adventures in the kitchen
Sunday, March 8, 2009 Chewy Butterscotch Pecan Bars



I got this recipe from a "Bars 'n Brownies" cookbook that I purchased from a co-worker's daughter (school fundraiser) when we lived in Birmingham. I had never used this particular recipe before, but had the ingredients in our pantry, so I decided to try it this afternoon. The final product was delicious!



Ingredients:
2 cups biscuit baking mix (I used Bisquick Heart Smart b/c it was in the pantry)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup pecans, toasted* and chopped
1/2 cup butter melted
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in medium bowl and mix thoroughly. In a large bowl, combine butter, egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients mixture to butter mixture. Stir until well blended. Spread batter in a greased 8-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes, or until bars are light golden brown. Cool completely and cut into 2-inch squares. Yields 16 bars.

*To toast pecans, spread evenly on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Stir halfway through baking. Pecans should be lightly browned.

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Posted by kristy :: 2:37 PM :: 3 comments

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Friday, July 18, 2008 Tis the season...

For wedding showers, baby showers AND political campaign parties!




Last night my parents hosted a campaign party for Bill Husfelt, a very close family friend who is running for Bay County School Superintendent. Leah (my sister-in-law), my mom and I catered and the food turned out very well (all finger foods). I've listed some of the recipes below. Hopefully you, too, can make some of these yummy treats for a shower or party in the future :)



Fresh fruit centerpiece: Not only is it pretty, it's edible, too! Simply mix yellow grapes, purple grapes, fresh cherries, pears and any other purple-, green- or gold-colored fruit and pour into a decorative vase. Place additional fruit around the base of the centerpiece for extra color.





Crab dip and crackers:
  • 1 regular size tub of whipped cream cheese
  • 2 cans of premium crab meat (found in by the tuna fish in the grocery store)
  • 1 container of cocktail sauce
  1. Drain crab meat.
  2. Mix crab meat, cream cheese and a little bit of cocktail sauce (just enough to give the mixture a slight pink color.
  3. Place mixture in a dish and top with remaining cocktail sauce.
  4. Serve with crackers
Butterscotch cream cheese bars: (I got this recipe off of the Bake of Break website)

Cream cheese filling

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour
  1. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  2. Add egg and beat well.
  3. Add flour & combine.
  4. Set aside

Bars

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups butterscotch chips
  • 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (I prefer pecans)
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Grease and flour a 13" x 18" jelly roll pan.
  3. In a medium saucepan, melt butterscotch chips and butter over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth.
  4. Remove from heat and beat in brown sugar. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, to butterscotch/butter mixture.
  6. Add vanilla.
  7. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until well combined.
  8. Stir in nuts.
  9. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  10. Drop the cream cheese filling by teaspoonfuls over the batter. With a small knife, swirl into the batter.
  11. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
  12. Cool until room temperature before cutting into bars.


Pecan Pie Cupcakes: (I got this recipe off of the Bake of Break website, too)

  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
  3. Generously spray a miniature muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
  4. Fill each 3/4 full.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 18 minutes.

Creamy chicken salad:

  • Puree 4 fully cooked skinless chicken breasts in a food processor.
  • Place 2 regular size stalks of celery in food processor and chop as finely as you can possibly get it.
  • Combine chicken and celery with enough Hellman's mayonnaise to make the mixture very creamy (adjust mayo amount to your liking).
  • Season with celery salt, regular salt and pepper to your liking.
  • Mix just a dash of sugar into the chicken salad mixture.
  • Refrigerate for at least an hour prior to serving.


Party Meatballs

  • (1) 2-pound bag of frozen meatballs
  • (1) 8 ounce jar of grape jelly
  • (1) jar of Heinz chili sauce (looks like a glass bottle of ketchup...found on the ketchup isle)
  1. Combine jelly and chili sauce in a crock pot on medium heat until well blended.
  2. Stir in meatballs.
  3. Cook in crock pot for several hours, or until meatballs are fully cooked (we cooked ours for about 3-4 hours), stirring occasionally.

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Posted by kristy :: 2:29 PM :: 2 comments

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