Feasting Friday's {Cake Mix Cookies}

I was introduced to cake mix cookies while I was in college. I love the simplicity, and the taste is also quite good! I didn't have too many opportunities to make them though and when I went to my friend's house for spring break and her brother {or maybe I instigated it} challenged me to a contest, I accepted {I was going to bluff my way to victory}. I forget now who won, but ever since then, WCB claims that he "taught" me how to make them. So untrue.

Anyway, I made cake mix cookies tonight and added mini M&M's as a treat for the M girls.

Ingredients

1 Box of Chocolate Cake Mix

{I have found that chocolate tastes best, but white is alright if you add chocolate chips}

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1/3 cup of Oil

Chocolate chips, Vanilla chips, PB chips, M&M's,.....you can be creative and come up with lots of different combinations-- or just have it plain.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Mix eggs, vanilla and oil; add cake mix. Stir in any extra ingredient(s). Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls {I use a mini ice cream scoop} onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Cool {if you can wait that long:} and eat!

Super yummy.

Feasting Friday's {Coffee Cake}

Before the clock strikes midnight, I wanted to give you this coffee cake recipe I used tonight. Having a streak of not following recipes, I kinda created a variation. I best like cooking/baking by using a recipe as a springboard to creating something new. Most often it doesn't work out too well, but sometimes I hit gold :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

3/4 cup milk, or as needed

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

{Streusel Topping}

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour, 2/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

2.In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Crack an egg into a measuring cup and then fill add milk to make 1 cup. Stir in vanilla. Pour into crumb mixture and mix just until moistened. Spread into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with streusel.

3.Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Feasting Friday's {DIY Chicken Strips}

This week's dish is based off of Pioneer Woman's Homemade Chicken Strips. I'm always forgetting to have all the necessary ingredients though, so mine is a little bit different from hers. Plus, I have this little habit of deviating from written recipes. Sometimes the end result is quite interesting. Anyway, to get the original recipe, click on the link above.

PW's recipe uses buttermilk and since I don't have that on hand, I googled substitutes. In 2 cups of milk, I put in about two tablespoons of hot and spicy pickle juice and one tablespoon of lemon juice. While that sat, I worked with 3 good-sized frozen chicken breasts which I partially thawed out. I rinsed, dried, and cut them into strips. I then placed them in a bowl, and poured about one and half cups of the buttermilk so they could soak. In another bowl, I combined about one and half cups of flour, garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper. After mixing thoroughly, I added half a cup of buttermilk and lightly mixed with a fork. I think I might have put too much in because it became rather clumpy, so next time I'll probably just use one fourth of a cup.
When the mixture was ready, I breaded all my strips and placed them on a plate. I didn't have vegetable oil on hand, so I just used olive oil. I fried the strips up, and although they weren't a deep golden color {because of the oil?} they did taste really good with my homemade dipping sauce sauce.

Tomorrow, I'll chop up the strips and make Chicken Cesar Salad. Yum!

Feasting Friday's {Spicy No Crust Quiche}

The original recipe for this dish I got from Richella at Imparting Grace. I had a pound of sausage that I didn't know just how to use. At lunch on Tuesday, I was asking the other ladies when one said to pair it with eggs; then I read about Crustless Quiche! I also decided to make taco meat for the week and rather than cook them separately, I cooked the sausage and ground beef together. I was a bit apprehensive that it would be a flop, but both dishes were surprisingly good.

This, by the way, is the first time I've made quiche as well as eating it!

Ingredients:

10 whole eggs

1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup milk 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

crushed red pepper

1 lb.Jimmy Dean Hot sausage

1 lb. ground beef

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook sausage and beef together. I added about 2 tablespoons of the red pepper, and about 1 tablespoon of garlic powder because I like to drown the taste of the meat {I really don't like to eat meat, and I'm more of a chicken fan :}. Drain fat. I then took out about half of the mixture to use in the quiche and left the rest in the pot. To which I added 1 packet of taco seasoning and made as directed.

Beat eggs. Put the baking powder in a small bowl and add just a little bit of milk to make a paste. Once it is a paste consistency, slowly add the rest of the milk--stirring all the while {This will keep the baking powder from being lumpy.} Pour in with the eggs and add the cheese. Mix well. Stir in meat. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out fairly clean.