Sooner Cookies

I was reading my Better Homes and Gardens, and there was a recipe for "REd Velvet Whoopie Pies". My husband LOVES red velvet cake! Those of you who came to our wedding, remember his cupcakes were red velvet. I had never really made or eaten much red velvet before the love of my life. Anyway, I thought the recipe sounded delicious and thought he would love them. And love him he did!

But we did decide to change the name. The cookies are the perfect OU colors and we both agreed they would need to be a staple at our OU watch parties. So in our house, the "Red Velvet Whoopie Pies" are known as the "Sooner Cookies". Hope you enjoy!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies or Sooner Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1 oz bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, set aside
In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in food coloring
Spoon batter in 1 or 2 inch diameter rounds about 1/2 inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round
Bake 7 to 9 minutes for 1 inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2 inch cookies, or unitl tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets

Whoopie Pie Filling
In a medium mixing bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter and half an 8 ounce package softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in one 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme.

To fill, dollop Whoopie Pie Filling on flat sides of hal the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down.

Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Let stand at room temp 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Balsamic Chicken Drumettes

This is a keeper. It is another recipe that Giada did on the Food Network. It has several ingredients, but is very easy. We will probably make this alot during football season. It calls for chicken drumettes, but I really think you could use wings, or even chicken breasts.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 5 sprigs of rosemary (I left this out, simply because we do not keep this on hand)
  
• 5 garlic cloves, halved
• 10 to 12 chicken drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley ( I left this out too, again, we dont have it on hand)
  

Directions

Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves, in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the chicken drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the chopped parsley.

Cook's note: I like the rosemary and garlic flavors in the background. Brushing the cooked drumettes with the reduced marinade helps the flavors along. Also, re-moistening helps the parsley and the seeds to adhere.

I am telling you. Very Very good!!!

Salty Sweet Brownies

I first made these brownies for our youth girls, they LOVE them. I always enjoy ways that you can make store bought brownie mix even more special.

Salty Sweet Brownies
1 store bought brownie mix (family sized)
1 1/2 cups pretzels (broken into pieces)
24 bite size snickers

-Mix brownies according to packaged directions.
-Pour into a greased 9x13 pan
-Sprinkle the broken pretzels on top (I did not use the full cup and a half, I just used enough to cover the top.
-Cut the snickers into small pieces and sprinkle on top of pretzels. (Obviously, you can use more or less. The original recipe was for an 8x8 pan of brownies and they suggested using 2 king sized candy bars. Just for reference)
-Bake brownies according to package directions.
-Let cool completely before serving (thats what the directions said, although, I dont know why you couldnt serve them warm?)

Again, super easy and super yummy!

Enjoy!

Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter

The first recipe is the Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce. I got this recipe from Giada from the Food Network. I have made this with both ravioli and tortellini.. whatever I have in my freezer. It works with both! :) And it seriously takes 3 minutes total once your water comes to a boil. Its great! And it makes your kitchen smell super good too!!!

Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce

• 18 to 20 ounces store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash) (I used the Walmart brand of cheese ravioli, it is 25 oz and I think its like $2)
  
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes (the brand that I used, took 3 minutes total, once the water boiled), until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the pan saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Pork BBQ Sandwiches

We love this recipe and when we make it, we know we will have plenty for leftovers. I love the crock pot. And I love to try new recipes with the crock pot. It makes things so easy. And it makes your house smell yummy throughout the day!

I got this recipe from the magazine Mixing Bowl.com.

We didnt have hamburger buns, but we did have potatoes. So I baked us some potatoes and we have BBQ potatoes. Yum.

Slow Cooker Pork BBQ Sandwiches

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 cup favorite bbq sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion

Place all ingredients in a 5 to 5 1/2 quart slow cooker. (I have no idea what quart of a crock pot I have... just a regular one.. and it worked fine). Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove meat and shred using two forks. Return to cooker and mix to coat meat. Serve hot on sandwich buns (or potatoes).

note: I did add a little bit more BBQ sauce after shredding the pork.
note: I have also done this same recipe with a beef roast.. works just as well!

Nutter Butter Banana Pudding Trifle

I have to give all credit to Southern Living. I found this recipe a while back, but I didnt make it for a while, since all the problems with peanuts. But when I did make it... yummy!!!! I always love a dessert that you can put in a trifle dish. They are always so pretty.

Nutter Butter Banana Pudding Trifle

3 cups milk
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 medium size ripe bananas
1 1lb package peanut butter sandwich cookies
2 cups sweetened whipped cream

1. Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, 15 to 20 minues or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted.

2. Fill a large bowl with ice. Place saucepan in ice, and let stand, stirring occassionally, 30 minutes or until ixture is thoroughly chilled

3. Meanwhile, cut bananas into 1/4 inch slices. Break cookies into thirds.

4. Spoon half of pudding mixture into a 3 qt bowl or pitcher. Top with bananas and cookies. Spoon remaining pudding mixture over bananas and cookies. Top with sweetened whipped cream. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.

Note: The pudding has thickened enough when a distinct trail is left in the mixture when you stir with a spoon. The cookies will soften the longer the dessert chills.

Enjoy!

Mexican Casserole

I found this recipe in a magazine called Mixing Bowl. We really enjoyed it, it was super easy. And definitely something that we would prepare again!!!

Mexican Casserole

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 1.25 ounce package taco seasoning
1 small onion, chopped
1 10.75 ounce can condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup (I couldnt find this, so I used a can of Cheddar Cheese soup)
1 10.75 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 10 ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilis
1 12 ounce bag of nacho flavored tortilla chips, crushed
1 8 ounce package shredded mexican cheese
Sour Cream and Salsa (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a larage skillet, brown meat and onion; drain. Add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions.

2. In a 9x13 pan, layer bottom of dish with half of the crushed chips. Set remaining chips aside. In large bowl, combine seasoned meat and onion mixture, nacho cheese soup, cream of mushroom soup and undrained diced tomatoes with chiles. Mix well. Top chips with meat mixture. Layer with remaining chips and top with cheese.

3. Bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top servings with sour cream or salsa, if desired.

Yum!