Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wanted to make soft chocolate chip cookies the other day and I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. They are cake-like but oh so good. I didn't have nuts and then I added a little more flour because the dough is super soft. I like them cooked a little longer so they are crispy around the edges and then make them bigger so they are big and soft in the middle and crispy around the edges. I also didn't flatten the dough, I just piled it on top and let the oven do the flattening.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda, stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded ice cream scoops onto a cookie sheet, and press down slightly to flatten. Cookies should be about 2 inches apart.
3.Bake for 11 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you make them into big cookies then I would rate it an 8 but with small cookies I would rate them a 5.

Lemon Blueberry Scones

I found this recipe on bakingbites.com. I didn't have real lemons, so I used lemon juice and omitted the zest. They turned out so good. I would rate them an 8.


Lemon Blueberry Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, chilled
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into 6-8 chunks and add to flour mixture, tossing to coat. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until mixture is sandy and butter is well distributed, with no pieces larger than a big pea.
Add in milk, lemon juice and lemon zest and stir until dough comes together. If dough is too wet, add an additional tablespoon of flour to the dough.
Either keeping the dough in your mixing bowl, or turning it out onto a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 1 minute. Flatten dough and add blueberries. Knead gently for 30-60 seconds to distribute them. Divide dough into two balls and press each into a disc about 3/4-inch thick. Use a knife to divide each disc into quarters and place scones on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 17-22 minutes, until scones are golden brown.

Lemon Glaze (optional)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Whisk glaze ingredients together until smooth, then drizzle over still-warm scones before serving

Beet Bread

I was going to make beet pancakes with the beet puree from the day before but realized that I had bought bread flour and not all purpose flour at the store the other day, so I wanted to try beet bread. I found this recipe while searching on line on mysisterskitchen.wordpress.com.

I boiled my beets for a while until soft and then I let them cool, pulled the skin off (it will come off really easy if soft) and then puree them together.

This recipe calls for 1 2/3 cup beet puree. Combine it with 1/2 cup warm milk.

In a kitchenaid, or bowl ( I had a bowl), combine together:

puree,
1/3 cup warm water
an egg
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon yeast
1 teaspoon pepper

let bubble together for about 20 minutes.

Add about 4 cups more flour until it turns into a big ball. I do it by feel.
Let rise for about an hour, until it doubles.
Shape into 2 round loaves and cover and let rise again, about an hour.
Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or so.
Let cool, or slice right away if you like your bread right out of the oven.

Even though the bread is pink, you cannot taste the beets. It was really tasty. I would rate this an 8.

Haunting Hot Chocolate

When planning meals for my family I was looking through my halloween cookbooks and found this hot chocolate. It sounded so good.

In a saucepan put 1/4 cup whole milk, dash of nutmeg, 3/4 cup white chocolate pieces ( I used white chocolate chips) and orange peel from a whole orange. On low heat, whisk until the chocolate is melted ( I kept it on a little longer to let the orange flavor set in a little more. Remove the orange peel and add 2 3/4 cup more milk. Heat through. Once warmed through, remove from heat, add 1 tablespoon vanilla. Pour in cups. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with more nutmeg.

This recipe made enough for only the two of us. It was so good we had it two nights in a row. It is a new family favorite.

I would rate this a 10.

Ranch Chicken Pizza

I found this recipe on "Our Family Treat" blog (on the side of our family blog). It looked so good and easy.

Take your favorite pizza dough recipe, or buy one at the store. If you have a pizza stone heat it in the oven for a few minutes and then place your dough on the heated stone. Spread ranch dressing (I used bacon ranch because that is what I had in the fridge). Top with cooked chicken (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic salt), crumbled up bacon, arugula and mozzarella cheese ( I used colby and jack mix). Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.

This was so good and I would do it again. Don't be so hesitant about the arugula. I had never used it before and really liked it. I would rate this a 9.

Rachael's (Ray) Chimichurri Chicken Bites with Sauteed Carrots

I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com. It is one of Rachael Ray's recipes. I ended up marinating the chicken for a couple of hours and not using the rest as dipping sauce. I also didn't grill the chicken, I just cooked them in a little butter in a pan.

1 rounded tablespoon sweet paprika
3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a couple of handfuls
3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 small white onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3 splashes
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds chicken tenders

Preheat a grill pan over high heat.

In a food processor combine paprika, parsley, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, onion, garlic and cayenne. Finely chop the mixture by pulsing.

Heat oil in a small pan over medium low heat. When oil is warm, stir herb and garlic mixture into oil and heat 3 to 5 minutes, then remove from heat. The oil will become infused with the flavor of the herbs and garlic. Transfer to a bowl and stir in vinegar and salt. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Cut chicken tenders into thirds and place in a shallow dish. Wash hands.

Spoon half of your chimichurri over the chicken and coat completely and evenly. Using tongs, transfer the bites to the hot grill and cook 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Transfer bites to a serving plate. Serve with party picks and reserved chimichurri sauce for dipping.


Sauteed Carrots

I got this one also from Ina Gartin on foodnetwork.com. I added a little flour to thicken up the sauce.

2 pounds carrots
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley

Peel the carrots and cut them diagonally in 1/4-inch slices. You should have about 6 cups of carrots. Place the carrots, 1/3 cup water, the salt, and pepper in a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are just cooked through. Add the butter and saute for another minute, until the water evaporates and the carrots are coated with butter. Off the heat, toss with the dill or parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

I thought they were both excellent. I would rate them both an 8 or 9.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Sorry about the blurry picture. It was so good so I wanted to share it with you. I found this recipe on Our Family Treat Blog (on our family blog side bar). It sounded so good so I had to make them. The only problem was was that I got the wrong green sauce at the store. The recipe calls for green enchilada sauce in a can and I accidently got the taco sauce in a bottle. The sauce in the bottle is thicker so I had to thin it out and add more flavor. I added chicken broth, olive oil, onion, salt, oregano, garlic salt and about a quarter cup of canned tomato pieces (with sauce). The recipe rolls the chicken up inside the tortilla but I grew up with enchiladas sort of casserole style (layered with tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese). We had company over when I served it and everyone loved it. We ate almost all of it. I also served it with sour cream on the side.

4 chicken breasts-shredded
4 tablespoons lime juice-or juice from a lime
5 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6-8 flour tortillas
mexican cheese or cheddar-we only had cheddar on hand
1 can green enchilada sauce


Mix together the chicken, lime juice, honey, chili powder, and garlic powder. Layer a small amount of your enchilada sauce on the bottom of your 9x13 pan. On your tortillas put about 1/4 a cup of your chicken mixture, then sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Place seam side down. Once all rolled up, pour the enchilada sauce on your enchiladas. Then sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

I would rate this a 9 out of 10. I forgot to rate the last two posts so I will now. The pie would have been definately a 10 and the calas would have been a 6 or 7.

Luscious Layer Lemon Pie

My dad came down the weekend of his birthday and I knew he needed a birthday pie, I say pie because he likes pie more than cake. I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com and it was so good. It took a bit of time to make but it was so worth it. I thought it would be really sweet but it wasn't.

Pie Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Bottom Layer Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup cold water
3 egg yolks, well beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional
3 drops yellow food coloring

Second Layer Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups cold whole milk
2 packages instant lemon pudding

Top Layer Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 ounces whipped cream or dessert topping

Pie Crust: Whisk flour with a fork while still in the bag or cannister. Gently spoon out flour into measuring cups. (This reduces flour by as much as 1/8 to 1/4 cup).

Then sift flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add shortening and cut into pea sized bits with pastry blender. Add cold water gradually until just dampened. Place on waxed paper and gather into ball from the outside corners. Press dough into a 6-inch pancake shape. Wrap with plastic wrap.

Chill at least 30 minutes and then roll out between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Remove 1 side of plastic wrap, lightly flour, if necessary, and place into a 9-inch clear glass deep dish pan.

Remove plastic wrap and flute edges. Prick bottom and sides with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Bottom Layer: In saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Mix with wire whisk; blend in lemon juice and cold water; then add egg yolks and blend until smooth. Add butter and gradually stir in boiling water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 2 minutes; remove from heat and add lemon extract, zest/peel, and food coloring. Partially cool for 30 minutes, and pour into the baked pie shell. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before adding second layer.

Second Layer: In a small bowl, cream sugar and cream cheese with spatula until smooth. Add milk and stir until well blended. Add pudding and beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes until thickened. Pour on bottom layer. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Top Layer: Cream together the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in the whipped dessert topping and spread on top of cooled lemon pudding. Garnish with extra pastry cutouts, citrus or mint leaves. Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Calas

I had some leftover coconut rice and I hate having leftover rice because it never gets eaten so I decided to use it in a different way. I found this Calas recipe online on some community site. It was so easy and tasted so good, even Porter liked them.

CALAS

Ingredients
6 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
pinch of nutmeg
canola oil
powdered sugar

Directions
Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Mix the rice and eggs together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the rice and egg mixture and stir until thoroughly blended. Heat about ½-inch of oil in a cast iron skillet until the oil shimmers, about 360 degrees. Drop spoonfuls of the rice mixture into the hot oil and fry until brown. Place fritters on paper towels to drain excess oil. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (or serve with honey) and eat them while they’re hot.

Piggy Pudding

My mom and I were watching the Food Network and Paula Dean was having a Piggy Party. One of the things she made was piggy pudding. It sounded kind of wierd but good at the same time.

16 link pork sausages
4 to 5 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 (7 1/2-ounce) package yellow cornbread mix, batter prepared according to package directions
1 cup maple syrup, for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cook sausages in a skillet until done, piercing with a fork to let out fat. Drain and then arrange in a 9-inch square baking dish. Layer sliced apples on top. Pour corn bread batter over all and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until corn bread is done. Serve with warm maple syrup.

It was good. You could chop your sausages into bite size pieces and add more apple or omit the sausages.

It was like a pigs in a blanket. I would rate it a 9

Banana Stuffed French Toast

A couple of months ago I was watching Down Home with the Neelys' on the Food Network and they were making banana stuffed french toast. It looked so good and I have been dying to make it. While my mom and sister Kimberly were in town a few weeks ago it was time to make it. It was so good and can be done with about any fruit or filling that you like.

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 large unsliced loaf French bread, bread cut into 8 slices
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon rum extract
Nonstick cooking spray
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Maple syrup, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Melt butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Once butter is melted add the brown sugar and pinch of cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts into the butter and becomes a sauce. Add bananas and toss together. Let cook until the bananas are soft and incorporated into the sauce. Remove to a bowl and let cool completely. Once cool, add cream cheese and mash with a wooden spoon.

Using a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-long slits in 1 side of each bread slice, cutting 3/4 of way through bread and creating pocket that leaves 3 sides of bread intact. Divide banana mixture equally among the bread pockets.

In a large bowl, add eggs, heavy cream, milk, cinnamon and rum and whisk to combine. Pour mixture into a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish. Put the bread into the egg mixture and let soak for 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the bread from egg mixture, using a spatula, letting the excess drain off.

Spray a wire rack with nonstick spray and put the rack on a baking sheet. Put the bread on the rack and transfer to the oven.

Bake the French toast until it is golden brown and filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Transfer the toast on a serving platter and garnish with confectioners' sugar and maple syrup.

My mom thought that the crust was too crispy, which I kind of liked because the middle was super soft with all the filling. You could cut the crust off of your bread and do it that way.

I would rate this about a 9 or 9.5. Definately try.

Cranberry Chicken

Mix together 16 oz can of cranberry sauce, 1 cup french dressing and i pkg onion soup mix.

Cut up chicken into strips. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

This is a great freezer meal. Place in baggies and then pull out and bake later.

This was great over rice. I would rate it about a 7 or 8.

Chicken-Spinach Pockets with Gravy

This is good for any kind of leftovers.

I rolled out pop biscuits and placed in the middle some cooked spinach (frozed, thawed and water sqeezed out), chicken and onion cooked in a little red pepper flakes and olive oil.

I baked it at 350 for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

For a gravy I mixed a little flour and butter and then added some chicken broth and salt and pepper.

I would rate it about a 5. Not but, but I could do something better. Maybe different filling or pop biscuits.

Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese
3 cups chopped, cooked broccoli
1 cup chopped, cooked ham
4- 6 baked potatoes

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir to make a smooth paste. Stir in milk and cook over low heat until thickened. Add mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in cheese and cook until melted. Fold in broccoli and ham. Serve over hot baked potatoes.

I would rate this a 7. You could probably put this over pasta or turn it into a casserole by adding hashbrowns on the bottom and then pouring this on top and sprinkling with cheese and breadcrumbs.

Zucchini Soup with Bruschetta

Bruschetta

I did this a while ago and can't really remember EVERYTHING i put in it. I will try. Great northern white beans, parsley, lemon juice, salt, garlic. I pureed it together and put in on toasted bread.


Curried Zucchini Soup

2 pounds of zucchini, sliced (about 4)
5 green onions, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large saucepan, combine all ingrediants. Simmer, covered, until zucchini is soft (about 15 minutes). Puree in SMALL batches in a blender on low speed; return to pan and heat through.

I might have added a little too much cayenne pepper so it was a little spicy. You can omit the cayenne pepper altogether if you don't like the kick it gives.

It froze great. I would rate it a 8 out of 10. It has a light feeling and went great with the bruschetta. I dipped the bread in the soup.

Grapenut-Basil Chicken

I cut up chicken into bite size cubes.

In a small bowl I mixed together parsley and grapenut cereal. I tossed the chicken in a little olive oil and rolled it in the grapenut mixture and baked it at 350 for about 20 minutes, flipping half way through.

I would rate it about a 7.

Chicken & Asparagus Pasta Salad

Cook whatever kind of pasta you have or like according to the package.

Cut up asparagus and cook it for a few minutes.

In a bowl mix together your pasta, asparagus, tomato, fresh mint and some cooked chicken.

In a small bowl combine honey, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and basil.

Toss the pasta salad with the dressing.

It was good warm or cooled. I would rate this about a 4.

Molten Lava Chocolate Cake

Melt 8 oz chocolate and 2 sticks of butter together and let it sit and cool.

Combine 4 eggs and 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk it until puffy. It might be about 10 minutes.

Stir in the cooled chocolate and 4 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or 1 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract if you want a mint flavor).

Pour the chocolate mixture into buttered and floured ramekins (or mugs) half-way. Place chocolate chips in the center and then pour the remaining mixture to cover the chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for about 14-17 minutes.

This recipe needed less nutmeg and more lava. Maybe I cooked it too long. It was really good and my family rated it a 4.2.

Bread Pudding with Apples and Raisins

I have never had bread pudding before because I didn't know what I would think about "soggy bread" pudding style. Not my kind of thing, but I thought I would give it a shot when I had extra hamburger buns.

I tore up four hamburger buns and placed them into a greased pan. I cut up one apple and tossed it with the bread with a handful of raisins.

In a seperate bowl I combined 5 eggs, 2 cans of canned milk, some extra milk, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. I poured the mixture over the bread and let it sit for about 1/2 hour.

I baked it at 350 for about 30-45 minutes, until set and the fork comes out clean.

It was not bad for my first time, but I think it needs some more flavor. I would rate it about a 2.5.

If anyone has a recipe for a really good bread pudding I would love to try it.

Orange Pull-Aparts

This is a combination of our family's favorite cinnamon pull-aparts (also known as monkey bread to some of you) and orange rolls.

Cut up 3 packages of pop up biscuits (each biscuit into quarters).
In a ziploc bag combine sugar and one zested orange.
Shake the biscuits in the sugar. (You might have to do some at a time.)

Pour some melted butter on the butter of a bundt pan and pour some of the sugar on top of it. Place about a third of the sugar covered biscuits in the pan, pour some butter on the biscuits and sprinkle with a little sugar. Repeat these steps until the biscuits are all done.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

I love cinnamon pull-aparts. This was the first time i've tried the orange ones. To make the cinnamon was you do the cinnamon and sugar instead of the orange zest and sugar.

I would rate this about a 5 because I love love love them.