I recently was trying out a new recipe that uses pretzels with a candy topper. These get baked in the oven. The pretzels I had in my house were a little stale, but I decided to try to use them anyways.

Here is a tip that will save you money: put your stale pretzels in a 300* oven for about 6 minutes. The time in the oven makes them crispy again!

I suggest doing it in batches when you are ready to eat them.

I have recently seen this recipe on a few different cooking websites that I follow, so I figured I would give it a shot. This is a very simple recipe and is not time consuming at all. With only two ingredients it is also a very wallet-friendly recipe!

I used reduced fat Oreos and low-fat cream cheese. The truffles would be even tastier if they were made with full strength Oreos and cream cheese!

After I made the truffle balls, I decided to play around with toppings. I melted some chocolate and dipped a few, rolled a few in sprinkles, and rolled a few in cocoa powder or powdered sugar. The chocolate dipped truffles had a neat texture. The sprinkled truffles looked pretty, but they added too much texture (and they get stuck in your teeth!). The cocoa powdered truffles tasted AWFUL. The cocoa got caught in my throat and made me have a coughing attack. Word to the wise, DO NOT DIP THEM IN COCOA POWDER!!! The powdered sugar tasted good, but was messy to eat because it was sticky. The powdered sugar also set into the truffle balls and lost the white color because of the moistness.

Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos

1 8 oz. package Cream Cheese, softened

Finely crush Oreos using a food processor. When the cream cheese is softened, add to the crushed Oreos. Using the back of a metal mixing spoon, blend the Oreos and cream cheese together. The mixture should be very dark with no white left when it is finished.

Make teaspoon sized balls; lay on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Place in refrigerator for about 1 hour to harden.

Optional: Decorate with melted chocolate, sprinkles, powdered sugar, but DEFINITELY NOT cocoa powder!

Yield: about 50

The second recipe of my cooking adventure a few nights ago was Rojaldes, also known as spinach triangles in my family. This is a Sephardic recipe that has been around forever. Spinach triangles are a great appetizer, and can be frozen easily. They can be filled with either a potato and cheese mixture or a spinach and cheese mixture. We chose spinach and cheese.

When making spinach triangles, it is very important to use lots of cheese! You cannot use too much! I promise!

Rojaldes (Spinach Triangles)

1 lb filo

1 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, beaten

Grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese

Potato Filling:

2 lb. potatoes, cooked and mashed

1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

½ lb. cottage cheese

1 tsp. salt

4 eggs

Mix together all ingredients.

Spinach Filling:

3 lb. fresh spinach, or 3 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped spinach

12 oz. cottage cheese

1 ½ tablespoons flour

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

2 beaten eggs (for use with frozen spinach)

¾ tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together.

***One-half pound Feta cheese maybe be substituted for cottage cheese.

Remove filo dough from freezer and allow to thaw in refrigerator overnight. Keep filo covered with damp cloth while working. Place 1 sheet of filo on flat surface and dab lightly with oil. Place a second sheet evenly over the first sheet and with a sharp knife, cut filo crosswise into 6 equal strips. Place 1 heaping teaspoon filling at lower corner of each strip. Fold filled corner into triangle. Continue folding triangle shape to end of strip. Place Rojaldes, side by side, in well-greased baking pan. Brush tops with beaten egg to which a drop of oil has been added. For potato or spinach filling, sprinkle with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 350* oven 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

Yield: 4 dozen

Last night was a very fun cooking adventure. My friend Danielle has been begging me to teach her how to make mushroom cups for the past four years, and we finally made it happen! Danielle came over along with our friends Natalie, Rachel, and Brandon. We not only decided to take on the mission of making mushroom cups (we even made 2 recipes!), but also a Sephardic recipe called Rojaldes, which my family calls spinach triangles. I will post the spinach triangle recipe tomorrow.

We all split up, Danielle in charge of mushroom cups, and Natalie in charge of spinach triangles. I stood in the middle making sure everything was going accordingly.

When making the mushroom cups, you use a cookie cutter to make the individual cups of white bread. There is leftover bread from each slice, so I decided to use the leftovers to make croutons. I tossed the cut up pieces of bread, about 2 Tablespoons olive oil, garlic powder, Kosher salt, and Nature’s Seasons together. Bake these on a cookie sheet on 350* for about 12 minutes (toss halfway through), or until hard. Throw on top of your favorite salad and enjoy! Each of my friends was able to take home a bag of croutons because we made so many!

The first recipe of mushroom cups did not have much flavor, so we added extra salt, fresh ground pepper, and cayenne to the second recipe. This gave it a kick and tasted wonderful!

Mushroom Cups

4 loaves thin white bread

1 stick butter, melted

1 stick butter

6 Tablespoons shallots

1 pound mushrooms, chopped

4 Tablespoons flour

2 cups cream

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

1 teaspoon Cayenne

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

3 Tablespoons chives, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

miniature muffin pans

3-4” cookie cutter

Rolling pin

Using a 3 inch or 4 inch cookie cutter, cut pieces of bread. Melt 1 stick butter. Brush miniature muffin pans with butter. Place 1 piece of round bread in each muffin hole, then press the bread against the side of the tin. Bake at 400* until golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Sauté 1 stick butter and shallots until soft. Add the chopped mushrooms. Remove from heat and add the flour and the cream. Bring to a boil. When the mixture has become thicker, turn heat down to simmer.

Add salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add parsley, chives, and lemon juice. Spoon mushroom mixture into bread cups.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and bake at 400* until browned, about 10-12 minutes.

These can be frozen before cooked.

Yield: about 3 dozen

The other day I got a Facebook message from my mom’s friend Carrie, asking if I would be interested in trying a recipe that she found. I told her that I would love to try it, but it would have to wait a few days because I was under the weather. Carrie brought a copy of the recipe to my house, which she cut out of The Birmingham News.

I made the Potato and Cheese Enchiladas for dinner last night. Even though the recipe is very time consuming (it took one hour of preparation, and 15 minutes to bake) and laborious, it is definitely worth it!

This is a great vegetarian entrée and has a decent amount of protein because of the 16 ounces of cheese throughout it. The next time I make the Potato and Cheese Enchiladas, I think I will add some fresh spinach to make it a full meal.

Potato and Cheese Enchiladas (The Birmingham News, September 9, 2009)

12 ounces russet potatoes (1 large or 2 medium potatoes)

Kosher salt

6 scallions, white and light-green parts, sliced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

8 ounces fresh-tasting cheese such as queso fresco or  diced Monterey jack (I used Pepper Jack)

2 ounces sharp cheese, such as queso anejo or shredded Parmesan cheese (I used cheddar)

Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 small red onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons Canola oil

2 Tablespoons chili powder, preferably ancho chili powder

1 15-ounce can enchilada sauce, mild or medium

1 cup water

Pinch oregano leaves (may substitute 1 teaspoon dried oregano)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Juice of half a medium lime (1 to 2 teaspoons)

8 6-inch corn tortillas

4 to 6 ounces grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

cooking spray

Heat oven to 400*.

Prepare the potatoes: Feel the potatoes and cut into a 1-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with water, allowing for an additional inch of water; lightly salt. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Boil for about 10 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Drain. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl.

Mix the filling: Slice the scallions. Pick the cilantro leaves off stem; chop. When the potatoes have slightly cooled, add one-third of the fresh cheese, one-third of the sharp cheese, the scallions and cilantro, mixing well. Taste and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Make the sauce: Mince the garlic. Chop or thinly slice onion. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add the garlic and onion, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in the chili powder and cook for 5 minutes. Combine half a can (about 1 cup) of the enchilada sauce with 1 cup water and add to the skillet, then add the oregano, cumin and lime juice, stirring just until heated through. Set aside.

Assemble the enchiladas: Use cooking spray to lightly coat a baking dish large enough to hold the 8 filled and rolled tortillas. In a separate container, pour in the remaining enchilada sauce (I added about ½ cup water to make it thinner).

Microwave 4 corn tortillas at a time on high for 10 to 20 seconds, until they are pliable. Working quickly, drop them into the enchilada sauce and turn to coat both sides. Use a few tablespoons of the potato-cheese mixture to fill a strip down the center of each tortilla. Roll to form enchiladas and place in the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the onion sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the top with the remaining cheeses, finishing with the graded cheddar or jack cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 15 minutes or until they are heated through.

Yield: 4-5 servings.

After I made my Turkey Fried Rice the other night, I had a craving for something sweet. I decided to make chocolate chip cookies, and found some Heath Bits of Brickle to add. When making chocolate chip cookies, I base my recipe off of the back of the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chip bag, but change it a good bit.

Chocolate Chip & Heath Bit Cookies

½ cup (1 stick butter), softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips

1 cup Heath Bits of Brickle

Heat oven to 350*.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and Heath bits of brickle.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Yield: About 5 dozen.

I have been craving Chinese food lately, and found a cookbook sitting on the kitchen counter that had a recipe for Chicken/Turkey Fried Rice, so I decided to try it. This recipe uses leftover chicken or turkey, which makes for a quick meal utilizing leftovers. My mom made a roasted turkey breast two days ago, which was seasoned with only olive oil and Lawry’s Seasoning.

Chicken/Turkey Fried Rice uses ingredients that most people keep handy in their house, so it takes only about 10 minutes to cook.

I used Uncle Ben’s Instant White Rice, which cooks in 5-7 minutes.

I thought that the fried rice tasted good, but was slightly bland so I added 1 Tablespoon more of Light Sodium Soy Sauce. This helped, but if I made the recipe again, I would add one more egg and sauté some fresh garlic with the onion. Fresh peas and carrots would be a healthy addition also.

I paired the turkey fried rice with won tons that we had in the freezer.

Chicken/Turkey Fried Rice (Can’t Believe it’s Kosher!, 2001)

An easy way to use leftover chicken or turkey.

1 cup rice (I had to add ½ cup because there was too much broth)

2 cups chicken broth

½ cup margarine

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ onion, finely chopped (I used 1 small onion, I LOVE onion!)

1 cup leftover chicken or turkey, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 ½ Tablespoons soy sauce

Cook rice as directed, using chicken broth in place of water, or use leftover rice.

Heat margarine in skillet. Add egg and scramble well, breaking it up as it cooks. Add remaining ingredients. Blend well and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

A few nights ago my family was making hamburgers for dinner, so I made a side of spicy roasted potato wedges to go with them.

The potatoes only took a little while to prepare, and cooked in about 30 minutes. The crushed red pepper provided for a decent amount of heat. The potatoes were really crispy from being baked at a high temperature and were delicious! I would have added about 1/4 teaspoon more of salt to take the bite of the heat off. Otherwise, they were perfect!

Spicy Roasted Potato Wedges (Cooking Light, October 2007)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 red potatoes, each cut into 8 wedges (about 2 pounds)

Cooking spray

2 Tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450*.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450* for 30 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle potatoes with Parmesan cheese, and bake an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Yield: 6 servings.

This is similar to my favorite dessert that I order when I eat at Bottega Café in Birmingham. This recipe is a little different, but is very easy to make and also not nearly as bad for you. I have tried a few different recipes for a warm, melted chocolate cake and this is the best I have found!

I am not a fan of coffee flavoring, so I elected to leave the espresso powder out. I also did not have dark chocolate in the house, so I used semi-sweet instead. I have made this recipe a few times, and have used both semi-sweet and dark chocolate and I think that they are both equally delicious.

I have also tested the amount of shaved chocolate (chocolate chips work too!) that I put in, and notice a clear difference when there is more chocolate because it has more of a smooth, melted texture.

When baking the cakes, it is VERY IMPORTANT not to over bake them! I always set the timer for less time, and check with a toothpick. If they are over baked they are dry and just do not taste as good!

Hot Chocolate Fudge Cakes (Cooking Light, December 2008)

These hot-from-the-oven desserts are ideal for holiday celebration and can mostly be made up to two days ahead.

3.4 ounces all-purpose flour (about ¾ cup)

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

5 teaspoons instant espresso powder (I did not use this)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup egg substitute

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (2.6-ounce) bar dark (71% cocoa) chocolate, finely chopped (I used semi-sweet chocolate)

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt.

2. Place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars, beating until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating until well blended. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture; fold in chocolate. Divide batter evenly among 10 (4-ounce) ramekins; arrange ramekins on a jelly-roll pan. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days.

3. Preheat oven to 350°.

4. Let ramekins stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350* for 17-20 minutes or until cakes are puffy and slightly crusty on top. Sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar; serve immediately.

Yield: 10 servings.

My mom and I have made this recipe for years. We usually make it about every two weeks. It has been made in various forms including: mini-muffins, large muffins, loaves, and thin in a 9 x 13 pan.

This recipe came from Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, and our copy was published in 1984. This cookbook has some fantastic southern and Cajun recipes.

My bananas were small so I used 4 instead of 3, and because they weren’t as ripe as I would have liked them to be, I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla to sweeten them up. I also used the milk/vinegar mixture instead of buttermilk. I rarely use the entire pint of buttermilk, so the milk/vinegar mixture is more of a budget friendly ingredient than anything.

Banana Bread or Muffins (Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, 1984)

Makes 2 loaves or 1 dozen muffins

2 cups (about 3 large) well-mashed overripe bananas

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda (I use 1 teaspoon)

3 Tablespoons buttermilk (or a mixture of 3 Tablespoons milk and ½ teaspoon vinegar which has been set out for 1 hour)

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, optional

In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork or the back of a spoon. Add the sugar and eggs and mix with a spoon until well blended. Gradually add the butter, mixing well. Stir in the flour and baking soda until well mixed and creamy. Stir in the buttermilk, then fold in the pecans.

For the bread: Spoon batter into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.

For the muffins: Spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups (they will be very full). Bake at 300* until brown and done, about 30-45 minutes (the time really depends on the oven). Let stand about 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.