ooey gooey caramel pie... revisited AND homemade vanilla infused whipped cream

this blog is an update on my previous blog about caramel pie

i revisisted this recipe for thanksgiving with my family this year, and i decided to dress it up a bit. the recipe remains largely the same as last time (i made a few little additions), but it is still quite easy.

caramel pie
ingredients:

2 cans eagle brand sweetened condensed milk

pie crust

packaged whipped cream - OR homemade whipped cream (see recipe below)

chopped walnuts

mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

homemade whipped cream

ingredients:

1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions for the homemade whipped cream:
1. combine cream, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla in a bowl.

2. use an electric mixer to whip to stiff (but not grainy) peaks.

3. chill until ready to use. (you should use within one day.)

directions for the caramel pie:
1. take the labels off the cans of eagle brand milk.
2. boil the unopened cans in water for three hours. you will likely have to add water to the pot as time goes on because of evaporation.

3. remove the cans from water. LET THE WATER COOL FIRST. and PLEASE use some potholders and GOOD tongs for this project. (i'm putting emphasis on this, because i learned this step the hard way... HOT water splashed on my entire right arm and face because i lost grip on my tongs as i was taking the cans out of the water. so, please... trust me on this...)

4. let the cans cool completely - about 30 minutes out of the pot will do the trick.

5. CAREFULY open the cans. caramel will likely escape from the can as you open, so don't be alarmed.

6. immediately pour the caramel into the pie crust. let the caramel set and cool. an hour in the refrigerator should do the trick, but i prefer to let mine chill overnight. (if you make your own whipped cream, letting them both set overnight is a good plan.)

7. top the pies with whipped cream.

8. toppings options: you can either reserved some of the caramel and drizzle it on top of the pie (which is what i did last time) OR you can top with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or chopped walnuts OR turn it into banoffee by adding sliced bananas on top. the chocolate chips and walnuts are how they do it at o'charley's... and this recipe is a dead ringer for the restaurant version.

other options for this recipe are to make mini versions in individual graham cracker pie crusts OR you can even make your own pie. you don't have to make your own whipped cream, but i just prefer to be able to say that i made the entire thing myself. although the taste difference is really minimal. the whipped cream i make just has a little more infused vanilla flavor in it.

this recipe got rave reviews at thanksgiving, and i was asked to make it again for christmas! (that's when you know you've stumbled upon something truly scrumptious!) this recipe is so easy but seems like it you slaved over it. add this to your recipe arsenal. you won't regret it. and neither will your guests!

fin.

 

pepperoni roll-ups

tis the season to have yummy, easy recipes with minimal ingredients to throw together in a flash for company or kids! this recipe is PERFECT for exactly that. these pepperoni roll-ups make a great appetizer for a casual get together, or something delightful for kiddos to chomp on. picky eaters don't stand a chance!

ingredients:
crescent rolls
pepperoni
string cheese (i found this provolone-mozzarella string cheese, and i did a happy dance in the dairy section of the store... and that happy dance was well-deserved...)
cream cheese
ranch/marinara/alfredo/whatever-you-like sauce (for dipping)

(i still can't figure out this sideways picture crap! anybody know why it does this?! ugh... moving on...)

directions:
1. roll out the crescent roll.

2. separate the crescent rolls into triangles.

3. place 4-5 pepperonis on each triangle. you may tear a few to make them fit easier.

4. top each triangle with half a piece of string cheese - torn into bite size pieces. (i actually took an extra piece of string cheese just to add a bit extra cheese in the empty spots, so i used 5 strings total.)

5. try not to eat all the string cheese!

6. if you decide to go against that advice (as i obviously did), don't get caught.

(i got caught!)

7. the original recipe didn't call for this step, but i added it to make things interesting. well, that and cream cheese was BOGO and i had just a little leftover and didn't know what to use it for. i thought this would be great! so, back to the point, top each triangle with a small dollop... or two... or three... of cream cheese. cream cheese makes me happy (see picture).

8. carefully roll up the sides and bring sides to seal.

 9. bake according to directions on crescent roll package. mine was 10-12 minutes.

10. bake until golden brown. when cheese starts to ooze out just a bit, they're PERFECT. take em out!

11. serve with a side of ranch, marinara, alfredo, or whatever sauce you would like for dipping. or you can even eat them alone. they're good enough! i actually like to mix a little alfredo in my marinara, and that's what i did to serve alongside the pepperoni roll-ups. it's super easy. just put some marinara in a small bowl, add a little alfredo, warm up in the microwave (be sure to put a paper towel over it, as some popping will likely occur, and this will save you clean up time later), mix together, serve! if that's too confusing for you, i included pictures...

these little roll-ups were gobbled up quickly - and there were only two of us! like i said before, these are great for picky eaters, kiddos, or casual appetizers... or pair it with a salad (maybe with caesar or italian dressing) and make an easy weeknight dinner!

the addition of the cream cheese makes it a little heavier. if you want something lighter, you can nix it altogether. but why would you do that? it's cream cheese, silly.

i really think it would be super cute to serve these in a basket at a kids table or to have these at a kids' birthday party. tell me what occasion you make these for and how they go over with your family/friends!

fin.

asian style zucchini

i am addicted to japanese food. like, badly. so when i found a recipe of how to make asian style zucchini at home (which is often my favorite part of the meal), i jumped on it. it doesn't take EXACTLY like hibachi... i need some ginger sauce to throw on it... (i need to find a recipe for homemade ginger sauce... someone remind me of that later...) but this recipe is very delicious!!

ingredients:
1 teaspoon butter
1 large zucchini, cut into 1 inch slices OR cubed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
garlic powder to taste
ground black pepper to taste

directions:
1. melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

2. stir in the zucchini.

3. cook zucchini until lightly browned.

4. sprinkle with soy sauce and sesame seeds.

5. season with garlic powder and pepper.

6. continue cooking until zucchini is well coated and tender.

this would be a great side item to any kind of fried rice or stir-fry. i wouldn't know how it keeps for leftovers because they were all GONE. i can't wait to make more. :)

fin.

parmesan encrusted baked chicken tenders

this recipe is a saving grace for a quick and easy dinner on a weeknight. or anytime, really. with only four ingredients and minimal time, make this with some leftover or easy to make sides, and you've got dinner on the table in no time! not going to lie... this recipe has become a staple in casa de evatt recently! the hubs actually requests it quite often.

ingredients (there are only FOUR):

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (from 2 breasts) OR 8 chicken tenderloins (i used 4 breasts, making 8 halves, so the mayo mixture got used up quickly. if using more than 2 breasts, double the rest of the ingredients.)
italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

directions:
1. preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. if using chicken breasts, cut chicken breasts in halves. i fileted them. (they need to be thinner to soak up the mayonnaise mixture and to cook through without drying out.)

3. combine mayonnaise with parmesan cheese in medium bowl. (sorry this pic was after i had used most of it, because i forgot... i was a bad blogger!)

4. arrange chicken on a greased baking sheet.

5. coat each piece with mayonnaise mixture.

6. sprinkle (pretty heavily) with bread crumbs.

7. bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

my little sister came over for dinner when i made this, and she loved it so much that she asked my mom to make them again. my mom did, and she had a fantastic suggestion. if you want to cut down on calories, you could opt to use plain yogurt instead of mayo. she tried it, and she said they turned out great - very moist.

i paired this with slow cooker mac and cheese and zucchini, and it was scrumptious! (those recipes are coming soon...)

i don't know how this was as leftovers... it didn't make it that far! let me know what you pair this yummy, quick, and easy chicken dish with!

fin.

buffalo chicken dip

i had this at a friend's apartment when she hosted a party, and i was next to the dip bowl all night. this is a PERFECT game day dip or dip for a party or get-together. you can serve this with crackers or chips, but i wouldn't recommend any kind of thick crackers. something crispier definitely pairs better. chicken in a biscuit crackers come to mind. or tortilla chips.

i'm sorry if i'm typing pretty choppy. i'm devouring this right now.

i'm posting this today in honor of the SEC championship. i'm rooting for the georgia dawgs... but still showing some TENNESSEE PRIDE b/c this dip has an orange color. no matter what other team i root for, i always root for TENNESSEE first!

ok. enough of that. onto the recipe.

disclaimer. i am posting the "half version" of this recipe. double it if you are making it for a large group.

ingredients:
1 1/2-2 breasts of chicken or 3-4 chicken tenderloins, boiled then shredded (OR 1 (10 oz) can of chunk chicken, drained)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup ranch dressing
red pepper sauce (i use Frank's Red Hot)
3/4 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese

directions:
1. boil chicken until cooked through. take out of pot. let cool. hold chicken in place with one fork and shred with another. if you want to save time, you can use a can of chunk chicken, drained. since it cooks in with many other ingredients, you can't really tell a taste difference, but just use whatever you have on hand. i had chicken tenderloins, so that's what i used.

2. heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. the recipe calls for about a third cup of hot sauce. i find that the hot sauce is overwhelming with that much, so i just sprinkled the top of the chicken with hot sauce as desired and cooked on medium until the chicken had saturated the hot sauce.

3. stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. cook, stirring until well blended and warm. 

4. mix in half of the shredded cheese. (i may have used a little more cheese than the recipe calls for, but that shouldn't really shock anyone...)

5. transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. (i found my little dipper to be quite appropriate, and this is the first time i got to use it! YAY!)

6. sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook. if using a regular crockpot, put it on the low setting until hot and bubbly. 

 serve with chips, crackers, and/or celery sticks! 


HAPPY SEC CHAMPIONSHIP DAY! GO DAWGS!


fin.