Braided Nutella Bread

     I love Nutella and if you know me, you know how much I love braids! This bread recipe is pretty easy and the dough is really easy to work with. Perfect for breakfast with coffee or a simple dessert. The braiding may take some practice, but it's definitely worth the effort for presentation. 

Braided Nutella Bread

Ingredients:

- 1/2 teaspoon of active dry yeast

- 1 cup of water

- 2 and 1/2 cups of flour

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1/2 cup of Nutella

- cornmeal for dusting

- 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

    In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Let sit for about 10 minutes to let the yeast activate. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the yeast and remaining water. Mix on low with the dough hook attachment. Turn speed up to medium and knead the dough for about 7 minutes. Cover the bowl, set it in a warm place, and let it rise for about an hour. Lightly dust your working surface with cornmeal. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 12"x 15". Pop the Nutella in the microwave for 30 seconds and then spread it over the flat rectangle of dough, leaving 1/2 inch border around the outside without. Roll the dough tightly into a loaf. Cut the loaf almost in half, leave one end intact . Twist the halves over each other, facing the Nutella side up. Lightly cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the furface of the dough with the eggwash. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven up to 425 degrees and bake for 4 more minutes. Keep an eye on it those last few minutes! Slice and enjoy! 

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cake

    Such an easy and simple dessert! It's basically pineapple cake with a cream cheese frosting. It's called Pineapple Cream Cheese Cake because the cream cheese frosting definitely makes the dessert a complete entity, I couldn't imagine one without the other! I brought it into work as a treat tonight at the Olive Garden and I'm happy to say that they loved it! 

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of granulated sugar

- 2/3 cup of vegetable oil

- 2 large eggs

- 1 can of crushed pineapple (20 ounces)

- 2 cups of flour

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- i package of cream cheese (8 ounces), softened

- 1 stick of butter, softened

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 2 cups of powdered sugar

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, pineapple, flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cake cool. In another bowl, whip together the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla. Then, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Once the pineapple cake has cooled, top with the cream cheese frosting and serve! 

Better Than Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich

    What's better for a late lunch than a hot roast beef sandwich? I like mine with swiss and lots of onions! I also really like Arby's sauce and I nailed it. In fact, I think my sauce is better!

Better Than Arby's Roast Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of ketchup

- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

- 4 tablespoons of water  

- 2 drops of sriracha sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 pound of lean roast beef
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- olive oil
- toasted bread
    In a small sauce pan, combine the ketchup, vinegar, water, siracha, onion/garlic powders, brown sugar, and a dash of salt. Heat mixture on low/medium heat for 20 minutes. Stirring frequently. I stirred mine a lot the last ten minutes. Set aside. In a large pan, saute the onions in olive oil with salt and pepper. When the onions begin to brown, toss in the roast beef and let cook for a few minutes. Melt swiss cheese on top of the roast beef and onions. Spread some of the sauce onto the toasted bread and top with roast beef mixture. Enjoy!

Berry Cheese Bars

     These are always a hit! My mom makes these around the holidays. She made them over the weekend for our church's soup and sandwich luncheon and everyone was asking for the recipe! You really can't go wrong with cranberry cheesecake bars!

Berry Cheese Bars

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of flour

- 1 and 1/2 cup oats

- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of packed brown sugar

- 1 cup of butter, softened

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

-1/4 cup of lemon juice

- 1 (16 ounce) can of whole cranberry sauce

- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together the flour, oats, 3/4 cup of brown sugar, and butter until crumbly. Set aside 1 and 1/2 cups of mixture. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking pan and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned. In another large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and then spread cheese mixture over baked crust. Combine the cranberry sauce, cornstarch, and remaining tablespoon of brown sugar. Spread that mixture on top of the cheese layer. Then, top with the remaining 1 and 1/2 cup of crumb mixture that you set aside. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden. Slice once cool and enjoy.

Snickerdoodle Blondies

    Our whole house smelt like cinnamon goodness this afternoon! Two of my favorite desserts come together for the chewy bars. Are they blondies or are they snickerdoodles? Try them and see what you think. Either way, they are absolutely delicious!

Snickerdoodle Blondies

Ingredients: 

- 1 cup of butter, softened

- 1 cup of granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for topping

- 1 cup of packed brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 2 teaspoons of baking powder 

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, plus 1 and 1/2 teaspoon for topping

- 2 and 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

- dash of salt

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside. Cream together the butter and remaining sugars. Add the egg and vanilla. Then, slowly incorporate in all of the dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread the dough into the bottom or a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Top the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and bake for 30 minutes. It's best you wait for them to completely cool before you slice into them. I was impatient and mine got kind of sloppy, but they sure are tasty!

Ultimate Gooey Brownies

    This brownie recipe is probably the most decadent out of all the brownies I've ever baked. If you are a hardcore chocolate fan, you will love them. They are wicked rich and have a gooey center!

Ultimate Gooey Brownies

Ingredients:

- 1 and 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips, divided

- 3/4 cup of butter, 1 1/2 sticks, cut into pieces

- 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped

- 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar

- 3 large eggs, plus one egg yolk

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 3/4 cup of all purpose flour

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 cup of the chocolate chips, butter, and chopped unsweetened chocolate. Microwave on high for one minute. Remove from microwave and stir mixture until smooth, you may have to put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds. Be very careful not to over microwave. Set the chocolate mixture aside and let it cool. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs on a medium high speed until they become thick and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract. Then, with a rubber spatula, stir in the cooled chocolate mixture. Add in the flour and salt, folding gently until well combined. Add half of the batter to a greased 8x8 baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips on top and then, pour in a layer of the sweetened condensed milk. Top with the remaining brownie batter and bake for about 40-45 minutes. It will seem that they are not finished and may be a bit jiggly still, just be careful to not over-bake. Wait until they have completely cooled before you attempt slicing. 

Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Chicken

    This sauce is pretty good! I love sriracha and that slight after burn that you experience when you eat it. I made this for my family for dinner tonight and we agreed that it was a nice and healthy alternative to ordering Chinese take-out.

Sweet and Spicy Sriracha Chicken

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

- 1/3 cup of cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons, divided

- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water, divided

- 2 tablespoons of sriracha hot sauce

- 1/3 cup of soy sauce

- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

- 1/4 cup of sugar

- 2 tablespoons of honey

- olive oil

    Combined the 1 cup of water, sriracha, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and honey in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling sauce mixture. Turn down the heat and whisk until sauce thickens. Add the chicken and 1/3 cup of cornstarch to a gallon Ziploc bag and shake to coat. Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add chicken. Saute until golden brown and chicken has cooked all the way through. Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve over rice.