Chocolates

Jason’s Great Grandma Squires came over this weekend and taught my mom, my sister and I how to dip chocolate and make old fashioned cooked fudge.  It was fantastic, and we all have the expanding waistlines to prove it!  We used most of a 10 pound bar of chocolate and made gifts for everyone on our “nice” list.  And then we started a new family tradition of decorating cookies!  What a fun weekend. 

Easy Mints
¼ C. butter or margarine
2 T. water
¼ t salt
½ t. peppermint oil (3-4 shakes of oil preferred, or lots more of extract)
3 ½ - 3 ¾ C. Powdered Sugar
Heat over low heat butter and water, add salt and extract, gradually add sugar until smooth.  Yields one pound of mints.

Fondant Cherries
Marischino cherries and juice (1 large jar or 3-4 small jars)
6 T. butter
¼ C. evaporated milk
¼ C. reserved cherry juice
2 t. vanilla
½ t. salt
Powdered Sugar until it’s the right consistency, about a 16 oz bag, maybe a touch more

Dry cherries on paper towel, reserve the 1/4 C. of the juice. Warm the butter, milk, cherry juice, vanilla and salt over low heat.  Remove from heat and add powdered sugar until it’s the right consistency, sort of like play dough.  Get some powdered sugar in your hands, flatten the fondant, wrap around cherries and then chill well in the freezer.  Then dip in chocolate.

Peanut Butter Eggs (from Aunt Kat) 
Mix together
4 C. powdered sugar
1 1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
1/4 C. butter or margarine, melted
2-3 T. milk
Mix together, adding milk last.  Shape into eggs, or perhaps next time I will make these into ball-shaped buckeyes and leave the top showing peanut butter so you can tell them from the cherries.  Freeze and then dip into chocolate.

Almond Joys
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 – 1 ½ pounds shredded coconut (large package)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (maybe a little more)
2 T. butter, melted
Almonds
Mix all ingredients.  Shape into ovals, put an almond (or two!) in the center. Chill well, and dip! 

Chocolate Covered Almonds or Peanuts
Stir whichever kind of nuts you like in the leftover chocolate, and dollop by spoonful onto wax paper to dry.

Sugar Cookies

So my new thing is going to be making sugar cookies.  It is too easy to eat A TON of the regular drop cookies- and sugar cookies are just less appealing to me.  To eat, anyway.  It has been a turn off in the past, but now, I sorta like that they take a lot of effort- you have to chill the dough, roll them out, cut the cookies, bake them, ice them one color at a time... I think it might be good for me, in an artsy kind of way.  Here are the icing recipes that I am using so far:

Decorated Rolled Sugar Cookies
1 1/2 C. butter, softened
2 C. white sugar
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
5 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Combine all ingredients (wet first, then the dry, just like normal) and then let chill in a fridge for at least an hour and up to over night.  Roll out on parchment paper to 1/4-1/2" thick.  Cut out shapes, pull away scraps and roll them on a new sheet of parchment paper.  Transfer the parchment paper with the cookie cut outs and bake in a 400 degree oven for 6 minutes or so.  Let cool completely before frosting.

Icing: 
2 C. powdered sugar
4 t. milk
4 t. light corn syrup
1/2 t. vanilla (or almond) extract
food coloring

Mix everything together and then separate into different bowls, add food coloring and go to town!  This is the kind of icing that goes on shiny and dries hard, so you can stack the cookies- it looks very professional.  Well, not when I make them just yet... but it could be.  It dries just right.  Takes about 20 minutes for the first coat to dry before you can add on top of that without having it run- and then after about 90 minutes or so, they are ready to stack.

Sugar Cookie Icing from Grandma Squires
1/4 C. shortening
1 lb (4 C.) powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
milk until it is the right consistency

I haven't made this one yet, but I think it is more of a Lofthouse cookie style of frosting... still delicious and what she uses for Christmas cookies.

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This recipe also came from Grandma Squires.  I made it tonight for St. Patrick's Day (added green food coloring, of course) and they turned out really good.  I didn't have time to chill the dough and they were still delicious.

Drop Sugar Cookies 
1 C. white sugar (or 1.5 C powdered sugar)
1 C. butter
1.5 t. vanilla (or you can use .5 almond extract + 1 t. vanilla)
1 egg
2 1/3 C. flour
1/2 t. baking soda

Preheat to 375.  Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Stir in vanilla and egg, then flour and soda.  Cover and fridge for 2 hours (if you have the time) otherwise just go for it.  Bake for 6-7 minutes (if you use the big cookie scoop to measure, and then roll into a ball shape) and pull them out before they look done, as always.

This frosting is pretty darn good, very much like the Lofthouse Cookies.  Jason said the combo of these two made perhaps the best cookie he has ever had in his whole life.  He seemed genuine when he said it, too!

Lofthouse Frosting
1/2 C. butter, at room temp
1/2 C. Crisco (I use butter flavored)
1/8 t. salt
1 T. vanilla extract
5 C. powdered sugar
1/4 C. (whole) milk, added slowly until you get the consistency you like.

Combine the butter and Crisco until light and fluffy.  Add everything else.  You can use this to spread with a spatula, or you can put it in a bag and pipe it on.

Jenny's Spaghetti Sauce

So my foodie friend Jenny made this for us right after we had Kate, and I know it's just spaghetti, but OMG it was amazing.  I think that I might be a convert, so much so that I might not even use jarred pasta sauce much going forward.  This was SO good and really easy to make.

Cook in a wok or large soup pot...
2.5 or 3 hot italian sausage links (you don't need any extra oil, by the way...)
2.5 or 3 mild italian sausage links
optional - if you're feeding a crowd- 1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/2 onion, diced small

Then add...
28 oz can tomato sauce
28 oz can diced tomatoes (Jenny used fresh tomatoes from her garden... deseed, dice and add!)
1 6 (or is it 8- the small skinny can) oz can tomato paste

Then add...
1 T. oregano
1 T. basil
1 t. thyme (or a little less)
1 t. rosemary (or a little less)
1/4 t. sage
2 bay leaves

Turn it down to simmer for 30-60 minutes, giving it an occasional stir.  Serve over pasta with parmesan cheese, a green salad and some garlic bread and enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

So we have all heard how good for us spaghetti squash is, right?  One cup of it has 42 calories.  If you sub that for your spaghetti, you can easily shave a couple hundred calories off your meal.  And no, it doesn't taste just like pasta... but with a good sauce on top, it is definitely edible and very filling.

It is super easy to cook, too.  Here's what you do:

Stab a couple of puncture holes in the squash.

Then, place the whole thing either in a 375 degree oven for 40-60 minutes, or wrap it in plastic-wrap and put it in the microwave for 10 minutes or so.  Either way, you want a sharp knife to slide into the skin somewhat easily.

Give it a few (5-10) minutes to cool, and then carefully slice it in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds, and then take a fork to the flesh.  It will shred into little spaghetti like pieces.  Serve with olive oil and parmesan cheese, or put a good meat sauce on top- and enjoy!

PS You can also cut a spaghetti squash in half and cook using either of these methods above.  If you do that, it will cook faster- but you have to be really careful not to cut your arm off.  I'm not kidding, it is really tough to cut through- and you know if you open half of it, you're going to want the other half too- so you may as well just throw the whole thing in at the same time!  Enjoy!

Kitty Litter Cake

I saw this recipe years ago, and then I had the actual cake once at a Halloween party.  I have to say, it is pretty tasty if you can get over the psychology of eating what looks like convincing cat littler.  This is a really fun novelty item and definitely one that I plan on doing some day.  Some people that reviewed it said they have never had so much fun cooking as when they made this.  I am thinking that my five year old would go nuts over this- which might be reason enough to make it.  :-) 


Kitty Litter Cake

• 1 - 2 (18.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla or cheese cake pudding mix
• 1 (12 ounce) package peanut butter or vanilla sandwich cookies
• 3 drops green food coloring
• 1 (12 ounce) package tootsie rolls (the 4" ones work well) 
• crushed up Butterfinger bars, optional
• 1 new small cat littler box
• 1 new pooper scooper

1. Prepare cake mixes and bake according to package directions (any size pan).
2. Prepare pudding according to package directions and chill until ready to assemble. (I read that it is easier to mix in if you don't let it chill first!) 
3. Crumble sandwich cookies in small batches in a food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup add a few drops of green food coloring and mix.
4. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 of the remaining cookie crumbs, and the chilled pudding. You probably won't need all of the pudding, you want the cake to be just moist, not soggy.
5. Put cake mixture into box.
6. Put half of the unwrapped tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until softened. Shape the ends so that they are no longer blunt, and curve the tootsie rolls slightly. Bury tootsie rolls randomly in the cake and sprinkle with half of the remaining cookie crumbs. Sprinkle a small amount of the green colored cookie crumbs lightly over the top.
7. Heat 3 or 4 of the tootsie rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle lightly with some of the green cookie crumbs. Heat the remaining tootsie rolls until pliable and shape as before. Spread all but one randomly over top of cake mixture. Sprinkle with any remaining cookie crumbs. Hang the remaining tootsie roll over side of litter box and sprinkle with a few green cookie crumbs. Serve with the pooper scooper for a gross Halloween dessert.

Hummus Garlic Bread

I saw this on a friend's FB page and think I will make it next time I have a Mediterranean night.  Yummo!

Hummus Garlic Bread

Ingredients

Yield: 4 Servings

1 loaf French bread (about 12-14 inches long)

1 ten-ounce container of Sabra® Roasted Garlic Hummus

1-2 tablespoons chopped garlic

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat Broiler

Slice French bread in half length wise. Set aside

Mix Sabra® Roasted Garlic Hummus and garlic together in a small mixing bowl. Spread hummus mixture on French bread halves. Place bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Broil bread on a wire baking rack located in the middle of the oven, not too close to the broiler. Broil 2-5 minutes or until edges are crispy and the cheese is browning. Watch the bread closely as broilers vary greatly in their timing.

Cut each half of bread into quarters. Serve warm

Bacon Grid

Bacon Grid

I saw this idea in one of those Kraft recipe books for making BLT's and wanted to remember it, should I ever be in a place where I actually decide to make a BLT.  I like bacon but couldn't imagine having it for a main dish... although every once in a while, I bet a BLT would hit the spot.  In any event, this seems like it would be a fun way to make the bacon and maximize the bacon in every bite of the sandwich!

So to make this grid, you just lay 5-6 pieces side by side, touching each other, and then you weave the next 5-6 pieces through going perpendicular to the first set.  You can cook it like this in a fry pan or in the oven. Not sure about the microwave... and even though I know people who do it, and have enjoyed food made that way, meat in the microwave still weirds me out.

BLT's, by the way- are just toasted bread, mayo, bacon, lettuce and tomato.  This grid of about 12 slices makes enough for four sandwiches.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Check out how spoiled my son is.  He says that he is "bored of cookies" because I make them "all the time."  :-) And he brings a valid point, I'll admit it.  Tonight we were hungry for a good dessert but Christopher and I really weren't into the standard chocolate chip cookie thing- so I found these when I searched for the recipe for the Costco muffins, which are among the very best.

These went from idea to oven in about four minutes.  Super easy to mix up and really good.  I didn't have any pudding mix this time but they were still awesome.  I'm leaving it in here because I am sure the pudding mix wouldn't hurt.

1 Devils food cake mix (or any chocolate cake mix)
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding (it's OK if you don't have this, my first time I didn't and they were fantastic!)
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt (plain works too)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips, mixed in, plus extra to sprinkle on top 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (maybe my oven is just too hot, but 400 was burning mine so just keep an eye on them, next time I will probably do them either rat 350 or 375). Lightly grease muffin pan (this makes about 20 muffins) or use muffin liners. Set aside. In a mixing bowl combine cake mix and pudding mix. In a separate bowl combine yogurt, water, oil, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full and sprinkle a few chocolate chips on each muffin.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until center springs back. Cool on wire rack. These muffins will store for a couple of days, if you can avoid eating them that long.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Jason had a jumbalaya at the fire house a few weeks ago and thought it was fantastic.  He tried to make it last week one day, but we had to throw all of it down the drain- cooked rice in the slow cooker is not a good idea.  My dear friend Shanin gave me this recipe a while ago, and I plan on making this one of these Sunday's while football is on.  Usually, I only post recipes that I have successfully made myself, but I am going to start adding some that I want to try too.  I'l delete things is they're no good!  Back to the jumbalaya, I read somewhere that this is good to pick from all day long.  I'm looking forward to trying it!  

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed
• 2 cups cooked rice

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.

Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

Baked Costa Rican-Style Tilapia with Pineapples, Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 (5 to 7-ounce) tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 cups jarred or homemade tomato salsa
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups diced fresh pineapple
• 2 limes, thinly sliced

Directions

Combine the rice and chicken broth in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, the garlic, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add the tilapia fillets to the marinade, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Stir together the cooked rice, salsa, beans, pineapple, and remaining 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in a 2 or 3-quart baking dish. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, reserve the marinade, and lay the fish fillets over the rice mixture, overlapping if necessary. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish. Shingle the lime slices over the fish. Bake until the fish flakes easily, is opaque, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Drinks

So my sister is a bartender!  Well, not really- she's a lifeguard, but she took one of those bartending classes that I've always wanted to do, and one day I had her e-mail me a bunch of drink recipes.  Here they are!  Enjoy!  (And be safe!) 

Cosmo
1 oz vodka
½ oz triple sec
½ oz lime juice
½ oz cranberry juice

Apple Martini
1 part vodka
1 part Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
1 part apple juice

Mojito
1.25 oz spiced rum
12 mint leaves
1 tbsp sugar
½ oz lime juice
2 oz soda

Place mint leaves in bottom of glass. Add crushed ice, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, sugar, and lime juice, and muddle. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.

Lemon Drop
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz triple sec
1 tsp superfine sugar
3/4 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
lemon peel, garnish

Mix the vodka, triple sec, sugar and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half filled with ice cubes. Shake well to make sure sugar is blended. Pour strained liquor into a sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon. 

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons (more actually) chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• S&P to taste

1. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed.
3. 
   

Super important to brown the rice first!  Add fresh garlic if you like, after the rice is translucent.  

Sweet Grape Salad

I had this for the first time at a potluck.  It is a little strange but really delicious and super easy to make.  And any dessert that includes fresh fruit gets bonus points, right?  Also, this recipe can be easily doubled or halved.  Click here for step by step directions.

Sweet Grape Salad


2 lbs. red seedless grapes
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 8-ounce carton sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pecans (I like to double this amount and I like them toasted)

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Gently fold in grapes.  Sprinkle with brown sugar, then pecan pieces.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or until well chilled. Serve very cold.