I love to bake and sweet treats are my favorite.  Cookies, cake, brownies, anything sweet and doughy is my kind of dessert (although I’m not gonna turn down fudge or anything either).  It’s been so hard not to take little snitches of the dough the last few months though!  Darn parasite.  I’m not usually terribly concerned about raw eggs, but while growing a person, I tend to be a little more cautious… So, it’s egg-free cookie dough to the rescue.  Egg-free recipes aren’t quite as good as regular cookie dough, in my opinion, but they come awfully close.  And when you haven’t had the real thing in months (and months and months), close enough is good enough. Especially, given the peace of mind that the little peanut is safe and sound.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com, but all the reviews were about the changes people had made to the original (you can find the original at the link above).  So, instead of trying the original – no need to beat a dead horse- I just took the basics and adapted my own recipe.  I tweaked it a couple times, but finally came up with this.  YUM!

– 1 1/2 cups Flour
– 3 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
– 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
– 1/2 cup Butter
– 1/2 tsp Salt
– 1 tsp Vanilla (I actually added closer to a tablespoon, but I like a strong vanilla favor.  A teaspoon is probably closer to what normal people like)
– 1/3 to 1/2 cup Milk
– 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
– Cream together butter and granulated sugar.  Add in brown sugar and flour.  Mix until combined, mixture will be crumbly.
– Add in salt and vanilla.
– Add 1/3 cup milk and mix well.  Add more milk if the dough is still dry.
– Add the chocolate chips.  Combine with a wooden spoon for best results.  I over-mixed one of my batches and it ended up being pretty sticky, so don’t mix excessively for a fluffier dough.
– Eat up!  I found this to be super tasty on graham crackers and in ice cream.  It made a good dip for apples too.

Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups of dough.  Freezes wonderfully for up to 3 months.
** Be aware, there may be a small danger to consuming raw flour.  Most flour is heat-treated, but check your choice of flour to be sure.  Eat at your own risk.

I did bake a few of these, in case you’re looking for an egg-free cookie recipe.  They turned out okay and tasted just fine.  Mr. Napping actually really liked them.  A lot.  However, I did add 1/2 tsp of baking soda so I wouldn’t end up with pancake flat cookies.  Bake at 350F for 7-10 mins.

Other egg-free cookie dough recipes you might want to try:
– Chocolate Chip Egg-free Cookie Dough recipe at Center Cut Cook
– Egg-free Sugar Cookie, Chocolate Chip, and Cake Batter recipes at Willow Bird Baking.

Amanda is back again to share a delicious recipe with us.  This would be great for a quick meal on a cold night.  So, here’s Amanda with all the details:

When it comes to making your average weeknight supper, there are two things I really like: I like meals that are easy & I like meals that are Mexican!  My husband & I are both big fans of Mexican meals & he says to me frequently, “it’s a good thing we both like Mexican food”, I guess that’s his nice way of saying I make it a lot. As much as we love enchiladas, loaded nachos & tacos {which, by the way, are my go-to staple for when I’ve forgotten to plan or simply don’t have much time to make supper}, it’s nice to mix things up a bit.  So I figured, why not combine two favorites: Mexican food & lasagna! Layered up, using tortillas as your “noodles”, this makes for a easy meal to throw together.  And, you can totally play with the ingredients to suit your family’s tastes.  For instance, our preference is to use flour tortillas, but we’ve used corn tortillas in the past & those are good, too.  Sometimes we add black beans or black olives if we’re in the mood.  You could also do a chicken version or make it spicier using hot peppers, there are a lot of possibilities, so have fun with it.  I’m sharing our favorite version today.

 Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef 1 medium onion, diced 1 small green pepper, diced 2 c. salsa 1 c. frozen corn 1 t. chili powder 1 t. cumin 1/2 t. garlic salt 4 large tortillas 24 oz container cottage cheese 2 heaping cups shredded cheddar Preheat oven to 375°. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef along with the onions & green peppers until there’s no more pink & the onions are translucent.  Drain off any excess fat & return to the skillet.  Put the skillet back on the stove over medium heat & add the salsa, corn & seasonings.  Combine & heat through. In a 9×13 baking dish, layer 1/3 of the beef mixture, followed by a layer of 1/2 of the tortillas {just make sure the layer mostly covers the dish}.  Then spread on 1/2 of the cottage cheese & sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.  Follow with another set of layers just like that.  Top with the remaining beef mixture & finish off with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.  Serve & enjoy! Some step by step photos…

This year for our Neighbor Gift, we have decided to do edible gifts.  As much as I would have loved to have been able to just purchase gifts, it wasn’t in the cards this year.  We visited several friends and family over Thanksgiving and, to save on postage, we delivered the gifts in person.  So, these needed to be done in time to deliver as we made our trip north (and a little east).  I made them up a couple days before we left and packaged them in some cute holiday tins for safe keeping and easy gifting.

In our circle of friends, we’re known for our talent in the kitchen and love of baking and cooking.  My inspiration has always been my sweet tooth.  I enjoyed eating these goodies as much (or more!) than I did making them.  Over the past several years, I have discovered and tweaked some of my favorite holiday recipes, adding a new one or two each year.  By now, I have a reliable stash of go-to recipes that I know will be a hit.  Three of the last five Christmases, I have been pregnant.  So, these recipes are still pretty easy without sacrificing delicious flavor.

My Favorite Holiday Treats (in no particular order):

1.  Cream Cheese Mints.  This was the first time I’d ever made these.  I found the recipe at Chocolate, Chocolate and More.  These are like butter mints, but better.  The recipe is super simple and everyone loves them.  They are pretty rich, so a few mints will go a long way.  That’s a good thing when you’re making goodies for a crowd.  This is a no-bake recipe with only three ingredients.  We’ve definitely added these to our holiday favorites.
2.  English Toffee Bites.  This was also the first time I made these.  It’s probably not the wisest move, to try a bunch of new recipes when you’re planning to give them as gifts.  Luckily, the recipes were all easy enough that all the goodies turned out delicious!  This recipe came from Shugary Sweets, with a couple tweaks.  I doubled the vanilla and left out the almonds.  I made mine in mini muffin tins, which made them a little bigger than “bite-size”, but I didn’t want to have to deal with cutting the toffee.  I would totally do it again.  Delicious and cute too.

3.  Super Simple Fudge.  This is a recipe I got from my grandma.  I always loved her fudge growing up.  And when I found out the recipe had three ingredients and is almost impossible to mess up, I loved it even more.  It always makes an appearance at our house during Christmastime.

4.  Peanut Butter Cup Bars.  I adapted this recipe back in February and have been using it ever since.  It’s one of our favorites and makes a bunch all at once.  Again, great for when you’re feeding a crowd.  I definitely think the presentation found in the original recipe from Fifteen Spatulas looks fabulous, so I may have to try this again in cup form this holiday season… we’ll see….

5.  This is just the simple fudge with walnuts on top.  Some times I like a little more to my fudge than just creamy smooth chocolate.
6.  This was another newbie this year… guess I was a little more adventurous than I realized with all the untested (by me) recipes.  However, all of these recipes were so awesomely easy that I had no problems with any of them.  They turned out great.  This recipe comes from Oh Nuts! and, to be totally honest, was probably my favorite of this goody tin.  They are just like a York patty.  Strong and refreshing.  I tried dipping the mints in melted chocolate chips and almond bark, as I was out of dipping wafers and there was no way I was going to haul my hooligans around Wal-Mart in my powdered sugar dusted sweatpants at 7:30 pm.  The almond bark definitely turned out better.  You can see the difference in the photo below.  I think I liked the flavor better even, but they for sure set up prettier.  I will be making these again… this year.  I could eat a whole batch by myself.

Honorable Mention:
Barely Stir Caramels.  I found this recipe about three years ago on Leafy Treetop Spot.  I was intrigued by the “barely-stir” in the title.  I remember watching my grandma make caramels one year and I swore I’d never bother with all that work.  I was intrigued enough to try it.  Although my first two attempts were total failures – think one huge brick of Worther’s Hard Caramels kind of failure and mushy sugar goo the next time – when I finally got it, these were amazing.  My biggest suggestion:  Use an accurate digital thermometer for this recipe.  Set it in and let it go.  Just check on it every few minutes.  It’s an easy recipe to multitask with (like when you’re making the fudge).  I actually made this for these tins, but I forgot how much volume the boiling caramel takes up and had to switch pans half way through, messing up the heating stage.  I got another huge hard caramel brick that wasn’t really fit for gifting.  So, if you try this recipe use a LARGE pot and you should be good to go.  I’ll have to make this again before Christmas though… in the right pot.  They are just too delicious to not actually get to eat any!  My failure shot:

Do you have any favorite Christmas goody recipes?

Hi! I’m Victoria from Creative Home Keeper and I’m thrilled to be posting for you today! Can you believe that Thanksgiving is on Thursday? And this also happens to mean that Friday is the official launch of the Christmas season too! Want a great snack to enjoy with your family for the holiday season? I’m so excited to be sharing with you one of my absolute favorite sweet and savory snacks, which is also a perfect snack to include in your holiday festivities this year too. Popcorn is one of my very favorite snacks. I love it, and I eat it all the time. Plus it is super easy to make too, just a few simple ingredients and a few minutes make a mouth watering, savory treat worthy of just more than movie night. Popcorn on the stove top popped in coconut oil is truly a decadent treat, in fact the coconut oil mixed with a little salt basically eliminates the need for adding melting butter (although I do occasionally because butter, in my opinion, is just about one of the greatest things ever!) While I love simple popcorn, I also love trying out different varieties and ingredients to make the popcorn an even better treat. Today I am sharing with you my favorite sweet and savory popcorn recipe which includes the best sweet combination, cinnamon and sugar. I have such found memories growing up of my mom making me buttered toast with a little sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. While I’m not much of a chocolate eater (I know, I know! but I do love M&Ms :)), my usual go-to sweet treats involve some sort of cinnamon and sugar combination. It just feels like home. On a whim one day I decided to try out adding some cinnamon and sugar to my popcorn and oh my! It is a delicious combination. Ready for the recipe? Alright here we go… Sweet and Savory Cinnamon Popcorn

 

• 3 TBSP oil (I use coconut oil, and don’t worry it won’t leave your popcorn tasting like coconuts!)
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 2 TBSP butter, melted (you can omit this, but if helps the cinnamon and sugar coat better, plus it is delicious!)
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 TSP cinnamon
• 1/4 TSP salt

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pot. Add the kernels and cover with a lid. For best results, leave the lid slightly ajar to let a little stem escape. Also shake the pot once or twice while the kernels are popping.

 

As the popping slows to about 2 to 3 seconds apart, remove the pot from the heat.

 

 

Thanks, Victoria!  That sounds delish!  I will definitely have to try that this holiday season.  Check out more from Victoria at Creative Home Keeper!

Julie from Our Thrive Life is back and has a great recipe to share for Thanksgiving. So, let’s get right to this!

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away! I know, right?! Where has the year gone? I absolutely love the holiday season. Especially the yummy, delicious not-good-for-my-diet foods that seem to abound. I won’t lie – this recipe is not easy on the calories which is why it’s perfect for this time of year. Save it as a special occasion recipe. When I was sharing the ingredient list with my husband he gasped and said ‘Well, of course it’s so good’. It’s true you can’t go wrong when combining this much calorie-rich goodness. And the best part? You can make it ahead. Yep a day or two ahead! The potatoes! Awesome, huh? One less thing on your big Turkey Day to-do list which means more time with family.

Make Ahead Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

8-10 large russet potatoes
3/4 cube (6T) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook potatoes in lightly salted water until tender. Add 1/2 potatoes, 1/2 butter, 1/2 Parmesan, 1/2 cream cheese, 1/2 sour cream to mixer and whip until light and fluffy. (Don’t over do it…don’t want gummy potatoes!) Repeat with remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Grease crock pot and sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese around the sides and bottom. Pour in potatoes. Dot with butter (I do very minimal) and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Store in the fridge up to 48 hours.
Heat in crock pot on low for 2-3 hours, ready just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Credit for this delicious recipe goes to my friend Jenn over at The Essential Homemaker. We’re friends (and family) in real life. She is fabulous at just about everything and has so many great recipes and tricks for in the kitchen. She is my go-to girl and maybe can be yours too! Be sure to check out her blog and show her some love.