Strawberry Mango Salsa

Best dessert ever. I made this the other night, and we ate it so quick, I couldn't believe how fast all the chips were gone! And it's the easiest thing ever!

Strawberry Mango Salsa

1 mango, finely diced

8-10 strawberries, finely diced

1 tsp. vanilla extract

couple shakes of basil

one shake cinnamon

Mix well, chill in fridge for a about an hour. Serve with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips:

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips:

3-4 flour torillas

Pam light cooking spray

Cinnamon sprinkle

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Stack the torillas on top of each other, cut with pizza cutter into 8 triangles. Arrange each chip onto the coated sheet, and spray the tops of totillas with Pam as well. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they feel crisp and start to brown.

Cupcakes with Cream Filling and Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Cream Filling and

Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting

(Makes 24 cupcakes)

Make your favorite kind of prepared cake mix, or from scratch. I just used Betty Crocker's Devil's Food, and they were perfect. Let cupcakes cool completely.

Cream Filling

7 oz container marshmallow cream

1/2 cup softened butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon salt

With an electric mixer beat ingredients together until creamy, add a few drops of food coloring for whatever the occasion. (pink for Valentines Day, green for St. Patricks...)

Attach a large round tip to pastry bag (I just use the tips in the corner cut out of a zip-lock) and fill with cream. Insert tip into cupcake and fill until cupcake slightly expands

Ganache Frosting

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream (not half and half!)

place chips into a work and pour cream over the top. Heat in microwave until chips are soft. Allow mixture to sit a minute in container to continue melting the chips. Stir well. Let come to room temperature. With electric mixer beat until fluffy.

Attach large star tip in pastry bag and fill with frosting. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Eclair Cake Dessert

I got this recipe from my friend and I think it is DELICIOUS! Not to mention easy to make. It's a nice thing to make for a shower, or a party with a bunch of people.

Ingredients:
1 c. Water
1 cube butter
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 c. flour
6 eggs
8 oz cream cheese
3 c. milk
2 small boxes instant vanilla pudding
1 tub Cool Whip
Chocolate Syrup

Directions:
Boil water, butter and salt. Take off heat and add flour, and beaten eggs 1 egg at a time. Spread on greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool.
Mix cream cheese, milk and pudding. Layer over crust. Top with Cool Whip. Swirl chocolate syrup over the top. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Peach Raspberry Dump Cobbler

We made this cobbler while we were up at the cabin. It was my first ever dutch-oven cobbler, and it turned out really good. Not to mention, it was very easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 cans peach pie filling (or 2 cans peaches)
1/2 bag frozen raspberries
1 white or yellow cake mix (I used white)
4 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1 16.5 oz bottle Sprite

Directions:
Mix frozen raspberries with cornstarch. Spray bottom of dutch oven with cooking spray. Dump peaches and raspberries in dutch oven. Cover with the dry cake mix. Pour Sprite over cake mix. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Place dutch oven on 12 hot briquetts, and place 12 briquetts on the lid. Cook for 30-45 minutes, rotating the dutch oven and the lid every 15 minutes. Cobbler is done when cake mix is cooked and slightly brown, and fruit mixture is bubbly.
Enjoy with your choice of Cool Whip, Whipped Cream or Ice Cream!

Fresh Cherry Pie

Okay, so this was the first time I have ever made a Fresh Cherry Pie, and also the first time I have ever tried a lattice top crust, so the pie may not exactly be pretty, but it sure was good!
Here is the recipe I used:
1 batch of double crust pie dough (use your favorite recipe, or even pre-made)
4 cups fresh cherries, pitted
*Hint: I do not have a cherry pitter, but I opened up a paper clip and used one of the bent ends to pop the pit out the top of the cherry. You can also try poking them out with a straw*
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. Minute Tapioca (I used this, and it helps to thicken the filling, however, next time I might just try some flour or cornstarch)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except butter, and let rest for 15 min. Pour in pie pan lined with bottom crust. Cut up butter into small cubes and place around top of filling. Cover filling with top crust. *Optional: Brush top crust with egg wash (mixture of 1 egg and milk), and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. *Tip: I like to cut a hole out of the middle of a piece of foil and cover the pie with it so the edges are covered, and the middle is exposed. I will take the foil off for the last 15 minutes or so. This helps keep the edges from getting too brown or burned, while the middle cooks.

Chex Muddy Buddies

9 Cups Chex
1 C. Semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. Peanut butter
1/4 C. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar

1: Measure Chex into large bowl, set aside
2: Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
3: Pour into 2-gallon food storage plastic bag.
4: Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Okay, so we make these at least once a month around here at the boys request, but secretly I love them just as much! So so soft and super yummy! 3/4 C margarine
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Cream margarine and sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour sifted with baking powder and salt, mix well. Chill for a couple hours. Roll 1/2 inch thick on floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes.

* I've tried these with butter instead of margarine and they get to hard when chilling so they won't even roll out. Also I cook them for 9 minutes and when they come out they seem like they might need a few more minutes, but just leave them on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling and they will be perfect!

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

these are the most delicious cookies ever! and to make it ever better, it's the easiest recipe too! My friend at work got the recipe at a Weight Watchers meeting, and each cookie is only 1 w.w. point, so that's a little ego boost while you're eating 20 of them in a row! ENJOY!

1 box of Spice cake mix
1 small can of pumpkin
chocolate chips (i use a little less than half a bag)

bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, mmm!