Apple Cinnamon Casserole

Apple Cinnamon Casserole
2 cans pre-made cinnamon roll dough
1 can apple pie filling
1/2 chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease a 9" square pan.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour in pan.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Top with packaged icing.

Nutella Baklava

Nutella Baklava
1/4 c honey
1/4 c water
2-4 cinnamon sticks
1 c Nutella
1/2 c almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 c walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 c shredded coconut
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 puff pastry sheets
a scant 1/4 c softened butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400*; foil and butter a cookie sheet.
2. In a small pot, combine honey, water, and cinnamon sticks; warm over low heat until honey dissolves, stirring occasionally.
3. Bring heat up to medium and allow to boil for about 5 minutes; take off heat and set aside.
4. Unfold puff pastry and cut along folds so that each sheet is in three sections; cut each section into fourths (24 total squares).
5. Place squares on cookie sheet and brush each one with a little bit of butter.
5. Microwave Nutella for 45 seconds; spread a dollop (about a tablespoon) on 16 of the squares.
6. Combine nuts, coconut, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and sprinkle evenly over Nutella squares. Lay one Nutella square on top of another and top with a plain square. You should end up with 8 stacks.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes; drizzle with honey syrup before serving.

Orange Coffee Cake

Orange Coffee Cake
1 can refrigerated jumbo flaky biscuits
1-2 T butter, softened
1/3 c sugar
1/4 chopped walnuts (opt)
1 orange, separated
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 oz [light] cream cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350* and butter a 9" round or square pan.
2. Cut each of the 8 biscuits in half and arrange in the pan; brush butter over biscuits.
3. In a small bowl, combine sugar, walnuts, and orange zest; sprinkle over biscuits.
4. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. In the same bowl, sift powdered sugar over cream cheese and blend well; stir in orange juice.
6. Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake and serve warm.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
1 c butter-flavored shortening
1/2 c peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t almond extract
1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 c chocolate chips
1- 11.75 oz jar hot fudge topping
1/2 c chopped walnuts (opt)

1. Preheat oven to 350*; foil-line and grease a jelly roll pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, peanut butter, and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed; beat in eggs and almond extract until smooth.
3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix at low speed until thoroughly combined.
4. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
5. Bake 18-20 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test; cool in pan, on wire rack.
6. Place chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute; stir.
7. Microwave and stir in 15-second intervals until melted and smooth; stir in hot fudge and then microwave for another 15 seconds. Spread over warm peanut butter bars and sprinkle with walnuts.
8. Chill for 1 hour, or until chocolate layer is firm, and serve. Store in the refrigerator.

Spinach Artichoke Penne

Spinach Artichoke Penne
1 lb [whole wheat] penne pasta
2 T olive oil, separated
1- 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
2 c spinach, cleaned and dried
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 c chicken broth
1 c walnuts
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 pint half & half or heavy whipping cream
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 c Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta to al dente; drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat; add artichokes to heat up and brown slightly.
3. Meanwhile, place spinach, onion, chicken stock, walnuts, garlic, whipping cream, salt, pepper, and remaining tablespoon olive oil in food processor and blend well (do yourself a favor and do not try the sauce before you blend with artichokes and pasta).
4. Stir spinach sauce into artichoke skillet and loosely cover with lid; simmer over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes.
5. Stir pasta and cheese into skillet and heat for 1 minute. Serve.

Banana Walnut Bread

Banana Walnut Bread
5 over-ripe bananas
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 T vanilla
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 - 2 cups walnuts
2 cups chocolate chips (opt)

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease two loaf pans with butter.
2. In a food processor, combine bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.
3. In standing mixture, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; cut in butter.
4. Gradually add banana mixture into dry mixture in three pours, all the while stirring slowly; stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.
5. Pour into pans and bake for 60-70 minutes, until it passes toothpick test. Let sit in pan for about 10 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack.

Did y'all know that I have no Photoshop skills? Otherwise I would have cropped this photo...

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Walnut Banana Coffee Cake
2 eggs
3/4 c sugar, plus a little more
3 over-ripe bananas
1/3 c milk
1 T vegetable oil
1 T vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
2 t cinnamon
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c walnuts, chopped and roasted

1. Preheat oven to 325*.
2. Lightly grease and sugar a loaf pan.
3. Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl; mix in bananas, milk, oil and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over mixture; mix until just blended; stir in nuts.
5. Pour batter into pans and sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake about 45 minutes, until it passes toothpick test.

(In this picture, I forgot to sugar before I baked. Oops.)

Roasted Nuts (and Toasted Sesame Seeds)

Roasted Nuts
1. Preheat oven to 400*.
2. Spread nuts evenly on a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper first).
3. Bake 5 minutes; shake.
4. Bake 3-5 more minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Let cool on baking sheet before serving or storing.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container.


Toasted Sesame Seeds
1. Preheat oven to 325*.
2. Spread seeds evenly on a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper first).
3. Bake about 20-25 minutes, shaking once or twice, until browned and fragrant.
4. Let cool on baking sheet before serving or storing.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Mississippi Mud Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake
2 c sugar
2/3 c cocoa, separated
3 sticks butter, separated
1.5 c flour
4 eggs
2 t vanilla, separated
1 c chopped pecans or walnuts
1- 7oz jar marshmallow creme
6 T milk
2 c powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350*.
2. Mix together sugar, 1/3 c cocoa, 2 sticks butter, flour, eggs, 1 t vanilla, and nuts. Pour into greased, floured 9x13 pan; bake for 30 minutes.
3. Spread marshmallow cream over cake while hot; let both cool while you make frosting.
4. Combine remaining ingredients (1 stick butter, milk, 1/3 c cocoa, powdered sugar, and 1 t vanilla) and spread over cooled cake.

Easiest Fudge Ever

This is seriously the easiest fudge ever. Hence the name.

Easiest Fudge Ever

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 bag (2 cups) chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

2 handfuls of chopped walnuts (opt)

1. Grease an 8x8 pan with butter.

2. Combine milk and chocolate chips in a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat.

3. Stir constantly until chocolate chips are melted and smooth; stir in vanilla and nuts.

4. Pour into greased pan and chill in fridge for at least 1.5 hours.

Dreamy Fudge

Dreamy Fudge
4 cups sugar
1 sm. can evaporated milk
1- 16 oz. bag small marshmallows
1- 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (in addition to the bag)
2- 7 oz. chocolate bar with almonds, broken into pieces
1 cup butter, cut up (about 5 pieces per stick)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. walnuts, whole (opt)

1. Combine sugar, milk and marshmallows in a heavy pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. 2. Boil for 7 full minutes, stirring constantly. Temperature should reach about 220*.
3. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
4. Generously spray a cookie sheet (with 1" sides) and pour in fudge. Let set up for at least 2 hours.
**Can be refrigerated or frozen.**

Cilantro Pesto

Cilantro Pesto
1 small-medium bunch of cilantro
3-4 cloves garlic
.25-.5c extra virgin olive oil
.5c Parmesan cheese
.25c chopped nuts (I use pecans, but pine nuts and/or walnuts are good too)

1. Wash and dry the cilantro.
2. Then mix all of the ingredients in the food processor (or a blender might work).

**If you mix it with a block of cream cheese, it makes an excellent spread/dip.**

Check out the post below...make a pesto pizza.
(The only mozzarella we had was string cheese. Go figure...)

See's Fudge

See's Fudge
1 cup butter
2.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1- 16 oz. pkg. large marshmallows
1.5 cups chopped nuts (opt)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 sm. can evaporated milk
4.5 cups sugar

1. Mix everything from the butter to the vanilla in a large bowl, and grease a 9x13 pan; put both aside.
2. Combine milk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Pour milk/sugar combination over the ingredients in the bowl. Hand-mix everything together for 6 minutes.
4. Pour batter into 9x13 pan and cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight.