tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74283812788449229052024-02-08T00:02:08.663-06:00Cookbooks 365Initially begun as a way to use the mountain of cookbooks I have
<br>collected Cookbooks 365 is now my place to post my culinary <br> adventures inspired by my cookbooks or <br>just everyday life. Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-17279067510453041062015-07-26T11:10:00.001-05:002015-07-26T17:27:42.611-05:00Triple Chocolate Espresso Chip Cookies<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Triple Chocolate Espresso Chip Cookies</span></h2>
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Once again it's be a very long time since I updated this blog. Can you tell that my life is not conducive to blogging at the moment? Anyway, yesterday I had a hankering for some chocolate chip cookies and when I was thinking about making some I remembered that I had picked up some cacao nibs from HEB's Central Market when we were down there last week. So, I did a web search for something that looked like what I wanted but I couldn't find anything :( Then I remembered an episode of one of my favorite cooking shows, The Pioneer Woman, where Ree made some awesome looking chocolate chunk cookies with browned butter in them. So I started with her recipe (found here: <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/09/chocolate-chunk-cookies/" target="_blank">Chocolate Chunk Cookies</a> ) and built from there. I really am liking the results so I thought I'd share the recipe here on my blog so it can be saved for the next time I'm feeling like I need something like this :) I truly hope to be able to share some more recipes on this blog in the near future, including some I use in my job at the church where I started working last fall as the Wednesday night meal coordinator/church hostess. My job revolves around feeding people so what better way to share some of those recipes and ideas than here on my blog! Anyway, here's the recipe from yesterday's experiment. Sorry I don't have any pictures to share but my kitchen is such a mess I just didn't take any pictures to document :) </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Triple Chocolate Espresso Chip Cookies</span></b></div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided</div>
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1 cup light brown sugar, packed</div>
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1/2 cup granulated sugar</div>
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2 teaspoons (heaping) instant espresso granules (I like <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Medaglia-DOro-Instant-Espresso-Coffee/dp/B002BTI9B0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437925644&sr=8-1&keywords=instant+espresso" target="_blank">Medaglia Doro</a>) </div>
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2 tablespoons cocoa powder</div>
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1 1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
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2 large eggs</div>
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1 tablespoon vanilla</div>
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2 cups all-purpose flour PLUS</div>
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2 tbsp all-purpose flour, rounded</div>
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1 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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10 oz chocolate chips (I use Guittard semi sweet)</div>
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1/2 cup cacao nibs (These were the ones I used <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Valrhona-Grue-Cacao-Cocoa-Nibs/dp/B00290P91E/ref=sr_1_1?rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1437925992&sr=8-1&keywords=cacao+nibs+valrhona" target="_blank">Valrhona Grue Cacao Nibs </a> )</div>
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Directions:</div>
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Melt 1 stick of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to bubble, swirling the pan to keep it moving. You will probably see two separate sets of bubbling. After the second set, watch carefully and remove the pan when the butter reaches a medium golden brown color. Be careful at this point because it goes from browned to black quickly! Pour the butter and anything in the pan into a heatproof bowl and stash in the fridge until completely cool. Allow the other stick of butter to soften on the countertop while the browned butter cools.</div>
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Once the browned butter is thoroughly cooled, combine with the softened regular butter in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, espresso powder, cocoa powder and salt until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.</div>
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In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture in small increments until all combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and cacao nibs.</div>
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Scoop the dough with a cookie scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet and park in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will help keep the cookies from spreading too much. Towards the end of the hour, preheat the oven to 375F. Transfer cookie dough balls onto another parchment lined cookie sheet leaving 2" between each and then bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to finish cooling. </div>
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Serve with a cold glass of milk and enjoy!</div>
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Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-48073542550505768612014-10-10T11:06:00.002-05:002014-10-10T11:15:17.128-05:00The absolute best mocha ice cream in the world!So I have been absolutely awful at keeping this blog going. Life goes on and this goes to the bottom of the list. But today I was typing this recipe into my <a href="http://www.mastercook.com/">Mastercook </a>program and I realized that I had never shared it before. This recipe comes from one of those supermarket "bonus" cookbooks. You know the kind that you used to be able to get at the grocery if you bought a certain item (or items)? I collect old cookbooks of all kinds and have a bunch of these "pamphlet" type cookbooks from various food companies. This one is from Folgers coffee and was published in 1980. It's called, aptly enough, "Cooking with Coffee". Anyway, this recipe is one that my grandparents used to make and I LOVE it. If you've ever had the pleasure to have Graeters ice cream (made in Ohio!) with it's "chips" you'll understand what the chocolate chips in this are like. They're more like chocolate slivers with some chunks when you don't pour it steadily. Super yummy but not "chips" like you'd find in chocolate chip cookies. I'm sharing the recipe as written in the cookbook but since the cookbook was published, ice cream makers have come a long way. Now, instead of pouring the chocolate into the chilled mixture and stirring, I start my ice cream maker up and pour it in once the ice cream starts to thicken. Then the ice cream maker does the stirring for me and I think the chocolate comes out better inside. I also half the recipe to use my smaller ice cream maker. Anyway, wanted to share this yummy treat while I was thinking of it. Hope you give it a try!<br />
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* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
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Mocha Chip Ice Cream<br />
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Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories :<br />
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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
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2 1/2 cups sugar<br />
1/4 cup cornstarch<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
4 cups coffee -- strong-brewed<br />
6 whole eggs -- slightly beaten<br />
4 cups whipping cream<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla<br />
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate<br />
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In a large saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and salt; stir into the coffee. Cook and stir over low heat till thickened and bubbly. Stir about half the hot mixture into beaten eggs; return all to hot mixture. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Chill. Add the whipping cream and the vanilla. In small heavy saucepan melt chocolate over low heat. While the chocolate is still hot, pour it very slowly into the chilled coffee mixture, stirring constantly. Freeze in 5-quart ice cream freezer according to manufacturer's directions. Let ripen for 4 hours. Makes about 1 gallon ice cream.<br />
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Description:<br />
"Pouring hot, melted chocolate into the chilled creamy coffee mixture results in tiny flecks of chocolate throughout the rich and smooth ice cream"<br />
Yield:<br />
"1 gallon"<br />
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 392 Calories; 27g Fat (59.6% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 161mg Cholesterol; 118mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 5 Fat; 2 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
<br />Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-70103442722123529132013-12-04T05:16:00.000-06:002013-12-04T05:22:55.979-06:00Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins<h2>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I haven't been keeping this blog up-to-date but after posting a picture yesterday on Instagram & Facebook for these Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins I was asked by a couple of friends for the recipe so thought I'd post it here for anyone who's interested. This makes 48 so you could half it. I just went ahead and made the full recipe and freeze the extras for later :) </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="710" scrolling="no" src="//instagram.com/p/heGPeaCksE/embed/" width="500"></iframe> <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Mini Muffins</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">adapted from recipe at <a href="http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/muffinsquickbreads/r/Chocolate-Chocolate-Muffins.htm">CulinaryArts.about.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 cups all-purpose flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 1/2 cup cocoa powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 1/2 cup granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 Tbsp baking powder</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 1/2 cups milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 large eggs, beaten</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 Tbsp butter, melted</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2/3 cup vegetable oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tsp pure vanilla extract</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 bag of Nestles dark chocolate/mint chips (or a combination of both dark chocolate and mint chips like Andes)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Preheat oven to 350° F.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Combine the milk and the melted butter. Then add the oil, and finally whisk in the beaten eggs and stir in the vanilla extract.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners, then lightly spray with cooking spray to keep from sticking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix until just combined. The batter should be visibly lumpy. Don't overmix!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. With a rubber spatula, gently fold chips into the batter. Don't overwork the batter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. I use my smallest cookie scoop.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. Bake 12-14 minutes or until the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9. Remove pan from the oven and let the muffins cool for five minutes in the pan. Then remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool another five minutes on a wire rack.</span></div>
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Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-9814622817769673512013-11-22T09:44:00.001-06:002013-11-22T09:44:26.366-06:00<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11302697/?claim=ks4mdmjjqn6">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-74359778926330221512011-10-30T15:54:00.000-05:002011-10-30T15:54:05.415-05:00Fall Sugar Cookies<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Last week was the "Fall Festival" at Emma's preschool and we signed up to bring cookies for her class party. We had seen this cute idea on <a href="http://pinterest.com/scrapcatb/"><img alt="Follow Me on Pinterest" height="26" src="http://d3io1k5o0zdpqr.cloudfront.net/images/pinterest-button.png" width="78" /></a> and I just <b>KNEW </b>we needed to make these cookies. So, using my <a href="http://cookbooks365.blogspot.com/2011/10/little-people-sugar-cookies.html">very favorite sugar cookie dough recipe</a>, we did. I made a double batch of the dough and divided each batch into two parts and colored each a different color so we ended up with yellow, orange, red and brown. We let the dough sit in the refrigerator overnight and the next day Emma and I set to work making the cookies. We broke the dough up into small pieces and "sprinkled" them over a sheet of parchment paper. We then topped it with another sheet of parchment and rolled the colors all together. Once the colors were joined together, we cut out fall leaves and acorns and baked them as directed. They were a big hit at school!</div><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONBTKIqh62y4RAIQrccraHBU63QOI2WHfI_tIKUYuegHLSUEyCqakyrgyBHlk9_EFPofsWry9TTJjGq8QQS-gLfHAyTK_Y6K2323tLGhAfxERQ3oKgt4_DFm-0MWoLvG9Bme6mqrLe6o/s1600/IMAG0112.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONBTKIqh62y4RAIQrccraHBU63QOI2WHfI_tIKUYuegHLSUEyCqakyrgyBHlk9_EFPofsWry9TTJjGq8QQS-gLfHAyTK_Y6K2323tLGhAfxERQ3oKgt4_DFm-0MWoLvG9Bme6mqrLe6o/s320/IMAG0112.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Lumps" of dough, stuck together and ready for rolling</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB7VG4fMeEKB7UKj844jdscghqqWcsjVbkhpxl22HhtalhBF4kEnA90ZTGAj73yGscyxy4qak9LpRi_xl-3OXZ5I1_HzGUP80AHzgsPBIe1WRQJ9Nry5Phpg2FvUIw6A-ldvlJSv6DVE/s1600/IMAG0113.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB7VG4fMeEKB7UKj844jdscghqqWcsjVbkhpxl22HhtalhBF4kEnA90ZTGAj73yGscyxy4qak9LpRi_xl-3OXZ5I1_HzGUP80AHzgsPBIe1WRQJ9Nry5Phpg2FvUIw6A-ldvlJSv6DVE/s320/IMAG0113.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting out the dough after rolling</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73wzEFsAl7qHgFLMESuY7j7J8_9jpqgenRtoldi9yxXDCoc1IOHmaN0sEZmOKCIGfQ2iZUq93cj80yTmTuw5VShwlSzj1XBWyQfgBnVJHtudaqpOiTtLDCquFm5s88wdnjMZW1x2oqCM/s1600/IMAG0114.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73wzEFsAl7qHgFLMESuY7j7J8_9jpqgenRtoldi9yxXDCoc1IOHmaN0sEZmOKCIGfQ2iZUq93cj80yTmTuw5VShwlSzj1XBWyQfgBnVJHtudaqpOiTtLDCquFm5s88wdnjMZW1x2oqCM/s320/IMAG0114.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookies ready for baking!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-40706643308310093882011-10-10T10:48:00.000-05:002011-10-10T10:48:24.306-05:00Making Pasta!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Continuing on with the pasta and dumplings chapter for this month's </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/kitchen-bootcamp/"><span id="goog_534882603"><span id="goog_534882608"></span></span><img border="0" src="http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Kitchen_Bootcamp_Logo.jpg" /><span id="goog_534882609"></span><span id="goog_534882604"></span> </a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">My three year old and I decided to tackle plain old "egg" pasta and try out both my new <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-perfect-pasta-blend-3-lb#.TpL9tJmJbAI.blogger">King Arthur Perfect Pasta Blend</a> and my "new-to-me" pasta maker (this one: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EJLYNA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B004EJLYNA">Imperia Pasta Machine Deluxe Set )</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mikeandchristsho&l=as2&o=1&a=B004EJLYNA&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> It was a lot of fun! We used the recipe on the back of the pasta flour bag, which is very close to the one in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470421355/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0470421355">The Professional Chef</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mikeandchristsho&l=as2&o=1&a=0470421355&camp=217145&creative=399373" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. In addition to the basic recipe below, I added about 1/2 tsp of freshly ground "Italian Herb Seasoning" from McCormick's grinder.<br />
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Here's the recipe:<br />
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<b>King Arthur Flour's Perfect Pasta</b><br />
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3 cups Perfect Pasta Flour Blend<br />
4 large eggs<br />
2 to 4 tablespoons water<br />
1/2 cup flour (use this to flour your work surface and dough)<br />
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Place the Perfect Pasta Blend into a food processor, bread machine or bowl. Mix in the 4 large eggs all at once. Once mixed, knead adding only enough water to form a smooth dough. Form the dough into a rectangle, about 1" thick, wrap well and set aside for 30 minutes or so, allowing it to rest. Once it has rested, flour both sides of the dough rectangle and run it through your pasta machine on the thickest setting. Repeat the process, flouring as necessary and gradually reducing the thickness setting until the desired thickness is reached. To do this by hand simply use a rolling pin and roll out to the desired thickness, being sure to keep both sides of the dough well floured. Cut into shapes by hand or by machine and toss with flour to prevent sticking. Hang in individual strands or arrange into small nests and allow to dry.<br />
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To cook: Boil 4 quarts of water with 1 tablespoon salt. Drop the pasta in to cook. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, until the pasta has cooked but is still slightly firm. Fresh pasta cooks very quickly, so keep an eye on it. Remove from the water and toss with a bit of oil or sauce.<br />
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Yield: 1.5 lbs dough (approx. 4 servings).</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7n-sje6j1i2cNRAjffUk0ujPQVYDlnbeDUPhXUEb9EwnOj_Sk9mlowx7GJreyAzPa8uxzYNT_oqs-0n32c_7ykWalxrtHDQ51QsYzyi9TPTJ7ldfStevwRB9VzU-RmNkxjYq8QlxgAQ/s1600/IMG_6995.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7n-sje6j1i2cNRAjffUk0ujPQVYDlnbeDUPhXUEb9EwnOj_Sk9mlowx7GJreyAzPa8uxzYNT_oqs-0n32c_7ykWalxrtHDQ51QsYzyi9TPTJ7ldfStevwRB9VzU-RmNkxjYq8QlxgAQ/s320/IMG_6995.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just 4 ingredients: Perfect Pasta flour, eggs, water and Italian Seasoning</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWG1czTzQGyt2sNjBTw2c8ySKsoHotPfC-W3vl2rfNQmpZ3Ut3i4RPWe8-ei0jbL9x9rLR0TrVtt8vfKrMsmbiZZ1u25ULgh6NAEHm6mtCa2EKaqYnezS7ajyST8sluwWfp8ETBypv-w/s1600/IMG_6996.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWG1czTzQGyt2sNjBTw2c8ySKsoHotPfC-W3vl2rfNQmpZ3Ut3i4RPWe8-ei0jbL9x9rLR0TrVtt8vfKrMsmbiZZ1u25ULgh6NAEHm6mtCa2EKaqYnezS7ajyST8sluwWfp8ETBypv-w/s320/IMG_6996.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pour the beaten eggs into a well in the middle of the flour</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLY8zIMRiNcRFtIIy8YMEzJ05mliHQiauRGOu5ItOeXttpzCRaVIZfPnU4OlrHoOI3Qsh07FUZw7B8Y1WUrSf_hwiXLsnBmcZZMpulvmun94QeVKuY9MN2N0LzpwbIhJiSmwCoxWyVZJs/s1600/IMG_6998.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLY8zIMRiNcRFtIIy8YMEzJ05mliHQiauRGOu5ItOeXttpzCRaVIZfPnU4OlrHoOI3Qsh07FUZw7B8Y1WUrSf_hwiXLsnBmcZZMpulvmun94QeVKuY9MN2N0LzpwbIhJiSmwCoxWyVZJs/s320/IMG_6998.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enlist the help of a 3 year old! Since they don't make small enough food gloves, we put plastic bags over her hands...</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8dJGcKdZIEDEQuvl1dNTHbOApj2W7Fp5-YjRk-yOUfVIh7EBxpAkf717k3acKktVEp3pAjiw2PjPMvCnI9NtQa_WVQ2jltjKGf8u7_ehOqNvZBzqPPxM7zGHW3Lt_Qyfi0NFcLXUdMI/s1600/IMG_7002.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8dJGcKdZIEDEQuvl1dNTHbOApj2W7Fp5-YjRk-yOUfVIh7EBxpAkf717k3acKktVEp3pAjiw2PjPMvCnI9NtQa_WVQ2jltjKGf8u7_ehOqNvZBzqPPxM7zGHW3Lt_Qyfi0NFcLXUdMI/s320/IMG_7002.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little dancing always makes cooking more fun!</td></tr>
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IP7FxaGqXwT8siLU36A59bd-BIKXQXbwnMc74WdQeTiTrNkkp8fIJMa5FYnZHdwHVnvv_-NSyl5pk9ofVR8r4b5AwsiGN2oYudM7Wo0NZLUYZDEVGg4kDMKLpSPpa7PZAzA84yvCabU/s1600/IMG_7009.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7IP7FxaGqXwT8siLU36A59bd-BIKXQXbwnMc74WdQeTiTrNkkp8fIJMa5FYnZHdwHVnvv_-NSyl5pk9ofVR8r4b5AwsiGN2oYudM7Wo0NZLUYZDEVGg4kDMKLpSPpa7PZAzA84yvCabU/s320/IMG_7009.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use a fork to incorporate the eggs into the flour</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7oc4xqY-aN5i6Imu7tNpZ6Civo9mguGTQAxLXLzjiGeARAKD1CkBPGSyf1lsY9VGgP1zSM0IuyH2y1sxO5SiVv3vNMq5hwdncqmwVxa1K7dKAO2Gjqg_0MfG_-qEsYlUvbdfRmua714/s1600/IMG_7010.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7oc4xqY-aN5i6Imu7tNpZ6Civo9mguGTQAxLXLzjiGeARAKD1CkBPGSyf1lsY9VGgP1zSM0IuyH2y1sxO5SiVv3vNMq5hwdncqmwVxa1K7dKAO2Gjqg_0MfG_-qEsYlUvbdfRmua714/s320/IMG_7010.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When it gets thick enough, use your hands to get all that flour into the dough</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaI9u4wSNa-clX1ayTpuoNXl8SPQ_VXnBJqhRPhWvvmnsj9I2yyKWf0ztcpCJTzJIhs6YXCEDYKS-Z38U1IRMvWGNoJjYF5hVi8CTcPskG0AiSMFbWMshlvHKB0E4hheqGk6mUqpthbU/s1600/IMG_7018.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaI9u4wSNa-clX1ayTpuoNXl8SPQ_VXnBJqhRPhWvvmnsj9I2yyKWf0ztcpCJTzJIhs6YXCEDYKS-Z38U1IRMvWGNoJjYF5hVi8CTcPskG0AiSMFbWMshlvHKB0E4hheqGk6mUqpthbU/s320/IMG_7018.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make sure to let your helper in on the action</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FohHFvdBydJyX2zcj2exZYB1WiRR3oiyCWVD1U7T33qv0FEAn3U_wftDP-9UO93sFUaawT2KDOZQs3T0IcuHjeCb3zxwGn17WXHUHXVbt0HLHD1tHaxq6hkMKm78Gv9xrS79kdwPulw/s1600/IMG_7023.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FohHFvdBydJyX2zcj2exZYB1WiRR3oiyCWVD1U7T33qv0FEAn3U_wftDP-9UO93sFUaawT2KDOZQs3T0IcuHjeCb3zxwGn17WXHUHXVbt0HLHD1tHaxq6hkMKm78Gv9xrS79kdwPulw/s320/IMG_7023.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pat it out to about an inch thick</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf68F-WxlrhDL3KDdqUYJoumwbOdIZy9n4dx9YtPdQVUAzd3CqrT_QduLPPie6L0F1c1k9ie6ve7dQggRDme-_wn9Mjg01pw3nhXCDM7xHt490XY8WwxySHDKPM-Ft1L9twow15MmxqY0/s1600/IMG_7024.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf68F-WxlrhDL3KDdqUYJoumwbOdIZy9n4dx9YtPdQVUAzd3CqrT_QduLPPie6L0F1c1k9ie6ve7dQggRDme-_wn9Mjg01pw3nhXCDM7xHt490XY8WwxySHDKPM-Ft1L9twow15MmxqY0/s320/IMG_7024.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to rest</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo0Jk214c4wVbEXqlJJF44HoOazpLweWDxJKl83gbBIgYdvNGRL8ScoNIfZzuwr6X4HSJm8jmJ1q2WRBW378OIyGOTgXIyVrvp4H8C171fknSOLrVhnGgh3G6K-UYilc6lD63T6ksnY0/s1600/IMG_7028.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo0Jk214c4wVbEXqlJJF44HoOazpLweWDxJKl83gbBIgYdvNGRL8ScoNIfZzuwr6X4HSJm8jmJ1q2WRBW378OIyGOTgXIyVrvp4H8C171fknSOLrVhnGgh3G6K-UYilc6lD63T6ksnY0/s320/IMG_7028.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feed it through the machine on the thickest setting</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJlxdM2ispdI9oqU6MD1ET5hZFReZgTpk7tGd7SagLVHQ5NM73TehMz83eX8f557ZqbHViU_TF-KOr4ERCCody0qMd9J25BToY65e5l1YhzV42Noy3x9bVkStNLJtx224blEwetVcFDk/s1600/IMG_7030.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJlxdM2ispdI9oqU6MD1ET5hZFReZgTpk7tGd7SagLVHQ5NM73TehMz83eX8f557ZqbHViU_TF-KOr4ERCCody0qMd9J25BToY65e5l1YhzV42Noy3x9bVkStNLJtx224blEwetVcFDk/s320/IMG_7030.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Continue feeding through, reducing width on machine to desired thickness. I went to the 3rd stop for the fettuccine and the 2nd stop for the spaghetti </td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq7IKdS4cGcAKqqwvzkPsvxydhBr4flBGS5aJ9Z4-kor99qOzy_42dFrzZaHyD0Fd4yKmo4SsfW3PeB48hYgKk172tJhZnSFLiOdRXq4YtU7rkYp3XTgQgaYbmg7FfhmVPayHX5bs7TQ/s1600/IMG_7029.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbq7IKdS4cGcAKqqwvzkPsvxydhBr4flBGS5aJ9Z4-kor99qOzy_42dFrzZaHyD0Fd4yKmo4SsfW3PeB48hYgKk172tJhZnSFLiOdRXq4YtU7rkYp3XTgQgaYbmg7FfhmVPayHX5bs7TQ/s320/IMG_7029.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fettuccine drying on the rack</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBOwcr46PVaN8kW_rFe24LAko3AA2WkhXZae6sAFJW1ahoKG1KcPGZiE9WvTY5IeMUfEKSH6A_dATPDB2_MkRKqEE8hu9y8ANfwTrreEpu6qXJ-kY0CLlCP_kDybGKYDusH-0EZrW4rI/s1600/IMG_7034.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBOwcr46PVaN8kW_rFe24LAko3AA2WkhXZae6sAFJW1ahoKG1KcPGZiE9WvTY5IeMUfEKSH6A_dATPDB2_MkRKqEE8hu9y8ANfwTrreEpu6qXJ-kY0CLlCP_kDybGKYDusH-0EZrW4rI/s320/IMG_7034.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spaghetti "nests"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, what did I learn while making pasta this round? First, cut the pasta sheets to a manageable size when feeding through the machine! It's hard to try and keep it all separated and neat when the sheets are too long. Second, if you're going to make "spaghetti" which is thin, cook it fresh. Dried, it crumbled too much and ended up in small "chicken noodle soup" noodles. Next time I'll make and cook it the same day. Third, don't use too heavy a sauce with spaghetti as it is delicate. I haven't cooked the fettuccine yet, but will use a heavier sauce with it since it's hardier. All in all this was a good test and tasted fabulous! I'd forgotten how easy it is to make fresh pasta and now that I remember may do it more often!</div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-60809182596989759912011-10-07T12:55:00.036-05:002011-10-10T08:33:50.838-05:00Butterhorns from a master sweet dough recipe<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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I've entered this post in this week's<br />
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<a href="http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/melt-in-your-mouth-monday-blog-hop-34/"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/wp-content/uploads/iStock_000012968778Small127.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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<b>Come join the fun!</b></div>
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Yesterday I saw a post on the wonderful blog <a href="http://lifeasmom.com/2011/10/braided-cinnamon-sugar-rounds-ultimate-recipe-swap-breads.html">Life As Mom</a> for a master sweet dough recipe with several awesome looking sweet bread results and I just KNEW I needed to make it! So, I did! I made one batch of dough yesterday and made 2 round braided loaves (placing one in the freezer for later) and 16 chocolate butterhorns (freezing 8 of those). I let one loaf and 8 crescents rise and then baked them. They were beautiful AND delicious! After that success, I knew I needed to try it with one of our favorite combinations... Nutella and toffee chips! So, check out the original bread machine recipe on </div>
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<a href="http://lifeasmom.com/2011/10/braided-cinnamon-sugar-rounds-ultimate-recipe-swap-breads.html"><img border="0" src="http://goodcheapeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/LAM_button125.gif" /></a></div>
and then see below for my changes and adaptations!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5QZgSFzmXsmsMUqnkDhOBcT44mTkQkGd5u5cPW0TzhJVzg7_vL5WwmxOPtco4GxELIRB_EWDKAyyQ3FyQlXisZoUMVLZbJsfBrziy1RnngGz1WOPUrdnpybEz3N0M3gyGzelK8h2omo/s1600/IMG_6984.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5QZgSFzmXsmsMUqnkDhOBcT44mTkQkGd5u5cPW0TzhJVzg7_vL5WwmxOPtco4GxELIRB_EWDKAyyQ3FyQlXisZoUMVLZbJsfBrziy1RnngGz1WOPUrdnpybEz3N0M3gyGzelK8h2omo/s320/IMG_6984.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough ingredients</td></tr>
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To the basic ingredients I added 1 tsp vanilla extract and also used sea salt instead of regular. I also "preheated" the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave to keep it from being too cold for the yeast...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyt7DNlo21252lCF6ZOQYgvsaMyJVFP2BgoS7iA20znVnYvcExhEUzt_FwYeXlyZjzoP_FzuCzZI4jiDlIKCTFi4Z1pCQpgu-8WLORrsOUIcSa8n2QKX3yYRnx9nmiDcZyxtJBDhcY1s/s1600/IMG_6985.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyt7DNlo21252lCF6ZOQYgvsaMyJVFP2BgoS7iA20znVnYvcExhEUzt_FwYeXlyZjzoP_FzuCzZI4jiDlIKCTFi4Z1pCQpgu-8WLORrsOUIcSa8n2QKX3yYRnx9nmiDcZyxtJBDhcY1s/s320/IMG_6985.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dough after bread machine dough cycle</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaofOebiByepDB6PS-wB-1inOTY72EcuSqXjHNE-2EsZLg4NFobJsq_JhdPL0k9u4BNT3YTZ0Yg0fGWy9WD5thTwU3_8-WZOd-BdkZvVthtl-9iQemZ6SGX4U76jf5XB6kUk9fE3jJyaI/s1600/IMG_6986.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaofOebiByepDB6PS-wB-1inOTY72EcuSqXjHNE-2EsZLg4NFobJsq_JhdPL0k9u4BNT3YTZ0Yg0fGWy9WD5thTwU3_8-WZOd-BdkZvVthtl-9iQemZ6SGX4U76jf5XB6kUk9fE3jJyaI/s320/IMG_6986.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Divide the dough into quarters</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll out to a 12" round (yes, mine's more of a square...)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAr_MTsVbw5Z9PbclgGDDNq7CL7Hfxo7qZhWZUk1ABGJEZCayhrJxNtkNopAMFdfhGLObkf5__DqJrVuRFHW-M08mhsVXh-erpW4m95TftQnFNzW_hcJg0RBkWg6OyEqhyCsHFu9dZaUQ/s1600/IMG_6988.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAr_MTsVbw5Z9PbclgGDDNq7CL7Hfxo7qZhWZUk1ABGJEZCayhrJxNtkNopAMFdfhGLObkf5__DqJrVuRFHW-M08mhsVXh-erpW4m95TftQnFNzW_hcJg0RBkWg6OyEqhyCsHFu9dZaUQ/s320/IMG_6988.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut the "circle" into 8 "triangles"</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADbGQSwSl9VnS8vR7-QOegv12CYwub9mWwNp2cFm-M9yGItqRqqDYSqoWwR8nhfD_amQRgQhnV1bf6mDLdu9pWNKgDQ2jcXLmjRqFRPuVjANug1Nai5EcD_6amIBDUxwJful12I-asiQ/s1600/IMG_6989.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADbGQSwSl9VnS8vR7-QOegv12CYwub9mWwNp2cFm-M9yGItqRqqDYSqoWwR8nhfD_amQRgQhnV1bf6mDLdu9pWNKgDQ2jcXLmjRqFRPuVjANug1Nai5EcD_6amIBDUxwJful12I-asiQ/s320/IMG_6989.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For my "Nutella" version, I used Nutella spread and Heath Bits O' Brickle toffee</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spread the Nutella onto the wedges and then sprinkle with toffee bits</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp0LWWKXqw05AsopbLPgRdViMe-Cyo-OYnEaXS38g2_fFLWypgpA6cLnrOToNOCjd3RIwC6_RMe1lwR2l1eJQB2oEaPl30ZRwdaQ_RXApStIl7Onoae6mr7qxyWLO49H3t6HDFA5BdGk/s1600/IMG_6991.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmp0LWWKXqw05AsopbLPgRdViMe-Cyo-OYnEaXS38g2_fFLWypgpA6cLnrOToNOCjd3RIwC6_RMe1lwR2l1eJQB2oEaPl30ZRwdaQ_RXApStIl7Onoae6mr7qxyWLO49H3t6HDFA5BdGk/s320/IMG_6991.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roll into crescent shapes and place on parchment paper to rise for 45 minutes.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the "chocolate chip" version</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the oven and ready to eat!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum! The inside of one of the chocolate chip ones</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Now that I've tried the nutella version, I think I'm gonna give them a try with some of my maple almond butter (from Justin's Nut Butters) and drizzle with maple glaze...The possibilities are really endless!<br />
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Oh, and here is a picture of the braided loaf from yesterday!!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFwVrrs4pt42w_fpCcmtWi_jMC2Ck2awdJ1qIsxFKmDsT2QhTlXBQbz4aRi967BvIjoP-jtufog_3EEXhRz_w7Zzm3pQ8kjOJUTbKmE1MPU6FSyOHOonF7PQ5yAY-QWyx19gw56A1abA/s1600/IMG_6980.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFwVrrs4pt42w_fpCcmtWi_jMC2Ck2awdJ1qIsxFKmDsT2QhTlXBQbz4aRi967BvIjoP-jtufog_3EEXhRz_w7Zzm3pQ8kjOJUTbKmE1MPU6FSyOHOonF7PQ5yAY-QWyx19gw56A1abA/s320/IMG_6980.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round braided cinnamon sugar bread</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-91425194906612421042011-10-06T20:02:00.001-05:002011-10-06T20:02:53.086-05:00Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage sauce<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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So I recently decided to join a monthly blog challenge for food bloggers called Kitchen Bootcamp.</div>
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<a href="http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/kitchen-bootcamp/"><span id="goog_534882603"><span id="goog_534882608"></span></span><img border="0" src="http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Kitchen_Bootcamp_Logo.jpg" /><span id="goog_534882609"></span><span id="goog_534882604"></span> </a></div>
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Each month the hostess chooses a topic for bloggers to try their hand at. She bases her challenges on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470421355/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0470421355">The Professional Chef</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mikeandchristsho&l=as2&o=1&a=0470421355&camp=217145&creative=399373" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
, but entrants are welcome to use their own recipes and resources as well. This month the challenge is Cooking Pasta and Dumplings. Well, I've made regular egg noodles as well as plain and flavored fettuccine in the past but have always wanted to try my hand at making gnocchi, so I decided that this would be the prime opportunity to do so! </div>
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For those unfamiliar with gnocchi, it's kind of like a pillowy pasta shape, sometimes made of ricotta but more commonly made with potato. One of my favorite dishes that a local restaurant used to make was Gnocchi with Fresh Mozzarella and Vodka sauce. It was divine! The restaurant no longer has it on the menu, so mastering gnocchi might allow me to recreate it in my own kitchen! Tuesday morning, armed with some leftover mashed potatoes and my copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470421355/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0470421355">The Professional Chef</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mikeandchristsho&l=as2&o=1&a=0470421355&camp=217145&creative=399373" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> I set out to make some "Gnocchi Piedmontese", a basic potato gnocchi. What a mess! The "dough" was a sticky, gluey, heavy mess...not at all the soft pillowy bites of dough I was looking for! I think because I started with already mashed potatoes, which had milk and butter in them, there was too much moisture and then because it was so "sticky" I tried adding a bit more flour and beating a little longer which resulted in a tough, gluey mess.<br />
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Undeterred, I decided I would try again on Thursday after a run to the grocery for more potatoes. I decided on Thursday because Tuesdays & Thursdays are the two days of the week that one of my two kiddos is in preschool, so I had half the distraction of other days. My mother brought me some potatoes Tuesday evening (after I told her about the mess in the morning) so I was all set. However, when sorting some things out in the pantry, I realized I had an extra butternut squash lying around. I decided to search my recipe database for ways to use it when I came across a recipe for <b>Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce. </b><br />
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This recipe, from Lidia Bastianich's cookbook <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767914228/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0767914228">La Cucina Di Lidia: Recipes and Memories from Italy's Adriatic Coast</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mikeandchristsho&l=as2&o=1&a=0767914228&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, called for roasting the butternut squash they day before use and allowing them to drain in a colander over a bowl overnight in the refrigerator so that most of the liquid would be removed. The first problem I ran into was the length of time the recipe called for roasting the squash. My butternut squash took THREE TIMES as long to roast to "tender" as the recipe directed. Other than that small problem (which was easily overcome by continuing to cook it until done!), the recipe worked very well. Here is what the roasted squash looked like just before I put it in the refrigerator for the night.<br />
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The next morning I took the squash from the refrigerator and gathered the remaining ingredients for the pasta: 2 eggs, some salt and some flour. </div>
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Puree the squash in the food processor until smooth. I then added the
salt and eggs directly to the food processor and combined them in there.
I scooped the mixture into the bowl (from which I had drained the
"liquid" from the squash) and then folded in the flour. The recipe says this dough will be soft and sticky, but I think that is an understatement! This dough was more like a thick muffin or cake batter (or perhaps a "loose" cookie dough) than like a typical pasta dough. This is a "dropped" gnocchi (rather than rolled as many others are) so the looseness and stickiness of the dough didn't worry me as much.</div>
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At this point, the recipe has you bring water to a boil to "poach" the gnocchi. I salted the water and when it came to a boil began the process. The directions tell you to scoop the dough using a teaspoon and rolling it into the water with your finger. Not wanting to get the sticky dough all over my fingers, I decided to go with my smallest cookie dough scoop instead. This worked extremely well although it did make larger gnocchi than I would have preferred. One thing to keep in mind is that the gnocchi will swell and puff in the hot water so they will end up LARGER than when raw. So make your dough balls SMALLER than you want the final product to be so you don't have this problem. I did have a little bit of "breakage" from the dropped dough, but other than not being as "pretty" as I might have liked, my method worked pretty well. The suggestion is for 10-15 gnocchi in the pot at a time. I did 10 and found that pretty crowded. Once the gnocchi float to the top of the water, you poach them for 2 minutes before removing and draining. </div>
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I removed my gnocchi to a lightly greased mini sheet pan to cool and then layered them into a seal-able refrigerator container lightly spraying each layer with oil to keep them from sticking together too badly.</div>
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After about 4 hours in the refrigerator (from the time I finished poaching until "dinner" time), I removed the chilled gnocchi and gathered the ingredients for the rest of the dish. Namely butter, fresh sage leaves and Parmesan cheese. </div>
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Now, the directions do not call for browning the butter, but I prefer browned to unbrowned butter, so I allowed the butter to just start to brown before adding the sliced sage and gnocchi. I sauteed this until the gnocchi got a light browning on it. </div>
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The final step is to add shredded Parmesan and serve!</div>
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This photo shows a cross-section of the gnocchi (while cutting it up for my 1 year old). You can see some of the air pockets in the interior. These were light, fluffy and very very tasty! I will DEFINITELY be making this recipe again! </div>
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If you decide to give this recipe a try, please let me know how it works out for you! I will be trying "traditional" gnocchi this weekend (or maybe next week) and hope to also have some time to play with some standard pasta as well since I have not yet been able to try my "new-to-me" pasta maker for which I purchased some of King Arthur Flour's Perfect Pasta flour! My 3 year old has said she wants to help with that this weekend :) Should be an adventure! In the meantime, enjoy this recipe!</div>
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<b>Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage sauce</b><br />
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Servings: 4</div>
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<i>For the gnocchi:</i></div>
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1 butternut squash -- about 1 1/2 pounds<br />
2 eggs -- beaten<br />
3 1/4 teaspoons sea salt -- divided<br />
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
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<i>For the sauce:</i><br />
4 tablespoons butter<br />
10 sage leaves -- cut into strips<br />
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese<br />
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Preheat oven to 350øF. At least 6 hours before making the gnocchi dough (up to 1 day in advance), halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Loosely wrap in aluminum foil. Bake for 1.5 hours or until flesh is tender when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool until able to handle and then scoop the pulp from the skin into a colander set over over a bowl. Cover, set in the refrigerator and allow the squash to drain at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours.<br />
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After it has drained, puree the squash in a food processor. Add the eggs and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and pulse to combine. Pour into a large bowl and fold in the flour until well blended. The dough will be quite sticky and soft.<br />
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Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt to the boiling water. Using a teaspoon, scoop up some of the dough (about a walnut size piece) and slide it into the water with your finger. The gnocchi will drop to the bottom of the pot. Repeat until you have 10-15 gnocchi in the water (don't crowd). Poach them for 2 minutes after they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat until all the dough is used. At this point, you can store the gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before continuing with the rest of the recipe.<br />
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To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large skillet. Allow to just begin to brown before adding the gnocchi and sage. Stir gently until the sauce coats the gnocchi and it starts to lightly brown. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve hot. </div>
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Source: adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767914228/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0767914228">La Cucina Di Lidia: Recipes and Memories from Italy's Adriatic Coast</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=mikeandchristsho&l=as2&o=1&a=0767914228&camp=217145&creative=399369" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />by <span>
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Jay Jacobs
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Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-68104387045018421062011-10-06T15:41:00.000-05:002011-10-06T15:41:18.051-05:00Pink Peppermint Princess Meringues<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">I'm joining the </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Come join in the fun!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Over the weekend we had family in town so I did a lot of cooking, and one of the things I made was a banana cream pie. Well, it takes 4 eggs yolks but no whites, so not wanting to waste the whites, I saved them, not sure what I was going to make. Then it came to me! Meringues! But not just ANY meringues will do in a house with two small princesses! These had to be PINK meringues. And not just PINK meringues, but PINK PEPPERMINT meringues! So, without further ado, here is my recipe for <b>Pink Peppermint Princess Meringues
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;"><b>Pink Peppermint Princess Meringues</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">4 egg whites, at room temperature</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">1/2 tsp cream of tartar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">2 cups powdered sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">1/2 tsp peppermint extract</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">red food coloring, optional</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Preheat your oven to 225F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper, or with foil sprayed with non-stick spray. In the bowl of a stand mixer, begin to whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form (should form peak that curls down when lifted with a spatula). Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until all incorporated. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. This will take several (10 or so) minutes but don't give up! When stiff peaks form, add extract and food color and whip until just incorporated. If you want "fancy" cookies, get out a piping bag with a star tip and pipe cookies onto cookie sheets, leaving about 1.5" between each (I got about 20 on a sheet). Or, you can do what I did and put the mixture into a disposable plastic bag, snip off one corner and squeeze it from there. Less mess but not as "fancy". Place both sheets (racks at 1/3 from top and 1/3 from bottom) into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Then, turn off the oven and allow cookies to stay in and cool for about an hour or until completely cool. Store in an airtight container separated with wax (or parchment) paper. If you want to get REALLY fancy, you can dip the bottoms of these cookies into melted chocolate or dip the tops in and sprinkle with crushed peppermints!</span></div>
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<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=109938" type="text/javascript"></script>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-76469130439359576002011-10-03T19:44:00.000-05:002015-07-26T17:29:38.834-05:00Holy Experience Dare<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This past weekend, Ann Voscamp from A Holy Experience </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DARED her readers "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://bethproudfoot.blogspot.com/2010/11/give-thanks.html" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #54aab6; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">to tag a little something with this free printable </a>and give it to someone". Well, being the cooking blog this is, I thought I'd make a little something sweet for my daughter's sweet preschool teacher to take on her dare... So this morning I made a batch of Amish Friendship Bread but altered it to include some of my homemade pumpkin butter! Because the recipe makes two loaves we were able to have some for breakfast this morning and I then wrapped up the second loaf for my daughter to take to preschool tomorrow morning. I hope Ms. Kelly likes it! :) Here is both the recipe and the results for you to check out!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><b>Pumpkin Butter Amish Friendship Bread</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">1 cup Amish Friendship Bread starter</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">3 eggs, lightly beaten</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/2 cup milk</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 cup pumpkin butter</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 cup granulated sugar</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 tsp cinnamon</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/2 tsp vanilla extract</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/2 teaspoon baking soda</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">2 cups flour</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 small box vanilla instant pudding</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1/2 cup granulated sugar</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">1 tsp cinnamon</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 2 large loaf pans. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. "Flour" pans with this sugar/cinnamon mixture, reserving any extra for the end. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients in order listed mixing well to combine. Divide mixture between the two pans and sprinkle with remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake for 1 hr or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. When completely cool, store in a sealed container or ziplock bag. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWt6Cv8ukkgaOL1UGOMadBpo5-I2hMgoBg3KYH_FNNgl52190dFPfUobyPIvydnJ95qsIzAQgfW5U-KH8_AA9EiTVE1shZMOO-rkitA3_NmZkgTVqalrC2NZpQMAxSPhog4quZr0fFdMg/s1600/IMG_6961.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWt6Cv8ukkgaOL1UGOMadBpo5-I2hMgoBg3KYH_FNNgl52190dFPfUobyPIvydnJ95qsIzAQgfW5U-KH8_AA9EiTVE1shZMOO-rkitA3_NmZkgTVqalrC2NZpQMAxSPhog4quZr0fFdMg/s320/IMG_6961.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pick up a copy of this "Give Thanks" tag at the link above...</td></tr>
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<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%231000gifts">#1000gifts</a>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-22860741809947693662011-10-02T21:07:00.002-05:002011-10-02T21:10:22.465-05:00Little People Sugar Cookies<div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've joined the blog hop at <a href="http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/">Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms</a>! Come join the fun!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/melt-in-your-mouth-blog-hop-33/"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/wp-content/uploads/iStock_000012968778Small125.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So last week my 3 year old daughter was the "Special Helper" of the week in her preschool class and needed to take a snack and drinks for her classmates. Their theme was Friends and the letter C so I came up with the idea for "Friend Cookies" using both the them and the letter... Then I had to figure out how best to do this. I remembered the wonderful sugar cookie recipe from <a href="http://www.thedecoratedcookieblog.com/">The Decorated Cookie blog</a>. So I made a double batch of the cookie dough and a single batch of the royal icing from my adaptation of her great recipe and then rolled out white fondant to 1/8" thick and "painted" it with "paint". Two special items I used which you can find online are the <a href="http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/princess-cake-flavor-4-oz">"princess" flavoring from King Arthur Flour</a> and the <a href="http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=IN0279">Pettinice Fondant from KitchenKrafts.com</a> This is, by far, the BEST fondant I've ever worked with. It rolled so smoothly and worked so well as a "canvas" for painting the people that I will definitely be using it again!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For anyone not familiar with painting on fondant, it's best to let it dry for an hour or two after cutting but before painting. This allows it to "harden" a bit and makes it easier to handle while painting. For the "paint", I used a medicine dropper to put about 3 drops of clear vanilla into a small bowl and then used a toothpick to put a "blob" of gel food coloring (available wherever cake making supplies are sold) into the vanilla. Stir this until the color is dissolved and you have a wonderful "watercolor" paint that works perfectly on the fondant. Not being any sort of painter, I was pretty proud of the results of this project. I used a food marker to put the kids names on their cookies after painting. They were a big hit I understand :)</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ready for school! 14 cute kids and 3 super teachers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Basic Sugar Cookies</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adapted from <a href="http://www.thedecoratedcookieblog.com/2008/11/cookie-dough-and-frosting-recipes.html">The Decorated Cookie</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 sticks unsalted butter -- softened</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup confectioner's sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 egg</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 drops "Princess" flavoring</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 1/2 cups flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cream butter and sugar in mixer for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg and blend well. Add extract/flavoring and blend. Mix flour and salt together in a separate bowl and gradually add to creamed mixture. Put dough into a gallon size Ziploc bag and chill for about 2 hours. Working with about 1/3 of the dough at a time, briefly knead and roll about 1/8-1/4" thick. Cut out shapes. Bake cut out cookies on parchment lined baking trays at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack to completely cool.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note: You can also freeze this dough. After mixing, put dough in a gallon size Freezer ziploc bag and freeze. Thaw overnight or for at least a few hours in the refrigerator in the ziploc bag. If too chilled to handle, let sit at room temperature for 30 min-1 hour until workable. Chilled is good so don't let it get too mushy before rolling. If dough is sticky, put back in fridge until re-chilled before trying to roll again.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookies cooled and ready for decorating, fondant "toppers" painted</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Royal Icing</b></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Adapted from <a href="http://www.thedecoratedcookieblog.com/2008/11/cookie-dough-and-frosting-recipes.html">The Decorated Cookie</a></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 tablespoons meringue powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7 cups confectioner's sugar -- (7 to 8)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 drops Princess flavoring</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon light corn syrup</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Combine meringue powder and water in a stand mixer using whisk attachment. Whisk for 2-3 minutes or until foamy on low speed, then increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form. Add princess flavoring and corn syrup, then gradually add confectioner's sugar. Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to a month.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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</div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-7414984930018778682011-09-16T09:13:00.001-05:002011-09-25T21:22:00.442-05:00Long overdue...Breakfast, lunch and dinner!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've joined the blog hop at <a href="http://www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com/">Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms</a>! Come join the fun!<br />
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Man, it's HARD to find time to blog with a 3 year old and a 1 year old in the house! I, of course, still have time to cook (and HAVE to!) but blogging about it takes a back seat... So my apologies for the delay in getting these recipes posted for those who've been waiting! <br />
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A couple of weeks ago I did a luncheon for some wonderful teachers at my daughter's preschool and several of these recipes are from that luncheon by request of the teachers :) The first recipe I'm posting however is one I made a few days ago for breakfast after finding a great loaf of french bread in the day-old bin at the local grocery. It's an "overnight" french toast, so you mix it up the night before, let it soak in the fridge overnight and pop it in the oven in the morning. Super yummy and easy breakfast that's great for company! And the last recipe I'll post is one that we actually made last night...I was totally craving chocolate cake and didn't want the time, mess, etc. of making a "real" cake, so went with this one which is done in 5 minutes or less and tastes AWESOME! It's a molten chocolate cake and is terrific with whipped cream on top :) Apologies for the lack of pictures on most of these but like I said, time's a little tight with little ones in the house :)<br />
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<b>Overnight French Toast Casserole</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pw5-4tINN2OnUYhMRLW3TPhO1rvSUK9G1xY7WtKrVp2IDgVNWzOqKi8N96GlmbXaQ8xcknuxBSxqJppLgehyGuFg1mNthGVZHtoZCRUu7TJmIN_vVqWq1b_Ko6-ORScPp5CcDMzhpRk/s1600/IMG_6921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pw5-4tINN2OnUYhMRLW3TPhO1rvSUK9G1xY7WtKrVp2IDgVNWzOqKi8N96GlmbXaQ8xcknuxBSxqJppLgehyGuFg1mNthGVZHtoZCRUu7TJmIN_vVqWq1b_Ko6-ORScPp5CcDMzhpRk/s320/IMG_6921.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
3/4 cup brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup melted butter<br />
1 loaf French bread, sliced in 2" thick slices<br />
8 eggs<br />
1 cup milk (or half & half if you're feeling luxurious!)<br />
1 tbsp vanilla<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp ground ginger<br />
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1/2 cup chopped pecans<br />
<br />
Mix brown sugar and butter together and spread into the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Layer bread slices on top (overlapping as necessary). Mix up eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and pour over top of bread. Sprinkle with pecans and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning take the casserole out while the oven preheats to 350 (abt 15 mins or so). Then bake, uncovered for 30-35 min. Let cool slightly and serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar. YUM!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b>From the FBC Preschool Teacher's Luncheon:</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Northern Spy Dressing</b><br />
1 cup water<br />
2 tbsp cornstarch<br />
1/2 cup cider vinegar<br />
1 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 tsp onion powder<br />
1 tbsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp white pepper<br />
1 tsp celery salt<br />
1 tbsp celery seed<br />
1/4 cup butter<br />
<br />
In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk water and cornstarch together until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, adding each of the remaining ingredients one at a time in the order listed, stirring well after each. Continue to cook until mixture becomes translucent and relatively smooth (with the exception of the seeds!). Allow to cool then transfer to the refrigerator where it will keep about six weeks. Do not freeze!<br />
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<br />
<b>Foccacia Bread Croutons</b><br />
<br />
This recipe is adapted from the King Arthur Bread Company...<br />
<br />
For the foccacia:<br />
1 1/2 cups warm water<br />
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons salt<br />
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour<br />
1 tablespoon instant yeast<br />
1 tbsp Pizza Dough Flavor, optional<br />
1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend, plus additional for topping<br />
Sea or Kosher salt, for topping<br />
For croutons:<br />
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil<br />
<br />
Combine ingredients in the workpan of your bread maker in the order recommended by the manufacturer. For my maker it's liquids first, then solids with yeast on top... Process on the "dough" setting. When complete, pour a small amount of olive oil into the bottom of a 9x13" pan and spread it around well. Punch down your dough, place into the pan, cover and let rise for about 60 minutes until puffy. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375°F. Gently poke indentations into the top of your bread with a knuckle or index finger. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt and additional Italian seasoning. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a rack to cool overnight or, if not using for croutons, enjoy as is, warm or cool. If making croutons: The next day, cut foccacia into cubes, trimming crust as necessary. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 250°F. On a large sheet pan, pour a small amount of olive oil, spreading to cover pan. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with additional olive oil to coat, then spread onto pan. Place pan into preheated oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring croutons every 15 minutes until crispy.<br />
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My notes: I used the pizza dough flavor from King Arthur, which we use in our weekly homemade pizza night. I also used the "grinder" version of McCormick's Italian seasoning which is a coarser version than those "pre-ground" ones. I have also made these with just chopped fresh rosemary instead of the seasoning and it's fabulous that way as well. This is terrific on it's own, as a base for pizza or "flatbread" or as a bruschetta type dish. It also makes great "mini" pizzas if divided into individual muffin cups and topped with your favorite toppings!<br />
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<br />
Of the three cookies I served at the luncheon, two were "back of the box" recipes and one is a Martha Stewart adaptation I've posted before on my blog. I won't repost that one but will <a href="http://cookbooks365.blogspot.com/2010/12/mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies.html">link to the previous post</a>. The other two recipes are tried and true favorites and no matter how many times I try others, I always come back to these which I have copies of from my grandmothers' cookbooks...<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Peanut Butter Cookies</b><br />
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3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar<br />
3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
3/4 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter<br />
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature<br />
3 tbsp milk<br />
1 tbsp vanilla extract<br />
1 egg<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
3/4 tsp baking soda<br />
3/4 tsp salt<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 375ºF. Combine sugars, peanut butter, butter, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until blended. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonsful 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet (or one covered with parchment paper!). Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with tines of fork, dipping the fork into granulated sugar between "impressions". Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375ºF for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.<br />
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<br />
<b>Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies</b><br />
<br />
14 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1 tsp baking soda<br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
3 cups uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal<br />
1 cup raisins (or Craisins)<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.<br />
<br />
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.<br />
<br />
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.<br />
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<br />
<b><i>And last but definitely not least... last night's dessert!</i></b><br />
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<b>Microwave Dark Chocolate-Caramel Lava Cake</b><br />
<br />
2 oz. dark chocolate (abt 60% cocoa content is good!)<br />
4 tbsp. butter<br />
3 tbsp. granulated sugar<br />
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour<br />
1 egg, lightly beaten<br />
2 squares caramel, unwrapped<br />
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In a microwaveable bowl, heat the chocolate and butter for 30 seconds then stir. If not completely melted, microwave for 5-10 more seconds until just melted. Do not overcook or it will harden and turn grainy :( In a separate bowl, mix egg and sugar until lightened slightly in color. Add flour and stir to combine. Incorporate chocolate mixture into this and then pour into a well-greased very big coffee mug (like a latte mug) or a small greased microwaveable bowl. I used a small Pyrex bowl. Place the two caramels in the center of the dough, covering with a little bit of the batter. Microwave on high for 1 minute, 30 seconds. Allow to cool in the microwave for at least a minute to set. Loosen from the bowl and then invert onto a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream...<br />
<br />
</div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-88269661448731682292011-08-19T10:20:00.000-05:002011-08-19T10:20:03.058-05:00Pancake Supper Fundraiser Silent Auction baskets<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recently, we participated in a great <a href="http://pancakesinboerne.blogspot.com/">benefit fundraiser</a> for two local families, including my sweet friend <a href="http://keepingupwiththemcelhannons.blogspot.com/">Misty McElhannon</a>, and in addition to helping out in the kitchen, I contributed two "baskets" for the silent auction portion of the evening. One basket was a "Bake Sale" basket full of goodies you might find at a bake sale and the second basket was a "Chocolate Lovers" basket full of chocolate goodies. I promised some of my long-distance friends (and a few locals who didn't win the baskets!) that I'd post the recipes from those baskets in case anyone wanted to recreate something from them. Here are the recipes, along with my notes in some cases. Some of the recipes are my own creations and some are from other sources which I hope I've appropriately noted. I'll list the basket contents first, then post the recipes... Enjoy!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><b>Bake Sale Basket:</b><br />
<br />
1 dozen sugar cookies on a stick<br />
1 dozen Peanut butter cookie Candy Bars<br />
1 bag caramel corn<br />
2 mini banana bread loaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">1 dozen Pecan Pie brownies<br />
1 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies<br />
<br />
<b>Chocolate Lover's Basket:</b><br />
<br />
1 dozen Tia Maria truffles<br />
1 dozen Coffee Cream brownies<br />
1 dozen chocolate bonbon pops<br />
2 lbs fudge<br />
1 jar Mexican Mocha hot chocolate mix + 2 mugs<br />
1 dozen chocolate chubbies<br />
1 loaf chocolate chip pound cake<br />
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Bake Sale Basket:</b></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> * Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Basic Sugar Cookies<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
2 sticks unsalted butter -- softened<br />
1 cup confectioner's sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract -- or 2 drops "Princess" flavoring<br />
2 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
Cream butter and sugar in mixer for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg and blend well. Add extract/flavoring and blend. Mix flour and salt together in a separate bowl and gradually add to creamed mixture. Put dough into a gallon size Ziploc bag and chill for about 2 hours. Working with about 1/3 of the dough at a time, briefly knead and roll about 1/8-1/4" thick. Cut out shapes. Bake cut out cookies on parchment lined baking trays at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack to completely cool.<br />
<br />
Note: You can also freeze this dough. After mixing, put dough in a gallon size Freezer ziploc bag and freeze. Thaw overnight or for at least a few hours in the refrigerator in the ziploc bag. If too chilled to handle, let sit at room temperature for 30 min-1 hour until workable. Chilled is good so don't let it get too mushy before rolling. If dough is sticky, put back in fridge until re-chilled before trying to roll again.<br />
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<br />
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 138 Calories; 8g Fat (51.9% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 93mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
<br />
<br />
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Bars<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 36 Preparation Time :0:45<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
Cookie Base<br />
1 pouch peanut butter cookie mix -- (1 lb 1.5 oz)<br />
3 tablespoons vegetable oil<br />
1 tablespoon water<br />
1 egg<br />
Filling<br />
1/3 cup light corn syrup<br />
3 tablespoons butter or margarine -- softened<br />
3 tablespoons peanut butter<br />
1 tablespoon water<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons water<br />
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla<br />
dash salt<br />
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar<br />
Caramel Layer<br />
1 bag caramel candy -- (14 oz) unwrapped<br />
2 tablespoons water<br />
1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts, dry-roasted<br />
Topping<br />
1 bag milk chocolate chips -- (11.5 oz) (2 cups)<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
In large bowl, beat all filling ingredients except powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until well blended (filling will be thick). Press filling over cookie base. Refrigerate while preparing caramel layer.<br />
<br />
In 2-quart saucepan, heat caramels and 2 tablespoons water over low heat, stirring constantly, until caramels are melted. Stir in peanuts. Spread evenly over filling. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until caramel layer is firm.<br />
<br />
In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring once, until melted. Spread evenly over caramel layer. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chocolate is set. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered at room temperature.<br />
<br />
Description:<br />
"Tastes alot like a Snickers candy bar..."<br />
Source:<br />
"Betty Crocker"<br />
S(URL):<br />
"<a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookie-candy-bars/ec3f7334-a3b9-498a-9966-39fc6246b50c">http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookie-candy-bars/ec3f7334-a3b9-498a-9966-39fc6246b50c</a>"<br />
Start to Finish Time:<br />
"2:30"<br />
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</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
<br />
* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Caramel Corn<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
5 quarts popcorn -- air-popped<br />
1 cup butter<br />
2 cups brown sugar -- packed<br />
1/2 cup light corn syrup<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
<br />
Spread popped corn in a large shallow pan. Put in a 250 degree oven to keep warm. Combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a 2 qt. sauce pan. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves. Continue to boil to firm ball stage (248 degrees on the candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in soda and vanilla (will foam) and then pour mixture over warmed corn in a fine stream. Return to the oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.<br />
From Betty Wood Calvert<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
<br />
* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Banana Friendship Bread<br />
<br />
Recipe By :RedheadAblaze<br />
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:10<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
1 1/2 cups amish starter -- (see recipe #321840)<br />
2 cups flour<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
3 eggs<br />
1 cup oil -- (or 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup applesauce)<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 cup nuts -- chopped (optional)<br />
2 bananas<br />
<br />
To the batter add 2 bananas, 3 eggs, 1-1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 cup oil (or 1/2 oil & 1/2 applesauce), 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup chopped nuts (optional).<br />
<br />
Note: It is easier to mix if you combine the dry ingredients (except for sugar and mashed bananas) in another bowl then add it slowly to the batter.<br />
<br />
Grease bottom and sides of 2 large loaf pans or spray with Pam. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Dust the insides of each of the pans with half of the mixture, making sure to cover the bottom and sides well.<br />
<br />
Pour batter evenly into the 2 pans and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture over top of the batter.<br />
<br />
Bake for approximately 1 hour (until toothpick comes out clean.) Cool until the bread loosens from the pan easily. Turn onto serving dish. May be served warm or cold. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
"Food.com"<br />
S(URL):<br />
"<a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-friendship-bread-322136">http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-friendship-bread-322136</a>"<br />
Start to Finish Time:<br />
"0:01"<br />
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<br />
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 901 Calories; 53g Fat (52.1% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 98g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 109mg Cholesterol; 454mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 10 Fat; 3 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
<br />
NOTES : If you're sick of making the same bread every 10 days, try this one!<br />
<br />
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Pecan Pie Supreme Brownies<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:20<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
Pecan Topping<br />
1/2 cup butter or margarine<br />
1/4 cup all-purpose flour<br />
2/3 cup packed brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup corn syrup<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
3 cups pecans -- coarsely chopped<br />
Brownies<br />
1 container brownie mix -- (1 lb 2.4 oz)<br />
Water -- vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box (for cakelike brownies)<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray or shortening.<br />
<br />
In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and 2 eggs until well blended. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pecans.<br />
<br />
Make brownie batter as directed on brownie mix box for cakelike brownies; spread in pan. Spoon pecan topping evenly over batter.<br />
<br />
Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For 36 brownies, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. If desired, garnish each brownie with a pecan half.<br />
<br />
Description:<br />
"Everything you love about pecan pie is married with rich fudgy brownies!"<br />
Source:<br />
"Betty Crocker"<br />
S(URL):<br />
"<a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pecan-pie-supreme-brownies/1ce79e54-aab8-461c-abfb-46e6f088e539">http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pecan-pie-supreme-brownies/1ce79e54-aab8-461c-abfb-46e6f088e539</a>"<br />
Start to Finish Time:<br />
"2:00"<br />
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<br />
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 237 Calories; 15g Fat (55.8% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 28mg Cholesterol; 97mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 3 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
<br />
<br />
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:20<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
1/2 cup unsalted butter -- (1 stick) softened<br />
6 tablespoons unsalted butter -- softened<br />
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 cup all-purpose flour -- (1-1/2)<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt -- (optional)<br />
3 cups oatmeal -- (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)<br />
1 cup raisins<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.<br />
<br />
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.<br />
<br />
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
S(URL):<br />
"<a href="http://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/content/recipes/recipe-detail.aspx?recipeid=474">http://www.quakeroats.com/cooking-and-recipes/content/recipes/recipe-detail.aspx?recipeid=474</a>"<br />
Yield:<br />
"4 dozen"<br />
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 184 Calories; 8g Fat (37.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 36mg Cholesterol; 108mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
<br />
<br />
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chocolate Lover's Basket:</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Tia Maria Truffles<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips<br />
3 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
1/3 cup heavy cream<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
2 tablespoons Tia Maria<br />
1/2 cup powdered sugar -- or cocoa powder, ground nuts, sprinkles, etc for topping<br />
<br />
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate, butter and heavy cream. Heat until chocolate is melted, stirring every 30 seconds (about 2 minutes total). Stir until you have a smooth mixture.<br />
<br />
Whisk in vanilla and Tia Maria. Pour into a shallow glass pie dish or shallow casserole and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until firm enough to roll. If refrigerating longer than two hours, the mixture will be hard to work with, so allow the mixture to sit at room temperature until pliable enough to work with.<br />
<br />
<br />
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small scoop (2 teaspoons) or a melon baller, scoop out chocolate mixture, roll into one inch balls, and place on prepared baking sheet. Plastic or latex gloves work well for this. Continue with remaining chocolate mixture. Roll balls in your desired coating. Refrigerate until ready to serve.<br />
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 107 Calories; 7g Fat (54.5% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 8mg Cholesterol; 3mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
<br />
<br />
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Mexican Mocha Hot Cocoa Mix<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 18 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
3 cups nonfat dry milk powder<br />
1 cup sifted powdered sugar -- (1-1/2)<br />
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder -- (1-1/2)<br />
2/3 cup instant coffee granules<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 cup miniature chocolate chips<br />
1 tablespoon cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper -- optional<br />
<br />
Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. If you like a little heat with your sweet, add the cayenne pepper. Package as desired. Typically I give this in pint or quart sized canning jars with the following label:<br />
<br />
For each serving: Place 1/3 cup of mix in a mug. Add 1 cup boiling water, stirring until chocolate chips melt. If desired, top with marshmallows or whipped cream.<br />
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 128 Calories; 4g Fat (22.9% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 2mg Cholesterol; 190mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
<br />
<br />
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Coffee Cream Brownies<br />
<br />
Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories :<br />
<br />
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
-------- ------------ --------------------------------<br />
For the Brownies:<br />
<br />
1/2 cup butter -- cubed<br />
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate -- chopped<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
2/3 cup all purpose flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />
<br />
For the Coffee Cream Filling:<br />
<br />
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream<br />
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules<br />
2 tablespoons butter -- softened<br />
1 cup confectioner’s sugar<br />
<br />
For the Chocolate Ganache Glaze:<br />
<br />
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips -- ( 6 ounces )<br />
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 8 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.<br />
In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.<br />
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and baking soda and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.<br />
Spread into prepared baking pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.<br />
For the filling, in a small bowl combine cream and coffee granules. Stir until the coffee is dissolved.<br />
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in coffee mixture. Spread over brownies.<br />
For the chocolate ganache, in a small saucepan over low heat combine chocolate and heavy cream. Cook and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is thickened. Cool slightly. Carefully spread over filling. Let chocolate gancahe set up completely before cutting.<br />
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Yields: 16 servings<br />
<br />
Description:<br />
"Rich brownies topped with a creamy coffee buttercream frosting and a decadent chocolate ganache. So rich, so chocolately, so delicious! With three layers of deliciousness, how can you go wrong?"<br />
S(URL):<br />
"<a href="http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/05/22/coffee-cream-brownies/">http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/05/22/coffee-cream-brownies/</a>"<br />
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 170 Calories; 13g Fat (64.7% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 54mg Cholesterol; 105mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
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Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
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* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Chocolate Bonbon Pops<br />
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Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:30<br />
Categories :<br />
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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
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18 chocolate sandwich cookies with cream filling<br />
1 cup pecans -- (1-1/2) toasted<br />
1 tablespoon vanilla extract<br />
1 tablespoon light color corn syrup<br />
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
20 lollipop sticks<br />
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips<br />
1 tablespoon vegetable oil<br />
<br />
In large food processor bowl combine cookies and nuts; pulse until cookies are crushed. Add vanilla, corn syrup, and cocoa powder; process until combined.<br />
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Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape cookie mixture in 1-inch balls. Place on baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.<br />
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Put chocolate chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted (approximately 2 minutes) stirring every 30 seconds. Dip each stick into chocolate then insert into frozen balls. Put back into the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Reheat chocolate until melted again and dip pops in chocolate. Return to baking sheet. Loosely cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until chocolate is set. Makes 20 pops.<br />
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To Store: Place in covered container; refrigerate up to 1 week.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
"Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens"<br />
S(URL):<br />
"<a href="http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/chocolate-bonbon-pops/">http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cookies/chocolate-bonbon-pops/</a>"<br />
Copyright:<br />
"© Copyright 2011, Meredith Corporation . All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Service."<br />
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 2533 Calories; 190g Fat (61.3% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 245g Carbohydrate; 32g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 41mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 37 1/2 Fat; 14 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
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NOTES : A lot of people have had problems with this recipe, but here's what worked for me... First of all, use "generic" cookies or Hydrox brand as they have more "fat" than traditional Oreos. Next, make sure to grind the cookies to a very fine crumb, almost a powder, before adding the pecans, then add the nuts and make sure to grind again to a fine crumb before adding remaining ingredients. When forming balls, make sure to SQUEEZE the mixture into balls as this will cause the fat in the cookies and nuts to release, making the mixture moist enough to stick together.<br />
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Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
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Fudge<br />
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Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories :<br />
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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
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4 1/2 cups granulated sugar<br />
12 ounces evaporated milk<br />
3 ounces milk chocolate -- Hershey's bar preferred<br />
7 1/2 ounces marshmallow cream<br />
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips<br />
1 pound pecans -- chopped<br />
<br />
Combine sugar and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for about 7 min. Add remaining ingredients and pour into 9x9 greased pan for "thick" fudge or a 9x13" pan for smaller pieces.<br />
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From Betty Wood Calvert<br />
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Chocolate Chubbies<br />
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Recipe By :Caroline Russock<br />
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00<br />
Categories : Chocolate cookies<br />
desserts holiday baking<br />
holiday sweets<br />
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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
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8 tablespoons unsalted butter -- (1 stick) cut into 1/2-inch cubes<br />
9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate -- (no more than 62 percent cacao) finely chopped<br />
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate -- finely chopped<br />
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt<br />
3 large eggs -- at room temperature<br />
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips -- (12 ounces)<br />
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans -- (5 1/2 ounces)<br />
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts -- (4 1/2 ounces)<br />
<br />
Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.<br />
<br />
Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the butter in a wide, heatproof bowl, and melt the butter over the hot water in the saucepan. Add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, stirring often, until melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cooled slightly but still warm, about 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Whip the eggs in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the eggs are foamy and lightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar, then the vanilla. Whip until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the tepid chocolate, making sure it is completely incorporated. Change to the paddle attachment and reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts, making sure the chunky ingredients are evenly distributed at the bottom of the bowl. The dough will be somewhat soft.<br />
<br />
Using a 2-inch ice-cream scoop, portion the batter onto the prepared pans, placing the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies immediately—if you wait, they won’t be shiny after baking. Bake, switching the position of the pans from top to bottom and front to back about halfway through baking, until the cookies are set around the edges (if you lift a cookie from the pan, the edges should release easily, even if the center of the cookie seems underdone), 17 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely on the baking pans.<br />
<br />
Note: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, with the layers separated by parchment paper, for up to 3 days.)<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
"Serious Eats"<br />
S(URL):<br />
"<a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/12/chocolate-chubbies-recipe.html%22">http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/12/chocolate-chubbies-recipe.html"</a><br />
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* Exported from MasterCook *<br />
<br />
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake<br />
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Recipe By :<br />
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:10<br />
Categories :<br />
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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method<br />
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3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -- plus more for dusting pans<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
4 eggs<br />
4 egg yolks<br />
1 tablespoon vanilla extract<br />
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter -- (3 sticks) softened<br />
2 cups sugar<br />
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips -- (12 ounces)<br />
<br />
Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Coat two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray; dust with flour and shake out excess. Set aside.Stir together flour and salt; set aside. In small bowl, stir together eggs, egg yolks and vanilla; set aside.Mix butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 6 minutes or until very light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and gradually pour in egg mixture. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture and beat until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.Divide batter between prepared loaf pans and smooth tops. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, 12 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 30 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on rack.<br />
<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
"Family Circle"<br />
S("URL")<br />
"<a href="http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/pound-cakes/chocolate-chip-pound-cake/">http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/pound-cakes/chocolate-chip-pound-cake/</a>"<br />
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 290 Calories; 15g Fat (47.1% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 102mg Cholesterol; 60mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 3 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.<br />
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Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0<br />
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</span></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-29792118982423793452011-08-03T16:56:00.000-05:002011-08-03T16:56:10.041-05:00Dixie Collard Greens & Swiss Steak with Onions and Mushrooms from ATK<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So we've now cooked two more meals from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615699/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933615699">Slow Cooker Revolution</a> cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. I made their recipe for <b>Dixie Collard Greens </b>to go along with a dinner of BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes and also made the <b>Swiss Steak with Onions and Mushrooms </b>which we also had with mashed potatoes (and carrots). I didn't get pictures of the Swiss Steak dish and honestly they wouldn't have been very pretty...the meat cooked until it fell apart so it ended up more like a stew than steaks, but was delicious anyway! First for the greens.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let me start by saying I've never had luck cooking greens. For some reason they always either taste bland, don't cook well or are over cooked. This recipe, however, turned out <b>wonderful</b> greens, and even though I could probably have let them go another hour or two since they were still a bit "al dente" as compared to most I've had, they were very tasty and didn't suffer from undercooking a bit. I took a shortcut in buying pre-cut greens and decided to use a smoked turkey leg instead of the ham hock in the recipe just because I hate cleaning hocks and prefer the leaner turkey leg. I also used more red pepper flakes than called for just because we like a little more heat than the average joe. My biggest surprise with this recipe was the fact that my almost-3-yr-old actually ate them! She doesn't usually like anything leafy green, but she ate these for two meals (the recipe makes a BIG batch) and liked them! The recipe states it serves 6, but I would say unless you're eating a whole <b>bowl </b>of them (like a soup bowl!) it serves <b>at least </b>8, probably more like 10-12... Ok, onto the recipe and a few photos...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Dixie Collard Greens</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serving Size : 6</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 onion -- minced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6 garlic cloves -- minced</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon vegetable oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 pounds collard greens -- stemmed & leaves cut into 1" pieces</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 cups low sodium chicken broth</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 cups water</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 smoked turkey leg</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons cider vinegar -- plus extra as needed</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hot sauce -- for garnish</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Microwave onion, garlic, oil and red pepper until softened, about 5 min., then transfer to slow cooker. Stir in greens, broth, water and 1 tsp salt. Nestle turkey leg on top. Cover and cook until tender, 9-11 hrs on low or 5-7 on high. Transfer turkey leg to cutting board and cook until able to handle. Shred meat into bite-sized pieces and discard skin and bones. Add meat and vinegar to greens. Season with salt, pepper, additional vinegar and hot sauce to taste. Can be held on warm setting for 1-2 hrs before serving.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Source:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615699/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933615699">Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen</a>"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-cook - This is my largest slow cooker (6 qt) and as you can see, 2 lbs of greens FILLS it up completely...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLx3urNEd3PGq81yDA09TOHQaF6jxACu0NEGwnH5t-cAVykKNY06DQAPtSKAaK4R0YCtFzCPBSkAhV5hOn6QiY_HLxQEj5fwef00Kq1KMRdYZApGTG5mkiyp934nXaY4kBJKiRZwRsxs/s1600/IMG_6694.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLx3urNEd3PGq81yDA09TOHQaF6jxACu0NEGwnH5t-cAVykKNY06DQAPtSKAaK4R0YCtFzCPBSkAhV5hOn6QiY_HLxQEj5fwef00Kq1KMRdYZApGTG5mkiyp934nXaY4kBJKiRZwRsxs/s320/IMG_6694.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clamped the lid down to keep it on...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwvEliBGdOYC_5ChnsqnmFk7hUqm92YRj_dPXdQeSbBfaX1yhdxzCNCQB5out-jHjfToMb67iHtfYnFWJDxk_0lsN1QxpL3yIJyFYQqx6JyvAvhde7yL17qTvcoDHNlbbdfBP0aJiz3Y/s1600/IMG_6695.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwvEliBGdOYC_5ChnsqnmFk7hUqm92YRj_dPXdQeSbBfaX1yhdxzCNCQB5out-jHjfToMb67iHtfYnFWJDxk_0lsN1QxpL3yIJyFYQqx6JyvAvhde7yL17qTvcoDHNlbbdfBP0aJiz3Y/s320/IMG_6695.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After cooking - This was after 8 hours. Probably could have gone another 1-2.<br />
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</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: CENTER;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And now for dish #2... <b>Swiss Steak with Onions and Mushrooms... </b>We <b>love </b>Swiss steak but most of the time, my version of Swiss steak is more like cube steak with mushroom gravy. This Swiss steak was actually a cut of steak called blade steak. It's also known as a flat-iron steak in this part of the country. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now, this is another recipe with a lot of prep work, similar to the beef stroganoff recipe I mentioned in my previous post. However, this one was good enough, I'd definitely do it again and call it worth it :) My almost-3-yr-old daughter even helped me with this one as she stood on a chair at the cutting board with a disposable plastic knife and cut up the mushrooms for me. The recipe calls for them to be "cut thin" but mine were probably 1/4" thick on average and with the long cooking time I think they did fine. They did take a little longer for the "soften" and "brown" part of the prep, but nothing too terrible. My onions, on the other hand, took <b>less </b>time than in the directions, perhaps because I was using an enameled cast iron pan for browning and it didn't cool down in between the mushrooms and onions or perhaps because I cut them thinner than ATK, but either way, I was keeping an eye on them so it didn't really matter. My only quarrel with the directions during prep was the one for "smoothing out any lumps"...um, there are <b>onions </b>in there, so there are <b>going to be lumps! </b>But I think the idea was to make sure the flour wasn't in lumps, and that wasn't a problem...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I cooked the dish on low for about 8 hours and as I mentioned, the steaks basically fell apart. I did check them at 7 hrs and they were still in one piece and not yet tender, so if you really want your steaks in whole pieces, you may want to keep a close eye on them in between those times. Personally I didn't mind the "stew" version since we were serving it over potatoes anyway. I was a little short on heavy cream so I put in a big spoonful of sour cream which I usually use in my non-crock pot Swiss steaks. I think it helped make it a more smooth gravy. Also, since the steaks had disintegrated into small pieces, I didn't bother removing them before adding the cream/sour cream since that would have been hard to do. Overall this was a very successful albeit not pretty dish that we'll definitely try again. Now onto the recipe:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Swiss Steak with Onions and Mushrooms</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Serving Size : 6</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 tablespoons vegetable oil</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 pounds button mushrooms -- trimmed and sliced thin</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">salt and pepper</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 onions -- halved & sliced thin</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tablespoon fresh thyme -- or 1 tsp dried</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup flour</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup dry sherry</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6 beef blade steaks -- (6-8 oz each) 3/4-1" thick</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup heavy cream</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and 1/4 tsp salt, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until mushrooms are dry and browned, 5-10 minutes longer, then transfer to slow cooker. Heat remaining oil until shimmering. Add onions, thyme and paprika. Cook until softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for another minute. Slowly whisk in broth and sherry, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker. Season steaks with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 9-11 hrs or on high for 5-7 hrs or until beef is tender. Transfer steaks to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Let liquid settle for 5 minutes then skim to remove excess fat. Stir in cream and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 1 cup sauce over steaks and serve with remaining sauce.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Source:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615699/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933615699">Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen</a>"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-34970846034108342312011-07-26T22:41:00.000-05:002011-07-26T22:41:26.278-05:00Back to Cookbook-ing...<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So when I made up our menu plan for the next two weeks, I pulled out our new slow cooker cookbook and picked several recipes from it to try... We tried the first one on Sunday and another tonight and so even though I neglected to take pictures, I thought I'd share with you about these two recipes and then hopefully I'll remember to take pictures for the rest :) The cookbook we're working out of is by America's Test Kitchen, one of my favorite resources for recipes and tips. I love their TV show and usually their recipes, so when I saw this cookbook, I knew I just had to have it for my collection! The cookbook is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615699/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933615699">Slow Cooker Revolution. </a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615699/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933615699"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL110_&ASIN=1933615699&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=mikeandchristsho&ServiceVersion=20070822" /> </a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">Now, the first recipe we tried, from page 64, was for Beef Stroganoff. Let me say that I'm a stroganoff fanatic, BUT I have my own preferences when it comes to the beefy, mushroomy goodness that is that dish. This recipe was good, but not one I'd make again. First of all, the prep work for it takes quite a bit of time between browning mushrooms, sauteing aromatics, cutting up meat, etc. and then 9-11 hours in the slow cooker. It also has wine in it which sometimes I enjoy, but to me it gave the stroganoff an "off" flavor, like it was trying to be more of a stew and less stroganoff. I make a stew called Red Wine Stew and this dish came out somewhat of a cross between a good stroganoff and that stew...jack-of-all-trades, master of none. It also involves dried mushrooms which most people don't keep on hand and while I agree that the addition of them probably kept the mushroom taste in the dish, don't think they rescued it in any way. Now, honestly I didn't enjoy the dish that much the first night, hot out of the crock, but the next day, as leftovers, with a little extra sour cream tossed on top, it was actually better in my opinion than it was the first night. As I said though, not something I'll be making again, especially since I enjoy my own recipe so much more... And since I won't be making it again, I'm not going to share the recipe here :) If you want to try it yourself, you'll have to get the book!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;">The second recipe we tried was tonight's supper and it was FABULOUS! Even my 11.5 month old loved it, and she isn't big on potatoes as a rule. My almost-3-yr-old also loved it, even with the bacon in it, and she usually doesn't like bacon! And of course hubby and I liked it. It DOES make a big batch and I don't know how well it would freeze, so I would probably consider either cutting it in half next time, making sure we have company or trying to freeze it. This time we'll just eat the leftovers :) This recipe I'll share with you, along with my alteration (because I can never leave well enough alone!) As with the previous recipe, this one had a little prep work, but nothing as involved. It does, however, require frying bacon on the stove, so make sure you have a splatter guard handy or be willing to clean up the spatter...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: left;"><b>Loaded Baked Potato Soup</b><br />
<br />
Recipe By : America's Test Kitchen<br />
Serving Size : 6 <br />
<br />
8 ounces bacon -- chopped<br />
1 onion -- minced<br />
2 cloves garlic -- minced<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme -- or 1/2 tsp dried<br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
4 cups low sodium chicken broth<br />
3 pounds russet potatoes -- peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces<br />
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese<br />
1/2 cup heavy cream<br />
salt and pepper<br />
3 scallions -- sliced thin<br />
<br />
Cook bacon on stove top in a skillet until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp of the fat and cool bacon pieces. Refrigerate for later use in topping soup. Meanwhile, in reserved fat, saute onions, garlic and thyme until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add flour, whisking to incorporate thoroughly. Cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth, making sure to scrape up any of the browned bits in the pan. Pour all of this into the crock. Add potatoes and remaining broth. Cook on low for 4-6 hrs or until potatoes are tender. Once tender, transfer 2 cups of the potatoes to a bowl and mash until smooth. Add cream to this. Mix shredded cheese into soup to melt, reserving 1/2 cup or so for topping. Add mashed potato mixture back in and stir to combine. Heat through, about 5 more minutes. While heating, microwave bacon bits from earlier prep for 20-30 seconds until warm. Serve soup with bacon bits, reserved cheese and scallions.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615699/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mikeandchristsho&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933615699">Slow Cooker Revolution</a>"<br />
<br />
<b>My notes: </b><br />
<br />
I did NOT peel the potatoes since in my opinion the peel is part of what I like about baked potatoes. This worked just fine. I also did not remove the potatoes to mash until smooth. Instead I took my manual potato masher and just mashed up the soup in the crock before adding the cheese and cream. I also added another cup of broth to the soup since it was very thick and I didn't want it to burn in the crock while on "warm" waiting for hubby to get home from work... This was by far the best crockpot potato soup I've made. I didn't have scallions on hand so didn't use them and think I might consider adding a dollop of sour cream to the top sometime...</div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-83512017595836348732011-07-19T21:02:00.000-05:002011-07-19T21:02:20.783-05:00Baby shower recipes<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ok, so it's been FOREVER since I posted anything to this blog of any interest. Yeah, I've been busy, but I've also just been lazy and not gotten on and posted anything... I HAVE been cooking, just not recording what I'm cooking on the blog nor photographing it. However, two weekends ago I DID get some photos of some of the things I cooked AND I know that there are several folks who wanted copies of the recipes, so I'm posting this for them! :) The cooking was for a baby shower for my friend Andrea who's due to deliver her fifth child any time now. I had a great time cooking up a storm for the shower and am glad to know that folks enjoyed the food. So, without further ado, here's a few pictures I took at the start of the shower as well as all the recipes I used with my notes...</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5VQpugScNVjCajGgrC7hesVXd24ZQ4kLdTuEt_-a6wsWs-6la4d050QCmD2k86-cfa6P1TVV1Wf8IpCL2v0ZsMXkS72f5osoAaBjaJPQYRsRTBiSbGw88fbEPzOO5CA3P03jB9GZ5VE/s1600/IMG_6622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5VQpugScNVjCajGgrC7hesVXd24ZQ4kLdTuEt_-a6wsWs-6la4d050QCmD2k86-cfa6P1TVV1Wf8IpCL2v0ZsMXkS72f5osoAaBjaJPQYRsRTBiSbGw88fbEPzOO5CA3P03jB9GZ5VE/s320/IMG_6622.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the center is the watermelon baby carriage filled with minted melon salad. On the top right is a spinach salad with strawberries and poppy seed dressing. Bottom left is a tray with stuffed tomatoes, bacon cheeseburger meatballs and stuffed mushrooms. Top left is a tray with crackers and mini cheese balls.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XVk_DDbNA01kSMfpILjNP1hoVNImpe2hsvTbkA-WA7cggZ5sv1WVD8tkSETx-ooEd83qcuVJ1AXBNgLDf-DdXntq2kONpVBqmVrlWjq-tMDG7oJTbMgFZmNccJE1Adno0xhwS28OKoM/s1600/IMG_6623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4XVk_DDbNA01kSMfpILjNP1hoVNImpe2hsvTbkA-WA7cggZ5sv1WVD8tkSETx-ooEd83qcuVJ1AXBNgLDf-DdXntq2kONpVBqmVrlWjq-tMDG7oJTbMgFZmNccJE1Adno0xhwS28OKoM/s320/IMG_6623.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Back of the baby carriage carved with the soon-to-be born baby Ian's name.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_zlj-ZhtE_n53XlZNSFtJCyaTif3PuI6PqF8A3R03as4O7Jyk0tieBskr4lasyDLsgsMu9IPsM5LJgkXUE7Rz79JdHdNHv1eKhRpg1hrlG-PWIgSLB-jpwWCU-wXH3dQdOtdr98fTp4/s1600/IMG_6624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_zlj-ZhtE_n53XlZNSFtJCyaTif3PuI6PqF8A3R03as4O7Jyk0tieBskr4lasyDLsgsMu9IPsM5LJgkXUE7Rz79JdHdNHv1eKhRpg1hrlG-PWIgSLB-jpwWCU-wXH3dQdOtdr98fTp4/s320/IMG_6624.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cheese ball tray with assorted crackers</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj0GuSL3wl5FpMZhvFdmgGSPPtVol1d_6Uog4-7VlCckO63MZCvbyZpZzj9w9RLw7H6ByQQGV53LDjh_xJ1yh4hzZ5UxpeToRCrG1_CiXI-Tr0r0OJTjuteOWXqFMRwgMza2cLUZBV8Y/s1600/IMG_6625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj0GuSL3wl5FpMZhvFdmgGSPPtVol1d_6Uog4-7VlCckO63MZCvbyZpZzj9w9RLw7H6ByQQGV53LDjh_xJ1yh4hzZ5UxpeToRCrG1_CiXI-Tr0r0OJTjuteOWXqFMRwgMza2cLUZBV8Y/s320/IMG_6625.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Left to right: Stuffed mushrooms, bacon cheeseburger meatballs and stuffed tomatoes.</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The things I didn't get pictures of were the two kinds of candied popcorn, regular popcorn and caramel corn, the cake pops and the "Martha" punch. Now, on to the recipes!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">First up, the minted melon salad served in the baby carriage which was carved from a watermelon with orange slice wheels:</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Melon Salad With Lime, Mint, And Ginger</b><br />
<br />
1 cantaloupe -- made into balls<br />
1 honeydew melon -- made into balls<br />
1 medium seedless watermelon -- hollowed out and carved into baby buggy; fruit made into balls<br />
1/2 cup fresh lime juice<br />
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint<br />
2 tablespoons grated lime peel<br />
1/4 cup sugar<br />
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger<br />
2 tablespoons honey<br />
<br />
Place melon balls and mint in large bowl. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, lime peel, sugar, ginger, and honey, whisking to blend. Toss with melon and mint. Refrigerate until ready to serve, stirring occasionally, up to 3 hours. Serve in carved watermelon.<br />
<br />
This recipe yields 18-20 servings.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Next is the mini cheese balls, which can be made and frozen ahead if desired.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Mini Cheese Balls</b><br />
<br />
8 oz cream Cheese -- softened<br />
12 oz blue Cheese -- crumbled<br />
1 lb Sharp Cheddar Cheese -- shredded<br />
1/2 tsp onion powder<br />
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">1 cup walnuts, pulsed to a fine crumb in the food processor<br />
<br />
Mix all ingredients until smooth. Using a small cookie scoop, roll into individual cheese balls. Roll each ball into walnut crumbs. Can be frozen then thawed prior to serving. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving with assorted crackers.<br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Then there were the bacon cheeseburger meatballs... These are a big hit at home as well as at parties as they contain a "surprise" of cheese and bacon on the inside of the meatballs.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs</b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">6 eggs, divided use</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span>2 envelopes onion soup mix</span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>2 pounds ground beef</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>4 tablespoons all-purpose flour</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>4 tablespoons milk</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>2 cups crushed saltines (about 60 crackers)</span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Combine ground beef, onion soup mix and 2 eggs until thoroughly mixed (using gloved hands if, like me you don't like the feel of raw meat!). Set aside. In a small bowl, combine milk and flour. Mix with the shredded cheese and bacon. Divide this into 48 (or so) small balls (I used my smallest cookie scoop for this). Now, divide the meat into 48 portions as well. Roll these into balls, then press one of the cheese/bacon balls into the center of each meatball, making sure to encase the cheese inside the meat. Once all the balls are ready, preheat your oven to 375</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span rel="v:instructions"><span><span>°</span></span></span>F. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Whisk together the remaining 4 eggs into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Place the cracker crumbs in another shallow bowl or pie plate. Spray a couple of rimmed baking sheets with non-stick spray (or better yet, line with non-stick foil!). Now, dip each meatball into the egg mixture then roll in the cracker crumbs to coat. Place onto baking sheet. They can be very closely spaced as long as they aren't touching. Put the sheet(s) into the oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned. If preferred, you can brown them in little oil in a skillet on top of the stove, but I prefer the "low maintenance" method of oven browning. These can be prepared ahead and frozen, then reheated in a warm oven.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then were the stuffed tomatoes. These were simply cherry tomatoes that had been cored and "scooped" (to remove most of the seeds and juice), then piped with a homemade boursin cheese spread. Here's the recipe for the boursin:</span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /></span><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Homemade Boursin</b><br />
<br />
2 large cloves garlic -- minced fine<br />
16 oz cream cheese -- softened<br />
8 oz butter -- softened<br />
1/3 tsp pepper<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp dried thyme<br />
1/2 tsp dried basil<br />
1/2 tsp dried oregano<br />
1/2 tsp dried dill<br />
1/2 tsp dried marjoram<br />
<br />
Mix throughly. Place in piping bag with small star tip and use to fill cherry tomatoes. This cheese may also be used as a cracker spread, placed in a mold for a pretty cheese "mold" with crackers, used for filling chicken breasts or mushrooms...and it freezes beautifully!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The stuffed mushrooms are also a super simple recipe that can be prepped ahead and then reheated before serving.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Pesto Brie Mushrooms</b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">48 button mushrooms, stemmed and cleaned</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 wheel baby brie cheese, rind removed and cut into small cubes</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tbsp dry sherry</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tbsp unsalted butter</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tbsp olive oil</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp minced garlic</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 jar prepared pesto</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Saute the mushroom caps (in batches if needed) in skillet with butter, oil, garlic and sherry until just softened. Once soft, place on a baking sheet and put 1 cube of brie into each cap. Top each cube with a small amount of pesto, then sprinkle breadcrumbs over all. Bake in a 350</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span rel="v:instructions"><span><span>°</span></span></span>F oven for 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If preparing ahead, stop after adding brie and pesto and refrigerate. When ready to serve, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake as directed.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For beverages at the shower we had ice tea (made with a combination of regular black tea and Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach) as well as what I call my "Martha" punch. I really like this punch as it's not like so many what have ice cream components and so is very light and refreshing, especially in the hot summer months. </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I made an ice ring using rinds from orange and lime and a few frozen cranberries. To make a pretty ring, fill a pretty bundt pan about 1/3 full with water and put in your "decorations" (rinds/berries/flowers/whatever). Freeze for an hour or two. Once hard, add more water. This way you make sure your "decorations" are in the center of the ring instead of floating to the top!</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now for the punch recipe. This recipe makes about 3 gallons of punch:</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Martha Punch</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span>2 containers frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed</span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;">1 containers frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>1 containers frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>1 container frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>1 container frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>2 gallons water (for dilution)</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>ice cubes</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>2 liters ginger ale</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Combine thawed concentrates and allow to meld overnight. When ready to serve, dilute with two gallons of water and ice ring or ice cubes. Add 2 liters of ginger ale just before service.</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Last but not least were the two different kinds of "candied" popcorn I made. The theme of Andrea's shower was "She's about to Pop" so we did all kinds of round and pop themed items. I made my "normal" caramel corn recipe as well as two colors of "jello" popcorn. Both are yummy, but I prefer the caramel :) Here are the two recipes:</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Jello Rainbow Popcorn</b></span></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />
</span></span></div><div align="left"><div id="ingredients"> <div class="table-row-gray"> <div class="column1"> <div class="textarea"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"> <span class="ingredientNodeInner">16 cups</span> air-popped <span class="ingredientNodeInner">popcorn</span></span></span></span> </div></div></div><div class="table-row"> <div class="column1"> <div class="textarea"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"> <span class="ingredientNodeInner"></span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="table-row-gray"> <div class="column1"> <div class="textarea"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"> <span class="ingredientNodeInner">1/2 cup </span><span class="ingredientNodeInner">butter</span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="table-row"> <div class="column1"> <div class="textarea"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"> <span class="ingredientNodeInner">6 Tbsp.</span> <span class="ingredientNodeInner">light corn syrup</span></span></span></span> </div></div></div><div class="table-row-gray"> <div class="column1"> <div class="textarea"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"><span class="ingredientNodeInner">1 cup</span> granulated sugar</span></span></span> </div></div></div><div class="table-row"> <div class="column1"> <div class="textarea"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"> <span class="ingredientNodeInner">1 large pkg.</span> <span class="ingredientNodeInner">JELL-O Gelatin (I used strawberry and blue berry)</span></span></span></span></div><div class="textarea"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"><span class="ingredientNodeInner">1/2 tsp baking soda</span></span></span></span></div><div class="textarea"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="ingredientNodeIndent" rel="v:ingredient"><span class="ingredientNode"><span class="ingredientNodeInner">1 tsp vanilla extract </span></span></span></span> </div></div></div></div><div class="recipeGradHeading" id="recipeGradHeading"> <div class="head"> </div></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <div class="textarea"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span rel="v:instructions"> <span> <strong></strong><br />
<span> <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Preheat </strong>oven to 250°F. Spray two rimmed baking sheets with non-stick spray. Put popcorn on sheets and put into oven to keep warm. </span> <br />
<span> <strong style="font-weight: normal;"> </strong></span><br />
<span><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Put </strong>butter and corn syrup in small saucepan; cook on low heat until butter is melted. Add sugar and gelatin powder; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Bring to boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Mixture will foam up, so be ware! Pour immediately over popcorn and stir to coat well. Spread evenly on baking sheets.</span> <br />
<span> <strong> </strong></span><br />
<span><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Bake </strong>15 minutes. Stir then return to oven for another 15 minutes. Cool. Remove from pan. Break into small pieces.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span rel="v:instructions"><span></span></span></span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span rel="v:instructions"><span><span>Grandma's Caramel Corn</span></span></span></span></b><span> </span><br />
<span><br />
</span><br />
<span>16 cups air-popped popcorn</span><br />
<span>1 cup butter</span><br />
<span>2 cups packed brown sugar</span><br />
<span>1/2 cup light corn syrup</span><br />
<span>1/2 tsp baking soda</span><br />
<span>1 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span><br />
</span><br />
<span>Spread popped corn on two large rimmed greased baking sheets. Put in a 250</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span rel="v:instructions"><span><span>°F</span></span></span></span><span> degree oven to keep warm. Combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a 2 qt. sauce pan. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves. Continue to boil to firm ball stage (248 degrees on the candy thermometer), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in soda and vanilla (will foam up) and then pour mixture over warmed corn in a fine stream. Return to the oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.</span><br />
<span></span><br />
<span></span><br />
<br />
<span>That's it! Enjoy!<br />
</span></span></span></span></div></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span> </div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-10468719118395801222011-06-26T21:42:00.001-05:002011-06-26T21:42:03.528-05:00daddy<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QbMmbduxZMII&eid=115"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/8QbMmbduxZG/8QbMmbduxZG5o/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1309142422000/0/"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>We Love Daddy Father's Day 5x7 folded card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Send special <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/valentines-day-cards-and-stationery style="color: #6666cc;">Valentine's Day cards</a> from Shutterfly this year.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-51367472029040079052011-06-26T21:41:00.001-05:002011-06-26T21:41:18.496-05:00daddy<div class="sflyProductPreviewWidget" style="width:425px; height:494px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetTop" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/top.gif);"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetCenter" style="height:482px; padding: 0 6px 0 6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bg.gif); background-repeat:repeat-y;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewLogo" style="width: 105px; height: 34px; padding: 14px 0 0 14px;"><img src="http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/logo.gif"></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewContainer" style="height:350px; text-align:center; padding: 0;"><a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QbMmbduxZMII&eid=115"><img src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/prs/v1/8QbMmbduxZG/8QbMmbduxZG5o/p/67b0de21b3127d902548/JPEG/1309142422000/0/"></a></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewMessageContainer" style="height:55px; background-color:#f4f4e9; text-align:center; padding: 15px 0 15px 0; line-height: 19px;"><div class="sflyProductPreviewTitle" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 15px; color: #333333; font-weight: bold;"><span>We Love Daddy Father's Day 5x7 folded card</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewSEOText" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>Create custom cards for Valentines Day and <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/easter-cards-stationery style="color: #6666cc;">Easter</a> at Shutterfly.</span></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewViewCollection" style="font-family: arial, sans-seris; font-size: 13px; color: #333333;"><span>View the entire <a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery" style="color: #6666cc;">collection</a> of cards.</span></div><img width="1" height="1" border="0" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=msc&c2=blogger" /></div></div><div class="sflyProductPreviewWidgetBottom" style="height:6px; background-image:url(http://cdn.staticsfly.com/img_/share/preview/msc/widget/bottom.gif);"></div></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-61432570986134828692011-05-11T15:38:00.000-05:002011-05-11T15:38:45.597-05:00Mega-batch Meatballs...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ok, here's another "no photo" post...unless I manage to take a picture of the finished product...we'll see :) But I wanted to get this post up while the recipe was fresh in the front of my head so that you all can benefit from it :) </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Every month or so I make what I call my "<b>Mega-batch Meatballs</b>". This is just an extra-large batch of "plain" meatballs that I make, divide into meal-sized portions and freeze for later use. It really is a big time-saver as well as a sanity saver to have these in the freezer for last minute dinners. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We use them for everything from spaghetti/ravioli and meatballs to Swedish meatballs, to meatball soup to meatball sandwiches to meatball lasagna... Really, the ideas are endless for what you can do with these! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the big secrets to making big batch meatballs though is in the making and cooking of them. I use a "cookie scoop" (disher) to create same-sized meatballs, scooping them out then rolling with gloved hands (only because I don't like the feel of raw meat!). Once they're rolled, I place them all on a rimmed baking sheet, pretty close together, and pop them in the oven to bake until done. I usually get about 4 dozen on a sheet, each about 2" in diameter. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once they're baked and cooled, I put them in freezer bags (I use a vacuum sealer) and freeze. I can then use them straight from frozen if making spaghetti/ravioli by dropping the bags into the water with the pasta to thaw, or can thaw them overnight for other uses. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Four pounds of ground meat generates about 5 dozen meatballs, which is enough for 5 meals in this house with leftovers. You can double this recipe if you like to make even more or half it to make fewer. It's a very forgiving recipe and you can add your own favorite spices, use fresh or canned breadcrumbs, skip the milk, etc. as you like. I hope you'll give this recipe a try and then let me know what you think!</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note: Back in 2009 I posted <a href="http://cookbooks365.blogspot.com/2009/07/feed-freezer.html">another meatball recipe</a> from the Make-A-Mix cookbook... I like that recipe as well, but like this one better with the combination of beef and pork...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Mega-Batch Meatballs</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 lbs ground beef (I prefer 85/15 ground chuck)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 lbs ground pork</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix (one box)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4 eggs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 cups dried breadcrumbs (homemade or store-bought, plain or Italian style)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/3 cups water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 cup milk</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 tbsp Italian seasoning (optional, not necessary if using Italian style breadcrumbs)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together eggs, water and milk. In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs and soup mix. Add liquid ingredients and mix to combine. Allow to stand 5 minutes to hydrate. Add ground meats and throughly combine with gloved hands. Using a cookie scoop (disher), scoop out mounds of meat and then roll to make balls. Place close together on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. Use immediately or, if freezing for later use, allow to cool, then package and freeze. To use from freezer, either thaw overnight in the fridge or, if using with pasta, drop frozen package into boiling pasta water to thaw, then combine with sauce. Enjoy!</span><br />
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</b></span>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-82959253976517333512011-04-18T16:24:00.000-05:002011-04-18T16:24:00.515-05:00Thin Pizza Crust<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's been a while since I posted to any of my blogs. Life seems to always get in the way :) Over the weekend, while working on replacing flooring in our playroom/den that abuts the kitchen, I made this recipe for thin pizza crust. It was a big hit. I made one pizza with leftover fajita-seasoned chicken breast (shredded), black beans (smashed) as the "sauce" and co-jack cheese and the other was a traditional "cheese" (with tomato sauce and mozzarella) for my daughter who prefers "plain" pizza. We enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share the recipe with you all! So first are my notes which are followed by the recipe. Enjoy!</span><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This recipe is based on one from King Arthur Flour. I adapted it to use semolina flour like my chef friends do (you can pick this up at HEB from Bob's Red Mill or online from King Arthur Flour).</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I followed the directions for resting in the refrigerator overnight by placing the dough ball in a large ziptop bag. Make sure you leave it open a tiny bit for the gasses to escape or your bag may explode! </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After refrigerating overnight, I divide the dough into two balls and rolled/hand-stretched to the desired size/shape. Make sure you stretch the dough using your knuckles instead of fingertips to keep from tearing.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I did not use a greased pan or parchment paper but instead sprinkled a flat cookie sheet (no edges) with some extra semolina (or could use cornmeal) and then put the crust on that to rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheated. The semolina/cornmeal allows you to just slide the pizza off the cookie sheet and onto your pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, you can just bake it on the cookie sheet as is, but the stone definitely is worth the investment if you bake much pizza or bread for that matter!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The first pizza I baked straight from it's raw state with toppings on (because I neglected to read the directions!) for 12-14 minutes and it was very good, but the second pizza I par-baked following the directions to bake then top and bake again and it was definitely much crispier. Make sure to allow the pizza to rest on a cooling rack for at least 5-10 minutes or your toppings may just slide right off :)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This crust was perfect! Crispy on the bottom but not tough from overworking, stretched perfectly by hand and had nice flaky layers to it. YUM!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thin Pizza Crust (or Crackerbread)</span></b><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3 cups bread flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3/4 cup semolina flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon instant yeast</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/4 teaspoons salt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 1/2 cups lukewarm water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Toppings:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">seeds, herbs and salt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">OR</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">pizza seasoning; tomato sauce, cooked meats, vegetables, and cheeses of your choice</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dough: Place ingredients in your bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. Process on "dough" cycle. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake as directed below. Or refrigerate dough for up to 2 days; this step will develop the crust's flavor.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Divide the dough in half (or in thirds, for cracker-thin crust).</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shape each piece into a 10" to 14" circle or rectangle (thicker or thinner crust), and place each on a piece of parchment paper or greased pan.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Allow to rise for 30 minutes or so, covered, while preheating the oven to 475°F.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To make cracker bread, spray the dough with Quick Shine or brush it with garlic oil; and sprinkle with assorted seeds. Or top any way you choose. Bake for 12 minutes, till brown and crisp. For the crispiest pizza, bake the crust for 8 minutes, until set, before topping with sauce and cheese; then bake for an additional 4 minutes.</span><br />
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</span>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-9102925065388650782010-12-22T11:32:00.000-06:002010-12-22T11:32:59.932-06:00Make Your Own: Easy Bake Oven mixes<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinRaENWitrfwI4jw4tzHVzZdwvwQSay5rTiKRUdVuw0mKDDoDcorBxys7HtenGQUMMTmXJuU8K1VZsZmUIDpC5Lc8_fstHkCgDjquunqB8oaHUMyeVDOoJT6kjt99MdaoyN6WVyoq0c0/s320/IMG_5764.JPG" /><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">This year for Christmas we're giving my niece an Easy Bake Oven...Now, the cost of the Easy Bake isn't in the oven itself, but in all those little packets of mix. In addition to the oven and one of the add-on kits, I decided to make up a bunch of mixes for her to use. So here are the five mixes I've made... Chocolate Chip Cookie mix, Chocolate Cake mix, White Cake mix, Chocolate icing mix and White icing mix. All five have labels with the directions on them right on the container so no need to hunt up directions. And each container makes at least 8 batches, so there's plenty to work with. I'm posting both the recipes for the mixes and <a href="http://www.box.net/shared/ysyqiylh0i">the Word document</a> with the labels in it here if you should want to use them for your own gift or personal use... Enjoy and Merry Christmas!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Three of these recipes are from the <a href="http://www.budget101.com/frugal/easy-bake-oven-mixes-187/">Budget 101 website</a> and a couple are my own versions of other mixes...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b>EZ Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix</b><br />
<b></b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats<br />
3/4 cup all-purpose flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />
3/4 cup brown sugar -- packed<br />
1/2 cup vegetable shortening<br />
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
In a medium bowl, combine first four ingredients, stirring to blend. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or a couple of knives until it is a coarse meal texture. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. <b> </b></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b> </b></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b>To Use:</b> <br />
1/2 cup cookie mix <br />
2 teaspoons water <br />
<div class="banner_middle_content"> 1 tsp butter (optional)</div><div class="banner_middle_content"><br />
</div><div class="banner_middle_content">Blend well. Let sit 5 minutes. Form into 1/2" balls. Place onto ungreased pan and press down slightly to flatten out.</div><div class="banner_middle_content"><br />
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</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><b>EZ Bake Chocolate Cake Mix</b></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span>1 cup sugar<br />
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/3 cup vegetable shortening<br />
<br />
In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire wisk until blended. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. </span>Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.<span> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><b>To use:</b></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span>1/3 cup chocolate cake mix</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span>4 tsp water</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><br />
Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth. Pour mixture into greased and floured Easy Bake cake pan. Bake in Easy Bake or preheated 375F oven for 12 to 13 minutes.<br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b>-----</b></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b> </b></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b>EZ Bake Chocolate Frosting Mix</b><br />
<br />
2 cups confectioners sugar -- sifted<br />
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder<br />
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening<br />
<br />
Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.<br />
<br />
<b> To Use:</b><br />
1/3 cup chocolate frosting mix<br />
3/4 tsp. water</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"> </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">In a small bowl, combine frosting mix and water. Stir with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting.<span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span>-----</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b><span>EZ Bake</span> White Cake Mix</b><br />
<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/3 cup vegetable shortening<br />
<br />
<span>In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wire wisk until blended. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. </span>Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.<span> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span></span> <b>To Use:</b><br />
<br />
1/3 cup white cake mix <br />
4 teaspoons water <br />
<br />
<span>Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth. Pour mixture into greased and floured Easy Bake cake pan. Bake in Easy Bake or preheated 375F oven for 12 to 13 minutes.</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span>-----</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span> </span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span> </span><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><b>EZ Bake White Frosting Mix</b><br />
<br />
2 cups confectioners sugar -- sifted<br />
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder<br />
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening<br />
<br />
Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.<br />
<br />
<b> To Use:</b><br />
1/3 cup white frosting mix<br />
3/4 tsp. water</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"> </div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">In a small bowl, combine frosting mix and water. Stir with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting.<span></span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span>Enjoy!</span></div><span></span></div></div></div></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-88471218007789520422010-12-15T15:37:00.000-06:002010-12-15T15:37:15.191-06:00Dirty Snowballs<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dirty Snowballs</b></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSh8DSMEgTF4cyPsXR7mDmX_uu2ERZYNvhdyIAYGvF4KdSvh5mySFRuVYYaudIZL9l0jIwo2gLH8mRQA5EP_ZbDus5W-cc-zsMhwkYH2Rd-i9VGWa6889lq2YXDZ0PWXo2t5unwGgH5g/s1600/IMG_5682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxka3Pg3Iv068n6yHN_hat1WCN27BSp7LS_71iHacOThq7LMkSyRCeg5o-eT2YiyUFLXl8y-DjtspSfQILzuqTwAuxEuZSMi0s70V9dKwxv7hIrXShAHD13x4Pbr2A6m6nNiiIa9yEGo/s1600/IMG_5683.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxka3Pg3Iv068n6yHN_hat1WCN27BSp7LS_71iHacOThq7LMkSyRCeg5o-eT2YiyUFLXl8y-DjtspSfQILzuqTwAuxEuZSMi0s70V9dKwxv7hIrXShAHD13x4Pbr2A6m6nNiiIa9yEGo/s320/IMG_5683.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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If you've been reading this blog, you know that I've been playing along with <a href="http://goodlifeeats.com/">GoodLife Eats</a> and <a href="http://mybakingaddiction.com/">My Baking Addiction</a>'s <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/11/holiday-recipe-exchange-details.html">Holiday Recipe Exchange</a>. This week there were two chances to play with two different themes. The first theme, Comfort Food, I blogged about my <a href="http://cookbooks365.blogspot.com/2010/12/comfort-food-extreme-homemade-5-cheese.html">macaroni and cheese recipe</a>. The second theme this week is a repeat of a previous theme...<b>BUTTER</b>! <i> </i></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now, those of you who know me personally know we do not keep margarine in our home. We ONLY use butter, and yes, we keep BOTH kinds (salted and unsalted) on hand. The only time I really use salted butter though is for eating straight up, like for bread and butter, or for using on things like grilled cheese sandwiches, waffles, etc. The rest of the time I use unsalted. In my way of thinking, I can always add salt to a recipe, but I can't take it out :) </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So for this round of the <b>BUTTER </b>theme, I decided to go with a dessert since that is my favorite thing to cook :) Last <b>BUTTER </b>round you may recall, I shared my recipe for <a href="http://cookbooks365.blogspot.com/2010/11/buttery-potato-rolls.html">Buttery Potato Rolls</a>. This time I'm sharing a brand new recipe, fresh from my kitchen, which combines the best of two of my favorite kinds of holiday cookies...meltaways and Mexican Wedding Cookies (sometimes called Russian Tea Cakes). This recipe has the tender, flakiness of the meltaway with the nutty goodness of the wedding cookie. Add to that the yummy taste of a hot butter rum and you've got a winner! In thinking of a name for these cookies, I came up with <b>Dirty Snowballs</b>. They reminded me of when I was a kid and you'd get some sand in your snowball when the snow wasn't real deep... thus, <b>Dirty Snowballs</b>. They turned out better than I had hoped and I certainly hope some of you will give them a try. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now, if you're a dough-eater like me, please don't be disappointed when you taste the dough... It is NOT a sweet dough and it DOES have a strong rum/alcohol taste when raw, but when the dough is baked off and rolled in powdered sugar, these cookies are light, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth, balls of goodness! So give them a shot! You won't be disappointed!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kerrygold.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kerrygold.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Come join the fun at the <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/tag/holiday-recipe-exchange/" target="_blank">My Baking Addiction</a> and <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/11/vanilla-salted-caramel-hot-chocolate.html">GoodLife Eats</a> Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by <a href="http://kerrygold.com/" target="_blank">Kerrygold</a>.</i><br />
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<b>Dirty Snowballs</b><br />
<i>Recipe By : Christi Brogan</i><br />
<i><br />
</i>1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
1/2 cup pecans -- or use pecan meal<br />
2 tablespoons cornstarch<br />
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon<br />
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves<br />
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt<br />
3/4 cup unsalted butter -- (1 1/2 sticks)<br />
1 cup confectioners' sugar -- divided<br />
1/4 cup spiced rum -- like Captain Morgan<br />
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFoepxF9I-AhyphenhyphenvT8R_v4Pt2tptjlD7VCKqsTfgtZWJD17opWHRgXqFUxeDhOfkzlNbLY3YXyh_zXDsZnkgaY7snunOyxGSbHXsUkcqaNZQA2JYK_zAP5aymhYmUWfn83xaiEmUyk9n6I/s320/IMG_5676.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Using a food processor, chop the pecans until very fine, almost a pecan meal consistency.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zwBPI0z1C842OUwYqmWTk4zIaduB2YxNNOoU9x1y6R1ZSHusO4M103qyxo7fnG9lEIQ0TI64f8y0qAfSpl03x6fjkX7NxwdrE3bCk5uHvGnTUQrpRxSTJHOUvrDUy9rHSuqzobw2BKM/s320/IMG_5677.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consistency of pecans after chopping<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Combine flour, pecans, cornstarch and spices in a bowl. Place 1/3 cup of the confectioners sugar and the butter in the workbowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture. Add the rum and vanilla and beat to throughly combine.<br />
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Chill dough in freezer for 30 minutes to re-harden the butter. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6buxNZ4IM2n3zaFqbDs55nxnyNPM22e6zuf1nQGrCZSZc-jfhI4j2ktJt62o67hqSl-bUzAMmGw5G6pQefyv3NMaMPPsvLPsIoJaMe9-oEwbS_CKlFWlJ0magPt4FR8XUEHuQuAidXg/s320/IMG_5679.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough ready for the freezer<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make balls of the dough approximately 1 tbsp in size and place each 1" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden, about 15 minutes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguru-zpiXOichgAWH6EvSExKgNeAkgGNgXvn8RrKSy0CzeZT_OcPdF9AfMxvbbroRUq9thJcIyuLuVJXpYTInOK3ycLEydKkz7QLcux0LmNym8kiwJU1YSJxr67y6DtLqVPjkbws5PWHo/s320/IMG_5680.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lightly golden in color</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jhFFVUpWPLC_53ty6W0WcyNMM2NPTCGbwLIpSLkRIrQNSKn5zI7Cwm2kN_U_m4WUckVLP8BS9xDfRPSPoHwo4QumdZr3_UlBcXs2gSqVN94SFj4cxtDj21H_BhrmRZLcICNrVWwya5w/s320/IMG_5681.JPG" width="320" /></div><br />
<br />
Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool 10 minutes. Gently toss warm cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 weeks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJo5xeRcenEQlW7XmphvqeFJUeKFIiva7EpcghJ7G-l6TfmFfJkN9Z6q2i2pFignH76-JyCI_ZQ769-OvyZo9VLDBxhYGvaU4FotRy63PpntEAM9Q72LzgjP6-gkUoeF8dLiYcWRpXBO4/s320/IMG_5684.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Dirty Snowball</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSh8DSMEgTF4cyPsXR7mDmX_uu2ERZYNvhdyIAYGvF4KdSvh5mySFRuVYYaudIZL9l0jIwo2gLH8mRQA5EP_ZbDus5W-cc-zsMhwkYH2Rd-i9VGWa6889lq2YXDZ0PWXo2t5unwGgH5g/s320/IMG_5682.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crumbly, sweet and flaky - YUM!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yield:<br />
"2 1/2 dozen"<i><br />
</i></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"> </div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-72168309101832441652010-12-14T17:10:00.000-06:002010-12-14T17:10:59.015-06:00Comfort Food Extreme: Homemade 5-cheese Mac n Cheese<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Homemade Five Cheese Mac 'n Cheese</b></span><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVzchfo5MyGHDsS_1zDmvRLu5rlFRgj6T4cLLaB0RAC8Sip1qZawaip9iBe-bCFVCBJ5eYYLL8jlBToqXMpqkvoER3ilSzpxmWfIUSbC7ZxlhawhMFE9bD3lDLedDANQTLjaRhvEsZ74/s320/IMG_5674.JPG" /><br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"> So here we are with the <b>SIXTH </b>entry in <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/">GoodLife Eats</a> and <a href="http://mybakingaddiction.com/">My Baking Addiction</a>'s <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/11/holiday-recipe-exchange-details.html">Holiday Recipe Exchange</a>... And this week the theme is <b>comfort food</b>. <em>Come join the fun at the <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/tag/holiday-recipe-exchange/" target="_blank">My Baking Addiction</a> and <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/11/vanilla-salted-caramel-hot-chocolate.html">GoodLife Eats</a> Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by <a href="http://lecreuset.com/" target="_blank">Le Creuset</a>.</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/12/recipe-exchange-homemade-mac-n-cheese.html#comment-15723"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/lecreuset.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">In my world, nothing says comfort food like a hot bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese, with a nice crunchy top crust and noodles that aren't overcooked nor undercooked but JUST right. There are lots of recipes out there for macaroni and cheese and lots of ways to dress up the basic mac, but in my opinion, nothing says comfort like the traditional mac and cheese that I love to make for my family. My little girl absolutely gobbles it down. In fact, it's her most requested meal. I use five different types of cheese in my mac n cheese, the fifth one only appearing in the topping. You can use the five types I've listed here, which are my basic go-to cheese choices, or you can change out any of them for cheeses of your choice. I oft-times find myself short on one or more of these and use what I have on hand. I only have two pieces of advice when it comes to swapping out cheeses. First, make sure they melt! Don't choose a cheese like feta or queso fresco which don't melt well. And second, if choosing a stronger flavored cheese like a blue, use half the amount of that cheese and up the amounts of the other cheeses to keep it from overpowering the dish. Other than that, swap away! Here's the basic recipe:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Christi's Homemade Baked Five-Cheese Mac 'n Cheese</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMG-v9oJhenqjFVZ2-XZhy0pkPN1_W_D8fQS5MyXW8vyAY6VffSjdFkeRw93pgLUwAydfc1UNRI89mvRTD9lZkOycNLvD7llbB3R3C5sDENFiJzVacfCkGMUBH4HCdyIOfTITO2gtbTw/s320/IMG_5664.JPG" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
1 1/2 pounds elbow macaroni -- cooked to al dente</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 large sweet onion -- diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup butter</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika -- sweet</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon mustard powder -- Coleman's brand preferred</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
4 cups whole milk -- can use 1-2% but whole makes it richer<br />
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese -- grated<br />
4 ounces medium cheddar cheese -- grated<br />
4 ounces Swiss cheese -- grated<br />
4 ounces Velveeta -- diced<br />
1/4 cup bread crumbs -- for topping<br />
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan -- for topping<br />
<br />
If your pasta is not cooked, start your water boiling now and your pasta and sauce will be ready at about the same time. Cook your pasta for 1 minute less than you normally do as it will bake and soften a bit more in the cheese sauce in the oven.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 350 F. Grate the cheddar and swiss cheeses on the large side of your box grater. Cut the velveeta into 1" cubes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVt8hvZX70w5nmczXZ5udaUJq1SeHPjA9tvcRt2tx6B_BNf74OtfxBDcmZFaIWCD2NKY12TIQE3cLaR90NDQzAecdzhsGZEX0FfGLRoGT-gCSCgfwS06fDdq6SojZL-sShCDIV5UjDSk/s1600/IMG_5665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVt8hvZX70w5nmczXZ5udaUJq1SeHPjA9tvcRt2tx6B_BNf74OtfxBDcmZFaIWCD2NKY12TIQE3cLaR90NDQzAecdzhsGZEX0FfGLRoGT-gCSCgfwS06fDdq6SojZL-sShCDIV5UjDSk/s320/IMG_5665.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until starting to turn golden. Mix flour with spices. Add flour mix, whisking to form a roux. Will be clumpy/thick. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until it smooths out and starts to smell a little nutty. Add milk, 1 cup at a time, whisking to incorporate throughly before adding more. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtJgv2OK72J7umoKhvQHfqwEfLWH8hukvhsI0DIR8sqM2Lv051QAwjpgn4X7CmOTK2fYWv5TkdOfh6Lrj14EBLYF1sIaL5KfBdyD4jPKmgZf5V44KIwIWkhKozZc6qQ57MPasckOTiUA/s320/IMG_5667.JPG" width="320" /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Let this come just to a boil, then turn heat down to medium low and add cheeses slowly making sure to melt each addition before adding more. Add velveeta last to help smooth it all out. Combine cheese sauce mix with cooked macaroni noodles. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray (helps clean up later!) then dump in mac n cheese. Top with bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDSRRE89no7Yg70UBQ2djwPDtOggJHc4_LVtuVMsmoyA1PE0zapIeZgIb6c3qMrbmJQX_r2M23bF7y4AZxXfvYCdlms7iD4edPns7YDXnF1NQ2ahJLS21NDYY1GysX98krQ9MoAgS6C4/s320/IMG_5669.JPG" /> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia61N5SD8u83QMDmaSEetHBgcPG9-gI7AFYqHQ250pL_L7Ekdq3dQKceQ5JaqGELNp9FJDBxhYB1d_QwdJJ1LMn66CYuMO3A4bJyCxtpb7HSIl2gQa1wmUBshyHWXBaKqgLj6o_BAnnXA/s320/IMG_5670.JPG" /><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">This makes a large batch, perfect for freezing. I serve some for dinner, then package remainder in "meal sized" portions in the freezer for later use. Or you can also be really bad and try out Alton Brown's<span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/next-day-mac-and-cheese-toast-recipe/index.html">Next Day Mac and Cheese "Toast"</a></span>... To reheat thawed mac n cheese, bake at 350 until heated through. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVt8hvZX70w5nmczXZ5udaUJq1SeHPjA9tvcRt2tx6B_BNf74OtfxBDcmZFaIWCD2NKY12TIQE3cLaR90NDQzAecdzhsGZEX0FfGLRoGT-gCSCgfwS06fDdq6SojZL-sShCDIV5UjDSk/s1600/IMG_5665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4G-CuQlDsdB423ynLckNDWuZE9MjlW-Y-57ip4U2oM4slIg3wKd9s5Ht2_1T2y9yC1jOfLIFrOzL54E0P1Ww6bH-2-OrAoLlwHnP3HbZfgqFm-7_NMby5TlZJ5a8K3T2vkjHPY7SDNw/s320/IMG_5672.JPG" /> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>YUM!!!</b></span><br />
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</div><div style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><br />
</a></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-60158126483665993122010-12-08T09:26:00.000-06:002010-12-08T09:26:34.392-06:00Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/12/recipe-exchange-chocolate-orange-bread.html"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/scharffenberger.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">And now for the next entry in the Holiday Recipe Exchange with <a href="http://goodlifeeats.com/">GoodLife Eats</a> and <a href="http://mybakingaddiction.com/">My Baking Addiction</a>... This week I decided to go the easy route and start with a recipe from a fairly reliable source... Martha Stewart! I know Martha gives some folks the frights, but I've found her recipes to usually be worth repeating... This one in particular I've tried in the past and found them absolutely addicting, so I decided I'd share my take on her recipe for <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies?xsc%20%20eml_cod_2010_11_26">Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies</a>. This cookie is like a cross between a snickerdoodle (owing to the cream of tartar) and a cup of hot chocolate with a little bit of chile heat added in for fun. They come out of the oven slightly crispy but still chewy and wonderful! If you enjoy this recipe, then <em>come join the fun at the <a href="http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/tag/holiday-recipe-exchange/" target="_blank">My Baking Addiction</a> and <a href="http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/11/vanilla-salted-caramel-hot-chocolate.html">GoodLife Eats</a> Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by <a href="http://www.scharffenberger.com/" target="_blank">Scharffen Berger</a>.</em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT83dqBptrf2Zt5OdhwUNeqayzU-J_4lCxWsFry_Gb6FzYBFkcYtURXv1A56GY-N97O7ofdSIOt71BLIlrLetjcVSeLxSx9NlSL6aC7YpcGSWVigyPXkq0TOKUFap75MFp6MbYyAN5tOU/s1600/IMG_5645.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT83dqBptrf2Zt5OdhwUNeqayzU-J_4lCxWsFry_Gb6FzYBFkcYtURXv1A56GY-N97O7ofdSIOt71BLIlrLetjcVSeLxSx9NlSL6aC7YpcGSWVigyPXkq0TOKUFap75MFp6MbYyAN5tOU/s320/IMG_5645.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa would LOVE a plate of these cookies!<br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Original recipe source: <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies?xsc%20%20eml_cod_2010_11_26">Martha Stewart.com</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Adaptations by me!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (the darker the better)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons cream of tartar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon baking soda</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon coarse salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 cup unsalted butter -- (2 sticks) room temperature</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 3/4 cups sugar, divided</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 large eggs, at room temperature</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 tsp vanilla extract (homemade if possible!)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons cinnamon</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 tsp freshly ground ancho chile</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDy4FA1OzNr9UHNE9XGjJe37wCa-M3BBBOw_qpUeYcEiop2cuTvEcm1-a9-ofEl8y9aItjNMmxoctNo7gYdFRyqd8IPx36zO1SwlUHEHI8IAqreWbKaUKUDP1ze6GEu5YK0uGtSdjIzEA/s320/IMG_5631.JPG" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Pepper prep: Take your ancho chile pod and break it open, removing all the seeds and the stem. Place the flesh of the chile in your food processor or, if you're like me and have a dedicated "spice grinder" (aka coffee bean grinder that's been re-purposed for spices), use that. Just be sure you don't use your regular coffee grinder for this or you're next cuppa joe may be on fire! Grind the pepper until it's in powder form. If, like me, your pepper is a little too soft (ie. not dry enough) grind enough for this recipe and then let the rest dry out for another use. Put 1/2 tsp of this freshly ground pepper in a small bowl for later use in this recipe.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcw-kvp94r44xy-hrlC3G_z0uidvm2pngdDdnUSY1EJ2yCzPBwi_EM02s0Ds3JiLzaToc2V_VeEvsmcnytsOui24qde7uSyTnTZiSaeuszFTzhH1mmrDqRMm563cifb2nw3ioEpT3w3zs/s320/IMG_5632.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly ground ancho chile<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSiElywf_yOg50LYeJcLGIIOPhw2SRbLSNI7Tj6E5E9LSAR7xSC-KfzfUNhE_8lz6Yhu9nx3DDpqd_k3e8P54D-B0xg32N9ABTWSuB7gQpmU752f2azSBdrTVdhx7cyy7yOpV8YbvfKs/s320/IMG_5636.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well creamed butter and sugar takes time...don't underbeat it! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. With mixer on low,</div><div style="text-align: left;">add the cream of tartar, salt and baking soda, allowing each ingredient to incorporate before adding the next. Add cocoa powder next followed by the flour in small increments (so you don't wear it!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSk4Zrxu7dyNLusvBdemUMw9HzMB5xokPyjD5jH5ckAF44RNlSQMfYczlJWso4ilvoJErWf88EkivuuzP1wAQqT4Jm8HefgWmgsqd-8iCxQYQyOrJ2Uq5dgWpLRy3ASSUKkBu_KOsqR0/s320/IMG_5637.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough's ready to go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the small bowl with your freshly ground ancho powder, add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiZzxeiKeS2hiFpalx9frQtCpr3oJ6mgvYYv4wiSiE_BtQODNMMRVbQyCMxL-4SEhDSNPynQsf-mgzx6FM15zFISXsFLpsFyZ3t55I7uGdM7enZ0wSGTEdN5RPEDTTdCEHOIQRBxETwA/s320/IMG_5634.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rolling mixture</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Using heaping tablespoons (I used a #40 cookie scoop which is about 1.5 tbsp), form balls of dough and roll in chile-cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on baking sheets. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cPDIEm04t3t1Kd7JdlfSUMFJgjjvUPzhu_eiydokSKcr5SXfil5ESF27Y9biiuAIzSgyRxsGpKab-cvMRU9LxxM7NO8stBijRB1MIgCE6RvgflH1oUxuDuMUDlUr45YvEtbdQngXXII/s320/IMG_5639.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to bake</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSqFrG3p0mMCS8oVpUjx5XISfatHolAQdSCuHAI_9oU6bCVZVLXKOtB_lY6dd6m_UiXCxOnUOQUtXBFhdYMS_o5Ts7vID1K8T1ThzMubtWAZIxzuCnCmAQJJZ4kkAm_pT9YgvCF5KB7c/s320/IMG_5640.JPG" width="320" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZW-FDsNTSleuSijhnvHs_d4Jc1cHYBeNaKl8X6LTdpSKvak43L07B_GzxpuecSvY2gWDix-_Jd97inqlATSokUY0_eXwMgYzkJrzsSegPZwP6a4ImiwL2CJ6k_9d6JMBqF6EysfnIGo/s320/IMG_5642.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicely crackled but still chewy</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Enjoy this recipe and let me know if you give it a whirl! I love to get comments from readers who've tried them!</div></div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7428381278844922905.post-43011434743477196312010-12-06T10:32:00.000-06:002010-12-06T10:32:16.555-06:00Spiced Cranberry Butter in the crockpot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXQAOgfBzVlFp6i6f185-LPbyhWKRnCulNcQHcpkmGszM3-tHQ1RR0LBCpF73pP5urTPYHxDuqcmmYaUILjZQ2jb7WaRxhxBvsMiplK5wZJ97c2XQTDHs6xnZjKDgpnKu8I-FTSEckes/s1600/IMG_5613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXQAOgfBzVlFp6i6f185-LPbyhWKRnCulNcQHcpkmGszM3-tHQ1RR0LBCpF73pP5urTPYHxDuqcmmYaUILjZQ2jb7WaRxhxBvsMiplK5wZJ97c2XQTDHs6xnZjKDgpnKu8I-FTSEckes/s320/IMG_5613.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At this time of year I get to thinking about food gifts from my kitchen, and about ways to use up things in my fridge so I have room for all those holiday dishes, etc. So, along that vein, yesterday I made <b>Cranberry Butter </b>in my crockpot... Cranberry Butter is like apple butter, only made with fresh (or frozen) cranberries rather than apples. In this case I had some cranberries I'd frozen as well as some fresh ones that I needed to use so into the crockpot they went! After tossing the cranberries in, I added some sweetening (in this case a combination of sugar and honey) and some spices (cinnamon, clove and ginger) and then turned the crockpot on low. It cooked all day on low, smelling up the house with it's holiday goodness, and then in the evening I removed it all to my food mill and gave it a whirl to remove the skins from the cranberries. After that I put it back in the crockpot, adjusted the seasoning (adding a little more honey and some salt for flavor contrast) and let it run overnight on the "keep warm" setting with the lid ajar to allow it to thicken up a bit more. And so this morning we have some super cranberry butter for eating and for giving... Thought I'd share the recipe and a little pic of it for anyone interested in giving it a whirl!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Cranberry Butter in the Crockpot</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2-3 lbs fresh or frozen (not thawed!) cranberries</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 cups sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, maple syrup or a combination)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tbsp cinnamon</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp ground clove</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp ground ginger</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 tsp kosher salt</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Place cranberries, 1 1/2 cups sweetener, cinnamon, clove and ginger in the crock of your slow cooker and turn on low for 8-10 hours. After this time, remove to a food mill or food processor and puree until smooth. Return to slow cooker and adjust sweetness to taste as well as adding the salt. Allow to continue to cook on low (or keep warm setting) with the lid ajar for another 4-6 hrs or until thickened to your liking. Freeze or water-bath can for giving as gifts. Makes about 4 cups of butter or 4 half-pint jars.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Great on toast or biscuits or try it served over cream cheese with crackers for a great appetizer! Also great when turned into a "baked brie"...</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For Baked Brie, you'll need 1 sheet puff pastry, 1 wheel of brie cheese, about 1/4 cup chopped nuts and the cranberry butter. Put the puff pastry sheet on a greased baking tray. Trim the rind off the wheel of brie then place in the center of the sheet. Top with chopped nuts and then spoon a couple of tablespoons of the cranberry butter overtop. Fold the puff pastry over all the enclose then put into a 350F oven until golden brown all over. Serve hot with some extra cranberry butter if desired. YUM! </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div>Christi Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13040217289090538927noreply@blogger.com0