A few years ago, my husband and I lived in Wisconsin while he was going to medical school.  We made life-long friends during this time, one of which was a girl named Jamie.  When I think about Jamie, I think hot mama!  She's always done up with the latest fashions and stylin' hair.  She keeps a spotless house and has the decorator's touch.  She is one of those skinny girls who eats chocolate chip cookies for lunch.  Jamie is as strong as they come.  She beat cancer for heaven's sake!  Twice!  In fact, when I met her she had recently finished chemo and a bone marrow transplant.  Like I said, this girl is strong!  She's been cancer free ever since.  Jamie has since adopted a darling girl and moved to Missouri for her husband's residency.  She started a design blog called Kreyv.  It's fabulous and so fun to look at and get ideas from!  Thanks to Jamie for giving Becoming Betty the Versatile Blogger award!  Go check out her fun blog ASAP!

Slow Cooker Sticky Wings

I got this recipe from my sister in law and it did not disappoint.
I love how you can make it and then put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours,
so if you are having a party you can make them ahead of time. Even though it
has cayenne pepper in it, it is not too spicy at all. My 2 year old even loved them!



Slow-Cooker Sticky Wings

1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 pounds chicken wings, halved at joint and wingtips removed (or just buy the already-cut pack in the freezer section)
¼ cup water
¼ cup tomato paste

1. MAKE RUB Pulse ginger, garlic, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper in food processor until finely ground. Add mixture to slow cooker insert. Add chicken and toss until combined.

2. COOK AND COOL Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Using slotted spoon, remove wings from slow cooker and transfer to clean large bowl (discard liquid in slow cooker). Let wings cool 20 minutes (or cool briefly and refrigerate up to 24 hours).

SAUCE AND BROIL (The oven rack should be 10 to 12 inches from the broiler element. Don’t wander off while the wings are in the oven.)

3. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Set wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and spray rack with baking spray. Whisk water, tomato paste, remaining sugar, remaining soy sauce, and remaining cayenne in bowl. Add half of sauce to bowl with cooled wings and toss gently to coat. Arrange wings, skin side up, on prepared baking rack. Broil until wings are lightly charred and crisp around edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Flip wings, brush with remaining sauce, and continue to broil until well caramelized, about 3 minutes. Serve with ranch!

Gooey Butter Cake Variations

I posted a recipe for Gooey Butter Cake a while back and just recently, I found out that there are lots of variations to this rich and delicious dessert.  

We had a Relief Society meeting last Thursday and they passed around a sign up sheet the Sunday before asking for women to help make the desserts.  One of those easy gigs where they bring you all the ingredients and you just have to make it.  Don't you love organized organizations?  I was excited to try out a new dessert recipe, so I signed up for the peanut butter version of the gooey butter cake.  Here's the sad part of the story...I made it and smelled it baking and couldn't wait to try it, but then ended up not being able to make it to the meeting.  So I had no idea if it was even good, although my nose told me it was.  Well, I couldn't stop thinking about it so I went and bought the ingredients and made it on Sunday for our dessert.  Here's the happy ending to the story...it tasted so good and gooey and we loved it!  Hooray for happy dessert endings!

Original Gooey Butter Cake:
Crust
1 package yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 cube butter, softened to room temp
Filling
8 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cube butter, melted
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar

*Combine ingredients for crust and press into a 9x13 or a round, spring form pan.  For filling, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add butter and mix again.  Add powdered sugar and beat really well.  Spread the filling over the crust.  Bake the cake at 350 until it is golden brown but the center is still jiggly.  This takes about 30-40 minutes for a 9x13 and longer for a spring form pan.  Cool for at least an hour, but it's even better if you can refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight.  Top with fruit and whipped cream or just enjoy it in all it's buttery glory.

Variations
*Peanut Butter:  Use a chocolate cake mix for the crust.  Add 1 cup peanut butter and 1 extra egg to the filling.
*Chocolate:  Use a chocolate cake mix for the crust.  Add 2 Tbs. cocoa and 1 cup nuts (optional) to the filling.
*Lemon:  Use a lemon cake mix for the crust.  Add 1/2 cup lemon juice, zest of 2 lemons, and 1 extra egg to the filling.
*Coconut:  Use a white cake mix for the crust.  Add 1 cup unsweetened coconut to the filling.  You could also add a little coconut oil flavoring or extract to the filling.
*Pumpkin:  Add 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin and 1 extra egg to the filling.  Top with pecans and whipped cream when serving.
*Carrot Cake:  Use a spice cake mix for the crust.  Add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots to the filling.
*Chocolate Chip:  Use yellow or chocolate cake mix for the crust.  Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup nuts on top of filling before baking.
*Banana:  Add two ripe bananas and 1 extra egg to the filling.

***Thanks to my friend, Marie, for passing on these fun variations on such a great dessert!!!!

Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

1 cup dry white rice, cooked in 2 cups water
2 Tbsp real butter
Juice from 1 large lime, or two smaller ones (taste as you go, I add a lot)
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
½ – ¾ C chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice. As soon as it’s done, toss in the butter and stir to melt. Add lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro. Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

* You’ll want to serve this right away, if you don’t, the flavors tend to mellow a bit and you’ll probably need to add more lime juice because the rice kind of sucks it up. If you’re not quite ready to eat when your rice finishes cooking, just toss in the butter and keep a lid on it so it stays warm. Then right before you serve it, toss it all together.

The Peach Cobbler Debate

Ever since I canned peaches a few weeks ago, I've been on a peach cobbler kick.  I've made 3 different recipes in the last 2 weeks and have been analyzing them to decide which was in my favorite.  Nerd alert!  I know.  But I'm a foodie, what can I say?  I posted the first recipe just over a week ago.  It had brown sugar and cinnamon and the crust was like a sweet biscuit.  The 2nd recipe, which I will post, is more of a cake-like cobbler.  My husband liked it better than the first one.  I thought it was good, but even better when I ate it the next day.  Almost like a bread pudding.  Finally, the 3rd recipe I tried was from my Favorites cookbook.  The cobbler was good but way too sweet for me.  I know, I can't believe I just typed that.  Nothing is ever too sweet for me!  But it was so rich.  And it needed cinnamon.  So, the debate is over and I don't think I am going to make peach cobbler for a while.  I think I'm good for the year!  

And the winner is...... Peach Cobbler #1.  I loved the brown sugar, cinnamon and biscuit-like topping.  It was the perfect sweetness and went perfectly with vanilla ice cream.  Although, the 2nd one was good too!  Such a hard decision!  

Peach Cobbler (#2)

1 29oz. can sliced peaches or 4 cups
2 Tbs. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, combine peaches with juice, melted butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Dissolve cornstarch in water then add to peaches.  Set aside.

1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

In another bowl, combine milk, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat until smooth.  Melt butter in 9x13 pan.  Pour batter over butter then spoon peaches over the batter.  Sprinkle with the teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4tsp. of nutmeg.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until golden brown.

CHOCOLATE TOFFEE TRIFLE

I took a Paula Deen recipe and made a few changes to make this delicious trifle. We had it yesterday for my sister's birthday dinner. It is REALLY rich, and so delicious. My son said he just wanted to "put his face in the bowl". And it looks pretty too! I always have left-over fudge sauce and it's great on ice-cream.


Ingredients
• 1 box chocolate cake mix (add an extra box of chocolate pudding-make according to directions)
• 2 cups fudge sauce, recipe follows
• 3 chocolate covered toffee candy bars, broken into pieces (Heath bars)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream whipped and sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar
Directions
Prepare the cake according to the package directions for a 9 by 13-inch cake. Cool thoroughly.
Cut or tear the cake into 3 inch pieces.
Line the bottom of a large glass bowl with a single layer of cake. Pour 1/4 of the fudge sauce over the cake, top with 1/2 of the candy bar-bits then 1/2 of the whipped cream. Repeat again, topping off the cake with more Heath bar bits.
Note: Assemble the trifle shortly before serving or it will get soggy.
Hot Fudge Sauce:
• 1 (4-ounce) bar German chocolate
• 1/2-ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
To make the sauce: Melt the German chocolate with the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, alternating with evaporated milk and blending well. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Cool before using

Peach Spinach Salad

I linked this salad a few weeks ago and said it was my favorite salad of 2011.  I am now thinking that it could be my favorite salad of the decade.  I want to make it for every meal.  So in case you are not a link-clicker, I decided I had better put the recipe on here so you will make it and love it.  It's from Trainer Momma.

This salad is perfect for all those amazing Utah peaches we are enjoying right now.  I look forward to peach season all year and it's finally here!  If you live in Arizona, please go to Nielsen's frozen custard and get the fresh peach concrete or the homemade peach cobbler.  But don't blame me if you get addicted and spend way too much time and money there.

baby spinach (enough to fill your serving bowl)
fresh peaches, cut up (2 or 3)
fresh blueberries
cucumber, peeled and diced
green onion, sliced
asagio or parmesan cheese, shredded
dried cranberries
candied pecans or sliced almonds

*Toss these together in the amounts that you like.  If you don't have one or more of these ingredients, it's ok...it will still be good.  Toss with white balsamic vinegar dressing right before serving.

Dressing:
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs. pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

*Shake up really well until it's all combined.  I don't use all the dressing because the spinach gets too soggy and wilted.  The flavor is great and you don't need a lot.