Sweet Tooth

This pregnancy has left me wanting anything sweet... cookies, cake, you name it. Here are 2 recipes I have made to help with this: Monster Cookies and Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

I have been making tons of cookies lately. Mike loves when we go to Amish Country and get their Monster cookies. So I found this recipe and he loved them. He ate like 6 the night I made them! When we get them in Ohio they have a powdered sugar type glaze, so next time i will try to add that to the top for him.

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3 cups peanut butter
2 1/3 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
9 cups quick oats
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars together. Add eggs, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla, syrup, and baking soda. Add the oats one cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a large cookie scoop or large Tablespoon heaped. Bake at 350*F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven when they still look soft.



We also made some cinnamon streusel pancakes. I found this recipe linked to a travel site I was looking at. Apparently these are from some place near Hollywood. We enjoyed them but they are huge. I only ate one. But very yummy. The site has some other recipes I want to try.



Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Streusel:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1. First, make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Do not over mix, batter will be slightly lumpy.

3. Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

4. Serve warm with maple syrup and butter.

Makes 6 very large pancakes

http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/cinnamon-streusel-pancakes/

Chicken Pot Pie

Another snowy day here. Chicken pot pie was a perfect choice. I got the recipe from the food network. It is Ina Garten's. I hate her show, every guest is soooo important and soooo successful. She just annoys me. But her recipes are great. This was a little time consuming, esp when you have to watch a 2 year old at the same time. But it is definitely worth it. Make this!

Ingredients

* 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
* 2 chicken bouillon cubes
* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
* 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
* 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
* 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
*

For the pastry:

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
* 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
* 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
* 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
* Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

From the foodnetwork.com

Super Bowl Menu...pepperoni dip

What is on your menu for the Super Bowl? We always have to have Buffalo Chicken Dip and my mom's swiss dip (which I need to post one day). We love dips. My mom is making the sausage and cheese dip that a lot of people make.

My sister is making tacos and these chicken tacos so everyone can just eat when they want.

I am taking Pepperoni dip. I got this recipe when I worked at Aetna (I so do not miss that job). A lady brought it in for a food day. It sounds so gross but is so yummy. Of course it is bad for you. What dip isn't?



I remember making this once and Kent Low eating almost the entire thing. Its addicting.

Recipe:
2 packages of cream cheese (softened)
1 small container of sour cream (around a cup or so)
one stick of pepperoni chopped small
french fried onions

Mix 1st 3 ingredients in casserole dish. Top with fried onions
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
Serve with buttery crackers or tortilla chips