Saturday, May 30, 2009

One Heart of A Cookie


Heart Shaped Pan Cookie
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl using a hand mixer to mix. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips; spread evenly into a greased 8 1/2 or 9 inch heart shaped pan.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.
If you prefer you can use a round cake pan instead of using the heart shaped pan.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Bite Size Pizza





I made homemade marinara sauce for a veal recipe that I did a few posts ago. I had extra marinara sauce left over and came up with this recipe for biscuit pizza bites. It may not have been a really big hit with Randy since he is not a fan of biscuits but it was for me since I am a lover of biscuits.


Biscuit Pizza Bites

For making the biscuits I used a recipe on a box of baking mix

Biscuits

2 1/4 cups all purpose baking mix
2/3 cup fat free milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Use a lightly greased baking sheet. Combine baking mix in a bowl, stir to blend to make a soft dough. Fold and pat on floured board or counter about five times. Roll 1/2" thick. I do not have a biscuit cutter so I used the 1/2 cup measuring spoon as a cutter that was floured. It worked great. Bake on baking sheet 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 8 biscuits


Assemble the biscuit just as you would a pizza, place a small amount of marinara sauce on and spread around evenly, use the toppings of your choice. I went with pepperoni cut into bite size pieces and mozzarella cheese that was cut into small chunks.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Quick, Easy and Simple




I was in the mood for macaroni and cheese and thought that would be the perfect thing to whip up for my lunch. This is a simple recipe that I came up with to satisfy my craving.


Quick Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups macaroni
1 brick extra sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
10 whole wheat ritz crackers

1. Cook macaroni according to the directions on the package.

2. In a medium saucepan place milk, butter and both cheeses. Stir until cheese is melted.

3. Place drained macaroni in a small baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni. Crush crackers and sprinkle over top.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or longer until bubbly and topping is golden.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Blueberry Baking Mix Muffins


Blueberry Baking Mix Muffins
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup fat free milk
2 cups all purpose baking mix
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place paper liners or grease the bottom of a 12 cup muffin pan.
Rinse blueberries and drain.
Combine sugar, egg, milk and oil in a large mixing bowl; stir until well blended. Add baking mix and stir to moisten. Gently fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups evenly.
Bake on center rack for 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Pineapple-Glazed Sweet Potato Slices



Pineapple-Glazed Sweet Potato Slices
The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook


2 large sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Peel sweet potaotes; cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add sweet potato slices; cook, rotating slices, until they are golden on bottom. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 5 minutes. Turn potatoes; cook over medium heat until browned on other side. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer until potatoes are tender.

2. Gently combine crushed pineapple, maple syrup and salt with cooked sweet potatoes in skillet over medium heat, heat through.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

All Tied Up


Bow Tie Salad
1 package Bow Tie pasta
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/2 cup fat free italian dressing
Cook pasta according to the directions on the package.
In a large bowl mix the pasta with black olives, tomatoes, cheese. Stir until blended well. Add the 1/2 cup of dressing until everything is coated completely.
Let chill for an hour and serve with the meal of your choice or have alone as a quick meal on the go.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Everywhere There Are Cookies


Peanut Butter Cookies
Martha Stewart's Cookies
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flattening cookies
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, I used butter flavored crisco instead
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup salted peanuts, I did not use any peanuts this time but maybe the next time
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift flour and baking soda in a bowl.
Put butter and both sugars in a bowl and using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix well until combined well. Mix in vanilla and then peanut butter. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, stir in peanuts if you chose to use them.
Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a glass in flour, tapping off excess, and use it to flatten balls slightly. Firmly press fork tines into each dough ball to make a cross-hatch pattern.
Bake cooikies, rotating sheets halfway through, until centers are firm and edges are lightly browned about 25 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Enjoy a cookie with a tall glass of cold milk. Yum.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Veal Real



Veal Parmigiana
The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook

2 cups Marinara Sauce (recipe to follow at the end)
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
4 veal cutlets
3 tablespoons butter
mozzarella cheese, cut into slices
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 16 ounce can tomatoes
1 6 ounce can tomato paste

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, in hot oil, cook onion and garlic until tender.
Stir in sugar, basil, salt, tomatoes with their liquid, and tomato paste; heat mixture to boiling, stirring to break up tomatoes. Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.


To prepare the Veal Parmigiana

In a medium size bowl place bread crumbs, salt and pepper. In a pie plate, beat eggs lightly. Dip cutlets in eggs, then bread crumbs; repeat to coat each cutlet twice.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat in hot butter, cook cutlets, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes. Arrange cutlets in skillet and spoon some sauce over each cutlet; top each with a slice of mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with parmesan. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Indulgence


Chewy Granola Bars
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 corn syrup
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups oatmeal
1 cup indulgent trail mix (white, chocolate, peanut butter drops, golden raisins, cranberries, almonds, peanuts and cashews)
1 1/4 cups unprocessed wheat bran
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, peanut butter, corn syrup, butter and vanilla; blend well. Stir in oatmeal, trail mix, and wheat bran. Press mixture evenly in prepared pan.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Chicken Tonight



Asian Chicken and Rice

1 cup frozen peas
1 cup brown rice
1 medium chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup oven toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place chicken breast in a baking dish. Cook chicken until it is not pink when cut apart.
While the chicken is cooking, in a small saucepan boil the peas until they are tender. In another saucepan, cook the rice according to the directions on the package.
When the chicken is done baking, let cool before cutting into strips. Place chicken, peas and rice into a large skillet, stir in soy sauce. Mix ingredients and heat through. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

*To toast the almonds, place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until almonds are golden brown.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

A Little Brittle


This is not your ordinary brittle that is made with peanuts, instead this is made with banana chips. I was going to make peanut brittle but as I was getting the ingredients out of the pantry the banana chips caught my eye and I thought why not change the recipe and see what happens.
Well, as you can see it was a success and the brittle tastes absolutely delicious.

Banana Brittle

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup banana chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon baking soda

Lightly butter a large cookie sheet. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat the first 4 ingredients to boiling, stirring constantly until sugar is completley dissolved. Stir in banana chips. Place a candy thermometer in place and continue to stir frequently until temperture reaches 300 degrees F. A small amount of the mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads, about 20 minutes.
Remove pan from heat, stir in butter and baking soda. Immediately pour on cookie sheet. Stretch mixture across the pan using the back of a spoon.
Cool brittle completely on cookie sheet that is placed on a wire rack. When brittle is cool, using hands break brittle into small pieces.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother's Day Wishes And A Dinner


First let me start off by wishing all mother's everywhere A Happy Mother's Day. I spent the morning visiting with my mother. We had a wonderful time.
Randy invited his mom over for dinner this evening. Randy did an excellent job in preparing the meal and I did lend a hand with making the pasta dish.
Shrimp Veggie Pasta
8 ounce package cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
16 ounce package fettuccine
1/2 pound small shrimp
1 bag california blend vegetables
In a large saucepan, combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, butter and milk. Stir over low heat until smooth. Meanwhile heat vegetables and cook pasta according to the directions on the package. In a large mixing bowl add the shirmp, vegetables, pasta and alfredo sauce. Mix until everything is blended well.

Friday, May 8, 2009

It's Ok To Be Sloppy


For lunch I wanted to make something to warm me up and I knew I didn't have much time to put a homemade soup together so I came up with this dish with ingredients that I had in the pantry and the fridge. Easy, simple, quick and tasty as well.
Creamy Style Sloppy Joe
1 pound ground beef
1 can mandwich sauce
1 can cream style corn
1 small onion diced
1 small green and red pepper diced
In a large skillet cook the ground beef along with the onions and peppers. Drain.
Place cooked ground beef and onion pepper mixture back in skillet. Add the mandwich sauce and cream style corn. Cook until heated through completely.
Serve over the pasta of your choice, or bread. I chose to make mine into a sandwich using slices of wheat bread.
A delicious meal to warm me up on a chilly afternoon.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Randy's Request


Banana Cream Pie
1 banana sliced
1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust
2 3/4 cups milk
2 packages Jello vanilla instant pudding
2 cups thawed Cool Whip
Place banana slices in crust. Pour milk into a medium size mixing bowl. Add pudding. Beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes. Gently stir in 1 cup of the Cool Whip; spoon into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours until pudding is set. Top with remaining Cool Whip.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Great For All Ages



If you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches then these bars will right up your alley.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Martha Stewart's Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grape jelly
1 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the parchment, dust with flour, and tap out excess.
Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, add eggs and peanut butter; beat until combined, about 2 minutes. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. Add vanilla.
Transfer two-thirds of mixture into prepared pan; spread evenly with an offset spatula. Using offset spatula, spread jam on top of peanut-butter mixture. Crumble remaining third of peanut butter mixture of top of jam. Sprinkle evenly with peanuts.
Bake until golden, 45 to 60 minutes, rotating halfway through. Tent loosely with foil if bars are getting too dark. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Run knife around edges and refrigerate, 1 to 2 hours. Cut inot about thirty- six bars. Cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Oh So Delicious


Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham
5 russet potatoes, cut into cubes
1 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup cubed ham
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a 1 quart casserole dish, place cubed potatoes and ham. In a medium saucepan, mix milk and cheeses. Stir until melted. Add in flour and stir until thickened.
Pour cheese mixture over potatoes and ham. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are no longer hard.