Chocolate Pecan Pie

Note:  How did I miss that today is National Chocolate Cake day?    It is too late for me to make a chocolate cake, but I have everything to make a chocolate pecan pie.    Plus I can share the biggest portion of it with our neighbor who LOVES pecan pie!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ingredients

One 9-inch (deep dish) unbaked pie shell
6-oz. (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter/margarine
2 eggs

Directions

Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, brown sugar & flour. Blend in melted butter until smooth. Blend in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350* for 1 hour. This pie freezes well.

Copycat Snapple Lemon Iced Tea

Note:     For the 40 days leading up to our discipleship weekend, our youth pastor challenges us to fast.    He says it can be food or something that we feel we cannot do without.    Many of our students give up Facebook or texting, but this year I decided that I needed to give up carbonated drinks.   I have had quite an addiction to them and knew that giving them up would be quite a sacrifice.    During my days of fasting I started drinking Snapple Lemon Iced Tea along with my water.      It may be the best stuff on earth, but it is also the most expensive so I had to find a copycat recipe!

Copycat Snapple Lemon Iced Tea

Ingredients
8 cups water
2 Lipton tea bags
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions
Add the water to a large saucepan and place over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the tea bags and turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan and let stand for about 2 hours.  After 2 hours, discard the teabags. Add the sugar to a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the tea into the pitcher. Add the lemon juice and give it a good stir. Refrigerate until cold or serve over ice.    Makes 2 quarts.

Copycat Suddenly Salad

Note:  My Big Guy loves Suddenly Salad.    Don't ask me why, but he does.    However, it seems crazy to me to spend that much money on a box when I can make tons of us homemade and get the same taste.    Just don't tell him!!

Copycat Suddenly Salad

Ingredients
2 cups Rotini pasta
1 cup peas, frozen
2/3 cup Mayonnaise (Hellmanns or similar)
1 package ranch dip mix
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup bacon — cooked crisp & crumbled (or bacon bits)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Directions
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add pasta and carrot shreds, allow them to boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Drain into a strainer and rinse under cold water.  In a medium sized bowl, mix together the peas, the entire packet of ranch dressing mix, bacon bits, onion powder, and mayonnaise.  Add pasta and carrots. Stir together until everything is combined. Chill and serve.

BLT Dip

Note:    A friend of mine asked for this recipe recently and she said it was the first thing to go at her party.    Funny...it is always the first thing to go at mine too!

BLT Dip

Ingredients
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 Tbsp. chopped green onion
Assorted crackers

Directions
Mix all the ingredients together, chill and serve with crackers!  Easy!

Copycat Macaroni Grill Pasta Milano

Note:   When they closed our Macaroni Grill we were heartbroken.    It was one of our favorite places to eat.   The boys loved it and I loved it too.     Thank goodness for copycat recipes that allow us to have a taste of our restaurant which left us too soon!

Macaroni Grill's Pasta Milano


Ingredients
6 ounces Butter
18 ounces grilled Chicken, sliced
12 ounces Sun-dried Tomatoes
12 ounces Mushrooms, sliced
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan Cheese
36 ounces roasted Garlic Cream Sauce
36 ounces Bow Tie Pasta

Directions
Cook the pasta as directed on package.    Sauté butter and mushrooms about 30 seconds.   Add the roasted garlic cream sauce and Parmesan; heat thoroughly.   Drain pasta.   Add pasta to the sauté pan and mix well. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.   Serve and Enjoy.

Copycat Bonefish Bang Bang Shrimp

Note:   Everyone who goes to Bonefish Grill says they order Bang Bang Shrimp.     It is all they talk about.    After realizing how simple it was I don't know why everyone is spending such big bucks to go to Bonefish to enjoy this simple appetizer.     I can set a pretty table, light a few candles and enjoy this with my sweet hubs on one of our simple date nights right at home!!!
Copycat Bonefish Bang Bang Shrimp

For the sauce
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
4 teaspoons Chili Garlic Sauce (find this in the Chinese section of your grocery or in a Oriental Market)
1 teaspoon granulated Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Rice Vinegar

That's it for the original recipe. Pretty simple and delicious.

Directions
Precook the wings or shrimp WITHOUT the sauce.  Mix up the Sauce.  Toss the shrimp and wings in the sauce and place on the platter.  Enjoy the compliments.

Copycat Applebee's Blonde Brownie

Note:   I love the blonde brownie from Applebee's when it is fresh and warm.   The last two times I have gone to Applebee's the brownie wasn't fresh so I got frustrated and decided to find a recipe and make it for myself.     Yummy and much cheaper too!!

Copycat Applebee's Blonde Brownie

Ingredients

2 cups Flour
1 teaspoons Baking Powder
3 /4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 1/4 sticks unsalted Butter (10 Tablespoons)
2 cups packed golden Brown Sugar
2 large Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
3/4 cup Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup chopped Pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Lightly flour and butter a 9 x 13 x 2 pan.   Sift flour into a bowl.   Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.   Melt butter.    In mixing bowl, place melted butter and add sugar, mixing well.    Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.   Add flour slowly, blending. Batter will be slightly thick.   Spread in pan.    Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over all.    Bake for 25 − 30 minutes

Serve warm topped with ice cream.