Sunday, January 15, 2012

Snickerdoodles

I love a good snickerdoodle cookie.  I have used Paula Deen’s recipe from her first cookbook The Lady & Sons for years.  I ordered her cookbook off of QVC years ago before the days of the Food Network.  One of the few items I have ever purchased on QVC but then we digress.  Back to the light and delicious cookie.

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Snickerdoodles

Recipe by Paula Deen

1 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tarter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream shortening with sugar and eggs.

Sift together flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, and salt.  Combine with the egg mixture.

Chill dough thoroughly then roll into small balls (walnut size).  Roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake for 8-10 minutes on a ungreased baking sheet until lightly browned but still soft.

Enjoy!

Click here to print this recipe!

Flat Apple Pie

We watched Pioneer Woman whipped up these flat apple pies on her new cooking show yesterday.  They looked so good we decided to make them.  We served them after dinner.  Everyone agreed these were fantastic.

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Flat Apple Pie

recipe by the Pioneer Women (slightly adapted)

Ingredients

  • 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows
  • 6 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, flour, salt and lemon juice. Set aside and see how long you can keep from sneaking a slice of apple.

With a rolling pin, begin rolling out the Perfect Pie Crusts into large circles. Roll the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.

If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen the dough and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes, no back-and-forth rolling.

Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the dough and carefully place the circles on large baking sheets.

Place half the apple mixture on one crust and the other half on the other crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.

Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.

Allow to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter. Eat 'em on the go!

 

Perfect Pie Crust:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks cold butter
  • 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • 1 egg
  • 5 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add in the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter, gradually work the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. This step should take 3 or 4 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg with a fork, and then add it to the mixture. Next, add in the cold water and vinegar. Stir the mixture together until it's just combined, and then remove half the dough from the bowl. Yield: dough for 2 crusts.

 

Caramel Sauce

  • 4 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar, Packed
  • 1/2 cup Half-and-half
  • Pinch Of Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, half & half, and salt in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Add vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Remove from heat and drizzle over pie.  We drizzled over the individual pie pieces as opposed to the whole pie.

Enjoy! 

 

Click here to print this recipe!

Chicken Broccoli Pasta

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This is one of our favorite weeknight meals.  We love the creamy texture of the sauce with the broccoli and pasta.  Even my kids love it.

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1 8 oz package cream cheese, cubed (or whipped cream cheese or cooking cream cheese)

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

4 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated

1 lb bowtie pasta

1-2 bunches of broccoli cut into florets

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.  During the last 3 minutes of cooking the pasta, add the broccoli to the pot.  Drain and set aside.

While cooking patsa, heat oil in a large skillet over medium/medium high heat.  Add chicken cooking until no longer pink about 3 minutes stirring frequently. 

Remove the chicken from the pan.  Add chicken broth to the pan scraping the pan (deglazing). 

Reduce heat to medium.  Whisk in cream cheese stirring until smooth. Stir in 1/2 mozzarella (3/4 cup) cheese.

Stir in chicken, pasta and broccoli into the sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.  Cover with lid to melt cheese then serve.

Enjoy!

Click here to print this recipe!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Brownies

This brownie recipe is almost as simple as a box brownie mix to make but its taste so much better!  I love the texture and most of all the flavor.  Everyone in the my family loves them! 

Brownies

recipe by Allrecipes

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
  3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Click here to print this recipe!

Delicious, easy biscuits

I have been trying to find the perfect biscuit recipe for a while now.  I have tried dozens of recipes and concluded this simple recipe is the best.  Although, I thought butter would be the better fat, I have learned it creates a crunchier biscuit then I prefer.  The crisco makes the biscuit light and fluffy.  Gracie (age 6) actually made this biscuit with a little assistance.  Its amazing how much she can do in the kitchen.

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Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup crisco
2/3 cup buttermilk or milk

Preheat oven to 450°.

Cut solid vegetable shortening into flour. Add enough milk to make a dough. Don't over-knead the dough, because it makes it tough.

Roll out dough and gently knead (fold over, roll out, fold over, roll out, and fold over). This makes your layers in the biscuits. Cut out your biscuits and place on cookie sheet.

Bake your biscuits 7 to 10 minutes until they are lightly brown on top and bottom.

Click here to print this recipe!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Chip Chocolate Bundt Cake

My sweet scrapbooking friend baked this delicious cake.  The girls raved about it.  You have to try this cake.  You won’t be sorry.

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Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Recipe by Melinda Reeves

1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

Semi sweet chocolate, grated

Powdered Sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat all ingredients, except chocolate chips, in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just to moisten. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.

2. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.

3. Bake 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and grate semi sweet chocolate over the cake.

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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Teresa’s Pasta Salad

This is a simple pasta salad recipe that is a favorite at our scrapbook weekends.  Thank you to my good friend Teresa for sharing the recipe.

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Teresa’s Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 pkg Tri color pasta

1 can of olives, drained

1 bag of mini pepperonis

1 8 oz bag of co jack cheese cubes

Zesty Italian dressing

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on the package.  Drain and rinse pasta.  Add olives, pepperonis and cheese cubes.  Pour Italian dressing over the pasta salad to desired consistency/moistness.  Chill several hours before serving.

Click here to print this recipe.