Breakfast Pizza and Pineapple Biscuits...

Delicious!!!!

Usually we have an Easter brunch instead of an Easter dinner. But this year we decided to have more of a traditional Easter dinner so we made a simple breakfast instead of brunch. We had 2 things that were AMAZINGLY good! Breakfast Pizza and Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits...Yum, yum:-)

We all loved the pizza. Usually, we have an egg/sausage casserole but a few of us think it is sometimes a little soggy with the bread on the bottom. This wasn't soggy at all. We made a few tiny changes and will include them in the recipe. Originally, this was a Taste of Home recipe...we think:-)

Breakfast Pizza Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls

1 pound bulk pork sausage (we used maple flavor. Sage would be good too.)

1/4 cup onions (if you like)

1 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3 eggs (perfect amount...don't worry)

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon pepper

pinch of salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Unroll crescent dough and place on a greased 12-in. pizza pan; press seams together and press up sides of pan to form a crust. ***We pre-baked the crust for 6 minutes to make sure it was cooked well...and it was PERFECT.

In a skillet, brown sausage and onions over medium heat; drain and cool slightly.

Sprinkle sausage, hash browns and cheddar cheese over crust. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk and pepper; pour over pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown. (27 minutes was perfect in our oven. After 20, we covered the crust with foil as it was getting too brown. Turned out perfect!)

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 8

*Don't worry if the crust is kind of thin. Just make sure the whole pan is covered and form a crust so your toppings don't overflow.

**We added the onions for flavor. Next time we might throw on some red peppers or bacon. Basically, you can add whatever you like in an omelet. Our mom thinks it would be great with bacon, mushrooms and swiss cheese...but no thanks:-)

Now for the biscuits... Do you like Pineapple Upside Down cake? We don't...but for some reason we LOVED these biscuits:-) Yes, the recipe is one of Paula Deen's. Maybe not the healthiest cook in America... but every once in awhile, we all need to splurge, right? Go ahead...have one!

Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits by Paula Deen

Ingredients 1 (10-ounce) can crushed pineapple

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick butter), at room temperature (we cut this amount almost in half)

10 maraschino cherries

1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin. Strain the can of crushed pineapple, save juice for later.

Combine the pineapple, sugar, and butter, and mix well. Divide the pineapple mixture among the muffin cups.

Place a cherry in the center of each muffin cup, making sure cherry hits bottom of cup.

Place 1 biscuit in each cup on top of sugar and pineapple mixture.

Spoon 1 teaspoon reserved pineapple juice over each biscuit.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

Cool for 2 minutes.

Invert the pan onto a plate to release the biscuits. (we used a cookie sheet) Serve warm.

So that's it from our kitchen today.

These 2 recipes will be a big hit when you make them. They were for us:-) And here is a pic of our favorite Easter Bunnies... Happy Belated Easter from the Blondes in the Kitchen! XOXOXO

Amazing Magnolia's Banana Pudding!

But first...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

We know...this should be a post about green desserts.

But the BEST dessert we have made and tasted

in a long time is this one, so here goes.

If you like banana pudding,

you're going to LOVE this recipe from the famous

Magnolia Bakery in New York City!!!

Most people think of cupcakes when they think of the bakery

but this is their second most popular dessert.

The recipe is in their cookbook,

"More From Magnolia".

However, we love to read a blog called The Amateur Gourmet

and he recently made their banana pudding using the same ingredients

but with a few simpler steps.

This pudding is so delicious

and we promise that if you bring this to a party,

EVERYONE will love it and the pan will be scraped clean.

Yes, it's that good!

Even those who say "no thanks, I'm on a diet" will cave in after hearing

everyone else rave about it.

Maybe!

At least they should!!!:-)

(Oops...couldn't resist another lucky wish:-)

Anyone can make this and whether you are making it for

family or friends,

they will think you are a whiz in the kitchen.

And if you ever visit NYC, you MUST visit Magnolia Bakery...

but let someone else buy a cupcake.

(and you KNOW we love cupcakes)

Instead, go for the banana pudding and you won't be sorry:-)

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

~1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

~1 1/2 cups water

~3 cups heavy cream

~1 12 oz box vanilla wafers

~4 ripe bananas

~2 3.4 oz boxes vanilla instant pudding

***Only use 1 box plus 1/2 of the second box.

Directions:

Put 2/3 cup instant pudding mix in a bowl.

Whisk in 1 1/2 cups water.

Add in 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk.

Once you've whisked it together, let sit for 15 min. or so.

As it thickens, whisk lightly every few minutes until it's nice and thick.

Take 3 cups of cold heavy cream and put it into a chilled mixing bowl with

a whisk attachment (also chilled).

Mix until you get soft peaks.

Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture.

Slice up the bananas.

Arrange 1/3 of the vanilla wafers along the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking pan.

Top with 1/2 the bananas.

Top with 1/2 the pudding mixture.

Top with another 1/3 of your vanilla wafers and the rest of the bananas.

Top with the remaining pudding mixture.

Crush the remaining 1/3 vanilla wafers and sprinkle over the top

of the pudding for garnish.

Cover with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge.

It should remain in the fridge for at least a few hours to let the flavors blend

and as you might guess, it is as good if not better the next day!

*When serving, garnish with a tiny bit of whipped cream if desired.

**You can also save a few whole vanilla wafers to decorate it but trust me...

it doesn't matter.

Any way you choose to serve this dessert will be a sure thing!

***If you don't mind doing the math,

you could cut the recipe in half and use an 8 x 8 pan...

but trust me,

you and everyone else will devour the 13 x 9 pan:-)

****For additional assembly photos, which we forgot to do, go to

The Amateur Gourmet.

Please excuse our photos...

we're working on our photography skills as well as our baking skills:-)

WE LOVE ...

Hot Chocolate Pops

Hot chocolate has always been a favorite

at our house.

The other day we were at the store and saw chocolate squares on a stick.

I was inspired to go home and make them myself.

I bought three different types of chocolate ...

dark, milk and white chocolate.

First, you have to melt the chocolate as directed on the package.

After this, you pour the chocolate into ice cube trays to harden.

You have to let the chocolate thicken a little bit before you put in the sticks

and then you let it sit over night or for 8 hours.

(I found that the white chocolate did not set as well as the milk or dark chocolate.)

The idea is to heat up 6 - 8 oz. of milk,

and stir in the chocolate.

After it melts, you have an amazing cup of Hot Cocoa!

Icebox Cake...Blast From The Past Monday

It's Monday...so that means it's time for a blast from the past recipe! This is our first post like this but eventually we would like to get others to join in with their retro recipes. Until we get the word out, which may take a long time since we are not "mom bloggers", it'll probably just be our recipes. But we promise to make them good ones! First up...Icebox Cake. We first heard of this from a friend of our mom's...Ronda from Stellas Mom. She has made this for years for family birthdays. Jordie decided to try it the other night as a dessert for Super Bowl Sunday...and we LOVED it! We did our homework and learned a bit about Icebox Cake... It is called an Icebox Cake in America, a Zebra Cake in Great Britain and a Chocolate Ripple Log in Australia. The first icebox cake was from the early 1900's and became more popular in the 1930's with housewives eager to use their "iceboxes". While there are a number of variations, the basic icebox cake is a dessert consisting of whipped cream (real whipping cream is the secret), and chocolate wafers. (This is how we did it but our actual recipe is listed below in our post.) The recipe is also on the back of the box of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. It says the wafers are stacked to form a log with whipped cream holding them together, and then the log is laid on its side. A second log is formed and the two are set side-by-side and more whipped cream covers the exterior. The cake is then left overnight to chill in the refrigerator (or icebox:-) The wafers absorb moisture from the whipped cream and it reminded us of an oreo cake. You can really play with this cake and make it how you like. We recommend layering the whipping cream generously between the wafers. It doesn't look like a fancy cake but it tastes good:-) This dessert is usually served by cutting it into slices at a 45 degree angle, so bands of chocolate and cream are visible across each slice. We thought the wafers would be in the cookie section at the grocery store but we actually found them with the ice cream toppings. Maybe they're good crumbled on ice cream, too! If you ever need an easy and delicious dessert, give it a try. As you can see by this picture, Maui liked it. He managed to sneak a lick when we had it on the counter...he knows anything with whipped cream on it must be good! Icebox cake Prep Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: ~~1-2 pkg. plain chocolate wafers (Famous Wafers), about 60 ~~2 cups heavy cream ~~1/2 cup powdered sugar ~~1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Beat together cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff. Spread a generous spoonful on each cookie and stack them on a serving plate to make a long log. When all the cookies are frosted and stacked, cover the entire log with more whipped cream to cover thoroughly. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least four hours. Slice on a diagonal to serve. Or, you can divide the wafers into eight groups. Frost the top of each wafer and stack them vertically, making eight stacks of cookies. Then frost the top and sides of each little stack, like you would a cake. Top each with a maraschino cherry half and chill for at least four hours. Serve one stack to each diner. Serves 8 Here is another variation...this sounds good too!

“Chocolate Éclair” Icebox Cake

Makes 14 servings

16 oz. package of graham crackers

2 (3.5 oz.) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups whole milk

8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed

16 oz. container chocolate frosting

Blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk in a medium sized bowl. Stir until well blended.

Place one single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Do not crumble, but leave the crackers whole. Fill in gaps with crackers broken in half if necessary. Spoon half of the pudding mixture over the crackers and spread evenly. Repeat with another layer of crackers and remaining pudding mixture. Finish with a layer of graham crackers. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set up a bit.

Stir the frosting and spread it over the whole cake up to the edges of pan. Cover and refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours before serving.

Red Velvet...

... Whoopie Pies. What could be a better treat for valentines day than red velvet whoopie pies? These look so good. We haven't made these yet... but we will. Happy Valentines Day from The Blondes in the Kitchen!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Makes 30 sandwiches

Cake: 2 cups (9.5-10 ounces) unbleached flour* 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch processed) ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened 1 cup (7 ounces) packed light brown sugar 1 egg, preferably room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup buttermilk, preferably room temperature 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) red food coloring

Filling: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened 2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; preheat oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium-high speed for 30 seconds, until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. With mixer at medium speed, add egg and beat until thoroughly combined, then beat in vanilla. Add about one-third of flour mixture followed by half of buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.

3. Spoon (or pipe) batter in 1-inch diameter rounds about ½-inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.

4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until tops are set. Cool cookies on cookie sheets.

5. To make filling: Add cream cheese and butter to mixer bowl and beat until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternating with vanilla. Beat until smooth.

6. To fill, dollop (or pipe) cream cheese filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down.

To store: Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Source: Dinners and Desserts

Skillet Lasagna

Okay, we found this recipe recently and made it for dinner. It was so good and easy to make. Everything is in one pan so that was nice, too. The only thing we might do is make extra since our family ate it ALL!!!:-) Serve it with a salad and some warm, crusty french bread and Voila!:-)

Skillet Lasagna

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 clove minced garlic

• 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, undrained

• 1 1/4 cups water

• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 1/2 cups bow tie pasta, uncooked

• 1 cup cottage cheese

• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheeseDash basil, pepper

In large skillet, brown beef with onions and garlic; drain. Add tomatoes, water, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, and salt. Mix well. Stir in uncooked pasta. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover, simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring once. Stir in cottage cheese and then mozzarella cheese. Cover with Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle in basil and pepper to taste if desired. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. * we used fresh but you can also use dried chopped onion and garlic. * Strain the cottage cheese before adding it. * We didn't have parsley so we left it out and it was still good Au revoir, Taylor and Jordan

Turkey Cupcakes...

Happy Cupcake Tuesday! These cupcakes are so cute and taste amazing :-) We love to make these during fall as gifts and special treats to have around the house. This is a Betty Crocker recipe and it is good!

Ingredients: ~ 1 box of devils food cake mix ~ 2 containers of milk chocolate frosting ~ 1 tube of white decorating icing ~ 1 tube brown decorating gel ~ candy corn ~ chocolate sprinkles Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cake as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Frost cupcakes with frosting. Place remaining frosting in corner of resealable freezer plastic bag. Snip off small corner of bag. To decorate each cupcake, pipe 1-inch mound of frosting on 1 side of cupcake to look like head of turkey. Make eyes with white decorating icing and brown decorating gel; add candy corn for beak. To make feathers, pipe remaining chocolate frosting on opposite side to hold candy corn; place candy corn upright on frosting to look like feathers. Sprinkle chocolate candy sprinkles near head and at base of feathers. If desired, add candy corn at base of cupcake for feet. Store loosely covered. ENJOY :-) Jordan and Taylor

Tollhouse Cookie Bars...So Good!

So we were watching the Florida Gators on Saturday Night... (Go Gators...GO TEBOW!!!) and our Dad asked us to make Nestles Tollhouse Cookie Bars. We make chocolate chip cookies ALL THE TIME but we couldn't remember having them in a bar. He had them like that when he was a kid so we went to the store, bought a bag of choc. chips and made them. OMG...these were amazing!!!!! We might never make regular cookies again. So if you're looking for a quick, easy, delicious dessert or snack, make a pan of these. We just followed the directions on the back, except we used a 9 x 13 cake pan instead of a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan. This made them thicker...and we think they're better!:-) Ciao!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

This is delicious and great for the Holidays. One of our neighbors made it for us a few years ago and now it is one of our favorites. It is really moist and the funny part is...we don't even like cranberries! But we love this so try it and see what you think. Please visit Beauty and Bedlam for more Tasty Tuesday recipes and thanks for stopping by our blog!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

INGREDIENTS • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened • 1/2 cup sugar • 2 eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/8 teaspoon allspice • 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed • 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce (We added a small amount of mik to the batter because it seemed a little bit dry and it turned out perfect!) • TOPPING: • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar • 1/2 cup chopped pecans • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; add to the creamed mixture alternately with bananas. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Top with cranberry sauce. (Sometimes we use a large square pan for a thicker cake) 2. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans (optional...we didn't) and flour; stir in butter. Sprinkle over cranberries. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Enjoy!!! Ciao...Taylor & Jordan