Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Coffee Cake

I wanted to try something new for dessert. This amazing recipe was on allrecipes.com and it was easy enough that I already had all the ingredients! I didn't put the walnuts in it because my husband doesn't love that in his desserts, but I'm sure it would be just as tasty with the walnuts!

What you need:

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 eggs

Filling:

1 tbs. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 inch bundt pan.

Cream butter, add sugar and cream together. Add eggs one at a time mixing well in between each. Add sour cream and beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder; mix well. Mix in vanilla and walnuts.

Mix the filling ingredients (sugar and cinnamon).

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture. I took a small spatuala and kind of swirled the cinnamon into the batter and kept adding the cinnamon until it was all in the pan. Cover with remaining cake batter.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for additional 30-40 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if its done. Toothpick should come out clean.

Finally I put a frosting ontop of the cake.

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix frosting ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over cake!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm not quite sure where this cookie recipe originated. All I know is that my family has been making it ever since I was little. These cookies are great fresh out of the oven or even frozen in the freezer. I know that sounds weird to eat a frozen cookie, but don't frown on something you haven't tried!

What you need:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 cups flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 Bag Milk Chocolate Chips (Guittard is my favorite brand)

In a mixing bowl beat until creamed 1 cup of butter (softened in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds).

Add: sugar and brown sugar; mix

Add: vanilla, eggs, and salt; mix

Add: baking soda, flour, oatmeal, and chocolate chips; mix

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes (until cookies are slightly browned on top)

Harvest Spring Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts

I found this salad in the Costco in the kitchen cookbook. It is super easy to make and goes well with any dinner. The poppyseed dressing comes from my family though. We make it for almost all fruity salads that contain raspberries or strawberries.

What you need:

1 large container of Fresh Spring salad mix

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup feta cheese

Dressing:

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

1 1/2 tbs. minced onion

1 1/2 tbs. poppyseeds

In a large bowl, combine spring mix, walnuts, dried cranberries, and feta cheese.

To prepare dressing , combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix well.

Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Rolls

One of my favorite things about eating Sunday dinner at my parents house is the homemade rolls that my dad makes! They seriously melt in your mouth! My parents were kind enough to share this wonderful recipe with me and now im going to share it with you!

What you need:

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 tbs. (or 1 package) active dry yeast

1 cup unseasoned lukewarm mashed potatoes (made from instant is fine)

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. salt

6 cups flour

Disssovle yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Stir in potatoes, sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour. Dump onto floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in bowl and cover. Let it rise in a warm place until double in sixe, 1 to 2 hours.

When ready to use, punch dough down and divide into 3 equal parts. Shape into any type of roll you desire. For crescent rolls, roll one part at a time into a large circle about 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into 16 triangles, dip in melted butter, and place in a muffin tin or on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise in a warm place until double in size, 1 to 2 hours. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

White Chicken Chili

This is a recipe that I found on the food network the other day because I was dying to try something new. This recipe is courtesy of the Neelys whom I have watched on the food network a few times and have been impressed with what they were making. I didn't have all the ingredients so I improvised a bit. It was very tasty!
What you need:

2 (14.5 oz.) cans white beans ( I used Great Northern Beans)

1 tbs. Canola oil ( I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced

2 medium poblano peppers, chopped (I didn't have either peppers so I used serrano peppers)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbs. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander (didn't have any)

1 tsp. ancho chili powder ( I just used normal chili powder)

4 cups low- sodium chicken broth

2 limes, juice, plus lime wedges, for serving

1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Sour Cream for topping

Tortilla Chips, coursely crushed, for topping

Drain and rinse the canned white beans. In a medium bowl, mash half of the beans with a potato masher until chunky. Reserve the beans until needed.

Add the canola oil to a large Dutch oven ( I just used a small/ medium stock pot) and heat over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Add cumin, coriander, and chili powder and continue to saute for 1 more minute to toast the spices. Stir in the chicken stock, and lime juice (I added a drop of liquid smoke to give it a little more flavor) and bring to a simmer. Add the beans and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes.

After 20 minutes of simmering, taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary by adding more cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken and cilantro and simmer until heated through, about 5 more minutes. Serve the chili in individual bowls topped with a dollop of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and lime wedges!

Chili

My mom makes the best chili! I've been craving chili this whole week, so you can understand my excitment when my mom said she was making chili and that I could come help and have some! I wanted to share her recipe with all of you so that you can enjoy it as well!

What you need:

2-3 14oz. cans of red kidney beans

2 14oz. cans of pinto beans

1 8oz. can tomatoe paste

2 14 oz. cans tomatoe sauce

2-3 tbs. chili powder

2-3 tsp. cumin

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

2 16oz. Hamburger meat

1 16oz. Jimmy Dean Sausage

1/2 an onion, diced

Cook hamburger meat, sausage, and onion in a skillet on medium until meat is cooked. In a pot placed on low heat add red kidney beans and pinto beans with their juice. Add tomatoe paste and tomatoe sauce to the beans. Then add the meat. Mix together and then add chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Let cook on low heat for about two hours. Taste the sauce and if it needs more chili powder, cumin, and pepper then add it to make it taste right!

Serve it with sour cream, cheese, and your choice of tortilla chips!

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

This recipe is a little different from your normal banana bread, but it was super tasty! I got it from the epicurious recipe application on my phone. I just wanted to try something a little different and this did not disapoint!

What you need:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped

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

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9x5x2 1/2 inch pan. Whisk first four ingreadients in medium bowl to blend. Combine chocolate chips and walnuts in a small bowl; add 1 tbs. flour mixture and toss to coat.

Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat in flour mixture. Spoon 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of nut mixture. Spoon 1/3 of batter over. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture. Cover with remaining batter. Run knife through batter in a zigzag pattern.

Bake bread until tester inserted in center comes out clean. About 1 hour and 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool.