VELVEETA® Potato Bites

Don't these potato bites look awesome?  What a great idea!

The recipe comes from the kitchens of  Kraft Foods.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. baking potatoes (about 6), peeled, cut into chunks
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA, cut into 24 cubes
• 1 pkt. SHAKE 'N BAKE Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix
• 1-1/2 cups TACO BELL® Thick & Chunky Salsa

Directions

In large saucepan, boil potatoes in boiling water 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain. 

Cool 10 minutes. 

Mash potatoes until smooth and add onions, egg and pepper.  Mix until blended.

HEAT oven to 400ºF. 

Put coating mix into pie plate.

Roll potato mixture into 24 balls, using about 2 Tbsp. for each. 

Insert a VELVEETA cube into center of each ball and completely enclose VELVEETA. 

Roll balls in coating mix; turn to evenly coat. Place on rimmed baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 14 to 16 min. or until heated through. 

Serve with salsa.

TACO BELL® and Logo are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.

Source: kraftrecipes.com

Easy Salted Peanut Chews

Reminds me of one of my favorite candy bars!


Ingredients

• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ peanut butter cookie mix
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 egg
• 3 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 bag (10 oz) peanut butter chips
• 2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 2 cups salted peanuts

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. 

Spray the bottom of pan (13x9-inch) with cooking spray.

Stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until soft dough forms in a large bowl. 

With floured fingers, press dough in pan using.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until set.

Sprinkle marshmallows over crust immediately.  Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer, until marshmallows begin to puff up.

Cook corn syrup, butter, vanilla and chips over low heat in 4-quart saucepan stirring constantly until chips are melted. 

Remove from heat; stir in cereal and nuts. Immediately spoon cereal mixture evenly over marshmallows. 

Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. 

For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows.




Expert Tips from Betty Crocker


Skip the cooking spray and line pan with foil for quick cleanup and easy bar removal.

For a different flavor, try milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips.



Source

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake With Caramel Sauce

What a great combination!  If you love and snickerdoodles and cheesecake too, this dessert is for you.

The recipe comes from Sandra Lee of the Food Network Channel.  Her food creations are always a delicious treat!  If you have not checked out her website, the link appears at the end of the recipe.

Makes: 10 servings


Ingredients

• Cooking spray 
• 1 package (21 ounces) snickerdoodle cookie mix with spice packet 
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted 
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature 
• 1⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 3 eggs 
• 3⁄4 cup caramel topping 
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon extract 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Using a large bowl, combine cookie mix, half of the spice packet from the mix, and the butter. Stir until mixture comes together. Press mixture into bottom of springform pan and 2 inches up sides.  

Using a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, brown sugar, and remaining spice from packet. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Pour into the springform pan over the cookie crust.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until set with a soft-looking center. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Using a small saucepan, heat caramel topping over medium-high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture thickens (about 5 minutes). 

Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon extract.

Cool to room temperature.

Cut cooled cheesecake into wedges (still in the springform pan). Pour cooled caramel mixture over cheesecake. 

Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Remove sides of springform pan and transfer wedges to a platter.


Source

Root Beer Bundt Cake

The sweet flavor of root beer is uniquely delicious.  The aroma of root beer takes me back to my childhood days when I could not get enough, especially if it included vanilla ice cream.  Being from a large italian family, huge family birthday parties brought out all the distant cousins of all ages who would gather at a local park that had those awesome shelters with electricity.  The birthday parties always included root beer and vanilla ice cream. 

It is amazing what memories the awesome aromas of food and drinks bring out in us.

The recipe comes from the kitchen of the Food Network.  If you haven't checked out the website and you are a serious foodie, you must check it out! The link to the website follows the recipe.

Wouldn't this cake be awesome served warm with some ice cream?  I think so!!!

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/2 cups root beer
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
3 large eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan; tap out the excess flour.

Heat 2 cups root beer, the cocoa powder, chocolate and 1 stick butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the granulated and brown sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine 2 cups flour, the baking soda, allspice and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Whisk the eggs into the root beer mixture, then gently fold in the dry ingredients (the batter will be slightly lumpy).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through. Transfer to a rack. Gently poke the cake all over with a skewer and pour 1/4 cup root beer over the cake; let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then invert the cake onto a serving plate and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup root beer, a pinch of salt, the confectioners' sugar and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the cake.


Source

Photograph by Kang Kim