I bought a bag of lemons to make those lemon cookies. So I had 4 lemons left over. Charlie asked sarcastically if I was going to make lemonade with them. He didn't think I could actually do it! So I proved him wrong and he was more than happy with the result! This recipe only makes a half gallon, so double if you want more!
Lemonade
Source: Simply Recipes
1 cup sugar
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice (took 4 lemons)
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)
Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.
While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from the lemons.
Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.
Chocolate Mint Cookies
This recipe was originally for double chocolate chunk cookies, but I took out the chocolate chunks and used creme de menthe baking bits from Andes. YUM! These remind me of a Thin Mint cookie, also from the Girl Scouts. Oh, how I wish those girls would just sell them all year! YUMMY!!!
Chocolate Mint Cookies
Adapted from Nestle
2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 C granulated sugar
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 C mint pieces (or chocolate chunks)
3/4 C cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 C granulated sugar
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 C mint pieces (or chocolate chunks)
Heat oven to 350ยบ. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in mint (or chocolate). Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set but still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Lemon Sandwich Cookies
I held a cookie exchange for friends a few weeks ago and this was my cookie! I chose this recipe because it reminded me of the Girl Scout cookies. Remember the lemon sandwich cookies they used to have? So yummy! These cookies were better the second day because they soften up. The cookie part is basically a lemon shortbread. I tried to make things easier on myself and instead of rolling out the dough and cutting it into circles, I rolled it into a log and sliced the cookies. They definitely weren't perfectly shaped and I'm sure they would have been much prettier if I had done what Martha said, but it still worked! I also skipped (i.e. forgot) a step. The sprinkling with sugar. They were still good though!
Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Source: Martha Stewart
Cookies
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C confectioners' sugar
1 T finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C confectioners' sugar
1 T finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
2 C all-purpose flour
2 T granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add flour (dough will still be stiff); finish mixing with a wooden spoon.
Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, pat into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour (and up to 3 days).
Unwrap dough; place on a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough about 1/8 inch thick (if dough cracks, let it warm up slightly).
Cut out cookies with a 1 1/2-inch round cutter (reroll scraps once, chilling of too soft). Place 1 inch apart on two baking sheets; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until barely beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Filling
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 T finely grated lemon zest
1 T finely grated lemon zest
1 to 1 1/2 C confectioners' sugar
In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and zest until smooth. Gradually add 1 cup confectioners' sugar, mixing until smooth. Mix in remaining sugar as necessary to create a firm but spreadable filling.
Form sandwiches: Place about 1 teaspoon filling between two cookies, sugared sides facing out; squeeze gently.
Beef and Brocolli
We love our Chinese recipes. I'm still working on extending our menu of items in this area. This was a delicious recipe and so easy! We even went out for Chinese on Christmas Eve and Charlie ordered the sweet and sour chicken...he liked mine better! Yay!
Beef and Brocolli
Adapted from Delicious Meliscious
1 lb. boneless sirloin, cut into thin strips
2 T cornstarch
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
2 T soy sauce
2 T packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 C fresh brocolli florets (I used 2 heads)
In a mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sugar and garlic powder. Mix together.
In a large skillet, on medium/high heat, saute the beef strips until browned and juices evaporate. Stir brocolli and cornstarch mix into the meat. Cook until mixture boils and then thickens. Stirring frequently. Serve over cooked rice.
Beef and Brocolli
Adapted from Delicious Meliscious
1 lb. boneless sirloin, cut into thin strips
2 T cornstarch
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
2 T soy sauce
2 T packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 C fresh brocolli florets (I used 2 heads)
In a mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, sugar and garlic powder. Mix together.
In a large skillet, on medium/high heat, saute the beef strips until browned and juices evaporate. Stir brocolli and cornstarch mix into the meat. Cook until mixture boils and then thickens. Stirring frequently. Serve over cooked rice.
Taco Soup
This soup is perfect for a cold and so easy to make! I threw this together one night while cooking another meal! It was so easy and perfect to come home too! This was my first time cooking with turkey as well. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef in the recipe. We couldn't even tell the difference!
Taco Soup
Source: A Year of Slow Cooking
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans of corns
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 lb. browned ground turkey or ground beef
Brown meat. Drain fat. Add to crock pot. Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crock pot. Add the entire contents of the cans of corn and tomato with chili. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or low for 4-5.
Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
Taco Soup
Source: A Year of Slow Cooking
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans of corns
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning
1 lb. browned ground turkey or ground beef
Brown meat. Drain fat. Add to crock pot. Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crock pot. Add the entire contents of the cans of corn and tomato with chili. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or low for 4-5.
Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
Skillet Lasagna...Take 2!
I have posted a skillet lasagna recipe before, but this one is much better! I think this will take the place of my old recipe in our house! The recipe didn't call for any Italian seasoning, so I added my own. So easy and delicious!
Skillet Lasagna
Source: Cook's Country
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
water
1 T olive oil
1 onion, minced
salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. ground beef
10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2" pieces
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
1 C ricotta cheese
3 T fresh basil, chopped
Pour tomatoes and juice into 1 qt. measuring cup. Add water until it measures 1 qt.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook until onions begin to brown. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes. Cook about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink.
Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. (This is where I added the Italian seasoning.) Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping teaspoons full of ricotta. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese.
Hot Chocolate Cake
This cake was delicious! Please don't confuse it with a chocolate cake that is hot...not the same thing! This is a cake form of the yummy winter drink! I made one loaf and 7 muffins out of the batter. I'm sure you could make it as a regular sheet cake and just adjust the cooking time. The original blogger of this recipe also mentioned making mini-loaves and giving them as gifts.
Hot Chocolate Cake
Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Cake
10 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ C sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ C all-purpose flour
½ C sweetened hot chocolate mix (powdered)
¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows and an additional 1 ½ cups for the topping
Preheat oven to 350. Spray three 6-x-3 ½ inch mini loaf pans, one large loaf pan, or muffin tins with baking spray or butter and flour them.
cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time. Beat for 1 minute after each addition. Scape down the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl after each addition.
Sift together the hot chocolate mix, cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.
In another small bowl mix together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Alternating, starting with the dry ingredients first, in thirds to the butter mixture.
Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows using a spatula. Fill pans 2/3 of the way with batter.
Bake for 45-50 (muffins...20) minutes or until a wooden skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Glaze when cool.
Glaze
2 C powdered sugar
1/3 C sweetened hot chocolate mix (powdered)
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup hot milk
In a medium bowl, add the hot milk and hot chocolate. Whisk until hot chocolate granules have dissolved. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until glaze is smooth and shiny. If too thick, you can add more milk.
Pour glaze over loaf. Add a sprinkling of marshmallows. Press them into the glaze so they stick a little. With remaining glaze, go back over with another coating of glaze over the top of the marshmallows.
Hot Chocolate Cake
Source: Culinary Concoctions by Peabody
Cake
10 T unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¼ C sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ C all-purpose flour
½ C sweetened hot chocolate mix (powdered)
¼ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows and an additional 1 ½ cups for the topping
Preheat oven to 350. Spray three 6-x-3 ½ inch mini loaf pans, one large loaf pan, or muffin tins with baking spray or butter and flour them.
cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time. Beat for 1 minute after each addition. Scape down the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl after each addition.
Sift together the hot chocolate mix, cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.
In another small bowl mix together the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
Alternating, starting with the dry ingredients first, in thirds to the butter mixture.
Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows using a spatula. Fill pans 2/3 of the way with batter.
Bake for 45-50 (muffins...20) minutes or until a wooden skewer or cake tester comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Glaze when cool.
Glaze
2 C powdered sugar
1/3 C sweetened hot chocolate mix (powdered)
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup hot milk
In a medium bowl, add the hot milk and hot chocolate. Whisk until hot chocolate granules have dissolved. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and whisk until glaze is smooth and shiny. If too thick, you can add more milk.
Pour glaze over loaf. Add a sprinkling of marshmallows. Press them into the glaze so they stick a little. With remaining glaze, go back over with another coating of glaze over the top of the marshmallows.
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
My freshman year in college, while at Meredith, I found my love for Broccoli and Cheese Soup. My friends and I had this tradition of going to Chili's on Sunday nights when we all got back to school after weekends at home. I devoured Chicken Crispers and broccoli and cheese soup! YUM! A few weeks ago, Charlie and I went to Chili's for dinner. The whole reason we went there was for the soup! To my dismay, they don't have broccoli and cheese soup anymore! Sad!
I came across this recipe this summer when I was on my recipe hunts. I don't know the source, but it was delicious! The recipe says it makes enough for 4 servings. So I made the recipe plus 1/2 and it was a ton for the two of us! I was trying to make sure we had enough leftovers for lunch and we had more than enough! Next time, I think I'll stick to the original recipe. Enjoy!
Broccoli and Cheese Soup
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1/3 C flour
1/4 C butter
Pepper
2 C milk
1 1/2 C sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 C Swiss, shredded
Broccoli, steamed, chopped (I used 2 heads and it was more than enough!)
Simmer chicken broth and onion for 20 minutes in small, covered saucepan. Heat milk in microwave for 2 minutes. In a separate large saucepan, melt butter, add flour and as much pepper as you like. Cook together for a couple minutes. Whisk in warm milk. Stir and heat over medium-high heat until soup thickens. Add broth and stir until well blended. Add cheese and broccoli. Stir until cheese is melted and combined.
Banana Pudding Trifle
I've had this recipe saved for quite some time. This recipe is delicious! We love the peanut butter-banana flavor. If you don't like peanut butter, just substitute the cookies for either vanilla wafers OR those yummy Vienna finger cookies. They would be delicious too!
Banana Pudding Trifle
Source: Southern Living
4 (3.5 oz) packages of vanilla pudding
2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. sour cream
6 C milk
1 package Nutter Butter cookies, broken into thirds
5 ripe bananas, sliced
Whip Cream, about 2 C
Mix pudding mix with milk and vanilla. Let set for 5 minutes. Add sour cream and mix well. If not really cold, keep in fridge until really cold! Place half of pudding mix in the bottom of trifle bowl. Layer with half of banana slices and cookies. Pour the remaining pudding on top. Layer again with banana and cookies. Top with whipped cream and garnish with remaining cookies and banana. Keep in fridge overnight before serving.
Banana Pudding Trifle
Source: Southern Living
4 (3.5 oz) packages of vanilla pudding
2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. sour cream
6 C milk
1 package Nutter Butter cookies, broken into thirds
5 ripe bananas, sliced
Whip Cream, about 2 C
Mix pudding mix with milk and vanilla. Let set for 5 minutes. Add sour cream and mix well. If not really cold, keep in fridge until really cold! Place half of pudding mix in the bottom of trifle bowl. Layer with half of banana slices and cookies. Pour the remaining pudding on top. Layer again with banana and cookies. Top with whipped cream and garnish with remaining cookies and banana. Keep in fridge overnight before serving.
Stuffing
We had this with our turkey for Thanksgiving. It was delicious and much tastier than a box of Stove Top!
Stuffing
Source: Food Lion
8 oz. bread crumb stuffing mix
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped celery
1 C chicken broth
1/2 stick butter
Saute onion and celery in butter. Add chicken broth. Stir in bread crumbs and fluff.
Cinnamon Baked Apples
My grandma makes this all the time! They are so delicious! They just fall apart in your mouth. YUM!
Cinnamon Baked Apples
Source: MawMaw
Sliced apples
Cinnamon Candies (the soft, chewy kind)
Brown sugar
Place your apples in a baking dish. Sprinkle candy over top, as much as you can stand! Sprinkle brown sugar to coat. Bake at 35o for about 30-45 minutes.
Cinnamon Baked Apples
Source: MawMaw
Sliced apples
Cinnamon Candies (the soft, chewy kind)
Brown sugar
Place your apples in a baking dish. Sprinkle candy over top, as much as you can stand! Sprinkle brown sugar to coat. Bake at 35o for about 30-45 minutes.
Brined Turkey
We stayed home for Thanksgiving, just the two of us! Which meant I was cooking the whole meal myself! Boy, that was much more work than I anticipated! But it was delicious and worth it! I bought a small turkey breast to cook and it was perfect!
Turkey Brine
Source: My mom
Water
1 onion
2 oranges, cut into quartes
1/2 C Kosher salt
Peppercorns
1 garlic clove (of course, I used 2)
Fill a large pot half way with water. Add 1/2 C kosher salt, a handful of peppercorns, chopped onion, chopped garlic and orange slices. Bring to boil on stove. Let cool completely. Pour into roasting pan and let turkey soak for about a day. Cook turkey as directed.
Turkey Brine
Source: My mom
Water
1 onion
2 oranges, cut into quartes
1/2 C Kosher salt
Peppercorns
1 garlic clove (of course, I used 2)
Fill a large pot half way with water. Add 1/2 C kosher salt, a handful of peppercorns, chopped onion, chopped garlic and orange slices. Bring to boil on stove. Let cool completely. Pour into roasting pan and let turkey soak for about a day. Cook turkey as directed.
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Finally, another healthy recipe that we like! YAY!!! These were so easy and delicious!
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Source: Delish
4 (1/2-inch thick) pork loin chops
1 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp shredded/grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Season the pork chops generously with black pepper & some salt. Sprinkle garlic powder evenly over pork chops. Coat the chops with the cheese, patting to adhere.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops to skillet and do not move them. Allow pork chops to cook until golden brown & crisp, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops to oven and bake for 5-8 minutes in preheated oven. You want them cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Source: Delish
4 (1/2-inch thick) pork loin chops
1 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp shredded/grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Season the pork chops generously with black pepper & some salt. Sprinkle garlic powder evenly over pork chops. Coat the chops with the cheese, patting to adhere.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops to skillet and do not move them. Allow pork chops to cook until golden brown & crisp, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops to oven and bake for 5-8 minutes in preheated oven. You want them cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pie
We had so much leftover turkey from Thanksgiving! I cooked a small turkey breast for the two of us, gave some to my sister, ate off of it for a day or two, and still had turkey leftover! So I made a pot pie with it! Believe it or not, there was still enough turkey left for a sandwich, but I don't care if I see any turkey for quite some time!
This recipe was for chicken pot pie, but I used the turkey. If you remember I made a healthy version of pot pie some time back. Charlie was NOT a fan! He loved this one. My pie plate is at my mom's so I made it in a square casserole dish. I also didn't make my own crust and only had one crust in the freezer. I wish I had used a double crust, next time!
I don't know if you can tell, but I tried to get creative with the crust when piercing it to vent. It has our monogram :)
Turkey Pot Pie
Source: Pillsbury
1/3 C butter
1/3 C onion, chopped
1/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Poultry seasoning (my addition)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1/2 C milk
2 1/2 C shredded cooked turkey or chicken
2 C veggies (I used peas and carrots), if frozen, thawed
Heat oven to 425. Line a pie plate with crust.
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Stir in broth and milk. Cook and stir until bubbly and thickened. Add in turkey (chicken) and vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon into crust. Top with second crust and seal edges. Cut slits in crust to vent.
Bake 30-40 minutes. During last 15 minutes cover edges with foil to keep from burning. Let sit for 5 minutes to cool before serving.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I got this recipe from some recipe cards I was sent in the mail. You've probably gotten them too. They want to subscribe and they'll send you a million more. I didn't do it, but I did save quite a few of the cards I got as a sample! The cheesecake recipe posted yesterday was from them too!
This cookies were delicious and gobbled up quickly! I would totally make them again, except next time I would grind up the walnuts in the food processor.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 C rolled oats
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 C butter, softened
3/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 C chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In food processor, finely grind oatmeal. Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
In another bowl, cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add the chocolate and nuts and mix well.
Scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake 16-18 minutes and cool on a wire rack.
Pumpkin Pie
We had early Thanksgiving last weekend with my family in Wilmington. I was responsible for desserts. Here's one! You can't go wrong with a classic Pumpkin Pie!
Pumpkin Pie
Source: Aldi
15 oz. Pumpkin
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9" pie crust
Preheat oven to 425.
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg together. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into pie crust.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce temp to 350 and bake 40-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediatedly or refridgerate.
Pumpkin Pie
Source: Aldi
15 oz. Pumpkin
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9" pie crust
Preheat oven to 425.
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg together. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
Pour into pie crust.
Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce temp to 350 and bake 40-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediatedly or refridgerate.
Chocolate Cheesecake
This was my other dessert for our early Thanksgiving. It was my first try at baking a cheesecake and easier than I expected! If you can bake a cake from scratch, you can bake a cheesecake!
Chocolate Cheesecake
Source: Hershey's
Crust
1 C chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 stick butter
Cheesecake
3 packages of cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1 1/4 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C cocoa
2 T all-purpose flour
3 eggs
Drizzle
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening
For Crust...
Combine crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9" springform pan.
For Cheesecake...
Heat oven to 450.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until blended. Beat in cocoa and flour. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until blended. Pour into crust.
Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 250. Continue baking for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. With knife, loosen sides from pan. Cool completely. Remove from pan. Drizzle chocolate over top and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.
Chocolate Drizzle...
Place chips and shortening in a small bowl. Microwave on high 30 seconds. If necessary, microwave at high an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating.
Chocolate Cheesecake
Source: Hershey's
Crust
1 C chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 stick butter
Cheesecake
3 packages of cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1 1/4 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C cocoa
2 T all-purpose flour
3 eggs
Drizzle
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening
For Crust...
Combine crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9" springform pan.
For Cheesecake...
Heat oven to 450.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until blended. Beat in cocoa and flour. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until blended. Pour into crust.
Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 250. Continue baking for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. With knife, loosen sides from pan. Cool completely. Remove from pan. Drizzle chocolate over top and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.
Chocolate Drizzle...
Place chips and shortening in a small bowl. Microwave on high 30 seconds. If necessary, microwave at high an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating.
Pumpkin Muffins...Round 2!
So I made these a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting them! There's not enough time in the world anymore! I liked these much better than the other ones. Don't get me wrong...the last ones were good, but these appealed to me more! I still have 7 other recipes marked to make that involve pumpkin...not including the pumpkin pie I'm making this weekend for an early family Thanksgiving! I guess I should stock up on my pumpkin before they remove it from the shelves!
Pumpkin Muffins (with Chocolate Chips)
Source: Paige and Brooke
2 c. flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 c. butter softened (2 sticks)
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz)
Preheat oven to 350 and spray muffin pan. In a medium bowl, add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop spoonfuls into your muffin pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Pumpkin Muffins (with Chocolate Chips)
Source: Paige and Brooke
2 c. flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 c. butter softened (2 sticks)
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz)
Preheat oven to 350 and spray muffin pan. In a medium bowl, add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop spoonfuls into your muffin pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Apple Snack Cake
I didn't have the ingredients to make this the way I was supposed to...SO I improvised. The cake was really moist and I'm sure it would be better the original way, more cake like. It was still delicious!
Apple Snack Cake
adapted from: The Way the Cookie Crumbles
2 apples, cut into cubes
1 C apple cider
1½ C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
⅔ C sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves
1 C unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
½ tsp table salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.
Bring apples and cider to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat; cook until liquid evaporates and mixture appears dry, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, whisk flour and baking soda in medium bowl to combine; set aside. In second medium bowl, whisk sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Measure 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture into small bowl and set aside for topping.
In food processor, process cooled dried-apple mixture and applesauce until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed; set aside. Whisk egg and salt in large bowl to combine. Add sugar-spice mixture and whisk continuously until well combined and light colored, about 20 seconds. Add butter in three additions, whisking after each. Add applesauce mixture and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; using rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined and even moistened.
Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula. Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture evenly over batter. Bake until wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Run knife along cake edges without parchment to release. Remove cake pan by lifting parchment overhand and transfer to cutting board. Cut cake and serve.
Apple Snack Cake
adapted from: The Way the Cookie Crumbles
2 apples, cut into cubes
1 C apple cider
1½ C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
⅔ C sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves
1 C unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
½ tsp table salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.
Bring apples and cider to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat; cook until liquid evaporates and mixture appears dry, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, whisk flour and baking soda in medium bowl to combine; set aside. In second medium bowl, whisk sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Measure 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture into small bowl and set aside for topping.
In food processor, process cooled dried-apple mixture and applesauce until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed; set aside. Whisk egg and salt in large bowl to combine. Add sugar-spice mixture and whisk continuously until well combined and light colored, about 20 seconds. Add butter in three additions, whisking after each. Add applesauce mixture and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; using rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined and even moistened.
Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula. Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture evenly over batter. Bake until wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Run knife along cake edges without parchment to release. Remove cake pan by lifting parchment overhand and transfer to cutting board. Cut cake and serve.
Pumpkin Muffins
I made these for a recent camping trip Charlie and I took together. However, by the time we got to the campsite there were only a few left! :) Stay tuned for more pumpkin recipes. I've got a couple more muffin recipes with pumpkin too. We'll figure out our favorite!
Pumpkin Muffins
Source: Pioneer Woman
1 C All-purpose Flour
½ C Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Salt
4 T Butter - Cut Into Pieces
1 C (heaping) Pumpkin Puree
½ C Evaporated Milk
1 Egg
1-½ tsp Vanilla
½ C Golden Raisins (optional)
½ C Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Salt
4 T Butter - Cut Into Pieces
1 C (heaping) Pumpkin Puree
½ C Evaporated Milk
1 Egg
1-½ tsp Vanilla
½ C Golden Raisins (optional)
Topping
2 T Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined.
Pour into a greased muffin pan. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar-nutmeg mixture over the top of each unbaked muffin.
Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.
Mac and Cheese
I've been looking and looking for the perfect mac and cheese recipe. I love mac and cheese. The creamier, the better! I made a Real Simple recipe a few weeks ago and wasn't impressed. So the search continued. So on to the story of this mac and cheese.
We were invited to hang out with some friends last weekend. The plan was to bring dessert. Charlie requested this gem. YUM! Then...he volunteered me to make mac and cheese as well! Oh no! I was almost in tears. I hadn't found a recipe I liked yet. Then I remembered Krystal. I've mentioned Krystal before. Shoot, she's probably the one who even reads this blog! Krystal is my sister. And this is her mac and cheese recipe. So yummy!
When I asked for the recipe, she said it wasn't really a recipe. And that is what I love about it! It's one of those things that's so easy you can remember it off the top of your head. There are only a few ingredients and it's super easy to make!
Krystal says to use the block cheese and shred it. She swears it makes a difference....So listen to her! I hardly shred my own cheese anymore. I remember this was my job when I was a kid...pre-bagged shredded cheese days. Of course, I ate half of it before I finished! It really does taste more yummy than the bagged stuff.
Mac and Cheese
Source: Krystal Kerns
16 oz. elbow macaroni
1 large block of cheddar, shredded (the largest block you can find!)
1/2 stick of butter
Fresh ground paper
Cook the macaroni and drain. Shred the cheese. Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish. Pour half the noodles in the dish. Spread half the cheese on top. Layer with the rest of the noodles. Top with the rest of the cheese. Place pats of butter around the top of the cheese. I used 8. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, but not too much! Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
We were invited to hang out with some friends last weekend. The plan was to bring dessert. Charlie requested this gem. YUM! Then...he volunteered me to make mac and cheese as well! Oh no! I was almost in tears. I hadn't found a recipe I liked yet. Then I remembered Krystal. I've mentioned Krystal before. Shoot, she's probably the one who even reads this blog! Krystal is my sister. And this is her mac and cheese recipe. So yummy!
When I asked for the recipe, she said it wasn't really a recipe. And that is what I love about it! It's one of those things that's so easy you can remember it off the top of your head. There are only a few ingredients and it's super easy to make!
Krystal says to use the block cheese and shred it. She swears it makes a difference....So listen to her! I hardly shred my own cheese anymore. I remember this was my job when I was a kid...pre-bagged shredded cheese days. Of course, I ate half of it before I finished! It really does taste more yummy than the bagged stuff.
Mac and Cheese
Source: Krystal Kerns
16 oz. elbow macaroni
1 large block of cheddar, shredded (the largest block you can find!)
1/2 stick of butter
Fresh ground paper
Cook the macaroni and drain. Shred the cheese. Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish. Pour half the noodles in the dish. Spread half the cheese on top. Layer with the rest of the noodles. Top with the rest of the cheese. Place pats of butter around the top of the cheese. I used 8. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, but not too much! Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
Baked Ravioli
I have been miserable for days now! Having your wisdom teeth out is no picnic! I finally got some pain relief this afternoon from the Dr. and was feeling up to cooking (and eating). It's nice to eat something besides a bowl of soup and a milkshake! Forget Halloween candy. That was a temptation I couldn't even imagine chewing!
Baked Ravioli
Source: Everyday Food
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 6)
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or oregano
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 lb. Ravioli (I was just shy of 2 lbs)
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella
1/2 C grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 425. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling water. Cook until the ravioli floats to the top, then drain.
Mix the sauce and ravioli together and pour into a large baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve!
Baked Ravioli
Source: Everyday Food
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 6)
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or oregano
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 lb. Ravioli (I was just shy of 2 lbs)
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella
1/2 C grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 425. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling water. Cook until the ravioli floats to the top, then drain.
Mix the sauce and ravioli together and pour into a large baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve!
Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce
I printed off this recipe in July and just got around to making it. Charlie was not a fan of this, which is sad because I LOVED this!!! The only thing I would do differently is pouring the sauce over the apples. The chicken was amazing and I think I would have loved the apples just as much if they weren't covered in the Honey Mustard Sauce. Don't let Charlie's opinion of this dish hinder you from making it. And if you do...invite me over!
Just a thought, a bet this would make really good pork chops! Maybe I'll try again...
Sorry there's no picture. I started a new job last week and taking a picture didn't even register! Charlie's out of town this week, so I won't be cooking. Then I have my wisdom teeth out. This will probably be the last post until sometime in November. I have a ton of pumpkin recipes up my sleeve...stay tuned!
Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce
Source: Simply Recipes
1/2 C apple cider
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
Salt and pepper
1 T honey
1 T mustard
2 T seasoned dry breadcrumbs
4 chicken breasts
1 T olive oil
2 small unpeeled apples, cored and sliced
1/2 C chicken broth
Whisk cider, cornstarch, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Lightly coat chicken in breadcrumbs.
In a large skillet, heat oil and add the chicken. Cook over medium heat until golden brown on one side. Turn chicken and add the apple slices. Brown the other side of the chicken.
Add chicken broth, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.
With slotted spoon, remove chicken and apples. Whisk cider mixture and then add to skillet. Cover over high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Spoon over chicken (and maybe apples). YUM!
Just a thought, a bet this would make really good pork chops! Maybe I'll try again...
Sorry there's no picture. I started a new job last week and taking a picture didn't even register! Charlie's out of town this week, so I won't be cooking. Then I have my wisdom teeth out. This will probably be the last post until sometime in November. I have a ton of pumpkin recipes up my sleeve...stay tuned!
Chicken and Apples in Honey Mustard Sauce
Source: Simply Recipes
1/2 C apple cider
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
Salt and pepper
1 T honey
1 T mustard
2 T seasoned dry breadcrumbs
4 chicken breasts
1 T olive oil
2 small unpeeled apples, cored and sliced
1/2 C chicken broth
Whisk cider, cornstarch, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside. Lightly coat chicken in breadcrumbs.
In a large skillet, heat oil and add the chicken. Cook over medium heat until golden brown on one side. Turn chicken and add the apple slices. Brown the other side of the chicken.
Add chicken broth, cover and simmer about 15 minutes.
With slotted spoon, remove chicken and apples. Whisk cider mixture and then add to skillet. Cover over high heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Spoon over chicken (and maybe apples). YUM!
Almond Swirls
My friend Shelley introduced me to these. If you've ever been to any event catered by Shelley you've had the privilege of tasting these scrumptious treats! They are one of her signature dishes! Shelley made these for my bridal shower. Whenever I have one I almost forget how yummy they are and then I can't stop eating them! The recipe comes from Paula Deen, but we've altered it a bit. Shelley says to use more cream cheese than Paula says. And when Shelley says to do something you do it! I miss Shelley and the smell of almond will always make me think of her!
This recipe makes a ton. Mine turned out smaller than they normally do. This is dangerous because I think they're mini so I can eat more. I also doubled the glaze recipe. I've never done that before, but felt it was necessary. When you refrigerate the rolls, stick the knife you're using to cut them in the fridge too. It helps to use a cold knife.
Shelley, please chime in with any other helpful hints or anything I missed.
Almond Swirls
Source: Shelley Heinrichs and Paula Deen
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Fold half of the chopped almonds into the cream cheese mixture. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling.
Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 while the rolls are chilling.
Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 (or 6, whatever you feel like) slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped almonds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.
While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Fold half of the chopped almonds into the cream cheese mixture. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling.
Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 while the rolls are chilling.
Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 (or 6, whatever you feel like) slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped almonds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.
While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.
Amish Puff Cookies
I saw these cookies on a blog I didn't follow. Then a few weeks later I remembered them, but didn't know where I had seen them. After a lot of searching I found them! And I'm so glad I did! This recipe can be made with or without the chocolate chips. I made it with them...yummy! The cookbook this comes from says to not roll them in the cinnamon and sugar if you use the chocolate chips. I did and they were yummy! Although, I may use less cinnamon next time. I would also like to try these with the chocolate chips and without the cinnamon and sugar...AND no chocolate chips with the cinnamon and sugar. So much baking to do!
This recipe only made 24 cookies. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. GOOD: less calories available to consume. BAD: They'll be gone too quick! :)
Amish Puff Cookies
Source: Erin Cooks
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
optional:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I used 3 tsp, which is 1 T)
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Set aside.
With a mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add egg. Gradually add in the flour mixture. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Add in chocolate chips, if using. Mix together cinnamon and sugar. Roll balls of cookie dough, about 1 T of batter each. Roll in cinnamon and sugar. Bake on lined (parchment paper) cookie sheet. Spread apart because they puff and spread! Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Ground Beef Stroganoff
My favorite box of Hamburger Helper is the Stroganoff. I love it! So when I saw this recipe I had to try it. It was different from the taste of HH, but in a good way! We loved it! I didn't measure out my sour cream and just guessed. You could definitely taste the sour cream. I may have put too much in...but it was still yummy! This is a quick meal too. I made this in under 30 minutes.
I left out the mushrooms. Charlie likes them, but my mom is allergic. I never ate them, so I'm not a big fan.
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Source: Cooking During Stolen Moments
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, diced (I skipped this)
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 T. flour
1 1/2 C beef stock
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 C sour cream
1/2 lb. egg noodles, cooked and drained
In a large skillet, add ground beef, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook until ground beef is completely browned. Add salt and pepper and Italian seasoning. Do not drain meat.
Stir in flour and cook for 3 minutes. Slowly add beef stock and red wine vinegar. Stir, bring to boil, and simmer until thickened.
Stir in sour cream. Add noodles and mix together.
New feature...
Okay, I'm sure you're just here for the recipes...but I've been learning a lot lately about HTML...which is basically how to make stuff work and appear on a web page. To the right, scroll down to the second picture, there's a picture of me and Charlie. If you click on it you will get linked to my personal blog. Isn't that awesome!?
But wait...look up at the address bar. To the far left is a little picture of a pig. And look up to the tab where the web page name is...same picture! Isn't that cool!
All thanks to this site...Oikology 101!
But wait...look up at the address bar. To the far left is a little picture of a pig. And look up to the tab where the web page name is...same picture! Isn't that cool!
All thanks to this site...Oikology 101!
Baked Aloha Chicken
When I was on my desperate search for healthy recipes a few weeks ago, my friend Julie came to the rescue and sent this recipe. I just got around to making it. Julie met her husband around the same time Charlie and I met and got married the day after us. Her and her husband are much healthier than Charlie and I. They do things like marathons together. Shh...don't tell Charlie...he might get some crazy idea in his head! :)
I made a similar recipe to this one in the crock pot and it was horrible! We barely touched our dinner and then threw it away it was so bad! So I was a little afraid to try this one, but it was very tasty! Also, I didn't have an oven proof skillet. So I transferred the chicken to a baking dish and it worked just fine.
Baked Aloha Chicken
Source: Julie Morgan and 1,000 Gluten Free Recipes
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
salt and pepper
2 T olive oil
8 oz. crushed pineapple
1/2 C dry white wine
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon or 1/4 tsp. dried
Preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. In a 10" ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, about 10 minutes.
In a small bowl mix together the remaining ingredients. Pour oven the chicken. Cover and bake for 45 minute. Uncover and turn chicken. Bake for another 10 minutes.
Thanks Julie!
Baked Potato Soup
Today was cold and rainy and I loved every minute of it! This recipe was perfect for today! It made a ton though. So what we didn't eat or pull for lunch tomorrow, I froze for another cold, icky day! Perfect with winter around the corner!
The original recipe called for 3 cans of chicken broth with roasted garlic. I couldn't find this anywhere! So I used regular chicken broth and added fresh garlic. If you find it, let me know!
Baked Potato Soup
Source: Southern Living
6 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 large onion, chopped
42 oz. chicken broth
1/2 C butter
6 garlic cloves
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 C whipping cream or half and half
1 C shredded Cheddar
3 T fresh chopped Chives
Sour Cream (optional)
4 slices bacon, crumbled and cooked
Combine potatoes, onion, garlic, broth, butter, salt, and pepper in a crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Mash potatoes until sauce is slightly thickened. Stir in cream, cheese, and chives. Top with sour cream and sprinkle with bacon and cheese.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
This is my friend Allison's recipe. I had this at her house one Halloween night a few years ago. Allison is a wonderful friend and so hilarious. I spent many days and nights crying at her house and eating her food! Where would I be without her? It's amazing she even still talks to me. :)
Last year my Christmas present to Charlie was food. I've told you before how before me he lived off of canned veggies and rice. So, what's more perfect than a home-cooked meal for a present! I made a bunch of different dishes and then froze them all. All he had to do was defrost and heat them up! He loved them. This is one of the dishes I made. It's so easy and cheap to make. Warning though...it is NOT healthy! Between the sodium in the crackers and cream of chicken soup you could probably get your fill for the week. I've heard a lot about people hating recipes with cream of anything soups. They're just so yummy and quick! I'll have to do some more research on the topic.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Source: Allison Kyff
16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tsp. poppy seeds
2 1/2 C chicken, cooked
1 sleeve of Saltine crackers
1/2 C butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. Cook the chicken and then shred. (I boiled mine and put in the food processor.) Mix together the chicken, sour cream, soup, and poppy seeds. Pour into a baking dish. (I used a square one, but this would definitely fit in a 9x13.) Combine the crackers and butter. Spread over the top of the chicken mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Last year my Christmas present to Charlie was food. I've told you before how before me he lived off of canned veggies and rice. So, what's more perfect than a home-cooked meal for a present! I made a bunch of different dishes and then froze them all. All he had to do was defrost and heat them up! He loved them. This is one of the dishes I made. It's so easy and cheap to make. Warning though...it is NOT healthy! Between the sodium in the crackers and cream of chicken soup you could probably get your fill for the week. I've heard a lot about people hating recipes with cream of anything soups. They're just so yummy and quick! I'll have to do some more research on the topic.
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
Source: Allison Kyff
16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tsp. poppy seeds
2 1/2 C chicken, cooked
1 sleeve of Saltine crackers
1/2 C butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. Cook the chicken and then shred. (I boiled mine and put in the food processor.) Mix together the chicken, sour cream, soup, and poppy seeds. Pour into a baking dish. (I used a square one, but this would definitely fit in a 9x13.) Combine the crackers and butter. Spread over the top of the chicken mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Makeover!
So the blog has a complete make-over! The background and header are completely customized and made from scratch using some really cute scrapbook paper purchased from the craft store! Many thanks to my mom, Allie Brown, and Kevin and Amanda! What do you think?
Bear with me
I'm working on the blog. My mom and I worked really hard last night on this awesome, custom background and header. Isn't it adorable!? The best part is no one else has it! I'm having technical difficulties getting the background to stretch. So stay tuned! In the mean time, I'm keeping the new background up. You can still see enough :)
Chocolate Chip Blondies
It's been awhile since I posted a dessert. Okay, a week, but still. I love baking. Baking helps me in so many ways! It's just a great stress reliever. It helps get my mind straight and calm. I was going to make these last night and didn't. They were perfect for today. I was bored and needed something to do!
Chocolate Chip Blondies
Source: Taste and Tell
1 stick butter, melted
1/3 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C flour
1 tsp. salt
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
(WOW! I just remembered all that without looking at my recipe. Awesome!)
Whisk together the melted butter and sugars. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour and salt, but don't over mix! Add half the chocolate chips. Pour into an 8" square pan that is lined with tinfoil and sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy!
Beef Taco Bake
I made this awhile back and was surprised that I didn't already have it on the blog! We've made it both ways, with flour and corn tortillas. The first time was with flour. We thought it needed more crunch. Although, it was so long in between the two times I've made it, it's too hard to compare! So you tell me which you like better!
Beef Taco Bake
Source: Real Mom Kitchen
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (10 oz) Tomato Soup
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 C salsa
1/2 C milk
6 flour tortillas or 8 corn, cut into 1" strips
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
Cook the meat until browned and drain the fat. Add the soup, seasoning, salsa, milk, tortillas, and half the cheese. Spoon into a baking dish. Cover.
Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove cover, top with remaining cheese. Cook for about 5 more minutes.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
I've been told that I start almost every post with how delicious I think the recipe is. So from now on, just assume that if it makes it to the blog we love it! I won't post anything we wouldn't eat again! :)
This was the first meal I made that was Chinese when we got married. Charlie had a bad day today at work. So, it's a perfect date night meal! We're having this with a Redbox movie and some cuddles on the couch. Surely, that will cheer him up!
This is an easy meal, but takes some time to cook. So don't plan on throwing this together really quickly when you get home.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Source: My Kitchen Cafe
Chicken
3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
Salt and pepper
1 C cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 oil
Cut the chicken into either cubes or strips. Season with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in cornstarch and then the egg. Fry until brown, but not cooked quite all the way through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix the sauce and pour oven the chicken.
Sauce
3/4 C sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 C vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt
Bake for 1 hour at 325°. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you want more sauce (we always do) make another batch and boil on the stove for about 7 minutes. It should thicken and reduce. Serve with rice. YUMMY!
This was the first meal I made that was Chinese when we got married. Charlie had a bad day today at work. So, it's a perfect date night meal! We're having this with a Redbox movie and some cuddles on the couch. Surely, that will cheer him up!
This is an easy meal, but takes some time to cook. So don't plan on throwing this together really quickly when you get home.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Source: My Kitchen Cafe
Chicken
3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
Salt and pepper
1 C cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 oil
Cut the chicken into either cubes or strips. Season with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in cornstarch and then the egg. Fry until brown, but not cooked quite all the way through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix the sauce and pour oven the chicken.
Sauce
3/4 C sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 C vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt
Bake for 1 hour at 325°. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you want more sauce (we always do) make another batch and boil on the stove for about 7 minutes. It should thicken and reduce. Serve with rice. YUMMY!
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Yum, yum, yum! I came across this recipe on Annie's Eats. I was debating whether to make this pound cake recipe or my MawMaw's. I went with this one because it has the butter. Butter makes everything better. My grandma's calls for shortening. I felt this was a truer pound cake. Turns out this is the same recipe my mom used for her wedding cake. Get this...she made her own! My mom, with some help from her sisters and a friend, made her own wedding cake... from scratch, without a Kitchenaid mixer. I know a lot of people make their own, but hers was gorgeous! I wish I could find a picture to post for you. It looked so professional. When we got married the thought of making my own cake made me cry. So $350 later I had a beautiful and delicious cake and some time on my hand. Maybe we should have tried it.
Okay, so do you know the history of the pound cake? It's not called a pound cake because you gain a few pounds. Although, you probably will! It's because a traditional pound cake called for a pound of butter, sugar, and flour. Also, most cakes call for some sort of leavener...like baking soda. Pound cake does not. Pound cake gets it's rise from all the air in the batter. So get ready to beat!
I made one loaf and 24 mini bundt cakes with extra batter left over!
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Source: my mom and Annie's Eats
1 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temp.
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
3 C sugar
6 large eggs, room temp.
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour your pan. Combine the butter and cream cheese together with a mixer on medium speed. Add the sugar, cream together on high for at least 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl when needed. Mix in vanilla and almond. Add in the flour and salt and mix together.
Pour the batter evenly into the pan. Smooth out the top of the batter. Bake until golden brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Cooking times...
Bundt cake: 75 minutes
Mini Bundt cakes: 18 minutes
Loaf Cake: 60 minutes
For the sauce...
This was so easy and so yummy! I bet it would be even better in the peak of strawberry season. I had to look up what coulis even meant. According to Wikipedia, it's a fruit or vegetable made into a sauce by pureeing and straining. I don't have a fine sieve, so I skipped that step. It was still delicious!
Strawberry Coulis
2 C strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 C water
3 T sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Puree until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the strawberry seeds. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.
Asian Beef and Noodles
This is another Weight Watcher's one. We really liked it! According to the source I got this from you could use chicken or shrimp with ramen noodles in those flavors. The beef was really good though. I didn't have sesame oil, so I used olive. Because of this, I also used both seasoning packets for the flavor. I'm sure all of this altered the points a bit. We like our stir fried dinners and I usually buy steak and cut it up. While shopping at Food Lion this week I found that they sell chopped up bits of steak, with very little to no fat, that are perfect for this kind of dinner. Don't confuse these with beef tips which are much bigger bites. And they are very cheap! This was a very inexpensive meal. If you're making it for more than 2 people I would definitely double it. I'm thinking of making 1/2 more next time so we can have leftovers for Charlie's lunch.
Asian Beef and Noodles
Source: Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes
8 oz lean steak, chopped
2 tsp dark sesame oil (or olive)
1 C green onion, sliced
2 C packaged cabbage coleslaw mix with carrots
2 packages of Beef Ramen Noodles
1 1/2 C water
1 T low sodium soy sauce
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak and green onions. Cook until steak is browned and appears to be done. Remove from skillet and keep in a warm oven. Heat remaining tsp of oil in same skillet. Add slaw. Stir fry for about 1 minute. Add to the meat in the oven. Add water to skillet with 1 (I used 2) seasoning packet. Bring to a boil. Break noodles in half and add to water. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the noodles are ready. Stir in the steak and coleslaw mixture. Mix together. Serve!
Makes 2-10 WW point servings
Cheese Stuffed Sliders
These were yummy and not at all disappointing. They were part of the healthy recipes I collected. Here's a warning though...they aren't exactly healthy! This is a Weight Watcher's recipe. These are considered "healthy" if you're counting your WW points and these are within your point limit. I mean everything can be eaten on WW. The trick is using your points wisely. I don't know that this recipe is following that model. Maybe if you've been really good all week and you save up your flex points. Also, you have to use the healthy ingredients or the points won't be right. I didn't do that. I also didn't get the amount of burgers out of my recipe that it said I should. So I'm sure mine had more points in them.
Cheese Stuffed Sliders
Source: Weight Watchers Magazine
1 lb lean ground beef (95%)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C shredded low fat cheddar
1 onion chopped (I skipped this)
8 2" potato rolls
garlic powder (my own addition)
Mix all ingredients together. Make into 16 very small patties. Put a little cheese in the center of 8 patties. Top with the additional patties.
Spray a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Cook 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat. Cover. Turn 1 minute on each side.
7 pts for 2 sliders.
Cheese Stuffed Sliders
Source: Weight Watchers Magazine
1 lb lean ground beef (95%)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C shredded low fat cheddar
1 onion chopped (I skipped this)
8 2" potato rolls
garlic powder (my own addition)
Mix all ingredients together. Make into 16 very small patties. Put a little cheese in the center of 8 patties. Top with the additional patties.
Spray a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Cook 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat. Cover. Turn 1 minute on each side.
7 pts for 2 sliders.
Chicken Pot Pie
Healthy recipe number two. We had a lot of leftovers from the pork loin and then went out another night. I really haven't had to cook much this week. So here is my second chance at cooking healthy. I wouldn't say this is super healthy because of all the milk and the crust, but I would say it's healthiER than your average pot pie recipe. Definitely better for you than Marie Calendar's!
This was tasty, although my favorite part was the crust (not from scratch). Charlie thought it was a little bland, so maybe next time I'll add more spice. I don't know. You can substitute the apple juice for a dry white wine. Funny how we didn't have wine, but did have apple juice. You'd think we have kids, but we don't. I got this recipe at the library last weekend from a magazine. I don't remember which one though...sorry!
Oh! and if you remember from the dill pork tenderloin I used too much dill because it was supposed to be fresh. This is the ratio for fresh to dried...3:1...so in this recipe I used 1 tsp. dried thyme instead of 1 T fresh.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 lb chicken breast
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, diced (I used half a small bag of baby carrots)
3 T flour
1/2 C apple juice
2 C milk
10 oz frozen peas
1 T fresh Thyme
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
9 in pie crust (the frozen kind you unroll)
Heat oven to 400°. Cook chicken in a pot of simmering water 10-12 minutes until cooked through (165°). Shred.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a saucepan on high heat. Add onions and carrots. Cook for about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to a low med-high (a 6 on my stove). Sprinkle with flour, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add apple juice and cook for 5 minutes. Add milk and cook for just a couple minutes. Stir in chicken peas, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Transfer to pie dish. Cover with crust and seal edges. Cut vents in crust. Bake for 35 minutes on a baking sheet.
Apple Butter Pork Loin
Charlie's back on his we need to eat healthy thing. This is hard for me! I spent forever last week looking for healthy recipes that I thought sounded good and only came up with a few! I'm not sure that this recipe is actually healthy. The site claimed it was, but who knows. Either way it was yummy! We bought a huge jar of apple butter on our Honeymoon at the Mast General Store. If you ever go to Boone you should go to Mast. It really is a cool store! Our apartment smelled delicious between the apple and cinnamon. I'm so ready for fall!
Apple Butter Pork Loin
Source: All Recipes
1 Pork Loin (mine was 3 lbs)
seasoning salt
2 C apple juice
1/2 C apple butter
1/4 C brown sugar
2 T water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Preheat oven to 350°. Season the pork loin with seasoning salt. Place in a 9x13 baking dish or small roasting pan. Pour apple juice over the pork and cover.
Bake for 1 hour. While the pork is roasting, mix together the apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves. After one hour, remove from oven and spread the mixture over the top.
Continue to bake until pork is done (165°). You need to cook 1/2 hour per pound of meat.
Roasted Orange and Thyme Chicken Thighs
The first time I make a meal from a recipe I stick to exactly what the recipe says. Unless of course we're talking about garlic and then I go crazy. So I made this yummy meal for family last night. Charlie wondered why we were having chicken thighs. I never buy thighs, it's usually breasts, but that's what the recipe said so that's what I did! You could make this with any kind of chicken you want. Although, I will say our thighs were very juicy and just fell apart. I miss having skin on my chicken too. Some people think it's gross, but it's so yummy...and yes, I know so bad for you.
This did not have a strong orange flavor like I expected. I didn't use any extra sauce on my plate, but everyone at the table who did said you could taste the orange in the extra sauce.
Roasted Orange and Thyme Chicken
10 chicken thighs
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 T olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
3 C orange juice
2 tsp thyme, dried
1/4 C maple syrup
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375°. Place chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat 3 T of olive oil in a small sauce pan and saute onions. Once onions are sauteed, cook chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add OJ and thyme to the onions and bring to boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, until reduce to about 1/2 cup. Stir occasionally. Add syrup, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
After chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, brush with generous amount of sauce. Return to oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.
This did not have a strong orange flavor like I expected. I didn't use any extra sauce on my plate, but everyone at the table who did said you could taste the orange in the extra sauce.
Roasted Orange and Thyme Chicken
10 chicken thighs
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 T olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
3 C orange juice
2 tsp thyme, dried
1/4 C maple syrup
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 375°. Place chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat 3 T of olive oil in a small sauce pan and saute onions. Once onions are sauteed, cook chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, add OJ and thyme to the onions and bring to boil. Cook for about 20 minutes, until reduce to about 1/2 cup. Stir occasionally. Add syrup, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
After chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, brush with generous amount of sauce. Return to oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.
Chocolate Covered Oreo Cupcakes
This was supposed to be a 2 layer round cake. Believe it or not, I don't own a round cake pan! Crazy, I know! It was one of things that we got rid of when we moved in together. We both owned at least one and then I donated them. I don't remember what my thought process was on this, but either way, I have none. So instead of spending the money on new pans, I adapted this into cupcakes.
I have to admit, I cheated on these as well! Some of you will love this because you aren't big bakers like me. I LOVE to bake and will steer clear of a box mix most of the time. Sometimes though I will take the shortcut! So, I used a box this time. So for the cake part, use a box, or your own yummy recipe. :)
Chocolate Covered Oreo Cupcakes
1 pkg. Devil's Food Cake Mix
4 squares Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/4 C butter, cut up
1 pkg. (8 oz) Cream Cheese
1/2 C sugar
8 oz. whipped cream, thawed
12 Oreos, crushed
Bake cake mix according to box directions. Fill the cupcake pan almost full! You want tall, big cupcakes. I got 18 cupcakes out of my mix. Let cool. Slice the tops off the cupcakes to make 2 layers.
Microwave chocolate and butter in small bowl on High 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted. Cool for 5 minutes.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in whipped cream and cookie crumbs. Spread a generous amount of cream cheese mixture in between each cupcake layer. Spoon chocolate glaze over top of each cupcake. Let stand until set.
Store in the refrigerator. These are good cold!
Linguine in a Tomato Cream Sauce
This is another restaurant quality meal! Except this one's a little quicker and easier to make than the garlic chicken farfalle. I've made this twice. Once with chicken and once without. And once with fettuccine and another time with linguine. I think we prefer the linguine. I am indifferent about the chicken. I think it gets lost in the meal. Maybe grilled chicken would be better. If you're making this for a crowd I would add the chicken for a little more bulk to fill everyone up with! To make it without the sauteed chicken just half the butter and olive oil in the beginning.
Linguine in a Tomato Cream Sauce
1/4 C butter
1/4 C olive oil
2-3 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into cubes
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 C whipping cream
1 packet Alfredo sauce mix
15 oz can Italian tomatoes, pureed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T dried basil
2 T Italian seasoning
1 lb linguine
1/2 C grated Parmesan
*Start water for noodles when you begin making the sauce.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, and garlic. Saute until chicken is lightly browned.
Stir in Alfredo packet, whipping cream, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Stir in Italian seasoning and basil. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, toss pasta and sauce together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Parmesan Bow-Tie Skillet
Quick, super easy, and yummy!
Parmesan Bow-Tie Skillet
Source: Food and Family, Holiday 06
6 oz. Farfalle, cooked and drained
1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 grated Parmesan
Combine pasta, spaghetti sauce, ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, and 2 T Parmesan in a skillet. Cook on medium heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Serve!
Lemon Squares
Okay, so three dessert posts in one day. I know what you're thinking...but I promise we didn't eat these all ourselves! I baked them all for a party we went to! So, happy birthday Andy...sorry Charlie ruined the surprise :)
Lemon Squares
Source: Food and Family, Spring 07
20 vanilla wafers, crushed
1/2 C flour + 2 T
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C cold butter
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1 T grated lemon peel
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8" square baking pan with foil. Combine wafer crumbs, 1/2 C flour, and brown sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes.
While baking, beat cream cheese, and sugar with mixer on medium speed. Add eggs and 2 T flour. Mix well. Blend in lemon peel, lemon juice, and baking powder. Pour over baked crust.
Bake 25-28 minutes. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into squares.
Black Forest Mousse
I got a trifle bowl as a wedding present. It is beautiful! I know some of you are thinking, how can a glass bowl be beautiful...but it is! So thank you Shelley for knowing how important some things are...like owning a trifle bowl. :) I love the way dessert looks layered in this bowl, or any trifle bowl for that matter. This is beautiful and oh so yummy. And VERY EASY! :) Some of my friends have complained that my recipes are too in depth to make. They just don't have the time or energy. That's fair, I mean most of you have kids or a job, or both! I doubled the original recipe for this to make it look pretty in my bowl. I wouldn't want to make an ugly trifle! So I'm going to post the doubled recipe. Just note that you can half it if needed. Although, it's so yummy, you will want to make a double recipe!
*I used Double Stuffed Oreos. We never buy cookies, so if I was to have extras I wanted the good stuff. This made it a little hard to crush because of all the filling. If you don't mind the regular ones (is that a sin?) then you should probably use those. Also, if you half the recipe you will need 16 Oreos. I know, 16 is not half of 26, but trust me.
Black Forest Mousse
Source: Food and Family, Winter 06
2 pkg (4 servings each) Chocolate Pudding mix
3 C cold milk
2 tubs (8 oz each) whipped topping, thawed
26 Oreos, crushed, divided
2 cans Cherry Pie filling
Mix pudding mix with milk. Stir using wire whisk. Add 2 cups of whipped topping. Add 20 crushed Oreos to pudding mix.
Layer half the pudding on the bottom of the trifle bowl. Spread half the remaining whipped topping. Top with one can of cherry filling. Repeat with the remaining pudding, whipped topping, and pie filling. Sprinkle the remaining 6 cookie crumbs on top.
YUM!
Hillary Rodham Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Okay, let me start this by saying if you're not a Hillary fan you should still eat these cookies! I by no means am a fan of Hillary or her husband, but hey I know a good cookie when I eat one! :) Besides, I highly doubt she actually makes these herself or came up with the recipe. I remember when I was younger, my step mom, Cindy, made Barbara Bush cookies. I think every President and his wife comes out with a cookie recipe. If I remember correctly, George W. Bush had cowboy cookies. Anyway, these were yummy, so don't turn away because of political views. I don't think eating these cookies makes you a Liberal :)
I want to say two things about baking cookies:
1. Use a cookie scoop. I didn't always have one of these. They make your cookies perfectly round and the same size. They also make it go quicker in getting them onto the pan and into the oven.
2. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. I don't bake cookies without this stuff! They keep the cookies from sticking and burning! The bottoms are perfect!
Hillary Rodham Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: White House Cookbook
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C rolled oats
12 oz (about 2 C) semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Beat shortening on medium speed. Add sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate.
Drop by rounded teaspoons on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Makes 4-5 dozen. (I got 4)
I want to say two things about baking cookies:
1. Use a cookie scoop. I didn't always have one of these. They make your cookies perfectly round and the same size. They also make it go quicker in getting them onto the pan and into the oven.
2. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. I don't bake cookies without this stuff! They keep the cookies from sticking and burning! The bottoms are perfect!
Hillary Rodham Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: White House Cookbook
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C rolled oats
12 oz (about 2 C) semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Beat shortening on medium speed. Add sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate.
Drop by rounded teaspoons on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Makes 4-5 dozen. (I got 4)
Strawberry Shortbread
I love shortbread. It's one of my favorite cookies! I have also been loving the taste of strawberries lately. These cookies looked so pretty and they were very tasty. They are rich though and one cookie is enough. Make sure you have someone to share them with. We sent some to my brother's family. Also, I would use a small cookie cutter.
Strawberry Shortbread
Source: Christmas Cookies 2007
Cookies
2 T strawberry preserves
1 C butter, softened
1 tsp almond extract
2 2/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Glaze
1 T strawberry preserves
2 C powdered sugar
1 T milk
Beat butter, strawberry preserves, and almond extract in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Roll into a log on plastic wrap. Wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours, until firm.
Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter mixture breaking of pieces. Use a pastry blender to mix. Knead dough until mixed together and smooth.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half on floured surface and cut with cookie cutter.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 12-16 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Microwave strawberry preserve for glaze at 50% power for 30 seconds, until melted. Stir in powdered sugar and milk with wire whisk. Stir in 1 T of milk at a time (if needed) for glaze to be spreading consistency. (1 T was enough for me)
Spread glaze over each cookie and store at room temperature for 3 days or 3 months in the freezer.
Strawberry Shortbread
Source: Christmas Cookies 2007
Cookies
2 T strawberry preserves
1 C butter, softened
1 tsp almond extract
2 2/3 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Glaze
1 T strawberry preserves
2 C powdered sugar
1 T milk
Beat butter, strawberry preserves, and almond extract in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Roll into a log on plastic wrap. Wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours, until firm.
Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter mixture breaking of pieces. Use a pastry blender to mix. Knead dough until mixed together and smooth.
Divide dough in half. Roll each half on floured surface and cut with cookie cutter.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 12-16 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Microwave strawberry preserve for glaze at 50% power for 30 seconds, until melted. Stir in powdered sugar and milk with wire whisk. Stir in 1 T of milk at a time (if needed) for glaze to be spreading consistency. (1 T was enough for me)
Spread glaze over each cookie and store at room temperature for 3 days or 3 months in the freezer.
Chicken and Dumplings
It's been chilly here today and I love it! Fall is my favorite season. I love the smell of the crisp air and putting on comfortable jeans. Fall is also my favorite because it reminds me of falling in love. In just 2 weeks Charlie and I will have been together a year. Crazy considering we're already married :)
This meal cooks in the crockpot and makes the house smell so yummy!
Chicken and Dumplings
4 chicken breast, boneless, skinless
2 T butter
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 tube of Grands biscuits, cut into eighths
Place chicken, butter, soup, onion, celery, and carrots in the crockpot. Add 3 cups of water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. One hour before serving top with biscuits. Cook for one more hour. Enjoy!
This meal cooks in the crockpot and makes the house smell so yummy!Chicken and Dumplings
4 chicken breast, boneless, skinless
2 T butter
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 tube of Grands biscuits, cut into eighths
Place chicken, butter, soup, onion, celery, and carrots in the crockpot. Add 3 cups of water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. One hour before serving top with biscuits. Cook for one more hour. Enjoy!
Pizza Casserole
I didn't feel well last night and thank goodness this was on the menu! I refused to let my body get the best of me and was adamant about cooking dinner. This was so easy and yummy. There's no pic though because I didn't feel well enough to worry about it. So just trust me on this one! Mine also ended up very garlicky because I dumped half a jar of garlic salt in it while cooking. I scooped as much as I could out. Although, I loved it...you know me, the more garlic, the better!
Pizza Casserole
adapted from Family Circle
2 cups egg noodles
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook noodles, drain, set aside. While noodles are cooking, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium-high heat in the oil. Drain the fat off the meat. Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, garlic salt, soup, 1/3 cup water, and noodles. Heat the mixture.
Take off heat and add half the cheese. Pour into a Pyrex dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Pizza Casserole
adapted from Family Circle
2 cups egg noodles
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook noodles, drain, set aside. While noodles are cooking, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium-high heat in the oil. Drain the fat off the meat. Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, garlic salt, soup, 1/3 cup water, and noodles. Heat the mixture.
Take off heat and add half the cheese. Pour into a Pyrex dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Lemonade Pie
This is easy and yummy, but only if you like the sour taste of lemonade!
Lemonade Pie
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
8 oz whip cream
1 graham cracker crust
Mix the first three ingredients and pour into crust. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Thaw for about an hour before serving.
Lemonade Pie1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
8 oz whip cream
1 graham cracker crust
Mix the first three ingredients and pour into crust. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Thaw for about an hour before serving.
Pepper Steak
This is an old recipe I'm pulling out. Actually, by old I mean it's not the first time I've made it. We love this one for many reasons. One, it's so yummy! Two, it's weight watchers. Three, we get to use the wok. And four, it's cheaper than take-out and just as yummy, if not more!
Note: If you are my or my husband's Facebook friend you know that we had a fire in our kitchen tonight! Don't walk away from your wok while heating the oil :) Also, this can be made in a skillet.
Please don't judge my horrible picture :)
Pepper Steak
Source: Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes
12 oz top round beef
4 tsp + 3 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine
3 tsp cornstarch
6 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 tsp black pepper
Slice meat into thin slices with the grain. Cut pieces to about 1" long. Place in bowl with 4 tsp of soy sauce, 1 T rice wine, 1 tsp cornstarch and black pepper.
In another bowl, mix 3 T soy sauce, 1 T water, and 2 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat the wok on high. Swirl in 1 T oil and add the beef. Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds letting the beef brown. Stir meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.
Add remaining 2 tsp oil to the wok, add peppers and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in beef. Add the sauce. Stir fry about 30 seconds until thickened.
4 servings. 5.5 ww pts. per serving.
Note: If you are my or my husband's Facebook friend you know that we had a fire in our kitchen tonight! Don't walk away from your wok while heating the oil :) Also, this can be made in a skillet.
Please don't judge my horrible picture :)Pepper Steak
Source: Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes
12 oz top round beef
4 tsp + 3 T soy sauce
1 T rice wine
3 tsp cornstarch
6 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin strips
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 tsp black pepper
Slice meat into thin slices with the grain. Cut pieces to about 1" long. Place in bowl with 4 tsp of soy sauce, 1 T rice wine, 1 tsp cornstarch and black pepper.
In another bowl, mix 3 T soy sauce, 1 T water, and 2 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat the wok on high. Swirl in 1 T oil and add the beef. Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds letting the beef brown. Stir meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.
Add remaining 2 tsp oil to the wok, add peppers and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in beef. Add the sauce. Stir fry about 30 seconds until thickened.
4 servings. 5.5 ww pts. per serving.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)