Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Cookie Dough Centers

Every Sunday, at church, I teach the 16 year olds. They are some of my favorite people EVER! Well, I have been either sick or out of town lately and ended up  missing a few birthdays. It was pretty sad. Especially since they will soon be moving up to a new teacher in January. I know I will get more awesome kids too, but I am sure going to miss these particular ones that will always hold a special place in my heart. *tear* Ok let me pull myself together here...moving on. *tear*

I have been wanting to do something special for them for their birthdays, but unfortunately I have been out of town or sick for a little while and have missed a few of their birthdays. So, I decided to go ahead and make some awesome cupcakes for all and just say it is to celebrate EVERYONE'S birthday for the year. Genius (if I do say so myself)!

I searched my recipes and found these yummy-licious chocolate goodies, from scratch, and HAD to share them since so many of the awesome teens I teach LOVED them! I also found that this is a new trend in baking because I did a search online to see if there were more recipes like this out there and found it, in full and all from scratch,  here at Kevin and Amanda {dot} com! I didn't have the time for a recipe from scratch, so I decided to make it easier. Here is the recipe in all its easy splendor.

1 cake mix (I used devil's cake-I am just THAT kinda gal) ;-)
1 pkg. Nestle Toll House refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
Duncan Heinz creamy vanilla icing
Mini chocolate chips
cupcake liners

1. Roll dough into about 1 inch balls. Make about 24. Then freeze them (I did for a couple of hours, but all night would be fine too, just make sure they are completely frozen).

2. Then mix your cake mix by the directions on the box.

3. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

4. Pour cake mix into each liner cup about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way. Then place the dough ball in middle on top of cake mixture.

5. Cook at 350 for about 15-20 min and VOILA! Your cookie dough will sink to the bottom and be invisible! So easy! Then ice the top any way you would like. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and you can even place a small chocolate cookie for an even cuter look! Good luck in your baking endeavoers and ENJOY!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

These are very YUMMY! all of my kids ate more than one and said it was a keeper...even Miss Bria who is prejudiced against most food!!! I LOVE to try new recipes weekly(whether or not that happens is another story)! I find all these new recipes in magazines and at all recipes and then I make them, take a pic and then if my little family loves it we keep the recipe and I paste the pic to the recipe and throw in a binder! Easy!!! Otherwise the pic is trashed(gotta love digital) and the recipe is tossed! So, I challenge you to try a new recipe...such as this!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
2 oz. rice vermicelli
8 rice wrappers (8.5 in. diameter)
8 Large cooked shrimp-peeled, deveined and cut in half
1 1/3 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 leaves lettuce, chopped

Bring Medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves (we actually used 4 shrimp halves), a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Dipping sauces:--I don't use this one because I am preggers and the smell gets to me, but my husband LOVED it so go ahead and try it if you are brave! LOL

4 tsp. fish sauce
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. garlic chili sauce


In a small bowl mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce. Serve with Spring Rolls!

Other sauce: I love this one!!!

3 Tbsp. Hoison sauce
1 tsp. finely chopped peanuts

In small bowl mix hoison sauce and peanuts.

Serve with Spring Rolls! EAT UP and ENJOY!!!

We bought the rice vermicelli at Walmart and the rice wrappers at an Oriental Grocery Store (we used the Thai Store on 72)!

White Trash For the Soul

This is a VERY nummy, stick to your hips kind of dessert(theres something about salty and sweet that just becomes addicting)! I first ate it at my family reunion this year. They call it "White Trash"! Yanks call it "Snowman Poop"(those crude yankees-hee hee) ;)!

How to make:

ingredients:
2 c. honey nut chex
2 c. pretzel sticks(I break mine into smaller pieces)
2c. peanuts or cashews
2 c. m&m's
3 bags white chocolate chips

Step 1:
Mix all dry ingredients in a Lg. bowl
Step 2:
Melt chips in the microwave or on the stove and pour into bowl with dry ingredients.
Step 3:
Pour out mixture onto 2 cookie sheets, pizza pans, etc. and refrigerate until hardened.
Step 4: Remove from fridge and break mixture apart. Then EAT!!! Of course you could just eat it straight from th pan or the fridge as it is hardening, but I would stick to the directions if you are giving it away(why would you do that!?!) or watching the waist line! :)