Mozzarella Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Italian or wheat bread slices
ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
tomato, sliced thin
pesto
butter

On each slice of bread, spread a thin layer of pesto. Lay mozzarella and tomato slices. Sandwich another slice of bread of top. Butter both sides and brown in skillet. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

3 cartons cherry tomatoes
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2 T butter
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bunch torn basil leaves
1/2 c. heavy cream

On a roasting pan, coat cherry tomatoes with 2 T olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes at 400 degrees, turning every so often. In pot, melt butter and 1 T olive oil. Saute onion for a few minutes until tender, then add garlic for another minute. Add can of tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, broth, thyme, and basil. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about 45 minutes partially covered, stirring every now and then. With an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Stir in heavy cream. Serve with croutons, crackers, or my favorite- a simple grilled cheese sandwich!

TexMex Dip

2 cans TexMex corn, drained
1 can chopped green chilis
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sour cream
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Chill until serving time. Serve with Frito's.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
1 T salt
1 1/2 c. half and half
5 cloves garlic
1 c. shredded Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper

Scrub potatoes in water. Peel and cut into same-sized cubes. In large pot, put potatoes and salt in then cover with water. Bring to a boil until potatoes are fork tender. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring half and half to a simmer and grate in garlic cloves. Drain water out of pot, mash potatoes and stir in half and half/garlic mixture until creamy. Use a little at a time until it is to desired consistency. Stir in cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala

4 chicken breasts
olive oil

Spice Rub for Chicken:
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp each of pepper, thyme, oregano
1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder

Sauce:
1/3 c. butter
4 oz. diced pancetta
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. canned mushrooms, drained
1/4 c. dry marsala wine
1 c. chicken broth
1 T corn starch
2 T water
1/4 c. heavy cream

Butterfly chicken breasts with sharp knife then pound thin with mallet. In skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Mix all spices together in small bowl. Coat spice rub evenly over tops and bottoms of chicken. Brown chicken in skillet until browned on both sides. It does not have to get done all the way through. Take chicken out of skillet.

Lower heat for skillet and melt butter. Cook pancetta for a few minutes in butter then add shallot, garlic, and mushrooms in and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Pour in marsala wine and let it cook for a little bit- about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and let cook for about 10 more minutes. In small bowl, mix corn starch and water together. Pour into sauce to thicken it up a little. Stir while pouring it in so sauce will not stick to bottom. Stir in heavy cream. Put chicken back into skillet and cover with sauce. Let it cook for a little longer until chicken is done in middle. (If you won't be eating for a little while and you need to keep it warm in the oven at about 275 degrees, just put the chicken into a pan and pour sauce over.) Serve over garlic mashed potatoes.

Football Cakepops

I made these for a Super Bowl party I went to. They turned out very cute!


1 box chocolate cake mix (plus ingredients on box)
1 container cream cheese frosting
2 bags dark chocolate melts
few T vegetable oil
1 bag white chocolate melts
lollipop sticks

Start this one or two days before you need them. I make the cake and roll the balls a day or two ahead of time. Store them in refrigerator.

Bake cake in sheet pan according to directions. Once baked and cooled, crumble cake up very finely with hands in a big bowl. Stir in 3/4 container cream cheese frosting until all is well incorporated. Using hands, roll balls into football shapes.

Next day, melt dark chocolate in microwave for about 30 second intervals. Stirring in between. Stir in 1 T oil until it is smooth and sipping consistency. Pour into a narrow cup or container so you can dip cake pops in one motion without having to swirl around to coat. Once ready, dip a lollipop stick about an inch into chocolate then stick a football on it. This will keep the cake pop from sliding down stick. Then dip whole cake pop in cup with melted chocolate. Raise up then spin cake pop slowly around so that excess chocolate can drip off. Stick cake pop in Styrofoam so chocolate can harden. Once all cake pops are complete, pipe on melted white chocolate using a very small tip for the stitches on football. Arrange in a basket or a creative display.

Try not to let cake pops become too warm. If you need to, keep sticking cake pops into freezer or fridge to harden up a bit or work in small batches at a time.

Chocolate Cupcake topped with Peanut Butter Frosting dipped in Chocolate Ganache

This is a better chocolate peanut butter cupcake.

1 box triple fudge cake mix box (plus ingredients to make)
1 stick softened butter
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 c. confectioners sugar
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate squares
half and half (about 4 tablespoons)
6 Resse's Cups, chopped (for garnish)

Make cupcakes according to box directions. Fill liners up about 2/3 full then bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Frosting: With an electric mixer, cream together butter and peanut butter. Add in a little confectioners sugar at a time. Using a Wilton 230 tip, pipe some frosting in the middle of the cupcake. Then using another type of circular tip, pipe frosting on top of cupcake. Put cupcakes in freezer about 5-10 minutes so frosting can harden a bit before dipping it into the ganache.

Ganache: Make a double broiler using a sauce pan filled with an inch or two of water and a glass bowl then fits a little into the saucepan. Cut up the chocolate squares into little pieces so it will melt faster. Boil water, then put chocolate into bowl on top. Let it start to melt and add in a little half and half at a time until it is melted to desired dipping consistency.

Dip cupcakes into ganache so that most of frosting is covered. Leave a little showing. Sprinkle on chopped Reese's cup right after dipping.