Congo Bars

I love cookies but sometimes I don't feel like taking the time to make them. That's what I love about these bars. You get the same great taste of a cookie but it's a bar instead! It's so much easier and just as delicious! The great thing about this recipe is you can add whatever ingredients you like. I used milk chocolate chips and m&ms but you can pretty much use anything. The possibilities are endless.

Printable Recipe

Congo Bars
2 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 lb light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips (any variety)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix together brown sugar and softened butter until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared 9x13 baking pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely. Remove foil from pan, cut into squares, and enjoy!

Makes 24 bars

Recipe adapted from Bakerella

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Monterey Chicken
Two years ago: Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic Oregano Vinaigrette and Fingerling Potatoes
Three years ago: Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy BBQ Pot Roast

Printable Recipe

Slow Cooker Sweet & Spicy BBQ Pot Roast
4-7 lb boneless chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat
1-2 Tbsp saute spice (equal parts garlic powder, salt, & pepper)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 can root beer
1 can (9 oz) red enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp hot sauce
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Pat roast with a paper towel. Rub saute spice all over roast. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides for about 1 minute on each side. Transfer to a slow cooker.

Combine root beer, enchilada sauce, worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Pour over roast. Cover and cook at low heat for 8-10 hours or high heat for 5-6 hours. Remove roast and tent with foil.

Combine cornstarch and water. Stir into slow cooker and cook uncovered at high heat for 15 minutes until thick, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce over roast with mashed potatoes or rice.

Serves 8-10

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Zucchini Bites
Two years ago: Key Lime Pie
Three years ago: Orange Cream Layered Dessert

Chipotle Chicken Burritos

Printable Recipe

Chipotle Chicken Burritos
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb chicken, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp canned chipotles in adobo, minced
1 tsp cumin
4 dashes cayenne pepper
1 can pinto beans (15 oz), rinsed and drained
1 can black beans (15 oz), rinsed and drained
1/3 cup water
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup fresh or bottled salsa
flour tortillas
chopped lettuce
chopped tomatoes
sour cream

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet. Add garlic, chili powder, chipotle chiles, cumin, and cayenne. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add pinto beans, black beans, and water. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium low and cook for 8 minutes, mashing beans slightly.

Stir in rice, salsa, and chicken. Heat through. Serve in tortillas with lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

Serves 6-8

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Chicken Enchilada Pizzas
Two years ago: Honey Grilled Salmon
Three years ago: Glazed Meatloaf

Cookies and Cream Chocolate Cake Bars

I love anything with Oreos! These bars were so gooey and delicious!

Printable Recipe

Cookies and Cream Chocolate Cake Bars
1 Devils food cake mix
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
14 Oreo cookies, broken into bite size pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter, and egg and mix well. Press into prepared baking pan. Top with broken Oreo pieces.

Pour sweetened condensed milk over cookies and top with chocolate chips. Bake for 23-26 minutes, or until cooked through. (It will still look pretty gooey) Remove from oven.

After 5 minutes of cooling, run a plastic knife around the edges to loosen. Let cool completely, remove foil from pan, and cut into squares.

Makes 24 bars

Recipe adapted from Picky Palate

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Honey, Lemon, and Rosemary Grilled Chicken
Two years ago: Penne with Chicken and Pesto
Three years ago: Chicken Enchiladas

Migas

If you're like me, you might be wondering what Migas is. It's a tex mex breakfast dish with eggs, bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, cheese, and chopped fried tortillas. Yum! I made this for my husband on Father's Day. We both loved it but I think it was a little too gourmet for my kids. I think if I would've added sausage or ham they would've liked it a lot more.

Printable Recipe

Migas
12 large eggs
1/4 cup half & half 
4 whole corn tortillas
vegetable oil for frying
1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced (seeds removed, if desired)
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded cotija cheese (may use cheddar, monterey jack, etc.)
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

In a bowl, whisk together eggs and half & half. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat vegetable oil and fry each corn tortilla until crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Chop tortillas and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add jalapenos and stir to combine. Add tomatoes and stir. Add tortilla pieces, stirring gently to combine.

Reduce heat to medium-low. When the heat has decreased, pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Stir gently to cook with the veggies, folding mixture gently as it cooks. When eggs are cooked through, add cheese and cilantro and stir to combine.

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Two years ago: Shrimp Tacos
Three years ago: Navajo Tacos

Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 (10 oz pkg) mini marshmallows

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 cup milk
1-2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together butter, sugar, and cocoa powder. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour, salt, and vanilla and mix well. Spread onto a large greased cookie sheet. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and top with marshmallows. Return to oven for 3 minutes until marshmallows and soft and puffy. Cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, mix together all ingredients until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies.

Recipe adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Grasshopper Mint Cookies
Two years ago: Chocolate Mousse Cake
Three years ago: Cobb Salad with Bleu Cheese

Lego Cake

This weekend my Lego-obsessed son had a Lego birthday party with his friends. It was a little crazy with 14 nine year olds but they had a blast! I made this cute Lego cake for his party. I've seen a few different ways to make a Lego cake but most of them involve cutting the cake into different pieces. I'm just not very good at baking, cutting, and then frosting so I decided to do it this way. It was super easy and it was a huge hit with the kids.

Lego Cake
1 cake mix or cake recipe
4-5 cups frosting
food coloring
6 Oreo cookies

Grease and flour an 8x8 baking dish and a bread loaf pan. Prepare cake mix or cake recipe. Divide evenly between baking pans. Bake according to directions until toothpick comes out clean (it will probably take about 30 minutes). Cool completely and remove from pans.

After preparing frosting, divide it in half and mix desired food coloring in each half. Frost each cake. Generously coat each Oreo cookie with frosting and place on cake. Smooth frosting to make it even.

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Biscuits and Gravy
Two years ago: Dutch Oven Chicken and Potatoes
Three years ago: Spaghetti Casserole