Oreo Truffles

These delightful little bites of goodness have been called lots of things: Oreo Balls, Deer Poop, Etc. Not wanting to associate things that taste so good with Poop, I call them Oreo Truffles. I had these for the first time at a party and I found myself begging the maker of these for the recipe so I could feed my new found addiction.



Oreo Truffles

2 Packages (8 oz each) Cream Cheese, Softened
1 Package Oreo Cookies, finely crushed
2 Packages (16 Squares Total) Semi-Sweet Almond Bark, Melted

Instructions

1) Mix Crushed Cookies and Cream Cheese until well blended

2) Shape into 1-inch Balls (approximately 48). Refrigerate balls for 1 hour to harden

3) Dip in Melted Chocolate and place on waxed paper to harden.

4) Once hard, store in tightly covered container in refrigerator

Easy Chocolate Cake Glaze

I found this recipe when looking for something to top the Chocolate Amaretto Bundt Cake that I was making for a party. The combination was excellent and I feel like you could use this with most cake recipes. It is the perfect thing if you are looking for something other than a thick frosting. With cakes that are particularly rich, sometimes you want something light to top it off with - and this is the perfect thing.

Easy Chocolate Cake Glaze

1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 C Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1 tspn Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1) In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the Sweetened Condensed Milk and Chocolate Chips.

2) Cook, stirring constantly until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Do not allow it to bubble.

3) Remove from heat and add Vanilla.

4) Cool slightly before drizzling over a cake

Chocolate Amaretto Bundt Cake

One of my favorite flavors is almond, so I always try and find recipes that showcase this flavor - especially dessert recipes. When I needed to make a dessert for a New Years party, I found this great recipe that I wanted to try. I found this fantastic recipe in the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, which has tons of great dessert recipes in it. Seeing as I bought a bundt pan for this occasion, I predict that you will be seeing a lot more bundt cake recipes...

Chocolate Amaretto Bundt Cake

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 tspn Baking Soda
1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Firmly Packed Light Brown Sugar
4 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
6oz Semi Sweet Chocolate, Melted
1 Cup Milk
3 tspns Almond Extract
1 tspn Vanilla Extract
4 Tbspn Almond Flavored Liquor

Instructions

1) Preheat the Oven to 350. Grease and Flour a 10 inch Bundt Pan

2) Sift the Flour and Baking Soda together, set aside

3) With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the Butter, Sugar and Brown Sugar until fluffy. Add the Eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the Chocolate and mix well. Add the Flour mix in thirds, alternating with Milk and the Extracts. Beat after each addition until smooth

4) Mix in the liquor and Pour batter into the prepared pan

5) Bake 45-50 minutes until cake is baked through. Cool in a pan for 20 minutes. Then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack completely.

6) Drizzle with Easy Chocolate Cake Glaze or Dust with Powdered Sugar

Taco Dip

I find that one of my most requested appetizers, especially during football season is my taco dip. This is a classic seven layer dip that I came across, but have added and subtracted my own layers as time went on. I add ground beef to this because I am not a big fan of refried beans, so I feel like mixing it with the beans makes it taste better to me. I never bring any of this home with me from a party - just an empty pie plate.

Sevenish Layer Taco Dip



1 package of Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can (16 oz) Refried Beans
1/2 # Ground Beef, Browned
1 package (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened
1 container (16 oz) Sour Cream
1 jar (16 oz) Salsa of your choice
1 can Diced Tomatoes (with chilies if you like a kick)
1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped
1 Bunch Green Onions, Chopped
1 Small Head of Lettuce, Shredded
1 can (6 oz) Black Olives, Sliced and Drained
2 Cups Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend is my Favorite)
Sliced Jalapenos (Optional)

Directions:

1) Brown Ground Beef in a skillet. Drain and Mix with Refried Beans. Spread the Mixture onto a large serving platter (I usually use a deep pie pan)

2) Mix the Sour Cream and Cream Cheese together in a medium-sized Bowl. Spread over the Refried Beans

3) Top the layers with Salsa, Tomatoes, Green Pepper, Green Onions and Lettuce. Then top with Cheese. Garnish with Olives and Jalapenos.

Here Fishy, Fishy

My husband has been fishing a lot, and bringing home his fresh catch of the day. I love not having to go grocery shopping, but I am always looking for new recipes for the fish. I found a great recipe for beer battered fish from Lake Michigan Angler. The recipe is for Lake Perch, which is what I made it with - but my guess is that you could use this recipe with most fish and it would be good. The only change I would make to this recipe, is that I would add more seasoning - more pepper and maybe a little garlic salt - but the consistency of the batter was perfect. It was delicious with a little lemon squeezed over it.





Fish Fry Beer Batter Recipe

Ingredients:
12 Lake Perch fillets (about 1 pound)
2 1/2 cups flour (reserve 1/2 cup of flour for dusting fillets)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 12 ounce can beer warm
canola oil for frying

Directions:

1) Combine 2 cups of flour, salt, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl, mix well. Add warm beer to the flour mixture and beat with a wire whisk until well combined and foamy. Refrigerate the batter for at least 60 minutes

2) Remove skin from the Lake Perch fillets and wash with cold water. Dry the fillets with paper towels. Put ½ cup of flour in a plastic bag. Add the perch fillets to the plastic bag and shake to coat the fillets with flour.

3) In a large frying pan, heat the canola oil, 1/2 inch deep, to about 375 degrees. Remove beer batter from your refrigerator and stir well again with the wire whisk.

4) Take the floured fillets and dip one by one, into the beer batter to coat, and carefully place the fillet into the hot oil. Fry fillets till golden brown on both sides. Place cooked fillets on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Beef Wellington

This recipe is another inspiration from Gordon Ramsay, I can just hear him screaming now..."It's RAW". But these individual beef wellingtons won't be raw and is a great recipe if you are trying to impress some dinner guests.

Individual Beef Wellingtons



1 Pound Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 C Chopped Onion
1/2 C Dry Sherry
1/4 C Butter
1/4 C Chopped Parsley
6 8oz Beef Tenderloin Fillets
1 17.5oz Package Frozen Puff Pastry, Thawed

1) In a Large Skillet over medium heat, combine the Mushrooms, Onion, Sherry, Butter, and Parsley and Saute until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture resembles a paste. Cover the top of the steak with the mixture

2) Partially thaw the Puff Pastry Sheets and roll out the pieces enough to cover each piece of meat. Place steaks on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until serving time.

3) Preheat oven to 425 and bake for 25 minutes. Steak will be rare but will continue cooking while the dish is sitting.

Pierogi

Because I am sort of nuts and thought that I needed more to put on my plate (literally), I started doing cooking challenges as a member of an online cooking community. This was one of my first challenges, and while it was very time consuming - the results were amazing. This is comfort food at its finest. One note on the filling - the recipe I used made a lot more filling than I needed - but I just froze the leftovers and used them as mashed potatoes another night.

Homemade Potato-Cheese Pierogi


(The Dough)

8 C All Purpose Flour
4 Eggs
8oz Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Salt
Warm Water

1) In a Large Bowl, Beat together Eggs, Sour Cream, and Salt. Stir in Flour and Warm Water. Add the Water until the dough feels like velvet. Turn Out onto Floured board and Knead until smooth.

2) Roll Out to 1/8 to 1/4 Inch thickness. Cut into circles with a glass or biscuit cutter. Cover with Waxed Paper to prevent drying if not filling immediately.

3) Place 1-2 Tbspn of filling into the center of each circle of dough. Fold over, and seal by pressing edges together with a fork. Repeat until all ingredients are used.

4) Bring a large pot of water to boil. Immerse Pierogi and cook until they float to the surface.

(The Filling)

4 Pounds of Mashed Potatoes
1 Pound of Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1) In a large bowl mix mashed potatoes and shredded cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.