Making a meal for a family tonight, and made these rolls to go with it. The soup I made was this yummy chicken soup that Terri gave me the recipe for years ago, that I call "Yummy Chicken Soup." Tricky. The rolls are from the Oct/Nov 2010 magazine of Simple & Delicious. I wanted to try it because it seems easy. But, it starts with frozen bread dough, which some people have issues with. Sometimes I do too, depending on what mood I'm in. But, for the sake of easiness, and for once in a while, I think nothing bad will happen if we start with frozen bread dough.
Herb Bubble Bread
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp dill weed (sounds like something I call my sister when I'm mad, not an herb...)
1/8 tsp each dried thyme, basil, and rosemary, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp minced garlic
1 loaf (1 lb) frozen bread dough, thawed
In a small bowl, combine cheese and seasonings. In another bowl, combine butter and garlic; set aside. Divide dough into 16 pieces. Roll into balls. Coat balls in butter mixture, then dip in cheese mixture. Place in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 22-26 minutes or until golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Serve warm.
So at the Walmart I couldn't find whole loaves of frozen bread dough. So I bought the same idea, frozen dinner rolls. Not the Pillsbury ones. The ones in the orange bag. So I thawed those, and then progressed to the next step, and got to skip rolling balls, which made me like this recipe even more. I made a double batch of this, so we could have one and the other family could have one (I'm not saying who it is in case they are sensitive re: privacy issues. But I will say she's a loyal blog reader and if she wants to identify herself and give feedback, she is welcome to). But, I didn't have quite enough parmesan cheese to double it. After about 2 rolls, I realized I would not have enough of the herb mixture to do this to all the rolls, so for the second pan I just dipped them in the butter. I figured the kids (hers and mine) would like them better plain anyway.
So, everyone liked these. Emma and Sam each had 2 plain ones, Nathan had 1 plain one. That's pretty good right there. The herb ones were good too. We dipped them in the soup, and yum. Totally a keeper, especially since I have 12 more frozen rolls.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Maple Pretzel Chicken
The kids MUST like this. I cannot see why they wouldn't like it. That's why I wanted to make this one, because what can go wrong with maple syrup and pretzels? It's from the Oct/Nov 2010 Simple and Delicious.
Maple Pretzel Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels (make sure they are crushed finely)
1/4 cup canola oil
Flatten chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and syrup. Place pretzels in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken in egg mixture and coat with pretzels. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. 4 servings.
Made a double batch of this to give to a dear co-worker for a meal. Also, they are not kidding when they say the pretzels need to be finely crushed. I had mine pretty well crushed, or so I thought. Perhaps a better word to describe how their texture should be is "pulverized." Anyway this smelled great, tasted great, and was very easy. If you also need to double this, for whatever reason, you don't need to double the syrup and egg mixture, I had very much of this left over after coating 9 chicken pieces with it. Steve wondered if we could do some kind of weird french toast adaptation with it, but I felt weird about it since it had had raw chicken in it. Anyway, another keeper. Just have to remember the pulverize the pretzels next time. I will write that on the recipe...weirdly, Sam was the one who didn't care for this. He reminded me that he doesn't really like pretzels. But Nathan and Emma both liked it. I have discovered that it IM-possible to please everyone in this house in a single meal. It's probably like that at your house, too, I bet, so I'm not feeling bad about it. But it would be nice if all 3 of them could agree on something besides Pop Tarts and chicken nuggets...oh well...
Maple Pretzel Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels (make sure they are crushed finely)
1/4 cup canola oil
Flatten chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg and syrup. Place pretzels in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken in egg mixture and coat with pretzels. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. 4 servings.
Made a double batch of this to give to a dear co-worker for a meal. Also, they are not kidding when they say the pretzels need to be finely crushed. I had mine pretty well crushed, or so I thought. Perhaps a better word to describe how their texture should be is "pulverized." Anyway this smelled great, tasted great, and was very easy. If you also need to double this, for whatever reason, you don't need to double the syrup and egg mixture, I had very much of this left over after coating 9 chicken pieces with it. Steve wondered if we could do some kind of weird french toast adaptation with it, but I felt weird about it since it had had raw chicken in it. Anyway, another keeper. Just have to remember the pulverize the pretzels next time. I will write that on the recipe...weirdly, Sam was the one who didn't care for this. He reminded me that he doesn't really like pretzels. But Nathan and Emma both liked it. I have discovered that it IM-possible to please everyone in this house in a single meal. It's probably like that at your house, too, I bet, so I'm not feeling bad about it. But it would be nice if all 3 of them could agree on something besides Pop Tarts and chicken nuggets...oh well...
Bacon & Rosemary Chicken
Sounds weird. But let me tell you, this was one of the best things we have had lately. It was so good. I'll tell you all about it as we go through it here. It's from the latest Simple & Delicious.
Bacon & Rosemary Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup flour
5 bacon strips, chopped
1 tbsp butter
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I minced mine with my PC garlic press...why slice garlic when you can crush it to smithereens?)
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp lemon juice
Flatten chicken breasts to an even thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place flour in large ziploc bag. Add chicken breasts, one at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 2 tbsp drippings. Cook chicken in butter and reserved drippings (here I really cut down the amount of fat...you could use olive oil instead of butter too, or just use the bacon fat...for that reason I put this in the "dairy-free" category as well) for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170. Remove and keep warm. Add the garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes to the skillet; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil (let me tell you, this was the best, most different-smelling food smell we've had in a while...it smelled FABULOUS!). Cook until liquid is reduced by half. Return chicken and bacon to skillet; heat through. 4 servings.
We had this with mashed potatoes. This was, like I said, so good. For Nathan and Emma, I just left their chicken out after that step where you "remove and keep warm." For ours and Sam's, I returned it to the skillet and heated through...you should definitely make this. I'm tagging Becky H in this post once it goes to facebook (become a fan if you're not already! Do a search for New Recipe Night and click Like) because she has fresh rosemary from her garden in her kitchen...most definitely a keeper!!
Bacon & Rosemary Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup flour
5 bacon strips, chopped
1 tbsp butter
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I minced mine with my PC garlic press...why slice garlic when you can crush it to smithereens?)
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp lemon juice
Flatten chicken breasts to an even thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place flour in large ziploc bag. Add chicken breasts, one at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving 2 tbsp drippings. Cook chicken in butter and reserved drippings (here I really cut down the amount of fat...you could use olive oil instead of butter too, or just use the bacon fat...for that reason I put this in the "dairy-free" category as well) for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170. Remove and keep warm. Add the garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes to the skillet; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and lemon juice; bring to a boil (let me tell you, this was the best, most different-smelling food smell we've had in a while...it smelled FABULOUS!). Cook until liquid is reduced by half. Return chicken and bacon to skillet; heat through. 4 servings.
We had this with mashed potatoes. This was, like I said, so good. For Nathan and Emma, I just left their chicken out after that step where you "remove and keep warm." For ours and Sam's, I returned it to the skillet and heated through...you should definitely make this. I'm tagging Becky H in this post once it goes to facebook (become a fan if you're not already! Do a search for New Recipe Night and click Like) because she has fresh rosemary from her garden in her kitchen...most definitely a keeper!!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Yesterday morning we had almost nothing for breakfast. It was very sad. I had to eat Tiffany's cookies. Boo hoo. The kids had yogurt. We had no bread made, no granola bars, etc. So yesterday I thought I would make muffins so we could have some for breakfast this week. Nathan does not like blueberry muffins, so I asked him what kind he would like, and he said "chocolate chip!" So I found this recipe for chocolate chip muffins on Tasteofhome.com. I did look at allrecipes.com first, but I don't like that anybody can post anything they want on there. The first few recipes I made had very mixed reviews, so then I thought I would go to trust Taste of Home, since those recipes are all tested first before they're published. So, here is the link to the recipe. Blogspot won't let you copy and paste, and I don't want to click back and forth 100 times to copy the recipe, so here is the link:
www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Muffins
What do you think happened when I made this, especially for my little boy? He didn't like them. I thought they were great. Easy. Sam & Emma liked them. Nathan did not. He took one little tiny nibble, and said "I don't like them." I said, in frustration, "you don't like ANYTHING!" He said, "yes I do, I like chicken nuggets." I told him I couldn't make muffins with chicken nuggets. About 3 hours later, he did eat half of one of the muffins, then said, "Mommy, this was da-lish-ish but I don't want to finish it." Fine Nathan, throw it away. So I guess next time I will make whatever kind of muffins I want without regard to our pickiest eater, if he's not going to eat them anyway. That being said, this was a good recipe, and I will keep it. Steve probably will like them too, he just hasn't had any yet.
www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Chip-Muffins
What do you think happened when I made this, especially for my little boy? He didn't like them. I thought they were great. Easy. Sam & Emma liked them. Nathan did not. He took one little tiny nibble, and said "I don't like them." I said, in frustration, "you don't like ANYTHING!" He said, "yes I do, I like chicken nuggets." I told him I couldn't make muffins with chicken nuggets. About 3 hours later, he did eat half of one of the muffins, then said, "Mommy, this was da-lish-ish but I don't want to finish it." Fine Nathan, throw it away. So I guess next time I will make whatever kind of muffins I want without regard to our pickiest eater, if he's not going to eat them anyway. That being said, this was a good recipe, and I will keep it. Steve probably will like them too, he just hasn't had any yet.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Pumpkin Chip Cream Pie
I made this for home fellowship on Friday. The dessert part of home fellowship is always filled with mayhem, as children yell, not necessarily at their own mothers, for "some of that." The thought of slicing and serving a pie in this setting, and on very little sleep as I had worked the night before, did not appeal, so I made this in those little graham cracker tart shells that the Keebler Elves make, and just let people grab them and eat them. MUCH better. Also, this and work are the only venues that I can bring a pumpkin dessert to, since Steve doesn't like pumpkin. I am afraid, if I keep making pumpkin desserts, he will begin divorce proceedings, so this has to be the last one for a while, but it was very very good (say those who like pumpkin...).
Pumpkin Chip Cream Pie
3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
8 oz carton Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust
Slivered almonds and chocolate curls, optional
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set. Stir in the chocolate chips, pumpkin, and pie spice. Fold in 2 cups Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set (you can do this for way less time and it's still fine). Spread with remaining Cool Whip; garnish with almonds and chocolate curls, if desired.
This was very yummy. Another mommy at the home fellowship said she thought it tasted like pumpkin chip cookie dough batter. Yum. I have never made those (and clearly I cannot this season) but I bet she is right. I had a lot of the filling left over, because I made a double batch of this, thinking that it might take more filling to fill the tart shells than a pie crust, but I was very wrong. So at our friend's Thanksgiving potluck last night, I put some of the filling in a dish and served it with graham crackers as an appetizer, and it was great like that, too. I still have like 2 cups of the filling left! Not sure what I will do with it. Since nobody here will eat it, and by the time I go back to work, it will be too long...I don't think I could freeze it...anyway another keeper!!
Pumpkin Chip Cream Pie
3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
8 oz carton Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust
Slivered almonds and chocolate curls, optional
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft set. Stir in the chocolate chips, pumpkin, and pie spice. Fold in 2 cups Cool Whip. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set (you can do this for way less time and it's still fine). Spread with remaining Cool Whip; garnish with almonds and chocolate curls, if desired.
This was very yummy. Another mommy at the home fellowship said she thought it tasted like pumpkin chip cookie dough batter. Yum. I have never made those (and clearly I cannot this season) but I bet she is right. I had a lot of the filling left over, because I made a double batch of this, thinking that it might take more filling to fill the tart shells than a pie crust, but I was very wrong. So at our friend's Thanksgiving potluck last night, I put some of the filling in a dish and served it with graham crackers as an appetizer, and it was great like that, too. I still have like 2 cups of the filling left! Not sure what I will do with it. Since nobody here will eat it, and by the time I go back to work, it will be too long...I don't think I could freeze it...anyway another keeper!!
Southwest Beef and Rice Skillet
We had this on Friday night, but I haven't had time to post it yet...the last time I made Spanish-type rice, it was kind of bland...this I wanted to try because it sounded more flavorful, at least it had more spices and such...it's from Simple & Delicious Oct/Nov 2010. This made a LOT; I brought half of it to a family I was making a meal for and we ate the other half. This would have been perfect with cornbread. Or crackers. We just had it with itself.
Southwest Beef and Rice Skillet
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15 oz) Ranch-style beans (pinto beans in seasoned tomato sauce)(they didn't have these at Walmart...I just used a can of black beans, because everybody likes those)
1 cup beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (we used used shredded Colby/Jack because I knew pepper jack would not be okay with the little ones. Or, honestly, with me either. I don't like spice!)
Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the rice, beans, broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, cumin, and pepper; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Most of us thought this was great. You can guess who didn't. But, he did eat it, under duress. They need to get used to rice, and over the past several weeks I have prepared it in a variety of yummy ways, but he doesn't seem to love it yet. Sigh. Keep trying, I guess. I am definitely keeping this one.
Southwest Beef and Rice Skillet
1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15 oz) Ranch-style beans (pinto beans in seasoned tomato sauce)(they didn't have these at Walmart...I just used a can of black beans, because everybody likes those)
1 cup beef broth
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (we used used shredded Colby/Jack because I knew pepper jack would not be okay with the little ones. Or, honestly, with me either. I don't like spice!)
Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the rice, beans, broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, cumin, and pepper; heat through. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Most of us thought this was great. You can guess who didn't. But, he did eat it, under duress. They need to get used to rice, and over the past several weeks I have prepared it in a variety of yummy ways, but he doesn't seem to love it yet. Sigh. Keep trying, I guess. I am definitely keeping this one.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Cranberry Maple Pork Chops
'Tis the season for cranberry recipes! This one is from the Oct/Nov Simple & Delicious.
Cranberry Maple Pork Chops
6 boneless pork chops
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup grape jelly
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chops in butter. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, combine the cranberry sauce, jelly, ketchup, and soy sauce; cook and stir until blended. Return chops to the pan; drizzle with syrup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until meat is tender.
(If you initially fry the pork chops in oil instead of butter, this would be dairy free, so I'm marking it as such even though it calls for butter)
So this was good, but nothing exciting. Once it was done and I took the pork chops out of the pan, the sauce didn't even stay on them. It was quite watery sauce. But even without sauce Emma could tell that it had syrup on it. My budding chef. We had this with rice and corn. The sauce was good on the rice. So good, but not fabulous. I already have a couple of other recipes like this one.
Cranberry Maple Pork Chops
6 boneless pork chops
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter
1 can (14 oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup grape jelly
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chops in butter. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, combine the cranberry sauce, jelly, ketchup, and soy sauce; cook and stir until blended. Return chops to the pan; drizzle with syrup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until meat is tender.
(If you initially fry the pork chops in oil instead of butter, this would be dairy free, so I'm marking it as such even though it calls for butter)
So this was good, but nothing exciting. Once it was done and I took the pork chops out of the pan, the sauce didn't even stay on them. It was quite watery sauce. But even without sauce Emma could tell that it had syrup on it. My budding chef. We had this with rice and corn. The sauce was good on the rice. So good, but not fabulous. I already have a couple of other recipes like this one.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Sweet & Sour Sausage
Many of you might remember of my love affair with smoked sausage, aka kielbasa. I know that it is not good for me. But why does it taste so good then? Anyway I had to try this recipe when the "perfect storm" occurred. #1, I saw this recipe in the Oct/Nov 2010 Simple & Delicious. #2, I had just clipped a coupon for "save $1 on 2 Hillshire Farms products." So there you go. I am making a meal for someone tonight who just had a baby. So I am spreading my love of smoked sausage all around. I bet they will be thrilled to get this; it's not pasta and it's not chicken. I was SO thankful for all the meals I got with all my kids and after my hip surgery, but no one ever brought me smoked sausage. So I think this will be a refreshing change. =o) I doubled the recipe to have enough for us and them, but this is in the original form, which they say makes 4 servings.
Sweet & Sour Sausage
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp canola oil (I left this out...seemed like the sausage would have enough fat in it already)
Hot cooked rice (we have had a LOT of rice this week...3rd meal so far...oh well, we'll have it like 7 times per week in Haiti, right?)
Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice; set pineapple aside. In a small bowl, combine the preserves, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and reserved juice. In a large skillet, saute the sausage, onion, and green pepper in oil until vegetables are tender. Add sauce mixture and pineapple to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with rice.
Well I don't know about that family, but we certainly liked this. It came together really quickly, which is always a plus for us. I'm not against things taking a long time, but I also like when they do not. Of course I have to keep this one because of how much I love smoked sausage.
Sweet & Sour Sausage
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp canola oil (I left this out...seemed like the sausage would have enough fat in it already)
Hot cooked rice (we have had a LOT of rice this week...3rd meal so far...oh well, we'll have it like 7 times per week in Haiti, right?)
Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice; set pineapple aside. In a small bowl, combine the preserves, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and reserved juice. In a large skillet, saute the sausage, onion, and green pepper in oil until vegetables are tender. Add sauce mixture and pineapple to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with rice.
Well I don't know about that family, but we certainly liked this. It came together really quickly, which is always a plus for us. I'm not against things taking a long time, but I also like when they do not. Of course I have to keep this one because of how much I love smoked sausage.
Caramel Crunch Snickerdoodles
Have you guys ever seen that "Fresh" magazine that they have at Hannaford? You get it for free if you spend something like $25 in a visit. I don't do all my grocery shopping there, but I do my in-between stuff there. So if I get to that amount, and if they ask me if I want it, I take it. And then I look at it. But then I don't usually make anything out of it. It's not really my kind of eating. Plus the whole magazine exists to make you buy their Hannaford Inspirations line of things. But I did see this cookie recipe in there. I have never made snickerdoodles before. So I thought I would try them. It is from the Sept/Oct 2010 issue.
Caramel Crunch Snickerdoodles
3 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I never buy unsalted butter, so I just use the butter I have, and omit the 1/4 tsp salt)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
Prepare the caramel crunch. In a large heavy skillet, heat 1 cup of the sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to help it melt evenly. When the sugar is melted, lower heat to medium-low and cook to a golden color, about 3 to 6 minutes (I was very skeptical about this working, but come to find out, it actually will melt). Immediately pour the caramelized sugar carefully onto the prepared baking sheet. Tilt the sheet so that sugar spreads to a thickness of no more than 1/8 inch. Allow to cool until hard and cool to the touch, about 30 minutes.
Break the caramel into several pieces, then place on a cutting board and use a knife to chop into 1/4-to 1/2-inch pieces (this was messier and took longer than I thought it would).
Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup of the sugar together with the cinnamon. Set aside.
Make the cookies. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs and vanilla until blended. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated. Stir in the chopped caramel pieces. The dough will be stiff.
Scoop out a well-rounded tablespoon of dough and roll between your palms into a smooth ball. Roll ball in cinnamon-sugar mix. Repeat with remaining dough and place balls 3 inches apart on baking sheets (you will not use all the cinnamon-sugar, but a large quantity is easier to work with).
Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, just until the edges are golden but the centers are pale and feel soft if lightly touched, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 3 dozen
So. These were sooooo good. The caramel got all melty. Very very good. Highly recommend. You should totally make them.
Caramel Crunch Snickerdoodles
3 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I never buy unsalted butter, so I just use the butter I have, and omit the 1/4 tsp salt)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
Prepare the caramel crunch. In a large heavy skillet, heat 1 cup of the sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to help it melt evenly. When the sugar is melted, lower heat to medium-low and cook to a golden color, about 3 to 6 minutes (I was very skeptical about this working, but come to find out, it actually will melt). Immediately pour the caramelized sugar carefully onto the prepared baking sheet. Tilt the sheet so that sugar spreads to a thickness of no more than 1/8 inch. Allow to cool until hard and cool to the touch, about 30 minutes.
Break the caramel into several pieces, then place on a cutting board and use a knife to chop into 1/4-to 1/2-inch pieces (this was messier and took longer than I thought it would).
Preheat oven to 325. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup of the sugar together with the cinnamon. Set aside.
Make the cookies. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs and vanilla until blended. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated. Stir in the chopped caramel pieces. The dough will be stiff.
Scoop out a well-rounded tablespoon of dough and roll between your palms into a smooth ball. Roll ball in cinnamon-sugar mix. Repeat with remaining dough and place balls 3 inches apart on baking sheets (you will not use all the cinnamon-sugar, but a large quantity is easier to work with).
Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, just until the edges are golden but the centers are pale and feel soft if lightly touched, about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 3 dozen
So. These were sooooo good. The caramel got all melty. Very very good. Highly recommend. You should totally make them.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Pork & Vegetable Stir Fry
This is the leftover recipe that goes with the pork roast we had on Sunday, from the Oct/Nov Simple & Delicious.
Pork & Vegetable Stir Fry
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tbsp sherry or additional apple juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen stir fry vegetable blend, thawed (we used sugar-snap peas. None of us like the broccoli that comes in your typical stir fry blend)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups cooked cubed pork
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Hot cooked rice
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, apple juice, and soy sauce until smooth; set aside. Stir fry the vegetables and garlic in oil for 1-2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add pork; heat through. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve with rice.
This was great! Besides making the rice, this whole thing came together in under 10 minutes. Highly recommend this one, especially if you have leftovers from the other pork recipe. I am keeping these two recipes together in my keeper book, so I remember to make them together. So so good.
Pork & Vegetable Stir Fry
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tbsp sherry or additional apple juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen stir fry vegetable blend, thawed (we used sugar-snap peas. None of us like the broccoli that comes in your typical stir fry blend)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups cooked cubed pork
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Hot cooked rice
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, apple juice, and soy sauce until smooth; set aside. Stir fry the vegetables and garlic in oil for 1-2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Add pork; heat through. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve with rice.
This was great! Besides making the rice, this whole thing came together in under 10 minutes. Highly recommend this one, especially if you have leftovers from the other pork recipe. I am keeping these two recipes together in my keeper book, so I remember to make them together. So so good.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Pork Roast with Plum Sauce
This is from this month's Simple & Delicious. I liked it because it has this recipe, then another one that you can use for the leftovers. I like that, because then I don't feel as shocked at the price of the meat, because I know I'll be getting 2 meals out of it. However, the meat in this one is supposed to be a 4 pound boneless whole pork loin roast. It cost $20. I couldn't do it. Instead I bought 4 pounds worth of boneless pork shoulder, in 3 different packages, and it ended up being just over $10. It's going in the crock pot anyway, and they always say you can use cheaper cuts of meat in the crock pot and they turn out good. So we tried it. We had friends over for lunch, who incidentally have never been here before, so normally I would try to make something I've made before and really like, but I already had these ingredients so they were unknowingly co-guinea pigs. The magazine serves this roast with brussel sprouts. I think you know, without me having to say, that we did not have those. We had rice and green beans.
Pork Roast with Plum Sauce
1 boneless whole pork loin roast (4 lbs)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup sherry (or chicken broth, that's what I used)
2 tbsp dried thyme (this seemed like a LOT when I added it...)
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ground mustard
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup plum jam (or apricot...the note after this recipe says "apricot preserves also work well" and I already had some of those, so that's what we used)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Cut roast in half (if you bought pieces of roast, like me, you will be ahead of the game here). In a large skillet, brown roast in oil on all sides; drain. Transfer to a 4-qt slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the sherry or broth, thyme, soy sauce, garlic, mustard, ginger, garlic salt, salt, and pepper; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160. Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. In a small cup or bowl, combine cornstarch and water and stir until smooth; set aside. Add jam to cooking juices. Bring to a boil. Add cornstarch; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice roast and serve with gravy.
Okay did you know this crock pot trick? You can put everything in there the night before (brown the roast and everything) and then stick it in the fridge (just the inside stoneware, if yours separates). In the morning when you wake up, tell your husband to take it out of the fridge and put it on the counter. Then when he finally drags you out of bed, about 30 minutes later, put it in the crock pot pluggy thing. Then you don't have to get up extra early to brown the roast, etc. I can't remember who told me this trick but I am glad they did...it might have been Terri or Lisa. Okay now on to recipe results...
Everyone liked it! Yay! Nathan even had seconds (mmmmm, good chicken, Mom). Our guests also had seconds. I always pay attention to that, because that's how you can tell if they really like something or they're just being polite. Nobody takes seconds if they don't like it. So this is definitely one to keep. I thought the sauce turned out a tad bit salty, and I was thinking that maybe I should have only used the garlic salt and not the regular salt. But, I don't know. It was still really good.
Pork Roast with Plum Sauce
1 boneless whole pork loin roast (4 lbs)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup sherry (or chicken broth, that's what I used)
2 tbsp dried thyme (this seemed like a LOT when I added it...)
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ground mustard
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup plum jam (or apricot...the note after this recipe says "apricot preserves also work well" and I already had some of those, so that's what we used)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Cut roast in half (if you bought pieces of roast, like me, you will be ahead of the game here). In a large skillet, brown roast in oil on all sides; drain. Transfer to a 4-qt slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the sherry or broth, thyme, soy sauce, garlic, mustard, ginger, garlic salt, salt, and pepper; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160. Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. In a small cup or bowl, combine cornstarch and water and stir until smooth; set aside. Add jam to cooking juices. Bring to a boil. Add cornstarch; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice roast and serve with gravy.
Okay did you know this crock pot trick? You can put everything in there the night before (brown the roast and everything) and then stick it in the fridge (just the inside stoneware, if yours separates). In the morning when you wake up, tell your husband to take it out of the fridge and put it on the counter. Then when he finally drags you out of bed, about 30 minutes later, put it in the crock pot pluggy thing. Then you don't have to get up extra early to brown the roast, etc. I can't remember who told me this trick but I am glad they did...it might have been Terri or Lisa. Okay now on to recipe results...
Everyone liked it! Yay! Nathan even had seconds (mmmmm, good chicken, Mom). Our guests also had seconds. I always pay attention to that, because that's how you can tell if they really like something or they're just being polite. Nobody takes seconds if they don't like it. So this is definitely one to keep. I thought the sauce turned out a tad bit salty, and I was thinking that maybe I should have only used the garlic salt and not the regular salt. But, I don't know. It was still really good.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Brownie Trifle
Yesterday was home fellowship, which means yummy dessert making day for me. I had worked the last two nights, so I was in zombie mode, and I probably should have made something easier, but I already had the ingredients. Plus a reputation to live up to, ha ha. Our AWESOME babysitter kept the kids a bit extra yesterday so I could sleep more. That helped a lot. So this dessert is from the Oct/Nov 2010 Simple & Delicious that I just got. There are a lot of recipes I have marked in this one. This one is actually called "Spiderweb Brownie Trifle" because it is part of their Halloween section, but the only thing you do different is make a spiderweb on top with chocolate syrup. So I just didn't do that, and voila, a normal dessert.
Brownie Trifle
1 pkg caramel swirl brownie mix (8-in square pan size)(I totally did not buy brownie mix. I just made brownies. Saved myself like $2.99 right there)
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
16 oz carton Cool Whip
3 cups milk
1 pkg (5.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 pkg (3.4 oz) intstant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (did I mention that I gave away my [dull anyway] Pampered Chef chopper? I did order a new one, a Tupperware one with a pull-cord like a lawn mower that I can't wait to try...but consequently I could not finely chop these pecans. I bought them chopped, and that is the size they stayed)
3 Butterfinger candy bars, finely chopped, divided (these crushed quite easily in a big ziploc bag with my Pampered Chef meat tenderizer...not the spiky side, the smooth side)
Prepare and bake brownie mix according to package directions. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Fold in 2 cups cool whip. Place half the brownie cubes in a 4-quart trifle dish or glass serving dish; layer with half of the cream cheese mixture.
In another bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Set aside half of the pudding mixture. Stir pecans and 1 cup chopped Butterfinger into remaining pudding mixture; spread over cream cheese layer. Layer with remaining brownies and cream cheese mixture.
Fold 2 cups cool whip into the reserved pudding mixture; spread over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining cool whip over top. Sprinkle remaining Butterfinger pieces on top. Refrigerate until set.
The thing at the top of the recipe says prep time is 35 minutes, which is probably a bit low. And it said 21 servings. That I know is not true. We had 10 adults and a couple of kids that ate it. It was all eaten, which I will take as a good sign, and Becky said it was possibly the best dessert ever. So it's a keeper, definitely.
Brownie Trifle
1 pkg caramel swirl brownie mix (8-in square pan size)(I totally did not buy brownie mix. I just made brownies. Saved myself like $2.99 right there)
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
16 oz carton Cool Whip
3 cups milk
1 pkg (5.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 pkg (3.4 oz) intstant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (did I mention that I gave away my [dull anyway] Pampered Chef chopper? I did order a new one, a Tupperware one with a pull-cord like a lawn mower that I can't wait to try...but consequently I could not finely chop these pecans. I bought them chopped, and that is the size they stayed)
3 Butterfinger candy bars, finely chopped, divided (these crushed quite easily in a big ziploc bag with my Pampered Chef meat tenderizer...not the spiky side, the smooth side)
Prepare and bake brownie mix according to package directions. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar; beat until smooth. Fold in 2 cups cool whip. Place half the brownie cubes in a 4-quart trifle dish or glass serving dish; layer with half of the cream cheese mixture.
In another bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Set aside half of the pudding mixture. Stir pecans and 1 cup chopped Butterfinger into remaining pudding mixture; spread over cream cheese layer. Layer with remaining brownies and cream cheese mixture.
Fold 2 cups cool whip into the reserved pudding mixture; spread over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining cool whip over top. Sprinkle remaining Butterfinger pieces on top. Refrigerate until set.
The thing at the top of the recipe says prep time is 35 minutes, which is probably a bit low. And it said 21 servings. That I know is not true. We had 10 adults and a couple of kids that ate it. It was all eaten, which I will take as a good sign, and Becky said it was possibly the best dessert ever. So it's a keeper, definitely.
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