Homemade Kit Kat Bars

I got this recipe off of one of my mom forums... I wouldn't say they tasted like a Kit Kat bar per se, but they were really good. Especially if you like the sweet/ salty type of treat.

Homemade Kit Kat Bars

60-80 buttery rectangular crackers (I used Saltine crackers)

Filling:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/3 cup milk

Topping:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used all semisweet chocolate chips, but added about 1 Tablespoon of light corn syrup)
 3/4 cup peanut butter

1. Put graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, white sugar, butter and milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.

2. Spray pan with oil spray. Put a layer of whole crackers in a 9x13 inch pan and pour 1/2 of the graham cracker crumb mixture over it. Put another layer of crackers and pour the remaining mixture. Add last row of crackers. Note: Press down after each cracker layer.

3. To Make Topping: Melt over low heat the milk chocolate chips, chocolate chips, and peanut butter. Melt at low heat and spread over the top.

4. Cut into thin strips or bars for serving.

Layer the crackers

this is the filling. Make sure to let it boil for the full 5 minutes

Spread 1/2 the filling over the crackers, repeat the layers.

Make sure to press the crackers down so that the filling comes up through the holes.

Melting the chocolate and peanut butter together.

Andes Mint Chocolate Cake

I have some family members that are crazy about mint chocolate stuff, so I made this for a family gathering.

Andes Mint Chocolate Cake

1 chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 (3.9-ounce) package chocolate instant pudding mix

1 cup oil

4 large eggs

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract
 
Andes Mint candies, chopped (how many is your preference)
 
Heavily grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.




Combine first 7 (and about 1/2 - 1 cup of chopped Andes candies) ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer just until combined. Beat at high speed 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan.



Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool on wire rack. Place on serving plate, frost and sprinkle on Andes candies.

For the frosting I just mixed in 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract into a can of frosting and added some green food coloring.

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

another Kraft Foods recipe

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

 1-1/4 cups Mozzarella Cheese, divided

6 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness

 1 egg

 10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

 1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella and 3 Tbsp. Parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.

BEAT egg in shallow dish. Mix remaining Parmesan and cracker crumbs in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.



BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella.

Easy Garlic-Cheese Biscuits

From Betty Crocker cookbook. I needed something QUICK to make with some chili, so I gave these a try and ended up loving them, and next time I'd actually follow the directions and make them smaller.

Easy Garlic-Cheese Biscuits

2 c Bisquick

2/3 c Milk

1/2 shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 Butter (I used Olive Oil)

1/4 t Garlic Powder (I added some garlic salt too)

Mix for 30 seconds, drop onto a cookie sheet, bake for 8-10 minutes at 450

Mix everything in a bowl and stir for 30 seconds

Drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Oops. This size works, but you might like them better smaller.

Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes.

Rum Cake

I've been wanting to make a rum cake for some time now, so I finally got around to making one!

Rum Cake

2/3 c chopped pecans

1 pkg of yellow cake mix

1 pkg of vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1 c water

1/2 c butter, soft

2 T Rum extract (or 1/2 c rum)

Glaze

1/4 c butter

1/2 c brown sugar

3 T water

1/2 t rum extract (or 2 T rum)

Oven 325. Bake for 45-60 minutes

Grease and flour your pan, pour the chopped nuts in the bottom.

Mix cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, butter and rum together and pour batter in pan over the nuts. Bake in the oven at 325 for 45-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For the glaze, mix ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and let boil for a minute

When cake is done cooking and has cooled for a few minutes, transfer out of pan. Prick with a fork and brush glaze over the cake.

Let it finish cooling and eat!

Gingersnaps

Ah, ONE of my favorite cookies. I like my gingersnaps on the softer side, and you can't tell from that picture, but these are soft.  Low fat too, but who's worried about that. ;o) These are from Betty, Betty Crocker.

Gingersnaps

1 c packed Brown Sugar

3/4 c Shortening

1/4 c Molasses

1 Egg

2-1/4 c Flour

2 t Baking Soda

1 t Cinnamon

1 t Ginger, ground

1 t Cloves, ground

1/4 t Salt

Granulated Sugar

Heat oven to 375.

Beat all ingredients together except the Granulated Sugar

Spoon out balls

and roll in the sugar

Place them on a cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes. FYI: Don't put them this close together if you want your cookies round and pretty. :o)

If you want them to look more like this, make sure you add the right amount of flour...which in some cases means you need to add more than the recipe calls for.

Pasta E Fagoli

***Edit***
I decided that since this was the first recipe I ever posted here that it deserved a reposting with pictures. In these pictures I cooked this in the crockpot and used partially frozen ground beef, so just know that you have that option too (of not browning the meat). I also used my own spaghetti sauce made out of tomato paste, v8 juice, and spices, and it still tasted good!  ;o)
Here is the recipe for Pasta e Fagoli. It's supposed to be a copycat of the soup at Olive Garden, but I've never had it so I can't tell you how it compares. I just think this stuff is pretty good! It makes quite a bit so either have it for guests or freeze. :-)

Pasta e Fagoli (makes about 6 quarts)

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/2 of a small 1 lb. bag of baby carrots, chopped
5 stalks of celery, diced
2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 (32 oz.) carton + 1 (14.5 oz.) can of beef broth (If you like a more brothy soup add more, I made up about 50 oz of broth.)
1 1/2 tsp oregano
11/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped (I used dry)
3/4 tsp tabasco sauce
1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup dry small pasta (such as ditalini or elbow macaroni)
salt to taste


Brown ground beef. Drain if necessary. Add onion, carrot, celery and diced tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes. Add beans, beef broth, oregano, pepper, parsley, tabasco sauce and spaghetti sauce.Simmer soup on low for about 30-45 minutes until carrots are almost tender.Add pasta to pot and simmer on low for about 15-30 minutes until pasta is just shy of al dente. As the soup cools, the pasta will absorb the broth. You can cook the pasta separate and add it to the soup after the soup has cooled.
(I browned the meat, pureed the onion and celery and added everything but the noodles and put it in a crockpot. Added the noodles to the crockpot about an hour before eating.)

All ingredients in the crockpot except noodles, cook for atleast 4-5 hours

Add the noodles about 1/2 hr to an hour before eating.

Banana Sour Cream Muffins

Ok, ok...I wasn't going to post anymore banana bread/ muffin type things on here anymore, since I have plenty. I thought these were pretty tasty though, and had to share. Since I wasn't planning on posting it, I didn't take pictures other than the final product and I can't remember how many it made...

Banana Sour Cream Muffins

1/4 c butter

1-1/2 c brown sugar

2 eggs

3-4 mashed bananas

1 c sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 t soda

2-1/4 c flour

1 c chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes

Peanut Butter Crunch Cheesecake Squares

This was in one of the latest Family Circle magazines. Cheesecake and Butterfingers! I had to give it a try.

Peanut Butter Crunch Cheesecake Squares

Crust:

1/2 c flour

1/4 c chopped Pecans

3 T brown sugar

3 T melted butter

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 c sugar

1 egg

1 T lemon juice

3/4 t vanilla extract

12 fun size Butterfingers, coursely chopped (or 5-6 smaller sized)*

5 fun size Butterfingers, finely chopped (or 2-3 smaller sized)

Heat oven to 350. Line a 8x8" pan with foil and hang over the sides. Mix the crust together and press into the bottom of pan. Bake for about 15 minutes and then turn the oven down to 325.

*I just bought the fun pack I think it's called, and it has 8 small sized bars and just used those. They are usually only about $1

crust

cream together cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and lemon juice

chop up the Butterfingers

add 3/4 c chopped Butterfinger to the filling

Pour filling over crust and bake at 325 for 25 minutes.

Sprinkle on the finely chopped Butterfingers after pulling it out of the oven

let cool and then cut into squares. Refrigerate until serving.