::Giveaway!::

Are you ready? I love giveaways and free things and i'm sure you do too. Well, it's your lucky day...I have decided to do a little giveaway.

Remember the post about the ::Homemade Oreo Cookies::? I'm happy to announce that those will be the "prize" in this giveaway! Exciting, huh?

I will be giving three batches of these away (if you live far away I will send them in the mail).

Two of the batches will be given to the first two people who get five people to become Followers of the blog. Once your friends/family become Followers email me (mfischerbsn@gmail.com) so I know who has referred them.

For the other batch, make a comment on this post about something regarding the blog/recipes and I will pick a random number and give the batch to that person.

Get it? Okay!

Ready...

Set...

Go!

Keep these in mind! :)

::Quesadillas::

I wish I would have tried to make these a long time ago. If you haven't made homemade ::Quesadillas::, you must now. They are easy and wonderful and so versatile to fit the pickiest palet! When we were in Mexico, one of the room service options was Quesadillas. They were so good and I thought to myself "Oh, I should try this at home...it would be good for the blog too!" So, when we got home, this was one of the first things I made! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Enjoy!

::Quesadillas::

Flour tortillas

Purple onions, diced and sauted

Black beans, drained and rinsed

Mexican corn

Rotel, drained

Chicken, diced, sauted, and seasoned

Cheese (I used ::Crack Dip:: or you could buy cheese dip)

Season chicken breasts and saute in olive oil. When done, cut into small pieces. Heat a thin layer of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add a tortilla and when it starts to bubble add the toppings (make sure you don't add too much otherwise the quesadilla will be very thick and the filling will fall out). Once the toppings are added, take a spatula and carefully fold over one half of the tortilla. Flip tortilla and let it cook through until the middle is heated and the tortilla is golden brown. While making more tortillas place the prepared quesadillas on a cookie sheet and place in the oven on a very low heat to keep warm. Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, cheese dip, or guacamole.

A few of the ingredients I used.

In a pan, liberally grease a layer of oil.

I used chicken for the meat. I just sauted chicken breasts seasoned with some seasoned salt.

Once the tortilla starts to bubble, add the toppings.

Then, take a spatula and carefully fold one side over.

Leave until every thing is heat through and the tortilla is a golden brown.

Another variation: chicken, black beans, corn, rotel tomatoes and ::Crack Dip::

I turned the oven on to a very low heat and as I made them I would place them on a cookie sheet to keep warm.

Another variation: chicken and cheese!

The variety pack! Notice the one in the top right corner..that was kind of a flop...I use one tortilla on the bottom and then added the toppings and then another tortilla on top. It didn't hold together that well.

Served with some hot sauce, sour cream, and the ::Crack Dip::

Close up.

Yummm!



::Crack Dip::

Crack dip? Yes, that's right. No, the recipe doesn't call for any illegal drugs. So then why and how did it get named that? Well, I have a thing for dips, with this being one of my favorites. I grew up with this (not this exact recipe) dip, commonly referred to has Rotel, Queso, Velveeta Dip, or Hamburger Dip. When I began to cook alot on my own I started making my own rendition of the dip. I would bring this dip alot to parties or even just on Sundays when we would go to my in-laws; and everyone enjoyed it! The only problem was...when people would ask for the recipe. I never would write it down, I just knew what I put in it and sometimes that would change. Sometimes I'd make it really spicy and sometimes not. Sometimes, most of the time, I'd make a double batch and it'd go like hotcakes. So anyways, about the name. My friend Anna would love when I'd make this dip. I told her what I put in it and she started making it too Now, each time we make it we let eachother know..."Hey, i'm making Crack Dip tonight and just wanted you to know!" So, one day, Anna let me know that they named it "Crack Dip" because it's so good...it's addicting! Enjoy!

::Crack Dip::

1 lb Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage

1 brick Velveeta

3 cans Rotel (2 original and 1 mild)

1 large can green chiles

1 sm can chopped jalapenos

Brown sausage and add 2 cans of the rotel and the other canned ingredients. Slice velveeta into chunks and add. Melt Velveeta; stirring frequently. Heat through. Serve with chips.

**With the recipe made as above, the dip has some kick to it, but nothing overpowering. If you like things spicy, like we do, you can buy Hot Rotel and use that and you can also add more jalapenos. Just taste as you go along...this recipe is very easy to play around with and you can screw it up! Also, when I make a double batch I use 1 lb of hamburger and 1 lb of the Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage**

Very simple and easy to make!

Start out by browning the sausage.

Browned and ready for the other ingredients.

I usually start out by adding 2 cans of each kind and then add the other one, just to make sure it doesn't get too runny. You can always drain the juice off of the 3rd one if it seems to runny.

Rotel added...

Then add some jalapenos and chiles

Ready for the main ingredient!

Velveeta!

Melts faster if you cut it up.

All melted together and ready to eat!



::Homemade Oreos::

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you I can't even describe it! These are phenomenal. When I first read the recipe on Smitten Kitchen I 1) knew I had to make them as soon as possible and 2) wondered if they were really like the store bought Oreo. I made them last night and yes, they were like the store bought Oreo, except better! I wasn't sure if the cookie part was going to come out crunchy like the regular Oreo cookie, but yes, they definitely did. The cream filling is also exactly like that of a regular Oreo. I don't even know what else to say besides, you must make these as soon as possible. Your kids will thank you and your stomach will too! Enjoy!

::Homemade Oreos::

For the chocolate wafers:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1 1/2 cups sugar *see note below

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1 large egg

For the filling:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

***Sugar note: This is a sweet cookie. A good, sweet cookie. Yet, if you think of an actual Oreos, the wafers are fairly un-sweet and actually on the slightly salty side, which contrasts with the super-sweetness of the filling bringing harmony, happiness, yada yada. If you want your cookie closer to that original, you can take out a full half-cup of the sugar.

Recipe from: Smitten Kitchen

The trusted mixer!

Start by adding the dry ingredients...

Gotta love cocoa powder!

Mix the dry ingredients together.

Then on low speed gradually beat in the softened butter...

...and one egg.

It will eventually all come together.

Then using a 1 tsp. measuring spoon dish out dough and roll into balls.

Like so.

Ready for the oven.

Bake about 9 minutes and this is what they look like. Place the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

Sorry, this picture is very dark. But you get the idea.

And now for the filling...start out with the butter...

...and shortening.

Then start adding the powdered sugar and vanilla.

Beat it for a little bit then scrape the sides.

Then you beat on med-high powder until it is light and fluffy!

Like so.

I just used a piping bag with no tip. If you don't have a piping bag, just use a regular zip lock bag and cut off one of the corners to use to pipe.

Pipe on about a 1 tsp sized blobs (the pictures of the cookies kind of make them look big, but they are about the size of a store bought oreo).

Press down evenly in the middle so that the filling comes out to the sides.

You know when you take apart a regular Oreo and how the middle gets? These homemade ones do the same thing!

There you have it folks! So simple to make.

Perfect with a glass of milk. Ready to do some dunking!

Another shot. Enjoy!