The Supermom Chef

Just reading the title of this recipe makes my mouth water. Toffee? Apples? Blondies? Oh Em Gee are these ever so delicious! When I first saw this recipe it was one of those that I knew I just had to make soon, and I did…about 5 minutes later. It was a Sunday afternoon, and a day when I usually don’t do much cooking (other than dinner) because it’s a day I usually set aside just for spending time with my kids and hubby. But after seeing this recipe nothing was going to stop me from making it. And what kind of mother would sit on a couch all afternoon when there are no sweet homemade goodies in the kitchen for my youngins to snack on?

When I made these I had to taste the bars alone before frosting them, and of course again afterwards with the frosting. In my opinion they were delicious alone (without the frosting) and to be completely honest, the frosting was a little sweet for me. And that means it must be really sweet because I’ve yet to meet a dessert that I’ve ever referred to as “too sweet”. I think that I would like the dessert with the frosting much better if it had about half as much of it on the top so the next time I make these I’ll probably half the frosting. On the other hand, though, my parents said that these blondies were just perfect as is so whatever floats your boat! All I know for sure is that you should make these blondies soon, trust me your taste buds will thank you.

Toffee Apple Blondies

2/3 cup butter, at room temperature

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup peeled, chopped tart apple (1 large – I grated mine instead of chopping it and used Fuji because it’s what I had on hand)

1/2 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9×13″ baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Cream butter and brown sugar in mixer until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on medium until combined. On low, add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix until just combined. Stir in chopped (or grated) apple and toffee bits until evenly distributed. Spread mixture in prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until the center is set. Let cool completely before slicing or frosting.

Brown Sugar Frosting

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add brown sugar and milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; allow to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar and allow mixture to cool until it thickens enough to spread (mine never fully thickened so I just poured it over and spread it out). Allow frosting to set for 30 minutes and then cut into bars.

Recipe from: http://cookiesandcups.com/apple-toffee-blondies/

Please forgive me, but I’m going to do it again. I’m passing you all another muffin recipe that is pretty much just an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. Chocolate is good for you, though, right? At least that’s what I’ve read (I throw away the magazines that say otherwise, don’t you?). Those are the kind of magazine articles I actually like to read.

So if you are one of those picky moms that feeds your kids nothing but sprouts and granola, you might wanna just skip this recipe. Heck, who am I kidding? You may as well skip my whole blog (LOL!) but for the others of you that think chocolate for breakfast is your idea of wonderful, read on because these babies are gonna knock your socks off!

And I’m only teasing about the granola and sprouts thing…I happen to like both, but I just prefer chocolate. 😉

Double Chocolate Buttermilk Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (lowfat works great)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, buttermilk, butter and vanilla. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix lightly, just until combined (it may still be a little lumpy). Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon into the muffin tins (I use a 1/4 cup ice cream/cookie dough scoop) lined with paper muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. Cool completely and store in a paper bag until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from: http://food-4-my-soul.blogspot.com/2007/08/buttermilk-double-chocolate-muffins.html

I know, I know…everyone already has a recipe for Taco Soup in their favorite recipe book. But mine is probably different. We’ve discussed my hubby’s pickiness before. Sometimes I feel like just walking away and not fixing my picky eaters anything at all! Making taco soup in my house used to involve making three different pots of soup…one for me (I like everything), one for the kid who doesn’t like corn, and one for the hubby who doesn’t like beans. Needless to say, I got tired of all that washing and came up with a version that we can all agree it. Is it traditional? HEEEECCCCKKKK NO! But you know what, fixing one pot (even if it’s not the way that I prefer it to be made) is easier than three different pots. So here’s our family’s mish-mash, thrown-together, not-traditional-at-all version of the ever popular soup.

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 cups chicken or beef broth

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 (15 oz) can sliced or diced potatoes, drained

1 packet taco seasoning (we prefer Old El Paso brand)

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown ground beef; add onion and garlic, cooking until onion is translucent. Drain and return to pan. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until heated through. Serve with desired toppings such as sour cream, sliced green onions, tortilla chips, corn chips, and shredded cheese.

 Why do they do this to me? Design all of those cutesy displays and fill row after row with all different kinds of candy? Oh and what’s that you say? These big bags of yummy candy deliciousness are on sale for 2/$5? Well in that case, I’ll take two of every bag you sell thankyouverymuch. Please tell me that I’m not the only pig that sees these bright and colorful bags full of candy and can’t resist them. Please! Every year I buy bag after bag saying, “I’ll get these now and put them up until Halloween so I won’t have to buy any then.” YEAH RIGHT! Like that’s gonna happen. I can’t resist those bags full of chocolate in my cabinet nor can my kids.

Okay, so now that all of you know I’m a fatty that just can’t so no to a cute bag of candy we can move on to a recipe that puts to use all of those candies. Snickers are one of my favorites. Oh, and Pay Days…can’t forget Baby Ruth…or Reese’s (who doesn’t like Reese’s for crying out loud?)…well, you get the point…let’s get back on track here. So since I had two bags of Snickers on hand I decided to make an old recipe that my mom shared with me. Someone (although we can’t remember who) shared this recipe with her when my brother had his senior party back in ’99 and brought these bar treats. That’s how long we’ve been making them and I tell ‘ya, they are so yummy and easy that I don’t think I’ll ever stop making them.

So put all of that good Halloween candy you’ve bought to good use and make some of these bars. You know it won’t last until Halloween at your house either!

Peanut Butter Snickers Bars

1 roll peanut butter cookie dough, softened

10-15 fun size Snickers candy bars, chopped into bite size pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press the softened cookie dough into a 9×13″ baking dish. Top with chopped candy bars. Bake until golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Wow, can you believe it’s been a full year of wonderful recipes? I can’t, it seems like just yesterday I was sitting with my hubby talking about possibly starting my own recipe blog. I wonder how many dishes I’ve washed over the last year while preparing recipes for this blog? About 3 gazillion five hundred million three hundred forty five thousand six hundred eighty two. Well, it was actually more than that but that’s about where I lost count.

So, after a year of posting recipes I sure hope that all of you folks out there are finding them useful. If you are, please leave me a comment with a little blog love to let me know. I’d hate to be washing all those dishes for nothing, ya know?

I’ll bet you are here today for yet another recipe too, right? Yep, I thought so. Well since my hubby’s favorite combination of flavors is sweet mixed with salty, I’ll post a recipe today in his honor. If you are feeling a little frisky, eat a handful of peanuts and candy corn all in one bite. Oddly, it tastes almost just like a Pay Day candybar. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love those?

P.S. If you don’t like Pay Days, DO NOT tell me you don’t because I will have to forcefully block you from this blog because not liking Pay Days just makes you a freak! I’m only kidding…but really, you aren’t right if you don’t like them! 😉

*hand slap* Back off! Go make your own, this bowl is all mine!

Sweet & Salty Snack Mix

2 cups candy corn

2 cups salted cocktail peanuts

Mix both together in a large bowl; store in a zip-top plastic bag until ready to serve.

This is yet another recipe from my sweet, sweet Mae Mae. She used to go through phases with these potatoes (actually, with every recipe she used). She’d make them over and over for a while and then go for months without making them. It’s like she’d forget about them and then once she remembered them she’d make them all the time for a while. Looking back, if I had to guess it was probably because she got certain things on sale and would make sure to use up all the items she bought before she’d move on to the next recipe and sale. I could be completely off base with that guess, but knowing her that was the real reason. These are simple to make and only require a few ingredients so they are perfect for a weeknight. My kids love them, which is always a huge plus for me. If it’s something my kids will eat, I’ll most likely make it often just to make them happy.

Mae Mae’s Sliced Potatoes

potatoes, whatever kind you have on hand (I used about 6 small russets)

1 packet dry Ranch or Italian dressing mix

1/2 stick butter or margarine, cubed into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wash, rinse, and peel potatoes. Slice potatoes thinly, making sure to keep all slices approximately the same size (I use a mandoline for this to make it easier). Spray a glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Line the dish with the potatoes in layers, sprinkling each layer with the seasoning mix. Top the potatoes with the cubed butter. Bake, covered with foil, until the potatoes are tender (the amount of time will depend on how thick/thin you slice your potatoes).

Being that I am a stay-at-home-mom, I very rarely get to go outside of the house for a meal. Which completely okay by me, because I could survive on these wraps alone. I kid you not, they are that good. I usually make up the filling for these wraps (corn, black beans, chicken, rice) on a Monday and simply pull out enough for one wrap each day during the week. Heat up the filling while your tortilla is warming, fill it up, top as desired and lunch is served! To make things even better, my kids love these too. I’ve even gotten my hubby addicted to them and he now requests them pretty regularly for dinner as well. I’ve even eaten them for both lunch and dinner in the same day and they never get old. One night before we left for Boston a couple months ago, my mother and father-in-law happened to be visiting us and we warmed these up for dinner. They raved over how good they were and couldn’t believe how easy it was to just warm them up. My personal favorite way to top these is with a little shredded iceburg lettuce, some chopped tomatoes, and ranch dressing. You feel free to top them however you prefer though…you really can’t go wrong!

Nothing beats an easy meal on those nights when you just don’t feel at all like cooking. And with three small kids, I have those days pretty often. So make these soon if you feel as exhausted as I do on a daily basis.

Southwest Chicken Wraps

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

olive oil, for brushing chicken

salt & pepper, for sprinkling chicken

1 cup long grain white rice

BBQ rub, to taste

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 can black beans, rinsed & drained (or more, if desired)

tortillas

toppings of your choice (salsa, sour cream, cheese, ranch dressing)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare chicken by cutting off all visible skin and fat. Place in a baking dish, and spread the olive oil lightly on the chicken. Sprinkle generously with BBQ rub, salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 13 minutes on one side, flip and bake for another 13 minutes. Remove from oven and cube into 1/2″ pieces. Meanwhile, cook rice according to your preference (I use a rice cooker), making sure to salt rice before cooking. Sprinkle rice generously with BBQ rub while still warm. Mix together corn, black beans, chicken, and rice. Warm tortillas and fill with chicken filling. Top as desired. Roll up, burrito style and serve warm with your favorite chips.

This dip dates way back, to my high school days! Well, to be honest it’s not actually that far in the real stretch of a life’s time (graduated 11 years ago) but you know what I mean. To have someone give you a recipe that you are still making years later means it must really be a good one. And this is one of those. My mom used to always help out for school dances with snacks and such as needed, and this was one of the recipes she always made to serve. I’m not even sure who the original recipe came from, but I know that it was always a favorite of everyone. At least of those brave enough to actually eat on a date, which was not me. Why on earth were we so silly back then anyway? Like our dates thought that since we wouldn’t eat in front of them, maybe they assumed we didn’t eat at all. Teenagers! That’s about all you can say about that. Now I have to go listen to “Brown Eyed Girl” real quick because I’m feeling all nostalgic and never once do I remember a school dance where that song wasn’t played. Ahhhh, the memories!

P.S. This photo was taken super quick before one of my children’s birthday parties so please excuse the technical flaws. I know all of you moms will understand!

Shrimp Dip

2 cups mayonnaise

1 small bunch green onions, chopped

1 can petite shrimp, drained

Mix all ingredients well; store in refrigerator until ready to serve. This dip is best prepared a day in advance to allow the shrimp time to flavor the mayonnaise.

If you follow my blog regularly you may remember reading about our family’s many trips to Boston for my son’s surgeries (he’s had 18 of them now). While he is in the hospital, we have very limited access to restaurants. There are a few right around the hospital, and of course the cafeteria inside the hospital (bleh!), but you get sick of them quite quickly. But there is this one coffee shop that I can always depend on to have my most favorite chocolate chip muffin, that is if you get there early enough to get one before they sell out of them. They are the biggest muffins I’ve ever seen, and they are so absolutely delicious that I just cannot resist them. I usually stop by early enough to get one and much on it all throughout the day. The muffin top is my absolute favorite part of the muffin, I treasure each and every bite until it’s gone.

So because I have yet to find a muffin locally that even compares to the deliciousness contained in this one that I speak of, I am on a mission to try to make myself some here at home. These muffins are so good that my kids couldn’t keep their hands off of them! My 5 year old in particular was very fond of them. She would have one every day before and after school until they were all gone. Not much in this world makes me as happy as my picky-eater kids enjoying my cooking!

Isn’t she the cutest? I could stare at this face all day long!

But don’t try to take this girl’s muffin! She is serious about her food!

Make sure to shove it all in and not lose a single crumb. 😉

That’s the sight of a happy girl. Yep, yep it is!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup mini chocolate chip morsels

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners; set pan aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, stir together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well combined. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, gently stirring until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin cups (I used a cookie scoop). Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack; serve warm or room temperature.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/chocolate-chip-muffins/

Ahhhh, finally fall! Although fall in Mississippi simply means we aren’t in the triple digit temps anymore. I’d love it if it would cool down even more than it already has, around 72 all day everyday would be about perfect for me. Seeing as how that’s not going to happen though (*sigh*), I choose to pretend it’s already fall and hit the kitchen baking lots of fall goodies in preparation for the cooler weather.

Nothing says fall like pumpkin, right? And with school back in session and lots of hungry kids around, these muffins are just the ticket. It only requires three ingredients, one of which I know you have on hand. Well, that’s only true if you paid your water bill so let’s hope that you did. The other two ingredients are pretty dang cheap and easy enough to get your hands on. These come together super easy so they’re even okay for a weekday morning before school, or are perfect for an after school snack. They aren’t that bad for you either, which makes it okay for even dieters to eat also (matter of fact, I got this recipe from a friend when I was doing a diet a few years ago and ate them regularly back then). So basically, you’re out of excuses NOT to make these.

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

1 box spice cake mix

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together until fully combined. Pour into greased baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.