Snickers. Fudge.

I honestly have no idea from where this recipe originated. 

I try my very best to give credit where credit is due concerning recipes I share. However, in this case I've had it copied down on scratch paper for so long I can't remember where I found it. Maybe Pinterest? Facebook? A cookbook? A magazine? Who knows. Point being, I did not create this recipe.

So if you are reading this and thinking to yourself "that shameless hussy has stolen my recipe" please accept my apologies in advance. But also know that my taste buds thank you a million times over....as do the taste buds of everyone who's ever put this decadent concoction in their collective mouths.

This is, quite possibly, one of THE BEST sweet treats I've ever tasted. It's like a Snickers bar married peanut butter fudge and had a baby. A baby you can't stop eating. 

Make this fudge now. I'm not joking. 

...and you're welcome.

This fudge is built in layers (like a Snickers) so each layer gets created and refrigerated...then the next is added on top and refrigerated, etc. 

First Layer

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

Lightly spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Over medium heat, melt milk chocolate chips, peanut butter and butterscotch chips in a small saucepan. 

Stir together until completely melted and smooth, then pour into the baking pan. Spread mixture evenly with a spatula then refrigerate to set.

Second Layer

4 Tablespoons of butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a pan. Add sugar and evaporated milk and bring to a boil.

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and quickly mix in marshmallow cream, peanut butter and vanilla. Add peanuts to mixture...and spread over first layer. Refrigerate until set.

Third Layer

14 oz. package of caramel cubes

1/4 cup heavy cream

Melt caramels and heavy cream over low heat until smooth. Pour over first two layers and spread until even. Refrigerate until set.

Fourth Layer (same as First)

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

Over medium heat, melt milk chocolate chips, peanut butter and butterscotch chips in a small saucepan.  Stir together until completely melted and smooth, then pour over caramel layer.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies

3 ripe bananas

2 cups quick oats

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

Mash the bananas, and combine with all of the other ingredients. Allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Drop by spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 preheated oven for 10-12 minutes and ENJOY.

Cucumber Salad

Cool as a cucumber? Indeed, if you are this dish. So simple...and so good.

Combine:

1 large cucumber, sliced

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp finely chopped onion

1 tsp fresh chopped dill

1 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1 tsp sugar

1 large dollop (about 1 1/2 TBSP light sour cream)

Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let the favors combine.

Stuffed Chopped Steak

This is very simple - 2 components and a little love.

4-5 Chopped Steaks

6 oz. box of stuffing mix

Oh...and toothpicks.

Go ahead and prepare your stuffing according to the directions on the box, but add more moisture to the mix than it requires (I put extra butter in mine, but you can also just add extra water).

Take each piece of steak and put a generous spoonful of stuffing in the center. Pack it in tightly.

Then roll the steak up over the stuffing, closing with a toothpick.

In a skillet, heat 2-3 tsp of oil (I used olive oil). Sear on all sides (don't completely cook it).

Remove from pan and leave the dripping. Now we're making gravy.

Take some diced onion ( I used about 1/2 of a medium)

2 cups beef broth

2 heaping Tbsp. flour

In the remaining pan drippings, sauté the onion. When soft, add the flour and cook until the onions are done and brown. Add in the broth and let the favors marry and thicken, about 5 minutes.

Return the steak to the gravy mixture, spooning the gravy over the steak. Cover and let the steak finish in the gravy for 10 minutes.

Serve over a bed of extra stuffing and try not to eat too much. :)

Stuffed Chopped Steak, Cucumber Salad and Cookies....oh my!

Sometimes surfing the web when I'm hungry can be downright dangerous. It makes me want to spend hours in the kitchen making every dish I've seen that day, or to pull out my recipe book and start on page 1 and work my way to the end. Ah who am I kidding. I love to cook. And today I just decided I wanted to get my chops (no pun intended) worked back up after a hiatus of being lazy.

For dinner tonight I made a Stuffed Chopped Steak. The was SO easy to make and SO good. Have you ever eaten a dish and had so much of it that even though you're so full you could pop, you still keep eating...all the while thinking "whyyyy am I still eating this?" Because it was GOOD. Chopped steak is one of the most economically friendly types of beef so his dish is also great if you're looking to cut costs or feed a lot of people. 

Accompanying the main event were Mashed Red Potatoes, Green Beans and Cucumber Salad. 

A word about the Cucumber Salad...well two words: nom nom. This is such a light, creamy delicious salad...so simple to make. 

To finish this meal, as if there were any room left in my belly...was Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies. . These are actually made with good ingredients: no sugar, no dairy, no flour. And they are fantastic. The way I look at it, if you eat a "skinny" dessert, (or drink a diet soda with your meal) it negates the rest of the meal's calories, right? ;)

Pepperoni Mozzarella Egg Rolls

12 pieces of string cheese
12 egg roll wrappers
36 slices of pepperoni
Oil for deep frying
Marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

Take one egg roll wrapper and place 3-5 slices of pepperoni diagonally in the center. Lay the string cheese on top. Fold the corners of the wrapper over cheese ends. Fold the bottom corner over the cheese and pepperoni and roll up until filling is tightly sealed. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water to seal. Repeat with 11 remaining wrappers.

In a skillet heat oil to 375 degrees and fry sticks a few at a time for 30-60 seconds on each side until browned. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce for dipping.

Shepherd Pie

I like to call Tuesday's "Chopped Tuesday". Tuesday is when they run marathon episodes of the greatest show ever (Chopped, of course) back to back and then hit you with a new episode. Bliss.

Also, I am the cheapest person on the planet. I hate to waste ANYTHING, whether its expiring food or leftovers. Ergo, I try to pull some crazy meal out of the fridge and pantry and use it up.

This week we had a lot of Colcannon from the St. Paddy's Day feast, but very little corned beef left. (Only enough left for a proper sandwich) I already made Boxty (Irish potato cakes) this morning, and by golly I'm using ALL of it. Enter Michael Symon's Shepherd Pie

You'll need:

4 cups of mashed potatoes
*I used 2 cups of Colcannon and boiled/mashed 2 more
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion (minced)
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
2 Carrots (diced)
2 Lb Ground Beef
Salt
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 cup Beef Stock
3 sprigs Thyme (leaves only)
2 cups peas (I didn't use the peas)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and season with salt, breaking up, until browned, about 10 minutes. Mix in the flour, stock, thyme and peas into the mixture. Pipe mashed potatoes over top.

Bake until mashed potatoes are golden brown in parts, about 30 minutes. Mash together with butter. Let cool slightly before serving. Finish with parsley.

Now you have the recipe, allow me to share that this dish was absolutely delicious. Except for one thing. I screwed it up.
As I'm cooking this dish I kept thinking "man this is awfully runny...but maybe it will cook out". Finally I decided to re-read the recipe to see if I added too much of something to make it so loose.

And there it was.

There are TWO pounds of meat in this dish. Not ONE, as I prepared. Lol...

Oh well. Live and learn. It was still tasty, even if it wasn't as pretty as Chef Symon's version. ;)