Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart

Made this again last night and LOVED it!! SOOOO yummy!! It's rich - and wonderful :)

(From my friend Sarah Gale)
1 box Nonni's original biscotti
1/2 stick melted butter
10 oz extremely good quality chocolate, chopped up (I use Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips)
1 cup (half pint) heavy cream
12 oz package frozen raspberries, thawed
1 Tbl sugar

Preheat oven to 375. In a blender or food processor, crush the biscotti into crumbs. Stir in the melted butter and press into a pie or tart pan. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. In the blender or food processor, puree the raspberries. Stir in the sugar and let it sit for a bit so the juices come out from the sugar. Strain out the seeds and set the puree aside. In a large microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for 1 minute and 30 seconds so that it's hot, almost but not quite boiling. Add the chopped chocolate to the hot cream and make sure it's all submerged. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then whisk it all together. It should be the consistency of a thin pudding. Add in 1/3 cup of the raspberry puree and pour it all into the cooled biscotti crust. Refrigerate for a few hours until set. To serve, slice into 12 very thin slices and drizzle with extra raspberry puree.  Whip cream on top is yummy as well :)

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

We got this recipe from "Our Best Bites."

They were delicious!

Olive Oil

1 roll Pillsbury Pizza Dough (Or any other pizza dough)

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Pizza Toppings

Parmesan Cheese

Garlic Powder

Marinara or Pizza Sauce

Open the pizza dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface

Cut the dough into 2" by 2" squares or bigger

Place about 1 tablespoon of cheese in the center of the square

Place your toppings on top of the cheese

Pull the corners up on top and pinch close the roll

Place the rolls into a baking dish that has been greased by olive oil

After placing all of the rolls into the baking dish, brush with olive oil

Top with parmesan cheese and garlic (we put a lot of each on top)

Bake according to the dough's package or recipe

After they are done baking, dip them in the warmed marinara or pizza sauce and enjoy!

Caprese Skewers

Not only are these SO cute-- but they are super yummy too! I brought them to a bbq potluck and they were all gobbled up.  It is painfully obvious that I have the lamest camera out of all my sisters and mom on here because my pictures of these darling yummy bites suck.  Sorry.  Use your imagination because they really are darling, and oh-so-good! :)
(Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe- of course!) :)

Caprese Skewers

Cherry tomatoes, red or yellow
Basil leaves (about 18-30 leaves, the big ones can be cut in half)
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Toothpicks/skewers

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half so you end up with two half-basketball pieces. Slice the mozzarella into bite-sized chunks. Slide a piece of mozzarella onto the toothpick. Place a piece basil leaf and nestle it up next to the mozzarella (large leaves can be cut into thirds or more). Slide a tomato onto the bottom of the skewer, cut side down. Move the mozzarella and basil down to meet the tomato if needed. You want the flat side of the tomato to be right at the end of the toothpick so it stands up straight. Place all the finished skewers on a plate or tray. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

Tried this out on Sunday afternoon for a treat, and we loved it.

They were even better the next day!

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup oats
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. chocolate chips (I used 1 c. milk, 1/2 c. semi-sweet, and 1/2 c. white because I like that combo)

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. Beat butter, sugars, egg and vanilla till fluffy and add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Press into a greased 9×13 inch pan and bake for 18-20 minutes until light golden brown.

Fajitas

Quote from "Our Best Bites" recipe site:
"The secret really is in the marinade. And my little trick is to reserve just a little of it to drizzle on at the very end for an extra punch of flavor. You can use your choice of meat; boneless chicken breasts work great, as do chicken thighs or tenders. Flank steak is also awesome. We often do both chicken and steak. Grab whatever colors of peppers and onions you have around and grill them up."

So I did just what she said, I made the marinade, reserved a little, and grilled up the chicken and veggies. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Make sure you buy the LIQUID SMOKE. It wouldn't be the same without it!!! Since I sliced up all my veggies and meat ahead of time, I used our grill basket to cook them on the BBQ grill. Perfection.....Delicious......You should buy one if you don't have one! See this link for pictures!

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or steak (I pre-sliced mine before adding to the marinade)
2-3 bell peppers, stem and membranes removed and peppers quartered
1 large onion (any color/variety) sliced into 1/2″ slices
Marinade:
1/4 C fresh lime juice
1/3 C water
2 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
3 t vinegar
2 t soy sauce
1-2 t liquid smoke
1 t salt
1/2 t chili powder, or chipotle chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/4 t onion powder
*If you’re not familiar with liquid smoke, you can find it near the bbq sauces. Don’t make this without it! It’s definitely one of the key components. It makes things yummy and smoky and super flavorful. And if you’re wondering, it actually is real smoke in liquid form. Interesting, eh?

Place meat in a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Place vegetables in another. In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and whisk well. Reserve 3-4 Tablespoons of marinade for later use. With remaining marinade, add a splash to the vegetables (enough for a light coating) and the remaining to the meat. Marinate for 4-6 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat bbq grill (my preference), indoor grill pan, or large skillet. If you’re using a grill, place everything on at the same time. If using a skillet, slice peppers and onions first. Cook chicken for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and remove from pan. Cover with foil to keep warm. Add vegetables and cook until crisp tender.

Remove vegetables from cooking surface and slice. Slice meat. Toss with reserved marinade and serve along side any or all of the following:

Flour Tortillas
Black Beans/Pinto Beans
Lime-Cilantro Rice
Pico de Gallo
Salsa
Diced avocado
Guacamole
Sour Cream

Creamy Tortellini Spinach Bake

There's not much to say other than we LOVED this! I found this recipe at Our Best Bites here, called Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce. I followed it exactly. Loved it extremely.

I've copied the recipe below. My only note is to keep in mind that this bakes in a 8x8 dish, so double it if you have a large family.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle)
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat. Cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest. Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon. Then cut lemon in half and remove juice. Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture. Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* For a vegetarian meal, omit bacon.

Serves 4-6

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Update from Stacie:

Carrie made these last week and posted the recipe, and I had bookmarked the recipe several months ago. I don't know what took me so long to try them! I just made these tonight and had to add that we LOVED them. One of the best things I've ever made for the family, in fact.

Here's the rest of the post from Carrie:

I found this recipe (and borrowed her picture, I forgot to take one before we snarfed them all down!) on Our Best Bites. Click HERE for the link to their page, with more pictures, etc. of the recipe. Let me just say, these are super easy, and even more super good! I changed a couple things, mostly to use what I had on hand. See their site for the original recipe. They really are so good! For me, this made 7 Taquitos on regular sized flour tortillas.

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C salsa (I used my homemade regular salsa. Original recipe calls for a green salsa)
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin *(I used Mrs. Dash "Table Blend" seasonings in place of all individual seasons listed)
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro *I omit, I hate cilantro!
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated cheese, mozzarella, pepper-jack, or your favorite. I used mozzarella.

small flour tortillas *I love the fresh, uncooked ones. (and actually, corn ones are good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Cook your tortillas on the stove top and set aside. If using pre-cooked tortillas, work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip them in salsa, sour cream, or guacamole! Yumm-O!