Tres Leches Cake is definitely a dessert that you should not judge just by looking. Twice I have taken this to pot lucks only to find it hardly touched, because on the surface, it looks like your basic white cake and who would choose that over the delicious brownies next door? However, beyond this mask is a decadently, moist and sumptuous cake that needs no ice cream to be delightful. In all honesty, this cake is more like pudding. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

In essence, Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake that is soaked in three milks; sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. I took it a step further and added caramel sauce to the soak just to liven up the flavor a bit. I also bumped up the cinnamon in the sponge cake to hint of horchata. 

Cake Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup Whole Milk
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
4 Large Eggs
2 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Milk Mixture Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons Caramel Sauce*
1 (12 ounce) Can Evaporated Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup Heavy Cream
3 tablespoons Corn Syrup
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 to 1 cup Caramel Sauce**
2 pints Fresh Strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven, then preheat to 325F. Grease and flour a 9" x 13" pan.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and milk together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed for 30 seconds, then slowly incorporate sugar and beat until thick and glossy, 5 - 7 minutes. Reduce speed to low and gradually stir in the melted butter mixture and vanilla. Continuing on low or switching to a rubber spatula, incorporate the flour combination in 3 batches. Once fully incorporated, scrap the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until slightly browned and a toothpick entered into the center comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

While the cake is baking, combine the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce in a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring until combined. In a medium bowl, stir together the caramel sauce mixture with evaporated milk, heavy cream and vanilla. Set aside until cake is ready.

After 10 minutes of cooling time, poke holes in the top of the cake with a skewer at 1/2" intervals, trying not to puncture the bottom of the cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake, then let stand for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Remove the cake from the fridge 30 minutes before frosting the cake. To make the frosting, in a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream, corn syrup and vanilla on medium speed with a hand mixer until soft peaks form, 1 - 2 minutes. Spread over cake. Drizzle about 2/3 of the caramel sauce over the cake, then arrange the sliced strawberries and drizzle the rest of the caramel sauce over the strawberries. Cut cake into 3" slices. Cake can be kept for up to 3 days refrigerated in an air tight container.

*I used the ice cream topping caramel sauce, however, you could melt 4-5 caramels instead.
** If using caramels or a thicker sauce, you may want to melt it a bit and mix in some milk to thin the sauce out. Let the sauce come to room temperature before drizzling over the cake.

This recipe was adapted from Cook's Country.

Whenever I meal plan, I usually incorporate far more recipes that I haven't tried then ones that I have tried. When I do include one that I have tried before, it is because I haven't made the dish in a long time or it is REALLY good. This recipe falls into the REALLY good category and, as a bonus, it is one of the easiest and quickest meals to make.

This recipe was adapted from Gimme Some Oven's Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry. I used asparagus, but this recipe would be great with basically any typical stir fry veggies, such as broccoli, carrots, green beans, peas, or bok choy.

Makes 2 servings.

Marinade:
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
Stir Fry:
5 - 6 Chicken Tenders or 2 Chicken Breasts cut into bite size pieces
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Bunch Asparagus, broken in half 
Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Honey
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Scallions, roughly chopped
Garnish:
1 Teaspoon Toasted Sesame Seeds
1 Teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil

Directions:
In a ziplock bag, combine the marinade and the chicken pieces, place in refrigerator until needed. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the asparagus, salt and pepper to taste. Cook asparagus for about 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add chicken and marinade to the hot skillet and cook until golden on the outside and no pink remains on the inside, 7 - 10 minutes

While the chicken is cooking, in a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, garlic and scallions. Add sauce to pan once chicken is cooked and continue cooking for 1 - 2 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.

Remove skillet from stove and stir in sesame seeds and sesame seed oil. Serve hot with cooked rice.

When I was a kid, we spent many a Sunday dinner at my dad's mother's house. The one thing that my siblings and I always gobbled up were her rolls. Later on, I asked my grandma if I could have her recipe and her secret was revealed, she used Rhodes Rolls. In college, I moved in with my maternal grandmother and was baking with her when she shared this recipe with me, which she got from her best friend, Adren. It is one of those recipes that is amazing as is, but can easily be transformed into cinnamon rolls or garlic swirls or whatever your bread loving heart desires. Although I love Rhodes, when I really want a homemade feel, this is the recipe I turn to.

Makes approximately 30 - 36 medium rolls.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Dry Yeast
1/2 cup warm Water
2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 3/4 cups Water
Juice from one Orange* (about 1/4 cup)
4 beaten Eggs
1/2 cup Sugar or Honey
1/2 cup unsalted Butter, melted
2 teaspoons Salt
6 - 8 cups Flour

1/2 cup unsalted Butter, really soft or even melted is fine

Directions:
In a large bowl, gently combine the yeast and water, then sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes (should be frothy).

To the yeast mixture, add the remaining ingredients with the exception of the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the flour, a couple cups at a time, until the dough is sticky but manageable. Then knead the dough for about 10 minutes or so. I usually do this in the bowl, but if you prefer, you can turn the dough out onto a floured surface. With the dough in a mixing bowl, cover the dough with a greased sheet of Seran Wrap and a towl. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour (should double in size).

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Punch dough, then knead for about a minute. Divide the dough in two. At this point you have a few options of how you can shape the rolls. 

The easiest way (which is what I did in the photo) is to roll each half on a floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4" - 1/2" thickness, spread each rectangle with 2 tablespoons butter, cut into 12 - 16 equal rectangles, fold each tiny rectangle in half, then in half again. Place on prepared cookie sheets either touching or about 1" apart.

For a croissant look, roll each half on a floured surface into a circle about 1/4" - 1/2" thickness, spread each circle dough with 2 tablespoons butter, then roll, starting with the larger side and place on the prepared cookie sheets about 1" apart.


For rounds, roll out each half on a floured surface to 1/4" - 1/2" thickness, then use a floured cup or biscuit cutter to cut circles. Place a bit of butter on one circle, then top with another and place on prepared cookie sheets either touching or about 1" apart.

Cover and let rise again for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining 1/4 cup butter. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

*Originally, this recipe was for Orange Rolls and included the zest from the orange. I omitted it because I didn't really like the flavor. 

Are you sick of caramel yet? Good, me neither. So, here is a delightful recipe for Caramel Apple Cider Cookies. I adapted it from one that I found over at Scrambled Henfruit. The major change I made was to take half of the caramel out of the cookie and drizzle it over the top. I really wanted to get caramel in every bite and found that drizzling half of it did the trick. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
8 packets of Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix, NOT SUGAR FREE (there are 10 packets in each box, but that is a bit overwhelming)
1 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 (12 oz) bag Caramel Bits (or 14 oz bag of regular Caramels, unwrapped and cut in half)
1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk or cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line at two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. If you use a substitute, keep in mind that the caramel may leak out and get very stuck.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer, if you are so blessed to have one, sigh...) and, using a hand mixer, beat together drink mix powder, sugar, salt and butter until fluffy. (I always get a cloud of the drink mix at this point, which isn't a big deal, just letting you know). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla.

Using a rubber spatula (or turn your stand mixer to low) incorporate your flour mixture into your butter batter. Stir until all traces of flour have disappeared. You should have a dough that is crumbly, but sticks together when you pinch it. If dough is fairly sticky and difficult to handle, place in the fridge for about 1/2 hour or so.

Spoon out a walnut sized amount of dough and flatten in your palm. Place 5 - 6 caramel bits (or half a caramel) in the middle. Fold the dough over the caramels to cover completely and roll into a ball. Place on prepared cookie sheets about 2" apart. 

Bake in preheated oven for 12 - 14 minutes. Cookies will be slightly browned around the edges. (It is better to err on the under-cooked side with these). Carefully slide the parchment with the cookies onto cooling racks and allow the cookies to set up for about 5 - 10 minutes, then gently twist and pull each cookie off the parchment and onto the cooling rack. (If you waited too long and the cookie sticks to the parchment, place in the freezer for a few minutes and try again). If caramel has leaked out the bottom, turn the cookie upside down to finish cooling.

You should have about half of the bag of caramel remaining after all of the cookies. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine the remaining caramels with milk. Stir occasionally until the caramels melt completely, taking care not to cook for too long. Place the cookies back on the parchment and drizzle them with the caramel. Let cool and enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Scrambled Henfruit

So, apparently, my favorite sweet combination this year is caramel and white chocolate... I just can't help myself! These two flavors compliment each other so nicely!  Anyway, today, I bring you a heavenly recipe that includes both white chocolate and caramel, as well as butter and pecans. While perusing Pinterest, I stumbled upon Salted Caramel Butter Bars by the Recipe Critic (which is a delightful recipe), however, I had some white chocolate chips and crushed pecans left over from another recipe and thought, "why not throw them into the mix?" Seriously, if you want to wow your Christmas guests or perhaps your neighbors at a cookie exchange, bring these AMAZING bars!

Ingredients:
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 cup Pecan Halves
1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, Softened
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 cup White Chocolate Chips
1 cup Caramel Bits or unwrapped Caramels (about 20)
1/4 cup Whole Milk
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or greased tin foil.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Place pecans in a ziplock bag and pound with a mallet or a rolling pin until all nuts are crushed. You want tiny bits, but nothing to really chew. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and crushed pecans for about 3 minutes on medium. Add in both sugars and combine until fluffy. Stir in vanilla and mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until there are only streaks of flour. Your dough will be crumbly, but will stick together when pinched. Mix in the white chocolate chips. Put about 1/2 cup of the dough in a small air tight container and place in the fridge. Press the remaining dough into the pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Melt the caramels, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla in the microwave for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Pour caramel over the crust, spreading it out in an even layer. Sprinkle salt over caramel. Pull the dough from the fridge and crumble the dough over the top of the caramel layer.

Return to the oven for 25 - 30 minutes. The filling should be bubbly and the top firm and slightly golden. Cool the bars completely in the pan before cutting into 16 equal bars.

With some of the left over ingredients, you could make my Pear Surprise Mini Pies or Caramel Apple Tartlets.

Move over cake balls/pops and make room for the cookie ball! That's right people, the cookie ball. Funny thing, this recipe came about as a result of not having to gone shopping, but needing to make a dessert. I knew I had vanilla pudding in my cupboard and peanut butter cookies in my freezer. At first I was thinking of making some kind of cookie custard, but then I discovered a round up of cookie ball recipes over at Snack Works and my decision was made!

Ingredients:
1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding
Pinch of Chili Powder
3/4 cup Milk
12 - 14 Crushed Peanut Butter Cookies (Nutter Butters would be awesome!)
1 package Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Plastic fork with two middle tines removed

Directions:
Combine milk, pudding and chili powder. Stir in crushed cookies. You should have a very sticky dough. Roll dough into about 20 balls. Place balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Place balls in the freezer for 1 hour.

Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Place 6 - 8 balls in the chocolate and carefully stir until balls are covered. Use the 2-tined fork to remove each ball and place back on the wax paper. Continue the last step until all balls are covered. Let chocolate set. You can put the balls in the fridge to speed up the process.

Last week, I made some really yummy veggie potstickers I found over at the Food Network, which used wonton wrappers (as most pot sticker recipes do). The problem with any recipe that involves wonton wrappers is that you rarely use all of the wrappers that come in the package. I hate to waste anything, so I went in search for a recipe to use up these little squares of dough. There are TONS of ideas out there; everything from lasagna cupcakes (very good) to deep fried pillows (sounds amazing!) to just simply buttering and sprinkling with cinnamon and sugar then baking. While many of the ideas sounded enticing, I kept thinking about a pear I didn't want to go bad as well as some leftover white chocolate (from the cake pops a few weeks ago) and some crushed pecans (also a left over). This brought to mind my Caramel Apple Tartlets from a year ago and with all of that in mind, I came up with the following recipe. Let me just tell you, I ate about 3/4 of them without even thinking they are so good!

Ingredients:
24 Wonton Wrappers
1 Pear, diced (I didn't peel it, but you can)
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
dash of Ginger
1/4 cup crushed Pecans
12 Caramels, unwrapped and cut into 4 pieces each (48 pieces)
Spray Oil
Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin with spray oil.
Press 1 wrapper into each cup. Divide pear and white chocolate chips into each cup evenly. Combine sugar, cinnamon and ginger in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the pears and chocolate. Press another wrapper into each cup. Put 4 pieces of caramel in each cup. Sprinkle with the pecans and remaining sugar mixture. Spray with oil. Sprinkle VERY LIGHTLY with salt (between 3-5 crystals per cup)
Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are browned and crispy. 

The only change I might make the next time I make these is to leave the caramel out and melt it instead, then, once baked, top each cup with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle with the caramel. Mmmmmmmm.....

So, do share, what have you made with wonton wrappers?

Back when I was in grade school, I remember there regularly being Hawaiian Haystacks on the lunch menu. Generally this consisted of rice, chow mein noodles, pineapple chunks and some kind of really thick gravy. Once I reached adulthood, I basically put this high calorie, semi-good meal behind me. Well, not long ago, I came across a recipe for the stacks by The Pearl Owl that intrigued me. Basically, this recipe uses a coconut gravy that is much lighter than the goop shoveled onto my grade school tray. When I first tried the recipe, I was watching my calories to loose some pregnancy weight, so, although the Pearl Owl version is pretty light, I took it a step further and cut out the roux. Honestly, I LOVE this meal. It fills you up, is tasty and you don't feel bad eating dessert! Give it a try, tell me what you think!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Corn Starch
2 tablespoons Water
1 cup Low Fat Coconut Milk
1 cup Chicken Broth3 tablespoons Juice from a can of Mandarine Oranges
3 - 4 teaspoons Red Pepper FlakesSalt and Pepper
Cooked Rice

Add Ons:
Shredded Chicken
Sliced Celery
Mandarine Oranges
Toasted Coconut
Toasted Almonds
Chow Mein Noodles

Directions:
Start by combining the corn starch and water in a small bowl. Combine this with the coconut milk, broth, juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Warm until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. (The longer it is on the heat, the thicker it will get, it will also thicken a bit when it cools).

Put a scoop of rice on your plate, top with desired add ons, then drizzle the gravy over the top.

Serves 4.

This is one of those desserts that will never win a beauty award, but it sure tastes great. The best part is how easy it is to make. Aside from slicing up some peaches, it is basically a dump and refrigerate recipe. 

Ingredients:
2 cups sliced and peeled Fresh Peaches (about 4 medium)
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Dash of Nutmeg
1 baked 9" Pie Crust or Graham Cracker Crust

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine milk, juice and nutmeg. Add peaches, stirring until combined. Pour mixture into pie crust. Let chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Does it get any easier?!

I don't know about you, but it seems like every time I buy bananas, the majority of them go bad before my family gets a chance to eat them. All growing up, when our bananas went bad, the go to recipe was banana bread. I like banana bread as much as the next kid, but a few weeks ago, I had some aging bananas and was looking for something a little more sweet. That is when I came across marvelous blog Inside BrewCrew Life where a recipe for Banana Caramel Cookies was featured. I made them that night and was completely delighted! It occurred to me that this could be the base for any type of cookie. So, I modified the recipe slightly and now I am sharing it with you.

The great thing about this recipe is that it is very adaptable for whatever you flavor tickles your fancy and the banana flavor isn't overpowering, which also makes it a delightful recipe!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Butter, softened
2 Bananas, smashed
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup Flour
1 Cake Mix, flavor of your choice
Any add-ins of your choice (chocolate chips, nuts, craisens, toffee bits etc.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the butter and bananas with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until well blended. Stir in the vanilla. Add in the flour and cake mix, until just combined. Then add any extras you would like. Drop dough onto prepared baking sheet from a spoon to form 1" to 1.5" dollops with about 2" in between. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies look slightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to reach room temperature.

Makes about 25-30 cookies.