Easy Oven Baked Spicy Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 (1 ounce) packet  Hot & Spicy Taco Seasoning
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomato, drained
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can  Chopped Green Chiles
• 10  Stand and Stuff Taco Shells
• 1/2 (16 ounce) can  Refried Beans
• 2 cups Mexican Blend Cheese, shredded
• Toppings such as  sliced Jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, chopped cilantro, shredded lettuce, or any of your favorite taco toppings!

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet.
3. Add onion to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and fragrant.
4. Stir in the chicken, taco seasoning, tomatoes, and green chiles. Stir to combine fully. Reduce to simmer and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes.
5. Place the taco shells in the baking dish, standing up. I was able to fit 10 taco shells in the dish by adding 2 on each side.
6. Spoon 1 tablespoon of beans into the bottom of each taco shell. Top with the chicken mixture, almost to the top of each shell.
7. Sprinkle each shell generously with shredded cheese, the more the better!
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and the edges of the shells are browned.
9. Remove from the oven and top with your favorite items such as jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, and salsa.
10. Enjoy!
11. ***TIPS: Be sure to drain the tomatoes completely, this will help the taco shells to not get soggy while baking!
12. If you prefer your tacos not spicy, just omit the green chilis and use regular Old El Paso Taco Seasoning. Just as delicious!

from www.thecookierookie.com

Cream Cheese Chocolate Brownies

INGREDIENTS

cream cheese batter

• ⅔ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1 egg
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

brownie batter

• ½ cup butter, melted
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

frosting

• ¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, prepare the cream cheese batter. In a medium bowl blend together melted chocolate chips, egg, cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl prepare the brownie batter by mixing the melted butter and cocoa powder until smooth. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Add cream cheese batter to brownie batter and mix until incorporated. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter in a greased, foil-lined 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan. (9x9 inch pan will yield thinner brownies) Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool completely.
4. When the brownies are cooled, prepare the frosting. Blend together melted chocolate and cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla and mix again until smooth. Gradually mix in powdered sugar. Add milk to thin frosting to a spreadable consistency. Spread on cooled brownies. Allow frosting to set up (at least 30 minutes) before cutting into squares. Store in airtight container.

from Creme de la Crumb

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup baking cocoa
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup 2% milk
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 14 ounces caramels (like Kraft caramels)
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. This makes cleaning up easier with the caramel.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. In another large bowl, beat together the sugar, cocoa, oil, eggs and milk. Add the dry ingredients until blended. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spoon two thirds of the batter into the greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile prepare the caramel filling. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the caramels and sweetened condensed milk stirring 30 seconds at a time until melted and smooth. Can also melt over medium low heat in a saucepan.
5. Pour the melted caramel over the warm brownie layer. Sprinkle coarse sea salt on top. Drop remaining brownie batter over the top of the caramel and carefully swirl the top with a knife. Bake for an additional 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not over bake. Allow the brownies to completely cool before serving. Can also garnish the brownies lightly with additional sea salt.

from The Recipe Critic

Salted Caramel Pecan Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup graham crackers
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ⅔ cup butterscotch chips
• ½ tsp sea salt or other coarse salt

Instructions

1. Cover the bottom of an 11x7 inch foil-line pan with the chopped pecans. Set aside.
2. Bring butter, graham crackers, brown sugar, granulated sugar, evaporated milk to a boil in a large saucepan, over medium-low heat. Boil for 5-7 minutes stirring constantly.
3. Pour the caramel over the chopped pecans and spread out with a greased spatula.
4. Once the caramel has set, melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in the microwave. Spread over the caramel.
5. Sprinkle with sea salt or other coarse salt.
6. Allow the bars to harden, lift the foil from the pan and cut into 24 pieces.
7. Store in the refrigerator.

from: thegunnysack.com

Easy Oreo Ice Cream Cake

• 1/2 carton Cookies & Cream ice cream (get the block, not a tub!)
• about 17 OREO cookies
• 3 cups of whipped cream (or about 2/3 an 8-oz container of Cool Whip)
• 6 chocolate graham crackers
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate ganache

For the ganache you’ll need:
(see below)**

• 16 oz chocolate {roughly 2 2/3 cup}
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter

To make the cake:

Line a bread pan* with parchment or foil. (This just makes it super simple to lift the cake out once frozen.)

Place 3 graham crackers into the bottom of the pan. Top with two 1″ slices of ice cream. Spread 1 cup of whipped cream over the top of the ice cream and press whole Oreo cookies into the whipped cream. Top with another small layer of whipped cream and drizzle with about 1/2 cup of chocolate ganache. Top with 2 more 1″ slices of ice cream and then the remaining 3 graham crackers. Spread the remaining 1 cup of whipped cream over the crackers.

Cover and freeze for at least a couple hours, but preferably overnight.

Remove cake from bread pan and place on a tray/ serving plate. Pour about 1 cup of chocolate ganache over frozen cake, letting it drip a bit down the sides. Crush remaining Oreo cookies and sprinkle on top of ganache. Return to freezer until ready to serve. (I’d at least let the ganache-covered-cake be in the freezer for 10-15 minutes prior to serving to make sure ganache is sufficiently cooled. It will be easier to cut and serve this way.)

Slice cake to serve. (If the cookies are still a bit solid, I find it helps to first pierce a knife straight down into the cake where the cookies are, then slice and serve. However if you have the cake in the freezer for 2-3 days prior to serving, you won’t have any issues- the cookies will be soft.)

**Chocolate Ganache:

• 16 oz chocolate {roughly 2 2/3 cup}
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup butter

Pour chocolate into medium sized bowl, set aside. 

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in cream when butter is just about melted.

Increase heat slightly and using a whisk, stir constantly, but gently. Heat until mixture just barely comes to a boil.

Pour over chocolate in bowl. Begin stirring gently, combining the chocolate with the butter-cream mixture. 

But after just a minute or two of stirring, all the chocolate is melted and you’ve got a smooth chocolate gananche!

Let the mixture sit from 5-15 minutes, depending on how “drippy” you want the chocolate. 

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Ina Garten's Blueberry Crumb Cake

Ingredients

For the streusel:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling


For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,

crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Christmas Tree Punch

4 bags constant comment tea
4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup of simple syrup (use fresh ginger in your syrup if you have some)
3/4 cup of white cranberry juice
1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
1 1/2 cups of white rum
2 bottles of sparkling wine or champagne (chilled)
1 cup of frozen cranberries
1 bunch of rosemary
1 cup of thinly sliced limes

Freeze 1 cup of fresh cranberries.  Brew tea by steeping tea in 4 cups of
boiling water for 10 minutes.  Place in refrigerator to cool.

In small punch bowl or glass pitcher, combine simple syrup, white cranberry
juice, fresh squeezed lime juice and rum.  Add the chilled iced tea and
stir.

Right before serving, add the chilled sparkling wine, frozen cranberries and
rosemary sprigs to the bowl.  Add ice if needed.