I made 3 different kinds of "cookie in a jar" recipes for my husbands co-workers for Christmas. The next day my children and I decided to try out one of the recipes and chose the Chocolate cookies (found on allrecipes.com). These have really great chocolate flavor and the first day they are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. But by the next day they were hard all the way through. They still had great flavor, but I think if I make them again I will under bake them a bit (I baked them for 12 min-may go for 9 or 10 min in the future). I followed the recipe with the exception of using 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 white chocolate chips. These have some of the best chocolate flavor I have made in a cookie-so for that reason I give them 4.5 out of 5 stars since they do harden too quickly. I wish I had taken a picture of these because my jars were adorable and they layered perfectly!
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a 1 quart wide mouth canning jar, layer dark brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa, chopped pecans, and chocolate chips. Pack everything down firmly before you add flour mixture, it will be a snug fit.
Attach a tag with the following instructions: Chocolate Cookie Mix in a Jar: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) 2. Empty cookie mix into large bowl. Thoroughly blend mixture with hands. Mix in 3/4 cup softened butter or margarine, 1 egg, slightly beaten, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Shape into walnut size balls, and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. 3. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then move to wire racks.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread
I found this recipe at http://allrecipes.com/. Over 2000 people reviewed this recipe an it had an overall rank of 5 stars (the most you can give). I 100% agree with this rating. This pumpkin bread was the easiest thing in the world to make, I have a broken arm and was able to make 2 beautiful loaves of bread and 6 muffins completely left handed. So this is totally fool proof! I was concerned it wouldn't have enough flavor since it only uses one can of pumpkin, but I was wrong-it's full of wonderful spiced pumpkin flavor and is super dense and moist. I read it was better the next day, so I didn't even try it the first day. I cut a slit in the muffins and pushed a small piece of chocolate in the middle of each muffin right when they came out of the oven. My 3 and almost 5 year old love these muffins and ask for more. The only sub I made was 2 c. white sugar and 1 c. brown sugar. They are not low fat, but so worth the extra calories. Would be a perfect item to take to a holiday pot luck!
Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Pesto Sauce
My friend Shannon told me I should make Pesto since I have an over abundance of basil growing in my garden. I immediately shot that idea down-saying it just looked too "green" and couldn't possibly taste good. And I honestly meant it and had no intention of trying it. But then when I was out in the garden today I realized there is no way I will be able to use all this basil and since I was making spaghetti sauce anyway I figured it wouldn't hurt to try the pesto (and still have another sauce on hand in case it was horrible). Well, I was wrong-it was actually very good! I used a recipe (allrecipes.com) that uses walnuts since that's what I had on hand, now I want to try it with pine nuts to see how that changes it. The biggest shocker of all time is my son (almost 3) who hates anything green or remotely vegetable like loved this stuff!! He ate it by the spoonful while I was making dinner and then ate all his pasta I fixed him and asked for more pesto sauce when I was storing the left overs. So this was a winner recipe in our house. My husband thought it was OK and I don't think my daughter (4.5) really liked it, but she said she liked it "medium"-I'm sure because her brother liked it so much she didn't' want to be outdone:)
I used 3 garlic cloves (from my garden) and 1/2 c. of cheese. Other than that I followed the recipe pretty spot on. I don't have a food processor (mine broke after about 4 uses) so I used a blender. I didn't think it was going to work at first, but once about 1/2 c. of the oil was in it finally started blending.
Pesto Sauce
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.
I used 3 garlic cloves (from my garden) and 1/2 c. of cheese. Other than that I followed the recipe pretty spot on. I don't have a food processor (mine broke after about 4 uses) so I used a blender. I didn't think it was going to work at first, but once about 1/2 c. of the oil was in it finally started blending.
Pesto Sauce
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Southern Peach Cobbler-for Colleen:)
from allrecipes.com-Mike said this was one of the best cobblers he has ever eaten. My peaches were very juicy so it's a little runny (even though I increased the corn starch to 4tsp-but still very good. I also decreased the cooking time to 25 min-because the reviews said it got too dark. I'm glad I did because mine was pretty dark even without that extra 5 min.
Southern Peach Cobbler
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water
MIX TOGETHER:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.
Southern Peach Cobbler
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup boiling water
MIX TOGETHER:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Chicken in Basil Cream
I have TONS of basil in my garden right now, so I am looking for new recipes to use it up before it goes bad. Here was one I found on allrecipes.com. I followed the tips of most of the reviewers and doubled the sauce and served it over pasta. I also left out the pimento's (because they sound gross to me) and cooked my chicken in olive oil instead of butter. I also used an egg/milk mixture prior to the bread crumbs instead of just milk. This recipe was very good. I haven't written here in a long time, so I don't remember my stars system, but both of my kids asked for seconds on the noodles (and ate all the chicken) and Amelia (4.5) even asked me to save some left overs for her lunch tomorrow (that is HIGH praise from her). I would make this again. I added some garlic salt because I thought it needed something, but it ended up bordering on too salty, next time I would add some fresh garlic instead.
Chicken in basil sauce
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (4 ounce) jar sliced pimento peppers, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place milk and bread crumbs in separate, shallow bowls. In skillet, heat butter or margarine to medium heat. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. Cook in butter or margarine, on both sides, until juices run clear (about 10 minutes). Remove and keep warm.
Add broth to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stir to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in cream and pimentos; boil and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat.
Add Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Stir sauce and cook until heated through. Pour mixture over chicken and serve!
Chicken in basil sauce
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (4 ounce) jar sliced pimento peppers, drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place milk and bread crumbs in separate, shallow bowls. In skillet, heat butter or margarine to medium heat. Dip chicken in milk, then coat with crumbs. Cook in butter or margarine, on both sides, until juices run clear (about 10 minutes). Remove and keep warm.
Add broth to skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stir to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in cream and pimentos; boil and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat.
Add Parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. Stir sauce and cook until heated through. Pour mixture over chicken and serve!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Chicken Noodle Soup
I am still cooking-just not very inspired meals lately. I tend to do meatloaf one day, roast 2 days, chicken 2 days and spaghetti one day a week. The other day is usually left overs. The good thing about my cooking is Mike is now taking my leftovers (when he remembers to get them out of the fridge) for lunch. He has been eating at the same 3-5 places for lunch for 10+ years and is sick of eating out. It works out nice since I pretty much hate left overs and he could care less.
Getting my kids to eat veggies is not an easy task. We went through a horrible time when they just refused to sit down and eat and dinner at our house was a nightmare-actually EVERY meal at our house was a nightmare. They would take a few bites and then be off playing. We had tried every combination of where they/we would sit and at the end they were at their own little table. One night I just kind of lost it and said "No more". They now sit at the table and we do too-they know to sit and eat and not play. It has been amazing. We have this thing where they are the "winner of the day" if they finish their food. At first it was whoever finished first, but that caused fights (an ongoing problem at our house), so now you can still be the winner of the day as long as you finish all your food for all 3 meals. My kids are very competitive, so this has worked out great actually.
So back to the vegetables. Last night we had roast chicken for dinner and there was about 1/2 chicken left over. So I cut the meat off it and cooked the carcass with bell pepper, onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, sage, thyme and basil. I also added a few chicken bullion cubes for added flavor. After about 2 hours of a slow boil I pulled the carcass and all the bones out. I used my immersion blender to puree the vegetables into the sauce (if my kids see something they don't like they will be picking through their meal to make sure there isn't anymore of it in there). I added the chicken back in plus some egg noodles and cooked it until the noodles were done.
It tasted really good and I was so impressed because I got a good amount of vegetables into both kids-YEAH me:)
Getting my kids to eat veggies is not an easy task. We went through a horrible time when they just refused to sit down and eat and dinner at our house was a nightmare-actually EVERY meal at our house was a nightmare. They would take a few bites and then be off playing. We had tried every combination of where they/we would sit and at the end they were at their own little table. One night I just kind of lost it and said "No more". They now sit at the table and we do too-they know to sit and eat and not play. It has been amazing. We have this thing where they are the "winner of the day" if they finish their food. At first it was whoever finished first, but that caused fights (an ongoing problem at our house), so now you can still be the winner of the day as long as you finish all your food for all 3 meals. My kids are very competitive, so this has worked out great actually.
So back to the vegetables. Last night we had roast chicken for dinner and there was about 1/2 chicken left over. So I cut the meat off it and cooked the carcass with bell pepper, onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, sage, thyme and basil. I also added a few chicken bullion cubes for added flavor. After about 2 hours of a slow boil I pulled the carcass and all the bones out. I used my immersion blender to puree the vegetables into the sauce (if my kids see something they don't like they will be picking through their meal to make sure there isn't anymore of it in there). I added the chicken back in plus some egg noodles and cooked it until the noodles were done.
It tasted really good and I was so impressed because I got a good amount of vegetables into both kids-YEAH me:)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
No more posts
In an effort to decrease my time online I am giving up this blog. I have been cooking everyday still, but took some time off line and realized I need to stay away from this computer. So it's a choice between my cooking blog and the blog of my kids....the kids win:) See Ya!!
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