Christmas cookies

What did you make over the holidays? I haven't been cooking too much. But I did do a lot of baking for our Christmas cookie tray.

This year we had:
chocolate chip cookies
sugar cookies
oatmeal scotchies
peanut butter cup cookies
candy cane hershey kiss cookies
buckeyes
oreo truffles
mint oreo truffles
golden oreo truffles

I got the sugar cookie recipe here: http://creatingpostitnotes.blogspot.com/2010/02/almondine-sugar-cookies.html (here). They were delicious. She sells them so I knew they had to be good.

I also tried a new recipe. These turned out very good. Moist, chewy and just enough mint. I did not add the peppermint extract.

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1¼ cups butter, at room temperature
1 tsp peppermint extract, optional
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped Candy Cane flavored Hershey’s Kisses
granulated sugar
additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 30

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into ¾-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They’ll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften… so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be ok for a couple of weeks.

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen

See recipe here

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

It is a super cold day here...man I miss Florida. This recipe hit the spot. I just got back from our vacation and have lots of unpacking to do. This is an easy one. And did I mention it is freezing. This is definitely comfort food.

Ingredients

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 onion, finely diced
* 1 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

I got the recipe from all recipes. I add some garlic and other seasonings. Sometimes I add some veggies too.

Got Pumpkin?

This is probably a little late since Thanksgiving is now over. But maybe you have extra pumpkin that you need to use up...

This year I made a pumpkin sheet cake. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com. But instead of eating it as is, we made it into cake balls. They turned out really good. How do you make cake balls?

Make 1 cake (box or from scratch)
Make some icing or just buy it in a can.

Let cake cool. When its cool crumble it up in a big bowl. Add some icing so it gets all sticky. Then roll into small balls. Freeze for a few minutes. Then dip in chocolate (white or regular). Then decorate as you like.


Here is the recipe that I used for the cake: here




Since I had leftover pumpkin we also made pumpkin chocolate chip coookies. I love these.




Ingredients
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1.Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2.Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3.Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Enjoy! We hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Oven Roasted Potatoes

We had chicken with garlic cream sauce the other night with broccoli and cauliflower. I had some left over potatoes from when we made potato soup (I will have to post that recipe later) so I was looking for a way to use them. I found this recipe at all recipes.

I would think you can use whatever seasonings you want. These had a tiny kick to them b/c of the red pepper flakes. We liked that, but if I was making them for company I would maybe leave them out since not everybody likes that.

Ingredients
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.
3.Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

Balsamic Chicken Pasta

Here is a healthier recipe I found on a blog. It was easy to make since I just put the chicken in the crokpot to cook ahead of time and used steamable bag broccoli.
We will keep this in our dinner rotation. I even used the whole wheat pasta. I bought it at Aldi's and I would recommend it.

Recipe:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 large broccoli crown
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 14 oz can or 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 12 oz whole wheat fettuccine, cooked according to package directions
• parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large sauté pan or skillet (I use the skillet), heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red bell pepper and broccoli, cook until tender (add some water, 1/4 cup, if you want it to steam up a bit). Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add broth, vinegar, chicken, and basil. Bring to a boil, then simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add fettuccine. Mix it all up. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.

Found recipe: here

A birthday dinner

Mike turned 34 on Tuesday. With soccer and work I just don't have time to cook some fancy meal. But I did manage to make a few favorites and possibly a new favorite.

Since it is fall I picked up a quart of Eat N Park Chicken Noodle Soup. Mike loves the homemade noodles.



I was going to pick up some bread but decided I could make his favorite cheddar bay bisquits. I posted the recipe awhile back here


Then I made a side dish to go with it that we call tater tot casserole. It is So bad for you but Mike loves it. It is pretty much your standard "funeral potato" recipe or simliar to the Duggar recipe except we don't put ground beef in it.


Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 (32 ounce) package frozen potato rounds
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.
Adapted from allrecipes.com


For dessert I made some peanut butter chocolate rice krispie Treats.

They were more like "buckeye" cookies but they were yummy. Mike took a bite and did this groan noise. So they were a hit. But they are very rich. Here is the recipe:
* 3 cups Powdered Sugar
* 1-½ stick Butter, Melted
* 2 cups Peanut Butter
* 3 cups Rice Krispies
* 16 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate

Mix the powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, and Rice Krispies together in a large bowl. Lightly butter a 9×13 baking dish, then spoon in the peanut butter mixture. Use a spatula to spread evenly. Melt the chocolate, then layer evenly on top. Refrigerate for an hour or two, then cut into bars and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I have been craving Chinese food. We had all of the ingredients for this recipe so I tried it. It was good. It is not too spicy but I wasn't sure about giving it to Hayden. He took a bite, made a funny face and went "hot hot". Then shoved 3 more pieces in his mouth! Of course he licks the bottle of hot sauce at my sisters house so I am not sure why I was even worried.


Recipe:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
oil (for pan-frying)
cornstarch (for dusting)

Sauce:
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon ginger (I used ground ginger)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup apple juice
⅓ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
⅓ cup soy sauce

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice with veggies.

I got the recipe from this site: here

White Chicken Chili

It is officially fall so that means its soup and chili time! Mmmmm.

This week I tried a new recipe for white chicken chili. This one is a creamier version then what we normally have but we loved it. Even Hayden loved it. I wasn't even going to give it to him. I made him something else but he ate from Mike's bowl. Oops!

I think my favorite part of eating soup or chili is having good bread with it. My mom always has the best bread. It must come from shopping at 3 am or whatever horrid time she goes.

Here is the recipe:
White Chicken Chili

Serves 4

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

1 medium onion, small diced

1 T vegetable oil

2 cans cannellini beans

14.5 ounces chicken broth

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup half & half

8 ounce reduced fat sour cream

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and chopped onion and saute for about six minutes, or until the chicken is seared and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another three minutes.

Add the beans, spices, chicken broth and green chilies and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for thirty minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the sour cream and half & half. Serve with cheddar cheese and additional sour cream to top.

I got it from this site: http://eatliverun.com/

Chocolate Pudding Crock Pot Cake

This is a great cake served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Ingredients:

* 1 pkg. two layer chocolate cake mix
* 3 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup water
* 2 cups sour cream
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation:
Spray a 4 quart crockpot with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and pudding mix. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the water, then add the sour cream and oil and beat until smooth. Add to the dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into crockpot. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until top springs back when touched very lightly with finger. 8-10 servings

Crockpot Dump Cake

On Labor Day we had 2 cakes...both made in the crockpot. One was a chocolate cake that I will post later. One was this one. Both are delicious. Feel free to try with other types of pie fillings.

Crockpot Cherry Dump Cake

1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 package yellow or white cake mix
8 tablespoons butter, cut up


Rub the slow cooker generously with some of the butter. Place pie filling in the slow cooker. Mix dry cake mix and remaining butter until crumbly, sprinkle over filling. Cover and cook on low for 2 – 3 hours. Serve warm in bowls.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Buffalo chicken dip

Everyone loves buffalo chicken dip. It is always gobbled up at every party. We had it twice just the weekend at a birthday party and then my labor day picnic. There are tons of different ways to make it but here is how I make mine.

Ingredients

* 1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken, drained (I just use cooked chicken breasts)
* 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
* 1/2 cup and 1/8 cup hot sauce ( I only use franks)
* 3/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

Mix all ingredients together (saving most of the cheddar cheese to bake on top). Top with rest of cheddar. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with chips or crackers.



Adapted from this recipe:dip and a few others

Beefy Biscuit Cups

Here is a quick and easy recipe we use when we have left over ground beef. Hayden really enjoys these so they are kid friendly. Nothing gourmet but good for a busy night.

Ingredients

* 1 pound ground beef
* 1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
* 2 tubes (8 ounces each) large refrigerated biscuits
* 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

* In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce; cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.
* Press biscuits onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups. Spoon 2 tablespoons beef mixture into the center of each cup.
* Bake at 375° for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe from the taste of home magazine

Pizza Dip

I haven't been cooking much. Hayden and I had dinner at one of our favorite pizza places Burgh's last night. If you haven't been its yummy. They have a great lunch buffet too.

So anyways I thought I would post a recipe for pizza dip. It is nothing special but most everyone likes it. When Mike and I were younger we sometimes had this for dinner. Shame!

Ingredients:
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
* 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 cup pizza sauce
In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.
Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and add any toppings you may like.

Heat in the microwave, covered for 5 minutes. Serve with chips, crackers, warm bread, or breadsticks.

Souvlaki

We love gyros. Mike and Tony's on the Southside is our favorite. Obviously I don't have the equipment to make a gyro (nor do I want it). Souvlaki is similar.

I found a recipe and bought lamb for the first time this week. It needs to marinade for a long time but it sure was good. Mike really enjoyed this, Hayden did not. I don't think he liked the marinade. I served this with some warm fry bread,cucumber sauce and some greek roasted potatoes. I would have added feta cheese but I forgot to pick it up at the store.

We bought a piece of lamb and cut into about 1 in pieces.

The recipe called for this marinade:
In a bowl, put 1/2 cup lemon juice, 4 tsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp oregano, and 6 cloves minced garlic. I used less oil.

Marinate it for at least 8 hours.

Cook on the grill.

MMmmmm!


Recipe from here. She has lots of great recipes!

Summer Foods

It has been too hot to cook, and I have been busy with work and soccer, so not much time. I need to get the crockpot out I guess. But I do enjoy some of our "summer" meals...Turkey or Ham Sandwiches, BLT's, grilling up some burgers, etc. Our new summer snack is red pepper hummus. Hayden and I devour it. We also bought a big box of italian ice freeze pops. We get these every summer and now they have new flavors.


This week I decided to change up our sandwiches and make egg salad sandwiches. I guess this isn't really a recipe but a list of ingredients b/c everyone has somewhat different tastes. Mike thinks egg salad is gross so he doesn't eat it. (He doesn't really eat eggs at all). Hayden loves eggs so I packed a small sandwich for his lunch today. My sister said he ate most of it after playing with it.



Here is what I put in mine:

Ingredients:
Hard Boiled Eggs
Mayo -- must be Hellmann's
dried onion flakes
salt/pepper (or onion salt)
dried mustard
garlic powder
dill weed
paprika

That was how I made it the other day. It turned out yummy. Sometimes I put lemon juice in or real mustard. I like mine on toasted bread. Sometimes I put some spinach leaves on. What do you put in yours? My friend likes to cut up pickles and onions in hers. I don't like chunck of anything in my food.

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Currently in our house we have a big tub of sour cream... Don't ask it is a long story. So I have been looking for recipes to get rid of it. I found this cake. It was delicious. The sour cream made the cake so moist. And the icing was just a little different but yummy.

I don't usually have much luck baking cakes from scratch, so I was defintely pleased. I got this recipe from a cookie site. The lady bakes a batch of cookies or baked goods everyday I think. Wow! My kitchen as a disaster after making this so I dont think I could do it. Not to mention I have no self control when it comes to cake or cookies.

Here is the recipe:
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

2 cups cake flour (8 oz)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened but not too warm
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar (14 oz)
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup water or room temp coffee (divided use)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten in a separate bowl

Sour Cream Frosting
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tablespoons warm water or coffee

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.

2. Spray two 9 inch round cake pans with flour-added cooking spray, or rub with shortening and dust with cocoa powder.

3. Sift (I actually didn’t sift) the cake flour, baking soda, and salt into bowl of a stand mixer and mix well. Add softened butter to flour mixture and mix on low speed with the paddle until the butter coats the flour. Stop occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. Add the brown sugar, cooled melted chocolate, sour cream, vanilla and *half* of the water. Continue mixing on low speed until well blended, scraping sides of bowl. Then beat on medium speed for about a minute.

4. To the eggs in the separate bowl, add the remaining half cup of water (or coffee) and beat with a fork or whisk. With the mixer on low, gradually pour the egg/water mixture into the batter. Continue running mixer for about 3 minutes on medium speed, scraping sides until you get a smooth, velvety batter.

5. Pour batter into the prepared cake pans and bake on center rack at 350 degrees F for about 35 minutes or until cakes test done. If your pans are black, you might want to use 325 F for 40 minutes.

Sour cream Frosting

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and add chocolate. Stir over low heat or residual heat until chocolate melts. Remove from stove and let cool slightly (about 10 minutes). Stir the sour cream into the chocolate.

2. Sift half of the powdered sugar into bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Add the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat mixture until smooth, adding water as needed.

Recipe from here

Tangy Grilled Chicken

This recipe was given to me by a friend this week. It is one of the easiest recipes ever. Great recipe for summer grilling.


Ingredients

* 2/3 cup Ranch salad dressing
* 1/3 cup FRENCH'S® Classic Yellow® or Honey Mustard
* 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
* 4 (5 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper

Preparation

* MIX salad dressing, mustard and sugar.
* Pour 2/3 cup mixture over chicken.
* MARINATE chicken in refrigerator 30 min. or up to 3 hours.
* GRILL chicken on greased rack over medium heat for 15 min. or until done.
* Serve chicken with remaining mustard mixture.

Garlic Cheddar Bisquits

We love bread in my family. Mike devours bread when we are at a restaurant. Hayden not so much but that could change. I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from a bisquick box a long time ago. These claim to be similar to the biscuits at Red Lobster. I don't eat there so I wouldn't know. But they are yummy and go great with just about any meal.

CHEDDAR CHEESE BISCUITS

2 cups bisquick baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Heat oven to 450. Mix baking mix, milk, & cheese until a soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix butter & garlic powder. Brush garlic mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Italain Crockpot Chicken

I found this recipe on a scrapbooking message board a few years ago. This is one of Mike's favorite meals. He likes the sauce that it makes. It is creamy but not heavy like alfredo. (Although it is not any healthier then alfredo). Hayden also eats it so we keep it on rotation (every other month or 2 months).

Recipe:
4-5 pieces of chicken breasts
1 bottle of Italian dressing
8 oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme

cook chicken in crockpot with italian dressing on low until done (approx 5 hours). When it is is finished drain most of the liquid and shred the chicken.
Add the rest of the ingredients, stir. Cook on low 1 more hour.
Serve with pasta or rice.

We enjoy it with rice. Sometimes I make broccoli with it also.

Happy Memorial Day... Grilled Corn on the Cob

Happy Memorial Day! Since everyone is usually grilling today here is a yummy simple recipe for corn on the cob. Mike makes this all of the time. We got the recipe from one of Steven Raichlen's books. His books on grilling are the best. He gives step by step directions and has tons of great recipes. He started the beer can chicken craze.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2. 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 4 ears of corn
6. Vegetable oil, for the grill

Directions

1. Light a grill. In a bowl, mix the butter with the Parmesan and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Strip the husks from each ear of corn and remove the silks. Using kitchen string, tie the husks together at the end of each ear to form a handle.

3. Lightly brush the grate with oil. Grill the corn over a medium-hot fire, turning, until partially cooked, about 5 minutes. Brush the corn with the Parmesan butter and continue grilling, turning frequently and brushing with more butter, until deeply browned and tender, about 5 minutes longer. Serve at once with the remaining Parmesan butter.

Enjoy!

Grilled Broccoli & Cauliflower Parmesan

I have been trying to incorporate more vegetables into our meals. I don't really like vegetables. I have always eaten potatoes and corn. You can add broccoli to the list starting in my late 20's. It has to be cooked though. I can tolerate cooked carrots and cooked cauliflower. No raw veggies for me. That might just be about it. Hopefully Hayden does not get my eating habits/preferences. So far he likes a few more veggies then me. But again cooked, almost mushy.

Anyways, here is a recipe for broccoli and cauliflower that I made the other day. I thought it was ok. But you can't go by me since I don't like veggies. Mike really enjoyed it. We made it on the grill but you can make it in the oven also.

Here is the recipe: (which I cut in half and left out the sun dried tomatoes)

1 sheet (18x24-inches) Non-Stick Foil

4 cups broccoli florets

2 1/2cups cauliflower

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 ice cubes

PREHEAT oven to 450°F or grill to medium-high. Combine broccoli, cauliflower sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil.

CENTER vegetable mixture on sheet of Reynolds Wrap Release Non-Stick Foil with non-stick (dull) side toward food. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; top with ice cubes.

BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal making one large packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside.

BAKE 20 to 25 minutes on a cookie sheet in oven OR

GRILL 12 to 15 minutes in covered grill.

I got the recipe from a grilling cookbook but you can also see it here

Savory Parmesan Bites

I have had this recipe for ever. It is a good appetizer but I mainly serve it with a chicken dish or pasta dish. It is another easy one.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Directions:
HEAT oven to 350°F.

BEAT cream cheese and 3/4 cup Parmesan with mixer until well blended.

SEPARATE dough into 8 rectangles; seal seams. Spread with cream cheese mixture
Fold each rectangle lengthwise into thirds to enclose filling; cut into 4 squares. Place, seam-sides down, on baking sheet; top with remaining Parmesan.

recipe from here

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

I was looking for something different to take for an office food day. Its always the same old food. I spent a lot of time on allrecipes.com searching for something and stumbled upon this. It is more dessert like but can be used as an appetizer. It is kind of like eating cookie dough (but no risk of salmonella). My office full of women loved it.

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
* 1 pkg. 8oz. cream cheese (for a healthier version you can use low-fat)
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/4 tsp. vanilla
* 2 Tbs. brown sugar
* 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
* 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
* 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional...I usually leave them out)

Directions:

Bring cream cheese to room temperature or microwave on 50% power for approximately one minute to soften. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until creamy. Slowly add sugars until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into your favorite serving dish and sprinkle with pecans (if you are using them, if not, just sprinkle a few chips on top for a lovely presentation). You can also form into a ball by chilling the cheese ball for 15 minutes in the fridge before gently forming into a ball and rolling in pecans and/or chocolate chips.

Serve with assorted graham crackers .

Original Recipe here

Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love Panera Bread. I never go to "fast food" places any more so Panera Bread is my fast food place. (And Sheetz but that is another post...)

Most of the time I order the "you pick two" b/c I can never decide what I want. I usually get a turkey sandwich on asiago cheese bread and a bowl of broccoli cheese soup. Mmmm.

I found this copy cat recipe for the soup. It tastes very similar and isn't too hard to make. Sometimes I will pick up bread bowls to serve the soup in. I love bread bowls! Or we just buy a nice crusty loaf of bread.

Speaking of yummy bread check out the Parmesan cheese bread at the market district giant eagle. It is soooo good. It may have its own separate post coming up too.

But for now here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Directions:

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender for 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Recipe is from here

White Spaghetti

I found this recipe a long time ago when Mike and I were 1st married. It was one of the first meals that I made that wasn't out of a box or packet! It is a quick, easy meal. Nothing too exciting, but a nice change from tomato sauce.

16 oz spaghetti noodles
2 or 3 eggs (beaten)
1 cup parm cheese
6-8 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled)

Cook noodles according to directions. Drain. Immediately add the eggs and stir into the noodles (right in the pot). The eggs will cook right on the noodles (and the pot so stir often). Add the parm cheese. Top with bacon and serve.

So easy. The original recipe also called for ham and maybe green onions. I have also read where you can add garlic. You just heat some oil in a frying pan and cook some garlic. Then cook your bacon on in that pan.

Easter Dessert -- Vanilla oreo truffles

I was in charge of Easter dessert this year. I made egg shaped rice krispie treats decorated with white chocolate. I also made oreo truffles. But I didn't make chocolate ones. I made them using the Golden Oreos. They were yummy. I prefer them dipped in white chocolate but I always make some with regular chocolate for those who do not like white chocolate.

I made these for the first time for Christmas. The Smith family loved them. So did everyone else. I also make them with regular oreos and mint oreos. I can't decide which are my favorites...

Here is the recipe:
1 box of golden oreos finely crushed (into powder basically)
1 softened box of cream cheese
Chocolate for melting/dipping

Mix cookies and cream cheese. Roll into balls. Place on wax paper on cookie sheet. Put in freezer until they are hard. :O

Take out of freezer and dip into melted chocolate.

Decorate as you like.

Recipe is from here

Chicken Fingers

I love chicken fingers...Mike not so much. But he does enjoy these. The key to this recipe is soaking them in buttermilk. You have to do it, and you not substitute with regular milk.

After they are done frying, I melt some butter in a bowl and add hot sauce (only Frank's hot sauce please!). Then I roll them around and let them sit a minute or two. Sometimes I add some parmesan cheese too. Or i buy a bottle of arizona ranch sauce from quaker steak and lube.

For a new twist I tried this honey ginger sauce: sauce recipe

I want to do garlic and butter next time.

We usually eat these with a salad or make wraps. They are great the next day too (cold).

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 quart oil for frying

Directions

1. Place chicken strips into a large, resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, mix the egg, and buttermilk. Pour mixture into bag with chicken. Seal, and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours.
2. In another large, resealable plastic bag, mix together the flour, bread crumbs, salt and baking powder. Remove chicken from refrigerator, and drain, discarding buttermilk mixture. Place chicken in flour mixture bag. Seal, and shake to coat.
3. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Carefully place coated chicken in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and juices run clear. Drain on paper towels.

Recipe found here

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have one go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I will post it later. I just tried this recipe by Alton Brown on the food network. Mike really liked them and It got rave reviews from several people (one who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies).

I didn't have bread flour but they still turned out great. I will have to try it with bread flour next time.

Ingredients

* 2 sticks unsalted butter
* 2 1/4 cups bread flour
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 egg yolk
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Recipe from here

Chicken Piccata and Garlic Cheese Bread

I love chicken parm but Mike doesn't really like breaded chicken. A while ago I was looking for some ways too cook chicken but not in a casserole. We like chicken piccata at Italian restaurants so I looked up some recipes. This one was pretty easy and tasted yummy. I save some of the sauce and add it to pasta.

We made this last week with the Pioneer Woman's Garlic Bread (which is my favorite)


Chicken Piccata Recipe

* 2 Boneless chicken breasts sliced in half or 3 slices
* 2 TBS Butter
* 1 TBS Olive oil
* 1/4 cup flour
* 3/4 tsp paprika
* 3/4 - 1 cup dry white wine
* 3 TBS lemon juice
* Salt
* Freshly ground pepper (white or black) to taste
* 1 TBS Butter (for sauce at finish)
* 3 TBS capers
RINSE chicken breasts under cold running water, drain, put on paper towel. Pat dry.

SLICE the chicken breasts to desired thickness 1/8 - 1/4" thick. Unlike veal, chicken is better cut than pounded thin.

MIX flour, paprika, salt and pepper

DREDGE chicken in flour.

HEAT butter and olive oil in sautée pan over medium heat; be careful not to burn the butter, if using it. Add chicken breasts - do not crowd the pan. Sautée for about two minutes per side. REMOVE to a warm platter; you can place platter in warm oven.

ADD lemon and wine to pan; DEGLAZE (Dissolve the remaining bits of food) the pan using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape. This is the basis for your sauce.

BRING to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, let sauce thicken.

WHEN sauce is thickened, swirl in butter. Add capers.

POUR pan juices over chicken. Serve.

chicken piccata recipe


Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients

* 3-½ cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
* ¾ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
* ½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
* ½ cups (real) Mayonnaise
* 4 whole Green Onions, White And Light Green Parts Minced
* 1 dash Salt
* 1 loaf Crusty French Bread
* 1 stick Butter
* 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

Preparation Instructions

Mix cheeses with the mayonnaise and the green onions. Add dash of salt to taste and set aside or keep in fridge until you need it.

Cut loaf of bread in half, then each half into half again.
Working 1/4 loaf at a time, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet and add 1/4 of the minced garlic. Place 1 of the 1/4 loaves face down in the skillet, swirling it to soak up the butter and garlic. Allow bread to toast in the skillet, removing garlic if it starts to get too brown.

Repeat with remaining butter, garlic, and bread.

Spread cheese mixture on warm loaves and bake in a 425 degree oven until cheese is hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Slice and serve.


garlic bread recipe

Copykat Recipe -- Max and Erma's Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love Max and Erma's Tortilla Soup. This copy cat recipe is pretty good, although not good for you! This makes a ton of soup so sometimes I cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients:

* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's condensed cream of celery soup
* 2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
* 2 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth
* 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 cup picante salsa (Pace brand medium hot)
* 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can green chilies (Ortega brand)
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon red new mexico chile powder
* salt and pepper, to your taste
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* 4 cooked chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
* 10 flour tortillas
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 1/2 lb colby cheese or cheddar

Directions

1.In a large (8-10 quart) stockpot combine and whisk together until smooth all eight cans of soup.
2.Add chicken broth. Add tomatoes, salsa, green chiles, onion, garlic, chile powder, salt and pepper. Bring all ingredients to a full boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Add cilantro and chicken breast chunks. Simmer another hour.
4.While soup is simmering, make your soup toppings: Cut flour tortillas into small thin strips. Heat oil and deep fry tortilla strips until lightly browned. Shred cheese.
5. To serve: Ladle soup into bowls, top with shredded cheese and fried tortilla strips.

Recipe is from here

Chicken and Stuffing

This was one of the first meals I made for Mike when we were first married. To this day it is still a favorite with him. It is great to eat as left overs too. Hayden loves this meal! He picks it up by the handful and shoves it in his mouth. This made me happy today. He hasn't really eaten dinner all week.

Recipe:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup of white wine (you can substitute chicken broth)
1 box of stuffing mix
2-3 tbsp melted butter
a few slices of swiss cheese.

Layer chicken in a baking dish.
place a slice of cheese (or more if you are like me!)on each piece of chicken

Mix cream of chicken soup and white wine in a bowl. Pour over chicken.

Pour stuffing mix on top. Drizzle melted butter on top of stuffing.

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

Texas Sheet Cake

I love this cake. It is so bad for you but so good. My brother in law Eric really enjoyed this and that is saying a lot b/c i have never seen him get that excited for desserts.

Ingredients

For the cake:
* 2 cups Flour
* 2 cups Sugar
* ¼ teaspoons Salt
* 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
* 2 sticks Butter
* 1 cup Boiling Water
* ½ cups Buttermilk
* 2 whole Beaten Eggs
* 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla

For the Frosting:
* 1-¾ stick Butter
* 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
* 6 Tablespoons Milk
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla
* 3 1/4 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Pour over warm cake.

Recipe

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I love using my crockpot. Sometimes with work, soccer, and Hayden, it is just so nice to not have to "cook".

This recipe is the easiest recipe ever and very yummy. It was a hit on our family beach vacation. And Hayden devoured it last week. (He didn't like in a tortilla though, just plain)

Recipe:
For every 1 lb of chicken breast
use 1 cup of chicken broth
3 tbsp taco seasoning

Cook low in crockpot 6-8 hours.

The chicken will shred if you just touch it with a fork. It is so tender and juicy.
Use it to fill tacos with your favorite fixings, make nachos, use for enchiladas, or taco salad.

P.S. I didn't find a picture of this recipe on line. I don't really plan on taking my own pictures of meals. Hayden barely lets me cook let alone take pictures of a meal. He is too busy climbing up on the kitchen table, trying to get into the fridge, or open the oven.

Cheeseburger Pie

Cheeseburger Pie... an oldie but goodie.
Mom got this recipe from a bisquick book many years ago. It was an instant hit. We now all have this cookbook (bought by her). The recipes are pretty good and they are easy to make.

We had this a few nights ago. Hayden also enjoyed it. (If I let him eat it with a grown up fork, no kid fork for him.

The only change I make is that I don't mix in the cheddar cheese. I save it and put it on top and melt it towards the end of the baking time.

Recipe:
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1/2 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1.Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2.In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
3.In small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into pie plate.
4.Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Click here for link to recipe

Welcome...Balsalmic Brown Butter Raviolis

Welcome to my recipe blog. I enjoy cooking and love when people give me new recipes so I thought that I would start posting some of the recipes that I try/enjoy. Hopefully someone will make some of these! And if you are really lucky maybe some of my mom's recipes might pop on here.

So my 1st recipe is very simple. I saw it on the food network. Mike likes watching Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis. I know it is mainly b/c she has major cleavage, but her recipes are pretty good actually. We have made this a few times. Hayden enjoys them as much as we do.

Note: I don't use the walnuts that the recipe calls for. I don't like nuts too much. (and I just use regular salted butter too)



Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

* 18 to 20 ounces store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash)
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/3 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the pan saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

Here is the link to the actual recipe site: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/ravioli-with-balsamic-brown-butter-recipe/index.html