Category: In My Kitchen

May 2, 2017

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Croissants

Oh man… spring is in the air and Mother’s Day is just around the corner. If you are like our family, we are gearing up for a fun-filled day that includes a delicious brunch and yummy desserts. One of our family’s favorite things on the brunch menu are croissants! Seriously… the buttery goodness, can it get any better? Well, unfortunately for your waistline, it can! Enter… Chocolate Covered Strawberry Croissants! Doesn’t the name just make your mouth water?!

Loosen your belt my friend and cut ties with the bathroom scales, because it is a croissant stuffed with chocolate and fresh strawberries. Then to make your scales scream, there is chocolate drizzled on the outside. You might be thinking that these are too time consuming or expensive to make, but you are wrong! They are easy to make, there are very few ingredients, and they are not expensive (I will note that strawberries this time of year are a little ridiculous in price, but that is just me ranting!).

Ingredients for Chocolate Covered Strawberry Croissants:

1 Package of Pillsbury Croissants
16 oz. container of fresh strawberries
12 oz. chocolate chips of your choice (dark, milk, or white)
2 tablespoons sugar
13” x 9” baking dish
Butter or nonstick spray to grease

Assembly & Baking Instructions for Chocolate Covered Strawberry Croissants:

Read Entire Recipe Before Starting

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Grease 13” x 9” baking dish and set aside.

Step 3: Wash and slice strawberries and set aside. Make sure to cut them small enough so you can fit a few pieces in each croissant.

Step 4: Gather your chocolate chips and set aside.

Be sure to have a decent sized work area when you go to assemble the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Croissants.

Step 5: Open the croissant package, then take the first one and lay it flat in your work area.

Step 6: In the middle of the croissant, put a couple pieces of sliced strawberries and a few chocolate chips and then roll the croissant like you normally would. Repeat with the rest of the croissants.

Step 7: Place the raw croissants in the greased baking dish leaving room in between them, since they will get bigger as they bake.

Step 8: Take the sugar and sprinkle over each of the completed croissants.

Step 9: Place baking dish in the preheated oven uncovered and bake according to the directions on the package, erring on the side of caution, I checked mine around the 7 minute mark to gauge how much longer they needed to bake… keep a close watch.

Step 10: Once they have finished baking, remove from the oven and let cool for 3-5 minutes

Step 11: Take about a cup of chocolate chips and melt them in the microwave.

Step 12: Drizzle the melted chocolate over the tops of the freshly baked croissants.

Step 13: Grab one along with a glass of much deserved champagne and enjoy… just make sure to leave some for brunch!

There you have it… easy to make, bakery-style, delicious Chocolate Covered Strawberry Croissants! I hope you give these delectable treats a try, and if you do, leave me a comment below. If you’re in need of a delicious drink for that special mom in your life, check out this recipe for the Holiday Sparkler, which can be made with or without champagne. I hope everyone enjoys spring and their Mother’s Day weekend!

Cheers,
Lisa

April 23, 2017

Fiesta Casserole… The Perfect Pantry Meal!

Fiesta Casserole – doesn’t it just sound cheesy and delicious before you even hear the ingredients?! I am going to share one of my all-time favorite comfort food recipes. Now, as many of you already know, I am not much of a cook, so if you’re looking for gourmet… you have come to the wrong place!

The Fiesta Casserole is a pantry favorite, and the simplicity is bliss especially after a long and busy day. This recipe is very flexible and easy to customize, especially if you don’t have something on the ingredients list. A few other wonderful things about this recipe is that it is cheap to make, the kiddos love it, and it is easy to clean up. All wins in my world!

Ingredient List

1 Bag of Tortilla Chips (I would avoid low fat ones… they will get soggy)
3 Cans of Chili (you can replace this with seasoned and fully cooked ground beef or homemade chili)
1 Bag of Shredded Cheese (shred your own or buy a bag of the Mexican Shredded Cheese)
1 Tomato
½ Cup of Jalapeños (you can use fresh or from a jar)
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Salsa
13X9 Casserole Dish
Foil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with tortilla chips
Spread 1 1/2 cans of chili over the chips
Cover the layer of chili with shredded cheese… don’t be stingy!
Repeat steps 2 – 4
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes
Take casserole dish out of the oven and remove foil. Check to be sure cheese is almost completely melted. Stick back into the oven uncovered for an additional 5 minutes
Remove casserole dish from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving
Cut into appropriate (or ginormous… depending on your mood) squares and plate
Garnish with sour cream, salsa, jalapeños, cilantro, and tomatoes
ENJOY!

Literally, a nap must follow from the deliciousness of this casserole. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find this recipe as yummy as I do!

Cheers,
Lisa

November 15, 2016

Mickey and Minnie Holiday Bark

I picked the wrong name for this recipe… it really should be called Mickey and Minnie Holiday SCREAM, because that is what my daughter did when I told her what we were making. To say the least, the holiday bark was a very successful treat in our household. Even Superhero dad loved it, which is saying a lot, because he doesn’t care for sweets.

Luckily this recipe is easy-peasy… even with little hands helping!

What you will need to make the Mickey & Minnie Holiday Bark:

1 Package regular Oreos
1 Package mini Oreos
1 Package of “Minnie Mouse” Candy Bows
1 Container of Holiday-Themed Sprinkles
Melting Chocolate – Vanilla
1 Cookie Sheet
Parchment Paper

Directions for the Mickey & Minnie Bark:

Step 1: Place the cookie sheet on a flat surface and lay the parchment paper on the cookie sheet. The parchment paper will make cleaning up quick!

Step 2: Prepare the Oreos by pulling them apart. I just put the side that has cream on it face down into the chocolate.

Step 3: Open and prepare the bows to be dropped into place.

Step 4: Open the sprinkles and have them ready as well.

Step 5: Prepare the melting chocolates per instructions on the container.

Step 6: Pour the melted chocolate in the cookie sheet in a thin layer. Try to keep the layer of chocolate about a quarter inch thick. Use a spatula to smooth things out.

Step 7: Decorate with the Oreos, sprinkles and bows.

Step 8: Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

Step 9: I used a knife to guide my cuts then broke the rest of the bark by hand. Just be careful next to the bows and Mickey & Minnie… they will break as I found out when I was making mine.

Step 10: Grab a glass of milk and enjoy with your littles! Keep the extras in a sealed container in the fridge.

I hope you give this fun recipe a try… we had a great time making it together, plus its delicious!

Cheers,
Lisa

September 13, 2016

Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait Recipe

Pumpkin cheesecake parfait… the only word that comes into my mind is YUMMY! I was outside playing with the kiddos the other day and we started noticing the leaves changing colors on the trees. It was so pretty and it reminded me that fall, which is my favorite season, was right around the corner. I love the cold crisp sunny days, all of the beautiful colors that fall brings, and the aroma of pumpkin everywhere. Speaking of pumpkin, I thought I’d share one of my favorite pumpkin recipes with you.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait

Ingredients:

8 oz. container of Cool Whip
8 oz. package of Cream Cheese
1 bag of Ginger Snap Cookies (graham crackers can be substituted)
1 ½ cups Pumpkin Pie Mix
1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar (granulated sugar can be substituted, adjust amount as needed)

Directions:

Cream cheese should be at room temperature and Cool Whip should be defrosted.
Put ginger snap cookies in a Ziploc bag and crush them to your preference. I prefer bigger chunks of cookie in my parfait, but if you prefer more of a crumble, have at it. You can also substitute graham crackers if you don’t like or don’t have ginger snaps on hand.
Cut cream cheese into cubes and place in large mixing bowl.
Place the entire container of cool whip in mixing bowl.
Mix until you have a nice thick and fluffy mixture.
Now add the pumpkin pie mix to the fluffy mixture in the bowl… the mixture will thin out
Add the powdered sugar
Blend everything together.

Construction of Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait:

Take parfait container and place a layer of crumbled ginger snap cookies in the bottom
Now put a layer of the pumpkin cheesecake filling in next. I used a small Ziploc bag and cut the tip of the corner off to keep from getting the sides or rim of my cup dirty… though shoveling it with a spoon works just as well.
One more layer of ginger snap cookies
Finally, one more layer of pumpkin cheesecake filling.
You can put whip cream on top, sprinkle some ginger snap cookie crumbs on top, or top with chocolate sprinkles.

Be sure to refrigerate the portion you don’t eat right away! I love this recipe because it’s so easy and so flexible to make. I will be making these Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfaits in little cups for our large family get-together this Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Lisa