Skinnytaste artichoke dip

13.75 oz artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
2 tbsp chopped shallots
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
salt and fresh pepper to taste
2 tbsp bread crumbs
olive oil spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.In a small food processor, coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the shallots.Combine artichokes, yogurt, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Place in an oven-proof dish and top with breadcrumbs. Lightly spray the crumbs with olive oil then bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Serve right away. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Link to recipe here.

Skinnytaste Chicken Divan

1 1/2 lbs broccoli (3 large heads) chopped
24 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 18 oz cooked)
salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp shallots, minced
4 tbsp flour
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1 cup fat free milk
2 oz white wine
6 oz shredded reduced-fat swiss
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
cooking spray

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and blanch 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Using a grill pan or Forman grill, saute chicken on medium-low heat on both sides until browned, and just about cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a cutting board. When cooled, slice chicken into bite sized pieces.Heat a medium skillet on medium heat. Add the butter and oil until melted and then add garlic and shallots. Sprinkle the flour and whisk until smooth. Stir in broth, milk and sherry and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in half of the swiss cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Link to recipe here.

Yummy poundcake

1 1/2 cups butter, softened at room temp
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temp
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 300.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy (do not over beat); gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Smooth the top of the cake or bottom of the cake (depending how you look at it) with a spatula to even it out. Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Recipe from Elizabeth's Edible Experience. Link to recipe here.

Basic buttercream for cupcakes

3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tablespoons whipping cream

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter on low speed. Mix until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
2. Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for desired spreading/piping consistency.
3. Scoop into a piping bag and pipe decoratively onto cupcakes, or spread onto cupcakes as desired.

Recipe from Recipe Girl. Link to recipe here.

Favorite white cupcakes

1 box white cake mix
1 cup cake flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pans (approx. 36).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.
3. Use ice cream scoop to fill prepared cupcake tins- fill about 3/4 full. Bake about 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipe from Recipe Girl. Link to recipe here.

Texas sheet cake

My all-time favorite cake/dessert/food.

Texas Sheet Cake
Preheat oven to 350.

2 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar

Mix flour and sugar.

Put in a pan and bring to a boil:
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of water
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Pour over the flour and sugar mixture.

Add to the mixture:
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour mixture into 13x9 greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

Frosting: ice while hot/warm.

Bring to an almost boil:
1 stick of margarine
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
5 tablespoons of milk or coffee

Add:
1 box of powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Buffalo Chicken Bites

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (About 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin discarded)
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (or more to your taste)
3 1/2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce until combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese.
Using a small cookiescoop, spoon out the chicken mixture and roll into about 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on a plate or separate baking sheet (not lined) until ready to dip.
In three separate bowls, set out the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the breadcrumbs. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch. Yield: 48 small bites, or 30 medium bites.

Slightly modified from Pennies on a Platter. Link to recipe here.

Martha Stewart Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

Make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth.

Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

Link to recipe here.

Martha Stewart Sesame Chicken

3/4 cup brown rice
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed with a garlic press
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch chunks
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into large florets, stems peeled and thinly sliced

Directions
Place a steamer basket in a large saucepan, and fill with 1 inch water; set aside for broccoli. Cook rice according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the chicken; cook, turning occasionally, until golden and opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and chicken. Return all the chicken to skillet; add reserved sauce, and toss to coat.
Meanwhile, place saucepan with steamer basket over high heat; bring water to a boil. Add broccoli, and cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Serve sesame chicken with broccoli and rice.

Link to recipe here.

Cauliflower with capers

6 cups water

1/2 medium lemon

4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 small head)

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

4 teaspoons capers, drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Bring water boil in a large saucepan. Squeeze the lemon half into the water and add the lemon half to the water too. Add the cauliflower to the pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; discard lemon half.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add cauliflower to pan; cook 12 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds or until lightly browned.
3. Transfer cauliflower mixture to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients; toss well.

Slightly modifed from Recipe Girl. Link to recipe here.

Favorite Yellow Cupcake Recipe

2 cups cake flour
1 + 1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl sift flour and sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Add butter, milk and vanilla. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.
4. Add eggs, beat for 2 more minutes.
5. Pour batter into cupcake liners, 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Turn out and cool thoroughly on wire racks. Frost with favorite butter cream recipe or chocolate frosting.

Slightly modified from Cinnamon Girl Recipes. Link to recipe here.

Sugar Cookies for Decorating

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 stick salted butter, softened
1 cup extra fine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts. Add the flour to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough just starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and knead until combined, then roll shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick (or thinner if desired) and cut with desired cutters. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Slightly modified from Ina Garten's shortbread recipe. Link to recipe here.

Mushroom Quesadillas

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil
1 poblano chili
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 container Publix sliced baby bella bushrooms
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup salsa
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 large flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

Directions:
Prepare a hot fire in a grill. Oil the grill rack. Grill the green chili directly over high heat, turning to char and blister it on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper bag, close the bag and let steam for 10 minutes. Peel the chili, then cut it open to remove the seeds and stem. Mince the chili and set aside. In a fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms, minced chili, chili powder and garlic and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the salsa and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Lightly grease a fry pan with vegetable oil and heat at medium-low. Place one tortilla until warm.
Remove tortilla to plate and spoon one-fourth of the mushroom mixture and one-fourth of the cheese on one half of tortilla. Fold the tortilla over the mixture and place in fry pan. Heat on medium-low for 2 minutes, and flip to heat other side for 2 minutes. Serve warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Garnish with lettuce, tomato and sour cream if desired.

Slightly modified from Williams Sonoma. Link to recipe here.