Carrie in the Kitchen

Oatmeal Apple Cookies

2009-10-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Source: Recipezaar

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tsps vanilla
1 cup flour
1 1/4 tsps cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda (I used 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups quick oats
1 cup peeled diced apple
3/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease cookie sheet.
2. Combine shortening, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in large bowl.
3. Beat at medium speed until well blended.
4. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, soda and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix into creamed mixture until just blended.
5. Stir in oats, apples and raisins.
6. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough about 2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 13 minutes or until just set.
8. Cool for a minute or 3 on cookie sheets and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crock Pot Chicken n' Dumplings

2009-10-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Source: Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
2 cans Tyson Chunks of Chicken Breast in Water
2 cans of 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken soup
1 small onion chopped
1 Bag Frozen Veggies (any you like)
1 cup 1% milk
2 cups Reduced Fat Bisquick
3/4 cup water
2 TBSP fresh herbs
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In Crock pot, place chicken (one can drained, one can undrained)
2. Add condensed soup (both cans), frozen veggies, milk, onion, and one tsp of poulty seasoning
3. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours or low for 6-8 hours
4. 45 minutes before you want to eat, mix reduced fat Bisquick mix, 3/4 cup water, fresh herbs and remaining tsp of poultry seasonings
5. Place by large spoonfuls on top of mixture in crock pot
6. Cover crock pot and let dumplings cook for 45 minutes or until firm (took me almost 1 1/2 hours to firm)

Stove Top One-Dish Chicken Bake

2009-10-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Source: Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1 package bread stuffing dry mix
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 2/3 cup hot water
1 serving 98% fat free cream of chicken soup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add hot water to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened. Set aside.

Place chicken in 13x9 inch baking dish or 2 quart casserole dish. Mix soup and sour cream until well blended; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Notes:
You can also prepare this as directed and add 1 cup of mixed veggies before covering with soup mixture. Does not increase points.

4 points per serving
6 servings

Baked Chicken

2009-09-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Baked Chicken
Source: Weight Watchers

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsps fresh lemon juice

2 tsps fresh rosemary (I used fresh thyme)

2 tsps fresh parsley

1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Coat a small, shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to prepared pan and drizzle with oil; sprinkle with lemon juice, rosemary and parsley. Pour broth around chicken to coat bottom of pan.

Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.

Yields: 4 servings (3 points each)

Carrot Cake

2009-09-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

Source: friend of a friend of a friend!

Ingredients:

3 cups grated carrots

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 tsps cinnamon

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla (I used my homemade vanilla!)

*I also added freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

Spray 2 round metal baking pans with Pam for baking. Mix wet ingredients, then mix in dry ingredients. Add carrots, one cup at a time. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack until almost cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Combine:

1 stick margarine

1 8oz package cream cheese

1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar

2 tsps vanilla

Crispy Provençal Chicken Nuggets

2009-08-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

Crispy Provençal Chicken Nuggets
Source: Vintage Victuals

Ingredients:
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
2 TB vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into 1" pieces
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de provence
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour your oil into a large baking dish or 9x13" pan, mixing the oils together. Set aside.

Next, you want to set up three shallow bowls on your counter for a dipping-assembly-line. Set up your chunks of chicken at the beginning of the line. In the first bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. In the second bowl, lightly beat your egg. In the third bowl, mix together your panko bread crumbs, the herbes de provence, and the second teaspoon of salt. Next, just take each chunk of chicken, coat it in the flour mixture, then coat it in the egg, and then roll it around in the panko mixture and put it in your prepared baking dish!

You should have just 1 layer of chicken on the bottom of your dish. If you have any panko mixture leftover, I would just pour it over the top for some extra crispiness.

Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes (depending on the size of your nuggets).

Chicken Salad

2009-08-17T17:17:00.001-07:00

Chicken Salad

Source: Food Network

Ingredients
4 cups diced cooked chicken

1 stalk celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or 1/4 cup sweet onion cut into 1/4-inch dice (I omitted)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon or fresh dill
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Oreo's!

2009-08-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Homemade Oreos

Source: Elizabeth's Edible Experience

For the chocolate wafers:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

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 pure vanilla extract

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
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. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Then mold the edges of the cookie into neat round circles. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set cookies on a cooling rack to cool. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla alternating between the two. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy. 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.

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-08-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at making chicken pot pie.. and it's weight watchers friendly!

Chicken Pot Pie
Source: Skinny Food by Amy

Ingredients:1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
1 bag (12 oz.) Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
1/2 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 egg

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400°F. In ungreased 2-quart casserole, mix chicken, vegetables, soup and 1/2 cup milk. Microwave on High 4 minutes; stir.
2. In small bowl, stir Bisquick® mix, 1/2 cup milk and the egg with fork until blended. Pour over vegetable mixture.
3. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.
Calories: 220, Fat: 6g, Fiber: 2g
POINTS*: 5

Taco Pasta

2009-08-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

When I saw this in my google reader, I knew I had to make it! My husband LOVED it!

Stove Top Taco Pasta
Source: About a Bit of Everything

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c taco seasoning
3/4 c water
1 pkg low fat cream cheese (8 oz)
1 box pasta (we used rotini)
optional: cheese of your choice to sprinkle on top (we used mozzarella)

Directions
Brown ground beef in a large dutch oven. Combine taco seasoning and water. Pour taco seasoned water over browned meat, stirring to ensure all meat is covered. Simmer to reduce amount of liquid (approximately 5-10 minutes) on low. Once reduced, add cubed cream cheese, stirring to incorporate fully. Prepare pasta according to directions and drain. Add drained pasta to dutch oven, stirring to coat completely.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones

2009-08-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

Every couple of months, I go out with a group of wonderful ladies for a little time out and girl time. This time, we went to the Jefferson Hotel and had afternoon tea. It was amazing! I was so thrilled by the scones I wanted to come home and try my hand at scones.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones
Adapted from: Good Things Catered

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1 egg

1/4 c. strawberry Fiber One yogurt

1/4 c. milk

1/3 c. chocolate chips

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-In small bowl, combine egg, yogurt, milk, whisk to combine thoroughly and set aside.

-In large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and whisk to combine.

-Using pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter into flour until all pieces are smaller than pea-sized.

-Add chocolate chips, and toss to coat.

-Add wet ingredients to dry and mix in lightly with fork until dough just comes together.

-Turn dough out onto well floured work surface and pat into large ball.

-Shape dough into flat disk shape and cut with circle cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet. Sprinkle tops of scones with sugar and place in the oven.

-Bake until turn slightly brown, about 22 minutes.

-Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.

-Transfer to a wire rack and let cool

Burgers & Fries

2009-06-28T16:24:00.001-07:00

When I stumbled upon Bakerella's dessert burgers & fries, I knew I wanted to make them. Head over to Bakerella's page for detailed instructions on how to make them!

Father's Day 2009

2009-06-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

This year for Father's Day, my sister-in-law Megan and I decided to make my dad a cake! We used box cake mix and her mom's special buttercream recipe for the icing. Everyone loved it!

Best. Cookies. Ever.

2009-06-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

These chocolate chip cookies are seriously the best I've ever made. Do yourself a favor, and go make them. Now!

Alton Brown's "The Chewy"

Source: Food Network.com

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

Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer

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.

Homemade Bagels

2009-03-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

Mike & I looove bagels. So I decided to make my own. This recipe from Pennies on a Platter is perfect. The bagels are soft on the insise, slighty crunchy on the outside. Yummm!

Bagels

Found on Pennies on a Platter, originally from Baking Bites

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active dry yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1 3/4 cups water, warm (100-110F)

4-5 cups bread flour (not all purpose)

1 tbsp salt1 egg, for egg wash

Optional Seasonings:

Poppy Seeds

Onion Powder

Caraway

Sesame Seeds

Kosher Salt

In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar and water. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in flour and salt. Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.
If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until very smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

When dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal pieces (first quarters, then halves). Shape each piece into a tight ball, pinching the corners together at the bottom of the dough. When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.

Once dough balls have rested, the bagel shape can be formed. Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers and be sure to make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. Let bagels rest for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and preheat the oven to 400F. (I used a deep dish skillet because it’s wider.) Line a baking sheet with paper towels and another baking sheet with parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal.

Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes on each side. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to the paper towels to drain for a moment, then place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining bagels.
Brush boiled bagels with lightly beaten egg (a pastry brush is a good tool for this) and sprinkle with seasonings. Bake for 24 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack (bagel will soften slightly as it cools). Slice and toast to serve.

Buffalo Chicken Poppers

2009-03-02T16:51:00.000-08:00

While watching Rachel Ray the other day, I noticed this recipe and it looked right up our alley. It turned out better than expected. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!!

Buffalo Chicken Poppers

Source: Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for frying
2 1/2 cups complete pancake mix, any brand, divided
1 1/4 cups water
8 teaspoons hot sauce, divided (I used Frank's)
1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into small bite-sized pieces
1 cup store bought, good quality refrigerated blue cheese dressing

2 scallions, finely chopped (I omitted)
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper, 1/3 palm full
Cut celery sticks, store bought

"In a deep sided skillet heat 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil over medium heat. If you wish to test the oil, add a 1-inch cube of bread to hot oil. If it turns deep golden brown in color in a count of 40, the oil is ready.

While the oil is heating make the batter. In a wide mixing bowl combine 2 cups of the pancake mix, 1 1/4 cups water and about 6 teaspoons hot sauce. Place the remaining plain 1/2 cup pancake mix in another wide mixing bowl. Arrange the batter and the bowl of plain pancake mix near the cook top and the heating oil. Line a plate with a few sheets of paper towels and keep within reach.

Once the oil is heated and ready, toss the chicken pieces in 2 teaspoons of hot sauce then toss in the plain pancake mix, coat evenly and shake off excess. The plain dry pancake mix will help the batter stick to the chicken pieces. Add some of chicken to the batter, you are going to want to work in 3 to 4 batches coating and frying. Using a fork, toss the bites in the batter. Remove the first batch from the batter, shaking off the excess batter as you carefully add them to the hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes on the first side, or until the first side is a deep golden brown, flip and continue to fry for another 2 minutes or until deep golden brown all over. Remove from the oil and drain on the paper towel lined plate, season with salt. Repeat until all the popcorn chicken bites are fried. Serve immediately with refrigerated, good quality creamy blue cheese prepared dressing with chopped scallions and black pepper stirred into it for dipping. Garnish platter with celery sticks. "

2009-02-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

Mmmm.... nutella :)

Nutella Croissants
adapted from Vintage Victuals

1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls (I used reduced fat, 8 to a can)

8 tablespoons of Nutella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Open the tube of crescent rolls, and unroll and separate your triangles of dough. Place 1 tablespoon full of Nutella at the base of each triangle.

Roll the dough into a crescent shape and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Blog Awards!

2009-02-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited. I've been given 2 awesome blog awards from fellow blogger, Vintage Victuals. Go over and check out her blog - it's got some seriously amazing food! I was given the Lemonade Award and the Your Blog is Fabulous Award because she thinks my blog is fabulous and refreshing, like lemonade! How sweet is that!!

Here are the rules:

First, add the logo in your blog.

Next, add a link to the person who gave you the award.
Then, nominate 5 other (refreshing…like lemonade) blogs of your choice.
Finally, leave a message for your nominees in their blogs, informing them about the award.

So my nominees are:

1. A Year in the Kitchen - this blog is packed full of awesome recipes along with tips and tricks to keep them low fat and low cost. She also does recipes based upon their country.

2. Good Things Catered - this has got to be a favorite blog of mine. I envy her clean home, classy meals, and love for all things good. Her other blog, is great too - Hyper Homemaker

3. Carrie's Sweet Life - first, her name is Carrie - and that's just the best! But really - her home is classic food that inspires me to get in the kitchen!
4. Food alla Puttanesca - like her blog title says, she cooks fast, cheap and easy meals - my favorites!
5. Proceed with Caution - her food is freakin' amazing. But really, check our her recipe organization post. She gets major props for that!

Go check out all these amazing blogs. They are fantastic.

Oreo Cupcakes

2009-02-11T08:07:00.001-08:00

Each and every time I go to Annie's blog, I get hungry. Her food always looks amazing! This oreo recipe really caught my eye - so when the husband and I had his family over for lunch Saturday, I knew I had to make them.

Oreo Cupcakes

Source: Annie's Eats, she adapted from Dinner with Danielle

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetend cocoa powder, sifted

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

For the frosting:

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. whipping cream

3 tbsp. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 tbsp. Oreo cookie crumbs

For garnish:

24 Oreo cookie halves

Directions:To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the brown sugar and continue beating until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, being careful not to overmix.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.

To prepare the frosting, in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until the whipped cream holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in the cookie crumbs with a spatula.
Scoop the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe frosting decoratively on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with Oreo cookie halves.

Rainbow Cake

2009-02-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

I wanted to bring something fun to my parent's house for Superbowl, and when I saw this cake I knew I had to try it!

Get detailed directions at The Omnomicon Blog!

Chicken with Broccoli and Garlic Sauce

2009-01-28T12:18:00.001-08:00

This recipe is from the Weight Watchers Website. The chicken is so full of flavor and so moist. It's awesome!

Chicken with Broccoli and Garlic Sauce
Points Value: 5
Servings: 4

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp dried thyme, or 2 tbsp fresh minced thyme, or to taste
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 medium garlic clove(s), minced, or more to taste
2 cup(s) broccoli, florets
1 1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, kept hot

Instructions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken on a plate and season with thyme, salt and pepper. Add garlic to skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chicken to skillet and cook until browned on all sides, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
Add broccoli to skillet, cover and cook 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
In a cup, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth; add to skillet. Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly, about 1 minute; serve over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and broccoli and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.

Tortilla Chips

2009-01-27T07:17:00.001-08:00

This is such a super simple "recipe" - it's so easy I can hardly call it a recipe. The husband and I had a mexican night last night, and I decided to try my hand at making my own tortilla chips. I'm so glad I did! It's easy and SO yummy. I doubt I'll be buying anymore tortilla chips, I'll just make my own!

(Can you tell my husband loved them??)

Corn Tortillas
Serving Size: 32 tortillas

Ingredients:
4 Corn Tortillas
Salt (to taste)
1/2 cup Vegetable or Canola Oil (for frying)

Cut the tortillas into 8 triangles, like a pizza. Pre-heat the oil in a small frying pan. Gently put the tortillas into the hot oil and fry on each side for 3-5 seconds. It's a very quick process - they burn easily! As soon as they come out of the fry pan, put them on paper towel to catch the excess oil and salt immediately so it will stick.

Enjoy!

Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves

2009-01-18T16:50:00.001-08:00

I love going to the Sunday afternoon cooking technique classes at Williams-Sonoma. I learn a wealth of information and come home with awesome tools and recipes. This recipe was given out during the "Cooking with Cast Iron" technique class. It is simply amazing. The lemon zest is so refreshing mixed with the earthy tones in the rosemary - they blend beautifully.

Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves
Source: Williams-Sonoma

"Don't be alarmed by the number of garlic vlosed called for in this recipe. The garlic mellows as it roasts, imbuing the finished sauce with a subtle flavor."

Ingredients:
2 chickens, each 4 lb., cut into 8 serving pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
40 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme
zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Working in batches, brown the chicken 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the chicken, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest and stir to combine. Cover the pan, transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken with the accumulted juices. Continue roasting, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes more.

3. Transfer the chicken to a platter; leave the garlic in a pan. Cover the chicken loosely with aluminum foil.

4. Set the pan over medium heat and mash the garlic with the back of a spoon. Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add the stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Whish in the butter a few pieces at a time. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a sauceboat. Serve the chicken immediately and pass the sauce alongside.

Serves 8.

**My notes: I only cook for 2, so I used 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. I browned the chicken on each side after heating the oil. Once browned, I added the rest of the ingredients and turned the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. I served alongside macaroni. IT IS AMAZING!

Orange Chinese Chicken (and beef)

2009-01-17T17:01:00.001-08:00

I'm starting to live healthier, and am a weight watchers member. My husband and I have been addicted to Chinese food lately, and we both love orange meals. I love orange chicken, and Michael loves orange beef. This recipe is from Weight Watchers website, I'll show my changes in red.

Orange Chinese Chicken
Points Value: 5
Servings: 4
Preparation TIme: 14 mins
Cooking time: 11 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
2 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tsp orange zest, strips
1 pound (s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breat, four 4-oz pieces *and 1 cup or so of beef stew pieces
1/8 tso table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
15 oz Mandarin Oranges in Light Syrup, or similar item
1/2 cup (s) reduced-sodium chicken broth *1 cup
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce *2 tbsps
1 tbsp orange zest, finely grated, or to taste *2 tbsps
2 tsp cornstarch *4 tsps

Instructions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add zest strips and cook, stirring, until fragrant and slightly cooked, about 1-2 minutes. **this took about 5 minutes Meanwhile, season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. When zest is finished, increase heat to medium-high; add chicken and beef to skillet and cook until golden, flipping once, about 2 minutes per side.

Drain oranges and reserve 1/4 cup liquid. Add oranges with reserved liquid to skillet and simmer 2 minutes. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, finely grated zest and cornstarch in a small bowl; add mixture to pan and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Yields 1 piece of chicken and about 1/4 cup of sauce per serving.

Christmas Caramel Popcorn

2008-12-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

I got TONS of M&M's for Christmas this year, and was looking for ways to use it up! I made this recipe, and sent it to New York with my family for my dad's mom to enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 bag M&M's Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies for the Holidays

6 quarts popped popcorn

1 cup butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp vanilla

1. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for five minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in vanilla and baking soda. In a large roasting pan, combine popcorn, M&M's and sauce mixture. Toss until completely coated.

3. Place in a 200 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then stir gently.

4. Remove from oven and let cool completely on baking sheets.

Tender Honey Yeast Rolls

2008-12-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

Yeast intimidates. It never rises right for me, so I'm never happy with my final product. Well, this time I was determined to get it right. So I used my candy thermometer to make sure the water was the perfect temperature for the yeast - after 2 tries, it was perfect. I got the yeasty smell and the foam! I was beyond excited.
These rolls are amazing, I'll be making them again soon!

Thanks to A Cookie a day for the recipe!

4 cups bread flour *I couldn't find bread flour in my grocery store, so I used all-purpose flour (Start with 3 if you are hand kneading)
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 package dry yeast (1/4-ounce)
Vegetable cooking spray

Hand kneading instructions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the honey, egg and oil. Add roughly 3 cups of the flour and the salt until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, working in the remaining flour as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky, until the dough is smooth and elastic, 8 minutes. Do not be tempted to add too much flour. The dough should stay soft and will become less sticky with kneading.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Bread Machine Instructions:
Follow manufacturer’s instructions for placing first 7 ingredients into bread pan; select dough cycle, and start bread machine. Remove dough from machine (do not bake).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 30 seconds. Cover dough, and let rest 10 minutes.

Punch dough down, and divide into 12-18 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, and place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 20 minutes. Uncover and bake at 400° for 13 minutes or until browned. Remove rolls from pans, and serve warm or at room temperature.
(About 5 minutes into baking I topped my rolls with 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp honey to give it that golden brown shiny coat)

I keep Chick-fil-A in business

2008-12-30T12:34:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I love Chick-fil-A. I eat there more times than I care to admit, and have always wanted to replicate their food. Well, I stumbled across a recipe, and dove in! I couldn't find several of the ingredients, so this is my interpretation.

Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets

From: Runs with Spatulas, Originally from Insider's Recipes Master Edition, 2002

2 cups Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless, cubed) *I used 2 breasts

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups cracker meal *I used Chicken breader

1/4 tso paprika

2 cups water

2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 1/4 tsps McComick Season-all *I used Penzey's seasoned salt

Place cool water in bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon season−all and dissolve bouillon cubes in mixture. Place cubed chicken in water, mix, cover and place in refrigerator for 12 hours or next day. When ready to cook nuggets, mix flour, cracker meal, 2 teaspoons season−all and paprika in bowl. Heat oil for deep frying. Drain chicken. Coat nuggets in flour, cracker mixture and fry until golden. Chicken will be flavorful and juicy.

I let my chicken marinate for about 8-10 hours, and it was perfect. These are AWESOME!!!

Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies

2008-12-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

This year, I also wanted to try a new cookie recipe for the holidays. When I stumbled across a cookie recipe involving chocolate and Andes Candies, I knew this was it! These cookies are awesome... almost a brownie like cookie, with a hint of mint at the top!

Chocolate Mint Candies Cookies
Recipe from: All Recipes

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (4.5 ounce) packages chocolate covered thin mints

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until melted. Remove from heat, stir in the chocolate chips until melted and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, be careful not to overbake. When cookies come out of the oven, Press one mint wafer into the top of each cookie and let sit for 1 minute. When the mint is softened, swirl with the back of a spoon or toothpick to make a pattern with the green filling of the mint wafer. For smaller cookies, break mints in half.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

2008-12-23T06:05:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas classic at my house is the Peanut Butter Blossom. This are my all-time favorite cookie, hands down. The recipe is simple, and comes together quickly.

Peanut Butter Blossoms
Recipe from: Hershey

Ingredients:

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

About 4 dozen cookies. (We love these so much, we double the recipe!!)

Christmas Cutout Cookies

2008-12-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

A regular cookie I have to have every year at the holidays, is the classic cutout cookie. But, I couldn't find the regular recipe my mother used. So I decided to use a new recipe, from my new Williams-Sonoma Cookie cookbook. Overall, I wasn't impressed with these cookies... but, my hubby gobbled them ALL down in 2 days, so they can't be too bad!!

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 tsps vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, crem the butter until fluffy and pale. Add the granulate sugar in 3 additions, beating on low speed for 2 minutes after each addition. Beat the egg yolk and vanilla into the butter mixture until well blended.

Sift the flour and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon just until blended.

Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 4 equal portions. Shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment (baking) paper.

Remove the dough disks from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out between 2 sheets of waxed paper to a thickness of 1/8-1/4 inch. Using cookie cutters, cut into curcles or other shapes. Repeat with the reamining dough portins, then gather up the scraps and reroll them. If the scraps of dough have become sticky, refrigerate them for 10 minutes before rerolling. For best results, do not roll the same dough more than twice.

Using an offest spatula, transfer the cookies to the prepared pans. Sprinkle with sugar. If using an intricately shaped cuter, refrigerate the cutout cookies for 15-30 minutes before baking.

Bake the cookies until they are lightly golden on the bottom, 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool briefly on the pans on wire racks before transferring them to the racks to cool completely.

I hope I win!!

2008-12-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

Check out this awesome giveaway over on Baking Delights! She is giving away awesome gift baskets full of Hershey products!

I've entered - so cross your finger I win!!

Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Muffins

2008-11-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

When I saw a recipe for a healthier version of pumpkin & chocolate chip muffins in my google reader, I knew I'd have to make it. And I am so glad I did! These muffins from Loves to Eat are awesome...full of my favorite fall flavors!

Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels (I used 1/2 bitter sweet and 1/2 semi sweet... next time I'll cut down on the altogether - they were very chocolately!)

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease thirty-six 2 1/2-inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups. (I got 24 muffins and 1 mini loaf)
COMBINE all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Add pumpkin and oil; mix well. Stir in flour mixture until moistened. Stir in morsels. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove from pans.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Fajitas

2008-10-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe I got from Apples of Gold. I think this is my favorite yet - it's soo good.

Crock Pot Fajitas

2 lb beef flank steak (or chicken, I used chicken)

1 onion sliced

1 green & red pepper cut into strips

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp salt

1 8oz Can mexican style tomatoes drained (I used a small can of tomato sauce)

1 jalapeno pepper (optional)

12 8inch tortillas

Toppings: sour cream, guacamole, cheddar cheese, salsa

Cut steak or chicken into 6-8 portions. In crock pot combine all ingredients.

Cook on low 8-10 hours, medium 6-7 hours, or high 4-5 hours.

Remove meat and shred. Return to pot and stir.

Tuesday's with Dorie: REWIND!

2008-10-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

I should really start calling this WEDNESDAY'S with Dorie, as I can't seem to get them in on time! Ugh. Anyway, this weeks recipe comes from Mari with Mevrouw Cupcake. She chose Creme Brulee. At first, I was super excited (so was Mike!)... but them reality hit. I don't have a torch, and I have no idea how to use a broiler (or much less what one is!). I still have so much to learn! Anyway, head over to Mari's page to check out the recipe.

I was beyond excited when I found out we could do a recipe rewind, instead of the Creme Brulee. I decided to go over the recipes I had not made yet and Michael chose my recipe for the week! It's Perfectection Pound Cake. The recipe can be found on pages 222 & 223 in Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Mine turned out wonderful. Dense, yet fluffy. Sweet, yet not too sweet. Really it is just right. I'm usually not 100% happy with my TWD recipes - but this one is an exception - I love it, and so does Michael! I hope you enjoy it too!

Mac & Cheese

2008-10-01T05:15:00.001-07:00

Those of you who know me well, know I really don't like cheese. I don't like cheese in my sandwiches, I don't like cheese on my pizza, and I don't like mac & cheese unless it's from a blue box. Well, my husband on the other hand, likes EXTRA cheese on EVERYTHING. So, when I came across this mac & cheese recipe from Fresh From Cate's Kitchen, I know I had to try it. Her pictures make it look creamy and delicious - which it is. It's like a home-made version of velveeta shells & cheese.

Easy Mac & Cheese

(adapted from Cooking Light, May 2007)

1 1/4 cups uncooked macaroni
1 cup 1% milk
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt
a few grinds of a pepper mill

Cook pasta in a medium saucepan according to package directions.
Transfer to a colander.
In the same saucepan, combine the milk and flour over medium heat, stirring with a whisk.
Cook, stirring constantly until thickened (about 2 minutes).
Add cheese, salt, and pepper, and continue whisking until all the cheese is melted.
Turn off heat, stir in the pasta, and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

This is so super easy, and really good. Enjoy!

Double Quick Pumpkin Bars

2008-09-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

This is another recipe I got from my church meeting called Apples of Gold. When I had this dessert, I immediately fell in love. It was amazing. They are the perfect way to begin autumn! I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do!

Double Quick Pumpkin Bars

BARS:

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsps baking powder

2 tsps cinnamon

2 cups flour

FROSTING:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

6 tbsps margarine, softened

1 tsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream oil, eggs and sugar. Add remaining cookie ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into an ungreased 15x10 ince jelly roll pan. (I don't have this size pan, so I used a 13x9x2 cake pan - which is why mine are more cake like)

Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes. (Mine took the whole 25 minutes, if not 1 or 2 more minutes). Cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.

To make frosting, cream together all frosting ingredients. Spread on colled, uncut cookies. After frosting has set, cut into equal size bars. Store any leftover bars, covered, in the refrigerator.

Variation: Add 1/2 cup choppd walnuts or raisins to the recipe.

Yield: 36 bars (Since mine was baked in a different pan, I had 24 pieces)

TWD: Dimply Plum Cake

2008-09-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

Life was hectic this week, so I wasn't able to make the recipe of the week for Tuesdays with Dorie. But head over to the blog so you can check out how everyones recipes turned out!

Thanks to Michelle of Bak-en for choosing this weeks recipe! Check out Michelle's blog for the recipe!

Spicy Garlic Herbed Pasta

2008-09-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe from Katie at Good Things Catered. Katie has one of my favorite blogs, so I knew when I saw this recipe it would be amazing. And it really was - soo good. I served this dish with Lemon Velvet Chicken and topped it with a little of the leftover sauce from the chicken. It was amazing.

Spicy Garlic Herbed Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta of choice (I used egg noodles)
2 tsp olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed (I used a large spoon full of the already chopped stuff, I'm a cheater!)
1/2 tsp dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 c. fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/8 c. fresh thyme, minced
juice 1/2 lemon

Directions:
-Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil.
-Cook pasta in boiling water until just tender, according to package instructions.
-Reserve 1 c. pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.
-Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
-Add garlic to skillet and cook until beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
-Add red pepper flakes, wine, salt, and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
-Add butter to skillet, stirring until melted, and stir in herbs and lemon juice.
-Remove skillet from heat.
-Toss pasta well in large bowl, adding some of reserved cooking water if necessary to keep moist. (mine did not need this)

ENJOY!

Lemon Velvet Chicken

2008-09-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

When I saw this recipe pop up on my google reader, I knew I had to try it. Mike and I love alfredo and chicken, and this looked amazing. I found the recipe from Jewels in the Kitchen.

Lemon Velvet Chicken

1 Tbsp. flour (I used about 1.5 tbsp)
1 t. seasoned salt
2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 large breasts)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 jar Alfredo sauce (I used reduced fat)
juice of 1 lemon

Mix flour and salt. Cover chicken with the mixture. Melt butter in hot pan, add chicken and cook for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze lemon over, add sauce, put on low and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

We served this alongside Spicy Garlic Herbed Pasta - yumm!

Peat & Walnut Salad

2008-09-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from an Apples of Gold class I am taking through my church. This salad is so simple and so refreshing I had to share!

Pear & Walnut Salad

1 head of lettuce (or a bagged lettuce)
2 pears
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp honey

Slice or chop lettuce, pears and walnuts and mix together in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and honey.

This is a delicious meal - I hope you enjoy!

TWD... on Wednesday!

2008-09-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a day late! I'm sorry! I was out of town traveling for work, so I wasn't able to get my post up yesterday. Anyway... this week's choice for TWD was Chocolate Chunkers chosen by Claudia of Fool for Food. (Please go to her page for the recipe!)

I was excited for this recipe, because how can a cookie with 4 different chocolates not be amazing? Well, this wasn't amazing. My husband thought they were too chocolatey, I don't agree. Nothing is ever too chocolatey for me! I thought they were too salty. I think they would have been better with no salted peanuts, fewer chocolate chips and more dough. I may have to make them again this way, and see if they are better for me.

Head over to Tuesdays with Dorie to see how the other 250+ TWDers felt about these!

TWD: Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops

2008-09-09T05:13:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I was very skeptical of this weeks recipe. Rachel from Confessions from a Tangerine Tart chose Chocolate Whopper Malted Drops. I immediately thought "well crap, I hate whoppers!" When I was telling my husband about this recipe, he got super excited - turns out he LOVES whoppers. So, for the sake of TWD and my husband, I bought the whoppers and got cracking on the recipe.

Reviews:

ME- I thought they were just okay. I would have preferred them without the whopper pieces, because they kind of caramalized in the cookie. The cookie was nice and cake-like and had great chocolate flavor, I just wasn't in love with the whopper chunks.

HUSBAND- He loved them. Really, really loved them!

Head over to Tuesdays with Dorie to check out all the entries for the week!

Sesame Beef

2008-09-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

The husband and I are somewhat picky chinese food eaters. I only like 1 or 2 things, luckily, Mike only likes the same 1 or 2 things. We don't get chinese often because I hate that "heavy" feeling I always have afterwards. Anyway, when I saw this recipe on the Delish Food blog, I knew I wanted to try it. I'd love the opportunity to create a healthier chinese option!

Sesame Beef

Source: Delish

1/2-pound boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced into 1-inch strips

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 garlic clove, minced

4 scallion greens, cut diagonally into 1-inch slices (I omitted, and used broccoli instead)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, 1 Tbsp oil, honey, and mustard. Add steak, tossing to coat, and let marinate, refrigerated, for 1-2 hours.
In a heavy skillet or wok, heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot and sauté garlic. Add steak and cornstarch, stirring, until browned 2-3 minutes. Stir in scallions, sesame seeds, and salt and pepper to taste and heat until just heated through. Serve immediately.

For DH & I, I doubled this recipe, and we ate it all. Michael said it is one of his favorite dishes now! I served it on top of rice.

Whole Wheat pizza dough

2008-09-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

My husband could eat pizza every day for every meal - seriously. So I'm always looking for ways to make it more homemade and more healthy. When I saw this recipe for whole wheat pizza dough over on A Year in the Kitchen, I knew I had to try it.

I made the dough the day before I needed it, but I think next time I should do it same day. When I made it, I wrapped it in Saran Wrap and stuck it in the refrigerator. Well, twice it grew and broke the saran wrap! So by the time I went to roll it and stretch it out - I could have made 2 pizzas! So I just made a nice, thick crust!

This is the pizza after it's been baked, before we added toppings.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 packet active dry yeast
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. warm water
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all purpose flour

Add water, yeast and sugar to a mixing bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, yeast will bubble. Turn the dough hook on and add in the flours. If the dough is too sticky, add another 1/4 c. all purpose flour. Let it knead for 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 1-2 hours.

Roll out dough, and place on a pizza pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Add toppings (I used pizza sauce, pizza seasoning from Penzey's, shredded mozzerella and parmesan cheeses and turkey pepperoni) and put back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Crockpot Bread

2008-09-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

What? Crockpot bread? How the heck do you make bread in a crockpot? That was the first thing I thought when I saw this recipe over at Sweet Savory Southern. But heck, I'm always up for baking, and really - how hard can this be!?

Well, this bread didn't turn out to be my favorite. Part of the bottom got way too dark - if I make it again, I might not cook it on high at all, just low for 3 or so hours. I'm not sure. It was also very dense, I like a fluffier bread. Feel free to tweek as you'd like!

Classic White Bread

101 More Things To Do With A Slow cooker
Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring
10-15 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
1 envelope (.25 ounce) of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat flour & 1 3/4 or so cups AP flour)

DIRECTIONS:
In a bowl combine yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water. Allow yeast to foam, about 5 minutes. Add egg, oil, lukewarm water, salt, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 cups of flour. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on low. With a wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour. Place dough in greased 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours. (Again, I think I'd cook it on low 3-4 hours since the bottom of mine got too dark) Remove stoneware from cooker and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

TWD: Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chipsters

2008-09-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

For this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe pick, Stefany of Proceed with Caution chose Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chipsters. I was super excited to make this - how can you go wrong with peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate chips?!

I made them to go to a dinner at my in-laws, they all loved them. So did my brother, I gave him all the leftovers! Since I'm watching my calories, I didn't eat any - not even any dough! But the smell and the reviews have me convinced that they are great!

Check out the recipe on Stefany's page! The only thing I did differently was I added mini baking reese cups!

Weight Watchers Snickers Pie

2008-09-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

When I saw this recipe on My Sweet Life, I knew I wanted to try it! Besides, it's a low-fat dessert - my fav!

I made this (with the help of my sister-in-law) when we were at the beach. Everyone loved it - they said it tasted like a Snicker's slushie!

Weight Watchers Snickers Pie

1 pint of vanilla frozen yogurt (I use fat free or lowfat) (We used a large container of yogurt, not the frozen yogurt)
2 tbsp of chunky peanut butter (JIF Reduced Fat) (We used creamy)
1/2 package of instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 container (6 oz) of cool whip (ff, lite or regular, whichever you prefer)

Let frozen yogurt soften or put in microwave for 30-45 seconds (we obviously skipped this step!). Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into an 8" pie pan. Freeze until set. Top with a dollop of cool whip, and a drizzle of chocolate and caramel (we used hot fudge and a chopped up snickers bar, which may or may not hurt WW points!) with a few peanuts.

Chicken Parmigiana Rolls

2008-08-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

Michael & I are big chicken parmesan fans, it's a regular on our menu. But when I saw this recipe, I knew I wanted to try it. It's just a twist on the original chicken parm. I got this recipe from Joelen at Joelen's Culinary Adventures - thanks for the recipe!!

Chicken Parmigiana Rolls (copied right from Joelen, with my changes in red)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (I didn't butterfly mine, I just pounded them out)

1 cup pasta sauce

4 basil leaves (I used dried basil)

2 slices of mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup flour

1 egg, scrambled

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon italian seasoning (I used italian seasoned bread crumbs instead)

salt & pepper to taste

Open up the butterflied chicken breasts and cut in 2 equal pieces. With a meat pallet, pound each piece of chicken flat to form a paillard. On each piece of chicken, spread a tablespoon of pasta sauce. Top sauce with a 1/2 slice of mozzarella cheese, sprinkle of parmesan cheese and 1 basil leaf. Carefully take one side of the chicken and begin rolling it into a chicken roll. Secure chicken roll with a toothpick to stay intact. Dredge chicken roll in flour. Dip chicken roll in the scrambled egg. Combine the italian season, salt, pepper and panko breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Coat the chicken roll with the seasoned breadcrumbs. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Place on a baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.You can choose to top the chicken rolls with sauce and cheese if you'd like.

TWD: Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

2008-08-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

This week, Dolores of Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity chose Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream. (Click on her page to see the recipe) I was soo excited because I have been wanting to make my own ice cream for a long time. I'm an ice cream fanatic... my nights just don't feel right if I don't end them with a scoop... *maybe that explains why I've packed on the pounds ;) * Anyway, I've had my mom's Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment sitting in my freezer cooling down for weeks - just waiting for the perfect opportunity to make ice cream. Well, this was it. And on a hot August day - who doesn't want blueberry ice cream?

Well, I'm sorry to say this, but I flat out hated this ice cream. My first attempt resulted in a blender catastophe - I had blueberry mess *all* over my counters. Then, once I finally got it whipped up a second time and tasted it - I thought it was awful. Honestly, all I could taste was the sour cream. I even added lots of extra sugar, and that didn't help. What a bummer. But be sure to head over to Tuesdays with Dorie to see how everyone else made out!

I'll be in the Outer Banks next week on vacation, but I'm still going to try to make the next recipe: Granola Grabbers.

Summer WC Gift Exchange

2008-08-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Imagine my excitement when I came home to a *huge* box with my name on it!! Inside the box, was the gift I received for this summers What's Cooking Gift Exchange! Thanks so much to PaulandShawna - she sent me an awesome package!

Inside the package was all sorts of cupcake decorating supplies! I got a cupcake pan with a lid, 2 cupcake liners, 2 different sprinkles and a 12-piece cupcake decorating set with decorating bags and tips. I was so excited, I went ahead and made vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting! I didn't take pics because they were just Betty Crocker box mix - but they looked awesome thanks to Shawna!

Thanks girl, I love it!

Back in the TWD groove of things: Black & White Banana Cake

2008-08-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

I've decided to rejoin the baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie. I hadn't done it in several months, but I'm back! This week, Ashlee from A Year in the Kitchen chose Black & White Banana Cake. Lots of the TWD bakers said it was runny, but mine looked great. I did omit the dark rum though, and instead of bittersweet chocolate, I used semi-sweet. I prefer the slighty sweeter taste. Overall, I enjoy this cake. It's great with a hot cup of tea! Head over to Ashlee's blog to check out the recipe!

Lettuce Wrap Chicken Satay

2008-08-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

I've finally made the lettuce wrap chicken satay again. Enjoy the pic, and check out the recipe, here.

I'm also submitting this to Joelen's blogging event: Asian Appetizers. Thanks so much Joelen, for hosting all these amazing blogging events and allowing us so stretch our culinary imaginations!

August Tasty Tools: Whisk!

2008-08-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

For the month of August, the Tasty Tools event (hosted by Joelen) is the WHISK. I use whisks *all* the time. In this instance, I was whisking flour, baking powder and salt, for a cake I'll be posting about in a bit.

Thanks for hosting, Joelen!

TCHO Chocolate Blondies

2008-08-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

Here are the promised blondies that I made with the TCHO chocolates that I blogged about earlier. Well, I found the recipe at The Foodie Fashionista, and they look amazing! Well, I managed to mess up the recipe, but they still turned out really well.

Chocolate-chip Cookie Bars

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp) butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder (whoops, I used 1/4 tsp)

1/4 tsp baking soda (whoops, I used 1/2 tsp)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (this is where I used the chopped up TCHO chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8x8 baking pan (I used 9x9) with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat brown sugar and butter over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, beat the egg and vanilla. Slowly pour in the butter and sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Mix in flour, baking powder and baking soda. Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Yields 9 bars.

These bars are really good! I highly recommend them. I'll probably try them again, using the correct amounts of baking powder and soda. oops!

Best Cake Ever

2008-08-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Mike decided he wanted a few buddies over for some hamburgers & hotdogs. We also found out at the last minute that it was his good friend Justin's birthday. I didn't have time to make a cake, but I knew right where to buy one.

In Central VA we have a grocery store called Ukrops. Their bakery is simply amazing - but the best part is definitely the cakes. This cake is whipped icing atop a white cake. And just because Justin (birthday boy) is a goof-ball, we got him a cake with pink flowers!

Here is Justin, showing off his cake. Happy 22nd birthday!

Restaurant Review: Capital Ale House

2008-08-04T11:22:00.001-07:00

I've decided to start blogging about the places we go to eat, along with the food I make at home. The first restaurant I'll review is the Capital Ale House. This restaurant's claim to fame is its extensive beer list - the beer menu looks like a magazine. I bet there are thousands of beers to pick from (I'm talking 80 just on tap at the location we went to). Well, I don't drink - but I was all over their amazing food. This was Mike & I's first trip - we went with my parents.

Appetizer

This is the best homemade pretzel ever - it was obviously a LOT larger than this, but we all dug in so fast I almost forgot to snag a picture! The dip in the blue dish is a wonderful homemade mustard dip. It's grainy, flavorful and amazing.

Salad

My meal came with a salad, and I chose the caesar. I'm generally very picky with my caesar dressings - to me they are usually too overpowering. This one was not that at all. It was light and delicious. I'd definitly get this again.

Main Course

This is one of the best pasta dishes I have ever gotten. This is how the menu describes it "Tender chicken breast meat pan seared, finished in a creamy pesto sauce and served over Linguini pasta."

Really, that doesn't do it justice. It's so flavorful and light - not overwhelming at all. And the chicken was so moist and delicious. I highly recommend this dish.

Dessert

I didn't get a picture of dessert because well, I ate it too fast. It was great. It is called the Brownie Rockslide. The bottom is a moist and delicious brownie, topped with vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled with white chocolate ganache and caramel. *wow* yumm!

And my lovely parents... doesn't it look like they had a good time??

Ratings:

Atmosphere: A: we sat outside and it was lovely!
Staff/Service: B: It took a while for our waitress to even acknowledge us, but once she did the service got much better
Food: A+: Really, just awesome food - come hungry!

Capital Ale House
Midlothian Village, just east of 288

TCHO Chocolates

2008-08-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, being a food blogger sure has it's perks! I came home from a business trip to a package! I love getting packages - but this package was better than most. It contained chocolate. As you may remember, I got some TCHO chocolates in the mail a few months ago because I frequent the Blake Makes website (where he does regular give-aways). Since I got that first package, TCHO has put out a new chocolate - fruity. I immediately had to try the fruity, and compare it to the "chocolate" one that also came in the package. The fruity is very very rich, almost too rich for me. But I adored the subtle undertones of berry in the background. It was surprising in a piece of chocolate, but most welcome. After trying "fruity" we tried "chocolate" - this is my favorite. It's such a smooth, refined, intense chocolate flavor. One square does the trick for my chocolate craving.

Overall, I *love* TCHO chocolate. My father-in-law is currently tiling my florida room, so as a thank you - I'll be making chocolate chip blondies tonight with this chocolate. I'll post later about how it turns out!

Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Chicken

2008-07-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

When I saw this recipe on the Delicious Meliscious blog, I knew I had to make it. This recipe combines my husband and I's favorite foods: chicken, cheese and pepperoni. How good does that sound?? We give this recipe a HUGE THUMBS UP!

Plus, this is my 50th post! YAY! Time to celebrate :)

Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Source: Delicious Meliscious

Ingredients
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Sliced Pepperoni
Cheese (I used mozz)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Toothpicks

Directions
-Between wax paper pound out the chicken breasts until thin
-Layer the sliced pepperoni- however much you would like
-Layer the cheese, however much you would like
-Roll the chicken up and secure it with toothpicks, seam-side down
-Place in oven safe dish- drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with S&P and Italian Season to your liking
-Bake on 325 for about 30 minutes or until done

We served this with spaghetti and sauce, it was awesome! Enjoy - this is so yummy :)

Blackberry Buckle

2008-07-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

I went with my parents to the Farmer's Market this weekend, and on the way there we saw a place to pick-your-own blackberries! Between the 3 of us, we ended up with about 1.5 gallons of berries! Yumm! But I had to figure out something to make with it! After searching for recipes online, I came across this one - and it sounded perfect. Here is the recipe, straight from All Recipes!

Blackberry Buckle

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar, divided
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.
Spread into a greased 9-in. square baking dish. Toss the blackberries with lemon juice; sprinkle over batter. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar and flour; cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over berries.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Refrigerate leftovers.

School Bus Cake

2008-07-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I took cake decorating classes. Then I took them again with my husband shortly before we got married. So, everytime someone needs a cake made, they come to me! This cake is my most recent. My mom has an inside joke with her department at work about a bus - so she asked me to make a cake for a dinner get-together they were having. One of the ladies she works with, found this cake, and asked me to replicate it.

We pretty much replicated the cake exactly, except I decorated in stars instead of plain icing. But the structure is made from 2 pound cakes, then we iced and decarated. The lights are Hershey's kissables, the wheels are chocolate iced donuts with white chocolate chip headlights. The stop sign is a piece of licorice. But you can follow the directions found in the link above, or be creative with it!

Knives

2008-07-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is how I create my mastepieces! I began "collecting" things for my future home when I was about 15. I bought dishes, silverware, mixing bowls - everything. I was so ready to be on my own! Well, my awesome parents gave me their spare Henckel knives (is that how it's spelled?). Anyway, they've been great.

But - it's time to upgrade. These knives get dull very easy (hmm, maybe I should try sharpening them!) and the tips bend really easy - actually, one of my knives has a permanent bend on the tip. I hope to get an awesome set, I just don't know what I want yet. Any ideas?

**This post is being submitted to Joelen's Knives Set Blog Event. Joelen is one of the most helpful and sweet girls on the WC board. She is truly an inspiration in the kitchen and is going to be an awesome Food Network Star someday! I just know it! Thanks for hosting so many great events, Joelen!

Lean Mean Ketchup

2008-07-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

As a Sooperhero on Blake Makes, I get to participate in several "contests" to win different food products. You may recall I won some Amano chocolates a few months back. The latest win, is Lean Mean Ketchup, from Chef Bradley.

Chef Bradley is a firm believer that sauces and condiments can be healthy as well as nutritious - so he created his own sauces, check them out here. I won my favorite condiment - ketchup. I can't wait to adorn my favorite meal (chicken nuggets and french fries - how klassy!) with the new and improved ketchup.

Thanks Chef Bradley and Blake Makes - this is an awesome gift!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2008-07-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

I was in the mood for something quick, easy and different - as always, the girls on What's Cooking pulled through for me. This recipe for pulled pork sandwiches could not be easier, or tastier. In fact, I walked my husband through how to make it - and he did it all on his own! (Trust me, that's a huge accomplishment!)

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

your favorite cut of pork (shoulder, butt, whatever you like)

8-12 ounces of root beer (some girls use Coke)

spices (I used Emeril's essence)

your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Dinosaur)

Put pork, root beer and seasonings in the crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours. Drain the crockpot, and add the BBQ sauce. Cook on low for 30 more minutes. Remove from the crock pot and shred, adding more BBQ sauce if you like. Serve on sandwiches!

Yumm - sorry my picture is terrible, it was taken on my husbands Blackberry because my Dad wouldn't let me borrow one of his camera's - what a snot ;) !!

Home-made Bread

2008-07-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at making my own bread for a while now. But really, it's got to be hard to make your own bread, right? Well, I needed some "me" time yesterday, so I took a 1/2 day at work, and came home to relax. But - I got bored. So I decided it was the perfect time to try my hand at homemade bread. I found a recipe for Classic White Bread from Chelley, over at Sugar & Spice. I thought this would be the perfect base to my bread. In the end, I'm not terribly happy with my bread. It didn't rise correctly - but, I'm going to try again this weekend with warmer ingredients.

I am copying the recipe from Chelley, with the changes I made in red.

Classic White Bread

(Source: Peter Reinhart The Bread Baker’s Apprentice pages 265-269)
Makes two 1-pound loaves, 18 dinner rolls, or 12 burger or hot dog buns

4¼ cups (19 ounces) unbleached bread flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white flour)
1½ teaspoons (.38 ounces) salt

3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) sugar

2 teaspoons (.22 ounce) instant yeast

1 large (1.65 ounces) egg, slightly beaten, at room temperature

¼ cup (2 ounces) butter, margarine, or shortening, at room temperature, or vegetable oil

1½ cups (12 ounces) buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature

1 egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water until frothy, for egg wash (optional)

sesame or poppy seeds for garnish (optional)

1. Mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Pour in the egg, butter, and milk and mix with a large metal spoon (or on low speed of the electric mixer with the paddle attachment) until all the flour is absorbed and the dough forms a ball. If the dough seems very stiff and dry, trickle in more milk until the dough is soft and supple.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook), adding more flour, if necessary, to create a dough that is soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Continue kneading (or mixing) for 6 to 8 minutes. (In the electric mixer, the dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick ever to slightly to the bottom.) The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 80° F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Ferment at room temperature for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size (the length of time will depend on the room temperature).

4. Remove the fermented dough from the bowl and divide it in half for sandwich loaves, into eighteen 2-ounce pieces for dinner rolls, or twelve 3-ounce pieces for burger or hot dog buns. Shape the pieces into boules for loaves or tight rounds for dinner rolls or buns. Mist the dough lightly with spray oil and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

5. For loaves, shape as shown on page 81. Lightly oil two 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans. For rolls and buns, line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment. Rolls require no further shaping. For hamburger buns, gently press down on the rolls to form the desired shape. For hot dog buns, shape as shown on page 80, although without tapering the ends. Transfer the rolls or buns to the sheet pans.

6. Mist the tops of the dough with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Proof the dough at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it nearly doubles in size.

7. Preheat the oven to 350° F for loaves or 400° F for roll and buns. Brush the rolls or buns with the egg wash and garnish with poppy or sesame seeds. Sandwich loaves also may be washed and garnished, or score them down the center and rub a little vegetable oil in the slit.

8. Bake the rolls or buns for approximately 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and register just above 180° F in the center. Bake loaves for 35 to 45 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through for even baking, if needed. The tops should be golden brown and the sides, when removed from the pan, should also be golden. The internal temperature of the loaves should be close to 190° F, and the loaves should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

9. When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving. Rolls should cool for at least 15 minutes on a rack before serving.

Enjoy! Once I make it again, if I'm happier with the results I'll post new pictures!

Mexican Pizza

2008-07-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law loves a pizza from Cici's that is their mexican pizza. I have no idea what it has on it, because quite frankly I think it looks funny - so I'm not touching it. Anyway, I wanted something mexican for dinner the other night, but didn't want the usual. So as I was menu planning, I decided to make a mexican pizza, my way.

Mexican Pizza

1 pillsbury pizza dough (cook before assembly of pizza)

sour cream

salsa

shredded cheddar cheese (or mexican mix cheese)

lettuce

lean ground beef

To assemble:

Prepare pizza dough. In a small bowl, mix equal parts sour cream and salsa (use as much or as little as you like, depending on how saucy you like your pizza). Once combined, spread evenly over pizza. Sprinkle ground beef over sauce, then cheese, then lettuce. Cut into triangles like a pizza and serve!

This is so yummy - I can't wait to make this again!

Lettuce Wrap Chicken Satay

2008-06-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much - we've been making "regulars" and trying to watch our waist lines. I've started South Beach Diet, so my recipes (should) be pretty low carb from here on out. This recipe I found at allrecipes.com. The directions call for putting this chicken on skewers and serving that way, we decided to but into chunks and turn it into a lettuce wrap. Also, in order to serve my husband and I dinner, plus me for lunch the next day - I tripled the recipe. Here is the original recipe.

Chicken Satay
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 TBSP light soy sauce
salt & pepper

Peanut Sauce:
1 1/2 TBSP trans-fat free peanut butter
1/4 TSP garlic powder
1/2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/4 packet sugar substitute
1 1/2 TBSP water
sprinkle of cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

1. To make peanut sauce: Place the ingrendents in a bowl and stir well. Microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Pound chicken breasts between pieces of plastic wrap to a uniform thickness. Rub each breast with about 1 TBSP of light soy sauce. Then season both sides of each breast with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Place in a skillet and grill a couple minutes per side. Remove and cut into strips or cubes and thread onto skewers. Dip into peanut sauce and enjoy.

This was very different for my husband and I, but we both enjoyed it very much. I hope you do too!

TWD: French Chocolate Brownies

2008-06-03T05:11:00.001-07:00

I looove brownies. So, thanks to Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook for choosing this weeks recipe: French Chocolate Brownies.

Now, I have yet to come across a brownie that I enjoy more than the "box kind" brownie mix. This was a strange recipe for me - I had really high hopes for it. But I was disappointed. I thought it was dry and dense. It just didn't work for me. But others *raved* about it, I guess it's just personal preference.

So, head over to Tuesday's With Dorie to check out everyones work this week!

French Chocolate Brownies
- makes 16 brownies

-Adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/3 cup raisins, dark or golden (I omitted)

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (I omitted)

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 12 pieces

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, butter the foil, place the pan on a baking sheet, and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon, if you're using it.

Put the raisins in a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the water almost evaporates. Add the rum, let it warm for about 30 seconds, turn off the heat, stand back and ignite the rum. Allow the flames to die down, and set the raisins aside until needed.

Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Slowly and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add the butter, stirring so that it melts. It's important that the chocolate and butter not get very hot. However, if the butter is not melting, you can put the bowl back over the still-hot water for a minute. If you've got a couple of little bits of unmelted butter, leave them—it's better to have a few bits than to overheat the whole. Set the chocolate aside for the moment.

Working with a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and pour in the chocolate-butter, mixing only until it is incorporated—you'll have a thick, creamy batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix at low speed for about 30 seconds—the dry ingredients won't be completely incorporated and that's fine. Finish folding in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula, then fold in the raisins along with any liquid remaining in the pan.

Scrape the batter into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is dry and crackled and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and allow the brownies to cool to warm or room temperature.

Carefully lift the brownies out of the pan, using the foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. With a long-bladed knife, cut the brownies into 16 squares, each roughly 2 inches on a side, taking care not to cut through the foil.

Serving: The brownies are good just warm or at room temperature; they're even fine cold. I like these with a little something on top or alongside—good go-alongs are whipped crème fraiche or whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate sauce or even all three!

Storing: Wrapped well, these can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Ranch Panko Chicken

2008-06-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

This is such a simple dish to bring together, and is so yummy! I had concerns that it would be dry after being in the oven for 30 minutes, but the chicken was moist and tender and full of flavor. I highly recommend this dish for a quick go-to weeknight meal!

Ranch Panko Chicken

I can't remember where I got the original recipe, but this is my interpretation

1 pack of ranch dressing mix

1 cup of panko bread brumbs

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

1 egg

Combine the ranch dressing mix and panko bread crumbs in a small bowl. Whisk the egg in another small bowl. Dip chicken breasts in egg, then in panko mixture. Spray a 9x13 glass baking dish with non-stick spray and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

I served this alongside corn on the cob and mashed potatoes! Yummy - enjoy!

Pita Bread

2008-05-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

When I Saw Chelley over on the WC board posting about making her own pita bread, I knew this was a recipe I just HAD to try. I've always loved Pita bread - it reminds me of the summers I had off from school as a kid. I guess my mom must have made me sandwiches with pita bread or something, but it brings back such great memories. But it never ocurred to me to try and make my own. Thanks for the great idea Chelley.

This recipe is straight from Sugar & Spice - Chelley's blog

Pita Bread
Makes 8 pitas

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon sugar or honey

1 packet yeast

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water, roughly at room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, or shortening

Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon. All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water [I had to add a bit more flour to get it to the right consistency].

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. If you are using an electric mixer, mix it at low speed for 10 minutes.

When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it’ll be easier to shape.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, turn a cookie sheet upside down and place it on the middle rack of the oven while you are preheating the oven. This will be the surface on which you bake your pitas.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick - 6 inches in diameter. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.
Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet [I used parchment paper] and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.

Open the oven and place as many pitas as you can fit on the hot baking surface [I made 2 at a time on my baking stone]. They should be baked through and puffy after 3 minutes. If you want your pitas to be crispy and brown you can bake them for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, but it isn’t necessary [I baked mine for about 5 minutes each].

Look how poofy they got! It was so fun to watch them poof up in the oven!! I can't wait to dig into my lunch tomorrow - leftover pan-chicken with garlic, lettuce and shredded cheddar cheese in a homemade pita! Enjoy :)

Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce

2008-05-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

This recipe came from the weight watchers website. It is full of flavor, moist and delicious. I recommend this highly! And - it's SUPER fast to make!

Copied from Weight Watchers Website:

Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-ox pieces
1 tsp olive oil
12 medium garlic cloves, halved
1 cup fat-free chicken broth, reduced-sodium, divided

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with herb mixture.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook 2 minutes on each side. Add garlic and 3/4 cup broth. Place pan in oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until chicken is done and garlic cloves are soft.

Remove pan from oven. Transfer chicken to a platter; keep warm. Add remaining 1/4 cup broth to pan. Mash garlic with fork. Cook garlic mixture over medium heat 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated; stir. Serve garlic sauce over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast and 2 tbsp garlic sauce)
3 points per serving

I forgot to take a picture! But trust me, it's yummy!

Lego my Eggo!

2008-05-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

I love waffles! No seriously, I loooove them. But - I've only had eggo. I've never made my own. So, when I saw that Katie from Good Things Catered had a recipe, I had to make them. They are very good - a classic and fluffy waffle.

Basic Waffles

From Good Things Catered (she got it from Joy of Cooking)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs, well beaten

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (use 4 Tbsp for reduced fat and 16 Tbsp for the crispiest most delicious waffles ever)

1 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

-In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients.

-In another bowl whish together eggs, butter and milk.

-Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.

-Gently whisk them together with a few strokes (The batter should have a pebbled look, similar to muffin batter)

-If you wish, fold in about 1/2 cup of mix in of choice.

-Spoon 1/2 cup of batte (or the amount recommended by waffle iron manufacturer) on hot iron

-Bake until golden brown

I have an awesome industrial waffle iron, and this made me 5 waffles.

Enjoy!

No TWD this week

2008-05-13T04:28:00.000-07:00

I have been out of town, and have not had time to make this week's recipe. But thanks to Dianne of Dianne's Dishes for picking the recipe, Florida Pie. Make sure to check out all the entries for the week!

Florida Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs, seperated
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)
1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.

Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.

Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:
Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.
Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

Chicken Club Quesadilla

2008-05-05T18:27:00.001-07:00

There is a new restaurant in town called Moe's - it's a yummy Mexican place I can only describe as a subway for Mexican food. It's great! My bosses boss took me and my boss there for lunch one day, and I got a Chicken Club Quesadilla, and fell in love. So, I tried to recreate my own.

Chicken Club Quesadilla

Flour tortillas (1 per quesadilla)
Shredded cheese (as much as you like), we used Mexican shredded cheese
Shredded chicken (I used cut up chicken breasts)
Ranch dressing mixed with chipotle sauce (to make Chipotle Ranch)
Lettuce

Mix it all up and cook it in a little vegetable oil in a skillet. Flip when brown. Enjoy!

TWD: Peanut Butter Torte

2008-05-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

This week for Tuesday's with Dorie, Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food chose Peanut Butter Torte. As soon as I found out what the recipe was, I called my huband - I knew he'd be thrilled. This recipe could not have been more perfect for him, he is a peanut butter fool! (So is my sis-in-law, but she said she already had so much peanut butter today she would wait until tomorrow to try a piece!). I'm not a PB fan, so I didn't try this one. But my hubby and my brother-in-law both loved it.

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (I was out, so I used pumpkin pie spice)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk (I used 2% since that's what I had on hand)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan (I don't have a springform pan, so I used a 9" pie pan) and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.

When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Thanks for choosing a great one Elizabeth!

No TWD this week

2008-04-29T05:06:00.000-07:00

This week's recipe just didn't tickle my fancy, so I'm taking the week off. Don't forget to check out all the entries though! But stay tuned for next week, I'm super excited about Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food's choice: Peanut Butter Torte. Yummm... :)

In case you are interested, here is this week's recipe.

Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed
1 c. medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. ricotta
1/3 c. tepid water
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. honey (if you’re a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine, or buckwheat)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 ½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half.
Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You’ll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter.
Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the panm, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely.

Strawberry Bread

2008-04-28T18:34:00.000-07:00

My grandmother, mother, sister-in-law and I went to the opening of the local strawberry patch this past weekend. Unfortunatily, due to the rain - most of the berries were rotten. We got a few good ones though, enough for me to make this great recipe I found on the nest. Amy from Skinny Food by Amy shared this recipe with me, and I was so excited when I saw it! It's really a wonderful bread, I highly recommend it.

This recipe is copied from Amy's blog. I used the full fat version since I did not have the low fat ingredients on hand. I'm sure it's great either way.

Strawberry Bread

Hard to believe, but I reduced the calories by 100 calories per serving on this bread, and am sure that I didn't impact the taste much at all! My dad bought a flat of Louisiana strawberries late last week, and so I have been trying to figure out ways to get rid of the strawberries since their lives are at their end..lol. This helped me rid of a pint and in an awesome way!

This bread is delicious, especially with a dollop of cool whip. I want another piece but I know I snacked enough earlier when I got home lol. Here is the original recipe with my substitutions from AllRecipes.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups fresh strawberries

* 3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 1/8 cups AP flour)

* 2 cups white sugar (1 cup splenda, 1 cup white sugar)

* 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (12 oz. no sugar added applesauce)

* 4 eggs, beaten

* 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans (omitted because I hate pecans)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.

2. Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

3. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well. Blend oil and eggs into strawberries. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in pecans. Divide batter into pans.

4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaves out, and cool completely.I did end up just baking this in a 8x8 pan since I couldn't find the loaf pans :(. Worked out just fine! All in all this was delicious and I'm looking forward to this for breakfast tomorrow morning!

**I used my Pampered Chef mini-loaf stoneware pan, and it worked great!

TWD... a day late!

2008-04-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

This week's recipe came from Amanda at Slow Like Honey. She chose Bill's Big Carrot Cake. My husband was super excited, he looves him some carrot cake. I think it's "ok" - but I was excited about this recipe since I have not made one before. The thought of carrots in my cake kind of weirds me out! Anyway, my oven and I had a fight over this cake. As you can see in the recipe, you are supposed to bake at 325 degrees for 40-50 minutes... I started to smell a burning after about 30 minutes, and my internal thermometer was reading 400 degrees. Humph. I went ahead and took the cakes out and let them cool. The bottom of 2 out of the 3 layers were burnt to a crisp and partly stuck to the cake pan. I was so upset. But, my husband came to the rescue and cut off most of the burned edges so it could be salvaged. So, while my layers are uneven, the edges are slightly crunchy and it is certaintly not the prettiest cake ever - it sure did taste good. My favorite part was definitely the icing. OMG the best icing ever, my mom agrees! Enjoy!

Bill's Big Carrot Cake

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes and unmold them. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting. Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.
Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

TWD: Marshmallows

2008-04-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is my first week as a member of Tuesdays with Dorie. Each week, a different member selects a recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook: Baking, From my home to yours. This week, Judy from Judy's Gross Eats chose marshmallows. I was so excited, yet so nervous to make these. My first thought was, wait - you don't just go to the grocery store and buy a bag? It never occurred to me to make them from scratch. Needless to say I was intimidated. Well, they turned out heavenly. Perfect little squares of fluffy goodness. They would be perfect in a S'more, or in Rice Krispie treats. My husband and I are planning on having them atop hot chocolate tonight. Enjoy!

Marshmallows
Including marshmallows as a spoon dessert may seem like cheating -- after all, they're eaten with fingers (or, by campers, from sticks picked up in the forest) -- but making them at home is too much fun to miss. And in fact this dessert is related to others in this chapter: the base is meringue -- sweetened and strengthened by a cooked sugar syrup and fortified by gelatin.

There's nothing difficult about making the marshmallows, but the meringue does need a long beating. While you can use a hand mixer, a stand mixer makes the job easier.

I'm giving you the recipe for a basic vanilla marshmallow. See Playing Around (below) for raspberry, chocolate, cappuccino and pumpkin marshmallows.

Makes about 1 pound marshmallows
About 1 cup potato starch (found in the kosher foods section of supermarkets) or cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/4-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

GETTING READY: Line a rimmed baking sheet -- choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high -- with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with potato starch or cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.

Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup -- without stirring -- until it reaches 265 degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.

While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)
Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy -- don't overbeat them and have them go dull.

As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beater(s) and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter, then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place (I use custard cups).

Dust the top of the marshmallows with potato starch or cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.

Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a pair of scissors or a long thin knife. Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining potato starch or cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like -- into squares, rectangles or even strips (as they're cut in France). As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch.

SERVING: Put the marshmallows out and let everyone nibble as they wish. Sometimes I fill a tall glass vase with the marshmallows and put it in the center of the table -- it never fails to make friends smile. You can also top hot chocolate or cold sundaes with the marshmallows.

STORING: Keep the marshmallows in a cool, dry place; don't cover them closely. Stored in this way, they will keep for about 1 week -- they might develop a little crust on the outside or they might get a little firmer on the inside, but they'll still be very good.

Playing Around

RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOWS: Fruit purees are excellent for flavoring these candies.For raspberry marshmallows, you'll need a generous 1/3 cup of puree; reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon. After the batter is mixed, gently fold in the puree with a rubber spatula. You can use the same measurements and technique for other purees, such as strawberry, mango and passion fruit.

CAPPUCCINO MARSHMALLOWS: Sift 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon together into a small bowl. Stir in 1/3 cup boiling water and mix until smooth. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon, and add it to the espresso mix. After you add the sugar syrup and gelatin to the meringue, beat in the espresso mixture and continue.

LIGHT CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS: Melt 3 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate and stir in 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1/4 teaspoon, and after the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the chocolate mixture with a large rubber spatula.

PUMPKIN SPICE MARSHMALLOWS: Whisk together 1/2 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of ground allspice. After the marshmallow batter is mixed, fold in the spiced pumpkin with a large rubber spatula.

Crockpot Chicken

2008-04-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to cook a whole chicken for quite some time, but I rarely have time to sit and watch the grill or oven for 2 and 1/2 hours until it's done. So, I decided to cook it in the crockpot.

Crockpot Chicken

whole chicken (mine was just over 6 pounds), spray with a little olive oil (less than a tbsp)and put in the crock pot, sprinkle with your favorite seasonings (I used chicken rub, salt, pepper, fresh sage, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary). **It does not need any liquids, it will create its own juices). I cooked mine on low for 6 hours, then turned it to warm. It was falling off te bone we went to eat it, so moist and tender and full of flavor. I made the juices into a yummy gravy by thickening it with corn starch.

I highly recommend this low calorie, slow cooked meal.

TCHO Chocolates + BlakeMakes

2008-03-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

So, as a results of being obsessed with The Nest, I stumbled upon a wonderful food blog... Blakemakes.com. I'm one of his "Sooper Hero's" in fact. He regularly has Tuesday night give-aways, and I was lucky enough about 2 or 3 weeks ago to score an awesome give-away. I got TCHO chocolate... can I just say OMG! Super dark, rich, yummy chocolates - and free! What can be better?! So to TCHO and Blake, I say thank you. To everyone else, go get some TCHO chocolates here and check out Blake's page. Good stuff!

WC Winter Gift Exchange

2008-02-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Bexxie (Rebecca) my winter exchange was FANTASTIC. I was a smart cookie, and made a wishlist on Elfster so my secret nestie knew exactly what to get me... and they did! I got Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownie Mix (sooo can't wait to make this) and an awesome heart shaped baking pan. Check 'em out.

Thanks a million Rebecca! I love everything!

Zucchini Bread

2008-02-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I gave away/ate all the bread before I had the chance to take a picture. But the recipe is from a cookbook that my Great Grandfather created after my Great Grandmother passed away. It contains all her favorite recipes. So this has a very special place in my heart. I don't know where she got this recipe, but it makes a great bread!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs (beat with a fork)
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2" peeled, finely grated zucchini squash
3 tsp vanilla - Beat
1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups flour, sift into above
add 1 cup nuts (I didn't)
Greased tins, 325 degrees, 1 hr

This made me 4 large mini-loaves.

Best ever chocolate chip cookies

2008-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

No, seriously. These chocolate chip cookies are the best I have ever had. They are amazing, and the ingredients are not "typical." I got the recipe from Cooking Light, January 2008. You can find it here. The only modification I did, was I only used chocolate chips... I didn't do the double chocolate. Trust me, they don't need it.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2008-02-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

I love chocolate. I love strawberries. There are very few things in this world better than a chocolate covered strawberry. I made these for V-day, too bad my husband doesn't like them!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Melt baker's chocolate squares in double boiler, dip strawberries, let cool on wax paper.

That's it. And boy are they good!!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2008-02-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I first got married and started living together in our house, our neighbor came by with a gift. Now, the neighbors I'm referring to are the sweetest elderly couple you have ever met - they have lived in their house since the houses here were built (1960's). We feel so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors. But I digress.... they brought us over a homemade chocolate cake/pie thing, and a little cookbook from the church they attend, Bermuda Hundred United Methodist Church. That's where this recipe came from, submitted by Jeannie Lamb. I made a few edits, and I the recipe below is exactly how I made it.

Also, today is a special day. Today marks the one year anniversary of my grandfather's last chemo treatment. He beat cancer and is doing wonderfully. Grandpa and I have a very special relationship, and I love him dearly. So, I'm shipping some of these cookies to him. I'm also shipping some to my dad's mom. My dad's dad passed away about a month ago, and I want to make sure my grandmother knows how much she means to me.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour cream (I used buttermilk)

1 3/4 cup sifted flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

3 cups quick oats

1 cup raisins

Cream shortening, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Stir in buttermilk, sift dry ingredients together. Stir into creamed mixture. Stir in oats and raisins. Use medium pampered chef scoop onto baking stone. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.

Enjoy!

Penne Alla Vodka

2008-02-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

Amisdt my husband and I trying to cut back on our grocery spending, we have decided to meal plan and buy our groceries specific to the meals we want to create. While browsing other blogs to find new meals to make, I found this Penne Alla Vodka recipe from Telly's Tasty Tidbits. It looks simple and delicious, and let me tell you it is. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so I changed it up a bit. To see the original recipe, click the link above. This is my version:

Penne Alla Vodka

-26 oz tomato sauce

-1/2 cup heavy cream

-1/2 vodka

-1/2 cup of "pizza" shredded cheese (this is what's it is called in my store, it is actually a mix of mozzerella, parmesan and something else..)

1 box penne noodles

-Cook noodles while preparing sauce

-For the sauce, bring tomato sauce and vodka to a simmer in a sauce pan. Once bubbly, add in the cream and let simmer. Once bubbly, add in the cheese and let simmer. Once bubbly, add the cooked pasta and stir together. I added a little bit of parsley at the end also. It is so good and so easy. Enjoy!

Parmesan Panko Pork Chops

2008-02-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

To make this dish, I simply made a combo of panko and parmesan cheese in a small bowl. I first dipped the pork chop into 1 beaten egg, then dipped it into the panko/parmesan combo. Bake at 425 until done (mine took about 30 minutes). This is incredibly simple and tastes wonderful.

The husband and I enjoyed this with some wine from my brother and sister-in-law. Now, for those of you who don't know me, I don't drink... not one drop. But, I was feelin' frisky this night. I had to try my name-sake wine.

Chicken 'n Dumplings

2008-02-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

I love chicken 'n dumplings. I would eat this every week if my husband let me. This is what I order at Cracker Barrel, and this recipe is my attempt at remaking it. The original recipe comes from the Bisquick box, but I modified it. The recipe below is my version.

Chicken 'n Dumplings

1 small rotisserie chicken

1 1/3 cupe Bisquick (I used Heart Smart)

6 tbsp 1% milk

salt & pepper

1 or 2 cans chicken broth (depends on how "soupy" you like it)

Boil chicken broth. Add rotisserie chicken to reheat chicken. In the meantime, mix bisquick mix and milk to create a dough. Roll out the dough and cut into small strips. Set each strip in the chicken and broth mix - be careful not to splash! Cook until the dumplings look done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This takes me about 5-10 minutes, and is wonderful. Enjoy!

Chicken Parm

2008-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a *huge* chicken parm fan, so when I saw this recipe from "The Foodie Fashionista" I knew I had to try it. I must say, it is the best I have had yet - I even got a high five from the husband. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Chicken Parmesan
(I am copying the recipe straight from her page)

4 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs(OR 1 cup quick cooking oats instead of breadcrumbs and panko to stay core)
non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Pour egg in a large flat bowl. Mix breadcrumbs and panko together in second large flat bowl (or oatmeal if following core). Dip one chicken breast in the egg and then dredge through the breadcrumb mixture. Repeat for each chicken breast.Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Spray each side of chicken cutlets lightly with cooking spray. "Fry" each cutlet on each side just until the breading starts to brown and crisp up slightly.Place cutlets on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. Spray reverse side when you flip the cutlets. After 25 minutes, spread about 2 tablespoons sauce over each cutlet and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over each. Bake until cheese is melted.
Yields 4 servings.
WW info:core: 1 point (for breadcrumbs; 0 if use sub with oatmeal)
flex: 6 points

As you can see, I served this along side spaghetti. I hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!

My new favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie

2008-01-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

I'm always on a mission to find a better chocolate chip cookie. This one takes the cake, err... cookie. This is my favorite recipe so far.

This recipe comes from Katie (numbers), one of my fav WCers on her Good Things Catered blog. You can find the recipe http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/2007/08/best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html <--- there.

Enjoy!

WW: let's not go there...

Dog Ice Cream

2008-01-23T05:06:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe a while ago and it just sat taped to my refrigerator. My mom saw the recipe and decided to give it a whirl. Her dogs (and my dogs, they shared!) just loved them, so I knew I had to whip up a batch.

Dog Ice Cream

1 regular container non-fat plain or vanilla yogurt
3 TBS Peanut Butter
1 TBS honey
1 Banana

Mix all ingredients and scoop into an ice cube tray. Freeze overnight. The dogs will thank you!

Diet Coke Cupcakes

2008-01-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

When I saw this recipe for a low point cupcake I knew I had to try it! All you do, is take any boxed cake mix and mix it with any diet soda. The ones I made are chocolate cake mix and Diet Coke. I've also heard of white or lemon cake with a Diet Sprite. Use your imagination! Mine turned up a little too moist, next time I think I'll add an egg white.

WW: 2 points per cupcake

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

2008-01-06T16:23:00.000-08:00

These peanut butter & jelly cookies come from the "What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen" blog. They have been in my "to try" pile for a while, and they are actually really good.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

1 cup PB

1 egg

1/4 cup white sugar (I used 1/2 cup splenda and 1/2 cup sugar)

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used brown sugar splenda)

dash vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup flour

3-4 tbsp grape jelly

1/4 tsp salt

**This is how I cooked them** Preheat oven to 350. Mix PB and sugars, then stir in egg and vanilla. Finally min in flour and soda. Make balls a little less than 1 tsp (I used my pampered chef medium scoop). Bake for 13 minutes, remove and from heat and use your thumb to make a ridge in the cookie. Dollop the jelly in the ridge and put back in the oven about 2 minutes.

This made me about 1 dozen cookies.

Banana Bread

2007-11-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from the Desserts cookbook from Weight Watchers, but I modified it heavily. I am posting my version here:

Banana Bread

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

3 egg whites

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons canola oil

4 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (2 cups)

Combine ingredients and cook at 375 degrees for 55 minutes. I baked this in my pampered chef mini-loaf stone, and had 4 perfectly sized loaves of banana bread. It is so rich and moist and wonderful - I highly recommend.

WW: 1/6 of a mini loaf is 2 points

Cheesy Chicken Cups

2007-11-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from SparkRecipes, it is Sooooo good and soooo easy I can't even begin to tell you.

Cheesy Chicken Cups

1 can Buttermilk Biscuits (10 biscuits)
1 cooked chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
2/3 cup FF Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 TBS dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place each biscuit into a muffin pan. Press the biscuits into the holes (and up the sides) to form cups. In a bowl, combine chicken, soup, cheese, parsley and pepper. Mix well. Spoon evenly into cups.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

WW Points: 2 cups is 5 points or 3 cups is 7 points

Spiderweb Sweet Potato Flan

2007-11-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

My husband is a major flan fan. I mean HUGE fan. So when I found this recipe I decided to make it for my hubby for Halloween. The recipe is VERY long, so rather than me type it... here is the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_17014,00.html

I don't like flan so I didn't try it... but my husband said it was WONDERFUL.

White Cake with Lemon Filling

2007-11-04T15:41:00.001-08:00

My grandparents were going to be in for the weekend, and Monday is my grandfathers birthday so my mom asked me to make a cake. I searched high and low before I found this recipe on AllRecipes.

White Cake with Lemon Filling

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 egg
1 cup whipped cream

Preheat oven to 375 and grease two 9 inch rounc cake layer pans. Place 2 cups of the flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the shortening, salt, and 2/3 cup of the milk in a mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer at medium speed. Stir in the baking powder. Add the egg whites, remaining milk and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Let cakes cool then spread Lemon Filling between the layers and frost with any icing.
Lemon Filling: In a saucepan over medium heat combine 3/4 cups of the sugar, 2 tablespoons of the flour, the orange and lemon juice and the remaining egg. Cook until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and let cook completely before folding in the whipped cream. Spread between cooled cake layers.
*Note, be careful how fast you heat up the filling. On my first try - I ended up with lemony scrambled eggs!

Everyone loved this cake, it was nice and light. As you can see, I added a Michigan logo because my grandfather is a HUGE fan of Michigan!

Dorito Chicken

2007-11-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from http://realisticeats.blogspot.com/ - wonderful dish.

Dorito Chicken

1 Egg + 1 T water
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup crushed baked doritos
spray a baking pan with pan
Preheat oven to 350
Dip chicken in Egg wash and coat in Doritos
Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through

This is great, tastes like a cheesy chicken. I highly recommend.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2007-10-26T15:55:00.001-07:00

This recipe is one my mom used to make for me and my brother a lot when we were kids. They are ADDICTING! So yummy. Recipe from Skippy.

WW: 3 points per cookie

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour (I needed an extra cup to make it come out right)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup margarine (I used 1/2 cup margarine, 1/2 cup butter)

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything, bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

WW Meatballs

2007-10-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from Brenna's Bistro blogspot, and she got it from the January 1997 edition of the Cooking Light magazine.

These are just so good, my first ever attempt at meatballs!

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds ground round

1/4 cup finely shredded fresh parmesan cheese

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp dry mustard (I omitted this)

3/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I omitted this)

2 garlic cloves, crushed (I used garlic salt)

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in a bowl and stir well. Shape mixture into 1.5 inch meatballs. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking soray. Bake at 400 degress for 15 minutes of until done.

I halved this recipe and it made about 15 meatballs. We put them on honey wheat sub rolls, covered them in tomato paste/italian seasoning and sprinkled with shredded mozzerela cheese. SO GOOD! I highly recommend.

Each meatball has 1 WW point!