Sissy's Kitchen

A Whole New Kind of Crack Cookie: The Smack Cookie

2010-09-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Name courtesy of The Husband.

I think I may have just made a cookie I like more than Crack Cookies. And, let's face it, that's saying a LOT!

Truth be told, they are Crack Cookies, but with a twist--Cinnamon. Everybody together now: mmmm.

I've been wanting to use cinnamon chips for a long time but no store I checked had them. Finally, about six months ago, I spotted them at the nearby Albertson's, but still didn't buy them. Then a month or so ago, a friend suggested Crack Cookies with cinnamon chips, so I figured it was about time.

Of course, I couldn't just replace the chocolate chips with cinnamon chips. I needed more. One of the things I love best about cinnamon is eating it with butter and sugar. An idea was born and I think it totally makes them.

Sissy's Variations:

Add cinnamon to taste (oh, come on, we all know you taste the cookie dough). I added it during the creaming of the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. I don't know if made a difference, but that's where I felt it needed to go.
Here's the real kicker: melted butter with cinnamom and sugar brushed on top. I did this as soon as they were out of the oven, so for my cookies, that meant when they were still a little soft on top. I think this allowed the butter to seep in good, but then also gave a good almost glaze to the top.

I have to say, even The Husband asked for a second cookie right away. He said it kept getting better the more he chewed. Can't beat that. I told him he got to name them, thus, Smack Cookies--at least for now. I really hope they are as good next day, not hot out of the oven. Because hot out of the oven, these may be the best cookies ever!

Weekly Meal Plan: 4/4 thru 4/10

2010-04-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

A few days late and few dollars short. Ha! Wow, okay, the week's almost over, but I'm still going to post. Mainly because the carpet guy is here cleaning the carpets, which means I'm in the kitchen with the laptop, which means quick, easy posts.

This week's goal is really more healthy, well balanced meals. I do promise to get the last few recipes from last week up ASAP.

So, here it is:

Sunday: Out
Monday: ~~Grilled tilapia, navy beans, Caesar salad~~ sandwiches
Tuesday: Ground Beef & Shredded Potato Casserole, side salad
Wednesday: ~~Chicken Stir Fry~~ grilled tilapia, navy beans, Caesar salad
Thursday: Easy Italian Chicken ~~Legs~~ Breasts (slow cooker), roasted potatoes, Italian-style green beans
Friday: Honey Mustard Salmon, brown rice, spinach/peas
Saturday: Out

I will definitely have recipes up for the casserole, the Italian chicken, and the salmon.

Kelly's Famous Meatloaf (Slow Cooker) w/Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni

2010-03-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today was work from home day, which means slow cooker dinner day. I love a good meat loaf. There are so many variations on the meat loaf, but I'm pretty much a plain Jane meat loaf kinda gal. Meat loaf is one dish it never would have occurred to me to cooking the slow cooker. One reason is that awesome little crust you get on the outer edges when cooked in the oven. But, this recipe from my Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook is too awesome not to eat over and over.

I decided to make mac 'n cheese with it instead of mashed potatoes, which I would normally make, since we just had potatoes with the CFS on Sunday. The recipe I like to use is one I saw Rachael Ray make years ago on her show. It is probably the best homemade mac 'n' cheese I've ever had--perfectly creamy and cheesy. It also travels well--I've taken it to potlucks with friends and work.

Kelly's Famous Meat Loaf

(Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook, 2006)

Prep: 9 minutes
Cook: 5 hours
Slow-Cooker Size: 3-quart oval

1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 (1-oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup ketchup, divided
1/4 c. water
3/4 c. fine, dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. prepared mustard

Combine ground round, soup mix, 1/2 cup ketchup, and next 6 ingredients; shape mixture into 8- x 4-inch loaf. Place loaf into lightly greased 3-quart oval slow cooker.
Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour. Reduce heat to LOW, and cook 3 hours. Remove ceramic insert from cooker, and carefully pour grease off meat loaf; return insert to cooker.
Stir together remaing 1/2 cup ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in a small bowl; spread over meat loaf.
Cover and cook on LOW 1 more hour or until meat loaf registers 160. Remove meat loaf from ceramic insert, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Sissy's Variations:
I try to use ground turkey as much as possible in place of ground beef. We've gotten to where we don't really even notice the difference. But, I still have a small aversion to ground turkey in large "chunks"--burgers (I'm almost over this one), loaves, balls. So, for this dish, I mix half ground turkey with half VERY lean ground beef. This time I also went ahead and used a pound of each for a 2-lb loaf. I just adjusted the cooking time 30 minutes at each level and it turned out fine.
I also use low fat cheese because I have it on hand and it is just one more place to cut back fat and calories.
As I've mentioned before, I have an 8-quart slow cooker, but I don't find that to be a hinderence in this recipe. If anything, it might help in that it keeps too much of the grease from getting on too much of the loaf.

Cheddar Cheese and Macaroni
(Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals 2, 2003)

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes or al dente to package directions
1 tbsp. vegetable oil or olive oil (once around the pan)
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
1 1/2 c. whole or 2% milk
3 c. shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (a couple pinches)
Salt, to taste

Heat a medium-size deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into oil, stir in flour. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, a handfull at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg an cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish, top with remaining cheese, and place under a hot broiler for a minute to brown the top.

Sissy's Variations:
This recipe is way too heavy and fattening for a normal, everyday meal, so I took some steps to lighten it up.
I used skim milk instead of whole. I actually meant to buy some fat free half and half, which I've used in another light mac 'n' cheese recipe, but I forgot, so I used what I had on hand. The trick to using skim milk in something like this is to heat it slower than you normally would. But, I had no problem with it thickening right up.
I also use Smart Balance Whipped as opposed to regular butter. Fewer calories, less fat, less sodium, and good things like Omega 3 added. And you still get the butter taste.
I prefer to use the Ronzoni pastas. I don't really like whole wheat so much, so this is a good compromise. It may still be higher in carbs, but it also has good things like more protein, more fiber, and I think the Omega 3 too.
And, like in the meat loaf, I used low fat cheese. I used a combo of pre-shredded medium cheddar and a block of Cabot reduced fat sharp. The cabot reduced fat is a bit more expensive than a generic cheese, but it's really good. I do use the white cheddar when I'm making this dish for a potluck, but the difference isn't THAT great.

CFS&G

2010-03-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well, that's what it was called in MY house. That would be Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy. I'm a Texas girl through and through--I love warm Spring days, the Dallas Cowboys, and Chicken Fried Steak. Fortunately for me, my daddy happened to make a killer Chicken Fried Steak and he taught me how to make it as soon as I could stand on a chair at the kitchen counter and dredge the meat.

About 6 months ago, I had some time to make a good Saturday night dinner at home and the subject of Chicken Fried Steak came up. I realized that in almost 8 years, I had never made this dish for B. I am not really sure how that is even possible, but it was, so problem solved. That was dinner. I've made it a couple of other times and he says it's the best CFS anywhere. So, last weekend we were having dinner with our friend Scotty P. and we were all eating CFS at a local restaurant. We all agreed it was awesome, but B said mine was better. Now, I'm not bragging, but I had to agree. I have a theory that, like so many other dishes, CFS is better homemade. I don't know what it is--the batter is better, it isn't too crisp (yes, that can be a bad thing), you aren't only tasting the crust. I don't know; just better.

Anyway, we decided that Scott deserved dinner for mowing our lawn (B can't mow right now due to his condition) and that Chicken Fried Steak would the perfect payback--what can I say, I know what the guy likes!

What's going to follow isn't a traditional recipe as I sort of believe this dish is more of a method than a recipe. And, really, no one way is probably right. It's just what you like. Personally, I think there are a few things you absolutely HAVE to do/have to make it just right.

Chicken Fried Steak

Tenderized Steak--cubed, round, sirlion; doesn't matter as long as it is tenderized
Flour
Bread crumbs
Seasoning of choice
Eggs
Milk
Vegetable Oil

Prep batter and "assembly line" first. Place milk in first bowl/pie plate. Crack and slightly whisk eggs in second bowl/pie plate. Mix flour, bread crumbs, and seasonings in third bowl/pie plate. If meat is in large pieces, cut into serving size pieces and salt/pepper each side. Line a baking dish/cookie sheet with paper towels and heat over to warm/low. Put vegetable oil in a deep skillet and heat to high/medium high. While oil heats, batter your meat.

Dredge through flour mixture.
Dip in eggs.
Dredge through flour again, covering competely.
Dip in milk.
Dredge through flour again, covering completely, then shaking off excess.
Place on plate in single layer.

Place meat into hot oil one at a time, not overcrowding the skillet. Cook on first side until you the crust form on the sides. Turn. Cook again until crust forms. Turn again and cook on each side one more time to crisp up the crust. Transfer to towel lined baking dish and put in over to keep warm until ready to serve.

Sissy's Variation:
All amounts will vary based on the amount you are cooking. My seasonings of choice are salt, pepper, garlic powder--and two "secret" ingredients: ground cumin and ground thyme. I wish I knew how long I cook the meat, but I usually just eyeball it. Next time, I'll time it, I promise

Gravy

Pan drippings from steak
Flour
Milk
Salt
Pepper
Spices

Heat drippings in a separate skillet. Whisk in an equal amount of flour to the about of drippings. Season and continue to wisk for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Whisk in milk and cook, whisking constantly, until gravy boils and thickens. Remove from heat and taste to adjust seasoning.

Sissy's Variations:
All amounts are going to vary based on much you are making. I am so NOT an expert on gravy. It has taken me many years of many failures to "perfect" a white gravy. For me, the big thing was to transfer the dippings to a new skillet, something I didn't do for a long time.

Of course, you can't have CFS&G without mashed potatoes. I won't bore you with a recipe for that. I also made some green beans loosely based on some green beans my boss makes for Thanksgiving at work every year. One large can of flat, Italian green beans sauted with chopped onions in olive oil and tablespoon of butter (Smart Balance) with garlic powder and pepper. Green beans are the perfect veggie to serve along side this meal.

Weekly Meal Plan (3/28 thru 4/4)

2010-03-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

So, here it is once again. I did pretty good sticking the plan last week. Our goal this week is to stick to it even better. My goal this week is also to make some these "heavier" meals a big lighter. B had a big hand in choosing this week's menu items, though had it been up to him, we would be having ALL comfort food.

Meals:

Sunday: Chicken Fried Steak w/mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans
Monday: Chicken Stir Fry w/brown rice
Tuesday: Tilapia, navy beans, Caesar salad
Wednesday: Meatloaf, mac 'n cheese, veggie/salad
Thursday: Baked Potato Soup, BLT/BLA
Friday: Chicken Pot Pie, salad
Saturday: Open

In case you missed it, some of last week's meals have been added to the blog and check back on these post for links to the recipes.

Happy Sunday!

Lemony Chicken (Slow Cooker) w/Roasted Potatoes

2010-03-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Lemon Chicken is a dish that scares me a bit. I've made it twice before, one unimpressive and one awful. The first was just some Lemon Pepper seasoning, so kind of boring. The second was a recipe from my Biggest Loser cookbook that turned out WAY too lemony and just not good. So, once again, B was pretty skeptical, but he agreed to let me try it.

Lemony Chicken ("The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook; Margaret Kaeter, 2002)

4 chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. sherry
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. crumbled dry oregano
1 tsp. grated lemon peel

4 to 6 quart slow cooker.

Wash the chicken breast; do no remove the bone or skin. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet. Saute the chicken until brown. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add the sherry to the skillet and stir to lossed the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet (deglaze). Pour the sherry mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the oregano and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Cut the lemon peel into 1/8-in. squares. Add the lemon juice and bits of lemon peel. Cook covered on low for 1 additional hour.

Roasted Potatoes: Nothing special here. Just 2lbs. baby red potatoes cut into pieces. Toss with olive oil and whatever you like. This time I used garlic and onion powder and dried, minced onion and garlic. Put in sprayed baking dish. Cover and cook at 400 for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes until slightly crispy.

Sissy's Variation:
I do not ever cook with chicken breast on the bone or with the skin. So, I just used 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I always have on hand.
I did use one extra clove of garlic because I love it so.
I did not have any sherry on hand, so I used a bit of white wine that I had in the fridge.
Because I used BLSL chicken, the browing step was a bit different. I couldn't let it get too brown or it would have cooked all the way through, so I just barely let it get brown. The BLSL chicken also does not give out good "bits" for deglazing, but there were some and I did want to utelize the butter flavor, so I still did that step.
Once I poured the wine mixture over the chicken, I didn't think there was quite enough liquid in there to keep the chicken from drying out--even knowing I would add the lemon later. Two things made me add some additional liquid in the form of chicken broth: I have a larger (8 qt.) slow cooker than the recipe called for and chicken not on the bone tends to be a bit drier, especially in the slow cooker.
We were unable to eat the chicken the night I made it, so I stuck it and the juice in the fridge for the next night. Even reheated, it was so good. B ate it on sandwiches. I ate it with the juice drizzled over and for dipping. Yum!

Mexican Pork Carnitas (Slow Cooker Meal)

2010-03-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

I love tacos. And I love experimenting with different kinds of tacos. So, when I came across the Mexican Pork Carnitas in my "Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook" (Margaret Kaeter, 2002), I really wanted to try them. One little problem: B is not a fan of pork or non-basic tacos. But, I showed him the recipe and asked what he thought. I equated it to something you might get at Chipotle. He took the bait and, as luck would have it, Pork Butt Roast was on sale at a local store, so were in business.

This was a perfect meal to throw in the slow cooker on a Sunday for Sunday night dinner and there were PLENTY of leftovers for later meals. As a matter of fact, we've already had two dinners out of it and still enough for one more. What I do NOT have, however, are pictures. Two meals and I didn't manage to grab the camera either time!

Mexican Pork Carnitas

4 garlic cloves
2 to 4-pound pork butt roast
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (12-oz.) can or bottle of lager beer

1. Peel and slice the garlic cloves about 1/8-in. thick. Using a sharp paring knife, cut slices into the butt roast and insert the garlic cloves, one slice in each opening. Place the butt roast in the slow cooker.
2. Chop the cilantro into 1/4-in. lengths. Place the cilantro and jalapeno pepper on top of the butt roast. Pour the beer over the top and cook on high setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the meat and shred it. Discard the jalapeno pepper and cilantro.

Serving suggestion: Steam corn tortillas by placing them in the microwave with a cup of water and cooking on high for 20 seconds. Ladle meat into the tortillas and top with chopped tomatoes and onions.

Sissy's Variation:
So, remember how I said the pork butt roast was on sale? Yeah, such a good sale that they were sold out by the time I got there. Because I needed to hurry and get the meat in the slow cooker in order to actually eat it that night, I could not go to another store. So, I bought another type of pork roast (sorry, I originally cooked this nearly two weeks ago and B went into the hospital three days later for a week, so I've completley forgotten what kind). I knew when I bought it that this roast would turn out a bit different, and it did. It was more dry than it was supposed to be, but still really good. I cut the roast in half because it was pretty big. I also used two jalapenos and a bunch and a half of cilantro because the called for amount seemed too little to me for the amount of meat. I think it worked out for the best--good flavor.

Also, I did serve it as tacos, but not just with tomatoes and onions. I added a small amout of salsa verde (not homemade this time), sour cream, and Monterrey Jack cheese. For the second dinner, I had avocado instead of sour cream. I think I liked the avocado better!

Weekly Meal Plan 3/21 thru 3/27

2010-03-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Some of these meals will seem like a repeat from two weeks ago. If you don't follow my other blog or know me in real life or on Facebook, the reason for that is most of the meals are "repeats" is that they did not get cooked last time around. The hubby was in the hospital for a week, so cooking at home just didn't happen. So, I have all this food in the house to cook now!

Sunday: ribs (slow cooker), roasted red potatoes
Monday: pork carnitas tacos, rice, black beans (frozen leftovers from two weeks ago)
Tuesday: leftover three bean chili and/or chicken chili (I have both in the feezer from a few weeks ago)
Wednesday: ~~Lemony Chicken~~ ~~(slow cooker), rice, veggie~~, Out
Thursday: ~~tilapia, navy beans, salad/veggie~~, Lemony Chicken and roasted red potatoes
Friday: Open
Saturday: chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes

Recipes to follow throughout the week.

Have a great one!

Meal Plan 3/7 thru 3/13

2010-03-09T19:34:00.000-08:00

Trying a little something new to get the blog back up and running. It's a new goal for me. I've meal planned in the past, but never very strictly. That is something I'm trying to get better at for so many reasons: structure, money saving, healthy diet.

The plan is to have this post up on Sundays as that is when my meal week starts. I go Sunday through Saturday since I do my grocery shopping on Sundays. As should be obvious, I'm a bit behind this week. So, I'll save some of my long-winded explaination for next week. Simply, this post will contain my meals for the week and posts during the week will give recipes when I think the recipes warrant posting. I will continue my baking posts too.

Meals for 3/7 thru 3/13

Sunday--Pork Carnitas Tacos, rice, black beans
Monday--Turkey burgers, mac 'n cheese
Tuesday--Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Wednesday--Grilled tilapia, navy beans, salad
Thursday--Lemony Chicken, brown rice, veggie
Friday--Open/leftovers
Saturday--Ribs, oven-roasted potatoes, veggie/salad

See you tomorrow night for some recipes!

More Lightened Up Desserts

2009-05-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

In honor of my friends Darren and Stacy, I thought I'd post a couple more desserts from my Lighten Up! 5-Ingredients Less Fat Recipes cookbook. After I posted the Mexican Chocolate Cake recipe, Darren decided to go home and bake it for Stacy. She was impressed. So, here are a couple more recipes that are equally as tasty. I haven't made them recently, but they are tried and true!

3 Ingredient Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) can dark sweet cherries, drained, syrup reserved
5 egg whites
1 reduced fat chocolate cake mix

1. Puree cherries in food processor.
2. Mix pureed cherries and egg whites in a large bowl with electric mixer.
3. Add dry cake mix and 1/4c. reserved cherry juice.
4. Mix well, and pour into a sprayed 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
12 servings; per serving: 225 calories, less than 4g of fat

Sissy's Variations: I like to make this cake in a bundt. I don't know what made me do that, but I really like that you get way more than the 12 servings and it's easy to transport.

Banana Pudding
When I first started using this cookbook, I made my husband (then my boyfriend) highlight all the recipes in it that he thought he would like. This one got highlighted and marked with "oh yes!" It did not disappoint. It's so good, that you don't even miss what's missing.
Ingredients:
1 large (6 servings) pkg. sugar free vanilla instant pudding
2 1/2 c. skim milk
1 (8 oz.) tub frozen light whipped topping, thawed
3/4 c. POST GRAPE-NUTS Brand Natural Wheat and Barley Cereal
4 bananas, sliced

1. Mix pudding mix and mild in a large bowl with a whisk.
2. Add thawed whipped topping.
3. Layer in a serving dish: half the cereal, half the banana slices, half the pudding.
4. Repeat layers.
5. This must be refrigerated 6 hours or up to overnight for the cereal to become soft.
8 servings; per serving: 200 calories, 4g fat

Sissy's Variations: I can't think of any variations that I've ever done myself except adding a few banana slices decoratively on top of the cereal. I've been meaning to try this with the lower calorie/lower fat/light 'Nilla Wafers used in classic Banana Pudding.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

2009-05-06T11:49:00.001-07:00

Finally updating with a new recipe. Not really a new recipe to me, though. This Mexican Chocolate Cake is an old, easy standby that's not only super yummy, but also lower in calories and fat than most cakes (most desserts, in general). This makes it vastly different from the other recipes in my blog!

I made the cake for a Cinco de Mayo potluck lunch at the office and had one request for the recipe and multiple compliments on the cake, so what better way to start back on the blog?

The recipe is from my Lighten Up! 5-Ingredient Less Fat Recipes cookbook.

Ingredients (cake):

5 egg whites
2 1/2 c. unsweetened cinnamon applesauce
1 reduced fat chocolate cake mix
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until foamy.
2. Mix in applesauce.
3. Add dry cake mix, vanilla, and cinnamon.
4. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute.
5. Spread in sprayed and floured 9" x 13" pan.

Ingredients (topping:)

2 tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.
2. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.
12 servings; per serving: 220 calories, 3g fat

Sissy's Variations: I can never seem to find unsweetened cinnamon applesauce, so I just use plain unsweetened and add cinnamon until I think it looks right. Sorry, measurement! I also just spray the pan with cooking spray, but don't flour and have never had an issue with sticking.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2008-09-27T12:15:00.001-07:00

I've seen BBQ pizza recipes before and for some reason, it just really sounded good on this night and I had everything on hand to make it except the dough. I do like to make my own pizza dough and make it frequently, but it can be a little time consuming on a weeknight, so I keep the refrigerated kind on hand for when the pizza craving attacks. I was very pleased with the outcome and Bill really liked, which was a huge plus.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
BBQ sauce
mozzarella cheese
sharp cheddar cheese
red onion, chopped

1. Spray grill with cooking spray and preheat grill. Season chicken with salt (or salt substitute), pepper, and garlic powder. Grill chicken until cooked through, turning as needed.

2. When chicken is almost done, coat lightly with BBQ sauce. Remove from grill to cool. While chicken cools, place pizza dough on pizza or cookie sheet.

3. Spread BBQ sauce on pizza dough almost to the edge, leaving a small crust. Sprinkle with a little bit of mozzarella and a large amount of cheddar cheese, enough to cover the BBQ sauce.

4. Cut chicken into small chunks and sprinkle over cheese. Sprinkle with a little more cheddar cheese and chopped onion. Drizzle with BBQ sauce.

5. Bake according to pizza dough directions, usually around 15 minutes.

Sissy's Variations:
For the BBQ sauce, I had both regular and hot and spicy on hand. I figured the hot and spicy would be too hot for spreading, so I used it on the chicken and the regular as the "pizza sauce." It was a perfect combo. I also used cheeses that were either low fat and/or made with 2% milk to cut back on calories. No problems with melting. And, of course, only half the pizza had onion, since I don't like uncooked onion.

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

2008-09-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

We're meat eaters around here. I've only successfully made one other meatless meal that we both really loved, kept us satisfied, and that I would certainly make again. But, I was really looking to keep costs down this week and went to the pantry and fridge for things I already had on hand. It's certainly nothing original and nothing terribly spectacular, but they turned out really good.

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:
(All ingredients can be adjusted based on how many enchiladas you are making; I made seven.)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
enchilada sauce (I used leftovers of the sauce I used for the Avocado Enchiladas), about 2 c.
1/2 block 2% sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
onions, chopped
shredded colby jack cheese
corn tortillas

1. Heat black beans on stovetop or in microwave until warm, but not mushy. I added some garlic powder for flavor. Re-heat enchilada sauce.

2. Quick "fry" tortillas in oven (spray tortillas with cooking spray and cook on baking sheet in oven set to 350 until they are just pliable).

3. Fill tortillas with beans, cheddar cheese, and onions (I don't eat onions like that, so only Bill got onions). Roll and place seam side down in baking dish.

4. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas. Top with colby jack cheese.

5. Bake in 350 degree oven until cheese melts, about 5-10 minutes.

Sissy's Variations:
As I mentioned, I didn't use onions since I don't like them. Bill also had his topped with extra chopped onions. I'd like to try these with different beans just to experiment, but these were great as is!

An All-time Fave: Chicken Spaghetti

2008-09-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite dishes of all time is the Chicken Spaghetti my mom cooks. Now, the fact that it's something my mom cooks is something pretty amazing all by itself. My mom, you see, doesn't really cook. She married men who could cook, and that is where I learned much of what I know about cooking--from my dad and my stepdad, both of whom are great cooks. But, Chicken Spaghetti is something my got from her mom and she's been cooking it for me forever. We rarely get to eat it because nobody else likes it quite like we do; they just tolerate it.

Mom says she has the recipe somewhere, but I've never used. I just sort of go from memory and occasionally call Mom to make sure I'm not forgetting something. It's super simple and makes great leftovers. But WARNING it makes A LOT. I suppose there are ways to cut it down, but for us, it just doesn't work unless you make a lot.

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients:
1 whole fryer chicken
1 lb. spaghetti
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
2 cans stewed tomatoes (Italian style or regular)
1 can sweet peas, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup (optional, use only if necessary)

1. Boil chicken in large stock pot until done (about 1.5 hours).

2. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Save broth.

3. Once broth cools a bit, skim fat from top and discard. Bring broth back to a boil and cook spaghetti in broth according to package directions. The pasta should absorb most of the liquid, leaving no need to drain. If there is too much excess liquid, drain off some.

4. Leave pot on burner and reduce heat to medium low. Cube Velveeta into pasta, stirring frequently to allow cheese to melt and to keep it from burning on the bottom.

5. De-bone and de-fat chicken and shred into pot. (I just pull the chicken off the bone, discarding the skin and fat, and shred with my fingers. Some people can't do that, so use your favorite method.)

6. Add tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands or a fork. Allow to heat through.

7. Add peas just before serving.

Sissy's Variations:
The cream of chicken soup is used to thicken the spaghetti up if needed (as well as add some extra flavor). Mine was pretty thick this time on it's own, so I didn't use it. I had 2% Velveeta cheese on hand, so I used that without any difference in taste.

It was super yummy, as always. Bill even raved about it. And I will be eating on it for a week!

Crack Cookies Gone Wild

2008-09-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

In case you're wondering, yes, I've probably lost my mind. The very first recipe I ever blogged about was Crack Cookies, which are just crazy good chocolate chip cookies that I make that are kind of famous. So, last week my very good friends Dina had unexpected back surgery. Two days before her surgery, I had told her I'd make some Crack Cookies to bring to work that week to make her feel better (she LOVES my Crack Cookies--I bake them for her as her Christmas present every year). Well, her surgery ended up being scheduled way before we expected, so I didn't get to make them beforehand, so I told her that as soon as she was up for it after surgery, I would send her a whole batch via her sister (who I also work with). So, not knowing when I'd need to make them, I just got all the stuff to make them and decided to play with recipe a little bit.

Recently, I had bought some dark chocolate and white chocolate chips and some semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

So, I bought some more milk chocolate chips (the ones I prefer to use) and headed home to check out what all I had.

I found some Mini M&Ms for baking and some semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.

I had a plan. If they were already Crack Cookies, jazzing 'em up this way could only mean one thing: Crack Cookies Gone Wild. Hey, I already said I know I've lost my mind!

The recipe makes 4 dozen cookies, so I decided to try 4 different kinds of Crack Cookies.

I made up the dough as usual. Then I split the dough into four 3/4 c. batches. I used about 1/2 c. (probably a little more) of add-ins for each dozen since the original recipe calls for 2 c. chocolate chips.

Regular (milk chocolate)

Dark Chocolate Chip

White Chocolate/Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chip

Mini M&M/Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunk

Unfortunately, I was a bit distracted and the first night's batch didn't turn out quite as good as I liked. They were a little more over cooked than I usually like, but they were still good, so I hear. That batch went to work with Bill. I made the same thing the next night to take to work with me, and while they didn't get quite the same reception as regular Crack Cookies, they were enjoyed. The white chocolate in particular seemed to be a hit.

Update 9/10: I made Dina her Crack Cookies this week. Her sister was going to be able to take them to her on Tuesday, which happened to be the same day she got her staples out. I got an email from her this morning saying they were the best batch ever. I had to agree. I knew as soon as I pulled them out of the oven that they were perfect, and of course I had taste one. There really is no other cookie like a Crack Cookie!

Peanut Butter Cookies

2008-09-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not the biggest fan of peanut butter cookies (weird, since I really love peanut butter in every form), but others really do, so I figured I'd give them a try. Since my very favorite cookies are my Crack Cookies, so I really wanted to find a peanut butter cookie that was close. In searching my Google Reader, I came across these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies from Fresh From Cate's Kitchen blog. The recipe is really similar to my crack cookie recipe, so I decided to try it.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Fresh From Cate's Kitchen)

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter, softened
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 12-oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.

2. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. Mix the butter and both sugars in stand mixer on medium until fluffy. (The recipe doesn't specifically mention where to add the peanut butter, so I added it here.) Stir in vanilla and egg and mix on low until combined.

4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until the flour is no longer visible. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Drop by large spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake 8-10 minutes, or until just set. Remove from the oven and let cool on sheet fro 5 minutes, then eat or transfer to wire wrack to cool completely.

Sissy's Variations:
I made two batches and I wanted one with nothing in it, so I made plain PB cookies. The other batch, I used semi-sweet chocolate/peanut butter swirl chips because they looked fun.

Unfortunately, somebody was distracting me (we won't name names!) and they cooked a little longer than I would have liked. They were still good (yes, I tried them), but a little on the crispy side for my taste. Everybody liked them, but I will do better next time.

And I'm thinking I may try to adapt the crack cookies to peanut butter cookies one of these days.

Boston Cream Pie

2008-09-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

I love Boston Cream Pie. I always have, even as a kid. My dad used to buy them at this pie place when I was little. Years later, I found a recipe for one in my stepdad's Betty Crocker cookbook. I was so excited! And then my stepdad said he really liked it too, so I knew I had to try it. Boston Cream Pie was actually the first thing I ever baked that wasn't from a box mix. Really, a pretty heavy undertaking for a fairly novice baker, but it turned out great. I now have my own Betty Crocker cookbook, but I've compared the recipes and they are the same. I usually make it for my stepdad's birthday, but I didn't get to this year, so when he invited us for Labor Day dinner, I said I'd make it for him.

For anybody who hasn't had a Boston Cream Pie (and if you haven't, what the heck are you waiting for), it's not actually a pie. It's a fabulously layered cake with a cream filling and a chocolate glaze. Really, it's heaven.

Boston Cream Pie
(from Betty Crocker)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. shortening
3/4 milk
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
Cream Filling
Chocolate Glaze

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and side of round pan, 9 x 1 1/2 inches, with shortening; lightly flour.

2. Beat all ingredients except Cream Filling and Chocolate Glaze in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.

3. Bake about 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

4. Make Cram Filling and Chocolate Glaze. Split cake horizontally in half. Spread filling over bottom later; top with top layer. Spread glaze over top of cake. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

Cream Filling
Ingredients:
1/3 c. sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Mix milk and egg yolks; gradually stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 2 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Press plastic crap on filling to prevent a layer of skin from forming on top; cool.

Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. butter or stick margarine
3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1 c. powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
About 2 tbsp. hot water

Melt butter and chocolate in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in water, 1 tsp. at a time, until smooth and spreadable.

Sissy's Variations:
Since it was Labor Day and I didn't have anything else to do, I decided to make an attempt at Boston Cream Cupcakes. I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I made up another quick batch of batter and made a little over a dozen cupcakes.

I made another batch of cream filling, which I put in a pastry bag with a tip. I filled the cupcakes through a few different holes in the top. I thought I got enough in them, but we discovered upon eating them that I'm going to have to work on filling cupcakes.

The other thing I thought I wanted to try after having made it the day before was chocolate ganache instead of the chocolate glaze. They are pretty similar, but I was so nervous about screwing it up. The last couple of times I've made the glaze it hasn't quite turned out right. No matter what I do the texture is off--almost lumpy. So I thought the ganache would be perfect.

I went ahead made the chocolate glaze and decided to use it on the cake and the ganache on the cupcakes. Turned out, I had enough ganache to cover the cupcakes and the cake. I glazed the cake with the glaze and then topped it with the ganache. I think the outcome was prettier and had a richer chocolate flavor.

(Oh, I said it made just over a dozen cupcakes. Well, Bill and I had to taste test a few to make sure they came out okay!)

The family raved!

White Coconut (Cup)Cake: Take 1

2008-09-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law's birthday was August 28, but we were not celebrating until the following Sunday. Since I'm on this big baking kick right now, I decided I was going to make her a cake. Bill's family doesn't do birthdays like my family does, but I'm trying to change that a little bit and baking a cake seemed like the way to go. So, after asking the clueless Bill what kind of cake his mom liked, I texted my sister-in-law to find out. I was shocked when she came back with white coconut. Why, you ask? Because white coconut happens to be my mother's favorite cake, and I was planning on making one for her birthday later in September. Only thing was, I'd never done a coconut cake. Now, I had the opportunity to do it twice. And cupcakes were an even more perfect choice because I knew in my family nobody but Mom likes coconut cake (which means she never gets one for her birthday) and I was pretty sure nobody else in Bill's family did either.

In my ongoing attempt to get away from my old stand-by recipes, I went in search of a new white cake recipe. Turned out I didn't need to look far. My dad gave me the Texas Country Reporter Cookbook for Christmas a few years ago, and I've tried a few things in it. When I went to cakes, I found Sam Houston White Cake. From the cookbook: "According to legend, this was Sam Houston's favorite cake recipe." So, I had to try it. I tried to make the White Mountain Frosting from my Betty Crocker cookbook, but that didn't work out so well, so I went back a traditional buttercream. I made half the batch of cupcakes with white buttercream and coconut and the other half I made my first attempt at ganache--all I can say about that is yum.

As this was my first attempt, I'm not sure it was quite as much of a coconut cake as it probably should have been, but I know what I'll differently next time!

Sam Houston White Cake
(adapted from Texas Country Reporter Cookbook)

Ingredients:
3/4 c. margarine or butter, softened
2 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. almond extract
6 egg white at room temperature

1. Cream butter and gradually add sugar, beating well.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk and water.

3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with mild mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.

4. Stir in almond extract.

5. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.

6. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

Sissy's Variations:
I'm all about sifting these days, even recipes aren't calling for it, so I sifted the dry ingredients. Like I said, I baked these as cupcakes--it made about 2 dozen large.

I filled up the muffin pans a little more than I probably should have, but I still though the result was great.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
(from the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Ingredients:
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 to 2 tbsp. milk

1. Mix powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tbsp. of milk.

2. Gradually beat in just enough remaining mild to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more mild, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13 x 9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

Sissy's Variations:
Here's where the coconut part of the cake came in. I frosted the cupcakes generously and topped with flaked coconut and toasted coconut. Sorry for the bad picture--bad lighting in MIL's kitchen!

Chocolate Ganache
(from the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

Ingredients:
2/3 c. whipping (heavy) cream
6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped

1. Heat whipping cream in 1-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling; remove from heat.

2. Stir in chocolate until melted. Let stand about 5 minutes. Ganache is ready to use when it mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon. It will become firmer the longer it cools.

3. Pour ganache carefully onto top center of cakes; spread with large spatula so it flows evenly over top and down to cover side of cake. Glazes 13 x 9-inch cake or top and side of an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

Overall, I thought the cake part was just okay--not quite moist enough for my taste, but my mother-in-law loved it asked for the recipe. She thought it was the perfect amount of coconut, but I think I will try using coconut extract next time--maybe in both the cake and the icing, or maybe just the icing. Recommendations welcome! As for the ganache, I will definitely make this again. I can't believe I've gone this long without it in my life.

Cinnamon-y Apple Cobbler

2008-08-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

So, after the very cinnamon-y coffee cake earlier in the week, I was craving more cinnamon-y goodness. I was looking to make a dessert for poker night and I knew almost all of us liked apple cobbler. So, knowing I wasn't going to have a lot of time for this dessert, I searched for a simple recipe. This one was not only simple, but really good. It got raves.

French Apple Cobbler

Ingredients:

Apple Filling:
5 cups tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. butter, softened

Topping:
1/2 c. flour, sifted
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter softened
1 egg, slightly beatened

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly butter 9-inch baking dish.

2. In a medium bowl, combine apples, 3/4 c. sugar, 2 tbsp. flour, cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. salt, vanilla, and water. Turn into buttered square pan. Dot with 1 tbsp. butter.

3. Combine all topping ingredients. Beat with a wooden spoon until batter is smooth.

4. Drop batter in 9 portions over the apples, spacing evenly. Batter will spread during baking.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Sissy's Variations:
I chopped rather than sliced my apples. I just liked that consistency better. And I used at least 2 tbsp butter to dot the filling.

The main thing I did different was adding a butter, sugar, cinnamon mixture to the topping at the end of the baking. I melted about 2 tbsp. of butter and mixed with sugar and cinnamon. I poured the mixture over the crust about 10 minutes before it finished cooking. I think it made a great addition.

Seriously Chocolate Brownies

2008-08-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

That's no lie--these were the chocolate-iest (no, it's not a word, but I'm a copy editor--we get to make them up) ever.

Little did I know that these brownies would be the kick-off to my six-day baking marathon. Seriously, I baked six days in a row. These brownies were to be for poker night. We have a group of friends we play poker with every week or so. There is usually food involved, and I insisted on bringing dessert. I really wanted to make something with lots of cinnamon and butter, so I settled on apple cobbler, but our one very good friend Scott is a bit of a picky eater and I wasn't too sure he'd do cobbler. But I knew he'd go for brownies. To say Scott loves brownies would be an understatement.

So, I went in search of another good recipe. I made some for work a few weeks ago, and they were really good. But I like this whole experimenting thing right now, so I decided to try a new recipe. After searching my Google Reader full of WC girls' blogs, I settled on these from Baking Blonde's Weblog Seriously, the perfect brownie.

Best Brownies
(adapted from Hershey's Best Brownies)

Ingredients:
1/2 c (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup*
2 eggs
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c. mini Semi-sweet Chocolate chips*
1/4 c. mini Milk Chocolate chips*

*Baking Blonde's variations.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8 x 8 inch pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir together butter and sugar. Add and stir in vanilla and syrup. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Gently fold in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.

5. Cool brownies on counter for 5 minutes. Place brownies, still in pan, in refrigerator for 30 minutes (this was a tip from Baking Blonde to bring out the chocolate flavor--it worked) to cool.

6. Remove from fridge and finish cooling on counter. Once completely set and cooled, lift foil and brownies from pan. Peel back foil and using a sharp plastic knife, cut brownies. Store covered at room temperature.

Sissy's Variations:
I loved the idea of the chocolate syrup, so I used that.

I changed up the addition of the chocolate chips just a little, using 1/4 c. each of milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

I used my stand mixer instead of mixing my hand, and it worked great. I did use the refrigerator trick, but then mine sat for another 24 hours before eaten.

They seemed to be a hit--super rich and very chocolate-y.

Thrown Together Meatloaf

2008-08-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

And by meatloaf, I mean turkey meatloaf. We don't really eat ground beef (or much red meat) around here anymore, so meatloaf is made with turkey. It was Friday night and my little brother was starting in his first varsity football. Even though he was going to be playing at a high school right down the street from my house, we still needed to be able to have a quick meal to get there on time. And I still wanted something kind of healthy--or at least not fast food!

So, I thought about the fact that I still had enough mashed potatoes leftover from Thursday night's dinner, so I wanted to make something to go with that. I had a pound of turkey, so I thought, hey, I can throw together a meatloaf. I have a lot of recipes for meatloafs, and I have made many using no recipe at all. This is one of those, but I'll give you the basics.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
ketchup
mustard
egg white
bread crumbs
garlic powder
ground pepper
brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Mix ketchup, mustard, egg white, bread crumbs, and seasonings in bowl.

3. Add turkey to mixture and mix just until combined (do not over mix).

4. Transfer to baking sheet and shape into loaf.

5. In small bowl, mix ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar (all to taste).

6. Bake about 30 minutes (or until almost done). Remove from oven and spread ketchup mixture over top of loaf.

7. Continue cooking until done (about 45 minutes to an hour).

Sissy's Variations:
I used dijon mustard this time because we were out of regular mustard and I thought it still turned out great. All of the ingredients are to taste and can be adjusted based on the amount of meat.

Stinky Cheese Chicken and Skinny Mashed Potatoes

2008-08-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

That's the best way to describe Parmesan Crusted Chicken for me. I absolutely despise the way Parmesan cheese smells, especially when cooking, and I really don't like the way it tastes all that much, but sometimes it's awesome. I've done a lot of different version of Parmesan Crusted Chicken over the years, and this one is by no means original. It's just a compilation of so many different recipes I've seen and used.

The skinny mashed potatoes are all mine. I love mashed potatoes, but the way my grandmother makes them (the best EVER) would have me at least 50 pounds heavier if I made them on a regular basis. For a long time I didn't even realize I was making "skinny" mashed potatoes--I was just using low fat/low cal stuff I always have on hand. But I love them, so does Bill, and my little brothers still say I make the best mashed potatoes.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken (I had three breasts)
1 tbsp. flour
1/4 c. grated parmesan/Romano/asiago blend cheese
1/8 c. Italian style bread crumbs
1/8 c. shredded parm/Romano blend cheese
garlic powder (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 egg white, slightly beaten
splash of skim milk

1. Pat chicken dry and trim any skin/fat.

2. Heat oven to 375. Cover baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and spray with light coat of cooking spray.

3. Mix flour, bread crumbs, cheeses, garlic powder, and pepper in shallow dish (a pie plate works well). In separate dish, beat egg whites with milk.

4. Dredge chicken through egg whites, allowing excess drip off. Coat chicken with cheese mixture. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle and press leftover cheese mixture on top of chicken. Spray with light coat of cooking spray.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and breading is a golden brown.

Sissy's Variations:
I think next time I will use a bit more bread crumbs. But other than that, it turned out great.

Skinny Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
potatoes of choice, peeled, and cubed
4 garlic gloves, cracked
skim milk
Smart Balance butter
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray
garlic powder

1. Make sure potatoes are cubed pretty small for faster cooking. Place potatoes and garlic in pot and just cover with water. Cover pot and bring to boil. Cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Drain potatoes and put back in hot pot to get rid of excess moisture.

3. Add a splash or two of milk, about 1 tbsp. butter, and garlic powder (to taste) to potatoes and mash with potato masher.

4. Add more milk, but not so much that you can see the milk--too much milk with result in a gluey consistency. Spray with spray butter (5-10 sprays). Mix with hand mixer (or in standing mixer) until desired consistency--add milk as needed.

Sissy's Variations:
I change this up depending on the meal and what I have on hand. For this meal, I added parmesan cheese to go with the chicken. Next time I will add more.

Bundt Cakes, Take 1 (and 2)

2008-08-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

Another week, another foray into baking. So, my baking projects have been going to work with both Bill and me, so I try to think of two similar items that we will be enough for both of us to take. He feeds his whole office, I feed a small group of team and groupmates and friends. And, once again, I wanted at least one item to not have chocolate.

I decided Bundt Cakes would be fun, and I have two Bundt pans, so I thought that would be perfect. I didn't want anything too complicated, so I ended up with basic recipes from my stand-by Betty Crocker cookbook. I think both were successes.

Devil's Food Chocolate Bundt Cake
This is just a basic chocolate cake that I just cooked in a Bundt pan.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 2/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter or stick margarine, softened
2/3 c. baking cocoa
1 1/4 c. water
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs
Fudge Frosting or White Mountain Frosting, if desired (obviously did not use)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 inches, 2 round pans, 9 x 1 1/2 inches, or 3 round pans, 8 x 1 1/2 inches, with shortening; lightly flour.

2. Beat all ingredients except Fudge Frosting with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan(s).

3. Bake rectangular 40 to 45 minutes, rounds 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool rectangular pan on wire rack. Cool rounds 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

4. Frost rectangle or fill round layers and frost with Fudge Frosting.

Sissy's Variations:
Obviously, the big one here was using a Bundt pan. Since the recipe didn't give any specifications for a Bundt pan, I sort of winged it based on other Bundt recipes. It baked about 45 minutes.

The other major thing I did was add more chocolate. I used about 1/2 cup each of milk, dark, and white chocolate chips. Can you say chocolate overload? But it was sooo good.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
Brown Sugar Filling (below)
3 c. all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1 1/2 tsps. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter or stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. sour cream
Vanilla Glaze (below)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of angel food cake pan (tube pan), 10 x 4, 12-cup bundt cake pan or 2 loaf pans, 9 x 5 x 3 inches, with shortening.

2. Make Brown Sugar Filling, set aside. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. Beat sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat about one-fourth of the flour mixture and sour cream at a time alternately into sugar mixture on low speed until blended.

4. For angel food or bundt cake pan, spread one-third of the batter (about 2 c.) in pan, then sprinkle with one-third of the filling; repeat twice. For loaf pans, spread one-fourth of the batter (about 1 1/2 c.) in each pan, then sprinkle each with one-fourth of the filling; repeat once.

5. Bake angel food or bundt cake pan about 1 hour, loaf pans about 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. cool 10 minutes in pan(s) on wire rack. Remove from pan(s) to wire rack. Cool 20 minutes. Drizzle with Vanilla Cake. Serve warm or cool.

Brown Sugar Filling

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. finely chopped nuts
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients.

Vanilla Glaze

1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 to 3 tsp. milk

Mix all ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle.

Sissy's Variations:
The only thing I did different was leave out the chopped nuts.

Dinner Divas: Catfish Po Boy Sandwiches

2008-08-27T19:01:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned previously, I am involved in a cooking blog group called the Dinner Divas. We have a choice of four recipes a month, and we make two, with or without our own variations, and blog about them.

My next pick was the Catfish Po Boy Sandwich, which came from Cooking Light, which I was really happy about.

Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 pound catfish fillets, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (such as McCormick)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 cups bagged broccoli coleslaw
4 (2 1/2-ounce) hoagie rolls with sesame seeds, toasted

Method:
Combine milk and catfish in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Remove fish from bowl; shake off excess milk. Sprinkle fish with salt. Combine cornmeal and Cajun seasoning in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag. Seal and shake to coat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

While fish cooks, combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (vinegar through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add broccoli coleslaw; toss well to coat. Spoon 1/2 cup slaw mixture onto bottom half of each roll. Arrange fish evenly over each serving, and top with top halves of rolls.

Sissy's Variations:
The first two things I varied, I stole from the version on The Shannon's Kitchen blog. The first was simply to substitute the Cajun seasoning with Mrs. Dash Chipotle Seasoning. I also just used one large piece of fish, cut in half, instead of nuggets.

Next was I was I decided to bake "fry" them instead of frying. Even though it only called for a small amount of oil, I still decided I would try to omit that little bit of fat. I thought that worked out really well.

The last change I made was the coleslaw. Neither of us likes coleslaw, but I decided to play with the dressing for the coleslaw. I mixed it up as directed and added dried dill and a little pepper and salt substitute. I used this to dress the sandwiches and they were fabulous.

Served with shredded lettuce and tomato for Bill. And I just used some whole wheat bakery buns I bought earlier in the week.

Peanut Butter Brownies/Bars

2008-08-27T18:17:00.001-07:00

I can't quite decide what to call these. Brownies indicate that perhaps they are chocolate brownies with peanut butter when, in fact, the cake/brownie part has no chocolate at all. But their not really bars in the true sense of a bar. So, I'm still going to call them brownies.

Now that that's settled, on to the important stuff. So, I actually made these last week, but didn't have time to write about them until now. The week before I had made brownies and blondies and they were a big hit, so I wanted to find something similar, but with another twist. So, I did a search and found this recipe. Then I asked on What's Cooking if anybody had a recipe for peanut butter brownies that didn't involve chocolate and somebody directed me to this site. These were perfect. When it came time to make them, though, I of course, did things a little different.

Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup margarine, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, cream together peanut butter and margarine. Gradually blend in the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix until fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the peanut butter mixture until well blended.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until the top springs back when touched. Cool, and cut into 16 squares.

Sissy's Variations:
So, like I said, did things a bit different. Even though the Brownie recipe did not call for add-ins, the picture showed some and I wanted to do some any way. So, for the first two batches, I added. One batch at chocolate chunks (about 1/2 c.) and the other had caramel pieces (about 1/2 c.).

The second to batches, I decided to use the method from the Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars recipe. The basis is a layer of preserves between two layers of peanut butter bar. I decided against making the bars because they were going to take a little longer than just brownies, but I thought the idea was cool. So, for the third batch, I spread a layer of strawberry preserves. I didn't measure; I just spooned on an spread a thin layer.

The last batch, I got a little creative. My team leader, Judy, had made a comment the day before about eating peanut butter with chocolate syrup. That inspired me. I got a jar of fudge ice cream topping and spread it between the layers on the last batch. Yum!

The batches with the layers didn't cook up quite as well. Next time, I will cover with foil to keep the tops from burning and let the middle set up a little better. They were still perfectly edible and very yummy, but a little messy in the middle.

Mexican Rice

2008-08-20T17:59:00.001-07:00

I really like Mexican rice. A lot of time at Mexican restaurants, I'll order double rice instead of beans. No, that's not the healthiest option, but I like, darn it! I've tried for a long time to get a good homemade Mexican rice. I don't really like the boxed stuff because they have too much sodium and other stuff.

So, I wanted to make a side dish to go with the Avocado Enchiladas and decided to try once again to attempt the rice.

Ingredients:
low sodium chicken broth
rice
shallots, chopped
onion, chopped
garlic, chopped
jalapeno, chopped
olive oil and/or cooking spray
canned tomatoes (I had a can of petite diced)
frozen corn
cilantro, chopped

Heat olive oil and/or cooking spray in pan over medium high heat. Saute onion, garlic, and shallot until soft. Add rice and saute until light golden brown. This is one of my favorite tricks for adding more flavor to rice.

In same skillet or in a sauce pan, mix chicken broth and rice, and cook according to directions (I used regular rice, so mine cooked for 20 minutes). Once rice is cooked, add tomatoes with juice (I only ended up using about 3/4 of the can. Add corn (I set out to thaw slightly and it thawed the rest of the way once added to the hot rice). Add cilantro right before serving.

Sissy's Variations:

I didn't have much jalapeno, so next time I will add more of that.

Avocado Enchiladas

2008-08-19T06:43:00.001-07:00

There are no words to describe the greatness of this dish. I knew the minute I saw the recipe that I had to make them as soon as possible. Basically it takes two of my favorite things--guacamole and enchiladas and makes them into one fabulous meal.

I also liked that this was a meatless meal. We had it the night after we had eaten steaks for dinner, so it was a perfect counterpoint to that. This meal is a definite keeper.

Recipe (from Gillian's Goodies blog)
Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
1/8 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Lime juice
1/4 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp. cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 flour tortilla
Enchilada sauce
A little grated sharp Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
Additional cilantro leaves

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Smush up the avocado in a glass bowl. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, tomatoes, jalapeno, lime/lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix together as you would if you were making guacamole (um, this really is a guacamole!)

2. Spoon the avocado mixture into the tortillas and roll them up. Place tortillas in the prepared baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro just before serving.

Sissy's Variations:Like it says above, this is just guacamole, so I made my usual. I decided to make my own enchilada sauce so I could control things like sodium (recipe below). I also used corn tortillas because that's how we make them in Texas! I used 2% milk sharp cheddar, so it wasn't as pretty when it melted, but it was still really good.

A trick for easy to roll corn tortillas: make sure you fry them first. Another trick: fake fry them. In my continuing effort to make things "lighter," but still wanting to have the same effect, I discovered that cooking spray is a girl's best friend for this. I used to do them on in a pan, but one night while making tacos, I tried putting them on baking sheets sprayed with cooking oil. A couple of minutes on either side (depending on how crispy you want them; for these, they just need to be pliable).

Red Enchilada Sauce (from Cooking Light)Ingredients
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth, divided
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée (I used crushed tomatoes)

Preparation
Heat 1/4 cup chicken broth in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook for 5 minutes or until tender and liquid evaporates. Add the remaining broth, chili powder, and remaining ingredients; stir well. Partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sissy's Guacamole

2008-08-16T18:36:00.000-07:00

I love guacamole. I mean, I really, really love guacamole. I will order things at Mexican restaurants just because they are served with guacamole. And I have a friend who hates it, but doesn't ask them not put it on his order just so he can give it to me. I LOVE guacamole.

Because of my love for that creamy green goodness, it only made sense that I learn to make it. It took a few tries, and I still make it by taste because I think it's one of those dishes that can change every time you make it. I don't pretend to have come up with some secret ingredient or technique, but I do make a pretty decent guacamole--it's even request on occasion.

Guacamole:
avocados
red onion (you can use white or yellow, but I like red in this for the flavor and color)
garlic, peeled
jalapeno pepper, seeded (I usually leave a few seeds because I don't mind a little heat)
tomato (I use whatever tomato I happen to have on hand
cilantro
lime
salt and pepper to taste

Give onion, garlic, and jalapeno a course chop then put in food processor. Pulse. Chop tomatoes and add to food processor. Add cilantro to mixture. Pulse until tomatoes are chopped, but not to small and not enough to let off too much moisture. Add a little salt and pepper; you can add more later as needed.

Cut open avocados and discard seed. Spoon meat into bowl and mash (I find a potato masher works really well for this). Add fresh squeezed lime juice (not too much so that guac is not too watery). Add pico mixture. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or cilantro as needed.

Sissy's Variations:
I like my pico de gallo mixture chopped pretty small, but if you like chunkier pieces, just leave it at a course chop. Avocados can also be left chunkier if desired.

Steak and Potatoes

2008-08-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

So, we love a good steak in our house. Bill actually cooks the steaks quite a bit. Three years ago, for Valentine's Day, he decided that he would cook dinner for me. He looked up some recipes, went to the store and bought ingredients, and cooked all by himself. He picked a steak dish with a cream sauce/dressing over salad. It was really good. He also "discovered" a new way to cook steaks at home. I grew up on steak cooked on a grill, so it never really occurred to me to cook them any other way.

So, in our house, steaks are seared on the stovetop, in a pan, then transferred to stove to finish cooking under the broiler. We also love to eat steaks at Outback Steakhouse, and their method is searing before cooking, so I suppose it makes sense that's how we'd cook them.

So for tonight's menu, I chose steaks, twice baked potatoes, and green beans. (I meant to make garlic bread, but I never got around to it.) All of these "recipes" are ingredients I sort of threw together and that can be adjusted to taste/dietary restrictions.

Steak Marinade:
garlic, finely chopped
shallot, finely chopped
onion, finely chopped
parsley, chopped
red wine vinegar
olive oil
Worcestershire sauce
salt substitute
fresh ground pepper
salt free steak seasoning
cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in large plastic bag. Marinate steaks for at least one hour.

Heat pan over medium high heat with a little olive oil or cooking spray. Make sure you use an oven-proof pan. Turn oven to broil. Sear steaks for about 30 seconds on each side. You want them just browned on the outside. Transfer pan to oven and cook to desired doneness. We like medium to medium rare, so about five minutes each side. I don't have a pan large enough to cook both steaks at once (they were pretty big sirloins), so I transferred the first steak to a baking sheet and covered tightly with foil, then cooked the second.

Twice Baked Potatoes:
two large baking potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed
garlic cloves (I used four)
butter (I used a little Smart Balance butter and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray)
sour cream (light sour cream)
bacon (low sodium, cooked in microwave)
Parmesan/Fontina/Asiago/Romano cheese blend
sharp cheddar cheese (I used light)

Pre-heat oven to 400. Poke holes in and spray potatoes with cooking spray and wrap with foil. Place garlic gloves on sheet of aluminum and toss with a little olive oil; wrap. Place potatoes and garlic on baking sheet. Garlic was done in about 30 minutes. The potatoes took about an hour. Allow the potatoes to cool just enough to handle. Cut slit in top and spoon out the insides, leaving just the skin. To the potatoes add the roasted garlic and next four ingredients (amount is purely based on taste) and loosely mash together with fork. Spoon mixture back into potato skin and top with cheddar cheese. Put potatoes back in oven and bake until cheese is melted.

Green Beans:
frozen green beans, thawed
olive oil and olive oil cooking spray
garlic, chopped
onion, chopped
fresh ground black pepper
vinegar
butter

Heat pan over medium heat with a little olive oil and cooking spray. Saute onions and garlic until slightly tender. Add green beans to pan and coat with a little more cooking spray. Saute green beans until almost cooked through. Add vinegar and pepper and reduce heat. Just before serving, add a little butter or spray butter (I used spray).

Sissy's Variations:
For the steak, I think I will sear just a little longer next time. I don't think mine turned out as well because I didn't sear as long. And I'll probably use less vinegar next time.
For the potatoes, I think more roasted garlic, but they were just about perfect. Oh, and I'll make sure I'm not out of green onions next time.
For the green beans, I want to try them with fresh next time and maybe add a little Parmesan cheese at the end.

Overall, the steaks tasted good, although Bill's wasn't a very good cut. The potatoes were awesome. Bill said it was the best potato he'd ever had. Bill didn't like the green beans and I thought they were just okay. But, still, an all-around good dinner, which is good because I burned myself again on the stupid pan that came out of the oven!

Dinner Divas: Chicken Cobb Burger

2008-08-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

So, I frequent the What's Cooking (or What's for Dinner) message board on The Nest. A couple of girls started a cooking blog group called Dinner Divas. Deal is, each month we are given a choice of four recipes and we will make at least two a month. One of my favorite parts is that we can make the recipe exactly as is or we can make our own variations. If you haven't noticed, I like variations.

Anyway, the first dish was the the Chicken Cobb Burger from Bobby Flay. The original looked good, but for taste, calories, and just because reasons, I make a few changes.

Original Recipe:

Ingredients
For the burgers:
8 (1/2- thick) strips bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, 90 percent lean
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
4 burger buns, split
1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, cut into 4 slices
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 8 slices

For the vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely shredded romaine lettuce

For the burgers:
Heat the grill to medium.
Place the strips of bacon on the grill (lay them across the grate so they don't fall through) and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Increase the heat of the grill to high.
Form the meat into 4 (8-ounce) burgers, brush with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the burgers until golden brown on both sides and cooked completely through, about 5 minutes per side. Top the burgers with the blue cheese, close the cover, and continue cooking until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute longer.
Place the burgers on the bottom half of each bun and top with a slice of tomato, 2 slices of avocado, 2 slices of bacon and some of the dressed romaine. Cover each burger with the bun tops and serve.

For the vinaigrette:
Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld.
Just before assembling the burgers, place the romaine in a medium bowl and toss with the vinaigrette.

Sissy's Variation:
Bill used the ground chicken for something earlier this week and the store I went to today didn't have any, so I had to go with ground turkey (1 pound).

For calorie purposes, I went with only 4 slices of bacon (low sodium, to boot!) and 1/4 c. of blue cheese. I also went with less blue cheese to see how well we would like it since it is kind of strong. I also decided to try these two ingredients IN the burger, so I ran them through the food processor and mixed them into the patties, which also had garlic powder, salt substitute, and pepper. I made three burgers.
Since Bill prefers pan fried burgers to grilled, I cooked the bacon in the microwave and the burgers in a pan.

When I looked at the add ons to burger (tomato and avocado) and the ingredients for the vinaigrette, somehow I saw guacamole, which I happen to love and love on a burger.
With the rest of the vinaigrette ingredients, I decided to make a spread for the burgers.

Guacamole:
avocado
tomato
red onion
jalepeno
garlic
cilantro
lime juice (which I actually forgot!)

I just throw all the ingredients except the avocado into the food processor until I get a pico de gallo-like consistency and add as much as desired to mashed avocado. Salt and pepper to taste.

Dijon Spread:
prepared dijon mustard
red wine vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
mayo

Wisk all ingredients together and spread on toasted bun.

Honestly, we both really liked the outcome. I think I will probably go a little stronger on the blue cheese next time. I served with homemade oven fries (sliced thin and cooked in cooking spray).

Sissy's Shrimp and Pasta

2008-08-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

Bill really likes a shrimp dish that I used to make and while it wasn't unhealthy, it was not the lightest dish I could make. But we both really like shrimp, so I thought I'd play around with some ingredients, and used some inspirations from some of the other WC Nestie blogs, I came up with this shrimp and pasta dish. It was REALLY good and the only thing I will do differently next time is a little less heat. While it was perfectly edible and still really good, it had a bit too much of a kick for us.

This not going to be an exact recipe. I will list what I used, but I didn't measure and all ingredients can be adjusted based on taste, health, etc. I am tagging this under light because I used very little oil and a healthy pasta. Oh, and it is practically almost 100% sodium free.

Ingredients:
one pound peeled, deveined shrimp
olive oil
olive oil cooking spray
crushed red pepper flakes
fresh group black pepper
Tony Chachere's Salt Free Seasoning
McCormick Roasted Garlic & Red Bell Pepper seasoning (maybe a tsp., the only source of added sodium)
garlic, finely chopped
onion, finely chopped
shallot, finely chopped
(previous three ingredients will be divided between the shrimp and the pasta)
wine
pasta of choice (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste angel hair)

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a dish, place olive oil (I barely added a tbsp), crushed red pepper flakes, and McCormick seasoning. Pat shrimp dry and pepper and "salt" (using salt free seasoning). Add shrimp to dish and toss to coat.

In a pan, add a small amount of olive oil and spray liberally. Allow to heat. Add a small amount of garlic, onion, and shallot. Add shrimp and spray with a little more spray. Cook until desired doneness. (Bill likes his shrimp a little on the crispy side, which might be a little overdone for some, so you be the judge.) Remove shrimp, set aside, and cover to keep warm.

Add wine (I didn't have any wine in the house, so I used cooking sherry) to pan and deglaze. Once wine is almost reduced, add a touch more olive oil and remaining garlic, onion, and shallot. Cook until tender. Add pasta to pan and toss.

Serve shrimp over pasta.

Sissy's Variations:
Even though this is my made up dish, I still have a few variations. I intended to add parmasean cheese to the pasta, but forgot. I added it on top of the shrimp once it was plated. Still good, but next time I will add to pasta.

A blonde and brunette walk into a bar . . .

2008-08-13T05:25:00.014-07:00

Every time I say or type blondies and brownies, I feel like I'm starting a joke. Yeah, I know, I'm weird.

So, for week two of my "I'm back in the baking game" thing, I wanted to try something new and something I've made so many times before. I've never made blondies and since I wanted to make something my manager could eat (she can't eat chocolate), they sounded perfect. I also wanted to make a different brownie from my old Betty Crocker brownies that I've made a million times before. The girls on What's Cooking message board (from The Nest) came through with some awesome recipes.

Blondies
(Basic Blondie Recipe, from Bakingblonde's Weblog)

6-7 TBS butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (optional, creates lighter blondie texture)

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM. In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 mintues. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour and baking powder (if using). Mix in any additions (some ideas below).

Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting.

Add in ideas:
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate or butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds
1/2 cup M&M candies
1/2 chopped Reese’s PB cups
1/4 cup toffee pieces
1/2 tsp mint extract in addition to, or in the place of vanilla extract

Sissy's Variations:
For my add ins, I used little caramel pieces (about 1/2 c.) in one batch and chocolate chunks (about 1/2 c.) in the other.
I used right at 6 1/2 tbsp. butter.
I used the baking powder in the caramel blondies, and I think I liked the texture better on those.
Mine were done right at 20 minutes.

Brownies
(Deep-Dish Brownies, from Lauren's Kitchen)

3/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 inch square pan.

In a large bowl, blend melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually blend dry mixture into the egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let brownies cool, then cut into squares. Enjoy!

Sissy's Variations:
I used chocolate chunks in one batch and the caramel pieces in the other (about 1/2 c. each).
Mine cooked in about 30 minutes. That may have been because the the oven was already hot.

Ashley's Crack Cookies

2008-08-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

So, I make these really basic chocolate chip cookies. Really simple, from my good old Betty Crocker cookbook. But for some reason, they are the best cookies ever. Seriously. So good that they have become known in my circles as Crack Cookies.

A couple of years ago, I decided to make gift baskets as Christmas gifts for friends and family. Since I already knew that a lot of people loved my chocolate chip cookies, I decided to include those in the baskets. B (oh, that would be my soon-to-be-hubby, Bill; see our blog to your left) and I have these friends, Jamey and Kelly, who happen to be sisters. Both received these gift baskets from us. So, Jamey and Kelly are talking about how they have each already eaten their cookies and wondering what I put in them that makes them SOOOO good. Kelly says I must put crack in them because they are addicting. And so they became known in our little circle of friends as Crack Cookies. Now, I had already made these cookies and taken them to work on numerous occassions. When I relayed the Crack Cookie story there, the name stuck and now it's official.

Betty's Recipe:

3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. butter or stick margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. coarsely chopped nuts (I skip these because I don't like nuts in my cookies.)
1 bag (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)--Sometimes I use milk chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

3. Drop by the rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove to wire sheet rack.

Sissy's Variations:

Now, a couple of things that we have determined recently that may be the cause of these being deemed "crack cookies." I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter and I do not omit the other salt from the recipe. I also add a splash more vanilla than the recipe calls for (did it by accident the first time and they were so good I kept doing it). And, in my opinion, the most important part is taking them out of the oven before they appear to be fully cooked. They actually almost look underdone, but once they sit out for a minute, the harden nicely on the outside, but are still nice and gooey on the inside.

I'll try to remember pictures next time!

Sissy's Cooking Blog

2008-08-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a self-described foodie, wannabe full-time kitchen diva. For now, I'm a full-time copy editor, so I try to spend my evenings and weekends doing what I love: cooking and baking. Food blogging seems to be the "in" thing, so I'm giving it a try. I promise to share successes and disasters alike, and maybe inspire some readers in the process!