Chocolate chip cookies (the best recipe to freeze)

I make a batch of this cookie dough, freeze it in cookie dough balls and whenever we want a warm chocolate chip cookie (perfect with ice cream!) we can just throw them in the oven.  These are thick, chewy, big and must be eaten warm :)

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/3 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag mini chocolate chips or half and half mini and chunks

Directions:

1. Mix the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt then slowly add to creamed mixture.
4.* the dough should not be sticky...
5.  Add chocolate chips.
6.Form cookie dough into balls using a 1/4 inch scoop or measuring cup and freeze for at least 2 hours or up to 3 months.

7.  To bake: place frozen cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Sweet Molasses Brown Bread (like outback steakhouse)

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, soft
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups all purpose flour, or bread flour
2 cups whole what flour (or more)

Directions:
1. Combine water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer, and proof for about 10 minutes.
2.  Add everything except the whole wheat flour to the bowl and mix about 2 minutes until combined, scrape down the bowl.
3.  Add 1 cup of the whole wheat flour and mix on low until combined, gradually add the other cup of whole wheat flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Continue mixing on low for 7-10 minutes, adding more flour if needed.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead into a tight smooth call.  Place in a greased covered bowl and let rise until doubled.
6.  Punch down dough and shape into about 16 rolls, place in a greased pan, let rise again about 1 hour.
7.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
8. Brush baked rolls with butter.

Apple cider caramels

4 cups apple cider
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1. Boil the apple cider over high heat until it is reduced to about 1/2 - 1/3 cup (takes 30-45 min), stir occasionally

2. Meanwhile get all your other ingredients ready
Line a 8" square pan with parchment paper, mix salt and cinnamon together in a small dish

3. Once Apple cider is reduced, stir in the sugars, butter and cream.  Cook over medium high heat until a thermometer reads 252 degrees.

4. Immediately remove from heat and stir in salt/cinnamon mixture. Poor caramel into prepared pan and let cool completely before cutting and wrapping in wax paper.

5. Keep caramels in an airtight container.

Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta

Ingredients:

2 Large, ripe tomato (4 cups roughly chopped)
1 Cup Raw Cashews
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Water
3 Tbs Olive Oil
2 to 4 Cloves Garlic, minced, optional
12 oz Spaghetti
1 tsp Salt (or to taste)
3 to 4 Tbs Wine or Water
1 tsp Freshly Cracked, Coarse Black Pepper
1 to 2 Large Handful Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped

Directions:

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil, and cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Core the tomato, then roughly chop it. Add it to your blender, seeds, skin and all. Add cashews, tomato paste, and water. Blend until very smooth.
3. Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn.  Pour sauce from the blender into the saute pan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and let cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. If desired add wine/water or pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce. Taste and season more if necessary. Let simmer until pasta is finished cooking. Once pasta is cooked, drain. Add pasta to the saute pan with black pepper and freshly chopped basil leaves. Toss to coat. Serve immediately, garnishing with more pepper and basil

7UP Biscuits

These are the best biscuits I've ever made, which is saying a lot since I hate Bisquick. I usually double the recipe

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7-up

1/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. This makes a very soft dough.
3. Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out (be gentle).
4. Melt  the 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan.  Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown

Cheesy Potatoes

This makes more than the average recipe. great for a large get together!

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 1 can (10.75 Oz. Can) Cream Of Onion Soup
• 2-½ cups Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 2 bags (about 2-lb. Bag) Ore-Ida Southern Style Hashbrowns, Frozen
• 1 whole Large Onion, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Chopped
• 1 cup French Fried Onions
• 1 Tablespoon Salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
• 4 cups Finely Shredded Four Cheese Blend

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large casserole dish
2. In a large pot, add the cream of soups and milk, and slowly whisk to bring it together. Continue cooking on medium heat, and add the butter.
3. In a large bowl combine everything(except a cup or so of cheese) before transferring it to your large casserole dish. 
4. Cover with tinfoil and cook for roughly 2 hours.  Add the remaining cheese to the top, and place under the broiler to crisp up the cheese and potatoes for a few minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, and let cool for about 10 minutes before eating. 

Slow Cooker Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine 2 cups chopped onion 2 cups chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 12 ounces sliced mushrooms 12 cups dry bread cubes (store bought) 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 to 4 1/2 cups chicken broth, or as needed 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley in butter, stirring frequently. 
2. Spoon cooked vegetables over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour in enough broth to moisten, and mix in eggs. Transfer mixture to slow cooker, and cover. 
3. Cook on low for 4 to 8 hours (check occasionally for moistness, add broth as needed)

"Spaghettio's"

Ingredients

• 1 box small pasta
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions
2. .Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saute' pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
3.  Stir in the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and butter. Heat, while stirring, until the butter is melted. Slowly stir in the milk, then turn the heat to low. Simmer at low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Stir the shredded cheese into the sauce until melted. 
5.  Drain the pasta and combine with the tomato sauce mixture. 

Lemon rolls

Makes 12 rolls (use frozen roll dough or make your own)

Ingredients:
12 rolls (if frozen, thawed but still cold)
zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 cup sugar

   glaze:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

• Grease a 9X13 inch pan
• cut rolls in half and place in the pan
• drizzle rolls with the melted butter
• mix the zest and 1/2 cups sugar together and sprinkle half of this mixture over the rolls
• cover and let rise until doubled
• sprinkle the remaining sugar/zest mixture over the rolls and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
• combine ingredients for glaze and drizzle over the rolls while still warm.

Baked Maple Bars

Ingredients:Maple Bars
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup shortening
4 Tablespoons  granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2  (1/4 ounce) envelopes yeast
2 large eggs, beaten
5 1/2 cups flour (might need a bit more)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Ingredients:Maple Icing
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

6 tablespoons milk

2 1/4  cups powdered sugar

2-3 teaspoons maple extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the dough:

1. In a medium saucepan scald milk; add shortening, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
2. In a large mixer bowl, add the lukewarm water and the yeast. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the yeast and water and whisk to combine. Let sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble and become foamy.
3. After the yeast is foamy and the milk mixture is luke warm. Add the eggs to the yeast and stir to combine, then add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture. Whisk the cinnamon into the flour and gradually add to the yeast mixture. You may need to add more, you want the dough slightly sticky but not too sticky.  Knead for 3 to 5 minutes. I let my kitchen aid do the kneading for about 5 minutes.
4. Spray another large bowl with non-stick spray, place dough in the bowl and let raise for an hour or until double in size. 
5. Punch down and roll out into a large rectangle about 3/4 inch thick
6. Cut into rectangles, I make 18 -24 bars depending on how big I want them. then place on a greased baking sheet. Let raise for about 30 minutes.
7. While bars are raising,  preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Bake the bars for 7 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown, Watch carefully. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before icing. Make the icing while the bars are raising:

Icing:

1. In a small saucepan mix butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to boil on medium heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Add the mapleine, salt and powdered sugar and blend well with a hand mixer. Add a little more powdered sugar if needed 
2. Spread on maple bars and enjoy!  

Lasagne Bolognese

from Mario Batali.  I saw him make this on TV once and ever since then its the only lasagna we want to eat.  lol!

Ingredients

Ragù
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I use less)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 pound veal, ground
1 pound pork, ground
4 ounces pancetta, ground
1 8-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup milk
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Béchamel
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Lasagna (I just use regular hard lasagna usually)
3/4 to 1 pound fresh pasta sheets, about 7 by 4 inches, or dried lasagne noodles blanched for 6 minutes and refreshed
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Oil for brushing

Instructions

Ragù
In a large heavy-bottom saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and sweat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are translucent. Add veal, pork, and pancetta to the vegetables, and brown over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together. Add the tomato paste, milk, wine, thyme, and 1 cup water, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (if the ragù becomes too thick, add a little more water). Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.
Béchamel
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the flour, and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture turns golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until it is just about to boil. Add the milk to the butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until the sauce is very smooth. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and season with salt and nutmeg.
Assembly
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with melted butter or oil, and layer in the following order from the bottom: ragù, pasta, béchamel, and grated cheese (saving about 1 cup béchamel for last topping), making 3 to 4 layers of pasta, finishing with ragù, béchamel, and 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled over the top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve

Easy Stove-top Mac and Cheese

I Just make it all the time.

Ingredients:
1 16oz box pasta (shells, macaroni, bow tie) 
2-4 Tablespoons butter
1 can cheddar cheese soup(10 3/4 oz)
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
2ish cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste or seasoned salt (like Johnny's) and fresh grated nutmeg

Directions:
Cook and drain noodles.  Add back to warm pot, stir in butter, cheese soup,
and the can of evaporated milk.  Stir until combined. 

Add 1 cup of cheese to start with, add more until desired cheesiness.
Keep the burner on low to help melt things together.
Add salt and pepper to taste and a bit of fresh grated nutmeg. 

3 Bean marinated salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups chickpeas
• 2 cups kidney beans
• 2 cups pinto beans
• 2 cups corn (I used frozen)
• 3 -4 T red wine vinegar
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3 green onions chopped
• 3 stalks celery
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

• Whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt in a bowl.
• Add the beans and corn.
• Then, add the onions,celery and parsley and toss to coat.

You can eat this right away, but for the best flavor, please let sit in the fridge for at least 8 hours. That’s it. Easy! This makes about 6 good size servings servings. It should keep for at least a week in the fridge

Broccoli and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

• 6-8 cups broccoli florets
• 15-oz can drained and rinsed chickpeas
• 5 sliced scallions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 minced clove garlic
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Steam broccoli florets until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Once cool, chop and combine with chickpeas, scallions, parsley, and pine nuts.
2. In a bowl, combine garlic, mustard, honey, lemon zest and juice. Slowly add oil, whisking to emulsify, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Drizzle broccoli mixture with dressing and adjust seasoning

Homeade Oreos

Ingredients:
For the chocolate wafers:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Hersheys special dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded 1/2 tablespoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 8-9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

My Favorite Vegan Cookies (chocolate chip)

this makes one pan of cookies..... usually always double the recipe.

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cu sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. 
• In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. 
• Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix).
• Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little.
• Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). 
• Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack

Sugar cookies

Ingredients:
1 C Butter (room temperature)
3/4 C Vegetable Oil
1 1/4 C Sugar
3/4 C Powdered Sugar
2 T Water
2 Eggs
1/2 t Baking Soda
1/2 t Cream of Tarter
1 t Salt
5 1/2 C Flour

  frosting:
1/2 cup room temperature butter
3/4 C Sour Cream
Approx 1 2lb Package of Powdered Sugar
1/4 t salt
1/4 C Milk
Red Food Coloring

Directions:

1. Cream the butter, oil, sugar , water and eggs.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients and slowly add to the butter mixture
3. The dough should be a little crumbly, not sticky
4. Scoop 2tblsp sized balls onto cookie sheet
5. Flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, and a pinch of salt
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool cookies on a cooking rack. Once cool put them in the fridge.
7. For the frosting, cream the butter, sour cream , and salt together.  Slowly add the powdered sugar, add the milk a splash at a time until you get your desired consistency.  add 1 drop of red food coloring and mix on high for 1 more minute.
8. Keep the cookies sealed in a container in the fridge, frost with room temp frosting right before serving.

Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
for the glaze-
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2) In a large bowl, stir butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla and eggs together until incorporated and smooth. 3) Slowly mix in all dry ingredients until completely incorporated.
4) Scoop onto prepared baking sheet using 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and flatten to 1/2 inch thick using the bottom of a glass. If the dough is sticking to the glass, press the bottom of the glass in granulated sugar before flattening. Bake 8-9 minutes.
5) While cookies bake, stir all ingredients together for glaze until smooth.
6) Once cookies are finished baking, cool 3 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack. 7)Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons glaze over each warm cookie. Let glaze harden 2-3 hours before serving. OR eat them warm with lots of runny glaze 

Black Licorice Caramels

They are just the best. ever!  The recipe comes from a combination of my cookbook called Chocolates And Confections by Peter P. Greweling, and a number of other recipes..

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) water
• 2 cups (1 pound) sugar
• 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup (12 ounces) light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, unsalted, soft
• 2 teaspoons anise extract
• 1/2 teaspoon black food coloring paste
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Lightly butter a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan, combine the water, sugar, condensed milk, corn syrup, and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant rubber spatula. 
3. Continue stirring gently while the mixture boils and cooks, until the caramels reach 245  degrees F. (this is a good estimation of the required temperature, but start testing the caramel when the thermometer reads 240 degrees F. * to test the caramel, spoon a small sample of the caramel into ice water, allow to cool for several seconds, then remove from water... the cooled caramel should from a soft, malleable ball when rolled between your fingers.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the anise extract, food coloring, vanilla extract and salt. Pour the caramels into the prepared pan and allow to cool completely to room temperature, at least 2 hours.
5. When cool, remove the sheet of caramels from the pan. Cut the caramels into pieces. Wrap each caramel square in a bit of wax paper or celophane, twisting the ends to secure

Milk Chocolate Buttercream

1 C. unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ C. powdered sugar (or more, depending on desired consistency)
4 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz. each), chopped (Do NOT use chocolate chips!)
¼ C. heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

1. Put the chopped milk chocolate bars into a small bowl.  Heat the chocolate in 30 second increments.  Stir after each increment, and continue to heat 30 seconds at a time, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Set aside and allow to completely cool.
2. Once the milk chocolate has cooled, cream the butter, salt and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Measure the whipping cream into a cup, and stir in the vanilla extract into the cream.
4. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour the cream mixture the bowl.
5. Once the cream mixture has been incorporated into the frosting, fold on the melted (but cooled) milk chocolate until incorporated.
6. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and beat frosting for an additional 3 minutes.
7. Makes about 2 ½ cups of frosting

Caramel Rice Crispy Treats

This makes a huge pan full!

Ingredients

• 18 cups crispy rice cereal (19 ounce box)
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1 3/4 cups white Karo corn syrup (does not have high fructose corn syrup)
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter.
2. Into a very large capacity bowl, pour the 18 cups of crispy rice cereal. Set aside.
3. In a 4 quart saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the corn syrup and brown sugar and salt and stir well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Boil and stir for three minutes.
4. Remove pot from heating element. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Return pot to cooking element; cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil once again. Boil and stir for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
5. pour the caramel sauce over the rice crispy cereal and stir to combine.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, press firmly into pan
7. Allow treats to cool before cutting.

Cripy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

This easy taco we all loved.  I found the recipe on epicurious , and changed it just a little for my own personal taste.

Ingredients:

3-4 cups black beans drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

4 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
4 cups coleslaw mix
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
tortillas (corn or wheat)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

hot sauce

Directions:

1. Place beans and cumin (and any other seasonings depending on if you use canned beans or made your own) in a small bowl, and partially mash.

2.  Mix olive oil, lime juice, coleslaw, green onions, cilantro and feta and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.

3.  Heat a few teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium - high heat.  Add tortillas in a single layer and spoon some of the bean mixture onto half of each tortilla.  Cook for about 1 minute, fold the taco in half and continue to cook 1 or 2 more minutes per side until golden. 

4. Fill tacos with the slaw mixture.

Potato Quesadillas

I got this recipe from http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2012/01/potato-quesadillas-with-homemade-wheat.html . The Vegan Dad has a lot of great recipes.  I changed the recipe a little bit, mostly just so it would be easier.  I used store bought tortillas instead of making homemade ones.  And I used shredded frozen hash browns instead of making my own.

Ingredients:

about 1/2 pounds of shredded frozen hash browns (thawed)
1 8 oz bag shredded Daiya (pepper Jack style), or regular shredded cheese
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
tortillas


Directions:

1. Combine ingredients (except tortillas) in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Lightly brush tortilla with oil and cook the quesadillas in a skillet or grill over med to med-high heat until both sides are browned and cheese has melted.


*I love this recipe, it's the type of thing I could eat everyday.  And I am not a fan of fake cheeses, but the Daiya is really great.  I have also found that after I combine all the ingredients, they store great in a Tupperware in the fridge for a few days... that way I can cook myself a fresh quesadilla for lunch.  Yum!

Easy Oreo Truffles

These have become a tradition.  This super easy recipe has become very popular, I'm not surprised!
Mint oreos are great with this too.

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
16 ounces chocolate, melted for dipping

Directions:

1. In a food processor, process cookies into fine crumbs.
2. Add the cream chesse, and mix until well blended.
3. Roll mixture into 42 balls, about 1 tablespoon each.
4. Dip the balls in melted chocolate and place on wax paper.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

These are a big time holiday favorite of ours.  A few years back I even won "best overall dessert" with these cookies.  I've been trying to get a picture of these for a long time, but they always get eaten too fast.  Today I managed to get the last 2.!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the orange juice and molasses.
3.  Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.  But do not over mix.
4.  Using a 1tabelspoons sized cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough into the remaining 1/4 cups of sugar.  Roll them very gently into the sugar.  Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container

7 Layered Jello

It's a tradition.

Ingredients:

4 jellos (4 different flavors/colors)
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 packages unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 pint sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix 1 packages of jello with 1 cup boiling water, stir until dissolved.  Then stir in 1/2 cup cold or ice water.  Pour this into the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish.  (the final jello will fill an entire 13x9 inch pan)
2.  For the white layers:
      Bring 2 cups of milk to boil.
      Dissolve the 1 cup of sugar into the hot milk.
      Dissolve 2 packages of gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water and let sit for a couple of minutes.
      To the gelatin mixture whisk in the sour cram and vanilla.
      In a large boil combine the sour cream mixture with the hot milk/sugar.
      Leave this white mixture covered on the counter.
3.  After 1st jello layer is set, poor 1 1/2 cups of the white mixture over the jello and refrigerate.
4.  Repeat layers of jello and white ending with a jello. 

Each layer should take 30-60 minutes to set.  But you want to work as fast as you can, because the white mixture will start to set as it sits out on the counter and cools.

Green Rice

This is a recipe I have used regularly over the past few years.  It is an easy and healthy rice dish with Mexican flavors. It is full of spinach, but you can't taste it.  The kids eat this one up. The recipe is from Rachel Ray.  The only change I usually make, is to use brown rice instead of  white (and increase the cooking time for that).

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rice
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided
• 3/4 pound baby spinach
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Place a medium pot over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon.
 2. Toss the jalapeños into the pan and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes.
3. Add in the rice and cook about a minute (you're toasting it, so it's ready when it starts to smell nutty). 4.Add in 2 1/2 cups stock and bring up to a bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the rice until tender, about 20 minutes.

5.Make the "green" part of the rice by pureeing together the baby spinach, cilantro and remaining stock (about 1/2 cup) in a food processor. Dump the mixture into a dish and reserve it until the rice is finished cooking. When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the green sauce and transfer the rice to a serving bowl or platter

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

I love how cute these little candy corn sugar cookies are.  How perfect are they for October?!

Ingredients:

2 Sticks unsalted Butter, softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

1 Teaspoon Salt

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Red Food Dye

Yellow Food Dye

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

1.Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy 3-5 minutes.

2.Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed.

3. Sift the flour and baking soda together and add to the creamed mixture.  Stir just until combined.

4. Divide the dough into thirds (each 3rd is jsut over 1 cup of dough).  Leave 1/3 of the dough white.  mkae 1/3 of the dough yellow and the last 1/3 orange. 

5. Press the white dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with foil, wax, or parchment paper.

6. Press orange dough evenly over white dough.

7. Pressyellow dough over the orange dough, so it is even and flat

8. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight is best). Once chilled, invert your loaf pan and unwrap your dough. On a cutting board cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into triangles.

9. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Place cookies straight into a bowl with sugar and coat. Place coated cookies on a baking rack to cool.

Recipe from: http://kaitlininthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/candy-corn-sugar-cookies.html

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today was the first day of school, so in preparation for the boys return home this afternoon Ada and I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  I have 3 different chocolate chip cookie recipes that I love.  This one is super soft, I think you will love them!


Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant french vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chocolate chops

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3.  Cream together the butter and sugars.  Beat in the instant pudding mix until combined.  Mix in the eggs and vanilla.  Mix in the flour mixture until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Use a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop (or roll spoonfuls of dough in hand) and scoop dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are golden.  The cookies will look a little underdone.  Let them rest on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire racks.

Raw Cauliflower Salad

I was hesitant to make this salad, because I didn't think the kids would like it.  Boy was I wrong!  They either loved it, or were just starving to death.  The ate home made pitas stuffed full of this salad.  Tyson and I loved it as well, and it keeps good in the fridge for a few days.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, chopped
2 handfuls of parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cups olive oil
the juice of 2 lemons
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Place the cauliflower, parsley, onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower are the size of a small grain.  You will probably have to do this in batches.  Ada was my button pusher, so one batch was over processed and the other one was still pretty chunky...
2. Put the cauliflower mixture into a big bowl, and toss in the tomatoes and olives.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, turmeric, salt and pepper.
4. Toss the dressing into the salad.  Store covered in the fridges for up to one weeks.  This can be eaten cold or at room temperature.

*if the cauliflower is huge, add more ingredients to your own liking.

Cherry Pie

As part of our CSA this week, we got sour cherries.  I've never had sour cherries... that I can remember.  I thought I would make a pie with them.  I looked at a lot of recipes, really they were all the same. But I decided to use the baking times and temperatures from my Americans Test Kitchen Cook Book, I know it would not fail me.  This pie was so easy, and so good! I need to get my hands on some more pie cherries.  Here is the recipe I used, mostly just because of the amount of berries I had.

Ingredients:

5 cups sour cherries, pitted.   (I had 6 cups of cherries, and after I had pitted
them, it was closer to 4 1/2)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup corn starch
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon water

1 recipe for double crust pie crust. 

Directions:

1.Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and place rimed baking sheet on the rack and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Mix 1 cup of sugar, cornstarch and the salt.
3. Stir the cherries and the almond extract.
4. Stir together the cherries and sugar mixture.
5. Let mixture sit for 20 minutes.

6. Assemble pie.  Lightly brush the top pie crust with the 1 tablespoon of water and then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

7. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees.  bake for 25 minutes.   Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crust is a deep brown and the juices are bubbling.

8.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.

*Pitting the cherries turned out to be really easy.  How to pit sour cherries

Limeade Pie (or lemonade or pink lemonade)

pink lemonade pie (made with extra food coloring until it was pink to Ada's liking)

Limeade pie.... yes, we all eat off our IKEA kids plates.

My mom always made this pie.  It's so so so easy, and it always hits the spot on a warm summer evening.  You can use limeade (it's my favorite) or pink lemonade or regular lemonade.  I usually make two different flavors at a time.  Since they are stored in the freezer, you can save one for another day or keep leftovers for a while.

Ingredients:

1/2 container (you know the regular size 48 oz our 1.5 qt) of vanilla ice cream softened  (it needs to be soft   enough to stir, but not melted)
1/2 of a frozen 12 oz limeade (or lemonade or pink lemonade juice mix), thawed
1 store bought graham cracker or shortbread crust
food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1.With a hand mixer, mix the ice cream, lemonade juice concentrate and a drop or two of food coloring (optional) until combined.
2. Poor mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust. 
3.Cover and freeze for an hour or until ready to serve.

Salt Potatoes

I have never heard of Salt Potatoes.  At least not until recently when we moved to NY.  Apparently Salt Potatoes are the regional dish of Syracuse, NY.  And are very popular in all of the central NY region.   They actually sell bags of salt potatoes at the store, the bags include potatoes and 12 oz of salt. The recipe seemed odd, and I was sceptical.  But these are really so good.  I'm going to be making these often.  The potatoes end up with a different extra creamy texture inside and the salt forms a crust on the skin that is so good!

Ingredients: 

4 1/4 pounds small potatoes, scrubbed.  (small, bites sized young white potatoes.  the "proper" size are Size B, US Grade No. 2.......  really any small one or 2 bite potatoes will be good.  Do not cut the potatoes, leave them whole)
12 oz or 1 1/2 cups salt
3 quarts water

butter and herbs (parsley, chives, rosemary) optional.

Directions

Bring the water to a boil.
Stir in the salt and dissolve.
Add the potatoes to the boiling water and boil until tender, 15-30 minutes, depending on the size.
Drain the potatoes to a colander and let them sit for 5-10 minutes.

Serve warm with a little butter.

Cauliflower and Potato Burritos

Another delicious burrito combination.  Make it as spicy as you like.

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
1/2  to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
2 medium potatoes, diced
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup black beans
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

cooked brown rice
flour tortillas
cheese (optional)

Directions:

1.Pulse the tomatoes, chipotle chiles and garlic in a food processor until a coarse puree forms.

2.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute about 5 minutes.

3. Add the cauliflower, potato, tomato mixture, oregano, adobo seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. 

4.Cover, simmer about 15 minutes until tender. 

5.Uncover, add beans and simmer 5 more minutes.  Stir in cilantro.

6.Heat tortillas and top with rice and cauliflower mixture, and cheese if desired.

Caramel filled chocolate cookies

These cookies couldn't be any better. period.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa powder
52 chocolate covered caramels  (My favorite is rolos.  Nestles treasure and Caramelos are good too.  I plan to try the Hershey Kisses filled with caramel one day)

1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 tabelspoon sugar

Directions:

1. Beat butter until creamy.
2. Gradually beat in white and brown sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, soda, salt, cocoa, and gradually add to butter and sugar mixture.
4. Cover chill dough for 1 hour.
5. Roll the dough into balls around each caramel piece.  ( make each dough piece into a bowl shape, place the candy into the bowl, then wrap the dough up around the candy and then mold the whole thing into a round ball)  I get about 52 cookies using a 1 tablespoon sized cookie scoop.
6. Combine the tablespoon of sugar and chopped nuts in a small bowl
7. Dip the top of the cookie dough ball into sugar and nuts.  (or just into sugar if you don't like nuts) 
8. Place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook at 375 for 8-9 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.
9. enjoy warm and gooey or cool and chewy.

Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto

I look forward to this side dish every Easter.  I should make it more often, we all love it so much.  But some how it has become exclusively an Easter dinner tradition.

Ingredients:

Asparagus
Cream cheese (softened)
Prosciutto (thinly sliced)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Trim off end of Asparagus - Bend the asparagus (holding towards the end of the asparagus) until is breaks,   use the broken asparagus to know how much to cut off from the rest of the bunch.

Blanch Asparagus in boiling water for 1-3 minutes, depending on thickness of asparagus.  Put Asparagus in ice water to immediately stop cooking.

To assemble:   Spread about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese onto 1 piece of prosciutto.
Wrap the prosciutto around a few asparagus (2-4, depending on the size of the asparagus).

Place bundles on a lightly oiled pan and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Danish Puff

This is a recipe that caught my eye years ago in an old Betty Crocker cookbook of my mothers that she gave me when I moved out of the house.  I found this recipe between the coffee cake and pancake recipes.  I don't know how it fits in there, but the recipe seemed so odd, I had to try it.  And I have been making it ever since.  It has a flaky crust with a custard-like topping.  It is such and easy and yummy pastry like dish.  I usually put the nuts on only one, and let the kids have the one with out nuts.  It serves 10-12.  And although it would be a great addition to a very unhealthy breakfast, it feels more like a dessert to me.  But there really isn't much sugar in it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup flour
3 eggs
 
 glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-2 tablespoons warm water, or until smooth and of spreading or drizzling consistency

chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

Crust:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut 1/2 cup of softened butter into 1 cup flour.
3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water onto the flour and butter mixture and mix.
4. Round the mixture into a ball, and divide in half.
5. On a parchment lined baking sheet, pat each half into a strip, 12x3 inches.  Strips should be 3 inches apart.

Custard top:
1.Heat 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the almond extract and 1 cup of flour.
4. Stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute.
5. Beat in the eggs all at once until smooth and glossy. (I use a hand held mixer for this, for about 1 minute)

6. Spread half of the mixture evenly over each of the strips, extending the batter just barely  beyond the edge of the strips.
7. Bake about 60 minutes or until the topping is crisp and brown.
8. Cool.  (the topping will shrink and fall, forming a custardy top)

9.To make the glaze:  Mix glaze ingredients until it reaches desired consistency.
10. Frost or drizzle with the glaze and sprinkle generously with chopped nuts.


** for individual Danish Puffs, Pat the dough into 3 inch circles, using a rounded teaspoonful for each.  Spread a rounded tablespoon full of batter over each circle.  Bake for 30 minutes.  This makes 2 dozen.

Sugar Cookies (from the pioneer woman)

I love these cookies.  They are the sugar cookies that our Grandmothers made. These aren't the cookies that you load with tons of frosting.  These are light, delicate and melt on your tongue kind of cookies.  My grandma had nutmeg in hers, lemon would be good too.

I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman. ; Thank you!
Ingredients


■2 whole Large Eggs

■1 cup Canola Oil

■2 sticks Butter, Softened

■1 cup Sugar, Plus Extra For Sprinkling

■1 cup Powdered Sugar

■1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

■4 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons, All-purpose Flour

■1 teaspoon Salt

■1 teaspoon Baking Soda

■1 teaspoon Cream Of Tartar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.



In a large mixing bowl, cream together eggs, oil, butter, sugars, and vanilla.



Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate dough one hour.



Using a cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.



Smear a dab of butter all over the bottom of a glass, then dip the glass in granulated sugar. Use the glass to flatten each ball of dough, dipping again into the sugar each time. Repeat until all are flattened.



Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until cookies are just barely turning brown. Don’t overbrown!



Allow to cool before eating. Cookies are ultra crumbly!

Blackened Tomato Salsa

My sister in law asked if I knew of any good salsa recipes. Well this is it. I could not just give her the recipe, it was too hard to just think about it, so I had to make some too. It is a recipe my dad makes every time I see them, and I love it so much, I could eat it with a spoon.

Ingredients:

8 roma tomatoes, cut in half
1 jalapeno, seeded and cut in half. (leave seeds in if you want more heat)
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
A few squirts of lime juice
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cumin
a pinch of mexican oregano
1/4 cup white onion, finely diced
1 roma tomato diced small
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Place 8 tomatoes and jalapeno on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side down. Cook under a broiler until skins are blackened. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Put blackened tomatoes and jalapeno (black skins and all) into a blender, poor any juices that are on the pan too. Add salt, cumin, mexican oregano, garlic and and lime juice and blend until mostly smooth. Add a little water if needed.

Poor pureed mixture into a large bowl and combine with the diced tomato, onion and cilantro. Add water needed. Taste test with a chip to make sure you have enough salt, add if needed.

This salsa is awesome fresh but gets even better as it sits for a few hours and is amazing the next day.

Vegetarian Meatloaf

Ok, let me just say... I have been eating so healthy lately you would all be jealous if you really knew. This recipe is not only a healthy version of real meatloaf, it is really really good. Or at least me and my family think so. We scarf it down for dinner with a yummy potato side, then we have it for leftovers the next day on some homemade rolls. Meatloaf sandwich? Yum!

Ingredients:

2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
1 cup mushrooms (optional)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cups grated cheese (any flavor, vege cheese is good too)
1 egg, beaten (or vegan egg substitute)
6 tablespoons BBQ sauce (or tomato sauce or ketchup or any combination)
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (grill seasoning has salt, pepper, garlic and other yummy stuff)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Glaze:
2 tablespoons each of BBQ sauce and ketchup.

Directions:

Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add salt and lentils and simmer covered until lentils are soft, 25-30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While lentils are cooking, food process the onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms until finally diced. Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook vegetables until soft about 10 minutes. season with salt and pepper.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. (at this point add more sauce, ketchup is fine or seasoning if you think it needs it.)

Dump mixture into a greased loaf pan and smooth top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

mix glaze together, spread over cooked loaf and bake for another 10 minutes.

cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.


* This should not be mushy or too dry when it is done cooking. If it is too dry, then oops, it needed more sauce before you baked it. It it is too mushy, try cooking it longer to dry it out.


*This recipe really is pretty versatile. For example if you want an Italian flavor, instead of the BBQ sauce and grill seasoning, use marinara sauce and Italian seasoning. Or you could do Mexican with salsa or tomato sauce and Mexican seasonings and pepper jack cheese. yum!

*For leftover sandwiches, I love to take the slices of meatloaf and fry them up in a hot lightly oiled pan.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

This year we made Santa Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, I think he liked them.

Ingredients:

1 box Red Velvet Cake Mix
1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
2 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt

Directions:

Combine cake mix with the oil, water and eggs. Use a 2 oz cookie dough scoop to drop the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for abour 13 minutes.
Cool oin wire racks.

For the filling, beat together the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Beat in the marshmallow cream, vanilla and salt until smooth. Spoon filling between two cookes to make a sandwich.

Store pies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container and refrigerate.


This makes about 18 cookies

Pizza Bianca

This is my favorite ever. This recipe comes from the cook book called my bread, by Jim Lahey. The book is full of delicious bread recipes using his no-knead method. Every bread recipe I have ever made using a no knead method has been perfect and delicious. I often make this particular recipe real quick (it takes a minute at most) at night, then bake the bread for my lunch. And I do eat it all, or at least I would eat it all if I did not have to share with the children.

Ingredients:
3 cups bread flour, plus additional for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant or other active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cool water
1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for coating the bowl and brushing
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour , yeast, table salt, and sugar. Add the water, and using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Lightly coat a second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature, until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 9 to 12 hours.

2. When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface (a cutting board is useful here) with flour. Use a bowl scraper or runner spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece; as you begin to pull it away from the bowl, it will cling in long, thin stands and will be quite loose and sticky. Using lightly floured hands, fold the dough over itself two or three times and nudge it into a loose, rather flat ball. Brush the surface of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with the coarse salt (which will gradually dissolve on the surface). Put the dough in a warm draft-free spot and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.

3. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F, with a rack in the center, and place a pizza stone, at least 14 inches in diameter, in the center of the rack.

4.Generously dust a pizza peel with flour and place the ball of dough in the middle. Spread out the fingers of one hand, like a claw, and drive your fingers into the dough, but do not puncture it. you want to simultaneously create dimples in the dough and spread it across the peel. Continue working your hands across the dough and dimpling it until you have a bumpy disk about 12 inches in diameter. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the rosemary leaves.

5. With the peel resting on the counter (this part gets easier with practice), grasp the handle and give it a quick little tug: you want the pizza to just barely move but stay on the peel. (Loosening it make it easier to slide it onto the baking stone.) If the dough sicks to the peel, gently lift it around the edges and add flour to the peel. Shake the pizza onto the baking stone. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown on the mounds but still pale in the dimples.

6. Slide the peel under the pizza and transfer it to a rack to cool for a least a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

(from "The Amish Cook's Baking Book")

These were amazing. So amazing that the only way I could make them is if I sent them all away with Tyson to work. Thanks to all the brown sugar, these cookies are soft and get even softer as they sit out.

Ingredients:

3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons boiling water

Cream:
1 1/2 cups butter cream frosting
1 1/2 cups marshmallow cream fluff stuff

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside (or use parchment)
Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs in a large.
In a separate bowl, sift together the salt, flour, and baking powder. Add to the reamed mixture.
Add the cinnamon and oats. Mix well.
In a small dish, add the baking soda to the boiling water, and then stir the mixture into the rest of the batter. Mix well.
Drop by tablespoons onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake until the cookies are firm and just starting to turn golden around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. (what??!!! I cooked mine for 6-8 minutes, and they were perfect)
Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

For the cream filling. Mix the butter cream frosting and marshmallow fluff with a beater for 1-2 minutes.

* I am not sure what the cook book actually used for the cream filling, I forgot to write it down. So I came up with my own.

Nutella Fudge Brownies

No No No! I want this recipe erased from my memory. It is too good and too easy. I am going to make it too often and get too fat!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Nutella
1 egg
5 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a mini muffin pan with paper cups (12)
Mix the Nutella and egg in a bowl until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined.
Spoon the batter into the 12 mini muffin cups.
Bake for 11 - 12 minutes.
Set on a rack to cool completely.

*This recipe is adapted from finecooking.com

Pretzel Rolls

I saw these at Wegmans and Knew I had to make them. I made these twice last week, all I needed was a bowl of that artificial cheese dip and my life would have been complete.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
pretzel salt


Directions:

In a bowl of a stand mixer combine the water, yeast and sugar and let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes
Add the flour, salt and butter. Mix the dough until combined and dough cleans the side of the bowl, about 2 minutes.
Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise until double.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide the dough into 20 little balls.
Place the balls on the baking sheets and let rise about 30 minutes or until doubled.
Place oven racks in the lower 2/3 position.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add the baking soda and lower the heat to a simmer.
Put the rolls into the water and poach for 30 seconds, then carefully turn the roll over and poach for another 30 seconds.
Remove the rolls onto a dry tea towel to drain. Be very gentle. Place rolls back on parchment lined baking sheets.
Glaze each roll with the lightly beaten egg. Top each roll with pretzel salt. Cut an X or slash into the top of each roll.
Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes.