Caramel Brownies

Delicious and so easy.  It uses a boxed mix (shhhhh..)!  I found this recipe here.


All you need is:


1 box of your favorite brownie mix (I like the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie)

25 Dove Caramel- Milk Chocolate candies (unwrapped)- or use another chocolate covered caramel candy

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to whatever it says on your brownie mix box (325 degrees F for Ghirardelli). Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper, letting it come up and over the sides. Spray the parchment with nonstick spray too.

2. In a large bowl, prepare your brownie batter as directed on the box. Spread 1/2 of the brownie batter into your prepared pan. Place the chocolate-covered caramels on top in 5 rows of 5. Spoon the remaining brownie batter on top and spread to cover.

3. Bake the brownies as directed on your brownie mix box for a 9x9-inch pan.

4. Let the brownies cool completely and then gently lift the parchment paper and brownies out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve!

The last picture isn't the best, but you had to see the ooey gooey goodness of the caramel!!

Mmmm...

Hope you had a wonderful week-end!

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

We wanted a great recipe for a lazy Sunday and found this slow cooker recipe here.  You should check out Six Sisters' Stuff, they have a lot of great recipes!

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (could also use olive oil or canola oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional - doesn't really add heat, just adds more flavor)
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

Directions: 
Season both sides of chicken lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

This one is a keeper!!

Spinach and Cheese Strata

The pictures don't do it justice, you'll have to trust me when I say that this is a beautiful, snowy Sunday morning.  Just the kind of morning for a nice hot breakfast casserole.  So glad that I put it together last night to bake up this morning!!

Found the recipe here and knew I had to try it!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1½ cups onion, finely chopped
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tsp. salt, divided
½ tsp. pepper, divided
Dash freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 oz. coarsely grated Gruyere (about 2 cups)
2 oz. finely grated Parmesan (about 2/3 cup)
9 large eggs
2¾ cup milk

Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions to the pan and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add ½ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, and the nutmeg, and continue to cook for 1 minute more.  Stir in the spinach, remove from the heat and set aside.

Butter the inside of a 2½-3 quart baking dish.  Layer the bottom of the dish with one third of the bread cubes.  Top with one third of the spinach mixture and one third of each of the cheeses.  Repeat these layers twice more with the bread, spinach and cheese.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, the remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.  Whisk together until blended.  Pour the mixture evenly over the bread and spinach layered in the baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 1 day.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Bake uncovered until puffed, golden brown and cooked through, 45-55 minutes.  Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Viola!  The perfect start to our day!

Diaper Cake

I had seen so many different variations of diaper cakes on the internet and vowed that one day I would make one.  This past Fall, I co-hosted a baby shower and had the opportunity I'd waited for, so I gathered diapers and other supplies and began assembly (and reassembly)!  We knew the guest of honor was expecting a girl, so this diaper cake was made in shades of pink for the future princess.  I used no glue or tape in the construction of this cake and all items are "baby ready" and completely unharmed.

First, I lined a large plastic platter with 10 bibs.

Next, I used a bottle as the "foundation" and added the layers around the bottle.  The first layer consisted of 5 receiving blankets.  The next layer were the diapers.  Each diaper was individually rolled and held in place by a small, clear rubber bands.  I used a large rubber band to hold the row of diapers in place.

I added 2 more rows of diapers to complete the bottom tier.

The next tier began with towels and infant gowns wound around each other to create the "core".  This level was topped with a smaller row of infant sleepers rolled up tightly.

Next, the remaining three tiers of diapers were added.

Finally, the fun part... adding the "icing" to the cake.  Each tier has a ribbon around it.  Into the ribbon I tucked rosettes made from socks and washcloths, baby powder, baby shampoo, pacifiers, stuffed toys, rattles and teethers.

The finished product...

All in all, I'd classify this project as a success!!