Pecan Lace Cookie Cups

These Pecan cookie cups were served with ice cream at mine and Matt's wedding dinner. Matt was so nervous about speaking in front of everyone, that he couldn't enjoy the food. I have been trying to find this recipe for a long time so I could recreate our wedding dinner! I'm so excited to have it now and what's even more exciting is that they are really simple to make!
Makes about 18 cookie cups.

Cookie Cups:
¼ C. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 C. sugar
2 T. light corn syrup
1/3 C. flour
1 C. coarsely ground pecans
1 t. vanilla extract

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir butter, sugar, and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Add nuts and vanilla; stir to combine. Using a 1" cookie scoop, spoon the cookie batter onto the parchment and space 3" apart. They spread out quite a bit. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let them sit for 1 minute. Working quickly, gently remove each cookie from the cookie sheet and mold over the underside of a muffin tin. It only takes a couple minutes for the cookies to cool and set. You can then place them on a wire rack to cool completely. These store well in an air tight container for about a week.

Artichoke, Fresh Mozzarella and Salami Sandwiches

I thought this was a great sandwich! I'm not really a sandwich person, but this one was good. Make sure you plan ahead and refrigerate the sandwich for at least 4 hours. It really makes a difference (I tried it immediately after making it and the again the next day and it was better the next day!) Oh, and if you can't find olivada or it's too expensive, you can just get the green olive and blend them in the food processor with a little olive oil and garlic.

This recipe makes 4 large sandwiches.
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
½ C. chopped drained oil-packed sundried tomatoes
½ C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ C. chopped fresh basil
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
4 5-inch diameter or 6-inch long Italian rolls, split in half lengthwise
12 oz. fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained and sliced
6 oz. salami, thinly sliced
8 T. green olivada

Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide artichoke mixture among bottom halves of rolls. Top with cheese, then salami. Spread top half of each roll with 2 T. olivada. Place on top of salami. Press sandwiches lightly to compact and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate sandwiches at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Roasted Banana Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting

This was originally a cake recipe, but I thought it would be fun to make cupcakes instead and change the frosting a little.

Cake:
2 C. sliced ripe bananas
1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar
1 T. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 1/4 C. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 C. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 C. butter, softened
1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine banana, brown sugar, and 1 T. butter in a baking dish (8-inch is good). Bake for 35 minutes, stirring after 17 minutes. Cool slightly and mash. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F. Combine 2 1/4 C. flour, soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Combine banana mixture, buttermilk, and 1 t. vanilla in a separate bowl. Place 1/2 C. butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. add eggs; mix well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternating with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Place a cupcake liner in each cupcake tin and fill half way with batter. You should get about 24 cupcakes. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting:
1/2 C. butter
6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
2 C. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for about 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and pour into a medium sized glass bowl. Place the browned butter in the refrigerator until it is just barley solidified and about room temperature. This will take about 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes. Remove from the fridge and add the cream cheese. Beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. Let the frosting chill in the fridge for about 1 hour before frosting the cupcakes.

Smoky Corn Salsa

I was surprised at how good this salsa was! It has so much flavor! I love it!

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, quartered, seeded
2 ears of fresh corn, husked
1/4 to 1/2 (depending on how much you like) red onion cut into chunks
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. cumin
1 t. fresh lime juice
2 t. bottled chipotle hot sauce
1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro

Prepare barbecue (high heat). Brush bell peppers, corn, and onions with some olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Grill vegetables until well charred in spots, turning occasionally with tongs and removing pieces as they brown, about 10 to 15 minutes for bell peppers and corn and maybe a little less for the onion. Cool slightly. Cut bell peppers and onions into 1/3 inch pieces. Cut corn off cob.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cumin; sauté until garlic begins to sizzle but does not brown, about 30 seconds. Pour into large bowl; mix in lime juice and hot sauce. Mix in vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool completely and then mix in cilantro.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake Bites (A happy mistake)

So last night I was trying out a cake recipe. I was actually trying to make cupcakes. Anyway, I thought this batter would be so good and it was...the only problem was that my cupcakes sunk in the middle A LOT. I almost threw them away, but then I remembered something I saw on the food network that I have actually been wanting to try, but I just hadn't gotten around to it. They took cake and crumbled and smashed it up, then mixed in some frosting. They rolled it into balls, put the balls on popsicle sticks and dipped them in chocolate. I have to admit that I'm usually not a fan of cake. This is because a lot of time, cake can be dry and crumbly. This recipe is a perfect solution to that problem!

Frosting:
1 8-oz package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C seedless strawberry jam
1/3 C. chilled heavy whipping cream
Beat cream cheese and butter together in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar, then jam. Beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into frosting. Cover; chill until firm enough to spread, about 2 hours.

Cake:
1 1/2 C. cake flour
1/4 t. plus 1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 C. sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour one 9-inch cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add sour cream; beat 30 seconds. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating to blend after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides, then turn out cake onto rack and cool completely. Crumble and squish cake together until it is about the same texture as cookie dough. Mix in about half of the frosting. Less or more depending on what you like. Scoop the cake mixture into balls using a 1" cookie scoop. You can roll it into balls, but I thought the cookie scoop did a good job of getting it to the right shape. Chill in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, melt one 4 oz bar of dark chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second intervals. I have learned in the past that cheap chocolate doesn't work well for dipping. I like the Lindt chocolate. After the chocolate is melted, dip the cake balls in the chocolate. I used a fork to hold the cake and spooned the chocolate over the top and jiggled the cake until it was evenly coated. Place the cake bite on waxed paper to set. Repeat with the rest of the cake bites. After the chocolate is set, you can drizzle leftover frosting over the top. I filled a plastic big with frosting and cut a tiny hole in one corner. Chill and then serve. Or you could freeze them so you can have one whenever you want!