Roasted Peaches with Dulce de Leche and Roasted Walnuts

Time for another month of Secret Recipe Club!

This month I was assigned to Gloria's blog, Canela Kitchen. She lives in Chile and shares her recipes in both English and Spanish! She's been blogging for a long time so she had tons of delicious recipes to search through. Fall is quickly approaching, so her Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells were calling my name. We recently discovered our newfound love of zucchini so I'd love to try her Zucchini Lemon Cake! And I know her Chicken in Tarragon Sauce will grace our dinner tables here real soon.

 





















































But peaches. I couldn't resist peaches. It was a must that I make this recipe. Before all of those pretty peaches are gone!

We didn't peel our peaches but I think next time I'd prefer to do that. I'm weird about peels. And PJ isn't big on nuts (but he loved the little bit of crunch the toasted walnuts added!) so we used less. Use however much of each ingredient you like and you won't go wrong!


 
Roasted Peaches with Dulce de Leche and Roasted Walnuts
adapted from Canela Kitchen

*Yields: 2 servings

• 2 peaches, peeled, halved and pitted
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
• vanilla bean ice cream
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• dulce de leche, for topping (we used this kind in the squeezable bottle)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place halved peaches, cut side up, on baking sheet with edges. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Roast for 25-30 minutes until peaches are soft.

Meanwhile, toast walnuts in remaining butter and brown sugar for 5 or more minutes, until walnuts begin to brown and are lightly toasted (you may want to stir them). Allow to cool.

Serve peaches with vanilla bean ice cream, dulce de leche topping, and toasted walnuts.


Printable Recipe

 

Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts!

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Linking up here.


Peace, and bacon grease!

Caramel Pecan Bars

Today's my birthday! Happy birthday to me  :)

This is my last year in my 20s so I better make it a good year. I can't believe it really. Time just seemed to start floating by after 21. I still feel 21 at least! Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing lol.

Anyway, it's time for another month of The Secret Recipe Club!

This month I was assigned to Denise's blog, Eat Laugh Love. Yay, a new-to-me blog. She loves foodie mags and cookbooks like I do, and she has a culinary to-do list like me. She knows her food too. So many good recipes, like her Boozy Banana Bread and her fancy appetizers Cheddar Crisps with Roasted Grape Relish and Cranberry Pesto Bleu Cheese Crostini.  

What do you know? I chose a recipe involving caramel... shocker! You don't have to make your own caramel with this recipe... just use store-bought caramel topping! These caramel pecan bars aren't overly sweet, but they're rich, so cut into small bars like Denise advises. We cut ours into about 2 dozen small bars, I think Denise cut hers into 4 dozen small bars. Basically, you don't need a lot of these rich, gooey bars to hit that sweet spot. I did have some difficulty spreading the chocolate on after. While the chips did get softer and slightly melted, it was hard to spread it on as parts weren't soft enough. I still made it work though! I like the shortbread-like base, the crunch from the pecans, and of course the perfect combination of chocolate and caramel.

See for yourself. Make em!


Caramel Pecan Bars
from Eat Laugh Love

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter
• 1 and 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
• 1 jar (12 oz) caramel ice cream topping, warmed - I used Smucker's brand
• 1 bag (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Press into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in x 2-in. baking dish. Top with pecans. Drizzle caramel topping evenly over pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until caramel is bubbly. Place on a wire rack. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand for 5 minutes or until chocolate has melted slightly and is spreadable. Spread melted chocolate over caramel layer. Cool at room temperature for at least 6 hours or until chocolate is set. Want them to set faster? Place them in the fridge or freezer to harden and set faster. Cut into 2 dozen bars.

Printable Recipe

 



















































By the way, I'm still currently taking birthday gifts so feel free to send some my way. I accept gifts in food-form too  :)
 

Check out my past Secret Recipe Club posts!

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking up here.

*Photos taken on my Samsung Galaxy S2 phone.


Peace, and bacon grease!

Mini Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes {Crazy Cooking Challenge}

Hello there my pretties.

This month's Crazy Cooking Challenge is here! It's the last month, you know. I'm sad about it. The theme for this month was cheesecake. Eaten many, but never made one myself. Nonetheless, I was up for the challenge. That's what these challenges are about anyways, right? Challenging yourself. Myself. Whatever.

Would I say I challenged myself? Not exactly. But I did make some adorable little mini cheesecakes. Not a whole one. Still a bit intimidated there. But one day, I will conquer that intimidation.

But for now, these mini cheesecakes count as cheesecakes. And not only are they just adorable to look at, they have oreos... and nuts.... and chocolate.... and caramel. Yes, I'd say Lauren is a genius for this one.

Mini Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes

from Lauren's Latest

• 12 Oreos
• 8oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Place one oreo cookie in the bottom of each tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Scrape sides and whip again until there are no lumps. Spoon cheesecake batter over oreos evenly. Depending on how deep your muffin tins are, you should get anywhere from 9-12 individual cheesecakes. Top with chopped pecans and mini chocolate chips. Bake for 15 minutes or until completely set. Bring to room temperature. Refrigerate until cold. To serve, remove liners, place on serving platter and top with caramel sauce.

Printable Recipe

PJ liked these more than I did (shocker, because there is caramel and nuts!). Next time I'd make more of the cheesecake filling because mine didn't turn out as deep as Lauren's, so there was more oreo than cheesecake. And I may play with the cheesecake recipe a bit more.

But overall I'm happy with my first cheesecake recipe.

Even if they are only minis  :)

Be sure to check out all of my other Crazy Cooking Challenge recipes. 

Peace, and bacon grease! 

July's Secret Recipe Club - Homemade Twix Bars

Happy Monday to you!

First things first.... shameless plug! I just started a facebook page and would love for you to come like it :) You can click on the link above or click on the icon in my sidebar to the right.

It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club.

I was assigned to Chris's blog Mele Cotte, which I learned means "baked apple" in Italian. She has an array of recipes that anyone would want to try! How about some Marinated Mushrooms, or Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake? So many sounded delish but I decided on her Homemade Twix Bars. 

Cuz I don't even think it is possible for me to pass up chocolate and caramel.

I did put mine in the freezer to get them nice and firm, more like a Twix bar. Then I stored them in the fridge so they would stay firm. At room temperature, they get softer. But they were good that way too! I just prefer mine firm from the fridge  :)


Homemade Twix Bars

ever so slightly adapted from Mele Cotte

Shortbread Base

• 1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup castor (fine) sugar (or pulse granulated sugar in a food processor, then measure)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel Filling

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 14- oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate Topping 

• 11.5 oz milk chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray and line the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

For shortbread, combine flour, softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed until the batter starts to come together. Do not overbeat. While together but still crumbly, transfer dough to the prepared pan and press evenly and firmly to make the base. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile, make the caramel filling. Place the butter, sugar, dark corn syrup, and condensed milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently. Once the sugar dissolves, increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat back to medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes until the mixture becomes thick and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Pour over the baked shortbread base and let cool for 15-30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator to cool and firm completely. Once firm, melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl until melted, stirring frequently. Cool slightly. Pour over the caramel and spread, creating an even layer. 

Chill to set. Cut into desired bars.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Makes about 16, 4-inch sticks.

Printable Recipe 

These bars weren't difficult to make at all. Make a golden shortbread base, cover it with a sweet caramel filling, and top it off with some chocolate... reminiscent of a Twix candy bar. Except homemade is always better. 

And you can give them away to people to show them you care. Chocolate and caramel do that, ya know  :)

Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

June's Secret Recipe Club - Chocolate Almond Pretzel Toffee

Time for another month of the always-fun cooking challenge, the Secret Recipe Club!

I was overly excited when I received my assignment... one... because it was a new-to-me blog... and two... because it was the blog of a teenage girl named Erika... hence the name of her blog, The Teenage Taste! I was immediately impressed! I wish I was that talented at that age. I searched through tons and tons of recipes that I want to try... like her Spiced Carrot Cake Smoothie, Gooey Red Velvet Butter Cookies, and Butterfinger Rice Krispy Treats ... but ultimately I decided on her Chocolate Almond Pretzel Toffee. I wanted to use my new candy thermometer since the recipe said to let the toffee reach 285 degrees F. Plus, I can never pass up toffee. I knew it'd be delicious!

And it was! 

Sweet and salty just like I love. 

It reminds me of my Saltine Toffee, except using pretzels instead of saltine crackers, almonds instead of pecans, and no toffee bits. And it was a bit harder. I think I was accurate on getting it to 285 which is a soft crack, but I would have liked the caramel a tad softer. But still delicious, crunchy and all.

Chocolate Almond Pretzel Toffee

ever-so-slight adapted from The Teenage Taste

• 1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 35 mini pretzels
• 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup roasted almonds, chopped
• a pinch or two of sea salt, for topping

Place butter, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and heat on medium-high heat until melted. Bring to a boil and let cook until mixture reaches a soft crack stage (approximately 285 degrees), when it reaches a light caramel color. Remove toffee from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Line pretzels close together in a single layer on top of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the toffee over the pretzels and spread evenly. Let the toffee sit for at least 20 minutes or until hardened.

In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave for a minute, stirring occasionally. Spread onto the hardened toffee. Top with chopped almonds and sprinkle with sea salt. Leave at room temp or refrigerate until chocolate has set. Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container at room temp.

Printable Recipe

Now I've got a great new toffee recipe, and a great new blog to follow :) 

Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Dulce de Leche Bacon Milkshake

Whoa, it's been quite some time since I've posted! I've missed it. I wish there were more hours in the day! I've gotta start making more time for this, somehow, cuz I loves it.

I was going to be linking up to the Crazy Cooking Challenge... this month it's all about the smoothies and shakes. Truthfully, I made this shake for that purpose. Then hours before posting time, I re-read the requirements and it has to have fruit. Noooooo! 

Oh well, I can still share this with you guys.

You all know I love my bacon. And caramel. You guys know that, right? Thus, this milkshake seemed like the perfect fit. Yes I'm about to do this.

Dulce de Leche Bacon Milkshakes. 

Bacon lovers, can I get an Amen?! This recipe from Eva is pure heaven for a bacon and caramel lover like myself. And you, of course!

Don't hate. All my bacon and sweet n salty lovers probably feel me. I know you may not be diggin the whole bacon in desserts thing, but just try it and you may be surprised!

I enjoyed the little bits of bacon with each drink. 

Annnnnd technically it's DOUBLE dulce de leche because instead of vanilla ice cream, I used Haagen Dazs' Dulce de Leche Caramel Ice Cream.

Dulce de Bacon Milkshake

slightly adapted from Adventures in Cooking

• 5 slices of center-cut bacon
• 1 cup Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche Caramel ice cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 heaping tbsp dulce de leche (ok, let's be serious here. Let's just make it 2 tbsp)

Cook bacon in a large skillet until done, flipping occasionally. Remove and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Cut or tear 4 of the bacon slices into small pieces. Reserve extra slice of bacon for garnish.

Place the ice cream, milk, dulce de leche, and chopped bacon in a blender. Put the lid on and blend at high speed for a minute, until mixture is thoroughly combined. Pour the milkshake into a clear serving glass and garnish with the single slice of cooked bacon. Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe

It. Doesn't. Get. Much. Better. Than. That.

Peace, and bacon grease!

Linking up here.

Salted Caramel Milkshake {Holiday Recipe Club: Cinco de Mayo}

It's almost over but, Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!

We didn't do any big celebrating, but I made sure to have a margarita.

Do you guys know one of my favorite things in life?

Salted caramel. 

For reals. I'm all about the sweet and salty if you don't know by now. 

And for this month's Holiday Recipe Club, we had to make a Cinco de Mayo recipe using either chorizo, tomatoes, or dulce de leche... or a combination of any of the three. 

I chose to roll with the dulce de leche because I love all things caramel and have seen those little dulce de leche cans around stores and always wondered what to make with it. Now was the time to find out. While I was in the aisle I saw the canned kind, and some more  dulce de leche squeezable caramel sauce, same brand. So I just got both. I ended up using the pourable caramel sauce. I'll figure out what to do with the other stuff, oh don't you worry.

I opted for something simple yet something that will brighten any day or put a nice end to a rough work day or week. I found this salted caramel milkshake recipe... with some alcohol added in. Oh I'm all on that!

Salted Caramel Milkshake

slightly adapted from Food Network

• 1 cup french vanilla ice cream
• 1/3 cup Nestle La Lechera Dulce de Leche caramel sauce (squeeze bottle)
• 1 shot 1800 silver tequila
• Whipped cream
• Sea salt and/or candied orange peel, for garnish

Blend the ice cream, dulce de leche caramel sauce, tequila and 3 ice cubes in a blender on medium speed until thick and smooth. Pour in glass and top with whipped cream, sea salt and/or candied orange peel. 

Printable Recipe

This recipe made one margarita-glass full.

You can definitely make these without the alcohol too for the young ones. Or for yourself if you're not into the whole alcohol thing. But then we can't be friends. Just kidding, just kidding. That just means more alcohol for me  :)

Check out these other Mexican recipes for other Cinco de Mayo ideas!

Baked Creamy Chicken Flautas
Chicken Taco Lasagna with Cilantro Lime Sauce
Mexican Chicken with Jalapeno Popper Sauce
Southwest Chicken Burritos
White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sauce
Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad
Mexican Sour Cream Rice
Southwestern Deviled Eggs
Hot Fiesta Dip
Jalapeno Poppers
Homemade Taco Mix

Peace, and bacon grease!

Linking up here.