Bake at 350 F for 20-23 minutes. (It will seem really jiggly when you take it out, that's good!)For frosting, melt chocolate, peanut butter and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Mix until smooth.Drizzle over warm bars.Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate for several hours.Cut into squares and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes & Buttermilk Syrup

It's officially fall now and one of my favorite things about this time of year is pumpkin recipes. I saw this recipe on a tv show called Hey Kids Lets Cook and WOW it's a keeper! My whole family loved these spiced pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. all purpose flour

3 T. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1 c. milk

2 T. oil

1 egg

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

Combine dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Mix well, and cook pancakes (about 1/4 c. batter at a time) on a greased griddle.

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. buttermilk

1 t. honey

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. baking soda

Combine butter, sugar, buttermilk and honey in a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring, until boiling. Stop stirring and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda. Serve warm.Enjoy!

Artichoke Pizza

This is, yet again, a recipe from my Almost Homemade cookbook (which I am really loving!) This pizza is creamy and delicious. My whole family really enjoyed it.

Artichoke Pizza

1 prebaked 12" pizza crust

1 (14 oz.) can water-packed artichoke hearts, drained

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. grated mozzarella, divided

1 c. grated parmesan, divided

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. grape/cherry tomatoes, halved

In a mixing bowl, combine artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, 3/4 c. mozzarella, 3/4 c. parmesan, and garlic.

Place pizza crust on an ungreased pizza sheet. Spread evenly with artichoke mixture.

Top with tomatoes.

Sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

Bake at 450 F for 15-20 minutes.

I will most definitely be making this again. I loved it. Enjoy!

Midnight Cake

I've been searching for the perfect chocolate cake and I'm pretty sure I found it! I made this for my birthday and I chose not to frost it (my next endeavor is to find the perfect chocolate frosting recipe!) Instead, I just stacked the two cakes and topped it with chocolate mousse.

Midnight Cake (adapted from Taste of Home magazine)

2 c. flour

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 c. unsweetened cocoa

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2/3 c. oil

2 T. vinegar

1 t. vanilla

1 1/2 c. water

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients. Mix well. Pour into 2 greased cake pans. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. (Check after about 23 minutes. You don't want to overbake them!) Remove from pans and let cool. Serve as desired.

Chocolate Mousse

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

1 c. whole milk

1 c. heavy whipping cream

Combine pudding and milk. Set aside. Whip cream in a cold bowl with cold beaters until stiff. Fold into pudding mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!!!

Veggie Mac & Cheese

This mac 'n' cheese has hidden veggies (always a good thing.) It is adapted from my Taste of Home Almost Homemade cookbook.

Veggie Mac & Cheese

2 c. dry pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen cauliflower, thawed

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 T. canola oil

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 (10 oz.) can condensed cheddar cheese soup

2 c. grated cheese

1/2 c. milk

1/2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. prepared mustard

Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, chop cauliflower into small pieces. Heat oil in a saucepan and add onion and cauliflower. Saute for a couple minutes.

Drain pasta. In the pasta pot, combine remaining ingredients and heat over medium. Stir constantly until it becomes a cheesy sauce.

Add pasta and cauliflower mixture to sauce and toss. Serve warm.

I'm a big pasta lover so I really enjoyed this dish. Plus my family all ate it too, veggies and all!

Enjoy!

Rolo Brownies

Happy 4th of July! Instead of making a red white and blue dessert, I opted for brownies. I found this recipe from My Baking Addiction and I just had to try it. I mean, come on: caramel, peanut butter, and chocolate. How could that not be good? This is a new favorite for my family.

Rolo Brownies

1 devil's food cake mix

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

1/3 c. evaporated milk

30-40 rolo candies

10 reeses miniatures, quartered

Mix cake mix, butter and evaporated milk to form a stiff dough.

Press half of the dough into a greased 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.

Top with rolos and reeses.

Top candy with the rest of the dough. (I just pieced it together.)

Bake again for 20 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Enjoy!