What I Love Wednesdays

April 23, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

I decided to start the What I Love Wednesdays series on my blog back up again.

For those of you who don’t know how it works, each Wednesday I will post about a kitchen gadget, spice, etc. that I love and can’t live with out.

So today’s item is my silicon baking mat. I love this mat! This might sound a little cheesy, but this mat seriously changed my life!

Before I discovered this mat, I had a major dilemma in the kitchen. I loved to make bread and cookies but I hated the big mess it made all over the counter when I would roll the dough out. I would have to deep clean my counter top after every time or a disgusting film on my counter would remain.

So here are the top 6 things I love about my silicone baking mat

1. It decreases the time it takes to roll out the dough and clean up in half. Cleaning the mat is very simple, just hand wash it and then air dry.

2. When rolling out dough, I don’t have to add any additional flour. The mat doesn’t get sticky and the dough comes right off. This comes in very handy when rolling out pie dough or other flaky dough.

3. When rolling out dough, it doesn’t slide all over the counter like parchment paper or wax paper does. It stays in one place which makes it a lot easier to roll out a nice even dough.

4. My silicone mat has a ruler on the side. This is perfect for when I need to roll out the dough to a specific size, like cinnamon rolls.

5. They are very inexpensive. They can run anywhere from ten to twenty dollars. Considering that they can last for years, I would say that is a pretty good investment.

6. You can bake right on the mat. Just place the mat on a baking sheet and you are good to go. You will want to make sure to check the manufacture instructions, so you know what temperatures your mat can handle.

There are many different kinds of brands and style for the silicone mats. I have a Kitchen Aid Silicone baking mat. I would recommend reading the reviews online to find the right mat to fit your needs.

Okay, I am going to stop talking now, so that you can run to your nearest silicone mat provider and purchase one of these beautiful creations!

Until next time,

Carrie

Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Bell Peppers

April 22, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

This is a new twist on an old classic. I really could not be happier with how they turned out! I am a fan of the classic Shepherd’s Pie, we had it a lot growing up. It is a great way to feed a large family with out breaking the bank.

I love the combination of the juicy Shepherd’s Pie mixture stuffed into a flavorful bell pepper and then topped off with creamy mashed potatoes and melted cheddar cheese. They really are quite feeling as well. Serve these babies with a garden salad or fresh fruit salad on the side and you will have a home run meal!

Until next time,

Carrie

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The Italian Panini

April 21, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

I don’t know how else to describe this Panini other than to say it literally is a party in your mouth! When I made this Panini for my family, we only had 30 minutes to eat dinner and be out the door. I made the first one and took a bite to taste test it and the rest is a blur. The world just seemed to stand still as I finished the rest of my Panini. I vaguely remember making the rest of the Panini’s for my family and cleaning up. I know we made it to our destination on time and the kids all had smiles on their faces.

Believe me, this Panini is really that good!

If you have 30 minutes to spare tonight, then you have more then enough time to make this Panini. You will be happy you did!

Until next time,

Carrie

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Creamy Deviled Eggs

April 19, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

If your family has a tradition of coloring Easter eggs, I’m sure this weekend you will be up to your eyeballs in hard boiled eggs. If you are wondering what to do with all of them, you might want to give this recipe a try.

This isn’t your mother’s deviled egg recipe with a little mayo, mustard, and dash or two of salt and pepper. This recipe takes deviled eggs up to a whole new level. The cream cheese makes the yolk mixture really creamy and contributes to the deviled eggs immense flavor at the same time. Add the parmesan cheese and bacon to the mixture and you have a recipe that will knock your socks off!

If you struggle with peeling the boiled egg without peeling off the egg whites too, here are a few suggestions you might what to try.

1. Make sure that your eggs are at least 1 week old. On each egg carton are three numbers that tell you when the eggs were packed. The egg carton I used today had the numbers 092 so that means that my eggs were packed on April 2nd or 92nd day of the year.

2. Your eggs should be at room temperature . I just immersed my eggs in a bowl of hot water for about 5 minutes before I boiled then and that seemed to do the trick.

3. Once the water with the eggs starts to boil, set the timer and let them boil for 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes is up, take the pan off the heat and let them sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes.

4. Crack the eggs all over and then peel them under cold water.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend filled with family, friends, and lifelong memories!

Until next time,

Carrie

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Chocolate Cadbury Egg Cookies

April 16, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

Like I have said before, I love the mini Cadbury eggs. I try not to buy them very often because I am pretty sure I could polish off a bag all by myself. They are also my husbands weakness. So when ever I do buy them, they don’t last very long. This chocolate cookie recipe is the recipe I used for the chocolate orange cookies. If you haven’t tried those, you really need to! I left out the orange extract and orange zest and added some Cadbury eggs to the top of each cookie.

In addition to the wonderful taste of the Cadbury eggs, these cookies are so moist and creamy! The only problem that you will encounter is trying to limit yourself to just one.

Until next time,

Carrie

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Almond and Cadbury Bark

April 14, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

My Mom and Dad have six girls and two boys. As you can imagine, we did a lot of shopping when we were younger. One of my favorite memories of shopping with my Mom and Sisters is that when we were done shopping, we would always stop at See’s Candy and buy some chocolate. One of our favorites was milk chocolate almond clusters. Oh baby those things are good!

Every year for Christmas, we would get a small box of See’s Candy in our stocking and inside of course was my beloved almond clusters.

This bark is a combination of two of my favorite candies. Almond clusters and mini Cadbury eggs. This candy truly is a little piece of heaven! FYI, You might want to keep an extra close eye on this candy. It seems to disappear when ever I turn my head.

Until next time,

Carrie

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Music Sheet Carrots

April 12, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

Well, the other day I made the yarn carrot that is floating around on Pinterest. I wasn’t in love with how mine turned out. I needed a different look for the décor in my house so I just set the carrot on my entry table until I could get some inspiration. Yesterday, I was standing in my “project waiting room” and this idea came to me. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing around with sheet music, burlap, and a glue gun. I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!

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Five Dollar Spring Banner

April 9, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

I have had all the supplies for this banner for a long time now. Once I finally found the time to sit down and make it, it came together pretty fast. I love how well the foam boards worked for this project. If you went out and bought the letters at the store, they would cost you anywhere from $3.00 to $5.00 for each letter. Believe me, you will see a lot more projects with the foam boards on my blog in the near future.

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The ULTIMATE Chocolate Chip Cookie

April 8, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

Are you sick of the same old chocolate chip cookie? Do you feel like you have gotten into a chocolate chip cookie rut? Are you looking for a way to add some excitement to your cookie recipe?

Well, look no further because I have the perfect recipe for you!

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Tropical Carrot Cake Roll

April 7, 2014 by myrecipeconfessions

Easter and carrot cake go together like peanut butter and jelly or chips and salsa. Not having carrot cake on Easter is like not eating chocolate on Valentines Day. It is one of those things you don’t question, you just do it because that is the way it is suppose to be. You simply cannot have Easter without carrot cake, end of story.

Now that we have established the importance of eating carrot cake on Easter, lets talk about what kind of carrot cake. There are so many variations of carrot cake out there and……I am going to throw one more your way. But only because I love you and I want the best for you.

Between the carrots and the pineapple in the cake, it is so moist! The cake itself is booming with flavor and then you throw the cream cheese frosting into the mix and you have a match made in heaven! I cannot say enough about how exquisite this cake truly is! So instead of me wasting your time by rambling on and on about how amazing it is, I am going to stop here and let you try it for yourself.

Until next time,

Carrie

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