Frozen S'mores Cones

As I was trying to think of something punny to write to promote my latest Instagram photo, I realized I do not capitalize enough on the fact that my last name is a homophone. #InTheWierks, #WierksForMe, #WierksWonders, #WierksInProgress... these are all missed opportunities for creative hashtags!

Anyway, I’m sharing a recipe today for these awesome frozen s’mores cones that are so incredibly simple. Your kids will absolutely love helping you make them, and you can keep the leftovers in the freezer wrapped in plastic for when you’re in need of a sweet treat.

Also, you can adapt this recipe and use sugar-free ingredients if you’re concerned about that.

Frozen S’mores Cones
Yield: Makes 12 cones
Ingredients

• 1 box (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups milk for pudding
• 8 ounces whipped topping
• 8 ounces marshmallow creme
• 2 graham crackers, crushed
• 12 ice cream cones
• Marshmallows and chocolate sauce for serving, if desired

Directions

1. Make chocolate pudding by whisking together pudding mix and cold milk. Fold in 1/2 cup whipped topping and set aside.
2. Combine marshmallow creme and remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping.
3. Spoon pudding into each ice cream cone so it’s filled halfway. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top.
4. Spoon marshmallow mixture on top of pudding and sprinkle with more graham cracker crumbs so cone is filled.
5. Set each cone in a muffin tin cavity and freeze for several hours.
6. When ready to serve, drizzle hot sauce on top of each cone and add a marshmallow if desired.

I got this idea from "Teacher by Day, Chef by Night," but recipe is my own.

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Too many eggs coming from your chicken coop? Here are some recipe ideas

You probably already know that chicken coops are pretty popular nowadays. The coops seem to be especially popular in the Broad Ripple area, and I know I always see quite a few while biking on the Monon Trail. I think it’s an awesome idea if you have the space because the idea of fresh eggs in your backyard is very appealing.

That being said, this time of year the chickens’ egg production is in overdrive. The reason being is that chickens need Vitamin D  to produce healthy eggs, so they are stimulated to lay eggs by day length. The best egg production comes when chickens receive 14 to 15 hours of daylight, and that’s exactly what we get in Indianapolis in the months of June, July, and August.

That means this time of year, people with chicken coops will have a lot of eggs.

So what should you do with all of the eggs? Give them to your friends like me, of course!

But really, it’s best to find recipes that a) Use a lot of eggs and b) Freeze well so you can have the eggs when production is lower in the fall and winter months.

That being said, I’m sharing two recipes with you today that fit both of those conditions!

Number one on the list is quiche. Why don’t we make quiche more? There should be a quiche movement, and we should band together and vow to make more quiche. It’s obviously a hot breakfast item, but much like a chicken pot pie, I think it’s great for dinner too. Just like an omelette, serve quiche with any filling you please. I wanted to use the basil in my herb garden to make a caprese quiche, but sadly it wilted after a quick vacation I took over the weekend and now I’m trying to nurse it back to life. So I opted for a supreme quiche instead! You know, like a supreme pizza, only quiche.

Also, I just used frozen pie crust. Make your own if you want. If you want to freeze your quiche for a later date, wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil and slide it into a freezer bag. Don’t thaw it before reheating. Just bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until it’s heated through.

My second recipe idea: egg muffins. An egg muffin is essentially an omelette cooked like a muffin. Just like the quiche, customize them with your favorite toppings and add-ins. This is also a great way to use up leftover vegetables from last night’s dinner. These are packed with protein and great to have on hand for breakfast, lunch, snacks, etc. They will last in the refrigerator for a week. Or individually wrap them in plastic wrap and stick them in a freezer bag for several months.

The best way to make these is with silicone cup liners in the muffin tin because they just pop right out. If you don’t have silicone cups, spray your pan heavily with nonstick spray.

Also, another important note, don’t overfill your liner. I used about 1/4 cup of filling per muffin cavity.

Supreme Quiche
Ingredients

• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 cup sausage, crumbled
• 6 pieces of bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 (9-inch) frozen pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and pre-bake crusts for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool on racks.
2. In a large skillet, saute onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms until onions are soft and translucent. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs and milk together. Stir in the shredded cheddar, shredded parmesan, parmesan, sausage and bacon. Add in sautéed vegetables.
4. Stir in vinegar, salt, pepper, tarragon, parsley, and garlic powder. Divide egg filling into the 2 frozen pie crusts and bake for about 50 minutes or until center is set.

Egg muffins
Ingredients

• 9 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper
• 1 cup sausage crumbles
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup baby spinach, shredded
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line muffin tins with silicone liners
2. Beat eggs in large mixing bowl. Stir in seasonings and toppings.
3. Scoop 1/4 cup of mixture into each muffin liner. Bake for  20 to 25 minutes or until the middle is set.

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Watermelon Fruit Pizza

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I know you're not supposed to play with your food, but sometimes that's the best part of baking. It's my favorite way to be creative, and it's truly a form of art, in my opinion. Fruit pizza has always been one of my favorite things to make for that reason. Laying the fruit out to create designs and patterns was always so much fun.

I shared two unique versions of fruit pizza last year (granola version here, pizza dough version here), but I've never posted a recipe for the classic sugar cookie version because I always try to post unique recipes, and I figured everyone knows how to make it already. But when I got this idea to create a watermelon out of the fruit pizza, it was too cute for me not to share (thanks to Hungry Happenings for the inspiration).

The "frosting" for the cookie is so simple--just cream cheese and marshmallow creme. I made sure to use Challenge cream cheese because they only use real cream, and there are no hormones, additives, or fillers. It's really important to use good quality ingredients, especially when there are so few ingredients because the flavors really stand out.

Important note: This cookie is best when it is made the day you plan to serve it. The fruit will start to get mushy after being in the refrigerator for a few days.

Watermelon fruit pizza
Ingredients

• 16.5 ounces Sugar cookie dough (I used store bought, but you can use your favorite recipe)
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces marshmallow crème
• 1 pound strawberries, sliced thinly
• 4 kiwi, peeled and cut in a semi-circle
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare 9-inch circle pan with nonstick spray
2. Press cookie dough onto bottom of pan so it’s in an even layer
3. Bake for about 12 minutes until it’s golden brown and let cool completely
4. Combine cream cheese and marshmallow crème and spread onto cooled cookie
5. Arrange kiwi slices around edge of cookie, and fill in center with strawberry slices.
6. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top for the “watermelon seeds.”
7. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cookie is best when it’s made the day you plan to serve it.

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Crispy Tiger Bars

Crispy Tiger Bars
Makes about 24 bars
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 (12 ounce) bag white chocolate chips
• 1 (12 ounce) bag butterscotch chips
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 4 cups crispy rice cereal

Directions

1. Melt chocolate chips in 30-second intervals in container from which you can easily pour and set aside.
2. Melt white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in 30-second intervals in large bowl. Add cereal and stir to combine.
3. Line 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Add cereal mixture to dish and press down.
4. Pour melted chocolate in lines (landscape) across cereal mixture. Run a knife in the opposite direction of the chocolate lines to achieve a swirled look.
5. Cover dish and refrigerate until set, or about 20 minutes. Cut into small squares.

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2-Ingredient Dough Recipes

Have you all seen that 2-ingredient dough recipe circulating online? The recipe combines equal parts nonfat Greek yogurt and self-rising flour to make a healthier dough alternative that can be used for a wide variety of recipes like pizza, cinnamon rolls, bagels, etc.

If you watch any video online, the recipe looks super easy—it mixes well and rolls out perfectly. But that’s not really the case.

The dough is extremely sticky, and there’s a very good chance it will stick to your table, rolling pin, hands etc. So I discovered through trial and error (and trial and error, etc.) the best ways of not getting the dough to stuck to everything.

Firstly, this is the method everyone I’ve seen use online: flour your tabletop!

When I tried it, I sprinkled a little bit of flour on my table before attempting to roll it out. Let me tell you, friends, this did not work. Why? Because you need a LOT of flour in order for it to not stick. Cover the table in flour before plopping your dough on top, and then over the top of your dough in flour before even trying to roll it out.

I don’t really like adding flour to a table before rollin out dough as it is, and this method requires a LOT of flour. So I’m not the biggest fan of this method. But I’m sure you’ll see it when looking at other recipes because this is what everyone else seems to do.

Secondly, you could roll out between two pieces of wax paper and freeze the dough.

This is the method I use when making sugar cookie dough, so naturally I tried it with this dough. I don’t, however, freeze my cookie dough, and that step is necessary with this dough. And I’m talking about a deep freeze for like an hour minimum at least. The dough needs to be solid so that it will peel away from the wax paper without issues. Don’t worry, it will return to room temperature in just a few minutes! I like this method, but keep in mind you really need to plan ahead because that dough needs to be as hard as a rock when it comes out of the freezer.

Thirdly: use a silicone mat and a little bit of flour to roll out the dough.

So plop your dough onto the silicone mat and sprinkle a little bot of flour on top—just enough so your rolling pin doesn’t stick when you’re rolling it out. And then when you bake it, the finished product should peel right off the silicone mat.                       

In case you’re curious, the dough tastes a little bit sour due to the plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and the results definitely taste like “diet” versions of the originals. But they’re not bad!

Also, I should mention that if you don’t haver self-rising flour, you can make your own by combining 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

2-Ingredient Dough Margherita Pizza
Ingredients

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup pizza or tomato sauce
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces (you can substitute shredded mozzarella)
• 6 basil leaves, plus more for sprinkling if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine flour and yogurt in bowl until thick dough forms.
3. Knead dough with your hands for a few minutes before forming the dough into a ball.
4. Transfer dough onto a silicone backing mat and sprinkle a little flour on top before using a rollin pin to roll out the dough to desired size, about 10 inches in diameter.
5. Spread pizza sauce over the dough and top with mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, or until dough starts to turn golden brown.
7. Remove from oven, top with basil leaves, and serve

2-Ingredient Dough Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Splenda or another sugar substitute

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine flour and yogurt in bowl until thick dough forms.
3. Knead dough with your hands for a few minutes before forming the dough into a ball.
4. Flour table surface and top of dough before rolling out into 1/2-inch thick rectangle
5. Sprinkle cinnamon and Splenda on top and roll dough up into a log
6. Cut log of dough 8 times and place each roll into into an 8-inch cake pan or square pan
7. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until dough starts to turn golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and serve plain or with glaze if desired.

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Strawberry Salsa

You all will not believe the birden (yes, I spelled it that way for a reason) I faced while trying to make this strawberry salsa.

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend William installed an herb garden on my patio, and it has been a dream. I don’t know how I lived without it. It’s been so much easier to incorporate herbs in my cooking.

I was very excited to use my homegrown cilantro for this strawberry salsa, however, was greeted with an unpleasant surprise when I stepped onto my patio: aggressive birds.

The sweet blue birds I thought were visiting me à la Cinderella were actually protecting a nest they so conveniently built in the corner of my porch. So when I stepped outside, the birds all started diving at me. It was truly terrifying. And the worst part is they don’t seem to be the least bit afraid of humans. When I yell at them to move, they just look at me. In fact, I would go as far to say they taunt me! I thought playing hawk sounds on my phone would help, but it did not.

So I put in a request with maintenance to have the nest removed. Unfortunately, it only made the problem worse. Now the aggressive birds are real life angry birds. And now there are about 8 of them that continue to swoop at my sliding door and look inside, like they’re devising a plan to enter and attack me. Also, I think they’re starting to build a new nest above my patio door. So that’s wonderful.

But I have GREAT news. If you don’t have to dodge angry birds trying to take your head off, this recipe is extremely easy with just a handful of ingredients. And guess what — if you don’t like one of the ingredients, just omit it!

Strawberry Salsa
Ingredients

• 1/2 pound strawberries, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced (for more heat, leave in seeds)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice (about the equivalent of juice from one lime)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and serve! Would be great with tortilla chips or served or chicken and fish. I like to serve with blue corn tortilla chips because I think it looks patriotic.
2. This is best the day it’s made otherwise the strawberries start to get mushy.

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7-Layer Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Memorial Day is traditionally the kickoff to summer. Everyone loves to break out their grills and host cookouts. But not everyone can be the grill master. Someone needs to get the party started with appetizers!

My mom used to make a dip called “7 layer dip.” It seems to be very popular, and there are a lot of variations of it online. Three years ago, I saw one variation of it from Serious Eats incorporating buffalo chicken, and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. Why on earth didn’t I make it sooner?! So I finally tried it out, and it couldn’t be easier or tastier. I also love how unique it is. I bet if you show up to a party with it, no one will have had it before. Uniqueness plays a huge part when I’m trying to decide what to make for a party.

I always make sure to use Challenge cream cheese in my dips because it’s made form incredibly fresh 100% cream and there are no additives.

7-Layer Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
• 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
• 2 (8-ounce) blocks Challenge cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing (you can use all ranch if you don't have blue cheese)
• 2 cups chicken, shredded
• 2/3 cups buffalo sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 2/3 cups grilled or roasted corn kernels
• 5 strips bacon, crumbled
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• Tortilla chips or celery sticks for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray. I used an 8x8 glass casserole dish so you can see the layers.
2. Stir together the refried beans and wing sauce. Spread it in the baking dish as the first layer.
3. Mix together the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and blue cheese dressing. Gently spread it on top of the refried beans.
4. Mix together the chicken, buffalo sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Spread it on top of the cream cheese layer. 
5. Bake for 15 minutes minutes.
6. Top it with blue cheese crumbles immediately when it comes out of oven.
7. Layer corn, bacon, and green onions on top.
8. Serve with tortilla chips or celery sticks.

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

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