Quix fix to packaged brownies!

I know I haven't posted in a while.. Give me a break, it's been mid-term time and it's been crazy! When the semester comes rolling around it's hard for me to keep my head straight, and I have little time to cook.. When I do I usually forget to take a picture or think about it.

However, I thought you all might enjoy this. It's a quick fix to your packaged brownies. Cheesecake brownies! Yum.


Here's what you need:
1 Package of your favorite brownie mix, prepare like stated.
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 egg (in addition to whats needed for the brownies)
1lb (yes lb) of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

What to do:

Prepare your brownie mix as it states.
Butter/Pam/Crisco a baking dish
In a seperate bowl combine softened cream cheese, egg, powdered sugar and vanilla mix with your mixer.
Spread on top of brownies and bake! (as instructions state, may need an extra 5minutes or so for the cream cheese)

Now, wasn't that a quick fix for some spiced up brownies? Even a busy college student has time to whip these up! =)


I'm making my husband an Ice cream cake for his birthday so if all goes well, I'll post the recipe up for it as well!


-From Brook's Kitchen

It's sad when the semester starts and I cook less!

Well, I know it's been awhile since my last post but really it's been a little rough with my semester starting back at the University as a Jr.. It's taken me some time to get the swing of things.. But I made a dessert for "family dinner night" and thought I'd share =) Simple, sweet and easy end of the summer dessert!

Frozen Banana Split

What You Need:

A Baking Dish or Casserole Dish

Box of Ice cream Sandwiches (I think I used about 12 minis)

2 Cups Whipping Cream

1/3 Cup Sugar

One Bag of Health Candy bar pieces(or make your own)

About 3 Bananas

Sliced Strawberries

Hot Fudge

Carmel

What To Do?

First, get your baking dish or casserole dish and lay your ice cream sandwiches in the bottom, cutting some if needed to fit the dish

Now, make your whipped cream with 2 cups heavy whipping cream and 1/3 cup cream (see previous recipe for instructions on how if you dont know, simple)

Sprinkle health pieces sliced bananas and strawberries on top of the ice cream sandwiches and spread fresh whipped cream on top. Sprinkle remaining health (or as much as you like) on top, place in freezer for at least 15 minutes

When ready to serve warm up fudge and carmel, drizzle over top and serve up!

Easy simple dessert! =)

Hopefully, I'll get to post some more things soon!

--From Brook's Kitchen

My Family's Dinner. Somehow all on me?

My sister came in town for a day and it was just us and my parents. That doesn't happen very often so we decided to have a nice dinner.. I was supposed to make a good dessert.. Somehow I ended up making it all!

Pita Chips & Dip

What You Need:

(Chips)

*4 Pieces of soft flat bread or pita, cut into wedges like above

*Eyeball 1tbs Olive Oil (I used my favorite, garlic infused)

*Eyeball amounts of you liking of Seasalt, Oregano (I used a garlic & wine seasoning but garlic salt and maybe something else you like will do! (= )

(Dip)

*8oz Mascarpone Cheese

*3/4 Cup Sour Cream

*1/2 Cup Bacon Bits (real)

*1 Tsp Onion Powder, Garlic Salt (I used garlic and wine), Sea Salt, Oregano. (Taste, add more to taste)

What to do?

Chips:

*Pre-Heat Oven to 450 degrees.

*Cut your bread in half, then cut into four pieces.

*Place onto cookie sheet

*Drizzle with the olive oil

*Spread Seasoning evenly over pieces.

*Bake for 8 Minutes.

The Dip:

* Place room temp Mascarpone cheese in a bowl

*Add 3/4 cup sour cream, fold together.

*Add Bacon and seasonings, fold all together.

Now Serve!

Watermelon Cooler

What You Need?--Serves Two.

*4 Cups Balled Seedless Watermelon

*1 1/2 cups of lemon sorbet

*1 cup water

*Food Processor.

What to do?

*Measure our 4 cups of balled watermelon

*Place in food processor and blend away

*Add the Sorbet and water and blend.

((TIP))-- If you need to double the recipe, make them separately. It's too much for you food processor. I also think that if I make it again I'll strain it. Depends if you want the watermelon little chunks

*Place in fridge, chill

*Serve!

My Mom's Taco Pie-- My comfort food growing up!

What you need:

* 1lb Beef

*1 pack taco seasoning

* 2 Cups Crushed Doritos

* 1/2 Cup Sour Cream

* 1 pack of crescents rolls

* 2 cups of cheddar cheese (or my favorite, Colby jack)--Shredded

* Pie dish

* Spray Crisco

What to do?

*Pre heat oven to 350

*Prepare taco meat

*Spray Pie Pan with Crisco

*Place crescent rolls into dish and press around to make shell. Do not separate.

*Mix Taco meat with sour cream

*Lay down 1/2 of the Doritos (1 cup crushed)

*Add taco meat on top

*Add Cheese

*Add the rest of the Doritos on top

*Bake in the oven for 20minutes, serve!

Skillet Friend Easy Apple Pie with Homemade Whipped Cream

What You Need:

(Pie)

-1 Can Large Buttermilk Biscuits (Should have about 8)

-1 can of apple pie filling

-Cinnamon sugar

-Vegetable Oil (a couple of cap fulls)

-Rolling Pin

-Flour

(Whipped Cream)

Simple Easy Normal Recipe

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1/3 cup sugar

What to do?

-Pie

-Roll out each biscuit VERY thin.

-Take some water and put along the edges (so when you fold it, it will stick)

-Sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar along the inside

- Eyeball about a 2 tbs of apple pie filling (best to take a fork and cup the apples in the can)

- Fill the biscuit and fold in half.

-Pinch together and take a fork and press along the edges

- Place about a cap full of oil into the pan and allow to get hot.

-Fry until done

(if while frying them up, you need more oil add a cap full under the pies.. but dont add too much or you will burn them)

-Place on plate and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar! Add the whip cream with sprinkled cinnamon sugar as well

Simple Whipped Cream

*Place 1 cup of room temp Heavy Cream into a bowl with sugar

*Take Hand Beats and beat until stiff peaks form

*Fold over for a good smooth texture.

--From Brook's Kitchen!

Quick Dinner Fix!

Being married with no kids, and in school-- Sometimes I have to cook for one or a quick dinner for two. This you can do for both!

Chicken Soft Taco's

What You Need:

(Feeds Two)

2 Tortilla Shells

1 Cooked Chicken Breast ( I like to grill up my chicken when I buy a back and freeze separately) If it isn't cooked, cook them (grilled- my favorite) Keeping them stored is an easy way to make a lot of dishes!

3/4 Cup Water

1/4 cup of taco seasoning

Your Favorite Cheese

Sour Cream

(Optional)

Mushrooms

Black Olives

Salsa

Mexican White Cheese Sauce

What to do?

*Add 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup taco seasoning to pot over stove

*Allow to simmer

*While Waiting, Chop your chicken breast into bite size pieces.

*Once the pot starts to simmer, add chicken and turn down to med heat.

*Allow to lightly simmer for 30 minutes.

*Heat up tortilla in microwave or in a pan on the stove.

*Add Sour Cream on bottom layer, take a spoon with holes and sift out chicken

*Add on top, add cheese and anything else you may like

*Roll like a burrito, you can add the optional mexican cheese sauce on top here.

*Microwave for about 20 seconds, or grill on a pan on the stove.

To go with it?

Thin & Crispy Homemade Potato Chips!

What You Need?

*1 Med Potato Per Person

*Deep Fryer or A pot with vegetable oil in it, heated.

*Sea Salt (or reg salt, cheddar salt, Lawry's seasoning salt.. whatever you want)

(Optional)-- Good Grips Slicer (My favorite new tool in the kitchen!)

What to do?

*Heat up deep fryer, or pot with oil.

*Wash your potato's.

*The Good Grips Slicer should be set to 1 (thinnest setting) and sliced away!

*If you have another slicer, this will work It is hard to get them thin by hand with a knife, but you can do this as well. A food processor sometimes has a slicing setting-- it can be used as well.

*Place a good sized handfull into the oil, constantly stirring and turning until done (usually about 2 minutes)

* Remove from oil, place a paper towel in a colander and place chips in that.

*Salt and shake. Enjoy!

~From Brooks Kitchen

Perfect change for a cookout.

These are two things I've made recently that would be perfect for a cookout change. Something different from hotdogs and hamburgers!

Chicken Burgers

(Sorry about this picture.. No added goodies. It was a quick dinner and we didn't have any goodies!)

What You Need:

Ground Chicken(1LB yields 4)

1/2 cup Sour Cream ( Also *Can* substitute for mayo)

Few Dashes Worcestershire

1 tsp lemon juice

Garlic Salt

Onion Powder

(Whatever other seasonings you may like!)

Olive Oil

Burger Buns or Rolls

What to do?

Pour ground chicken into the bowl

Add all ingredients.(Except Olive Oil) Mix with hands quickly

Take pieces of wax paper brush with olive oil ( I love garlic infused! )

Place a dollop onto the paper and pat out into a burger ( I find it easier if I do the patting on top of the wax paper, the mixture is very sticky)

Place the patties into the fridge for at least an hour (This helps them hold up when you are cooking them.)

Pre heat your grill (or you can pre-heat a pan with olive oil in the bottom to make on the skillet)

Grill the burgers (depends on how thick you made them) for about 7 minutes on each side... Make sure you check

In the last minutes, brush you buns/rolls whatever you want with some olive oil and grill for about a minute.

(Optional)

Place Bacon, or real bacon bits on top and cover with your favorite cheese. Allow to melt.

Serve it up with all the favorites, Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato!

Time for a cookout dessert!

Easy S'mores Cupcakes

What You Need?(Cake Part)

1 Box (I like Duncan Hines) Devils Food Cake Mix

1 Pack Instant Chocolate Pudding

(Ingredients your boxed cake mix calls for)

About 4 Gram Crackers

1 Cup Mini Marshmallows

24 Cupcake Papers/Tin

Crisco Spray

What To Do?

*Pre Heat your oven to whatever you box calls for (Usually about 350)

*Mix you cake like the box calls for, but add the 1 pack of pudding (for extra moistness)

*Once Mixed, add the 1 cup of mini marshmallows. Fold in, don't mix in.

*Crush your gram crackers into fine pieces.

*Prepare you cupcake pan with liners. Spray with crisco (or whatever cooking spray)

*Place about a tbs of the crumbs into each liner.

*Now place batter into liners/tins. (Something I like to do is use an ice-cream scooper one normal sized scoop is the perfect amount and it makes it much easier and no mess)

*Bake! Usually it takes about an extra 3-5 minutes than the box says. Use a toothpick and when they come clean (minus marshmallow) it's good! It's important NOT to overcook.

*Chill

What do you need for the Icing?

Here's the thing. There are two different types of icing you can use. A fluffy light icing, or a marshmallow richer icing.

Fluffy

About 5 Eggwhites (room temp)

5 Tbs Sugar

2Tbs Marshmallow Cream

1 tsp Pure Vanilla

What to do?

*Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (should look stiff like whipped cream)

*add 1 tbs of sugar in at a time after peaks had formed, cont. beating

add the marshmallow cream and vanilla, beat in.

*Pipe onto cooled cupcakes *should feed cool*

*You can toast it with a butane ligher, or kitchen torch to make them look like toasted marshmallows.

Icing Number Two, Richer.

What You Need?

1 Stick of butter (Room Temp)

1 1/2 jars of marshmallow cream

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tsp Pure Vanilla

What To Do?

* Beat butter until creamy.

* Add in the powdered sugar, beat.

* Add in the marshmallow cream, slowly.. Beat.

*Add in pure vanilla. Taste test!

*Pipe onto chilled cupcakes.

Something Extra: You can garnish the finished cupcakes with a chocolate piece.

Now, just enjoy the taste of S'mores with a cupcake!

Brook's cooking dinner tonight.

Well, I made dinner for my family the other night because I try to be a good daughter and wife and do these kinds of things.. I love how everyone is like "Brook's cooking tonight, come home hungry" and then just sit and wait on me to make them dinner.. I must admit my husband does help out to the best of his abilities.
I made Chicken Tenders, Loaded mashed potatoes and honey crescent rolls for dinner with an Apple bunt cake for dessert.So let's just get to it! The Chicken Tenders

What You Need

Chicken (Breast or tenders, if you pick breast you must cut them into 1/2 inch strip)

1 Container Sour Cream

(Dash)Salt

(Dash)Pepper

3 Tbs Worcestershire

1 Tbs Lemon Juice

Mrs. Dash (and or other seasonings of your choice)

1/2 TBS Minced Garlic

Bread Crumbs (Original or Italian)

Cooking Spray (Or other means of how you'd like to grease your pan)

Ranch & (or) Honey Mustard

How To?

Mix together One Container Sour Cream,Salt,Pepper, Minced Garlic and Seasonings (Mrs. Dash is pretty good, as well as accent and other spices-- Add as desired, don't over do it though!)

Set Aside

Trim and tenderize the chicken strips, place in the mixture and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture by folding the chicken into it. Cover and refrigerate over night, or at least for a few hours (the longer the better! No more than 24 hours.. because i've never tried.)

Pre*Heat oven to 350 degrees

Now pour bread crumbs into the bowl add seasoning if you wish, or use Italian..

Take chicken out *I use t

ongs, because it builds on your fingers* and place in bowl with bread crumbs making sure chicken is covered and place onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake Chicken for 40 minutes.

Serve with Honey Mustard or Ranch because it taste best!

Next, Loaded mashed potatoes. I forgot to take a finished picture!

What you need?

6 Peeled Potatoes

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 cup Colby Jac

k

1 Pack, Jar *whatever you buy* Real Bacon Bits

1 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Milk

3 TBS butter

Med Casserole dish

What to do?

Pre heat oven to 350

You need to peel, boil and mash the potatoes like you normally do to make mashed potatoes.

Then, like usual, add 1/2 cup milk and use mixer to mix.

(if you think they need to be creamier add more milk it really depends on your potatoes.)

Now, add the butter, 1/2 the bacon bits, cheddar cheese, sour cream and mix again.

Place the potatoes into

the casserole dish, place Colby jacky cheese on top and remaning bacon bits.

Leave in oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Change it up with your favorite cheeses! Swiss? Smoked Cheddar?

Next... Apple Cake..

What do you need?

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix (Follow as directed, need ingredients as directed)

1 box instant pudding mix

3 Granny Smith Apples

Cooking Spray

Nut Meg

Cinnamon

Carmel Sauce

Powdered Sugar

What to do?

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees, or as cake mix instructs.

Peel 3 granny smith apples

I used a sliced and sliced them very thin, and then chopped them finely.. You can choose to grate them, or chop them depending on how you would like it.

Mix cake mix as directed, adding the 1 pack of pudding mix and Cinnamon and nutmeg, add as much as you think you would like, I did about 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, 1 nutmeg.

Fold in the apple pieces

Bake in a bunt pan as the box directs, checking with a toothpick to make sure the cake is finished.

Allow cake to cool

Now mix powdered sugar and cinnamon together, a good rule of thumb for this is as much powdered sugar as cinnamon.. 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup cinnamon, mix together with spoon and sprinkle on cake (cooled)

Now Serve and add carmel sauce, sunday topping is what I used on top of the cake.. (I didn't add directly on the cake because I was afraid it would make it soggy.)

Well I hope you all enjoy, the cake I couldn't exactly put my finger on but I wasn't too crazy about it.. However it's gone and my family really enjoyed it.

From Brook's Kitchen

Wait, this isn't ice cream?

Well, this is my first post.. I was trying to think back to something I had a picture of and I found these and although they aren't really something special recipe wise, they are fun decorating wise.. And that's something I also enjoy doing. Sadly I did these in the picture about a year ago for some kids that were coming over to the house, it's really fun for kids, they loved it!

What You Need?

Ice Cream Cones
Favorite hard candy (Exp: M&M's, Skittles, Jelly Beans, Gummy Bears)
Whipped White Icing (Can use whipped chocolate, just not as pretty)
Your Favorite Cake Mix (or the kids favorite!)
Same Flavor Instant Pudding Mix
Gel Food Coloring
Sprinkles


*Mix your favorite cake mix adding the same flavor or instant pudding to the mix.

*Make half regular sized cupcake, half mini
(You want the same amount of each IE: 12 regular 12 mini)

*Cool, Place in freezer or fridge, DO NOT freeze.

*Fill Ice Cream Cone with candy of choice

*Cut tops of mini cupcakes

*Place large cupcake upside down and ice

*Place small cupcake upside down on top of it and ice all over

*Take Offset spatula/ or spoon if you don't have one and make "swirls" in icing to make it look more like soft serve

*Decorate with sprinkles and watch the kids enjoy!!


Sorry about the picture quality it was with my phone a while back! I'll post again tomorrow with recipes for delicious sour cream marinated chicken tenders, loaded mashed potatoes and possibly an Apple cake, or even if it doesn't! haha


~From Brook's Kitchen