Month: November 2012

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

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This is a fabulous wintertime baking recipe. This recipe was given to my mom by a pastry chef friend, then later tweaked by me (by adding the rolling sugar, and different ‘add ins’) I love the flavors that go together in this cookie. The white cholocate and cranberries taste so nice! By rolling the cookie in sugar before baking, you’ll get a great crisp on the outside while having a nice soft cookie on the inside. This recipe also doubles very nicely. 

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1 C granulated sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
1 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 C quick cooking oats
2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C White Chocolate Chips
1 C Dried Cranberries
Sugar for rolling

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cream butter, shortening, and sugars together. Beat until fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat until fluffy. Add vanilla.
4. Mix all dry ingredients. Add slowly into the wet ingredients.
5. Shape dough into small balls in your hands, then roll in sugar. Place onto an ungreased baking sheet.
6.  Bake until light brown, about 10 minutes.
7. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Now go, enjoy!! This cookie can easily be changed by changing the add ins. I’ve made them with Raisins, Chocolate chips, Nuts, and Dried Pomegranates. All have tasted great!

Pecan Pie

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‘Tis the season of PIE! I love pie. Pecan is my favorite. Or maybe Banana Cream. Or maybe Chocolate Cherry. Or maybe…

Ok, you get it. I love pie.

Last year I wanted to make a Pecan Pie. The trouble was I had all the ingredients except Karo Syrup. No opportunity to go to the store was presenting itself and I was desperate for PIE! So I did what we all do when we’re in a pinch. I went to All Recipes to see if, perchance, there was a Pecan Pie recipe without corn syrup in it. Success!!

I know all my Southern friends will be skeptical. I was. But, like I said, I wanted pie, and with over 1300 ratings with 4.5 stars, I thought I’d give it a go. I’m so glad I did! It’s delish and easy–two requirements of mine.

Ingredients:
2 Eggs, room temperature
1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, melted
1 Cup light brown sugar
1/4 Cup white sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
1 Cup chopped Pecans
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
A few whole Pecans for garnishing if you wish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Stir in the melted butter.
3. Stir in both sugars and flour. Mix well.
4. Add the milk, vanilla, and chopped nuts.
5. Pour into the unbaked pie crust. Garnish the top with pecans (opt).
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 and bake 50 minutes more, or until done.

*As per reviews, I made a slight change to the original baking time which began at 400 degrees and reduced to 350 for lessor times.

Happy Holidays to you!

Source: allrecipes.com, Elaine Helms

Mistaken Chocolate Brownie Cake

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So, I have never said that I was a great cook.  Never.  I try.  But, you know what, I walk away from the oven and help someone with homework, or I have to get a band aid for someone, or I have to run upstairs and take the clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer.  You know you can’t be distracted when your cooking.  Everyone knows this. I know it,  I just choose to multi-task 😉  This cake was a big mistake!  It turned out Delicious but it wasn’t even supposed to be a cake!!!  I was attempting to make a dessert to take over to friend’s home for a “get-together”  and like I always do, I tried a new recipe at the last minute.  I was trying The Pioneer Woman’s Knock You Naked Brownies, but, um, I didn’t make the brownies.  I mixed the cake mix like the box said then I added all of the ingredients from the brownie recipe.  It was very wet.  I wasn’t sure if I could even bake it. But, I put it aside and made the brownies and then went back to the mess I made. I just stared at it.  It had a lot of stuff in it.  Ingredients that I didn’t want to waste.  So I dumped it into a bundt pan and cooked it. Then I made my homemade chocolate frosting and it was Delicious!  Very moist and chocolaty and just good!  So, that mistake turned out well.
 
Cake:
1 box of Betty Crocker Cake Mix
(the ingredients needed on the box)
1 cup chopped pecans, or less, or none!
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your bundt pan with cooking spray really generously.
In a large bowl, mix the cake mix together like you normally would.  Leave it in the mixing bowl. Add the following to the mixture, pecans, evaporated milk, butter.  Mix these into the cake batter.  Pour into the bundt pan, and bake for at least 30 minutes.  You may need to let it cook a bit more, but check it with a toothpick .  Let it cool completely before frosting.
 
Frosting:
3/4 bag powder sugar
1/2 cup Hershey’s baking cocoa
1/8 cup milk
1/2 stick butter, room temperature (don’t melt it, let it set out and soften)
 
This is the starter mix for the frosting.  You may need to add a tad more milk, add only a Tablespoon at a time. Taste it, and go from there. More chocolate if it needs to be more chocolaty for you.  More powder sugar, if it needs to be thickened or sweetened.
 
 Adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
 
 

Albondigas Soup

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Wow.  I get to post on Thanksgiving Day.  So in case you anticipate running out of creative ways to recycle your turkey leftovers, I am sharing a recipe from Pinterest that I have been wanting to try for a while and it contains no turkey…really.  It came together very easily and tasted really good.

Ingredients:  (please note that some of the ingredients for the soup are also used in the meatballs, so plan accordingly.)

SOUP:
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. dried Mexican oregano
1/4 t. ground cumin 
6 cups beef stock
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 canned chipotle chile plus 1-2 t. adobo sauce
2 carrots, grated
1 t. salt
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup uncooked rice

ALBONDIGAS (meatballs):
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/4 lb. bulk chorizo
1/4 cup grated zucchini
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced
1 stale small corn tortilla, processed to crumbs 
1 T. fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. dried Mexican oregano

1.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large stock pot (or dutch oven) over medium heat and saute the onion, garlic, oregano and cumin until onions are soft.  Add the beef stock, tomatoes, chipotle, carrots and salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

2.  Make the albondigas by combining all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mixing well.  (One tip, the original recipe calls for a small, stale corn tortilla processed to crumbs but mine would never get small enough.  Next time I will use crushed tortilla chips.)  Pinch off about a tablespoon of meatball mixture and roll it into a ball about 3/4-inch in diameter.  Continue with the rest of the mixture.

3. Bring 2-3 inches of water to a boil in a medium to large saucepan.  Add the meatballs and boil for 3-4 minutes to reduce some of the grease.  Drain the meatballs and discard the water.

4.  Add the meatballs, zucchini, and rice to the soup and simmer for another 30 minutes.  Serve hot.  Garnish as desired.

Source:  Pinterest, originally  from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

Thanksgiving Egg Gravy

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This is a family recipe from my Great-Grandmother Nanny past down to her daughter, my Grandmother Josephine, past down to her daughter my mom Jacqueline, past down to her daughter..Me.  My Grandmother Josephine was born and raised on a farm in the countryside of North Carolina.  Her father was a tobacco farmer and her mother tended to the children, the farm and cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner! (from scratch of course!)  This recipe was part of my favorite meal of the year!  I looked forward to this all year long.  I love food and appreciated the work that went into making this. I was allowed to help when I was around the age of 10.  My mom and grandmother would cook all day long.  They had to cook a lot of food because all of my Grandmother Josephine’s siblings and their children and their children’s children would end up at her house to eat every Thanksgiving.  So she fed roughly 30 people at one time. She even had pies, and cakes. Looking back now, I don’t know how she did it.!  We ate in shifts with her best china, silver and crystal.  (I loved that and wasn’t allowed to wash them until I was in high school!)  The men went first, then the kids, then the moms. Funny how I didn’t think about that then.  But, it’s pretty typical for a mom to eat last, huh?  The “shifts” would eat, the dishes were washed and then the next shift began.  The picture above is from this weekend.  My husband can’t travel home with us for Thanksgiving.  So, we cooked an early Thanksgiving meal for him. This was yummy.  In the picture, (not my best china obviously) you can see the Egg Gravy, the Turkey, and the Dressing.  (The dressing is stuffing patted out in a cookie sheet and cut into squares.  Good Stuff.)  But the Egg Gravy is what we are talking about now.  It is really easy and so good. And you know, its taste is not “eggy”. Its just good stuff.  Real comfort food and I love it.  I really do.  I love it.  Not just the taste of it, but my heart loves this treasured memory of my grandmother’s recipe. 

1 32oz carton of Chicken Broth
1 32oz carton of Chicken Stock, OR use your drippings from your turkey!
1 dozen Eggs, hard boiled (you don’t have to use this many eggs. but we like them so we use a dozen)
3-4 Tbs. Flour
salt
pepper

Hard boil the eggs. Peel them and slice them. In a big stock pot add the chicken broth and the chicken stock.  Cook over med-high heat.  Go ahead and add the flour before it gets to hot and you can’t break up the lumps.  Add 3TBS in and whisk until all lumps are dissolved.  If you want the gravy thicker add more flour.  then bring it to a boil lower the heat to med-low and add the eggs.  Cook for about 30 minutes.  Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.  Then serve over your dressing and turkey.  It’s a southern delicacy!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow

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This is for all you “Muddy Buddy” lovers out there!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 12 oz. package white baking chips
1/2 c. (heaping!) Biscoff spread
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
9 c. rice Chex cereal

Directions:

1.  Place powdered sugar in a large sealable plastic bag.  Set aside.
2.  Combine white baking chips and Biscoff spread in a microwavable safe bowl and microwave on high for one minute.  Stir.  Microwave for an additional 30 seconds and stir.
3.  Stir pumpkin pie spice into Biscoff mixture.  Fold in Chex cereal and toss to coat.
4.  Pour Chex into plastic bag and shake to coat the cereal in powdered sugar.

This would also taste delicious with candy corn, orange and yellow Reese’s Pieces candies or pumpkin pie spiced pecans stirred into the mix.

Biscoff is like a European peanut butter made from Biscoff cookies.  You’ll find it in the grocery aisle with peanut butter and nutella.

Source:  pbfingers.com

Thankful.

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As with most people, this month I’ve been trying to make a very concentrated effort to think about all the things that I’m grateful for. More importantly, thank my loving Heavenly Father for all the blessings I have. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to realize that the things that I’m most grateful for aren’t things. My family, my health (as well as my family’s health), and most importantly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge of Eternal Families.

I’m so grateful and thankful for my loving Heavenly Father. As I was at church today, we sang one of my favorite hymns, Prayer of Thanksgiving.There are a few lines in there that really stick out to me every time I sing in. In the first verse it mentions that “He chastens and hastens his will to make known.” So yes, I should be grateful for my trials. I’m ever in His refining fire. It also says that “He forgets not his own.” Our Heavenly Father loves us. We are His children. Just as I could never forget my children, especially in their time of need, He will not forget us.

How grateful am I for this time of Thanksgiving. I hope we all can take some extra time to reflect on all the things we are grateful for and to sincerely thank our Heavenly Father who gives us all those blessings.

Momo’s Apple Pie

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My husband loves to bake. I love that he loves to bake. (Am I a lucky woman or what?!)  Another thing that my husband loves is apple pie. Thus came to be Momo’s Apple Pie. (His name is Morgan, but all his nieces and nephews call him Momo… it’s ‘his’ thing).

This Apple Pie is different than most apple pies. Most pies you mix the apples with spices and a touch of flour then place them into a crust. With this pie, you make a syrup to pour over the whole apple pie (crust and all!) that that gives the pie an incredible flavor and a nice crisp crust. For those Dutch Apple Pie lovers (myself included) this pie my just change your preference.

Seriously, doesn’t that look so yummy?! And it’s not even baked yet…


Momo’s Apple Pie 

Ingredients
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (we’re lazy and use pre-made crust)
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 cooking apples – peeled, cored and sliced

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste.
3. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
4. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, slightly mounded.
5. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the brown sugar syrup over the crust. Make sure to pour in between lattice work to get into the apples. Use a pastry brush to coat the lattice with syrup.
6. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. We bake our pies on some sort of cookie sheet or pizza pan to catch any drippings.

My son loved this pie too! He was so anxious for it to cool enough to cut. I’m positive you and your family will love it too.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Chicken Noodle Soup

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Soup Season is here for sure and Chicken Noodle Soup always hits the spot somehow!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups wide Egg Noodles
1 tsp Vegetable Oil
12 Cups Chicken Broth (I use Bouillon Cubes or granules)
1.5 Tbsp Salt
1 tsp Poultry Seasoning (optional)
1 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Cup Chopped Carrots
1/3 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Cold Water
3 Cups Cooked, Diced Chicken

1. Cook your noodles according to package directions. Rinse under cool, running water.
2. In a Large saucepan or dutch oven, combine broth, salt, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil.
3. Stir in the vegetables. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
4. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together. Add gradually to the soup, stirring constantly.
5. Stir in the noodles and chicken. Heat through and serve!

Source: allrecipes.com, with variations

Fresh Apple Dump Cake

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Have you ever tried a recipe from Pinterest only to be disappointed?  It’s not bad but it’s not, well, great.  This happened to me recently.  I saw this great recipe with only 3 ingredients and thought it sounded great.  Not so much.  But I was able to improve it a lot with the addition of a topping from another recipe in my collection.  The result?  A pretty darn good dessert.

Ingredients:
8 large apples (I used Gala and Granny Smith)
1 cake mix (I used white but yellow would have given more flavor I think)
1 stick of butter, melted
water
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 small tub Cool Whip
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and core apples.  Cut into thin wedges about 1/4″ thick.  Place evenly into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish.
2.  Evenly pour the cake mix over the apples.  Pour the melted butter on top of the cake mix, distributing it as evenly as possible.  Drizzle water by teaspoonfuls over any large dry patches.
3.  Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until apples are tender.  Cool completely.
4.  Mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and Cool Whip until smooth.  Spread evenly over top of the dessert.  Serve warm or cold.
Source:  it’s a hybrid recipe created by me and inspired by recipes from my personal collection