Chocolate and other food groups

Product Review: Christmas Mint Lollipops

2011-12-04T03:46:00.004-07:00

Some of you know that I work holidays at See's Candies. It's the perfect job. I'm around chocolate all day, I get to work with customers, and I get paid. If only books were involved somehow, I would never leave. That and my feet get tired.

Anyway, this year See's has a new product that I am loving. It's the Christmas Mint Lollipop. It is super good. I think it's like buttercream frosting with a little mint added. One customer said it was like the mints you get at weddings. I took some samples home and my kids loved it.

If you want to try it, you'd better hurry. This lollipop is only available during Christmas, and I'm sure it will sell out. One nice thing they're doing this year, you can buy this lolly and the cinnamon one singly now instead of having to buy them in a pack of eight. One lollipop is 70 cents.

You can also get the cranberry orange truffle, the pecan pie truffle, and the eggnog truffle singly. But I don't like any of them! Still, if you want to try them, they are also in limited supply, so better hurry.

Product Review: Barefoot Contessa Blondies

2011-09-07T21:15:00.005-06:00

My mom picked up this mix at a kitchen store in Salt Lake recently for our family. We couldn't wait to try them. It comes in a box, with pouches for the mix and one for the chocolate chunks. Just add a stick of butter, an egg, and the optional walnuts. (We left those out.) Then all we had to do was bake and wait.

Super yum! Worth every minute. I will add that they are pricey. Mom got them on sale, but they normally sell around $10 for a 9" pan of brownies. We wound up with 6. Cheaper than 6 bakery brownies, but by no means cheap. So for taste, 4.5 stars, but for value, more like 2 stars. But then, I'm pretty frugal with shopping. I'd say pick it up if they're on sale or save for a special treat.

Diamond Cookie Pie

2010-11-30T09:58:00.002-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I made this pie for the holiday this year and it was a big hit. Easy to make and yummy.

Diamond Cookie Pie

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. nuts - the recipe called for walnuts, but we used pecans
1 9-inch uncooked pie shell

In large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Blend in flour. Stir chocolate chips and nuts. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 325 for 50 to 55 minutes or until top is golden brown or pick inserted into center comes out clean. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Not Very Good Garlic Soup

2010-09-23T23:44:00.002-06:00

I generally put recipes I enjoyed in here, but I decided to share one I *didn't* like. After all, you readers (all 5 of you! JK, mostly) might like to know about my flops too. So here's one that failed to live up to my expectations and why.

Roasted Garlic Soup

This one comes from Mark Bittman's huge cookbook, How to Cook Everything. I'm on a mostly soft food diet right now, so soup is my mainstay. But not this one.

4 Tb. olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tb. ground cumin or paprika or 1 tsp. chili powder (I used cumin)
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
4 c. chicken or beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Place olive oil in large, deep saucepan and turn heat to medium. Add the garlic cloves and cook, stirring and turning occasionally, until they are golden brown.

OK, here's my first mistake. I don't keep garlic handy all the time. I buy the prechopped stuff in a jar. The actual cloves tend to sit around too much and when I want them they are all shriveled. Plus, this way, I don't have to chop and I can use the liquid to punch up the flavor when I don't want actual garlic. So that messed things up a little. But not enough!

Remove the garlic cloves and set them aside; turn the heat to medium low. Add the bread and brown on both sides for a total of 5 minutes. Pour the stock into saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper and let flavors mingle for a few minutes over low heat. Chop the garlic coarsely and return to pot. Place one piece of bread in each of four bowls. Ladle soup on top and serve.

So here's what happened. I didn't have actual garlic, so I used the prechopped stuff. I got that simmered a little and then added the cumin. Then I got a little distracted. So the cumin was too brown and left black flakes in the broth.

All that was my fault. But the real issue was that it was boring. I mean, I strained the soup and it was looking okay. But it didn't TASTE good. And so what's the point? I ate it anyway, spooning up little bites of bread, but I won't make it again.

Plum Coffeecake

2010-09-19T13:14:00.003-06:00

My friend Jodi gave me a big bag of plums from her trees. I finally got around to trying something with them, and this is what I made. I wish I had a picture, but the plums were amazing. Not much to look at on the outside, but wow, deep red rich color inside. Just gorgeous.

Plum Coffeecake

Crumb Topping
8 medium sized plums, but I needed about 20 small ones
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. lemon peel
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
heavy cream, optional

Prepare Crumb Topping and set aside. Slice plums if large or halve them if small; set aside. Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour 13x9 pan. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add flour, baking powder, salt, lemon peel, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Spread batter evenly in pan; top with plumbs. Pinch small pieces of crumb topping and sprinkle on top of plums. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until top is golden and cake tests done. Serve warm with cream.

Crumb Topping:
In small saucepan, melt 1/2 c. butter. Remove from heat and add 1 c. flour, 1/4 c. sugar, and 1 Tb. grated lemon peel to form a soft dough. Can use 2/3 c. flour and 3 Tb. oats instead.

Mandarin Orange Cake

2010-08-13T10:36:00.002-06:00

I made this for book club last night, and I thought it turned out really well. It's from an old ward cookbook and comes courtesy of Lacy and her mom Linda.

Mandarin Orange Cake

1 vanilla or white cake mix
3/4 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
11 oz. can mandarin oranges with juice

Combine ingredients and mix according to cake mix directions. Pour into greased 9X13 pan and bake until done. Cool thoroughly and top with pineapple topping.

Pineapple topping:

1 9oz. carton Cool Whip, thawed
1 3oz. box vanilla instant pudding (I substituted banana cream, and it was yummy)
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, slightly drained

Combine pudding mix, pineapple, and just a little juice. Fold in thawed Cool Whip. Spread on top of cake and store in refrigerator over night.

Anise Cookies

2010-04-22T20:43:00.001-06:00

My daughter Ellen and I love these cookies, but Sarah hates them. It all depends on whether you like the idea of licorice-flavored cookies.

Anise Cookies

1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. anise seeds
1/2 c. shortening or margarine
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. In large bowl, cream shortening and add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Roll by tablespoons into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

Indian Dessert

2010-02-05T22:45:00.003-07:00

This weekend Randy and I went out to the Bombay House in Provo for a yummy meal. I got the Chicken Briyani and Randy got the Baygan Bharta, which is a roasted eggplant dish. Plus their fabulous bread. For dessert, Randy got the Kheer, which is a rice pudding, and I got Gulab Jamun. It was so delicious that I came home and googled the recipe. This is the link I found: http://www.ivcooking.com/p269_18.php It has step by step directions for making your own. I can't wait to try it. The dish at the restaurant had a coconut syrup, rather than a spiced one, but I love cardamom and I'm sure this one is great too.

Book Review: How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

2010-02-01T18:31:00.002-07:00

I had heard a lot about this cookbook. Apparently, the author is known for a food column by the name, The Minimalist, because he goes for simple, easy recipes with few ingredients. So I got this one from the library to see what I thought.

At first, I was most impressed by the size. It's huge! But don't be fooled by the title. It won't really tell you how to cook everything. It does, however, teach basic cooking principles which would help you create your own recipes or analyze someone else's.

But after trying several recipes from the book, I am not sure it's worth it. The first one I tried, Kale and Potato Soup, was good, but not great. I put that down to the fact that I used canned broth instead of homemade. The next one, Easy Tomato Sauce, was too bland. It was easy, but it wasn't as good as the stuff from a jar. I also made the Bruschetta, and that was good. Then I tried the Bitter Chocolate Sorbet. It sounded so easy - just cocoa powder, sugar, and water. Well, it tasted and smelled great, but it melted right away and the texture was a little odd. It wasn't worth it, I thought. Tonight is the final test - I'm making Chicken Teriyaki with chicken tenderloins. It sure smells good.

Bottom line: borrow this one before you buy it. Some people will love it, but I think I already have cookbooks just as good as this one.

Orange Cookies

2010-01-01T20:59:00.002-07:00

Made these for New Year's Eve. Fast to make and yummy too.

Orange Cookies

1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1/4 c. oil
1 c. flour
1/3 c. orange juice
1 Tb. finely grated orange peel (I used one orange for both)

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, flour, orange juice and orange peel. Drop by spoonful or scoops onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. (Undercooked is better than overcooked.) Remove cookies and place on nonstick rack to cool.

For frosting, I added orange peel and 1 1/2 tsp. orange juice to canned frosting. Very yummy.

Open Face Apple Pie

2009-11-29T20:28:00.002-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your holiday was great. We celebrated at my house this year. It was a smaller feast than last year, both in numbers and in scale, but we still had a good time. This recipe was one of the pies that I made this year.

Open Face Apple Pie

1 single crust pie crust in 9 inch pie pan
2/3 c. sugar
2 Tb. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
5 c. peeled, cored, and sliced apples
2 Tb. soft butter

In large bowl combine sugar, flour, salt, lemon peel, lemon juice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Toss gently with apple slices. Arrange slices in pie pan, then dot with butter. Cover with foil and bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Then remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown.

I especially like this recipe, as I am not crazy about pie crust. It's the filling I love. If you buy the crust, the frozen ones are so much better than the refrigerated ones.

Caramel Sauce

2009-10-31T12:36:00.003-06:00

I made a Bundt cake for book group, and was so unhappy when half the cake stayed in the pan! Despite greasing and flouring the pan too. So this was my save:

I got my 9x13 pan and grabbed some of the cake. I pressed crumbled cake firmly onto a solid layer on the bottom of the pan. Then I spread 1 quart of softened vanilla ice cream on top. Then I repeated the layers and put the whole thing into the freezer for a couple of hours.

In the mean time, I made this caramel sauce from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Caramel Sauce

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 Tb. cornstarch
1/3 c. half and half or light cream (I used cream)
2 Tb. light corn syrup
1 Tb. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In small heavy saucepan combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in 1/4 c. water. Stir in cream, corn syrup, and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm or cool. Store in refrigerator. (I have to admit that I ate the leftover caramel from the pan with a spoon. What diet?) Easy and yummy.

Pralines

2009-09-21T13:51:00.002-06:00

I have always wanted to make pralines, but I didn't try it myself until I found a super easy recipe in the cookbook, In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs. I wish you could taste them! They are so incredibly yummy and so easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool so you can eat them.

Pralines

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
2 c. unsalted nuts, pecans are best!

Prepare a pan or work surface before starting. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add nuts and return to a boil. Continue boiling, stirring constantly, until the sugar gradually caramelizes. Keep boiling and stirring until sugar becomes a sandy brown caramel and nuts separate. Immediately turn out onto work surface, spread them apart, and let them cool. Supposed to keep for a month in a tightly covered container, but I bet they won't last that long.

"Philly" Cheesecake

2009-08-23T21:53:00.003-06:00

I know, you're thinking, 'Another cheesecake!' Yep. This one I made for back to school this year. I chose this recipe because I only had 2 packages of cream cheese. Frankly, though, it is not my favorite. It wasn't bad, but it had a light and fluffy texture more like a chiffon cream cheese pie than what I would call a real cheesecake. Still, that might be just what appeals to you!

"Philly" Cheesecake

1 c. graham cracker crumbs
3 Tb. butter, melted

2 pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 Tb. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon peel
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, separated

Combine crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9" springform pan. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.

Combine cream cheese, sugar, juice, peel, and vanilla, mixing at medium speed until well blended. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites; pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill before serving. 10-12 servings.

Cookbook Review: Top Secret Recipes Lite

2009-08-21T15:44:00.001-06:00

Review for Top Secret Recipes Lite

I would really give this about 1 1/2 stars. It was written in 1998, and you can tell. That was when everyone was still into the low-fat craze, before everyone started talking about 'good fat' and 'bad fat.' This book seems to be designed to cut all the fat possible out of every single recipe. Only once does the author acknowledge that some fat, namely Omega-3 fatty acids, is in fact good for you.

There are two main problems with the book. First, that he doesn't seem to realize that too many calories, too much carbohydrates, other kinds of junk, those are all bad for you. Fat alone is not the bad guy.

Second, I am not about to use Butter Buds or whatever instead of real butter! Maybe lite margarine, but that's as far as I am willing to go. And fat-free cheese is disgusting! Low-fat yes, but fat-free is more like plastic that actual food.

I just can't recommend this book. There are a few recipes that sound pretty good - he has the Guiltless Grill entrees from Chili's in here. Otherwise, don't bother.

Currant Pumpkin Bars

2009-08-02T22:12:00.003-06:00

Currant Pumpkin Bars

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. currants or raisins
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 c. oil
16 oz. can pumpkin
4 eggs

Frosting

2 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. butter or margarine, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tb. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

Heat oven to 350. Grease 15x10x1 baking pan. In large bowl, combine all bar ingredients at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool completely.

In small bowl, combine all frosting ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over cooled bars. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 48 bars.

For high altitude, decrease baking soda to 1/2 tsp. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes.

Back on the Diet!

2009-07-29T13:33:00.002-06:00

After watching my weight hit - yes, I'm going to say it! - 190 pounds again, I am back on my diet. I'm not thrilled about it, but I decided I just CANNOT allow myself to weigh more than that. Here's my diet strategy:

count every calorie
keep it under 1500 calories a day
3 meals, plus a snack
plan for 1 cheat day, usually Saturday

So far I have lost 2 pounds, and it's only been 2 days. So I know I CAN lose the weight. I just have to stick with it.

But I feel like I am either hungry all the time, or thinking about food and how many calories everything has, or tired. I was happy to see some change when I got on the scale this morning. But it really is hard.

Apricot and Almond Chutney

2009-07-19T16:44:00.000-06:00

Thanks to our apricot tree, we always have more of the fruit than we can eat in the summer. So I found this recipe and it is a big hit. Chutney goes well with Indian food, ham, pork, or roast beef. This one is good as a dip with cream cheese.

Apricot and Almond Chutney

1 c. cider vinegar
1 c. sugar
12 apricots, medium sized, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 orange, chopped fine
1 lemon, chopped fine
1/2 c. candied sliced ginger
1 tsp. salt
1.2 c. raisins, golden raisins, or currants (I used currants this time)
1/2 c. blanched almonds
1 tsp. ground ginger

Pour 3/4 c. of vinegar in large saucepan; add sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add apricots, peppers, onions, garlic, orange, lemon, candied ginger, salt, and raisins. Simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.

Add almonds, ground ginger, and remaining vinegar. Simmer for 30 more minutes, until chutney has reduced and thickened.

Spoon into sterilized jars, seal, and label. I made 3+ pints this year, with enough leftover to almost fill the jar, but not quite.

Tie Dye Birthday Cake

2009-06-28T16:08:00.002-06:00

Ellen's Birthday cake 2009

I got the idea for this cake from a cookbook. The directions said to use a cake mix, then make the frosting from scratch, and decorate with icing gel. I did it backwards, making the cake from scratch and buying the icing. Here's the recipe for the cake.

White Cake

4 egg whites
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 ts. salt
1/2 c. shortening or butter, softened (I used butter flavor Crisco)
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla (I used the expensive kind from Williams-Sonoma)
1 1/3 c. buttermilk or sour milk

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Grease and flour 2 9" cake pans or 13x9 pan. (Really coat both pans - I didn't, and my cakes stuck to the pan a little bit.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

In large mixing bowl, beat shortening at high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add dry ingredients with buttermilk. Beat just until well combined. Spread batter into prepared pans.

(To get the tie dye effect, add a few drops of one or more colors of liquid food coloring. Use a toothpick to swirl the colors.)

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, longer for 13x9 pan, or toothpick test comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cake and let cool thoroughly.

Set one layer on bottom and spread with frosting. Top with second layer and frost.

To get the look on the picture, make concentric circles with several colors of gel frosting. Then make patterns using a toothpick. My cake was not as cool as the picture, since most of the colors were so dark that they looked black. But it was still pretty cool, and it tasted really good.

Cooking with Xylitol

2009-06-06T20:58:00.002-06:00

If you are a gum chewer, you have probably tried the sweetener Xylitol. It is about as sweet as sugar, with a little bit of a fruit taste, and measures spoon for spoon the same. Since we are trying to cut carbs, I tried using some Xylitol in chocolate chip cookies. The recipe called for 1 c. sugar. I used about 2/3 c. Xylitol and 1/3 c. sugar, plus regular brown sugar, plus used fewer chocolate chips.

The cookies tasted good, but were a little different. Randy asked if they had banana in them. They didn't, but that sort of fruit taste was noticeable. The other difference is that these did not spread out when cooking, but puffed up a little. Otherwise they cooked about the same. I did undercook them slightly, so they would not be dry.

The main drawback to Xylitol, in my opinion, is the price. I paid about $8 for a pound, which is a lot more than sugar. However, I haven't had much success with Stevia or other natural sweeteners, and I don't really want to use Equal or something similar because of the laxative effect. Not what I wanted out of a cookie!

Of course, it would be better to just skip the cookies altogether, but that is hard to do, especially when we've been used to enjoying treats. I found the Xylitol in the health food store. It's also sold in individual packets for drinks.

Mormon Mommy Blogs

2009-06-06T20:57:00.003-06:00

If you haven't taken a look at this website yet, it is a fun place to find other LDS folks, moms and otherwise, who have similar interests and similar blogs. I can't wait to take a look at all the yummy recipes out there. I always need new things that my kids will eat, especially now as we are trying to cut the carbs and still enjoy the food. Check it out at: http://mormonmommyblogs.blogspot.com.

Yellow Chicken

2009-05-15T13:10:00.002-06:00

This was originally called Trinidad Chicken, but I didn't have one of the ingredients, so it wound up being Yellow Chicken. Despite a little hesitation on the kids' parts, we agreed it was good stuff.

Yellow Chicken

2 large chicken breasts, halved or 1 lb. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 c. milk
2 Tb. butter or magarine, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric (that's what makes it yellow)

In large bowl, combine chicken with milk; let stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Remove chicken from milk and place in 2 quart baking dish. Bake 10 minutes; remove from oven and reduce heat to 350.

In small bowl, mix softened butter with salt and spices. Spread over chicken pieces. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and done. Great with couscous.

Cookbook Review: How to be a Domestic Goddess

2009-04-10T15:23:00.001-06:00

How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Food by Nigella Lawson

First of all, I have to say this - this woman is nuts! She may be a great cook and a very nice person, I don't know, but honestly, she is nuts.

This book, in case you couldn't tell right away, is about baking. She sets it up in several categories: cakes, cookies, bread, pies, Christmas, etc. The pictures are wonderful. But the writing? Wow. It's hard to tell you just how bad it is. So here's an example.

"Coconut Macaroons. These are a very English kind of macaroon, the sort you always used to see displayed in bakers' shops alongside the madeleines (those sponge castles dipped in luminous strawberry jam and dredged in throat-catching grated coconut, and so very different from those that inflamed the memory of Marcel Proust). The difference with coconut macaroons is that you need neither to be ironic or self-consciously retro-cool to enjoy them."

What?

I have SO many problems with this paragraph. First of all, I am reading a cookbook. I do not need references to Marcel Proust. Second, don't just assume I am English. I'm not. I have no idea what you are talking about. Third, I have never in my life worried about being ironic when I ate a cookie. (My daughter wondered if perhaps she referred to the IRON CONTENT of the cookie. But no.) And finally, I don't have any idea what 'self-consciously retro-cool' means.

So the writing is bad. Horrible. But if the recipes were good, you could just skip the writing and get straight to the recipes. Well, the recipes aren't bad exactly, but every recipe assumes that you already know what she's talking about. She doesn't explain things for a beginner.

Then there are some rather weird recipes. I don't plan on ever making persimmon or passionfruit curd. And I definitely will not touch a gin and tonic gelatin mold. Several of the recipes, most, in fact, call for ingredients that I would have a hard time tracking down. Like rosewater and some specialty jams. She also uses special equipment, but doesn't give you a picture of it or really describe well how to use it. I know most English cooks know what a pudding basin is. I don't.

And then I am never, ever going to make lavender milk. (You know, get a bowl of milk, put 5-6 lavender sprigs in it, boil, then strain. Yeah.) She skipped an important step there - make sure the lavender in question is pesticide free and has been washed thoroughly. But really, where am I going to find lavender sprigs?

This was without question the most self-important, preciously droll cookbook I have ever read. Wait, is that too close to self-consciously retro-cool? Maybe I should have said vain and complacent. Either way, I would not recommend reading it at all. I've never seen the author's show or read any of her other cookbooks, but after reading this, I heard from a relative that she is just the same on her show. Maybe that appeals to someone. Maybe it's meant to be funny and I just don't get it. But it was just awful.

Raspberry Danish Coffee Cake

2009-04-05T16:20:00.003-06:00

Either raspberry, blueberry, or sweetened cottage cheese/cream cheese mixture would be good in this. I used raspberry. I also cut it into two loaves, as it was too big for my baking sheet.

Raspberry Danish Coffee Cake

Dough:
3 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.)
2/3 c. warm water
6 Tb. butter, softened
1 large egg

Filling:
2 c. raspberry (or blueberry) jam

Combine 1 c. flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Beat in water and butter. Beat for 2 minutes more. Add egg and 3/4 c. flour; beat 2 minutes. Add remaining flour. On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball. Place dough in large greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

Punch down dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface; cover, and let rest 15 minutes. Grease a large baking sheet.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough out into large rectangle. Spread jam down the center of the dough, leaving 3 inch border on all sides.

Use a pastry wheel to cut dough on both sides of filling, started on outside edge, into 1 inch strips, just touching the jam. Fold dough down, alternating sides, to make a braided design. Place on baking sheet, cover, and let rest 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake until golden for about 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes, then serve warm.

Serves 12

Salisbury Steak

2009-03-19T21:51:00.004-06:00

Not the nasty thing in the TV dinner!

Alton's Salisbury Steak

4 (1/2 pound) beef cube steaks
Flour
Salt and pepper
3 Tb. butter
2 Tb. canola oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced at an angle
2 Tb. minced garlic
1/2 lb. brown mushrooms, sliced
3/4 c. broth or juice
1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tb. dijon mustard
3/4 c. stock

Preheat oven to 275. Lightly season steaks and flour with salt and pepper, then dredge steaks in flour and shake off excess. Add 1 Tb. each of butter and oil to hot saute pan. Brown the steaks, 2 at a time, adding more butter and oil if needed, about 4 minutes a side. Remove the steaks to a plate.

Pour off any grease from pan and add remaining butter. Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms to pan and saute until nicely caramelized, then deglaze the pan with the broth. Mix in remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Return the steaks to the pan, cover, and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

Serves 4

Chicken Piccata

2009-03-19T21:43:00.002-06:00

Alton's Chicken Piccata

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half
salt and pepper
Flour
2 Tb. oil
3 b. butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 scallions, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 c. broth
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 Tb. capers, rinsed and lightly crushed
2 Tb. chopped parsley
1 lemon, sliced thinly

Place chicken breasts between plastic wrap and pound until 1/4 inch thick. Season chicken with salt and pepper, dredge in flour, and shake off excess. In heavy skillet, heat oil and 2 Tb. butter. When oil is hot, add chicken and cook, turning only once, until brown on both sides. Remove chicken to plate and set aside. Pour off remaining grease, then add remaining Tb. butter.

Add onion and saute until transparent. Add garlic and scallions and saute 1 more minute. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of flour over vegetables and toss to combine.

Deglaze pan with broth and lemon juice. Add capers and toss to combine. Return chicken to pan, cover, and reduce heat to low, simmering until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon slices.

Serves 2.

Savory Savoy Wraps - Alton Brown

2009-03-19T21:35:00.002-06:00

Also from his cookbook, I'm Just Here for the Food.

Savory Savoy Wraps

8 large Savoy cabbage leaves
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 c. peeled apple slices
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. finely diced potatoes
Salt and pepper

Lightly blanch cabbage leaves by immersing them in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then immerse in ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry with a towel.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except cabbage leaves and season with salt and pepper. Lay out a cabbage leaf, inside down, and make a small pile of filling in the center. Roll into a tight package. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling, placing the rolls in a steamer basket, seam side down. Put enough water in a pot to come almost to the bottom of the steamer and bring to a boil. Put the lid on the pot slightly askew to allow steam to escape. Steam for 8 to 10 minutes.

Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 appetizers.

Chicksicles

2009-03-19T21:30:00.003-06:00

Alton Brown's Chicksicles

1 Tb. coriander seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. peanuts
2 Tb. sesame oil
2 Tb. vegetable oil
2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

Toast the coriander and cumin seeds over high heat. When the seeds just start to smoke, remove from heat and let cool. Then grind seeds, and combine with other spices and sugar. Chop the peanuts in a food processor. Add spices and process them too. Add the oils and process to form a paste.

Rub the past onto chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Thread the chicken onto skewers. Heat the broiler and cook, turning often until paste is dark and chicken is cooked through.

Baked Potatoes, a la Alton Brown

2009-03-19T21:28:00.001-06:00

I am a big fan of Alton Brown's show on The Food Network, Good Eats. So I looked forward to reading his cookbook. But I have to admit this is not what I expected. The book is organized by cooking method, which seems a little strange to begin with. Then there are no pictures of any of the recipes. There are fun little sidenotes, and interesting tips, but the recipes are constructed in a rather strange way.

Still, I did find a few recipes and note a few tips I plan to try. Here's the most basic one, and yet, the easiest to try!

A Perfect Baked Potato

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and dry potato. Poke holes in it with a fork. Then rub lightly the entire potato with a little canola oil. This makes a crunchy skin on the potato. Sprinkle the outside with salt. Place the potato directly on the rack in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour.

I haven't tried it yet, but since I love baked potatoes, I will try it soon!

Mexican Corn and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

2009-03-12T19:39:00.004-06:00

Also from the Moosewood Cookbook.

Mexican Corn and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

2 Tb. oil
1 c. chopped onions
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 c. corn, fresh or frozen
3 eggs
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/4 c. milk or half and half
1/4 c. chopped olives
6 medium green or red bell peppers
1/4 c. tomato juice or water
Salsa
Rice

Saute the onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in the oil until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, corn, and salt. Simmer until the corn is barely tender. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add cheese, milk, olives, and vegetables.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Leave the stems on. Stuff pepper halves with egg-vegetable mixture and place on an oiled baking dish. Pour tomato juice onto bottom of dish. Bake tightly covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Serve on a bed of rice topped with salsa.

Spicy Peanut Soup

2009-03-12T14:32:00.005-06:00

Another from the Moosewood cookbook.

Spicy Peanut Soup

2 Tb. oil
2 garlic cloves
1 Tb. fresh grated ginger
2 c. diced onions
2 green peppers, diced
2 c. coconut milk
3 1/2 c. vegetable stock or water
1 c. peanut butter
3/4 tsp. ground coriander
pinch of cayenne
3/4 tsp. freshly ground lemon grass
1/2 tsp. salt
1 to 2 Tb. fresh lemon or lime juice

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Saute garlic and ginger. Add onions and pepper, saute for 5 minutes or so. Add the coconut milk and 2 1/2 c. stock or water and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Blend the peanut butter and the remaining cup of stock into a smooth paste and whisk it into the soup with the spices and salt. Simmer about 15 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, remove the soup from the heat and stir in the lemon or lime juice.

Serves 4 to 6.

* edited to add that I tried this one today and it was really good. Spicy and slightly sweet from the peanut butter and coconut. It was hard to find lemon grass, but I found it dried, and the coconut milk, at the health food store. Next time I'm going to add noodles and a little more cayenne.

10 Minute Tomato Soup

2009-03-12T14:28:00.004-06:00

From the "New Recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant" cookbook.

10 Minute Tomato Soup

3 Tb. olive oil
3 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
8 c. tomato juice or undrained canned tomatoes pureed in the blender
1 Tb. paprika

Saute the garlic in olive oil very briefly. Stir in the paprika and saute for another minute. Stir in the tomato juice and heat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Garnish with cheese, parsely, or croutons. Strong tomato flavor - use good canned tomatoes.

For Mediterranean soup, add drained, cooked garbanzo bean, garnish with feta cheese and parsley.

For Mexican soup, add Tabasco and garnish with cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

Hamantaschen

2009-03-12T14:22:00.003-06:00

I tried making this cookie for the first time this year. I remember learning about the Jewish holiday of Purim and the coolest thing about it, I thought, was that it had a special cookie! So this year I decided to make it myself. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com. Purim was March 10 on 2009. It celebrates the story told in the Old Testament book of Esther.

Hamantaschen

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

6 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (12 ounce) can poppyseed filling

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange juice and vanilla. Mix in the baking powder, then gradually stir in the flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. I like to do mine overnight.
2.	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
3.	On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch circles using a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place circles on the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each circle. (Any more and it will ooze out) Pinch the sides of each circle to form a triangle, covering as much of the filling as possible. The cookies may be frozen on the cookie sheets if desired to help retain their shape while cooking.
4.	Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light golden brown. These are best undercooked slightly. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 36 cookies.

New Orleans Pralines

2009-03-07T22:09:00.002-07:00

Also from Shirley Corriher's book

New Orleans Pralines

1 1/4 c. pecans

4 Tb. butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. light brown sugar

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a large piece of foil and set aside. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and roast until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. While nuts are still hot, stir in 2 Tb. butter and sprinkle with salt.

In heavy saucepan, stir together well and boil the sugars, evaporated milk, remaining 2 Tb. butter and roasted nuts until mixture reaches soft ball stage with a large wooden spoon. The second you feel the mixture begin to thicken, start spooning up the candies. Spoon up tablespoon sized pralines as fast as possible onto butter foil. Let stand to cool and set. Store in an airtight container.

(If you double recipe, add 1 Tb. corn syrup to ingredients to slow down hardening)

The Secret Marquise

2009-03-07T21:57:00.002-07:00

I got this one from the cookbook, Cookwise by Shirley Corrihor. Not everything in here was helpful, but this one sounded super yummy. So I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon, and then post again.

The Secret Marquise

7 or 8 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate or 3 - 2.6 oz. Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bars, broken into 1 inch pieces.

4 oz. milk chocolate, also broken into 1 inch pieces

5 egg yolks

1/3 c. heavy cream

5 Tb. butter

1 c. heavy or whipping cream

2 Tb. sugar

Combine semisweet and milk chocolates and blend in food processor until finely chopped. Set aside. Heat egg yolks and 1/3 c. cream in 7-8 inch skillet over low heat, stirring constantly with fork or spatula flat against the bottom of the pan. As soon as it thickens, remove from skillet from heat and keep stirring. Add the butter and stir in well. Add the chocolate and stir constantly until chocolate just melts. Continue to stir for 1 minute.

Remove bottom from springform pan. Place the ring onto a platter and spray inside with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon chocolate mixture inside and place in fridge to chill and set firm, about 1 hour.

Chill mixing bowl and beaters for 5 minutes. Whip 1 c. cream until slightly thickened. Add sugar, stir in. Cover serving plates with thin layer of cream.

Warm springform ring by wrapping with a hot towel. Heat a knife under hot running water and wipe dry. To serve, cut a small wedge of the marquise while it is still cold and place on cream. Serves 6 to 8.

Overnight Coffee Cake

2009-01-04T10:38:00.002-07:00

We always eat the same sort of menu on Christmas morning - fruit, fresh from stockings; little sausages, some browned and some wrapped up for pigs in a blanket; juice; and a bread of some sort. This year, the kids asked for a coffee cake. But I didn't want to take time to throw together a coffee cake when I could be with the family. So I found this recipe and put it together the night before. Then all I had to do was preheat the oven, wait the oven was ready, and pop this in. And it tasted great too.

Overnight Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake:

1 c. flour

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/3 c. shortening

1 egg

Topping:

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. chopped nuts or oats

1/4 c. nutmeg

Grease and flour 9 inch round or 8 inch square pan. In small bowl, combine all coffee cake ingredients; stir until moistened. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. In another small bowl, combine all topping ingredients. Sprinkle over batter. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350. Uncover coffee cake; bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until done. Serve warm.

Pecan Pumpkin Bread

2009-01-04T10:33:00.004-07:00

Pecan Pumpkin Bread

Made for Christmas this year. Really good.

2 1/2 c. flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

3 c. sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. oil

2/3 c. water

4 eggs

16 oz. can (2 c.) pumpkin

1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom only of 2 9x5 loaf pans or 3 8x4 loaf pans. In large bowl, combine all flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. In medium bowl, combine oil, water, eggs, and pumpkin; blend well. Add to flour mixture; beat 1 minute at medium speed. Fold in pecans. Pour batter into greased pans.

Bake at 350 for 60 to 70 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

Lemon Herb Flank Steak

2009-01-04T10:18:00.002-07:00

Lemon Herb Flank Steak

We had this for Christmas dinner this year. Super yummy!

For Steak:

2 lemons

2 Tb. oil

1 Tb. garlic

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. rosemary

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. salt

1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 lbs.

Grate peel from lemons; set aside for later. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze to make 1/4 c. juice. In a large Ziploc bag, combine 1 Tb. grated lemon peel, lemon juice, oil, and herbs. Set aside remaining lemon peel. Using a large knife, cut several diagonal slashes into steak to prevent curling during cooking. Add steak to marinade in Ziploc bag. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat broiler. Broil for about 5 minute on each side for medium, brushing twice with marinade. Transfer steak to cutting board. Slice on a diagonal. Place lemon butter slices on hot steak; serve immediately. Serves 6.

Lemon Butter:

1/4 c. butter or margarine, softened

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Remaining lemon peel

In small bowl, combine 1 tsp. remaining grated lemon peel, butter, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper; mix well. Spoon mixture into a log shape on a sheet of waxed paper. Wrap the waxed paper around the lemon butter mixture. Shape into a log. Refrigerate lemon butter until firm, about 1 hour.

Southwestern Turkey Soup

2008-11-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

Southwestern Turkey Soup

3-4 c. chicken broth

2 c. chopped cooked turkey

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. hot sauce

1 tsp. sage

1-3 cloves garlic, depending on taste

1 c. medium shell pasta or macaroni

Combine broth and turkey, carrot, celery, beans, and pasta. Let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until carrots are cooked. Add seasonings and black pepper. Serves 4-6.

Chocolate Mousse Pie

2008-11-30T18:44:00.006-07:00

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Chocolate Crust (bought or homemade, recipe follows)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. whipping cream

Beat cream cheese and cocoa together in large mixing bowl until fluffy and well blended. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Blend well. Set aside. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Fold cream into chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust; chill until firm. Garnish with chocolate curls. Makes 1 pie.

Chocolate Crust

1 1/2 c. chocolate cookie crumbs (I used chocolate graham crackers from Albertson's)

1/3 c. melted butter

3 Tb. sugar (if you use the graham crackers, do not add sugar; they have sugar on the outside)

Combine ingredients together. Press mixture onto bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes; cool.

This is a very rich pie with only a little sweetness. Great for dark chocolate lovers.

Tallarini

2008-11-16T18:34:00.003-07:00

From my Aunt Viola

Tallarini

1 lb. ground beef

7 oz. can corn

4 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 c. water

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

16 oz. noodles

1/2 c. sliced olives

Cheddar Cheese

Brown meat with onion and pepper. Add corn, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper. Mix in noodles and olives. Pour onto greased casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake at 45 at 350 degrees until heated through and cheese is melted.

Taco Soup

2008-11-16T17:43:00.002-07:00

From my neighbor, Nadine

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 pkg. taco seasoning

8 oz. can tomato sauce

16 oz. can stewed tomatoes

15 oz. can corn, drained

15 oz. can kidney or black beans, rinsed

2 c. grated cheese

Hot sauce

Cook ground beef and onion together in large stock pot until browned. Add seasoning and stir until well blended. Add tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, corn, and beans. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Stir occasionally. Taste and season with hot sauce. Spoon into bowls and top with cheese. Serve with corn chips.

True Love Coffee Cake

2008-11-16T12:54:00.004-07:00

From the book "101 More Things to do with a Cake Mix."

True Love Coffee Cake

1 c. milk

1 envelope or 2 1/4 tsp. yeast

1 yellow or white cake mix

3 eggs

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. applesauce

Preheat oven to 350. Warm milk in microwave for 35-45 seconds. Mix yeast with warm milk. Stir in cake mix. Mix in eggs, oil, and applesauce. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Pour into greased 13 x 9 pan and set aside.

For topping, combine 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1/2 c. flour, and 1/4 c. butter, softened. Mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over batter. Bake 25-35 minutes. Serve warm.

German Sweet Chocolate Pie

2008-11-16T12:25:00.004-07:00

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I thought I would share this pie recipe. I love a good chocolate pie. (All right, I love chocolate everything.)

German Sweet Chocolate Pie

4 oz. bar German Sweet Chocolate

1/4 c. butter

1 2/3 c. evaporated milk (14 oz.)

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 Tb. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 unbaked deep dish pie crust or 2 8" pie crusts

1 1/3 c. coconut

1/2 c. chopped pecans

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring until blended. Remove from heat and gradually blend in milk. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt thoroughly. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually blend in chocolate mixture. Pour into pie shell. Combine coconut and pecans and sprinkle over filling. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Filling will be soft, but will set during cooking. Cool at least 4 hours before cutting.

Lemon Chess Pie

2008-11-16T12:20:00.004-07:00

This recipe comes from my mom, as does the German Chocolate Pie above. Chess Pie is a traditional Southern favorite, and I love this version.

Evelyn's Lemon Chess Pie

2 c. sugar

1 Tb. flour

1 Tb. cornmeal

2-4 Tb. lemon peel

4 eggs

1/4 c. melted butter

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. lemon juice

Whisk together sugar, flour, and cornmeal in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Beat with mixer until smooth. Pour filling into unbaked 9" pie shell and bake 35 to 40 minutes at 350 or until the top is a golden brown.

Tip: for best results, use freshly grated lemon peel and fresh squeezed lemon juice. You'll need about 2 for enough juice.

Rocky Road Candy

2008-11-16T12:16:00.002-07:00

My grandma made this every Christmas, so I thought I'd include it here.

Rocky Road Candy

12 oz. chocolate chips

2 Tb. butter

14 oz. can Eagle Brand

Melt in a double boiler over hot water until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat.

Combine:

10 oz. mini marshmallows

2 c. nuts - pecans are what Grandma used

Fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour onto wax paper lined 13 x 9 pan. Cool 2 hours. Turn pan over and peel wax paper off candy. Cut into squares and serve.

Lime Cheesecake

2008-10-28T20:04:00.003-06:00

Made for Christmas one year. Tart, creamy, and delicious.

Lime Cheesecake

1 Tb. crushed graham crackers

3/4 c. crushed graham crackers

4 Tb. flour

1 Tb. sugar

3 Tb. butter or margarine, melted

3 8-oz. pkgs. light cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. sugar

8 oz. light sour cream

1/4 c. flour

3 eggs

1/2 c. milk

2 tsp. lime peel

1/4 c. lime juice

1 tsp. vanilla

10 drops green food coloring

1/2 c. light cream cheese

Spray 9 inch springform pan with nonstick coating. Sprinkle sides of pan with 1 Tb. crushed graham crackers. Set pan aside. For crust, stir together 3/4 c. crushed graham crackers, 4 tsp. flour, 1 Tb. sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes.

In large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and 3/4 c. sugar. Beat until smooth. Add 8 oz. sour cream, 1/4 c. flour, eggs, milk, lime peel, lime juice, vanilla, and food coloring. Beat at low until just combined. Pour filling onto baked crust. Place pan in a shallow baking pan.

Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes or until center appears nearly set when gently shaken. Remove from oven. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Cover and chill cheesecake for 4 to 24 hours. Just before serving, top with 1/2 c. sour cream. Makes 12 servings.

Santa Grahams

2008-10-28T19:56:00.002-06:00

These were in a cookbook and they looked so cute, I had to make them! Will helped and they turned out just like the picture.

Santa Grahams

16 oz. can white frosting (I like the whipped frosting)

Red food coloring

6 whole graham crackers

1 c. mini marshmallows

6 small red gumdrops, cut in half or 12 red M&Ms

24 mini chocolate chips or cinnamon cookies

(you'll probably need extra candies and marshmallows for testing)

Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place 1/4 c. frosting in small bowl and add food coloring to tint red, about 1/4 tsp. Blend well. Place 1 c. frosting in another bowl and add 1 drop red food coloring to tint pale pink. Blend well.

Break each large graham cracker into 2 squares, making 12 squares. For each cookie, frost 1 corner red for Santa's hat. Place marshmallow on corner for pom-pom.

Frost rest of the cookie with pink frosting. Use chocolate chips for eyes and gumdrops for nose. Then use mini marshmallows around 2 sides of graham cracker for beard. Place on cookie sheet and let stand a few minutes until frosting is set.

(picture coming soon)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-28T19:45:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure if these are as popular in the rest of the country, but in Utah, they are a regular fall favorite, as well as one of Sarah's very favorite cookies. They puff up when cooked and are more like a little cake than cookies.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 c. pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. chocolate chips

In large mixer bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Add egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Beat well. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda, and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients slowly and beat well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 36-40 cookies.

Devil's Food Cake

2008-10-27T20:08:00.003-06:00

Sarah made this one recently from scratch. It turned out great! She's definitely got my baking genes.

Devil's Food Cake

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. buttermilk

1/2 c. boiling water

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture. Add boiling water; beat until smooth.

Pour into greased and floured 13 x 9 pan or two 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes (slightly less time for rounds) or until tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before frosting. Enjoy!

And a couple of tips:

Need buttermilk for a recipe, but don't have any? Make your own sour milk. For each cup of buttermilk, substitute by adding 1 Tb. vinegar to regular milk. Let mixture set for about 5 minutes before adding to recipe.

Let your cake cool too long in the pan? If you cake cools to room temperature in the pan, you're likely to wind up with half the cake staying in the pan when you try to get it out. Simply stick the cake back in the oven for another 5 minutes, then remove from the pan.

Rocky Road Brownies

2008-10-24T14:58:00.006-06:00

I made these for Randy's birthday one year and took them to work. Just like that, I became a legend - the one who made the brownies.

Rocky Road Brownies

Base:
1/2 c. butter
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 c. chopped nuts - pecans are best

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened - reserve 2 oz. for frosting
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tb. flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/4 c. chopped nuts
1 c. chocolate chips

Frosting:
2 c. mini marshmallows
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. milk
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 oz. reserved cream cheese
3 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 13x9 pan. In large saucepan, melt 1/2 c. butter and 1 oz. chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Add 1 c. flour and remaining base ingredients; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

In small bowl, combine all filling ingredients except nuts and chocolate chips. Beat 1 minute until smooth and fluffy; stir in nuts. Spread over base; sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes or until done. Immediately sprinkle marshmallows on top. Return to oven and bake another 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large saucepan over low heat, combine 1/2 c. butter, milk, 1 oz. chocolate, and reserved cream cheese; stir until well blended. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour frosting over marshmallows and lightly swirl with knife to marble. Refrigerate until firm; cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Mock Roca

2008-10-20T12:22:00.003-06:00

Another one from Aunt Elaine that I tried for the first time last year. It was a big hit.

Mock Roca

Line 15 x 10 x 1 pan (jelly roll pan) with foil. Place graham crackers on the bottom. Heat oven to 350.

Boil together:

1/2 c. sugar

1 stick butter

1 stick margarine

(or both butter)

Bring to a full boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour mixture over graham crackers. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool and break into pieces. This is NOT low fat.

Orange Balls

2008-10-20T12:16:00.002-06:00

These are great for a fast candy/cookie that requires no cooking.

Orange Balls

6 oz. crushed vanilla wafers

1 c. pecans, chopped

1 c. orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 lb. powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into 1 inch balls. Roll in coconut or ground pecans.

Pineapple Pork Chops

2008-10-20T12:12:00.002-06:00

Pineapple Pork Chops

3 c. soft bread crumbs (5 slices bread)

8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice, drained (reserve juice)

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 Tb. oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground sage

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

6 pork chops

Combine bread crumbs, pineapple, celery, onion, oil, salt, sage, and cinnamon in large bowl. Mix well. Place pork chops in 13 x 9 pan. Drizzle 2 Tb. pineapple juice over meat; season with salt and pepper. Spoon bread mixture over meat. Bake uncovered at 350 for 50 minutes, or until tender. Serves 6.

Corn Flake Cookies

2008-10-19T22:11:00.003-06:00

Corn Flake Cookies

A Christmas favorite at our house. This one is also courtesy of JoLynn, a former neighbor.

Bring to a boil, then remove from heat:

2 c. white Karo

1 c. sugar

Then add 2 c. chunky peanut butter to make a syrup. Add about 8 c. corn flakes. When flakes are covered, pour mixture onto cookie sheet with sides. Cool, then cut into squares.

White Almond Fudge

2008-10-19T15:02:00.003-06:00

Another recipe from Aunt Elaine. This is a great fudge for beginning cooks because you don't have to heat it at all.

White Almond Fudge

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. almond flavoring

1/2 c. chopped almonds

1/8 tsp. salt

Beat cream cheese until smooth and soft. Slowly add sugar. Beat until smooth. Add flavoring, almonds, and salt. Press mixture into buttered 8 inch square pan. Chill until firm.

Peanut Butter Fudge

2008-10-19T14:57:00.002-06:00

Peanut Butter Fudge

This recipe is from my Great-Aunt Elaine. I have a little book with all her candy recipes in it, and they are all winners.

1 c. sugar

2 Tb. butter

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. evaporated milk

1 ts. vanilla

1/2 lb. peanut butter

1 c. marshmallows

pinch salt

Cook sugar, butter, salt, and milk to soft ball stage. (234-238 degrees - higher at high altitudes) Add marshmallows and peanut butter just before removing from heat. DO NOT STIR. Cool to room temperature. Add vanilla. Beat until mixtures is creamy, thick, and will hold its shape when dropped from a spoon. Pour into well buttered shallow pan.

Triple Treat Walnut Bars

2008-10-18T16:21:00.003-06:00

Triple Treat Walnut Bars

1/2 c. butter
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. toasted wheat germ
1 c. chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. instant nonfat dry milk
1/4 ts. salt
1/4 ts. cinnamon
1/4 ts. mace
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Cream butter, cheese, and sugar in a bowl until light. Add 1 c. flour and wheat germ and mix until smooth. Turn into greased 9 x 13 pan; spread evenly. Bake at 375 for 15 to 18 minutes, until edges are very light brown and top is firm. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand about 5 minutes, until chocolate softens, then spread over crust. Combine eggs and honey; beat until well blended. Add 1/3 c. flour, dry milk, salt, spices, and walnuts; mix well. Spoon over chocolate. Return to oven and bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Cook in pan, then cut into bars. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Curried Chicken Strips

2008-10-18T16:13:00.002-06:00

Curried Chicken Strips

1 lb. chicken breasts
2 Tb. oil
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 small onion, diced
2 ts. curry powder
3/4 ts. salt
1 c. evaporated milk

Cut chicken breasts into strips. In large skillet, cook pepper and onion in hot oil, stirring often. Stir in curry powder and salt; cook 1 minute. Add chicken to skillet. Over high heat, cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium; stir in cream; cook until mixture thickens slightly. Serves 4. Serve with rice.

Tortilla Pizza

2008-10-18T16:07:00.003-06:00

Tortilla Pizza

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 ts. chili powder
1/2 c. taco sauce
1/8 ts. cumin
4 tortillas
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

Cook ground beef and onion until meat is browed. Stir in spices; cook 1 minute more. Add taco sauce and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Place tortillas on large cookie sheet. Stir half of cheese into ground beef. Top tortillas with ground beef mixture, pepper strips, and remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serves 4.

Sarah's Guitar Cake

2008-10-18T15:31:00.004-06:00

Sarah's Guitar Cake

This year for her birthday, Sarah wanted a yellow cake made from scratch, decorated to look like a guitar. There's the picture above. I just used the recipe from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and then made buttercream frosting. I kept about 1/4 of the frosting and added 1 oz. melted unsweetened chocolate to the frosting. The cake was baked in a 9 x 13 pan. Then I trimmed off a 4 inch strip for the neck of the guitar and freehanded the body of the guitar. I actually made a pattern out of wax paper, but I had to sort of guess. I think it turned out pretty well! The strings on the guitar are red lace licorice and the rest of the decorations are Starburst candies. I stuck them in the microwave for 10 seconds then shaped them into the way I wanted them. Add 14 candles, and that's all! Happy birthday!

Peanut Blossoms

2008-10-18T15:20:00.004-06:00

My mom used to make this cookie when I was little. Still yummy!

Peanut Blossoms

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 ts. baking soda
1/2 ts. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 Tb. milk
1 ts. vanilla
1 egg
Sugar
about 48 candy kisses, unwrapped (maybe a few extra, just to test)

Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortening, milk, vanilla, and egg. Mix until stiff dough forms. Shape into 1" balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with a candy kiss, pressing down firmly. Carefully remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Fruit Pizza

2008-10-09T16:42:00.007-06:00

I made this for my sister's birthday last week. Everyone loves it and it's super easy.

Fruit Pizza

Crust: Refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Preheat oven to 375 and grease a pizza pan. Roll out cookie dough to large circle, or (depending on the dough) place cookie pieces around the pan in a circle. Roll out until there are no seams, making one big circle. Cook about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Sauce: Combine 8 oz. lite or regular cream cheese. Whipped cream cheese works even better. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/4 c. powdered sugar. This time I also added 1 container of yogurt to make it sweeter and creamier without adding fat.

Topping: Fresh or canned fruit. This time I used pears, blueberries, bananas, and grapes. I loved it with kiwis and strawberries. Use your favorite fruit.

Glaze: Warm 1/3 c. apricot, plum, or peach jam with 1 Tb. water. Brush glaze on top of fruit to prevent browning.

Serves about 8-10. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy!

Pizza, Pizza!

2008-10-04T21:04:00.004-06:00

Pizza, along with chocolate, is one of the major food groups at our house. We have pizza at least once a week. Sometimes we do that $5 deal from Little Caesar's, but it's usually homemade. Here are our three favorite recipes.

Cindy's Pizza

My favorite recipe is from the Make A Mix cookbook. It involves making Hot Roll Mix and then using that plus yeast and some water to make a dough. Then I roll that out and let it set about 10 minutes before topping.

Randy's Pizza

I'd love to give you his recipe, but I can't, because he makes it up every time. He makes it so often that he can tell from looking at the dough what it needs. He likes to make individual pizza and calzones.

Sarah's Pizza

Sarah uses the Jiffy Pizza Crust mix. This one is great. It costs about 50 cents and makes one small pizza crust.

Toppings

We all like cheese and sauce, but the kids only like a little sauce and lots of cheese. I am the other other way round. The kids also like pepperoni. Will likes black olives and peppers and onions. Ellen likes Hawaiian pizza. Randy and I like veggies and artichoke hearts. We also like taco pizza, make with taco sauce, ground beef, cheddar, olives, tomatoes and lettuce.

Overall, one of our very favorite meals and one of only a few that everyone likes.

Golden Layer Cake

2008-09-30T16:00:00.003-06:00

Very easy and yummy, but it doesn't keep well.

Golden Layer Cake

1 pkg. frozen pound cake, thawed

1/3 c. juice and 1/2 tsp. almond extract

20 oz. can crushed pineapple

8 oz. carton Cool Whip, thawed

3 oz. pkg. vanilla pudding

1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

Cut cake lengthwise in thirds. Drizzle with juice. Combine pineapple, Cool Whip, and pudding in medium bowl until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes. Spread one third filling over bottom layer of cake. Top with second layer. Repeat layering, ending with pudding. Sprinkle with almonds. Serves 10. Refrigerate leftovers.

Tangy Tortellini Salad

2008-09-30T15:50:00.002-06:00

This makes a tasty and refreshing pasta salad that is not your ordinary pasta salad.

Tangy Tortellini Salad

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 c. oil

1/3 c. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. celery seed

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. oregano

7 oz. pkg. tortellini, cooked, rinsed and drained

1 c. julienne cut salami or ham

1 c. julienne cut red bell pepper

2 oz. can sliced olives

1/4 c. chopped red onion

Lettuce leaves

In medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Cover; refrigerate until ready to use. In large bowl; combine tortellini, salami or ham, peppers, olives, and onions. Arrange on lettuce leaves. Whisk dressing again; pour over pasta mixture.

Oatmeal Cake

2008-09-28T09:31:00.002-06:00

This one was given to me by my Great Aunt Goldie Drorbaugh.

Oatmeal Cake

Pour 1 1/4 c. boiling water over 1 c. oats and 1 stick (1/2 c.) butter. Let stand 20 minutes. Beat 1 c. brown sugar, 1 c. white sugar with 2 eggs. Sift 1 1/4 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and add to sugar/egg mixture. Mix this with oat mixture and add 1 tsp. vanilla. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Topping:

1/2 c. butter

1 c. coconut

1/4 c. cream (or evaporated milk)

1 c. nuts

1 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix these together and put on cake. Return cake to oven for 5 minutes.

Pistachio Salad

2008-09-27T22:29:00.003-06:00

Some friends gave me this recipe when Randy and I got married. It's pretty tasty!

Pistachio Salad (from Tonya Williams)

20 oz. can crushed pineapple

1 small pkg. instant pistachio pudding

12 oz. pkg. Cool Whip

1 c. mini marshmallows

Mix together pineapple and pudding. Fold in Cool Whip and marshmallows.

Dee's Tuna Macaroni Salad

2008-09-27T22:24:00.004-06:00

This was a recipe from a family friend I got years ago.

Dee's Tuna Macaroni Salad

8 oz. shell macaroni, cooked and drained

1 c. celery, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 c. green pepper, chopped fine

9 oz. can tuna, drained well

3/4 c. mayonnaise

4 oz. jar pimientos, chopped and drained

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. sweet pickles, chopped fine

1 c. green peas, cooked and drained

1/2 c. cheddar cheese, cubed

salt and pepper

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream if desired, and chopped pickles. Toss remaining ingredients with dressing and serve.

White Chicken Chili

2008-09-27T22:03:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite meals for cold, blustery weather. We usually serve it with cornbread

White Chicken Chili

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 Tb. olive oil

4 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained

3 Tb. flour

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 cans Great Northern beans

1 can chicken broth, low sodium

1 1/2 c. finely chopped cooked chicken

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

In large skillet, cook onion until transparent. Add chilies, flour, and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until heated through. Garnish with cheese.

Buttermilk Chocolate Bread

2008-09-25T19:17:00.003-06:00

Buttermilk Chocolate Bread

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. margarine, melted

2 eggs

1 c. buttermilk

1 3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. chopped pecans or other nuts, toasted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of loaf pan. In large bowl, combine sugar and margarine; blend well. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. Makes 1 loaf. Good with chocolate chips sprinkled on top before baking.

Meatball Mix

2008-09-25T14:47:00.002-06:00

This is from the Make a Mix Cookbook and it's been a popular recipe at my house. Ellen loves these meatballs; in fact, she prefers them to 'store bought' ones.

Meatball Mix

4 lbs. lean ground beef

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 c. dry bread crumbs

1/2 c. finely chopped onion

1 Tb. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Shape mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Bake in a mini muffin pan for best result, or place on an ungreased baking sheet with an edge and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. If using a baking sheet, turn once during cooking.

Remove immediately and drain on paper towels. When cooled, put 20 meatballs each into 4 freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top. Seal and label. Freeze. Use within 3-4 months. Makes about 80 meatballs.

I separated out 1/4 of the mix for Asian meatballs and added 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes. Then I added 1 1/2 to 2 tsp. Italian seasoning to the rest and made Italian meatballs. These are great added to spaghetti sauce for meatballs and spaghetti or for meatballs sandwiches. The spicy ones are great for sweet and sour meatballs. Enjoy!

Pickled Peaches

2008-09-25T14:40:00.001-06:00

Randy and I love pickled peaches and everyone I tell about them comments on how unusual it sounds. So I thought I'd share the recipe.

Pickled Peaches

8 lbs. peaches, washed, peeled, halved, and pitted

6 c. sugar

4 sticks cinnamon

2 Tb. whole cloves

1" piece fresh ginger

1 quart white vinegar

Treat peaches with Fruit Fresh or similar product to prevent darkening. Dissolve sugar in vinegar in large sauce pot and heat to boiling. Boil 5 minutes. Add spices tied in a cheesecloth bag. Drop peach halves into boiling syrup and cook until they can be pierced by a fork, but not until mushy. Remove from heat and allow peaches to set in pickling liquid overnight to plump. (When liquid is cool, place in refrigerator) Bring liquid back to a boil. Pack peaches into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process 20-30 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes about 3 quarts or 6 pints.

If you are new to canning, here's the way I do it. I wash all my jars in the dishwasher, examine them for cracks, and then fill with very hot tap water until I want them later. Then I fill my canner with hot water and bring to a boil. Since this is so big, it takes a long time to boil. Then I get whatever I'm canning ready. While this is heating up, I get out my rings and my jar lids, my ladle, my canning tongs, and my canning funnel. Those should be clean also, and never reuse your jar lids. They will only seal once.

Once all my stuff is ready (and yes, this takes up practically every burner on my stove and most of my counter space), I am all set. Grab your jar, pour out the hot water, and put your canning funnel inside. Use your ladle to fill up the jar. Have a towel ready to hold on to the jar because it will be much too hot to touch. Once your jar is full, put the lid and then ring on and tighten. Use the tongs to put your jar into the boiling water bath. Then grab the next jar. Keep going until every jar is full or until you run out of stuff to put in them. If you have one that is only half way full, either find a smaller jar or fill it up but don't bother to put it in the canner. It will not seal unless almost full. Just put a lid on the half full jar, let it cool, and go ahead and enjoy it now.

After adding all your stuff to the boiling water bath, check to make sure all jars are covered by at least 1/2 inch of water. If not, add more water and return to a boil. Then boil or 'process' jars for at least 20 minutes. Here in Utah, you need to let things process a little longer because of the altitude. Once your time is up, remove your jars, using the canning tongs, and cover and let sit out of drafts until completely cool, sometimes overnight. Check all your jars to make sure they've sealed. You may hear them 'pop' when the seal sets. Check for seal by pushing the top of each jar. If it moves at all, it didn't seal and should be eaten or refrigerated right away. You could also freeze it and use within 3 months. If the seal is good, you can store it and use it when you're ready.

I hope this is useful! It sounds like a whole lot of work, and the first couple of times you try it, it is a lot of work. But once you've done it a few times, it gets easier and you don't have to check your directions every time. If you don't have all the supplies you need, ask around with family, neighbors, etc. Check yard sales and the clearance section at the end of summer. A resource you should absolutely have is the Ball Blue Book. It sells at Walmart and it has step by step directions for canning, complete with illustrations and recipes. It costs under $10 and it's worth every penny. Good luck and happy canning!

No Bake Cookies

2008-09-20T20:05:00.003-06:00

This recipe is courtesy of a friend, JoLynn, who lived in my neighborhood and made these every Christmas. When she moved away, we got her recipe out of the ward cookbook and tried them ourselves. Now we make them every Christmas and I think of her and hope she is doing well.

No Bake Cookies

Bring the following ingredients to a boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat:

2 c. sugar

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. water

Add 1/2 c. peanut butter, 3 c. oats, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well. Drop from spoon onto waxed paper and let set.

Chicken Caruso

2008-09-20T19:56:00.003-06:00

This is an easy recipe that I tried out when we were first married. It's stuck as a favorite.

Chicken Caruso

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

2 Tb. butter or olive oil

2 c. sliced celery

15 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

3 c. hot cooked rice

Season chicken with garlic, salt, and pepper. Saute in butter or oil 2 minutes. Add celery; cook until crisp. Stir in spaghetti sauce and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Serves 4.

Sherilyns' White Bread

2008-09-18T14:53:00.003-06:00

Very tasty and easy. I'm making this for dinner tonight!

Sherilyn's White Bread

1 Tb. yeast

1/4 c. warm water

2 c. hot water

1 Tb. butter or oil

2 tsp. salt

5 3/4 c. to 6 1/4 c. flour (if you use some wheat flour, use a little less - don't use all whole wheat flour)

Soften the yeast in 1/4 c. warm water. Combine 2 c. hot water, sugar, butter, salt and 2 c. flour. Add yeast. Add more flour until it gets too stiff for mixer. Then add enough extra flour until you have a good stiff dough. Let rise until double. Put into 2 greased loaf pans. Let rise again. Bake 30 to 35 minutes at 350. Makes 2 loaves.

How to dress up your bread loaves:

For a shiny finish, brush with 1 egg white beaten with 1 Tb. water. Sprinkle with seeds or coarse ground salt. Brush loaves with coating after forming loaves into pans, but before it rises.

For a soft finish, baste loaves with melted butter mixed with 1 Tb. milk before final rise. Slash with a sharp knife before basting for the 'split loaf' look. Brush again with butter about 10 minutes before removing from oven.

For a more golden brown loaf, brush with beaten egg yolks before final rise.

Enjoy warm from the oven with butter and jam or save and eat later. (We always eat one loaf right out of the oven and save the other one for later.)

Ocean Birthday Cake

2008-09-12T14:47:00.001-06:00

I thought it was time to add another cake picture. This one was for Ellen's 9th birthday (you can sort of count the candles on the cake). I made a 9 x 13 cake and frosted it with blue frosting. Then I made sugar cookies with some fish, shell, starfish and crab cookie cutters and decorated them. Then I added the cookies to the cake, swirling the frosting up around them. I used gel frosting to make seaweed and Swedish fish candies to make it more fun. It turned out really well.

Shortbread

2008-09-08T09:42:00.003-06:00

I love this recipe! It makes a very rich, buttery cookie that's absolutely yummy. To get the great flavor, you must use real butter. There are so few ingredients that the butter flavor is necessary to make the cookie work. Traditional shortbread is baked as a circle and cut into rounds, but you can use any shape. I like squares, since they are easy to cut out.

Shortbread

2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 c. butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder, set aside. In large bowl cream butter; gradually add sugar. Stir in flour mixture. On lightly floured surface roll to 1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes. Place on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake. Makes about 30 cookies.

Chicken L'Orange

2008-09-08T09:36:00.002-06:00

Chicken L'Orange

4 chicken breasts

6 oz. can orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 Tb. brown sugar

1 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. raisins

4 green onions, sliced

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained

Place chicken in baking dish. Mix sugar, ginger, salt, raisins, and juice concentrate. Spread sauce over chicken as a glaze. cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Add oranges. Bake uncovered 15 minutes more or until chicken is fork tender. Serves 4. Tastes great with rice.

Tips on Chocolate

2008-09-02T12:28:00.004-06:00

I got this great book from the library called, "The Clever Cook's Kitchen Handbook." I have decided it's one for my wish list. I keep seeing things on here I want to share. It seems like every page has some great hint on it I've never heard before. It also has over 900 recipes. But since the title of this blog if "Chocolate and Other Food Groups" it seems only right to share a few hints on working with this most basic of all food groups.

1. So what is the difference between semisweet and bittersweet chocolate? Not much. Different companies will market theirs as semisweet, and yet it will taste more bitter than one called bittersweet. The real difference is the the amount of sugar each contains. Semisweet, bittersweet, or dark, it all has lots of intense cocoa flavor with no milk added.

2. What's the best way to melt chocolate? I like the double boiler methods for large amounts and the microwave for small amounts. To use a double boiler, you put a small amount of water in the bottom of a double boiler and put your chocolate in the pan on top. I actually got the top half of my double boiler at the thrift store. It fits right onto another pan I already had. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use a heatproof or stainless steel bowl into a saucepan of simmering water. Whatever you do, make sure the water doesn't get into the chocolate.

If that sounds risky, you can also use the microwave. Chop your chocolate (or use chocolate chips) into small pieces and put them in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on medium power, starting with 30 seconds at a time. Stir after every 30 seconds. It takes about 1 minute per 2 ounces of chocolate to melt, but it will depend on your microwave. As soon as it gets liquidy and almost all of the chocolate has melted, remove it from the microwave and stir until all the chocolate has melted and it becomes nice and smooth.

3. What if I did get water in my chocolate? Just a little water will turn your nice, liquid, smooth chocolate into a stiff hard mess that no one will want to eat. But don't panic. Add 1 1/2 Tb. shortening or oil to the mixture for every 4 ounces of chocolate. (That would make 4 1/2 Tb. for a whole bag of chocolate chips.) Then reheat in the microwave. Again, check every 30 seconds and stir. Soon it will be nice and smooth again.

4. What is that white stuff that gets on my chocolate after it's been in the cupboard for a long time? Should I throw it out? That white stuff is called bloom, and although it looks ugly, it does not affect the taste of the chocolate or whether you can use it. Save that chocolate for melting or go ahead and stick it in cookies. Once it's heated it will lose the white stuff.

5. Oops! I burned my chocolate. What do I do? You have 2 choices. Start over is the best one. But if you don't have enough chocolate to start over, you can try this trick. Dissolve 1 tsp. cocoa powder and 1 tsp. sugar in 1/4 c. hot water. Stir that into 4 ounces burnt chocolate. Adjust amounts according to how much chocolate you have - one bag of chocolate chips is 12 ounces, so triple the amounts above. Stir until blended.

6. How do I replace chocolate with cocoa powder? Use 3 Tb. cocoa powder for every 1 ounce chocolate, plus add 1 Tb. butter, shortening, or vegetable oil.

Hope these tricks are useful! Now I'm off to see what kind of chocolate I have in the house. I think there are some Mint 3 Musketeers left in my room.

Spongebob Squarepants and Pineapple Cake

2008-08-31T14:33:00.004-06:00

Will is a fan of Spongebob and for his 8th birthday, he wanted a pineapple cake. This is probably not the best pineapple cake ever, but it was simple and he liked it. Here's how I did it.

Equipment:

2 oval cake pans
cake rack, criss cross style
chocolate frosting
Spongebob figure
sign
green construction paper or foam sheets
sprinkles
candles

First, mix your cake, any flavor or recipe, and cook in oval cake pans. Be sure to grease and flour your cake pans. Cool cake in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out of pans to cool completely. Assemble your other equipment. When cakes are cooled, frost with chocolate frosting. As you can tell from the picture, I didn't quite have enough to get the edges nice and smooth. Arrange one layer on serving platter, frost top, then top with second layer and frost. Let cake set about 10 minutes, then use the cake rack to gently imprint a criss cross pattern on top of the cake. This will create the pineapple effect. Then decorate with Spongebob, sprinkles, candles, sign (it reads Bikini Bottom with an arrow). Cut long wide leaves from construction paper and slip underneath the cake or in between layers. Write name on it and you're all done!

This is not the best looking cake I've ever made, but I'm pretty happy with it. When he asked for a pineapple cake, I was stumped for a while. But it worked out better than I thought.

Caramel Corn

2008-08-31T10:29:00.004-06:00

This recipe is from Carrie, a former neighbor who made it for Christmas. It's easy and at my house, it's gone in no time.

Caramel Corn

8 c. popped popcorn (about 1/3 c. unpopped)

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. margarine

3 Tb. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Remove all kernels from popped corn. Butter sides of a medium saucepan. In saucepan, combine brown sugar, margarine, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat to boiling. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla; pour over popcorn. Stir gently to coat.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

2008-08-31T10:27:00.004-06:00

1 c. BBQ sauce

1 c. honey

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. chicken

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on high for about 30 minutes, turn heat to low and cook for another 3 to 4 hours.

This recipe is super easy and very good.

Ground Beef Kebobs

2008-08-31T10:22:00.002-06:00

I made these when were first married. Randy and I loved them.

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1 Tb. chopped fresh mint

Salt

1 green onion

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine yogurt, 1 tsp. mint, 1/8 tsp. salt and set aside for sauce. Mince onion, combine with remaining mint, ground beef, 1 tsp. salt, and spices. Shape ground beef mixture into 16 meatballs and string them onto skewers. Broil or grill meatballs, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes. Serve with yogurt sauce. Serves 4 as main dish or 8 as appetizer.

Berry Smooth Cheesecake

2008-08-27T14:41:00.002-06:00

This is a different type of cheesecake using unflavored gelatin to create a silkier, smoother texture with a very fine crumb. This cheesecake is not baked, but the crust is cooked until firm.

Berry Smooth Cheesecake

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

3 Tb. sugar

3 Tb. butter, melted

Combine crumbs, sugar, and butter; press onto bottom of 9" springform pan. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes; cool.

Cheesecake:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (like Knox)

1/4 c. cold water

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

Dash salt

1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen strawberries or raspberries, thawed

Milk

1 c. whipping cream, whipped

Soften gelatin in cold water, then stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine cream cheese, sugar, and salt until well blended. Drain strawberries, reserving liquid. Add enough milk to liquid to equal 1 cup. Gradually add milk mixture and gelatin to cream cheese, mixing well. Chill until slightly thickened. Fold in whipped cream and strawberries; pour filling over crust. Chill until firm. Serves 12.

Raspberry-Layered White Chocolate Brownies

2008-08-27T14:34:00.003-06:00

Time for more chocolate!

Raspberry-Layered White Chocolate Brownies

Brownies:

1 pkg. brownie mix

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. oil

1 egg

3/4 c. raspberry preserves or jam

White Chocolate Buttercream

1 (6 oz) white baking bar or 1 c. vanilla milk chips

3/4 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350. Grease 13 x 9 pan. In large bowl, combine brownie ingredients except jam. Beat until well combined. Spread into greased pan and bake for 33 to 35 minutes. Do not overbake! Cook just until set. Cool brownies 10 minutes; spread with jam. Cool completely.

In small saucepan over low heat, melt baking bar, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool 30 minutes. In small bowl, combine butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Slowly add melted chocolate and beat until well combined. Carefully spread over jam. Store brownies in refrigerator. Allow to stand at room temperature 5 - 10 minutes before serving. Makes about 36 bars.

Creamy Citrus Cake

2008-08-27T14:24:00.002-06:00

I made this for Easter this year and tinkered around with the ingredients. It turned out super yummy, but I don't have a picture. I need to do better about taking pictures of my recipes.

Creamy Citrus Cake

1 c. boiling water

1 4 oz. box gelatin, orange or lemon

1 box white cake mix

3/4 c. thawed orange juice concentrate

1/3 c. oil

1/4 c. water

4 egg whites (or 2 whole eggs)

1 container (12 oz) whipped frosting

1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed

Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom only of 13 x 9 pan. In small bowl, combine boiling water and gelatin and stir until dissolved. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

In large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/4 c. gelatin mixture, 1/4 c. orange juice concentrate, oil, water, and egg white at low for about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Reserve remaining juice concentrate and gelatin.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Poke warm cake every inch or so with a fork. Reserve 1 Tb. gelatin mixture and set aside. Combine remaining gelatin and juice concentrate. Pour slowly over cake and let cake cool completely, about 1 hour.

In medium bowl, combine frosting and Cool Whip. Frost cake. Microwave remaining 1 Tb. gelatin until liquid, about 10 seconds. Using very small spoon, place drops of gelatin on top of frosting and then swirl with a toothpick. Store this cake in the refrigerator.

This was a big hit at Easter, very moist and delicious, and easy to make.

Black Forest Cheesecake Delight

2008-08-25T14:30:00.004-06:00

Here's a tip for slicing cheesecake. Use a length of dental floss to cut through the cake. You can also use a long knife. Dip it into hot water for a few seconds, then cut straight down.

Black Forest Cheesecake

1 c. chocolate water crumbs (crushed Oreos work here)

3 Tb. melted butter

2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese (16 oz. total), softened

2/3 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. chocolate chips, melted or 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted

1/4 tsp. almond extract

21 oz. can cherry pie filling

Cool Whip or sweetened whipped cream

Combine cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9" springform pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Blend in melted chocolate and extract. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 45 to 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of the pan, but cool completely before removing rim of pan. Chill. Just before serving top with cherry pie filling and whipped cream.

Tip: So how do you know when your cheesecake is done? There are several ways to check. One is to insert a knife in the center. If just a few crumbs cling to the knife, then it is done. This is fine if you are going to top the cake with sour cream or something else, but if you want the top to be nice and even, you may not want to use this method. Another way is to jiggle the pan. The very center should still be a little jiggly, about the size of a quarter. If the jiggly area is larger than that, it needs to cook a few minutes longer.

Fruit Pizza

2008-08-25T14:20:00.003-06:00

There are several variations on this, but this is the one we served at various family parties over the years. I think this is the one we had at my wedding shower.

Fruit Pizza

20 oz. pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

assorted fruit--strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, bananas, peaches are all good.

1/2 c. orange marmalade or apricot preserves

2 Tb. water

Spread cookie dough onto pizza pan. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla; mix well. Spread over crust. Arrange fruit over cream cheese later. Combine marmalade and water, and apply glaze over the fruit. Chill and serve.

Cream Cheese Fudge

2008-08-25T14:14:00.004-06:00

This is not classic fudge, but it's an extremely easy and delicious candy that even beginners can make.

Cream Cheese Fudge

4 c. sifted powdered sugar

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Dash salt

1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar, mixing well. Add remaining ingredients. spread into buttered 8" square pan. Chill several hours before cutting. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 1 3/4 lbs. fudge.

Marble Squares

2008-08-25T14:08:00.003-06:00

Marble Squares

1/2 c. margarine or butter

3/4 c. water

1 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. sour cream

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

1 egg

1 c. chocolate chips

Combine margarine, water, and chocolate in large saucepan, bring to boil, and remove from heat. Stir in flour, sugar, soda and salt. Add eggs and sour cream; mix well. Pour into greased and floured 15 x 10 jelly roll pan.

Combine cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add egg. Spoon over chocolate batter. Cut through several times with a knife to marble the batter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes about 2 dozen squares.

Editorial Changes

2008-08-24T13:21:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to point out a few new features on here. I added a cooking term at the bottom hosted by the Culinary Institute of America, known to foodies as the CIA. Let me know what you think. I also added a link list on the sidebar so you can search for recipes by topic, like chicken or Christmas. Right now that's listed by number of entries, but I could do it alphabetically. Let me know which one you would like better. I hope you enjoy these new changes. I'd love some feedback!

Cindy

Sundance Eggs

2008-08-23T21:58:00.005-06:00

Sundance Eggs

2 flour torillas, taco size
4 eggs
1 ts. water
1/8 ts. salt
2 ts. butter
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 Tb. green chilies, chopped and drained
1/2 c. cheese
2 Tb. taco sauce or salsa
2 Tb. sour cream, optional

Heat oven to 350. Wrap tortillas in foil; bake about 5 minutes or until warm and soft. In medium bowl, combine eggs, water and salt; beat well. Melt butter in medium skillet and add eggs. Cook until eggs are almost set. Remove from heat.

Place warm tortillas on large ungreased cookie sheet. Top each tortilla with 1/2 of the eggs, onions, tomato, chilies, and cheese. Bake at 350 or until cheese is melted. Top each with taco sauce and sour cream. Serves 2.

Grilled Cranberry Mustard Chicken

2008-08-23T21:49:00.003-06:00

Grilled Cranberry Mustard Chicken

Cranberry Mustard Sauce

1/2 c. cranberry sauce
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1 Tb. sugar
2 ts. cider vinegar

Chicken

4 chicken breasts, skinless

Heat grill. In medium bowl combine sauce ingredients; blend well and set aside.

In medium glass dish, arrange chicken breasts with thickest portions on outside edge of dish. Cover with waxed paper and microwave on high for 5- 6 minutes or until chicken is almost done. Drain.

Immediately place chicken on medium hot grill; brush with sauce. Cook 10-15 minutes or until chicken is done. Brush frequently with sauce. Turn once; cook until done. Heat remaining sauce to boiling and serve on the side. Serves 4.

You can also prepare this chicken in the broiler.

Quick Salsa Chicken with Seasoned Breadsticks

2008-08-23T15:23:00.001-06:00

Quick Salsa Chicken

2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
2 ts. taco seasoning mix
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. shredded cheese
1 Tb. sour cream, optional

Heat oven (or toaster oven) to 375. Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning mix. Place in 8" baking dish. Pour salsa over chicken. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with cheese and bake another 3 to 5 minutes. Top with sour cream. Serves 2.

Seasoned Breadsticks

1 7 oz. can refrigerated breadsticks
3/4 ts. taco seasoning

Arrange breadsticks on cooking sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning mix. Bake as directed on package, or cook with chicken is cooking. Makes 5 breadsticks.

Raspberry Cream Tarts

2008-08-23T15:17:00.002-06:00

Raspberry Cream Tarts

1 6 oz. container raspberry yogurt
1 4 oz. container vanilla pudding
2-3 drops red food coloring, optional
1/2 c. fresh raspberries
3 individual graham cracker pie shells

In small bowl, combine yogurt, pudding and food color; blend well. Fold in raspberries. Spoon mixture into pie shells. Garnish with whipped cream or Cool Whip, more raspberries, or chocolate syrup. Makes 3 servings.

Harvest Dinner Omelet

2008-08-23T15:08:00.004-06:00

Today's recipes are a few for smaller crowds of 2 to 3 people. We used these when we were first married or only had Baby Ellen. Good for lunch too.

Harvest Dinner Omelet

4 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/8 ts. salt
1 Tb. butter
1/2 c. chopped zucchini or mushrooms
1/3 c. chopped tomato or ham
1 Tb. chopped onion
1/2 c. shredded cheese

Combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper; beat well. Melt margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour egg mixture into skillet; reduce heat to low. Cook, gently lifting edges so uncooked portion flows underneath, until eggs are set but top is moist. Sprinkle other ingredients over eggs. With spatula, loosen edge of omelet and fold in half; transfer to serving platter. 2 to 3 servings.

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

2008-08-22T20:28:00.004-06:00

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2 ts. maraschino cherry liquid
1/2 ts. almond extract
3 or 4 drops red food color
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 ts. salt
1/2 c. maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
About 48 chocolate kisses, unwrapped (better make it extra, so you can test a few)

Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, cherry liquid, extract and food color; blend well. Add flour and salt; mix well. Stir in cherries. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with a candy kiss, pressing down firmly. Remove from cookie sheets and let cool before touching or chocolate will smear.

These are our cookies for Santa every year. I thought I had a picture to share, but I can't find one. If I find one later, I will add it. If you have had peanut blossoms, these are very similar. Everyone in my family loves these and Santa is lucky to get 2 or 3 cookies. Have your helpers unwrap the kisses while the cookies are in the oven. They might need to test a few too, but save enough for the cookies.

Cranberry Cardamom Cake

2008-08-22T09:56:00.004-06:00

Cranberry Cardamom Cake

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 ts. ground cardamom
1 1/2 ts. baking powder
1/2 ts. baking soda
1 c. milk
3/4 c. butter, melted
3 eggs
1 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour bundt cake pan. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl. Add milk, butter, and eggs; beat at medium 2 minutes. Stir in cranberries. Spoon batter into pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

This cake has a unique and delicious flavor. Randy loves this one. It keeps well, if you have enough to keep!

Orange Pecan Balls

2008-08-20T14:04:00.008-06:00

Orange Pecan Balls

1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 ts. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 ts. grated orange peel
1/4 ts. salt
2 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 ts. shortening

Heat oven to 400. Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, pecans, orange peel, and salt. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.

Place chocolate and shortening in small microwavable bowl. Microwave just until chocolate melts, stirring often. Drizzle on cookies. (You could also roll cookies in powdered sugar instead)